PERKINSTON, Miss. – The Hinds Community College football team delivered a thrilling fourth-quarter comeback Thursday night, rallying from a 21-point deficit to defeat Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College 49-42 at A.L. May Memorial Stadium and capture the MACCC South Division Championship.
The victory improves the Eagles to 7-2 overall and 5-0 in South Division play, securing the division title with an undefeated conference division record. The win also marks Hinds' first victory in Perkinston since 2004.
Hinds opened the game with an impressive drive, capped by a one-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Jaylon Ruffin to Dj Miller to give the Eagles a 7-0 lead. The duo connected again in the second quarter when Miller recovered a fumble in the end zone after Ruffin completed a 30-yard pass to De'Traun Brown, extending the Hinds advantage to 14-0.
Gulf Coast responded with three consecutive touchdowns to take a 21-14 lead into halftime. The Bulldogs added two more scores early in the third quarter to build a 35-14 advantage, putting the Eagles in a difficult position on the road.
Hinds answered with a critical scoring drive late in the third quarter. Ruffin connected with Demar Gardner for a 36-yard touchdown, trimming the deficit to 35-21 and giving the Eagles momentum heading into the final period.
The comeback continued in the fourth quarter as Ruffin scored on a 17-yard run to bring Hinds within seven at 35-28. After Gulf Coast pushed its lead back to 42-28, the Eagles responded with another touchdown drive, highlighted by a 42-yard completion from Ruffin to Gardner. Ruffin then found Brown for a five-yard touchdown, cutting the deficit to 42-35 with 7:43 remaining.
Hinds' defense came up with a crucial stop, forcing Gulf Coast to punt and giving the Eagles another opportunity. The offense capitalized, putting together a five-play, 71-yard drive that ended with Makari Bodiford's one-yard touchdown run with 3:51 left in the game. Braylenn Spann's extra point tied the contest at 42-42.
With the division championship hanging in the balance, the Eagles got the ball back and drove 64 yards in six plays. Ruffin connected with Dj Miller for a 20-yard gain before finding Kelton Young on consecutive completions to move Hinds into scoring position. Ruffin then broke free for a 20-yard touchdown run with just 39 seconds remaining, giving the Eagles a 49-42 lead.
Gulf Coast attempted to respond in the closing seconds, but Hinds sealed the victory when Raymon McNeely intercepted a Josh Flowers pass with 24 seconds remaining, securing the comeback win and the South Division championship.
Ruffin led the Eagles' offensive attack with an outstanding all-around performance, completing 29 of 37 passes for 456 yards and four touchdowns while adding 136 rushing yards and two scores on 15 carries. Gardner hauled in nine receptions for 163 yards and a touchdown, while Brown finished with seven catches for 117 yards and a touchdown. Miller contributed four receptions for 99 yards and two touchdowns, including his first-quarter score and second-quarter fumble recovery in the end zone. Kiandre Terry added six catches for 53 yards.
Bodiford finished with 18 carries for 16 yards and a touchdown, while Miller added 17 rushing yards. Spann converted all seven extra-point attempts.
Defensively, Floyd Harris led Hinds with 11 total tackles, including five solo stops and six assists. Narco Dunn recorded eight tackles and contributed half a sack, while Elijah Hunter finished with five tackles and a tackle for loss. The Eagles totaled 58 tackles, three pass breakups and one interception. McNeely delivered the game-clinching takeaway in the final minute.
Hinds finished with 640 yards of total offense, including 456 passing yards and 184 rushing yards. The Eagles recorded 35 first downs and converted nine of 16 third-down attempts, controlling possession for 35 minutes and 50 seconds.
The 49-42 victory capped a memorable night for the Eagles, who overcame a three-touchdown deficit in the fourth quarter to secure the MACCC South Division Championship and earn a historic road win in Perkinston for the first time in more than two decades.
Hinds will return home on Thursday, October 29, to take on Jones College in the final game of the regular season. The Eagles will celebrate their annual Pink Out game, with kickoff set for 6:30 p.m. at home.
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