Biloxi shows there’s a new kid on the block in region play by stunning D’Iberville
With a new, young head coach and a top notch defense, Biloxi showed Friday night that it may finally have a place again among the contenders in Region 4-6A.
Biloxi (2-2, 1-0) topped D’Iberville 21-14 to take the region opener for both squads, coming up with a crucial defensive stop with the Warriors facing 4th and 2 at the Biloxi 21 with 2:49 remaining.
D’Iberville senior running back Marquis Whitley took the handoff and tried to find room around the left side, but sophomore defensive end Marcus Dickey grabbed Whitley, turned him around and quickly put him to the ground for no gain.
“I’m looking for the ball automatically when I come off the line, I see him,” Dickey said. “I’m just a playmaker. That’s all I do is make plays. I see him coming and make the play. I come off the block and make the play.”
Junior linebacker/running back Anthony Crouse closed out the Biloxi victory by running the ball three for 27 yards on the final possession to allow the Indians to run out the clock.
Biloxi coach Katlan French was all smiles after the game, holding his 2 ½ month-old baby girl, Swayze, while his players marched from one end of the visitors’ bleachers to the other, celebrating with classmates and family members.
After suffering a disappointing 13-10 loss in overtime to Northshore (La.) a week ago, French was thrilled to see his team come up with likely its best performance of the season.
“I think it does a lot for our team,” the 30-year-old said. “Our kids are happy. They love beating D’Iberville. Our kids hang out with those guys. It’s a great win for us.
“I can’t even remember what happened (on the fourth down play). I was just so dadgum happy when we came off the field.”
Friday’s victory was one more step in the right direction for a Biloxi program that dealt with a difficult offseason that included the departure of legendary head coach Bobby Hall, who stepped down over a contract dispute with school officials.
D’Iberville (2-2, 0-1) entered region play as a team considered a strong favorite to contend for a region title, but the Warriors proved inconsistent on offense against Biloxi.
Junior quarterback Jaden Walley led D’Iberville on a scoring drive on its first possession, running 34 yards to the end zone to tie the game at 7-7 at the 6:47 mark of the first quarter.
From that point forward, it seemed as if the Warriors could never quite come up with the big play when they needed it.
Walley finished with 18 carries for 133 yards and two touchdowns. Whitley had 17 carries for 112 yards.
“We couldn’t get anything going,” D’Iberville coach Eric Collins said. “We made mistake after mistake. We constantly shot ourselves in the foot. I’m devastated. Our kids are devastated. We should have played better.”
While Walley again proved to be a weapon on the ground, Biloxi quarterback Cincere Jupiter showed off some his passing skills early in the game. He completed eight of his first nine passes and finished 11-of-14 for 142 yards and three touchdowns.
Two of his touchdowns were 11 and 13 yards to sophomore receiver Chad O’Neal, who was seeing his first action since returning from injury. Jupiter’s other touchdown toss was a 10-yarder to senior Mondre Stewart.
“We were repping all week and knew we’d have a big game passing,” Jupiter said. “We came out and did what we do. We attacked them early with our big, tall receivers.”
Biloxi led 21-7 at the half and had to rely on its defense to close out the contest as the passing game slowed down in the final two quarters.
“I believe our defense is the best on the Coast, all around and at every position,” Dickey said.
Biloxi will travel to another Region 4-6A upstart in Harrison Central (4-1, 1-0) next week while D’Iberville will prepare to make the short trip to Ocean Springs (3-2, 1-0).
This story was originally published September 21, 2018 at 11:38 PM.