FULTON, Miss. — Defensive play was at an all-time high Thursday night at Eaton Field as Pearl River took on Itawamba, but the Wildcats couldn’t get it done on offense, falling 10-0.
The Wildcats intercepted one pass, recovered a pair of fumbles and registered an incredible 12 tackles-for-loss.
“They (Itawamba) played really well, but we work too hard to ever lose 10-0,” head coach Seth Smith said. “Our defense gave us every single opportunity tonight. Four different times tonight on fourth or third and short, we didn’t convert. You don’t deserve to win if you can’t gain a yard. We have to correct that, and I have no doubt in my mind that we will.”
Those who are fans of stellar defensive play were in for a treat during the first half of the contest between Pearl River (1-1 overall) and Itawamba (1-0).
The Wildcats moved the ball with some success on their second drive of the night, going 13 plays to get to the Itawamba 31-yard line. PRCC opted to attempt a field goal, and while it had the distance, it went just wide.
The teams exchanged possessions for the majority of the rest of the half after that — both having little to no success getting the final stretch into the end zone.
It wasn’t until the 5:39 mark in the second quarter that the deadlock was broken up. Itawamba drove deep down the field with the help of a 41-yard rush, setting up a first-and-goal situation from PRCC’s 10-yard line. The Wildcat defense didn’t let the quick change in momentum bother them. Ja’Quaylen Love (Brandon) promptly broke through for a 2-yard tackle-for-loss, and PRCC allowed just a 1-yard gain on the following rush attempt. Jadarrius Gordon (Canton) came up clutch for the Wildcats on the ensuing play, recovering some ground to punch the ball away from the receiver just before a touchdown catch. The Rangers nailed a 30-yard field goal one play later, 3-0.
PRCC got the ball two more times before the half wrapped up but went into the break trailing by a field goal.
The Wildcats momentarily grabbed some momentum on the first drive of the third quarter as some miscommunication between the ICC quarterback and his wide receiver resulted in Gordon plucking a pass out of the air for an interception.Unfortunately, PRCC turned the ball over on downs shortly after.
Itawamba used an eight-play, 82-yard drive to stretch its lead to 10-0 at the 5:05-mark in the third quarter. The drive was ended by a 17-yard pitch and catch between the ICC quarterback and his receiver.
The Indians gave PRCC some chances down the stretch, turning the ball over twice. The first fumble recovery was made by Amarion Tyson (Picayune), and the second came from Charles Atkins Jr. (Metairie, La.; East Jefferson).
Pearl River couldn’t convert a field goal after the first fumble, and although the Wildcats got to the ICC 1-yard line after the second fumble, PRCC eventually turned the ball over on downs.
Itawamba went on to ice the clock and secure the 10-0 victory.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
Kabe Barnett (Hattiesburg; Oak Grove) finished 18-for-33 for 130 yards. Shadamien Williamson (Waynesboro; Wayne County) had 10 carries for 27 yards.
Howard Kinchen (Lafayette, La.; Patterson) led all PRCC receivers with 32 yards on five catches. Williamson was second with 27 yards on a pair of catches.
Travis Bendolph Jr. (Theodore, Ala.) had an incredible night on the defensive side of the ball, finishing with 10 tackles, 4.5 tackles-for-loss, one sack and one forced fumble. Trace Carter (Ocean Springs), Gordon, Atkins Jr. and Chavarius Garrett (Senatobia) each had six tackles. Atkins Jr. had 2.5 tackles-for-loss.
NEXT UP
Pearl River hosts its first home contest of the 2024 season next Thursday against Southwest. Kickoff inside Dobie Holden Stadium is set for 7 p.m.
The contest will serve as PRCC’s Sophomore Night as well as First Responders and Military Appreciation night.
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. 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).
