Pearl River Central took control in the third quarter and throttled Moss Point 28-7 on Friday night at Hendrix Stadium.

The Blue Devils improved to 6-3 overall and 3-2 in Region 4-5A play while Moss Point fell to 4-5 and 3-2 respectively.

“After the West Harrison game (a 16-7 road loss on Oct. 7), we challenged our guys, and they’ve responded,” PRC coach Eric Collins said. “We were embarrassed because we didn’t play with the heart, and energy, we’ve shown this season. Since that game, you’ve seen a team buy into what we’re selling, as coaches.”

Moss Point quarterback Joseph Kirkland was injured in an automobile accident earlier this week, according to the Tigers’ first-year coach, Kevin Jackson, and backup quarterback Anthony Mitchell played most of the game. Moss Point was coming off a 35-29 win over Picayune.

Kirkland did not play in the second half, and the Tigers finished the game with 197 yards total offense.

“(Kirkland) played through the pain as long as he could,” Jackson said. “Give a lot of credit to Pearl River Central. Their offense is unique, and they’re very good at what they do.

“Defensively, we’re still not tackling very well.”

PRC quarterback Dylan Spiers tool the Blue Devils the length of the field to open the second half. He fired a 22-yard completion on a swing pass to Trey Wynn on a third-and-nine play, and PRC grabbed a 14-7 lead on Bryce Spence’s 1-yard touchdown run with 6:25 left in the third quarter.

Pearl River Central extended its lead to 21-7 midway through the fourth quarter. Spiers fooled the Tigers’ defense on a play-action fake and hit Wynn at the goal line for a 4-yard scoring pass.

“Dylan was a little erratic, early in the year, but right before your eyes, you’ve seen a boy become a man,” Collins said.

PRC’s Brandon Padgett came up with his third interception of the season with 2:11 left in the game, and teammate Christian Smith intercepted a Mitchell pass in the final minute before scoring on a 25-yard return.

“We just wanted to pressure the quarterback, because we thought we could stop the run,” Padgett said.

Wynn scored the game’s first TD on a 6-yard run with 5:11 left in the first half, and the Tigers tied it at 7 on a fourth-and-26 play just before halftime.

Anthony Mitchell fired a 35-yard TD pass to Tigers teammate Antwon Mitchell with 2:55 left in the first half.

Wynn finished the game with 19 carries for 121 yards, and Spence had 16 carries for 77 yards.

PRC is on the road on Friday night against Gautier, while the Tigers will face nearby 4-5A rival Pascagoula.