GAME ON! Gulf Coast opens playoffs against East Central

PERKINSTON – The first time Mississippi Gulf Coast played East Central, it was a wild affair.

The Bulldogs rallied from a two-goal deficit Sept. 1 to win 5-3 in Perkinston, which will be the site of Tuesday's playoff rematch between the teams.

"That game, we had a bad five minutes or so and they scored three goals on us," Gulf Coast coach Chris Handy said. "If we have a bad 30 minutes, all of the sudden we've lost it."

Gulf Coast (13-4) finished as the second seed in the MACJC South, earning the right to host this first-round state playoff matchup against the Warriors (6-10-1). Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.

The school confirmed Tuesday the game will take place as scheduled.

The winner advances to the semifinals Saturday at Hinds.

Handy said East Central is a hard-working team.

"It's a playoff game," he said. "For a team that already works hard, they have a lot of incentive to come in here and work even harder."

The Bulldogs will be as healthy as they've been all season. The team has battled some injuries, and recently went through a series of suspensions due to red cards picked up in games.

"Everybody is available for the first time in a month," Handy said. "That's exciting. We're at full strength, for sure."