Gulfport’s football season ends with playoff loss to Oak Grove

Gulfport’s stay in the Class 6A playoffs proved to be short-lived.

The Admirals saw their 2021 football season come to an end Friday night in a 33-7 defeat at the hands of defending state champion Oak Grove in the first round of the Class 6A playoffs at Warrior Field.

The seventh-ranked Warriors (9-2) advanced to a second-round clash next week at No. 2 Ocean Springs. Gulfport finished its season 7-5.

“We kept fighting, kept playing hard,” said Gulfport coach John Archie. “Oak Grove’s got a pretty good team, and we’re still a year away, still pretty young in a lot of spots. We’re going to hit the offseason hard, get back to work and see if we can’t get better.”

Oak Grove jumped on the Admirals early, scoring touchdowns on its first two possessions of the game, thanks to a blistering start from senior quarterback Kabe Barnett.

Barnett completed his first 10 passes and finished with 17 completions in 24 attempts for 290 yards and four touchdowns.

“Kabe was clicking,” said Oak Grove coach Drew Causey. “When’s he’s on, he’s pretty dang good.”

The Warriors had no interest in deferring after winning the pregame coin toss, and the decision to take the ball to start the game paid off handsomely.

Oak Grove needed just five plays to cover 51 yards, the big play a 38-yard touchdown pass to senior Tyrell Pollard.

Gulfport looked like it had a big play on the Admirals’ second snap after the kickoff, when freshman Desmond Smith lost a fumble after a 39-yard gain off right tackle.

“We made too many mistakes early, and couldn’t come back,” said Archie. “You can’t make mistakes like that against a team like Oak Grove.”

The fumble was the only mistake the Admirals’ young back made, however, as he rambled for 211 yards on 20 carries, scoring Gulfport’s only touchdown on a 75-yard dash late in the first quarter.

“Tonight, things didn’t go the way they were supposed to go,” said Smith. “But we’re going to get better. I just trusted my blocking and was able to find some holes. We’ve got to work harder and keep our heads in the game to get better.”

But while the Warriors gave up some big plays in the running game, they made life miserable for Gulfport junior quarterback Jacob Palazzo, who completed just 6 of 17 passes for 46 yards.

Oak Grove made it 14-0 after Smith’s fumble, converting a third-and-7 from the Warrior 16-yard line, when Barnett found junior running back J.Q. Gray streaking wide open down the right sideline. Barnett’s pass hit Gray in stride for an 84-yard scoring play.

It was the start of a big night for Gray, who caught seven passes for 143 yards and three touchdowns, and he added a rushing touchdown in the second quarter.

Smith’s long touchdown run got Gulfport back in the game, but it wasn’t near enough, as the Admirals were unable to stem the Warrior tide.

“He’s a great guy, a great running back,” said Archie. “We look for a lot of good things from him going forward.”

Oak Grove took the ensuing kickoff and drove 66 yards in just three plays, getting the score on a 25-yard pass from Barnett to Gray, who made a leaping catch in the end zone. The PAT kick was no good, but the Warriors once again had a two-score lead.

A 57-yard run by Smith got Gulfport into Oak Grove territory for the first time, but on the next play, Palazzo’s pass was picked off by Pollard, who also had a pick in the fourth quarter. In all, Gulfport committed four turnovers.

The Warriors made it 27-7 after a nine-play, 72-yards drive, capped by Gray’s 1-yard scoring run. The big play was a 56-yard scamper by senior Dontavious Howard, the first actual called running play of the game for Oak Grove.

The second half was dominated by the defenses and the punters, but Oak Grove salted the game away in the fourth quarter, driving 62 yards on eight plays, with Barnett hitting Gray for a 13-yard touchdown pass.

Oak Grove’s win sets up a matchup a lot of fans in South Mississippi have been looking forward to all season against the undefeated Greyhounds, who got past Pearl 54-28 in their playoff opener.

“I don’t know much about them; haven’t really watched them on film,” said Causey.

“I know they’re the No. 1 (6A) team in the state, they haven’t lost a game and they’re beating people pretty bad. So, we’re going to need another great week of practice, prepare the right way and see if we can’t go down there and score some points.”