By By Shawn Wansley / EMG sports writer
Oct. 18, 2002
ELLISVILLE Jones vs. Pearl River.
That's just about all that needs to be said.
Athletic Association, host the Wildcats at 2 p.m. Saturday at Bush-Young Stadium.
The game will serve as the NJCAA Hall of Fame Game this season with the 1955
JCJC team and former Bobcat standout John Perkins being inducted into the Hall of Fame prior to the contest.
While Jones, 5-1 overall, is rated No. 8 in the nation, the Bobcats have fallen behind Pearl River, 4-2 overall, in the South Division race thanks to last week's heartbreaking, 6-3, triple overtime loss to East Central.
In last week's loss, the Bobcats missed four field goals. It was a tough way to lose, but Dykes thinks his team learned a lot from the game.
about the greatness of the game of football. That's something I learned in
high school. When you get knocked down, you've got to get up and go again.
In the division, Pearl River n coming off a 36-9 win over Southwest n is on
top with a 3-0 mark. JCJC and Gulf Coast are each 2-1, while Hinds and East
Central n who play each other Saturday n are 2-2.
Tim Hatten is the first-year coach of the Wildcats. He played at Pearl River
in 1984-85 and knows the importance of the game with JCJC.
said. "They have a great offensive team and can score on any play. Their
defense really gets after you. They've got great players on both sides of
the ball and we're going to have a tough time handling those Wildcats."
With just three games left in the regular season, teams are jockeying for
position to make the playoffs. The top two teams from each division will
qualify.
well against Pearl River and come out victorious."
Next week on Oct. 26, JCJC visits Hinds, while Pearl River travels to Gulf
Coast.
This will mark the third time Jones has hosted a NJCAA Hall of Fame Game,
according to Dykes, who serves as president of the NJCAA Football Coaches
Association.
Several years ago, Coach Sim Cooley and All-American player Jackie Parker of
Jones were inducted. Last year, D.O. "Bud" Thoms of Jones was inducted as a
contributor to the sport.
Dykes said the 1955 JCJC team is only the second team to be inducted,
joining the 1976 Blinn, (Texas), Junior College team.