PEARL RIVER COMMUNITY COLLEGE

SPORTS INFORMATION

Oct. 5, 2007

River rolls over Holmes

Sixth-ranked Wildcats improve to 5-1 with 29-14 non-division win

By: Mitch Deaver

POPLARVILLE — Four-time defending MACJC football champ Pearl River rolled to a 29-14 MACJC non-division victory over winless Holmes here Thursday, pumping its overall record to 5-1.

The sixth-ranked Wildcats, 2-1 in South Division play, now awaits Oct. 13's Homecoming battle with fifth-ranked division rival Jones County, which kept its unbeaten record (6-0, 3-0) intact with a last-minute 25-19 come-from-behind division win over Southwest Mississippi Thursday in Ellisville.

Sixth-year PRCC head coach Tim Hatten is still trying to get his offense on track, as the ’Cats were outgained by the scrappy Bulldogs 236 total yards to 212.

“We’re still struggling offensively,” Hatten said, “but we didn’t play well on either side of the ball.

“On the offensive side, that was our worst performance of the whole year. We’ve got to make some vast improvements there.”

Pearl River went up early on the game’s opening possession when quarterback Pat Oliver of East Marion zipped a 35-yard touchdown pass to Jerry Duncan of Petal to cap a five-play, 67-yard drive less than three minutes into the contest. Oliver also hit Duncan with a 19-yard completion on the game’s first snap for two of the Wildcats’ mere five completions on the night. Brad Bingham of Moss Point booted the extra point to put PRCC up 7-0 with 12:10 left in the opening quarter.

Holmes drove to midfield on its ensuing possession where James Jackson fumbled on a first and 10 and the Wildcats’ Craig Marshall of Shalimar, Fla., picked up the miscue and rambled 15 yards to the Bulldog 31.

Seven plays later, Bingham was wide on a 46-yard field goal try.

The Bulldogs tied it up three possessions later, driving 81 yards in seven plays with quarterback Matt McCrory hitting Dandrick Weatherby to cap the drive with a 35-yard scoring strike. McCrory was three of five for 72 yards in the series. Taylor Putt’s PAT made it 7-7 with 12:52 left in the half.

Another Holmes fumble on its next possession resulted in more Wildcat points when back up QB Michael Kirschten bobbled the ball for a minus-16 and PRCC recovered at the Bulldog 11. Bubba Kirksey of Hattiesburg High, who finished the game with a game-high 96 yards on 26 carries, ran it in on the first snap. Bingham’s extra point was wide, but Pearl River led 13-7 with 9:04 left in the half.

The Wildcats’ only turnover of the game resulted in the Bulldogs’ only lead of the game late in the half when Roger Frazier of Lakeland, Fla., mishandled Taylor Mullins’ punt at the PRCC 33 and Holmes recovered. McCrory hit Curtis Pryor with a 30-yard completion to the Wildcat four on second down, setting the stage for James Jackson’s four-yard scoring run around right end. Putt’s PAT made it 14-13 Bulldogs.

Frazier, a sophomore transfer from Hutchinson (Kan.) CC, quickly redeemed himself when he returned the ensuing kickoff 88 yards for the score with a minute left before the intermission. Oliver’s threw incomplete on the two-point conversion try and PRCC took a 19-14 lead into the locker room at the half.

Pearl River padded its lead on its third possession of the third period off a third Bulldog turnover via a muffed punt return where the Wildcats recovered at the HCC 22. Three snaps later, Kirksey scored from the 13 and Bingham converted to make it 26-14 with 7:43 left in the period.

Bingham booted a 42-yard field goal on the first play of the final quarter to end the scoring and was wide on a 50-yard attempt late in the game.

PRCC finished with 13 first downs to HCC’s 15, while Duncan led the Wildcats with three catches for 57 yards and a score and Frazier had two receptions for 47 yards.

The Wildcats were penalized 10 times for 87 yards, while the Bulldogs drew nine flags for 70.

Phillip Sullivan of Meridian punted five times for a 43.2-yard average.

Elsewhere around the MACJC

In other South Division action Thursday, unbeaten and third-ranked Mississippi Gulf Coast (6-0, 4-0) defeated East Central (2-4, 0-4) 41-24 in Perkinston, fifth-ranked Jones County (6-0, 3-0) remained undefeated with a last-minute 25-19 win over Southwest Mississippi (2-4, 0-4) in Ellisville, and Hinds (4-2, 1-2) shut out Copiah-Lincoln (1-4, 1-3) 37-0 in Raymond. In North Division action, Northwest Mississippi (5-1, 4-0) smacked Coahoma (2-4, 2-2) 24-14 in Clarksdale and winless Northeast Mississippi (0-6, 0-3) fell to East Mississippi (2-4, 2-2) 31-27 in Scooba. On Saturday, Itawamba (4-1, 2-0) hosts Mississippi Delta (2-3, 1-1) in Fulton.

Next week in the MACJC

Next week in the MACJC North Division, East Mississippi hosts Coahoma in Scooba, Itawamba hosts Holmes in Fulton, and Northeast Mississippi hosts Mississippi Delta in Booneville. Elsewhere in the South, East Central hosts Copiah-Lincoln in Decatur, Southwest Mississippi hosts Hinds in Summit. Mississippi Gulf Coast hosts Northwest Mississippi in Perkinston for next week’s only inter-division match up.

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.