No. 11 MGCCC faces Co-Lin

PERKINSTON — No. 11 Mississippi Gulf Coast faced the unthinkable this week in the aftermath of the car crash that took the life of teammate Levi Madison.

The team held a memorial service for the 19-year-old defensive lineman Sunday night after they got back on the field for the first time since his death early Friday morning.

The team has continued practice for a Thursday game at Wesson against Copiah-Lincoln.

"I think there's almost a sense of relief on the practice field," Gulf Coast coach Jack Wright said. "The guys are using it as a chance for something positive. I think we're all thinking about it. Our minds drift toward his memory, but when we get on the field it's a chance for something really positive to work together."

Kickoff at H.L. Stone Stadium is set for 6:30 p.m. The MGCCC radio broadcast can be heard on SuperTalk 103.1-FM and online at https://livestream.com/mgcccbulldogs/events/9867609. The video stream will be at https://colinathletics.com/general/live_stream. Tickets can be purchased in advance at https://colin.ticketleap.com/.

Wright hasn't set out a message like Do It For Levi for the team, but some players have adopted the mantra.

"The kids definitely want to perform well for him," he said. "A lot of the players really want to play hard for his memory."

Gulf Coast had a 21-game regular-season win streak broken last week. Coincidentally, that streak started the week after a loss to Co-Lin in 2018. The series against the Wolves has been an even one. The teams have split the last eight meetings, although they didn't play in 2020 because the game was canceled due to COVID.

The Wolves are 2-2 this season, but are 2-0 in the South after picking up big wins against Southwest Mississippi and Pearl River. They scored 39 and 48 points in those games.

"They've been very explosive on offense with a lot of chunk runs," Wright said. "It looks like they really turned a corner on offense against Pearl River where they were explosive with a lot of big plays. Just like every other team, it's going to be a big challenge."

Game #5

WHO: No. 11 MGCCC (3-1, 1-1 MACJC South) vs. Copiah-Lincoln (2-2, 2-0)

WHEN: Thursday, Sept. 30, 6:30 p.m.

WHERE: H.L. Stone Stadium, Wesson

WATCH: https://colinathletics.com/general/live_stream

LISTEN: SuperTalk Mississippi 103.1 FM or http://mgcccbulldogs.com/stream

The Series

Series record: Gulf Coast leads 53-31-2

First Meeting: 1928

Last Meeting: Sept. 26, 2019, Gulf Coast 38, Co-Lin 20

Notes: The teams have split the last eight meetings, although Gulf Coast has won three of the last four … Gulf Coast has nine shutouts in its 52 victories … Co-Lin shut out Gulf Coast in the first three meetings between the schools and has four total … Gulf Coast won nine straight games in the series between 1966 and 1974 … Co-Lin won the first five games in the series, its longest win streak … The biggest Gulf Coast win in the series was in 1968 (44-0), while the biggest for Co-Lin was in 1941 (51-6) … Gulf Coast had a 24-game regular-season win streak broken last week … Last years' game was canceled because of COVID-19.

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