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Southwest Mississippi Community College

Scoreboard

Bears get 31-21 win at Pearl River

By: Michael D. Gunnell, Southwest Sports Information
Ravian Pierce
jucoweekly.org

Football | 10/7/2016 7:44:00 AM

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Casey Griffith's late 37-yard field goal and Kenan Johnson's interception helped seal the deal as the Bears came away from Poplarville with a 31-21 MACJC South Division win over the Pearl River Wildcats Thursday night.
 
The win, their second straight over Pearl River, left the Bears with a 2-4 mark (1-2 in the South). Pearl River dropped to 1-5 (1-2).
 
Neither team was able to put points on the board in the first quarter. However, a 13-play, 80-yard drive resulted in a 7-0 lead for the Bears early in the second. The drive culminated in a nine-yard Neil McLaurin to Ravian Pierce touchdown pass. Ruben Maldonado booted the first of four PAT's (a clock malfunction prevented the time of each score in the game to be recorded).
 
Taking possession at their own 25-yard line after the ensuing kickoff, the Wildcats quickly responded with a game-tying touchdown of their own. Quarterback Tim Arnold closed out an eight-play drive with a seven-yard scoring run and Mark Johnson kicked the extra point to make the score 7-7.
 
The Bears responded even quicker to regain the lead. Taking the ball at their own 24-yard line, a short two-play drive was ended when McLaurin connected with
Jordan Jones on a 59-yard touchdown pass. Maldonado's PAT made the score 14-7.
 
McLaurin's third scoring toss of the quarter, a 10-yard strike to Ladarrious Williams, combined with Maldonado's extra point left the Bears on top 21-7 at the end of the half.
 
The Wildcats scored the only points of the third quarter to draw back, to within 21-14, when Matthew Eaton tossed a 39-yard touchdown pass to Cameron Bolton. Johnson added the extra point.
 
The Bears went up 28-14 on their second possession of the fourth quarter when McLaurin capped a seven-play, 59-yard drive with a 21-yard touchdown run. Maldonado again booted the extra point.
 
Only three plays were needed for the Wildcats to answer and narrow the Bears' lead to 28-21. Darrious Leggett found Sloan Spiller on the end of a 57-yard touchdown pass to end a three-play, 84-yard drive and Johnson hit the extra point.
 
Taking possession at their own 26-yard line following the Wildcats' kickoff, the Bears slowly moved the ball down to the Wildcats' 20-yard line. Faced with a fourth and six at that point, head coach Tucker Peavey brought in Griffith who calmly nailed the field goal to give the Bears their 10-point margin of victory.
 
Following the Bears' kickoff, Johnson quickly ended the contest as he stepped in front of a pass from Arnold and ensured the Bears of the win.
 
When told he must be proud of his team for their performance, Peavey said, "I've been proud of the kids every week because I think we play hard.  That's the biggest thing. We haven't always played as smart as we should have, but tonight we made some plays."
 
"At the end of the day," Peavey went on, "I think any coach will tell you the players have got to make plays and these guys did it tonight. I'm happy for them because they needed some success."
 
Asked if he was tempted to try for the first down late in the game rather than the field goal attempt, Peavey said, "We felt like he (Griffith) could make it, either him or Ruben (Maldonado). They both have the ability. Sometimes the consistency might not quite be there, but we just felt like at that time that it was the right thing to do and give him a chance to put the game out of reach, so to speak."
 
The Bears totaled 449 yards of offense on the night. McLaurin lead the way with 185 yards and three touchdowns on 13 of 23 passing.
 
Pierce caught six passes for 66 yards with one touchdown while Williams had 33 yards and a touchdown on three receptions. Javian Jackson caught two passes for 28 yards with Jones having a 59-yard touchdown catch.
 
Nakia Trotter, Jr., topped the Bears' ground game with 131 yards on 20 carries. McLaurin toted the ball 16 times for 77 yards with one touchdown.
 
The Bears had 17 first downs in the game and were penalized seven times for 50 yards. Maldonado punted five times for an average of 38.4 yards per punt.
 
The Wildcats picked up 397 yards of offense. Leggett led the way with 117 yards on 24 carries. Arnold had a touchdown and 35 yards on eight carries.
 
Arnold completed eight of 13 passes for 106 yard with a touchdown. He was intercepted once. Leggett had a 57-yard touchdown pass while Eaton completed a 39-yard pass for a score. Bolton and Spiller both had a touchdown catch.
 
The Wildcats recorded 16 first downs on the night and were penalized seven times for 70 yards. Johnson averaged 38.8 yards on five punts.
 
The Bears return home for their next contest, facing South Division foe Mississippi Gulf Coast on October 13. Kickoff at John I. Hurst Stadium is set for 7:00.
 
 
 
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Players Mentioned

Neil McLaurin

#1 Neil McLaurin

QB
6' 3"
Freshman
Javian Jackson

#2 Javian Jackson

WR
5' 11"
Freshman
Nakia Trotter, Jr.

#3 Nakia Trotter, Jr.

RB
5' 8"
Freshman
Ravian Pierce

#6 Ravian Pierce

TE
6' 4"
Sophomore
Jordan Jones

#13 Jordan Jones

WR
5' 11"
Sophomore
Ladarrious Williams

#24 Ladarrious Williams

WR
5' 9"
Freshman
Kenan Johnson

#31 Kenan Johnson

LB
6' 0"
Freshman
Casey Griffith

#37 Casey Griffith

K
5' 11"
Freshman
Ruben Maldonado

#43 Ruben Maldonado

P
6' 1"
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Neil McLaurin

#1 Neil McLaurin

6' 3"
Freshman
QB
Javian Jackson

#2 Javian Jackson

5' 11"
Freshman
WR
Nakia Trotter, Jr.

#3 Nakia Trotter, Jr.

5' 8"
Freshman
RB
Ravian Pierce

#6 Ravian Pierce

6' 4"
Sophomore
TE
Jordan Jones

#13 Jordan Jones

5' 11"
Sophomore
WR
Ladarrious Williams

#24 Ladarrious Williams

5' 9"
Freshman
WR
Kenan Johnson

#31 Kenan Johnson

6' 0"
Freshman
LB
Casey Griffith

#37 Casey Griffith

5' 11"
Freshman
K
Ruben Maldonado

#43 Ruben Maldonado

6' 1"
Freshman
P