Senior linebacker David Salser remembers when PRC lost to Picayune last year.

“In the dying minutes of the game, the last two minutes of the game, my buddy, who was a senior, came up to me and said, ‘you gotta beat them for me’, and I said, ‘I will—we’re gonna do it’,” Salser said.

For senior running back Christian Roberts, the game has a very personal component because he used to be a student at Picayune.

“I transferred from Picayune my ninth grade year over here to PRC. I know all the players on Picayune ‘cause I’ve played against them my whole life and honestly I don’t feel like they have respect for us and we have to go out there and prove ourselves,” Roberts said.

The PRC backfield comprised of Roberts, senior running back Hunter Holifield and junior running back Michael Tatman has been nothing short of explosive this year. The trio has rushed for 3,024 yards, 31 touchdowns and average 302.4 yards a game. Both senior backs have eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark, Roberts with 1,144 yards and Holifield with 1,021 yards.

What makes the three backs so effective is how well they compliment each other.

“Each of us bring a different run style to the game,” Roberts said. “Hunter is clearly a fast back and when he runs on the outside you’re probably not gonna catch him. I’m pretty good between the tackles and can make people miss, and so is Michael around the outside,” Roberts said.

On the defensive side of the football, Salser has been an outspoken leader both on and off the field. He can be seen up and down the sidelines, pumping up his teammates throughout the entire game, providing nonstop energy the team feeds on.

“I just took the responsibility upon myself that it was gonna be on me to create focus and intensity,” Salser said. “Our coaches pound this in our heads that if the coaches have to bring the intensity, to make us intense—then we’re not gonna win. We should be intense for all the time we’ve worked—those 7 a.m. practices, those gassers, and those sprints—I just felt like it was my duty. I had to do something or nobody was gonna do it.”

Salser has certainly answered the call. He leads the team in tackles with 130, has nine tackles for a loss, two interceptions, two fumble recoveries and one sack.

Although Roberts, Holifield and Salser are happy with their district championship, they didn’t take long to refocus their sights on the Picayune game, starting preparations last Saturday.

As for this week of practice, the three seniors said it has been nothing but business and not a lot of joking around.

Salser and his teammates understand the gravity of Friday’s game and are poised to end Picayune’s 20 game winning streak over them.

“As much as this game means to us, it means to them (the PRC community and former players) that much more. They weren’t able to do it, so they’re looking to us to get the job done and they believe in us right now so we need to do everything in our power to complete this for them,” Salser said.