Bulldogs begin soccer season on April 2 vs. Pearl River

The Holmes Community College Bulldog soccer team is set to begin the 2021 season on Friday, April 2 at 3 p.m. on the Ridgeland Campus vs. Pearl River.

The season is normally played in the fall but was moved to the spring due to COVID-19.

Returning players include: Darrell Grantham, midfielder, Pearl; Kyle Kirtley, midfielder, Brandon; Andres Mendez, forward, Grenada; Connor Clarke, defender, Long Beach; Rhybert McNab, midfielder, Long Beach; Michael Gonzalez, forward, Madison; and Will Diaz, defender, Ridgeland.

Newcomers include: Jordan Stevens, goalkeeper, Blacksburg, Va.; Armando Barron, goalkeeper, Ridgeland; Grayson Dale, defender, Grenada; Kaleb Vead, defender, Covington, La.; Matthew Gonzalez, defender, Helena, Ala.; Gage Killich, midfielder, Madison; Jireh Green, forward, Brandon; Alfredo Marin, forward, Kosciusko; Alejandro Flores, midfielder, Kosciusko; Lando Nichols, midfielder, Chelsea, Ala.; Marcel Hopson, midfielder, Ocean Springs; Mohammad Rezaie, forward, Brandon; Carson Favre, defender, Long Beach; and Caleb Self, midfielder, Ocean Springs. Nichols and Favre are sophomores while the remaining players are freshmen.

The remaining schedule includes: Copiah-Lincoln, April 5, away, 4 p.m.; Gulf Coast, home, April 8, 4 p.m.; Hinds, April 16, home, 3 p.m.; Itawamba, April 20, away, 3 p.m.; East Central, April 23, away, 3 p.m.; Northwest, April 26, home, 2 p.m.; Southwest, May 1, home, 1 p.m.; Hinds, May 4, away, 7 p.m.; Itawamba, May 7, home, 3 p.m.;  East Central, May 11, home, 3 p.m.; and Northwest, May 14, away, 3 p.m.

All of the Mississippi Association of Community Colleges Conference is making a move this season. The MACCC's schools have previously played in Division I, despite using traditional Division II roster constraints. This year, the National Junior College Athletic Association has created a Division II, which will include all of the MACCC. With the move means a new opportunity and road to a potential national championship for the Mississippi programs. Should one of the MACCC's schools make the final 12, the national tournament will be June 3-8. The site is still being determined. The field will initially be broken into four three-team pools and will go from there.

The new Division II classification is comprised of 14 regions from across the country.