Bulldogs meet Wildcats for 100th time Thursday

PERKINSTON — There's always something extra on the line when Mississippi Gulf Coast takes on Pearl River, but this Thursday's gridiron clash has even more historical significance.

When the Bulldogs travel to Poplarville to play the Wildcats, it will be the 100^th meeting between the team. The rivalry started way back in 1926. 

"I've known about Gulf Coast-Pearl River for 30 years," Gulf Coast coach Jack Wright said. "It's a tremendous rivalry, and there are a lot of people in the community who are interested in the game. They know players in the game from one side or the other and follow it closely. I'm just proud to be part of the tradition. It's a great tradition. We're lucky to be the 100^th edition of this."

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Dobie Holden Stadium. The video stream will be at https://prccmedia.com/Gold/, with the Gulf Coast audio available on SuperTalk 103.1 FM and at https://mgcccbulldogs.com/watch. The Bulldogs are 2-2, 1-0 MACCC South, and the Wilcats are 2-2, 0-1. Pearl River has moved all their venues to cashless ticketing. Buy tickets ahead of time at https://prccathletics.com/tickets. 

The PRCC series is the most-contested rivalry in Gulf Coast history, with this year's game against Jones being the 99^th pitting the two teams against each other. The Bulldogs trail 55-43-1, the only MACCC opponent they have a losing record against.

Pearl River is coming off a 14-0 loss to Hinds, but they have a pair of explosive wide receivers in Christopher Holifield Jr. and Antonio Gayden. Holifield has two touchdowns and leads the Wildcats with 27 catches for 260 yards, plus another 56 yards on nine carries. Gayden has 10 catches for 114 yards and a touchdown.

"They play great defense," Wright said. "They have not given up a lot of yardage or points all year. They play really hard and chase the ball. They play tight coverage in the secondary."

Gulf Coast has spent the week after a disappointing 48-45 loss to No. 8 East Mississippi focusing exclusively on Pearl River. The Bulldogs offense was potent with a 200-yard receiver in Keymari Odum (So., Haines City Fla./Ridge) and 100-yard rushers in Cam Thomas (So., Picayune/Picayune) and Xavier Evans (So., Laurel/Laurel), and special teams were also a bright spot.

"Gabe Showalter had eight touchbacks last week," Wright said. "That's a pretty special statistic. I've never been a part of a team that's had that accomplishment, so that was incredible. It makes kickoff coverage a lot easier. We hope those explosive kicks continue."

Showalter (Fr., St. Martin/St. Martin) was 8-for-8 on kickoffs, and he also made his only field-goal attempt, from 22 yards, and averaged nearly 37 yards on six punts.

Game #5

WHO: MGCCC (2-2, 1-0 MACCC South) vs. Pearl River (2-2, 0-1 MACCC South)

WHEN: Thursday, Sept. 29, 7 p.m.

WHERE: Dobie Holden Stadium, Poplarville

WATCH: https://prccmedia.com/Gold/

LISTEN: SuperTalk 103.1 FM or https://mgcccbulldogs.com/watch

The Series

Series record: Pearl River leads 55-43-1

First Meeting: 1926

Last Meeting: Sept. 16, 2021, Gulf Coast 33, Pearl River 10

Notes: Gulf Coast has won four straight, 10 of the last 11 meetings dating back to 2011, and 14 of the last 16 back to 2007 … Gulf Coast is averaging 27.7 points in the last 11 games, Pearl River 11.8 … Gulf Coast has seven shutouts in its 41 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) … This is the MACCC opponent Gulf Coast has a losing record against … Wright (4-0) is one of two coaches in Gulf Coast history with perfect records against Pearl River (Louis D. Megehee, 2-0).

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