East Central, Pearl River tangle for lead

By Staff
From staff reports
September 22, 2004
East Central and Pearl River both bring 1-0 MACJC South Division marks into Thursday's contest at Poplarville. Kickoff at Dobie Holden Stadium is set for 7 p.m.
The Warriors are 2-1 overall, while the Wildcats are 3-0 and ranked fourth nationally.
Pearl River leads the state in total offense, averaging 465 yards per game. Of that total, 344.3 yards come through the air.
Wildcat quarterback Jimmy Oliver has completed 55-of-84 passes for 13 touchdowns and 1,016 yards in just three games. Josh Barnes has 12 receptions for 295 yards, James Hollingsworth has 13 catches for 265 yards, and Larry Brackins has eight catches for 208 yards.
"They're real good at it," Underwood said of the PRCC passing attack. "They spread the field. They'll go empty backfield with nobody but a quarterback in the shotgun. Very seldom do they take a snap under center.
"The thing that's unique is that Oliver's hard to get to. You can't hardly get to him and when you do, he's a great athlete and he can improvise. And they've got great skill guys.
"Larry Brackins is a great player. He may be the best one player in the league, not only at receiver, but returning punts and kickoffs.
"They've also got some other great players in Hollingsworth and Barnes.
"They are a pass happy offense and they'll run screens and draws as much as anything. Pearl River is going to live with the pass before they do the run.
"Our defense has played extremely well through our first three games and now we've got the biggest challenge in a different style offense.
"It would be great to go down there and hold them to a touchdown or two and we may can, but the whole bottom line is if they get something, it can't be cheap. You want to make a team like this have to earn it.
"From what we've seen on film, they get the quick strike and we hope we can prevent that. If we can, that keeps us in the game and gives us a chance."
The Warriors knocked off Southwest Mississippi 17-6 on Saturday.
"Southwest has got a good football team, especially on the defensive side of the ball," Underwood said. "I wouldn't say it was our best game. I wouldn't say it was our worst game. I would say we did what we had to do to win.
"We threw and caught the ball better than we have all year, which is a very promising thing. Derrick Harris had his best game of the year. Robbie Morse is getting better and better each game.
"It was a big win. Our defense was outstanding. We held them to a total of 175 yards."
ECCC's defense ranks third in the state, allowing 214.3 yards per contest. Pearl River is second, giving up 174.
Offensively, Harris has 14 receptions for 169 yards.
"We've just got to keep improving," Underwood said. "We're 2-1 and a kick (at Northwest) from being 3-0."
Marty Stamper
Mississippi Delta at EMCC
There's no place like home, or so Roger Carr hopes.
The East Mississippi Community College head coach leads his team back home on Thursday after two weeks on the road. The Lions (0-3) last played in Scooba on Sept. 2 in a 53-7 loss to Hinds Community College.
And after Thursday's game against Mississippi Delta Community College (1-2), the Lions will again hit the road for two more weeks.
As long as he's home, though, Carr hopes his East Mississippi squad can continue to show improvement after the Lions' 28-18 loss to Itawamba Community College a week ago.
Those two touchdown passes were a welcome sight for Carr, whose offense struggled under his new spread passing system in the Lions' first two games. East Mississippi scored just seven points in its first two games before facing Itawamba.
Mississippi Delta may provide the Lions offense with more room for improvement. Carr said the Trojans' defense typically crowds its opponents, often leaving single coverage in the secondary.
After shutting out Gulf Coast Community College in its opener on Sept. 2, Mississippi Delta has struggled to hold opposing offenses in check. In its two straight losses, the Trojans have given up 37 points to Hinds and 24 points to Northwest.
Will Bardwell