PRC smothers Picayune to advance to South State Championship
Published 11:27 am Monday, January 30, 2023
PRC's Noah Verweij works past Picayune defender to score his second goal during their playoff win over Picayune on Saturday, Jan. 28.
This past Saturday Pearl River Central beat Picayune Maroon Tide 4-0 in the third round of the 5A state Championships.
The Blue Devils scored its first goal at the 23:50 mark behind Brant Taters’ penalty kick. They would lead 1-0 going into the halftime break.
PRC would go on to score three unanswered goals in the second period. Noah Verweij scored back-to-back goals between the 37:50 and 37:10 mark. Then, PRC put the icing on the cake at the 23:40 mark to lead 4-0.
Picayune finished their season 10-7 overall and 3-3 in district play. They finished 3rd in the 5A region 7 and were seeded third in the 5A state championships. Picayune’s Mason Ripoll led the Maroon Tide with a 1.4 goal per game average with 18 total. He also led the team in total assists with 7.
The Blue Devils are advancing to the 5A South State Championships for the first time in five years. They will face the Long Beach Bearcats on Tuesday, Jan. 31.
PRC had lost to Long Beach twice this season. First on Dec. 9, by a score of 3-0, then on Jan. 13, by a score of 2-1.
This South State Championship match is set at Long Beach high school at 6 p.m.
