POPLARVILLE, Miss. — Pearl River football is aiming to bounce back after a hard-fought 39-7 loss at No. 12 Copiah-Lincoln last Thursday night.
The Wildcats (1-5 overall) will now travel to Scooba to face off against East Mississippi (4-2), with kickoff set for 7.p.m. on Thursday.
ABOUT PEARL RIVER
Reese Mooney (Clinton; Denham Springs) led Pearl River for the first four games of the season until injury opened the door for freshman Austin Jones (Beaumont; Perry Central) to take over against rival Gulf Coast. Over the past two games, Jones has gone 15-for-30 for 179 yards and three touchdowns, while adding 51 yards on the ground from 16 carries.
PRCC's leading receiver, Kedrick Triplett (Florence, Ala.), has continued to shine with 19 receptions for 364 yards and four touchdowns. Averaging 19.2 yards per catch, Triplett has proven himself as a reliable big-play option in Pearl River's aerial attack.
Howard Kinchen (Lafayette, La.; Patterson) and Donovan McGowan (Mandeville, La.) round out the Wildcats' trio of explosive receivers. Kinchen has totaled 241 yards and four touchdowns on 19 catches, while McGowan has hauled in 15 receptions for 223 yards and a touchdown.
On the ground, Keenan Franks (State Line; Greene County) leads the charge with 579 yards and six touchdowns on 114 carries. His 96.5 rushing yards per game ranks third in the MACCC, and his six rushing touchdowns place him among the league's top backs.
Defensively, Daniel Pickens (Gautier; Resurrection) leads the Wildcats with 49 total tackles and an interception. Garrett Orgas (Vicksburg; Warren Central) follows with 34 tackles, an interception, and a fumble recovery. Jalen Anderson(Slidell, La.) has been a force up front with six sacks, nine tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, and an interception.
On special teams, Cory Jackson (Petal) has been a game-changer in the return game. Jackson leads the MACCC in return yards with 548, averaging 27.4 yards per return and scoring one touchdown.
ABOUT EAST MISSISSIPPI
East Mississippi boasts a balanced offensive attack, averaging 209.3 passing yards and 190.3 rushing yards per game, good for 399.6 yards per contest.
The Lions were led by Rodge Waldrop at quarterback through the first four games of the season before Trey Irving III took over the reins. In his two starts, Irving has completed 28 of 35 passes for 320 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. The dual-threat quarterback has also made an impact on the ground, rushing for 228 yards on just 24 carries.
Irving's primary target has been Noreel White, who leads the Lions with 423 receiving yards and two touchdowns on 39 receptions. Christian Thomas has also been productive, tallying 274 yards on 26 catches while averaging 10.5 yards per reception.
On the ground, Gavin Griffin powers the EMCC rushing attack. Griffin has rushed for 628 yards and 10 touchdowns, ranking second in the MACCC in rushing yards per game with 104.7.
Defensively, Ja'Cari Owens leads the Lions with 41 total tackles, adding one sack and four tackles for loss. Donald Passmore is close behind with 34 total tackles and leads the team in conference play with 24 stops.
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).