No. 1 MGCCC ready for archrivals

PERKINSTON — There's no game on the schedule quite like the Pearl River game, and No. 1 Mississippi Gulf Coast is pointing to the 97th meeting between the teams with anticipation.

"Our kids are excited about the rivalry game," Bulldogs coach Jack Wright said. "A lot of these kids have been competing against each other, not only in football but in other sports growing up. They've been at camps, baseball, basketball, so there's a lot of relationships simply due to geography. Our kids are really motivated to play well against their friends."

Gulf Coast (7-0, 4-0 MACJC South) kicks off against archrival Pearl River (2-5, 1-4) at 7 p.m. Thursday at A.L. May Memorial Stadium. A win will clinch a playoff spot for the Bulldogs, and if No. 6 Hinds falls to East Central, it would clinch the school's 16th South Division championship.

"We are trying to prepare extremely hard for Pearl River, but hand in hand with that is we're preparing to continue to get our team better in the long run," Wright said. "That includes staying in the weight room, continuing to focus on the mental aspect of the game, continuing to learn how to break down defenses and make a play when our moment comes. We're trying to make our team fundamentally better."

The Gulf Coast defense is second in the NJCAA in total defense, giving up 169.6 yards per game. The Regulators are the top-ranked passing defense in the country (102.7 yards) and they give up only 12.1 points per game.

An important cog in that defense is a sophomore who didn't even play on that side of the ball last year. Terrance Newell (So., Clinton/Clinton) was recruited because of his length (6-foot-3) and long strides. As a freshman wide receiver, he was a backup, finishing with four catches.

He worked hard and had built a good reputation with the coaches, but a newcomer to the staff did his own internal recruiting.

"Coach Clarence McDougal was hired here in April, and he stood on the table and said, 'I want this guy on defense. He can be a really good player for us,'" Wright said. "He recruited him out of high school and knew his skillset. He said he can help us on that side of the ball.

All Newell has done this year is rack up 26 total tackles, with three passes broken up, two tackles for loss and a forced fumble.

"It turned out to be the best thing for this team and the best thing for Terrance to play defense," Wright said. "He's become a starter for us at a very important position at corner. He's out there on an island a lot in man-to-man coverage. Time and time again, he's proven he's able to compete at a high level in college football."

Game #8

WHO: Pearl River (2-5, 1-4 MACJC South) at No. 1 MGCCC (7-0, 4-0 MACJC South)

WHEN: Thursday, Oct. 17, 7 p.m.

WHERE: A.L. May Memorial Stadium, Perkinston

WATCH: https://livestream.com/MGCCCBulldogs/events/8856418

LISTEN: SuperTalk Mississippi 103.1 FM

The Series

Series record: Pearl River leads 55-40-1

First Meeting: 1926

Last Meeting: Oct. 20, 2018, MGCCC 30, Pearl River 7

Notes: Gulf Coast has won seven of the last eight meetings, dating back to 2011 and 11 of the last 13 back to 2007 … Gulf Coast is averaging 25.6 points in the last eight games, Pearl River 11.5 … Gulf Coast has seven shutouts in its 40 victories, the last of which came in 2014 … Pearl River has 19 shutouts, the last of which came in 2003 … Gulf Coast won six straight between 2011 and 2016 … Pearl River's longest win streak is 17 between 1953 and 1965 … The biggest Gulf Coast win in series history was a 52-7 win in 2008, while the biggest Pearl River win came in 1961 (60-6)

For more information on Gulf Coast's 10 intercollegiate athletic teams, follow @MGCCCBulldogs on Twitter and MGCCCBulldogs on Facebook, and go to mgcccbulldogs.com.