October 6, 2022
The Warriors of East Central Community College fell to the Northeast Tigers, 34-20, on Thursday, Oct. 6, in a cross-divisional matchup in Booneville. With the loss, the Warriors moved to 0-6, 0-3 on the year, while the Tigers improved to 3-3, 1-2.
The Warriors started with a lengthy drive to start the game that featured a big 30-plus yard run by Gabriel Larry (Manvel Texas), but the drive stalled deep in Tiger territory on a failed fourth down conversion.
Midway through the first, the Tigers took the lead with a 45-yard, pick-six but missed the point after wide right to make it 6-0, Northeast.
The ensuing ECCC possession was cut short by a fumble deep in Warrior territory. The Tigers recovered on the one-yard line and punched it in just one play later to stretch the advantage to 13-0 with 8:10 remaining in the quarter.
ECCC cut down that lead as Warrior defensive end Peyton Posey (Union) grabbed an interception on a tipped pass at the Tiger 10-yard line. After a couple of plays Courtland Harris (Hattiesburg) punched it in from three yards out. Brandon Gilliam (Vicksburg) hit the point after try to cut the Northeast lead to just six, 13-7.
The Warrior defense held strong again early in the second quarter and forced a Tiger field goal try that missed wide right.
ECCC responded with a nine-play, 68-yard drive that was capped off with a Gilliam, 29-yard field goal. The kick cut the Tiger lead to just three, 13-10, with 8:14 remaining in the first half.
The back-and-forth play continued late in the second as the Tigers bounced back with a 12-play, 65-yard drive capped off with a three-yard plunge. The score pushed the Tiger advantage to 20-10 with just over three minutes remaining in the half.
The Warriors once again hit back in the final minutes of the half as the team marched down the field 56-yards in just nine plays with several quick strikes from Larry to Devontae Causey (Millry, Ala.). With just two seconds remaining the Warriors elected for a third-down field goal try from 33 yards and Gilliam nailed the try to pull ECCC within a touchdown, 20-13, going into the break.
The third quarter featured early punts for both squads before the Tigers strung together a lengthy 13-play touchdown drive that ate over five and a half minutes off the game clock. With the score, the Tiger lead grew to 27-13.
Midway through the fourth the Tigers scored on a 26-yard toss and catch on a fourth-and-four situation. After the PAT, Northeast led 34-13 with just 6:52 remaining in the game.
The Warriors refused to give in late and manufactured a great drive in the final minutes of play that was set up by a big return from Tavion Evans (Pascagoula). Larry hit Holton White (Ocean Springs) for a big gain to put the Warriors deep in the Tigers' territory. On a fourth-and-goal situation, Larry found Aaron Steele (Collinsville) for a one-yard score to cut the lead to 34-20.
East Central finished the night with 301 yards, the second 300-yard game of the year, while the Tigers posted 410. The Warriors were balanced with 157 passing yards to 144 rushing yards. Larry finished the night 21 completions on 31 passes with one touchdown and one interception, while adding 97 yards on the ground. Causey posted a team-high 48 receiving yards, while Corey Goldwire (Leesburg, Fla.) hauled in six receptions.
Defensively, TJ Thompson (Bolton) led the Warriors with 10 tackles, while Noah Tice (Wiggins) finished with eight. Posey finished with a team-high two sacks, two and a half tackles for loss, and an interception.
The Warriors are on the road next week as the team travels to Perkinston to take on the Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College Bulldogs on Saturday, Oct. 15, at 3 p.m. The game will serve as the Bulldog's homecoming game and fans will be able to watch the action live at www.mgcccbulldogs.com/watch. More information about the matchup will be available next week.
