News 25’s 25 Teams in 25 Days: Pearl River Central Blue Devils

CARRIERE, Miss. (WXXV) — The Pearl River Central Blue Devils are trying to leave it better than they found it under first-year head coach Jacob Webb.

“Coach Webb recruited a bunch of people first day he was here,” said Pearl River Central senior wide receiver/running back Carsen Black. “Literally the first day he got to the school, brought everybody into the gym, and we got a lot more people to play, you know?”

“Got in the halls and recruited kids out and tried to get as many as we can,” said Webb. “Our AD got every class of boys in the gym and gave me about 30 minutes to talk to each one of them and got a lot of kids out, you know? So that was the main thing, just recruit the halls, see what’s here that could come out and help us.”

According to Webb, his efforts increased the size of the PRC football program grades 7-12 to about 200 kids.

“He said we’re going to change some stuff and we’re going to come in here and win,” said Pearl River Central senior outside linebacker Ethan Lossett.

“He changed our whole – everything,” said Black. “Everything we did, it was changed, so that’s when I knew it’s going to be different. It’s going to be good.”

Webb takes over for the recently departed Jacob Owen – now an assistant at Poplarville. But rest assured, PRC’s annual off-season tradition known as Baddest Devil Week is still very much alive and well.

“Normally that gets everybody excited, hyped up,” said Lossett. “It gives everybody ready for the season. You can reflect off all the work you did over the summer.”

“That was the first – that was one of the first question the kids asked – are we still doing Baddest Devil?,” said Webb. “Well, tell me what it is and we’ll do it, so what we decided to do this year, whoever finishes top four, you’re an automatic captain.”

This year’s four Baddest Devils – and team captains – are Lossett, Matt Michele, Garrett Ouder and starting quarterback Qorday Russell, who took just about every snap under center as a freshman.

Now he’s bigger, faster and stronger as a sophomore.

“Big improvements from Qorday,” said Black. “Last year he had them freshman jitters, people like to call them, you know? But after last year’s season he kind of locked in and this year he’s looking good.”

“He was the best one and he got through the fire, and I believe, if I was told correctly, that was his first year playing quarterback,” said Webb. “One of the best kids I’ve ever met, checks all the boxes. I think he’s got a future in college football.”

First things first – three more years of high school surrounded by a three-headed monster at running back, including Ivan Mitchell, Derion Spikes and the aforementioned Michele when he returns from injury.

All-in-all, the Blue Devils bring back 14 seniors, who take sole responsibility for the future of PRC football.

“The rest of Blue Devil football with this senior class that we have right now,” said Black.

“When we look back – if we get this thing rolling like we plan to do – they’re going to look back at this senior class as the start of it,” said Webb.

“It doesn’t matter this season,” said Lossett. “We might win four games this season, but we want to let those younger guys see how we are and impact them for next year for them to win a lot of football games.”

Four wins would still be an improvement on last year’s 1-9 showing – that lone win coming in a 48-14 triumph over Long Beach at home.

In the other nine games, PRC scored more than seven points just three times.

“We only won one game last season, so it was really hard because we had to come back and make the past, just don’t think about the past,” said Lossett.

“The hardest part was how much work we put in, and we didn’t execute and we didn’t get the wins we wanted to,” said Black.

Heading into 2023, Webb is telling his team to embrace the fresh start, and when the time is right, the Blue Devils are still in search of their first winning season, playoff appearance, playoff win and district title since 2015.

“Last ride, it’s my senior year,” said Black. “I want to go out with a bang. I want to win some football games, make the playoffs.”

“We’re so eager,” said Lossett. “We want to win so bad. We want to change everybody’s mind about how they feel about this football team.”

“Well, I think they’re just sick of it,” said Webb. “I think they’re self-motivated, fresh start.”

PRC opens up the 2023 season at home on Friday against South Pike at 7:30 p.m. due to the extreme heat.