Pearl River Central reloads under new coach Dolan

Pearl River Central is coming off the greatest stretch in school history.

During the last five years, the Blue Devils (11-2 in 2015) reached the Class 5A state semifinals twice and advanced to the state quarterfinals last season.

First-year coach Larry Dolan came out of retirement with hopes of guiding the Blue Devils to a Class 5A state championship.

“The kids made a run at the state championship,” Dolan said. “Hopefully, we’re ready to take the next step of winning a state title. We lost 27 seniors, but we want to win now. Will we win a state championship? I don’t know. If you don’t dream of winning a state title, you can’t do it.”

Dolan has championship experience. He guided Forrest County AHS to a 4A state title in 2013. He went 81-20 in seven seasons — 2006 to 2013 — at FCAHS.

The Blue Devils’ dedication and work ethic impress Dolan.

“The PRC tradition is that the kids played hard,” Dolan said. “If the kids play hard and do their best, that’s all you can ask of them. They’re a strong team. They own the weight room. We’re trying to get the players to like the grass. It’s great to be strong, but you better be able to run on Friday nights in South Mississippi.”

PRC’s strength will be on offense, returning four starters: quarterback Wyatt Davis, running back Michael Tatman, tight end Cade Lee, and guard Tyler Kellar.

Tatman ran for 1,198 yards and scored 10 touchdowns last season. He was one of three PRC rushers to gain over 1,000 yards rushing in 2015, along with Hunter Holifield (1,291 yards) and Christian Roberts (1,420 yards).

Davis was an effective passer in the Blue Devils’ Wing-T offense. He threw for 885 yards and four TD’s, but had a completion percentage of 62 percent. Lee had 11 receptions for a team-leading 365 yards and a TD.

Louis Reece and Sam Carter will start at fullback and tailback, respectively. Austin Deflanders will start at wide receiver.

Joining Keller on the offensive line will be tackles Justin Westbrook and Dylan Vankregten, guards Mason Speir and center Jacob Mauffray.

“Our offensive line will need to develop quickly,” Dolan said. If the offensive line can develop, we expect to have a productive offense.”

The Blue Devils have several question marks in their 6-2 stack monster defense. Outside linebacker Seth Orgeron is the only returning starter.

Kobe Whitehead and Anthony Bryant will be the bookends. Orlando Malley and Tyler Holmes will start at defensive tackle.

Zack Goynes will start alongside Orgeron at outside linebacker. Cody Skoda and Cody Russell will be the other linebackers.

The cornerbacks will be A.J. Banks, Tristan Anderson, and Willie Reece.

“If we’re going to compete in our region, we must improve weekly on defense,” Dolan said. “Our last three games are a murderous row: Pascagoula, Hattiesburg and Picayune. We’ll be competing against great athletes. Picayune doesn’t have many average seasons.”

PRC’s debut on Aug. 18 under Dolan will be an emotional contest, traveling to FCAHS in Brooklyn.

“It’ll be odd facing them,” Dolan said. “I’ve got 29 years of football on that field, but I’m a Blue Devil now. Their staff was with me when I coached there.”

This story was originally published August 6, 2016 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Pearl River Central reloads under new coach Dolan."