Wednesday, November 16, 2005
Pearl River eyes Gulf Coast rematch for all the MACJC marbles at Perkinston Sat.
No. 3-ranked Wildcats out to avenge 55-47 regular-season loss to Bulldogs to take third-straight MACJC title

    POPLARVILLE — Never before has the storied 79-year-old Pearl River-Mississippi Gulf Coast football rivalry had this much riding on it.
    When the defending national and state champion Wildcats travel to A.L. May Stadium in Perkinston to take on the Bulldogs for the 74th time in history (and the second time this season) this Saturday, it’ll be for all the MACJC marbles.
    The two teams’ Oct. 20 regular-season battle had huge state and national ramifications on the junior college football picture. Then-second-ranked Pearl River, which made a three-week climb back into the No. 3 spot in this week’s NJCAA poll following its 27-20 semi-final victory over then-second-ranked Northeast Mississippi last Saturday, picked up its only loss of the season and saw its record 23-game win streak snapped when Gulf Coast came out on top of a high-scoring 55-47 thiller at home.
    The win clinched first playoff appearance for the Bulldogs in 19 years and pushed them into the national spotlight. The eight-point victory also clinched the MACJC South Division championship for Perk, which pounded Itawamba 69-45 in the state semi-finals this past weekend to earn its berth in the title bout.
    “Motivation won’t be a factor for our players or our coaches this time around,” said fourth-year PRCC head coach Tim Hatten. “I promise you we’ll be ready to go. It’ll be a fun game and we feel good about having the opportunity to play for a third straight title.
    “Anytime Pearl River and Perk hook up you’re looking at a lot of emotion and a packed house. This time around there’s so much at stake, that emotion is going to be muliplied 10-fold,” he continued. “Very few times in football do you get an opportunity to redeem yourself from a loss in the same season. We’ve got that opportunity and we’re out to make the best of it.”
    Following its loss to Gulf Coast, Pearl River dropped to 10th in the national poll. The Bulldogs, on the other hand, jumped from No. 16 to No. 11 after its Wildcat victory and enters Saturday’s championship game ranked seventh after its demolition of ICC last Saturday.
    Only one point separates PRCC from current No. 2 Grand Rapids (Mich.) CC which could possibly land a bid against No. 1 and unbeaten (10-0) Glendale (Ariz.) in the Valley of the Sun Bowl set Dec. 3 in Phoenix, Ariz. GRCC nabbed 103 votes in the Tuesday’s poll, while PRCC garnered 102. Glendale had 120 points and all eight first-place votes in the nationwide balloting.
    “You can’t do anything about that,” Hatten continued. “It’s out of our hands. We’ve just got to worry about getting ready to play Gulf Coast again, beating them, and hope everything works itself out.”
    Wildcat All-American quarterback Jimmy Oliver had a career day Oct. 20 against the Bulldogs, connecting on 34 of a record 69 pass attempts for a record 608 yards.  That mark shattered his old record mark of 478 yards in 2004's season opener against Itawamba. In addition, the redshirt sophomore who earned NJCAA and Region 23 “Offensive Player of the Year” honors as a freshman, kept 13 times for an addition 45 yards for an astounding 648 yards of individual total offense.
    Oliver wasn’t the only recordsetter in the game, however, as wide receiver Larry Freeman set all-time reception and receiving yards records with 12 catches for 251 yards. In addition, the redshirt freshman transfer from Ole Miss scored two of the Wildcats’ seven touchdowns in the loss.
    Second-year Gulf Coast head coach Steve Campell has dramatically turned Gulf Coast’s program around since arriving in 2004 and boasts two of the most prolific offensive players in the nation in quarterback Eric Walden and running back Dantrelle Savage.
    Savage, who led the MACJC in rushing this past season, ran for 142 yards on 26 carries and two touchdowns in the Oct. 20 battle; while Walden threw for 90 yards and two touchdown passes and kept 10 times for 81 yards and two TDs.
    “This is by far the biggest game in the last 20 years for them and I feel like they’ll be dealing with a lot of pressure,” Hatten continued. “But we put pressure on ourselves everytime we line up against anybody. You’ve got to deal with that pressure and take advantage of the opportunity you’re presented.
    “And I don’t feel like either team will have any inkling of overconfidence.. There’s mutual respect involved here and Oct. 20 proved that.”
    Hatten says his game plan will get Wildcat running backs more into the offensive mix.
    “That will help our defense out,” he said. “We need to have sustained drives to eat up the clock. We’re going against the best offense we saw all year for the second time in less than month and we know what they’re capable of. Gulf Coast is a big play team and we’ve got to keep them from making them this go-around.
    “But I think Coach (William) Jones (PRCC defensive coordinator) has an excellent game plan in the works. He’s schemed well and has looked at every in and out they’ve got. I’m very comfortable with our defensive game plan going in.”
    Freeman exited the Northeast playoff game with a mild concussion early in the first quarter, but is back 100 percent for Saturday, says Hatten.
 

The Pearl River-Perk Rivalry
    The Pearl River-Perk rivalry dates back to 1926 when the Wildcats took a 6-0 victory in the inaugural match-up. Pearl River won 10 straight until Gulf Coast took a 26-6 win in 1936, then followed with a second win in 1939.
    In 1942, the two teams didn’t play after the season was shortened to only four games due to the country’s involvement in World War II, while the entire 1943 season was cancelled. Junior college football play resumed in 1944 and the two teams battled to a 7-7 deadlock, then the Bulldogs won 6-0 in 1945.
    A year later, legendary Wildcat head coach Dobie Holden arrived on the scene and turned in a 7-6 victory, then followed in 1947 with a 2-0 victory — the lowest-scoring game in Pearl River history. Perk rebounded the following year with a narrow 20-19 decision, but the Wildcats answered the setback by reeling off 17 straight wins before the Bulldogs wiped out the Wildcats 33-0 in 1966 in Holden’s last season.
    Gulf Coast won three straight before Holden successor, John Russell, won 35-0 in 1969 and 12-7 in 1970. The Bulldogs were 37-21 winners in 1971, but the Wildcats pulled off a thrilling 22-21 victory in 1972 and a 10-3 win in 1973 in Russell’s last season at PRCC.
    From 1974 through 1986, Gulf Coast won 11 of 13 under long-time head coach George Sekul, who is the winningest coach in junior college history, but PRCC rebounded with seven straight, including 1993's 64-20 blowout, before the Bulldogs won 25-14 in 1994.
    Pearl River took a 21-14 win in 1995 in Keith Daniels’ first season at the Wildcat helm, but Perk won 27-23 in 1996. In 1997, the rivalry saw the high-scoring 61-55 battle that boasted numerous record-breaking individual and team efforts. Gulf Coast won three straight until last year’s lopsided victory in Poplarville.
    In 2001, the Wildcats celebrated Homecoming in grand style with a record-setting 52-9 blowout over the Bulldogs behind then-head coach Scott Maxfield’s touted “air raid” offense which was tops in the nation in 2001. Pearl River finished that game with 661 total offensive yards and 35 first downs — both all-time highs — behind the talents of All-American quarterback Charlie Reeve.
    Besides Reeve’s throwing antics in the 2001 game, PRCC boasted two 100-yard rushers in Kris Cannon and Kiel Angry. Cannon amassed 182 yards of total offense against the Bulldogs, including a career-high 122 yards on the ground. Angry finished the afternoon with 109 yards.
    The Wildcats took a muddy, come-from-behind 42-41victory in Perkinston in 2002; then bounced back with a 38-0 blowout in Poplarville in last year’s state championship season.
    Pearl River leads the series 45-28-1 and has won or shared an unprecedented 17 MACJC titles, while Gulf Coast has claimed 11, including three NJCAA national championships in 1970, 1982, and 1984 under Sekul. PRCC has won national titles in 1961 and 2004 when the Wildcats took a 52-26 victory over the Bulldogs in Poplarville.
 

Wildcats Over The Airwaves
    All Pearl River games are broadcast live on WMXI-FM (98.1) in Hattiesburg, WFFF-FM (96.7) in Columbia, WBOX-FM (92.9) and WBOX-AM (920) in Bogalusa, La.; and WRJW-AM (1320) in Picayune. Long-time Picayune Maroon Tide play-by-play announcer Carey Meitzler will fill in for Jason Baker behind the microphone this week, while regular Clay Sweet will join him as color commentator. Airtime for Thursday’s PRCC-MGCCC broadcast is 1:30 p.m. You may also listen to the Wildcats over the internet by logging on to www.prcc.edu. Click on the icon at the bottom left of the screen, and follow the instructions.