Unbeaten Pirates back in title game
There have been some close calls along the way, but the Pearl Pirates have met every challenge.
Pearl enters the Class 6A State championship game against the
Starkville Yellowjackets on Friday night undefeated and coach John
Perry said his team continues to handle each situation presented to it well.
"They have competed week in and week out when things were going our way and when things weren't going our way, when we were playing great teams and when we were playing teams that weren't so great," Perry said. "It was competing to go 1-0 every Friday night and the way they carry themselves makes us so proud."
The Pirates were pushed to the limit and had their most difficult game of the season against rival Brandon. Pearl won that game 2827 in overtime.
In other games, the Pirates defeated Warren Central 28-21, Northwest Rankin 17-7 and Meridian twice 34-12 and 52-12. Those all were opponents of the Jackets.
Pearl has beaten St. Martin 55-14, Hancock 41-3 and Meridian to reach the state championship for the second-straight season. Last year, the Pirates were outscored 49-35 by Clinton in Starkville.
"This will be the third time in the history of the school that we've played for a state championship," Perry said. "We take pride in that and the community has taken great pride in it."
Even with a loss in the state title game last year, SHS coach Chris Jones believes Pearl has an advantage after having played on this stage in a Southeastern Conference venue at Mississippi State last year.
Jones sees the Pirates as an experienced squad that should be comfortable in that kind of setting.
“These same guys played in this game last year and they only lost two or three,” Jones said. “They have a lot of kids coming back and a lot of seniors.
"It's not that they are doing a lot of exotic stuff scheme-wise. They just do the little stuff right and the way it's supposed to be. They play extremely hard and with extra effort. They've got a couple of really good guys and the rest of them are role players and bluecollar type guys that play hard. They do their job and don't beat themselves. They are a well-coached team."
Pearl has been led offensively this season by senior running back Johnny Winston. He's had 178 carries for 908 yards and 13 touchdowns.
While looking at film of the players, Jones can see why the Pirates are undefeated.
"To be 15-0, you have to play with a different type of confidence," Jones said. "That's the main thing I see with them. They've played so much football for so long and they've stayed together." 7 p.m., WKBB-FM 100.9