East Central holds off Blue Devils 30-17
Carriere--The Pearl River Central Blue Devils celebrated Senior Night on Friday hosting the East Central Hornets at Kenneth L. Hendrix Memorial Stadium in Carriere. Both teams came into the night with their playoff hopes still alive, but it was the Hornets who keep their bid for the last playoff spot alive with a 30-17 win.
The Blue Devils returned the opening kickoff to the EC 46 and move the ball to the EC 24 settling for Sam Lambert 41 yard field goal attempt. However, the snap went over the head of the holder and the kicker and the ball was turned over to East Central at the PRC 49.
East Central wasted no time in getting on the scoreboard when QB Will Young threw a 49 yard touchdown pass to WR Sam Wall on the Hornets’ first play. The point after was no good and East Central led 6-0.
East Central scored again late in the first quarter on 1 yard plunge by Young and the Hornets converted the 2 point conversion for a 14-0 lead.
Early in the second quarter, PRC cracked the scoreboard on a 5 yard run by RB Detrick Spikes. Sam Lambert’s PAT made it 14-7.
East Central extended the lead to 22-7 on a touchdown run by Young and another successful 2 point conversion.
PRC scored with 1:10 remaining before the half when offensive tackle John Linden got a gratuitous bounce while recovering a Ty Herring fumble on the 4 yard line and running it in the rest of the way for a touchdown to make it 22-14 at the half.
Ty Herring and Detrich Spikes
PRC forced East Central to punt on their opening possession of the second half, and the Blue Devils went on a 56 yard drive down to the EC 19, but had to settle for a Sam Lambert 36 yard field goal to make it 22-17 with 4:54 left in the third quarter.
East Central then put together the drive of the game with a 16 plays, 78 yard possession that chewed up approximately 8 minutes off the clock and the Hornets capped it off with 2 yard touchdown run by Young. RB Dylan Grinsteinner added the 2 point conversion and East Central lead 30-17 with just over 9 minutes left to play in the game.
On the ensuing possession, the Blue Devils drove the ball deep into Hornets’ territory, but turned it over on downs with 3:04 left play in the game.
Spikes led the Blue Devils with 13 carries for 86 yards while Herring finished with 12 carries for 74 yards.
PRC (3-7, 2-4) wiil close out the season on the road at Gautier on Friday.
East Central (6-4, 3-3) will host Hattiesburg on Friday with the number four seed in the playoffs on the line.
