MGCCC'S Dawson Wells (left) pursues East Central's Brock Hall Oct. 27.
PERKINSTON—Usually clinching a spot in the post season is cause for celebration.
For Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, going to the playoffs is the norm. The No. 9 Bulldogs punched their ticket to the MACJC playoffs for the sixth straight time in a 41-0 Homecoming rout of East Central. It’s also the sixth South Division crown since 2005 and the 19th straight home victory for the Bulldogs (8-1, 5-1), who’ve also won five straight to close the regular season.
“It’s great to get back to the playoffs,” said Gulf Coast head coach Steve Campbell, who’s now watched his team extend its winning streak over the Warriors to 10 in a row. “It’s a credit to all the hard work these guys have put in all season.”
MGCCC sprinted out to a 34-0 lead at halftime and coasted past East Central (3-6, 2-4) thanks to three touchdown passes by quarterback Clint Hatten and four turnovers caused by the opportunistic Bulldog defense.
Hatten went 13/21 for 176 yards and threw TD passes to JoJo Snell, Byron Nettles and Dhaquille Williams, whose 30-yard TD gave Gulf Coast a 34-0 lead at halftime. Williams, who’s among the NJCAA’S leaders in receiving yards and receiving TDs, was knocked out briefly after the TD catch but eventually walked off the field under his own power.
Freshman power back Detrick Goff scored rushing touchdowns in each half, while the Bulldog special teams put up another score on a fumbled punt snap by East Central’s Austin Franklin.
Gulf Coast will host No. 11 Northwest (8-1), a 40-31 winner over Jones, on Saturday, November 3 at 2 p.m. at A.L. May Memorial Stadium. Fans can watch all the action via streaming video at www.mgcccbulldogs.com or listen at 103.1 FM WOSM.