2016 Combined

Week of\ D tl?/ ( lp Gulf Coast looks to avenge earlier loss to East Mississippi in first-round match up

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BY PATRICK OCHS pochs@sunherald.com

Sept. 8 was not Gulf Coast's best game of the season. Far from it. Hosting East Mississippi in the second game of the season, the Bulldogs turned the ball over four times in a 45-7 defeat at A.L. May Memorial Stadium in Perkinston. MGCCC coach Chad Huff is hoping his team looks much different this time around when the Bulldogs and Lions clash at 2 p.m. Saturday in Scooba to open the MACJC playoffs. "We're a much better football team than we were seven weeks ago," he said. "That's the confidence there, knowing when we played them the first time we weren't anywhere near where we are now." The Bulldogs (5-4) needed help from East Central to qualify for the playoffs after losing their finale at Jones County last week, but Huff said the latest version of the Bulldogs is much improved. "We put ourselves in this situation," Huff said. "It's a different path than we wanted to take but it's a good path no matter how you get there. The kids are excited and up for the challenge. They know what's at stake." Gulf Coast, which started the season 1-3 with losses to Itawamba, EMCC and East Central, rebounded to win four of its last five games for the second seed in the MACJC South. Statistically speaking Former Resurrection quarterback Larry Sisson has filled in more than admirably for Kalen Whitlow, who was injured toward the end of the season. Sisson completed 62.4 percent of his passes for 757 yards and four touchdowns. Lester Wells has been Sisson's go-to target and leads MGCCC with 33 receptions for 328 yards. He has three touchdown catches. Brandon Martin has four scores along with 23 catches for 327 yards.