Purvis returns to winning form with 60-32 win over Lawrence County

PURVIS — Purvis dropped an overtime thriller to Greene County last week, but the Tornadoes bounced back with a 60-32 win over the Lawrence County Cougars Friday night.

Steven Jaciuk gave Purvis an edge early after intercepting the Cougars on their opening drive. Purvis then started from midfield, taking advantage of the turnover with a 36-yard touchdown pass from Ty Howell to CJ Bolar followed by a two-point conversion. In fact, all but two scores in this matchup ended with a successful two-point conversion.

Lawrence County struck back when Kendarius Feazell found Joseph Hawthorne on a deep shot of his own to put the Cougars in the red zone. From there, Lawrence County punched the ball in for a touchdown. But the Tornadoes answered, with Jaciuk once again the culprit. This time, he did his damage on offense with a 41-yard run that set up John Bolton's touchdown run two plays later.

Feazell worked magic for Lawrence County to even things up on the following drive with a 14-yard rushing touchdown, pulling the Cougars into a 16-16 tie at the end of the first quarter.   

That's when Purvis took control. On 4th-and-goal, Ty Howell rolled his way into a 3-yard rushing touchdown. Lawrence County stalled for the majority of the second quarter, allowing the Tornadoes to build a two-score lead. Purvis accomplished that when Howell found Bolar again on a 21-yard scoring strike, giving Purvis the 32-16 advantage heading into halftime.

Jaciuk opened the second-half scoring on a strip-six to keep Purvis on a path to victory. This was followed by another scoring drive for Purvis, ending with an 8-yard touchdown run from Howell. Entering the fourth, Purvis had out-scored the Cougars 31-0 since the tie at 16.

Each side scored twice in the final quarter, Feazell accounting for both of Lawrence County's scores. But Purvis matched the Cougars' late scoring to mainting its lead, ultimately ending the rout with a final score of 60-32.

What it means

Purvis evens its record at 4-4 with this win. Three weeks ago, the Tornadoes scored a mere 12 points. Since that game, Purvis has averaged 48 per game. The offense is finding an identity and will look to keep things rolling against Poplarville next week.

Turning point

Late in the first half, the Cougars chanced it on 4th-and-3 and fumbled while fighting for extra yardage with just 1:36 left in the half. Purvis recovered and capitalized as Ty Howell found CJ Bolar for a 21-yard touchdown that put the Tornadoes ahead by two scores entering the half.

Player of the Game

Steven Jaciuk. Jaciuk opened both halves with forced turnovers. In the first, his efforts led to a 36-yard touchdown pass from Howell to Bolar. In the second half, he decided to break one himself on a strip-six and helped seal the Tornadoes' victory.