PERKINSTON — No. 11 Mississippi Gulf Coast kicks off the 2024 football season in a most challenging way, heading up to Scooba on Thursday to play No. 2 East Mississippi.
The Bulldogs, who have won or shared the MACCC South the last five years, and Lions will kick things off at 7 p.m. in a rematch of an MACCC semifinal from last year. After beating East Mississippi last year in the regular season, the Lions advanced in the postseason by beating the Bulldogs.
Neither team will have film of the other to watch, and rosters probably won’t get exchanged until late in the week.
“We respect our opening opponent,” Gulf Coast coach Jack Wright said. “They’re a multi-time state and national champion. They know how to win and know how to get their players ready play. It’ll be a huge challenge.”
The game will be streamed at https://emcclive.com/, and the Gulf Coast radio broadcast will be available at https://mgcccbulldogs.com/watch.
OFFENSE
They were the third-highest scoring team in the country (38.4 ppg) last year and fifth in total offense. They scored 22 touchdowns by air (eighth in NJCAA) and 26 on the ground (fourth).
Trey Hall (So., Vicksburg/Warren Central) returns to anchor the backfield. He ran 123 times for 883 yards and seven touchdowns last year, finishing third in the NJCAA is rushing average (7.2 yards per carry) and fifth in yards.
“He had a fantastic freshman season,” Wright said. “Our expectations for him are high. He has high expectations for himself. He split carries with other running backs last year, and he’s probably going to do that again with Chandler (Chapman), but he’s a home run hitter, a big play guy.”
Chapman, a sophomore from St. Stanislaus, made the most of limited opportunities as a freshman. He finished with 408 yards and four touchdowns on 74 carries, twice breaking the 90-yard mark in games.
Wright has settled on a quarterback after a preseason battle between Landon Varnes (Fr., Brandon/Brandon) and Peyton Floyd (Fr., Trussville, Ala./Hewitt-Trussville). Varnes took his high school game deep in the playoffs three times as a four-year starter, and Floyd holds three Alabama Class 7A state records.
“Landon Varnes will get the starting nod,” Wright said. “We feel good about Peyton Floyd as well. It’s the first time in a while we’ve had two freshmen out of high school playing quarterback, but they’re both really smart, really mature kids. They’re high-character guys.”
They’ll be protected by an offensive line that features four returning sophomores: Crosby Mullins (So., Mendenhall/Simpson Academy), Ryan Pascal (So., Picayune/Picayune), Mikyal Trotter (So., Laurel/Laurel) and Fulton Ascherl (So., Bay St. Louis/St. Stanislaus). They’re joined by a talented group of freshmen who will have to contribute early.
Matt Adcock (So., Raleigh/Simpson Academy) has moved over from the defensive line to become the lead tight end.
JP Coulter (So., Ocean Springs/Ocean Springs) is the leading returning wide receiver after catching 26 passes for 382 yards and three scores.
“He had a great freshman season, and he had really great spring and fall camps,” Wright said. “We need his leadership. We need even more productivity this year if we’re going to be really good on offense.”
Aydan Morgan (So., Gautier/Gautier) caught a pair of touchdown passes last year, and there is a deep group of incoming freshmen and transfers who will sort themselves out once they hit the field for real.
“It’s tough to tell (how good we are), especially with a freshman quarterback,” Wright said. “I feel like it’s a talented group, but it’s untested. Before the year is over, we’ll be really good. You don’t get the chance to make mistakes and make improvements in this conference without paying for it.”
DEFENSE
Last year’s Regulators ranked sixth in the NJCAA in total defense, allowing 256.3 yards per game. They were seventh against the pass and eighth against the run.
Up front, Al Sandifer (So., Greenwood/Greenville Christian) is back. Seven of his 19 total tackles were for losses, and three were sacks. Running mate Javen Gibson (So., Church Point La./Church Point) had 51 total tackles, including 16.5 for losses and nine sacks. He tied for sixth in the NJCAA in sacks and seventh in tackles for loss, and third in the MACCC in both categories.
“I feel really good about Al and Javen,” Wright said. “Both are coming back from extremely productive seasons last year. They’ve had their moments in camp where they flash.”
Chris Burton (So., Bogue Chitto/Parklane Academy) is also back, the third Burton brother to play for Wright in his seven seasons in charge at Perk. He’s had a Burton playing for him in all but one season. His two older brothers, Hayden and Scott, became starters and leaders in their second seasons, and Chris is following in those footsteps.
Dejon McBride (Fr., Stark, Fla./Vanguard), Jabari McWilliams (Fr., Picayune/Picayune), Jonathan Davis (Fr., Monticello/Lawrence County) and Tashawn Johnson (Fr., Jackson/Terry) are newcomers on the defensive line, and Tylan Cole (So., Meridian/Meridian) is expected to contribute more in his second season.
Last year’s second-leading tackler returns in Keshawn Thomas (So., Ocean Springs/Ocean Springs). He had 62 total tackles, including a 13-tackle game in the win over East Mississippi. Montrell Chapman (So., Batesville/South Panola) had 26 tackles and an interception. Those two linebackers lead the group.
Taurean Davis (Fr., Quitman County/DeSoto Central), Brandon Brooks (Fr., Horn Lake/Horn Lake), Skielar Mann (Fr., Fort Valley, Ga./Peach County) and Shadrick Toodle (Fr., Mobile, Ala./Cottage Hill) are others on the second level.
The defensive backfield is young, but there’s length and athleticism to be tapped into as they learn the college game. Damaryion Fillmore (So., Biloxi/Biloxi) returns, and Marcus Washington (So., D’Iberville/D’Iberville) has had an impressive preseason.
Jamarrien Burt (So., Ocala, Fla./Forest) transfers in from South Alabama, and there are good young defensive backs with high ceilings. Willie Breland (Fr., Wiggins/Stone), Dayshawn McGee (Fr., Biloxi/Biloxi) and Damon Felder (Fr., Gulfport/Gulfport) are three promising players from South Mississippi.
“We’ve got a lot of shoes to fill. We lost a lot of people on the defense, especially in the secondary,” Wright said. “They’ll be tested early in the season. There’s some really good quarterbacks and receivers coming back in this conference. We’re playing really fast up front. We’ve got a lot of guys who know the system and are getting off blocks.”
SPECIAL TEAMS
Brandin Talley (Fr., Biloxi/St. Martin) is back as the long snapper, and like all good players at that position, the fact you didn’t notice him means he was doing his job well.
Connor Mullins (Fr., Brandon/Brandon) was the top high school kicker in the state last year, and he’ll handle all kicks and punts.
CONFERENCE OUTLOOK
Gulf Coast will be going for a sixth straight South title this year, but it will be another brutal test. Jones and Copiah-Lincoln, who shared the title last year, will be tough again, and East Central returns its quarterback after the team showed great improvement last year.
Archrival Pearl River is expected to be more explosive offensively, adding to an always-solid defense.
“It’s not easy,” Wright said. “It’s not easy. There’s some really good players and good coaches, and there’s always going to be a team out there that’s a dark horse, one that has a quarterback returning a lot of guys returning at key positions. The other teams are going to be really good, especially with 15 out-of-staters. It’s a tough side of the conference.”
For more information on MGCCC’s 12 intercollegiate athletic teams, follow @MGCCCBulldogs on Twitter and MGCCCBulldogs on Facebook, and go to mgcccbulldogs.com.
This post originally posted at https://www.mgcccbulldogs.com/landing/index by MGCCC Athletics
