POPLARVILLE, Miss. — After throwing the ball 25 and 33 times in each of its first two games, the Pearl River football team had a different game plan in mind Thursday night in its home and south division opener against Southwest.
The Wildcats took to the field and pounded the rock for four quarters, registering 60 carries, 318 yards and four scores to take down the Bears 27-17. PRCC’s 430 yards of total offense were the most since Sept. 1, 2022, when it collected 533 yards against Holmes.
“In this league, the team that executes and plays the hardest will win the game,” head coach Seth Smith said. “We fought hard tonight, and I am proud of them. We still left four touchdowns on the field. We have to take care of those opportunities.
“We are a young team, and these guys are still learning how to finish games. You can’t take any plays off.”
Pearl River (2-1 overall; 1-0 MACCC South) made its opening drive count. After starting the contest with five consecutive rush attempts, Wildcat quarterback, Kabe Barnett (Hattiesburg; Oak Grove) connected with Henry Lee Jr. (Kenner, La.; East Jefferson) on back-to-back plays. The first time, Lee Jr. only tallied five yards, but the ensuing play saw him gain an incredible 32 yards. With the Southwest (0-3; 0-1) defense on its heels, PRCC returned to the ground game, and Keenan Franks (State Line, La.; Greene County) went nearly untouched up the middle for 15 yards and his first collegiate touchdown, 7-0.
The Bears also did their damage on the ground on their opening drive, using a good return, two pass completions and 33 rushing yards to cash in a touchdown, 7-7.
Pearl River briefly retook the lead on its third drive of the night and gained most of its yardage on the ground again. The Wildcats moved the ball down to the Southwest 4-yard line before Barnett called his number on a read option and scampered around the right side near the pylon for the score, 14-7.
SMCC evened up the score 14-14 at the 7:40 mark. Big plays of 33 yards and 15 yards helped the Bears get down to the 1-yard line, where they punched it in on the ground, 14-14.
Following a few empty possessions, PRCC was given the ball back at its own 10-yard line with 3:26 left in the second quarter. That’s when the Wildcats pulled off one of the most impressive drives of the year. In just six plays, the Wildcats drove 90 yards to reach paydirt. A Jacobi Jefferson (Slidell, La.; Salmen) 11-yard rush started things off. Barnett then connected with Howard Kinchen (Lafayette, La.; Patterson) for 46 yards. The freshman caught the pass, split two defenders and took off down the field. He unleashed a quick spin move to gain a few more yards before being tackled at the SMCC 36-yard line. PRCC eventually made its way to the Southwest 26-yard line, and Jefferson took care of it from there, cruising up the field for a 26-yard score. Morgan Craft‘s (Picayune) PAT was good and PRCC led 21-14.
Southwest’s follow-up drive resulted in some points as the Bears made their way into field goal range and nailed one from 21 yards out, 21-17.
As if the earlier 90-yard drive wasn’t impressive enough, the Wildcats embarked on another marathon drive in the third quarter. After a punt pinned them back at their own 5-yard line, PRCC went 95 yards in 11 plays to extend its advantage. The eventual touchdown drive was set up by a number of rushing plays — including a 40-yard outburst by Jefferson. Franks then got into the endzone for the second time in the contest on a 7-yard scamper. The snap on the PAT got away from the holder, though, forcing PRCC to fall on it, 27-17. The drive erased nearly six minutes off the clock.
The Pearl River defense held strong throughout the rest of the quarter and in the fourth quarter of play. While PRCC may not have gotten back in the endzone, the Wildcats dominated time of possession in the final frame and closed out a 27-17 victory.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
Barnett was efficient through the air, going 9-for-13 for 112 yards. The sophomore got it done on the ground, too, rushing 12 times for 68 yards and one touchdown.
Pearl River’s backfield had an incredible night. Franks rushed 23 times for 141 yards and two touchdowns. Jefferson followed him with 19 attempts for 107 yards and one touchdown.
“I wouldn’t have done this without our offensive line’s play. They helped out so much tonight,” Franks said. “The wide receivers were pushed in practice all week, and they blocked well. We all did what we needed to do.”
Howard Kinchen (Lafayette, La.; Patterson) hauled in one pass for a team-high 46 receiving yards. Lee Jr. caught two passes for 37 yards.
Amarion Tyson (Picayune) had an incredible game, registering 11 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and one pass breakup. Charles Atkins Jr. (Metairie, La.; East Jefferson) finished with 10 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss. AJ Prim (Tylertown; Foley) finished with five tackles, one sack and one tackle for loss.
NEXT UP
Pearl River hits the road next week to take on East Central. Kickoff from Decatur is set for 6:30 p.m.
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).
