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Purvis is preparing for their first district matchup of the season on Friday. After each having a week off, they and the East Central Hornets will shake off the rust and duke it out at 7:00 p.m. The two teams might be coming in a bit winded given these two teams combined for 842 yards in their previous games.
Purvis is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They enjoyed a cozy 34-20 victory over Forrest County Agricultural last Friday. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Tornadoes.
Purvis' success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Paxton Cooper led the charge by picking up 126 receiving yards and a pair of TDs, while also punching in one score on the ground. Cooper showed off some serious burst, cutting upfield on a catch for 56 yards. Gabe Franklin handled things on the ground, rushing for 101 yards and a rushing touchdown.
Purvis was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 229 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've posted since back in October of 2024.
Purvis didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Dakota Anderson and Parker Yawn. Jackson Walker was another major factor on D, picking up a sack and making seven total tackles (2.0 for loss).
Meanwhile, East Central didn't have quite enough to beat Pass Christian last Friday and fell 35-33. While the Hornets had to settle for second, they closed the game well in the third quarter, where they outscored the Pirates 6-0.
Despite the loss, East Central saw an underclassman step up: sophomore Maddox Dunn rushed for 192 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and also threw for 71 yards and one TD. Dunn is crushing it when it comes to rushing yards: he's rushed for at least 131 every time he's taken the field this season. Adrian Marsalis also helped out as he racked up 103 rushing yards.
Even if they lost, East Central's defensive line still kept up the pressure with three sacks. Leading the way was Carter Green with two. Dyhlan Barajas got in on the action too, converting a pick into a touchdown.
East Central's defeat was their fifth straight on the road dating back to last season, which dropped their record down to 1-4. As for Purvis, they now have a winning record of 3-2.
Purvis was able to grind out a solid win over East Central when the teams last played back in September of 2016, winning 34-27. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was the Hornets' Tony Brown, who rushed for 293 yards and four scores while picking up 7.1 yards per carry. Now that he won't be playing on Friday, will it be easier for the Tornadoes to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
