Mississippi Delta Community College entered last Thursday night hoping to carry the momentum of a season-opening win back to Jim Randall Stadium. Instead, Pearl River turned a tight fourth-quarter game into a 37-10 finish, handing the Trojans their first loss of the 2026 season in the home opener.

The final margin was lopsided, but Trojan Head Coach Jermaine Coach Smith said the number on the scoreboard did not fully explain the night.

“The score was ugly, but the score really doesn’t tell the tale of why,” Coach Smith said. “Honestly, the game was 16-10 in the fourth quarter. We kind of self-destructed, giving up explosive plays and turnovers. Things that a young team cannot afford to do when you try to make another comeback.”

Pearl River led 6-0 after the first quarter and 13-3 at halftime before stretching the advantage to 16-3 in the third. Mississippi Delta answered with a 17-yard touchdown run by quarterback Armon Vinson and a Noel Mora extra point to cut the deficit to 16-10 with 2:42 left in the third quarter. From there, Pearl River scored 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter, including 41- and 32-yard touchdown passes and a 46-yard interception return.

The statistics showed where Pearl River created separation. The Wildcats outgained the Trojans 394-184, rushed for 217 yards while holding Mississippi Delta to 20 yards on the ground, and recorded 10 sacks. Mississippi Delta threw for 164 yards, finished with 18 first downs, went 2-for-15 on third down and committed three turnovers. Coach Smith pointed first to mindset. Coming off the Trojans’ 25-24 road win over then-No. 8 Copiah-Lincoln, he said Mississippi Delta did not fully reset for a new opponent.

“It was rough for the reasons of really coming off a victory and not washing it away from a mindset standpoint,” Coach Smith said. “Understanding that we have to move forward every week, and I think we came out flat with the expectation that young guys have these expectations. Sometimes you’re just going to automatically repeat what you did in a win, and that just does not translate that way.”

He also said the biggest defensive issue was not a lack of competitiveness snap after snap, but a handful of damaging plays.

“It was just explosive plays,” Coach Smith said. “They had probably three runs over thirty yards, and that resulted in touchdowns.The defense played extremely well, except for a few mishaps. It was the explosives that killed us, and then the turnovers, and that’s usually the tell of the tape.”

Both teams were charged with six penalties, with Pearl River marked off 55 yards and Mississippi Delta 60. Coach Smith credited Pearl River for capitalizing when opportunities appeared.

“Hats off to them,” Coach Smith said. “They’re coached extremely well. I think they were poised. If you look at the penalties, they had six penalties, we had six penalties. Those are really a controlled environment when it came to making those types of mistakes. A lot of that is really coaching. I think they did a tremendous job of taking advantage of what they felt they could take advantage of, and us not being in the right places to make the stops.”

For Mississippi Delta, Mora supplied the first points of the night with a 26-yard field goal in the second quarter and later added the extra point after Vinson’s touchdown. Coach Smith said Mora’s value extends beyond scoring.

“Mora, our kicker. He really helped us when it comes to field position, flipping the field with great punts,” Coach Smith said. “In the first quarter, he got us back in the game. We were down six zero. Went down, kicked the field goal. He’s one of a kind for us. He kicks, he punts, he does it all. And I think he’s going down the stretch. He’s going to be pivotal to our success.”

Coach Smith also highlighted the anchor of his defense for his work in the middle of the defense.

“Omar White, our nose guard, really had a tremendous outing for us defensively,” Coach Smith said, adding that the praise extended to “really just the whole defense” outside of the explosive breakdowns.

Mississippi Delta’s lone touchdown came after Pearl River fumbled, with the Trojans cashing in quickly. Vinson finished the scoring drive with his 17-yard run to bring MDCC within one possession. But Pearl River answered in the fourth, and the Wildcats’ pressure up front helped end any comeback bid.

The loss dropped Mississippi Delta to 1-1 and shifted the focus to what Coach Smith called controllable fixes. When asked if the missed assignments and mental busts are correctable, he answered plainly.

“Controllable, controllable for sure.”

Next up is a road trip to Southwest Mississippi Community College, a matchup Coach Smith believes can give the Trojans a chance to respond.

“Defensively, they’re a very stout and sound defensive team,” Coach Smith said of Southwest. “They’re kind of like us offensively, trying to find their way. They’ve got a very explosive quarterback. And up front they try to get it done as well. It’ll be a really good matchup for us to possibly go in the game and hopefully bounce back from this loss at home and get back on the winning trail.”

Health-wise, Coach Smith said the Trojans avoided major injuries, though cramping was an issue.

“No major injuries at all,” he said. “We did suffer from a lot of cramping. This week it’s really focusing our guys on taking care of their bodies, making sure you’re hydrating heavily three days before a game and not the day before. Just understanding that the heat is extreme and your body is going to sweat, but you have to be prepared for that ahead of time.”

Coach Smith said he still expects the Trojans to approach each week with a winning standard.

“I expect it to win. I expect it to be one and zero this week,” he said. “But I do greatly appreciate the lessons learned in a loss. Definitely, I think it was a great opportunity for our players to see that each week you have to be prepared more than anything mentally in the transition to a different opponent.”

Stat wise, each team had 18 first downs. The Trojan offense generated 184 yards of offense – 164 passing and 20 rushing. Pearl River put together 394 yards – 177 passing and 217 rushing. Trojan quarterback Armon Vinson was 18-of-40 for 164 yards but had two interceptions. Nick Celestine led Trojan receivers with six catches for 57 yards. Vinson had the team’s lone touchdown via a rush. Eli Johnson had six rushes for 27 yards.

On defense, Aiden Wright and E’xavier Wiggins led the team with nine total tackles each. Sekou Davis Jr. and White each had eight.

On Thursday, September 10, the Trojans travel to Southwest Mississippi Community College, who are 0-2 on the season after an 18-15 loss last week to Northeast and a season-opening 14-6 loss to East Mississippi, who fired longtime Head Coach Buddy Stevens this past week. Stevens had been critical of MACCC school leadership across the conference for changes to postseason scheduling.

Looking at the conference on the NJCAA level, several teams are nationally ranked. Northwest clocks in at #3, Mississippi Gulf Coast at #5, East Mississippi at #9 and Itawamba at #13. Copiah Lincoln and Hinds each received votes but not enough to crack the top 15.

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Trojans look to reset against Southwest after Pearl River pulls away late in 37-10 home-opening loss