PERKINSTON, Miss. — The Pearl River football team threw an early haymaker against No. 4 Gulf Coast, but the Bulldogs overwhelmed the Wildcats, winning 41-14.
Freshman running back Keenan Franks (State Line; Greene County) put together his third straight 100-yard rushing game, carrying the ball 16 times for 111 yards and a score. He is the first Wildcat to eclipse the 100-yard mark in three consecutive games since quarterback Markevion Quinn in 2017. He’s the first running back to accomplish the feat since Darious Leggett went over 100 yards in five straight in 2016.
Pearl River (3-2 overall; 2-1 MACCC South) punched Gulf Coast (5-0; 3-0) in the mouth on its opening drive of the night, gashing the Bulldogs on the ground. Franks rumbled straight up the middle for a massive 47-yard gain. The Wildcats put the ball right back in his possession on the following play, and he carried it for seven more yards. The Wildcats gave Franks a breather by bringing in Jacobi Jefferson (Slidell, La; Salmen), and he made his first carry count, rushing for a 20-yard score, 7-0.
Gulf Coast didn’t even stagger after the haymaker, moving the ball down the field and scoring on a 60-yard rushing touchdown. The snap on the extra-point attempt was high, and the Bulldogs were forced to fall on it 7-6.
MGCCC made it 20 unanswered points to end the half and nearly made it 27, if not for a solid play on defense by the Wildcats. Deep in Wildcat territory, Gulf Coast carried a ball up the middle. Ja’Quaylen Love (Brandon) crashed in, forcing a fumble that Trace Carter (Ocean Springs) quickly scooped up. Carter cut around the edge and was a shoestring tackle away from breaking away with a touchdown.
The Bulldogs kept their foot on the gas pedal in the second half, quickly building a 41-7 advantage. A 13-play, 75-yard drive helped PRCC get back on the scoresheet — capped off by a Franks rushing touchdown, 41-14.
BY THE NUMBERS
Ian González (Mexico City, Mexico; St. Stanislaus) was 7-for-10 for 40 yards. He also carried the ball 13 times for 72 yards.
Franks finished the night with 111 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries. It was his third straight game with over 100 yards rushing. Jefferson tallied 37 yards and a touchdown on four attempts.
Howard Kinchen (Lafayette, La.; Patterson) caught six passes for 45 yards.
Travis Bendolph Jr. (Mobile, Ala.; Theodore) finished with a game-high 13 tackles. He also had 1.5 tackles for loss. A.J. Prim (Tylertown; Foley) was second with nine tackles.
NEXT UP
Pearl River will have its first-ever bye week next Thursday before returning to action on Thursday, Oct. 10, for Homecoming.
TUNE IN
All Pearl River football games are livestreamed for free at PRCCMedia.com/Gold. Fans who have Roku, Amazon Fire or Apple TV devices can also watch the Wildcat broadcasts by downloading the “Pearl River CC” channel from their app stores.
Games can also be heard at WRJW 1320-AM, 106.9 FM and WRJWRadio.com.
TICKETS
Tickets for Pearl River home games are on sale now at PRCCAthletics.com/tickets. Single-game tickets are $10 if purchased in advance while tickets purchased on gameday are $13. General admission football season passes are $38, while chairback reserved seating is $75. All-sport passes are also on sale and are $123. The pass grants entry to all PRCC regular season competitions.
For the latest on Pearl River Community College athletics, follow us on X (@PRCCAthletics) and Facebook (PRCCAthletics).
