Six PCA players, head coach Purvis picked as MAIS football all-stars

Published 1:19 pm Sunday, November 19, 2023

Porter’s Chapel Academy’s football team had five seniors on the roster this season, and all of them are all-stars.

The five PCA players — Thomas Azlin, Taylor LaBarre, Ty Mack, John Wyatt Massey and Gavin Pugh — were all selected to play in the MAIS All-Star Game.

PCA head coach Blake Purvis was also selected as the head coach of the Blue team in the Class 1A-2A-3A game, while junior Jase Jung was picked to play in the Futures Game.

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The main All-Star Game is for seniors, and will be played at Jackson Prep on Friday, Dec. 1 at 2 p.m. The Class 4A-5A-6A game will follow. The Futures Game is for players in Class 1A through 6A and will be played Nov. 30 at 6:30 p.m., at Madison-Ridgeland Academy.

Both all-star games are 11-man games, although the 1A-2A-3A game will have a number of players from the MAIS’ two 8-man classifications.

“Like I said all year long, I’m proud of those guys. They worked hard all year, they bought in, and they’ve earned everything they’ve gotten,” Purvis said. “For them to get a chance to play together one more time is going to be a special day for them.”

Led by its seniors, PCA finished 12-1 this season, won the District 3-2A championship, and reached the MAIS Class 2A semifinals for the first time since 2008.

Massey, a quarterback and linebacker, passed for 1,873 yards and 40 touchdowns while adding 240 rushing yards and two TDs. He set school records for passing touchdowns in a game (7), season (40) and career (52).

Azlin also set a single-season school record with 16 touchdown receptions. He caught 26 passes for 678 yards and was also a defensive leader with 95 tackles and 14 sacks.

LaBarre, like most of his teammates, contributed on both sides of the ball. On offense, he caught 30 passes for 382 yards and four touchdowns. On defense, he had a team-high six interceptions and 52 tackles.

Mack, a running back, was a multiple threat on offense. He led the team with 34 receptions for 687 yards and 14 touchdowns, while also rushing for 738 yards and seven TDs.

Pugh, a defensive back, finished with 66 tackles, five interceptions, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. He returned three interceptions for touchdowns.

Jung, meanwhile, set a school record with 25 rushing touchdowns and finished with 1,956 yards. He also had two receiving touchdowns and four interceptions on defense.

About Ernest Bowker

Ernest Bowker is The Vicksburg Post's sports editor. He has been a member of The Vicksburg Post's sports staff since 1998, making him one of the longest-tenured reporters in the paper's 140-year history. The New Jersey native is a graduate of LSU. In his career, he has won more than 50 awards from the Mississippi Press Association and Associated Press for his coverage of local sports in Vicksburg.

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