Patrick’s Picks: George County-Gulfport loaded with talent, 4A enters 2nd round
South Mississippi’s premier high school football playoff game takes place at Milner Stadium in Gulfport Friday night.
The Admirals (9-2) ran away with Region 4-6A for the third consecutive season while George County (7-4) slid into the playoffs for the first time since 2016 as the No. 4 seed in Region 3-6A.
A look at results among common opponents makes it hard to pick a winner in this one.
Gulfport won 21-14 on Aug. 30 at Northwest Rankin, which beat George County 35-0 in Lucedale on Oct. 11.
George County picked up a 24-20 win on Sept. 27 at Oak Grove, which thumped Gulfport 37-13 at Milner Stadium on Sept. 6.
Both teams played Ocean Springs, but those results are basically a wash. George County beat Ocean Springs 21-13 and Gulfport handled the Greyhounds 21-10.
If Las Vegas posted a spread on this game, they may as well call it even.
Gulfport features a potent offense led by senior quarterback Cade Crosby, but the Admirals have committed a lot of penalties and given up too many yards on the ground on defense.
George County is as talented as any team in South Mississippi with senior defensive tackle McKinnley Jackson leading the way, but the Rebels have been up and down on offense all season long.
If the Gulfport offensive line protects Crosby, the Admirals should be in good shape to advance.
If Jackson is finding his way into the backfield, it may be a tough night for Gulfport.
My pick: George County 24, Gulfport 21.
Poplarville 28, North Pike 21: North Pike, which will be the home team at Southwest Mississippi Community College, pulled off the 21-19 upset on the road at Quitman last week. Poplarville rolls in at 6-5 with plenty of playoff experience. The Hornets ran their way to the Class 4A South State title game the last three years behind a potent offense. If Poplarville does it again this season, it will probably because of a stout defense.
Moss Point 31, Newton County 27: Newton County (7-5) was the only Region 5-4A team that survived the first round of the Class 4A playoffs last week with an 18-14 victory over Lanier. Moss Point (4-6) is on the road this week, but I’m betting the Tigers show up and play well in Decatur. The challenge for Moss Point will be to slow down Newton County junior Carlois Walker, who has 166 carries for 1,528 yards and 18 touchdowns in nine games.
West Jones 34, East Central 24: The East Central football team doesn’t quite have a signature win for the 2019 season, but a victory in Soso would do the trick. West Jones rolls in at 11-0 behind a balanced offense and a stellar defense. East Central will have to account for the passing game as West Jones junior Alan Follis has thrown for 1,472 yards, 17 touchdowns and four interceptions.
Petal 30, Biloxi 20: Biloxi (8-3) is fully capable of pulling off the upset on the road, but Petal (10-1) is riding a seven-game winning streak. Senior running back Micah McGowan will carry the load for the Panthers. He has 209 carries for 1,429 yards and 17 touchdowns.
Brandon 35, D’Iberville 24: D’Iberville (9-2) has been hurt at times this season by the passing game, including a 35-28 loss to Gulfport on Oct. 25. Brandon (8-4) can sling it with the best of them behind senior quarterback Will Rogers, who has completed 66 percent of his passes for 3,100 yards, 33 touchdowns and three interceptions. His top target is senior Ashton Nickelberry, who has 57 catches for 1,021 yards and 12 touchdowns. D’Iberville is the home team.
Oak Grove 28, Ocean Springs 13: Oak Grove (8-3) rolls in with a five-game winning streak while Ocean Springs (5-6) limps in with consecutive losses where it struggled on offense. Ocean Springs will try to hold onto the ball as much as possible and rely on a scrappy defense to keep it close in Hattiesburg.
Laurel 31, Pascagoula 20: The trip between the bricks has always one of the toughest in South Mississippi and Panthers coach Lewis Sims knows this all too well. Pascagoula (6-5) lost 28-14 and 35-0 at Laurel in the playoffs in 2014 and 2015. Laurel (9-2) is again a balanced squad on offense.
Picayune 49, Brookhaven 10: This may be one of the more lopsided contests Friday night with Brookhaven (5-6) traveling to Sun Herald No. 1 Picayune (11-0). Picayune senior running back Cameron Thomas has 192 rushes for 2,542 yards and 34 touchdowns. Picayune had 385 yards rushing in the FIRST HALF of last week’s 49-28 victory at Wayne County.
South Pike 38, Pass Christian 24: South Pike will host this game as a dominant 12-0 squad behind quarterback Dontavious Turner. The talented senior has thrown for 1,388 yards, 20 touchdowns and four interceptions. As a runner, he has 139 carries for 1,199 yards and 15 touchdowns. Pass Christian (8-3) picked up the first playoff win in program history last week, but this is a tall task on the road.
Resurrection 27, West Tallahatchie 17: Resurrection (8-2) will be the host team. RCS senior Zack Switzer has led the way all season on offense and defense for RCS. He has 125 carries for 945 yards and 10 touchdowns as a running back. On defense, he has 99 tackles and an interception.
Friday’s schedule
All games at 7 p.m.
North Pike at Poplarville
Moss Point at Newton County
East Central at West Jones
Biloxi at Petal
Brandon at D’Iberville
Ocean Springs at Oak Grove
George County at Gulfport
Pascagoula at Laurel
Brookhaven at Picayune
Pass Christian at South Pike
West Tallahatchie at Resurrection Catholic
This story was originally published November 14, 2019 at 3:21 PM.
