South title on line Thursday at Perk

PERKINSTON — For the second straight season, the final game of the regular season will determine the MACCC South champion. Last year, Mississippi Gulf Coast beat Hinds to claim the title.

If the Bulldogs want to win the 17th division crown in school history, they'll have to beat Jones on Thursday at A.L. May Memorial Stadium.

"It's always been a tough division," Gulf Coast coach Jack Wright said. "I think one of my comments I made when I took the job was this is the toughest division in all of junior college. Every game is competitive, and every opponent can beat you. I knew it when I took the position three years ago, and it's still true."

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. Tickets are on sale at http://mgcccbulldogs.com/tickets. The game can be watched at http://mgcccbulldogs.com/stream, and you can listen to the Gulf Coast radio broadcast on SuperTalk 103.1 FM.

The winner of Friday's game plays the North Division champion, which will be Northwest if it beats Mississippi Delta in Senatobia on Thursday. If the Rangers lose or don't play, Northeast will win the division. The MACCC Championship will be hosted by the South champ.

Gulf Coast (4-0) is going for its first back-to-back South titles since 2011-12. The Bulldogs could extend their winning streak to 21 games, which would be the second-longest in school history.

Gulf Coast broke a three-game losing streak in the series with a 20-14 win last season at Perk.

"They have a lot of talent," Wright said. "There's a lot of big guys who can run. They're gonna play at a high level after junior college. They do a great job of cultivating that roster. It's a deep roster, and a lot of guys play on both sides of the roster. It's gonna be a tough game." 

After 22 days without playing a game, the Bulldogs turned the ball over early Friday at Southwest. To win, they'll have to clean that up, along with slowing down Quaterius Hawkins.

"We've got to hang onto the football," Wright said. "We can't turn it over. We've got to create some stops. Their quarterback is dynamic. He can run and throw. You could have something slowed down or even stopped, and he can make you look stupid with his feet. They're balanced like they always have been. They run the ball like they always do, but this quarterback gives them an extra dimension they haven't had." 

Chris Mathis (So., Taylorsville/Taylorsville) had a big game for Gulf Coast at Summit. He had five catches for 84 yards and a touchdown.

Wright called him a "dynamic football player" who has good hands and is a great blocker.

"He comes out there and works hard every single day," Wright said. "He hasn't always shown up on the stat sheet. When you have several receivers, the ball goes to the open area, not necessarily a player. A lot of times, he's been on routes that have been covered up or smothered, but that route affects the coverage enough so that somebody else is open. He's been doing that for two years. He's a team player."

Game #5

WHO: Jones (3-1) at MGCCC (4-0)

WHEN: Thursday, Nov. 19, 7 p.m.

WHERE: A.L. May Memorial Stadium, Perkinston

WATCH: http://mgcccbulldogs.com/stream

LISTEN: SuperTalk Mississippi 103.1 FM

MGCCC South Titles

Gulf Coast has won 16 MACCC South championships:

1971, 1974, 1975, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019

The Series

Series record: Gulf Coast trails 46-44-6

First Meeting: 1929

Last Meeting: Sept. 19, 2018, MGCCC 20, Jones 14

Notes: Gulf Coast broke a three-game losing streak in the series by winning last year … Gulf Coast has registered nine shutouts in its 43 victories … Jones has registered 13 shutouts in its 46 wins … Gulf Coast won eight straight in the series between 2005 and 2011 … Gulf Coast beat Jones 42-3 in 2014, the most-lopsided result in the series … Jones is one of only two MACJC schools Gulf Coast has a losing record against (Pearl River).

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