POPLARVILLE, Miss. — We are inside three months until the 2022 football season kicks off. On Wednesday Pearl River Community College announced its nine-game schedule. This year’s slate includes five home games, alternating home and road competitions and two Saturday road contests.

All home games will kickoff at 7 p.m.

“We are extremely excited about this upcoming season. We have the majority of our team back from last year plus a handful of transfers that we feel will make an immediate impact,” PRCC coach Seth Smith said. “Obviously, the standard and level of excellence is extremely high here at Pearl River. All of the surrounding sports are either winning championships or competing for championships annually.

“It is our goal to make sure that we restore this once proud program back to where it belongs. We are very hopeful and highly optimistic that growth and results in 2022 will reflect the hard work these young men and coaches have poured in this last year and a half.”

2022 SCHEDULE

The Wildcats once again face a challenging MACCC schedule. PRCC opens the season Sept. 1 at historic Dobie Holden Stadium against new-look Holmes. The Wildcats then make their longest trip possible on Sept. 8 as they travel all the way to Booneville to face Northwest for a 6:30 p.m. start.

PRCC welcomes the reigning MACCC champion Northwest Rangers to Poplarville on Sept. 15. before hitting the road for Hinds on Sept. 22. The road game in Raymond will kickoff at 7 p.m.

PRCC is back at home Sept. 29 to host archrival Mississippi Gulf Coast before the annual Cat Fight at Jones College on Saturday, Oct. 8 at 2 p.m. The battle against JC will be the first of two Saturday contests this season.

PRCC will host Copiah-Lincoln on Oct. 13 for Homecoming before hitting the road for the final time on Oct. 22 for another Saturday showdown at Southwest. Kickoff in Summit is set for 5 p.m.

PRCC will conclude the regular season Oct. 27 against East Central.

The MACCC’s semifinals are scheduled for Nov. 3 with the championship game set for Nov. 10.

ABOUT THE WILDCATS

The Wildcats are entering year three under Smith’s tutelage. The former Wildcat has claimed two wins in each of his first two seasons. Last year, PRCC rushed for 229.9 yards per game and averaged 19.9 points per contest, good enough for seventh in the league. Defensively, the PRCC secondary held opponents’ passing attacks to just 146 yards, which was good enough for third in the league.

Headlining PRCC’s returners is arguably one of the most sought-after recruits in the country in Justin Jefferson (Memphis, Tenn.; Bartlett). The 6-foot-3 linebacker led PRCC in tackles (53), sacks (3) and fumble recoveries (2) as a freshman in 2021. He also recorded 13 tackles-for-loss, good enough for second on the squad. This summer, Jefferson’s recruitment has heated up as he’s garnered offers from blueblood programs such as Alabama, Southern Cal, Florida and Texas, to name a few.

TICKETS

PRCC will once again utilize Hometown Ticketing for the 2022-23 school year. Tickets will be available at a later date by visiting PRCCAthletics.com/tickets.

STREAMING

The Wildcats will once again livestream all games for free at PRCCMedia.com/gold. Fans who have Roku, Amazon Fire or Apple TV devices can also watch the Wildcat broadcasts by downloading the “Pearl River CC” channel from their app. stores.

Games will also be available over the air in Pearl River County by tuning into 1320 AM and 106.9 FM., in Columbia on WCJU 102.7 FM and 1450 AM, and in Hattiesburg on WHSY 105.9 FM and 950 AM. The radio broadcast is also available at WRJWRadio.com and by downloading the WRJW app.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

The Wildcat football program launched the Golden Gridiron Club during the spring. The Club offers a variety of sponsorship opportunities for any organization or fan that wants to support the PRCC football program. For more information, visit PRCCAthletics.com/GoldenGridironClub or email DLSmith@prcc.edu.