The year is 1995 and families, friends and alumni filled the stands for what would be another win by Pearl River Central’s Blue Devils against Picayune’s Maroon Tide.
It would be the last time in two decades the Devils would beat the Tide.
During my first two years at PRC I was a member of the Blue Brigade. As I attended the games in, what I recall as, blistering cold, I enjoyed watching my home team win the local rivalry games. But, during my senior year in 1996, PRC’s wins during the rivalry games ceased.
As an adult covering football games at the high school I graduated from, I’ve watched the team struggle to build the coaching staff and players up to the their current level where they now maintain a successful season.
Friday all the hard work of Head Coach Eric Collins, and his Blue Devils, paid off when they not only beat Picayune for the first time in 20 years, but also maintained their undefeated district record.
While the team never won a state championship while I attended the school, they seem to have the momentum to bring it home this year.
If they can pull it off, that will mean Pearl River County could be home to not one, but two state championship teams.
But don’t forget about Head Coach Jay Beech’s Poplarville Hornets. They are also having a successful year.
And while I’ve showered my alma mater with praise, don’t count the Tide out. No other team in the state can claim a long-term record like Head Coach Dodd Lee’s.
In fact, all three of our local teams have moved on to the first round of the playoffs, and this isn’t the first year that has happened.
Just about any other county in Mississippi, or the country for that matter, would love to boast that fact.
In closing, I wish all three local teams the best as they move into the playoffs.