PEARL RIVER COMMUNITY COLLEGE

SPORTS INFORMATION

Oct. 15, 2007

Jones wins ’Cat Fight 33-28

Four-time defending state champ Pearl River sees playoff hopes vanish

By: Mitch Deaver

POPLARVILLE — Pearl River’s hopes of winning a fifth-straight MACJC state football championship vanished here Saturday in Dobie Holden Stadium.

The sixth-ranked Wildcats were upended 33-28 by fifth-ranked and still-unbeaten Jones County in the renowned annual ’Cat Fight and saw all their post-season playoff aspirations quickly disappear.

The Bobcats improved to 7-0 overall and 4-0 in South Division play, while PRCC dropped to 5-2 and 2-2.

Sixth-year Wildcat head coach Tim Hatten took the defeat — only his ninth since arriving on the PRCC campus in 2002 — in stride.

“You hate to lose, but our guys played hard,” he said. “Hand it to Jones. They came in here and did what they had to do to win. I hope that one of the other South Division teams, Jones or (Mississippi) Gulf Coast (third-ranked and unbeaten), can run the table and have the chance to play for a national championship.

“I’d love to see either of those teams have a chance to experience that the way we did a couple of years ago.”

Pearl River won the NJCAA title in 2004 and played for the elite championship last season, but fell to Blinn (Tex.) 19-6 in the Pilgrim’s Pride Bowl in Mt. Pleasant, Tex.

Four turnovers in the contest weighed heavily on the Wildcat defeat, including two critical interceptions from the arm of PRCC quarterback Theo Wilson in the fourth quarter in Bobcat territory that abruptly killed attempted comeback drives.

Wilson, a sophomore Southwest Mississippi CC transfer from Clearwater, Fla., got his first start of the year against the Bobcats and drew praise from Hatten despite his taking much of the blame for the loss.

“We beat ourselves in the second half,” Wilson said. “I made three turnovers and we didn’t execute in the red zone. I shot us in the foot.”

But Hatten lauded Wilson’s overall effort.

“Theo did what we wanted our quarterback to do. He wound up running for three scores and even though he didn’t set the world on fire with his arm, he played well.”

Wilson also led the way with a game-high 87 rushing yards on 15 carries.

Jones went up 7-0 on the first possession of the game, marching 60 yards on nine plays with quarterback Early James hitting Kip Jacob with a nine-yard TD pass with 11:37 left in the opening quarter. Tyler Caldwell kicked the extra point.

But Pearl River immediately answered. Starting at its own 38, it took only 14 plays for PRCC to tie it up when Wilson scrambled in from the four. Wilson went four-of-five through the air on the drive, including eight-yard and 18-yard completions to Chris Reed of Hattiesburg High to convert a third and three and a third and 12, respectively. Brad Bingham of Moss Point kicked the PAT.

The Bobcats blew an opportunity to pad their lead on their ensuing possession when Caldwell’s 35-yard field goal attempt was blocked by Leslie Stirrups of Tampa, Fla., three snaps into the second period, but after a Wildcat three and out JCJC’s Tebiarus Gill returned Meridian High recruit Phillip Sullivan’s punt 65 yards for a go-ahead touchdown and Caldwell’s PAT made it 14-7 with 13:39 left in the half.

Two series later, Pearl River drove to the Jones 12 in eight plays, which included a 25-yard pass completion to Hutchinson (Kan.) CC transfer Roger Frazier of Lakeland, Fla., and a 33-yard run by Bubba Kirksey of Hattiesburg High, but an errant snap KO’ed Bingham’s field goal attempt.

On the Wildcats’ next possession, Wilson fumbled the ball away at the Bobcat 37, but special teams came to the rescue when Frank Newsome III blocked Caldwell’s punt four plays later and the freshman from Petal High recovered the bounding ball in the end zone for a score. Bingham’s PAT tied it up at 14-14 to end the first-half scoring 58 seconds before the intermission.

PRCC took its only lead of the game when Wildcat freshman Ike Bowden of Poplarville returned the opening kickoff of the second half 52 yards to the Jones 28 and Wilson followed with a 25-yard touchdown run two snaps later. Bingham’s extra point made it 21-14 with 14:03 left in the third.

But the Bobcats immediately retaliated, moving 77 yards in 11 plays on its ensuing possession with Jasper Ducksworth capping the scoring drive with a five-yard run with 8:47 left in the period. JCJC converted three third-down conversions in the series, including a third and 12 and a third and 16 via 23-yard and 19-yard completions by James, while a 15-yard Wildcat penalty converted a third and five at the Jones 41. Caldwell’s PAT knotted it up at 21-21.

Wildcat freshman Troy Hulbert of Ridgeland blocked Caldwell’s punt on the Bobcats’ next possession and Brandon Burns of Columbiana, Ala., recovered to put PRCC in business at the 36. Wilson hit O.J. Murdock of Tampa, Fla., on first down with a 27-yard completion to the nine, but Wilson fumbled it away two snaps later and Eric Lichtenstein recovered for Jones.

Sullivan punted 56 yards to the Bobcat 12 on the last snap of the third period and JCJC took the lead for good on the series. James was two for two for 28 yards on the eight-play drive, including a 13-yard completion to Chris Bingham to convert and third and 13. Reserve running back Maurice Ducksworth had two carries for 49 yards, while Jasper Ducksworth scored on a three-yard run with 11:09 left in the game. Caldwell’s extra point was blocked by Josh Wiley of Hattiesburg High.

Frazier returned the ensuing kickoff 53 yards to the Jones 27, but Wilson tossed his first interception of the afternoon four plays later and JCJC’s Cedric Jones returned his pick to the Wildcat 30.

Four plays later, James hit Gill with an 18-yard completion to the nine to convert a third and seven, then found Gill again three snaps later with a six-yard TD catch. The Bobcats’ two-point conversion try failed.

Frazier shined once again on the ensuing kickoff, returning the ball 49 yards to the Bobcat 41, but it took only three plays and Wilson was intercepted by Pieri Feazell. JCJC followed with a three and out and Wilson would get redemption.

Frazier returned Caldwell’s 44-yard punt 34 yards to the Bobcat 41 where Wilson kept on the first two snaps for 39 yards, threw incomplete, then scored from the two. Bingham’s PAT cut Jones’ lead to five with 2:23 left.

Gill recovered the ensuing on-side kick and it was over.

Jones finished the game with 360 yards of total offense (136 rush, 224 pass) to Pearl River’s 264 (140 rush, 124 pass) and dominated time of possession. The Bobcats ran 75 offensive plays to PRCC’s 52 and converted nine of 17 third-down situations and had 23 first downs to the Wildcats’ 12.

James finished the game with 20 completions on 28 attempts (no interceptions) for all the JCJC passing yardage, while Wilson was nine of 24 (two interceptions).

Jasper Ducksworth carried 33 times for 86 yards, while Gill led all receivers with 112 yards on seven catches. Reed was Pearl River’s top receiver with 44 yards on three catches.

Sullivan punted four times for a 46.5-yard average.

Defensively, Alex Ford of Presbyterian Christian led the Wildcats with 13 tackles (nine solos, four assists), including three for losses; Keon Wilson of Miami, Fla., had 12 (seven solos, five assists) with three TFLs.

Elsewhere around the MACJC

In Thursday’s North Division action, Northeast Mississippi (1-6, 1-3) got its first win of the year with a 44-23 decisive win over Mississippi Delta (2-5, 1-4) in Booneville and Itawamba (6-1, 4-0) trimmed winless Holmes (0-7, 0-4) 24-17 in Fulton. In the only inter-division game of the week, third-ranked Mississippi Gulf Coast (7-0, 4-0) kept its unbeaten status intact with a 27-20 overtime victory over North Division rival Northwest Mississippi (5-2, 4-0) in Perkinston. In other Saturday North Division action, East Mississippi (3-4, 3-2) pounced Coahoma (2-5, 2-3) 42-25 in Scooba, while in the South, Copiah-Lincoln (2-5, 2-3) trimmed East Central (2-5, 0-5) 21-17 in Decatur to spoil the Warriors’ Homecoming and Southwest Mississippi (3-4, 2-2) defeated Hinds (4-3, 2-2) 21-14 in Summit.

Next week in the MACJC

Next week in the MACJC North Division, two Homecoming outings include Coahoma hosting Northeast Mississippi in Clarksdale and Holmes hosting Mississippi Delta in Goodman, while Northwest Mississippi hosts Itawamba in Senatobia. All are Saturday games. Jones hosts Mississippi Gulf Coast for its Homecoming Saturday in a battle that will likely decide the South Division title, while Copiah-Lincoln hosts East Mississippi for its Homecoming for the only inter-divisional game of the week. Thursday games include a Homecoming match up between Hinds and East Central in Raymond and Pearl River at Southwest Mississippi in Summit.

n Pearl River Community College offers equal education and employment opportunities. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, age, national origin, veteran status, or disability. For inquiries regarding the non-discrimination policies or to request accommodations, special assistance, or alternate format publication, please con-tact Tonia Moody, ADA/Civil Rights Coordinator, at P.O. Box 5118, Poplarville, MS 39470 or 601-403-1060.