POPLARVILLE, Miss. — Fresh of its first-ever bye week, the Pearl River football team is rested and ready to host Copiah-Lincoln in a crucial South Division contest Thursday night. The contest will serve as PRCC’s Homecoming.
The Homecoming parade will begin at 5 p.m. The route will run from the Nursing building at the back of campus to the road between the dorms and Dobie Holden Stadium. The Wildcat Walk will begin at 5:30 p.m. The Homecoming court will be presented at 6:30 p.m., and kickoff between the Wildcats and Wolves will be at 7 p.m.
Both teams enter the contest 3-2 overall and 2-1 in the MACCC South.
ABOUT COPIAH-LINCOLN
Copiah-Lincoln took down Southwest 42-16 in its last game out. The Wolves threw for 167 yards and rushed for 203.
The Wolves have utilized a two-quarterback approach this season, with both playing in all five games. Will Loy has tallied the majority of the reps. The sophomore has completed 49 of 86 passes for 478 yards and four touchdowns. Redshirt freshman Will Prichard is 17-for-34 for 248 yards and two scores.
CLCC has a trio of rushers that have eclipsed the 100-yard mark. Tray Minor leads the pack with 433 yards and four touchdowns on 64 carries. Deantre Jackson Jr is second with 347 yards and three touchdowns on 53 attempts. Dezmond Ray rounds out the efforts with 114 yards and two scores on 30 carries.
Jordan Richardson leads the Wolves’ receiving game with 15 catches. He is second on the team in yards with 152. Matt Mayfield is the yardage leader with 228 yards on nine catches.
Malachi Williams and Lakendrick James are tied for the team lead in tackles for loss with six each. Williams leads the team in tackles with 28, and James is second with 23.
Linebacker Lonnie Smith has done damage in the pass rush, tallying 5.5 sacks in four games played.
ABOUT PEARL RIVER
The Wildcats struck first against rival Gulf Coast but couldn’t hold on as the Bulldogs won the contest 41-14.
PRCC has used two quarterbacks this season. Redshirt sophomore Kabe Barnett (Hattiesburg; Oak Grove) has completed 42 of 81 passes for 357 yards and two touchdowns. Ian González (Mexico City, Mexico; St. Stanislaus) is 17-for-24 for 110 yards.
PRCC’s leading receiver is Howard Kinchen (Lafayette, La.; Patterson). He has caught 16 passes for 150 yards. Javonta Caldwell (Laurel) is second in receptions with 12. He has tallied 78 yards.
Pearl River has done its damage on the ground this season, led by Keenan Franks (State Line; Greene County), who broke out three games ago. The freshman has tallied 396 yards and three touchdowns on 67 carries. He has rushed for at least 100 yards in three straight contests to become the first player to accomplish the feat since Markevion Quinn in 2017. Jacobi Jefferson (Slidell, La.; Salmen) is second on the team with 235 yards and three touchdowns on 55 attempts.
Barnett is third on the team with 173 rushing yards. González has tallied 152 yards in two games played.
Pearl River’s defensive efforts have been led by defensive lineman Travis Bendolph Jr. (Mobile, Ala.; Theodore), who has tallied a team-high 37 tackles and a team-high 7.5 tackles for loss. Linebacker Trace Carter (Ocean Springs) is second on the team in tackles with 29. He’s also recovered two fumbles.
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).
