Four consecutive state championships in junior college football are always going to cause people to take notice. When that fourth title comes in the waning seconds the way Pearl River Community College did, that makes it all the more special.

Not to mention quite a harrowing exercise.

Pearl River’s dominance among Mississippi junior college football programs seems to come easy and often, although the former is more difficult to prove than the latter. Winning a state title is never easy, if for no other reason than your opponent would like nothing better than to say they were the ones who defeated you.

As a result of their successful title defense, Pearl River Junior College, as the nation’s second-ranked team, is clearly in the hunt for the national championship and has been invited to play in the Pilgrim’s Pride Bowl Classic. Winning that would be icing on what has come to be an annual cake.

A great coach once said a champion plays harder than a contender. Pearl River Community College clearly knows what category it prefers to be ranked.