By CURTIS ROCKWELL

Item Sports Editor

POPLARVILLE — For the first time since Tim Hatten took over as head coach of Pearl River Community College, his Wildcats have gone two straight seasons without winning a state championship.

In just a little less than two months, Hatten’s latest Wildcat squad hopes to began putting an end to that streak.

PRCC fell to arch-rival Gulf Coast last year in the state finals 52-7. The Bulldogs have won back to back state titles after PRCC won four straight from 2003-2006.

The Wildcats’ schedule for the upcoming season was released recently, and Hatten’s troops open this season on the road in Goodman on Thursday, Aug. 27, against homestanding Holmes.

PRCC returns home on Sept. 3 for its home opener when Northeast pays a visit, and then travels to Northwest on Sept. 10 and hosts Hinds on Sept. 17 before traveling to Perkinston to face Gulf Coast on the 24th. October sees PRCC hosting Jones on the 1st, at Co-Lin on the 8th and hosting Southwest on the 17th for Homecoming before ending the regular season at East Central on the 22nd.