Gulf Coast dominates ECCC

Photo by Jansen Mauffray/MGCCC

DECATUR — Jalen Bracey had 122 yards and a touchdown receiving as the Mississippi Gulf Coast air attack opened up in a 31-3 shellacking of East Central.

The Bulldogs had 477 yards total offense, and the Regulators held the Warriors to 198 yards and only eight first downs, forcing four turnovers.

"That's a group that plays with extreme energy and extreme pride," Gulf Coast coach Jack Wright said. "They don't want to give up a lot of plays. They take it personally when somebody breaks a tackle or makes a play. They made plays, and made big plays after giving up first downs."

The Bulldogs improved to 3-0 on the season and won their 19th straight dating back to October 2018. That's three short of the school record for consecutive wins.

East Central (1-3) got on the board first, taking advantage of a first-play flea-flicker that resulted in a 48-yard game. The Gulf Coast defense held the Warriors to a 31-yard field goal, and the Bulldogs quickly answered back.

Deondre House (So., Senatobia/Senatobia), who led the Gulf Coast rushing attack again with 91 yards on just 12 carries, broke free for a 43-yard gain to get the Bulldogs in the red zone, and Cam Thomas (Fr., Picayune/Picayune) plunged in from 1-yard line to cap a 6-play, 72-yard drive for a 7-3 lead.

House would finish the night averaging 7.6 yards per carry, and that production opened up the passing game.

Bracey (So., Murrah/Jackson) got his touchdown on a 48-yard strike from Philip Short (Fr., Madison-Ridgeland Academy/Flowood) in the second quarter that made it 14-3.

"I took him on the corner-post," Bracey said. "They bit on the corner, and I went to the post. He stuck it in my hands."

Short completed 16-of-27 passes for 242 yards and two scores.

Micah McGowan (Fr., Petal/Petal) scored on a short touchdown run near the end of the half, and Caden Davis (So., Pearl/Pearl) nailed a 25-yard field goal late in the third quarter for a 24-3 bulge.

That came during a stretch where Gulf Coast forced turnovers on four straight possessions. Jashon Baker (So., Tylertown/Tylertown), Melvin Quinn (Fr., Tylertown/Tylertown) and C.J. Williams (So., Taylorsville/Taylorsville) had consecutive fumble recoveries, and A.J. Edwards (Fr., Germantown/Madison) punctuated things with an interception.

"We just stayed solid," Baker said. "We ran the defense Coach (Brett) Shufelt put in this week and just stayed on our P's and Q's. We knew they were going to come out and run some trick plays because they couldn't beat us 1-on-1, and we held them to three points."

Gulf Coast had 12 tackles for loss and five sacks, and knocked down East Central's two quarterbacks repeatedly.

Jymetre Hester (So., Glades Central/Belle Glade, Fla.) added the last Bulldogs score on a 3-yard slant from Short, but Bracey and the Bulldogs had a 91-yard touchdown called back late in the game by a sideline violation on their bench as players ran down the field to celebrate. Bracey was credited with a 28-yard reception, losing another big chunk of receiving yards and a score.

"Jalen was just being Jalen," Wright said. "He's a very talented young man. He brings great effort and energy to practice every day, and he has a 4.0 in the classroom. He's an exemplary player for our program. We felt if we could get him 1-on-1 tonight, the matchup would be in our favor. The quarterbacks hit him a few times."

MGCCC leads the MACCC South by a half-game over Co-Lin, which was off again this week because of COVID-19 concerns.

Gulf Coast was playing for the first time in two weeks after last week's game was postponed, and now the Bulldogs get two weeks before their next game with a scheduled open date. Jones will visit Perkinston on Nov. 5 for a huge MACCC showdown. The Bobcats improved to 2-1 after scoring 27 unanswered points in a 40-27 win at Southwest Mississippi.

"It will be a big game," Wright said. "Hopefully, the extra week won't cause a break in rhythm, which is what you're worried about. Hopefully, we can continue to improve. Jones is always a big game in the South. This year will be no different."

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