POPLARVILLE, Miss. — Big plays in the second half helped Pearl River football remain within striking distance in last week's 35-20 loss on the road against Southwest.
The Wildcats will look to keep that level of intensity throughout the night going into Thursday's matchup against East Central.
ABOUT PEARL RIVER
The Wildcat offense is led by Reese Mooney (Clinton; Denham Springs), who has completed 43-of-78 passes with 631 yards and five touchdowns. In last Thursday's win, Ian González (Mexico City, Mexico; St. Stanislaus) got the nod for the second half and was electric for the Wildcats. González, who has seen limited action, has amassed 161 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns for the Wildcats.
The receiving duo of Kedrick Triplett (Florence, Ala.) and Donovan McGowan (Mandeville, La.) have been explosive throughout the first three games of the season for PRCC, with each of them having a touchdown over 70 yards. Triplett has 14 receptions for 296 yards with four touchdowns, leading the MACCC in receiving touchdowns. McGowan has 13 receptions for 217 yards and one touchdown.
The rushing attack is led by Keenan Franks (State Line; Greene County), who eclipsed the 100-yard mark for a second time last week, giving him a season total of 243 rushing yards to pair nicely with his three touchdowns.
Defensively, Garrett Orgas (Vicksburg; Warren Central) leads the team with 23 tackles. Not far behind with 22 tackles are Jalen Anderson (Slidell, La.) and Amarion Tyson (Picayune). Anderson also has two of the teams four forced fumbles, along with six tackles for loss and four sacks — a mark that leads the MACCC.
Cory Jackson (Petal), who earned MACCC Special Teams Player of the Week honors after his week two performance, has an astounding 354 yards on 11 kick returns this year. Jackson is averaging 32.2 yards per return with one being a 90-yard touchdown.
ABOUT EAST CENTRAL
The Warriors opened the season with a 24-13 loss to Northeast before dropping their next game against Northwest, 29-10. In week three, they lost at home to Itawamba, 23-14.
ECCC's passing game is led by Brady Hammonds, who has tallied 796 yards passing on 129 attempts with 77 completions. Hammonds has four touchdowns and three interceptions in his first three games.
The Warriors have three receivers with over 100 yards receiving through three games. Eelijah Singleton leads the team with 372 yards and 29 receptions. Terry Patton Jr. and Jaquel Dukes have also gained over 100 yards, with 161 yards on 15 catches and 119 yards on 10 catches, respectively.
Defensively, Keoni Denny leads the team with 25 tackles, followed by Elgin Mcduffey with 23. Mcduffey also has one of the team's two interceptions.
SERIES HISTORY
According to Pearl River record books, the Wildcats hold a 56-25-4 all-time record against East Central.
TUNE IN
All Pearl River football games are livestreamed free at PRCCMedia.com/Gold. Fans with Roku, Amazon Fire, or Apple TV can also watch by downloading the "Pearl River CC" channel.
Games will also air locally on WRJW 1320-AM, 106.9 FM, and WRJWRadio.com.
For the latest on Pearl River Community College athletics, follow us on X (@PRCCAthletics) and Facebook (PRCCAthletics).