The football season kicked off Friday with a win for the Pearl River Central Blue Devils after they defeated Forrest County Agriculture High School Aggies with a final score of 39-14.

Despite the inclement weather earlier in the day, which left the field wet and soggy, the team played “with a lot of intensity and emotion,” said Eric Collins, PRC football coach.

The first game of the season at Pearl River Central High School’s football field began with a moment of silence honoring student and football player 16-year-old Shane Smith of Carriere, who passed away in July after being involved in a car crash. Smith wore the #15 jersey on the football field, according to previous Item coverage.

Following the tribute, both teams took to the field. In the first half, the Aggies and Blue Devils were head-to-head with a score of 6-6. It wasn’t until the second quarter when running back Christian Roberts scored a touchdown with 11:35 left to play. The two fumbles from the Aggies were detrimental to the team’s performance in the first half.  The Blue Devils scored a touchdown with 13 seconds left until halftime. The score was then 20-6.

During the third quarter, running back Hunter Holifield scored a touchdown with 7:09 left to play. Pearl River scored another touchdown with 1:40 left to play after running back Michael Tatman later capitalized from an Aggies fumble. The score was then 32-6.

In the final quarter, Devils wide receiver Austin Champagne scored a nearly 30-yard touchdown, brining the score to 38-6.

The crowd at the home side roared with cheer when the Blue Devils finished strong.

“I really was proud of our kids, obviously it was sloppy at times but I was really proud of the way we played,” Collins said.

With the season only beginning, Collins plans to work alongside the team to make several key improvements, including working on cleaning up the team’s penalties and finishing games “better and cleaner.”

The Blue Devils will play against Poplarville High School on Aug. 28.