Pickering, Russell named Bulldogs of the Week
PERKINSTON — Morgan Pickering and Peyton Russell have been named Bulldogs of the Week for Sept. 18-24.
Russell, a freshman from Gautier, beat teammate Will Burnham in a playoff to take medalist honors at the NJCAA Division II Men's Golf National Preview in Joplin, Mo. He made a birdie to edge his teammate after both finished 1-over after 54 holes, which was five shots better than anybody else in the field. The Bulldogs dominated the field, beating defending champion Kirkwood by 34 shots.
Pickering, a sophomore forward from Wiggins, scored in both games for Gulf Coast in a 1-0-1 week. She had a late tying goal to earn the Bulldogs a point against No. 13 Copiah-Lincoln. In a 4-1 over Meridian, she grabbed another. Pickering has scored in four of her last five games.
Also nominated:
Leah Capiola, a freshman from Wiggins, had five saves in a 1-0-1 week for Gulf Coast. She played the second half and shut out No. 13 Copiah-Lincoln to help the Bulldogs rally for a 1-1 tie. In a 4-1 win over Meridian, she had three saves.
David Ruiz Ospina, a freshman from Manizales, Colombia, made 10 saves to backstop No. 17 Mississippi Gulf Coast to a pair of MACCC wins. He had five saves to beat Copiah-Lincoln 4-1, then five more in a 4-0 shutout of Meridian. He has three shutouts this season.
Victor Moerck, a freshman forward from Vaerloese, Denmark, scored three more times for No. 17 Gulf Coast in a pair of wins. He had a goal and an assist in a 4-1 win over Copiah-Lincoln, then scored twice in a 4-0 victory over Meridian. He has five goals in the last three games.
Dayan Bilbo, a sophomore wide receiver from Vancleave, continued his excellence in the return game for Gulf Coast, breaking 200 yards combined on kickoff and punt returns. He had a 52-yard kickoff return among his six total for 188 yards. Bilbo also had a 21-yard punt return among his four for 35 yards. Two of his longer returns were truncated by penalties, as well.
Kazarius Bowie, a sophomore defensive tackle, was a wrecking ball in the backfield for No. 5 Gulf Coast in a 55-33 win at Southwest Mississippi. He had three tackles for loss and a sack, along with forcing a fumble inside Gulf Coast's own 5-yard line. He finished with five tackles.
Jamari Thompson, a sophomore running back from Pearl, had 173 yards rushing in No. 5 Gulf Coast's 55-33 win at Southwest Mississippi. He averaged 8.7 yards on 20 carries for a Bulldogs offence which ran for 351 yards.
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