MGCCC football rallies to claim the junior college national title over Lackawanna
The Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College football team claimed its fifth national championship with a 24-13 victory over Lackawanna College on Thursday in Pittsburg, Kansas.
The No. 1 Bulldogs scored a pair of touchdowns in the fourth quarter to rally for the win, finishing the season with a 12-0 record. Gulf Coast previously won national titles in 1948, 1971, 1984 and 2007.
MGCCC head coach Jack Wright became the second coach in NJCAA history to win a national title at two different schools after winning at Northwest Mississippi in 2015.
On Friday morning, the Bulldogs were welcomed back to the Perkinston campus by a giddy group of fans.
“Man, it was an amazing ride back knowing we were bringing a national title back to Mississippi,” Gulf Coast sophomore running back Austin Bolton said Friday. “It was a blessing to go up and win it like we did.”
Bolton ran 23 times for 74 yards and two touchdowns, to earn the MVP selection from CBS Sports Network.
“Just to hear my name called out on national TV, I was just so shocked,” he said. “It ain’t just me. It’s the whole team.”
Bolton, who is awaiting his first Division I scholarship offer, received offers from a pair of NAIA programs, Langston University in Oklahoma and McPherson College in Kansas, after the game. The Poplarville native finished the season with 841 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns to lead the team in both categories.
“I told myself I had to put it all on the line for my team,” Bolton said. “I got MVP, but I don’t want to take all the credit. Everyone deserves it from the fans to the coaches to the defense.”
MGCCC went ahead 17-13 following a 1-yard touchdown run by Bolton with 10:03 remaining. The score capped off a 13-play, 59-yard drive that broken open what had been a defensive stalemate in the second half.
The Gulf Coast defense followed with a quick stop and the next drive was much quicker — a one-play possession that involved a 47-yard touchdown run by Deondre House.
The Bulldogs ended a 22-game winning streak for Lackawanna, which is located in Scranton, Pennsylvania.
House provided the MGCCC offense a much needed spark in the second half, running nine times for 78 yards and a TD.
MGCCC sophomore quarterback Chance Lovertich completed 10 of 25 passes for 118 yards and an interception, finishing his MGCCC career 18-0 as a starter.
The Gulf Coast defense held Lackawanna (10-1) to 152 yards of offense. The Falcons’ 18th-ranked rushing offense was held to 38 yards — 140 below their average. Lackawanna, who had eight three-and-outs, didn’t have a drive longer than 33 yards until its final possession.
MGCCC defensive backs T.J. Ficklin and Jackie Matthews both had late interceptions to help close out the victory.
“The defense held them all four quarters to give us a shot,” Bolton said. “The defense was hanging in there for all four quarters.”
This story was originally published December 5, 2019 at 8:44 PM.