From overwhelmed to undefeated. How this South MS flag football team put itself on top
The Lady Hornets are no longer blinking.
East Central is heading into the mid-season bye week with a spotless 3-0 record after defeating Picayune on Thursday, 12-6, and is in first place in the Mississippi Saints Gold Division.
Several players described their first action as an overwhelming experience following a jamboree with Vancleave in St. Martin four weeks ago, which included a 6-0 loss to the Yellow Jackets. But it was East Central who won when it counted, catching St. Martin by surprise in Week 2 with a 14-6 win, which followed an 8-0 win over Vancleave in the season-opener.
“It’s still overwhelming, but we’ve learned how to deal with it more and how to play faster,” running back Neveah Bounds told the Sun Herald. “Our problem was how fast it was and we weren’t ready for that. Now we’ve gotten more to the pace of it.”
East Central fell behind early to the Maroon Tide when quarterback Olivia Tanner threw a pick-6 to Picayune’s Rhyen Goss. But Tanner would respond with touchdown passes of 16 and 59 yards to Ava Brewer and Taliyah Hopkins.
Hornets head coach Amy Richards credits the team’s focus in overcoming the challenges with competing in a sport its athletes just began learning two months ago.
“I think we’re learning the game,” Richards said. “We’re coming out every day, putting the work in, getting better every day and they’re learning more. The girls come out with a great attitude and they put forth 100 percent effort and they want to know if they do something wrong. They want to grow and want to get better. I think their mentality and their drive is what makes us stand apart.”
East Central and the rest of the field are entering an off week before the final two weeks of the regular season. The new may be wearing off for the Hornets, but Richards said the expectations remain the same.
“We set one goal in the very beginning and that’s win every ball game,” Richards said. “That is what we plan to do.”
George County 18, McComb 12
The Rebels are the highest-scoring team in the state through three weeks and overpowered another opponent via 18-12 win over McComb.
George County joins East Central as the pilot season’s only two undefeated teams remaining following Oak Grove’s win over previously 2-0 Brandon. The Rebels are now alone on top of the Mississippi Saints Black Division.
“Our defense has put us in some good positions and we have a few playmakers that we just capitalize with,” George County coach Lane Scott said. “I feel like we still got room to grow, especially offensively, but we’re in a good spot.”
Delanie McNair scored the Rebels’ first two touchdowns with a 40-yard run down the left sideline and an 11-yard touchdown catch from Lani McDoniel with four seconds left in the first half.
McDoniel scored what would be the separating touchdown with a 26-yard keeper.
St. Martin 19, Vancleave 0
The Yellow Jackets bounced back with their second shutout win of the season and improved to 2-1.
St. Martin’s Yvette Nathan kicked off the scoring with a 35-yard pick-6. Yellow Jackets quarterback Jalyn Nguyen threw her own interception to Vancleave’s Addison Flurry, but found a rhythm downfield with two touchdown passes.
The first was a well-placed ball that split double-coverage and was hauled in by Brooke Perkins for a 30-yard score. The second landed in the arms of Brianne Sanders, who scored her own 30-yard touchdown.
“Jalyn Nguyen had an unbelievable day throwing the football and running the football,” coach Charlie Parvlus said. “She made some really good decisions and, again, she’s only been playing quarterback for a month and a half. She’s only going to get better.”
Vancleave falls to 0-3 and was kept off the scoreboard for the second time.
This story was originally published April 11, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
