Undefeated Pearl River routs East Central

POPLARVILLE, Miss.— Pearl River scored early Tuesday night against visiting East Central but didn’t score again until the final minute of the first half. The Wildcats ramped their attack up a notch in the second half, eventually routing ECCC 6-0.

“I thought we were playing too individually in the first half and that’s what we talked about at halftime,” Pearl River coach Drew Gallant said. “We got to working together as a team and doing everything we do well as a team to create those opportunities.”

SLOW HALF

PRCC (5-0-1 overall) struck first in the 12th minute when Miguel Hernandez (Gulfport) redirected an ECCC (3-5) clearance attempt into the visitor’s net.

Pearl River was on the hunt for a second goal for the remainder of the half. It wasn’t until the final minute that the Wildcats broke through for a 2-0 advantage. With time running out, Caleb Burke (Ocean Springs) threaded a seam pass to Kealan Baggett (Ocean Springs) down the middle. Showing his scoring touch, Baggett banked his shot off the right post and into the net.

“That was a really good goal from a team perspective,” Gallant said. “Andrew (Holland) comes off the bench and plays a ball i