Prep Roundup: Ocean Springs closes out Moss Point, Gautier gets huge game from QB
The Ocean Springs football team picked up win No. 1 of the Blake Pennock era with a 26-15 victory at Moss Point Friday night.
The Greyhounds proved opportunistic on defense, recovering three fumbles and picking off a pass in the second half to overcome a 15-10 deficit at halftime.
“The defense gave up two big plays in the first half. Other than that, the defense played well,” said Pennock, who made the move to OSHS from Pass Christian in the offseason. “In the second half, we locked it down.”
Sophomore Brayson Hubbard made his first career start at quarterback and the speedy Southern Miss baseball commit used his athleticism to his advantage, carrying 20 times for 143 yards to lead the Greyhounds on the ground. He completed three of 11 passes for 30 yards.
“He ran the ball really well tonight,” Pennock said. “He did a good job of managing the team. Moss Point, with the way they played defense, they did a good job of defending the pass.”
Junior running back David Humphreys got in the end zone twice, running 10 times for 85 yards.
Moss Point senior quarterback Ruben “Deuce” Lee completed 12 of 23 passes for 269 yards with a TD and interception. He also ran 14 times for 111 yards and a touchdown.
Senior receiver Chanton Millender had a huge game for the Tigers, catching eight passes for 246 yards and a touchdown.
After Moss Point had early success on offense, the Greyhounds made the necessary adjustments at halftime.
“We tried to bring five-man pressure early on and we weren’t really getting home,” Pennock said. “They did a good job in pass protection, leaving our guys on an island. The quarterback they have, you can’t give him too much time to find a window. We made a few adjustments and brought a little more coverage to get our front four loose.”
Ocean Springs next plays host to George County (0-1) and Moss Point will host Gautier (1-0).
Gautier 35, Hancock 14
Sophomore quarterback Kaden Irving had an impressive showing in the season opener for the Gators, completing 25 of 35 passing attempts for 431 yards and four touchdowns.
The University of Mississippi baseball commit also had a rushing TD and a pair of two-point conversions.
Senior Zavionne Payne was Irving’s top target, catching seven passes for 151 yards and three touchdowns. Senior Kolby Packnett had five receptions for 93 yards and a touchdown. Senior receiver Tyrese Combest added six catches for 70 yards.
Hancock (0-1) had a 5-yard touchdown run by Pierre Fowler and a 76-yard touchdown toss from Cameron Breland to Max Garrett.
D’Iberville 28, Wayne County 21
The Warriors picked up the most impressive road win on the Coast Friday night thanks to a balanced approach on offense.
D’Iberville ran for 299 yards with seven different players carrying the ball.
Senior quarterback Dwight Williams had a big night, completing 13 of 20 passes for 181 yards. On the ground, he ran seven times for 48 yards.
Senior athlete Justin Walley ran three times for 46 yards also had three catches for 46 yards, accounting for two touchdowns.
St. Stanislaus 21, St. Martin 16
A pair of touchdown passes from Gage Peterson to Connor Ladner in the second half proved to be the difference in the game for the Rockachaws in Bay St. Louis.
Peterson got SSC (1-0) on the board first with a 1-yard TD with just over a minute left before the half.
The two touchdown tosses were a 41-yarder and a 3-yard toss.
St. Martin senior quarterback Makia Hebert had a 41-yard touchdown run in the first quarter and Javon James returned a fumble recovery for a touchdown for the Yellow Jackets’ final touchdown. Gabe Showalter contributed a 35-yard field goal.
Peterson completed 11 of 18 passes for 182 yards and two touchdowns. Nour Tayara pulled in three passes for 84 yards.
On defense for SSC, Blake Bilich had 14 tackles, including six for lost yardage.
Picayune 30, Meridian 20
It was a sloppy night on the road for the Maroon Tide, but they still managed to hand Cody Stogner a win in his first game as head coach.
“It was really ugly,” Stogner said. “We were minus-five in the turnovers with six total turnovers. We also had five offside penalties and gave up a kickoff return for a TD.”
Picayune began to find success when it started consistently running the ball up the middle with senior Austin Samples clearing 100 yards rushing.
“You’re always happy when you get the win,” Stogner said. “The good news is we can get so much better. We’ve got a lot to work on. It was a lot of guys’ first time to start on the varsity.”
Long Beach 21, West Harrison 12
Ryan Ross also picked up a win in his first game as the Long Beach head coach, relying on a solid ground game and sound defense to take down the Hurricanes.
West Harrison showed last season that it could pile up the yardage with its Wing-T offense, but the Bearcats were able to keep the Hurricanes in check on the ground.
Junior quarterback Charles Starita, junior Ahjiren Brooks and senior Dyvonne McCord each scored touchdowns for Long Beach.
“I’m proud for the guys — the players and coaches,” said Ross, who moved over from Ocean Springs in the offseason. “I’m proud for starting off the year with a win and it’s something to build on.”
Oak Grove 52, Gulfport 29
Freshman Gavin Brown had a nice game for the Admirals in defeat, catching a 50-yard touchdown pass and running 70 yards for another score in Lamar County.
Gulfport senior quarterback Breck LeFlore also had a 55-yard TD toss and Jacob Stevenson returned an interception 28 yards for a touchdown.
Harrison Central 34, South Pike 16
The Harrison Central defense stepped up on the road in Magnolia, coming up with four fourth down stops inside the Red Rebels’ 10 yard line.
Senior Ta’kairest Perryman had an interception for the Red Rebels’ defense, which also recovered a pair of fumbles.
The Harrison Central defense allowed one touchdown.
East Central 31, Vancleave 29
A 32-yard field goal by East Central’s Tyler Farris with 3:10 remaining proved to be the difference in the Pascagoula River Bowl.
Sophomore Eli Smith had two touchdown runs for the Hornets — one for 56 and another from 10 yards out as Eric Collins won his first game as the East Central coach.
Vancleave’s Dayan Bilbo had a nice game in defeat, running 12 times for 124 yards and three touchdowns.
Pearl River Central 14, Sumrall 6
Destin Coleman and Ty Herring each had rushing touchdowns as the Blue Devils won on the road in a defensive battle.
St. Patrick 33, Clarkdale 14
The Fighting Irish bounced back after falling 32-0 at Clarkdale a year ago, winning the season opener at home.
St. Patrick led 20-7 at one point and had little trouble closing out the victory.
Senior quarterback Adam Ritter accounted for 211 total yards and three touchdowns. His top target was Lance Petersen, who had seven catches for 81 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Senior running back Jadon Turner was St. Patrick’s top rusher with 19 carries for 88 yards and a TD.
On defense, senior linebacker Anthony Mattina had eight tackles, a forced fumble and five tackles for lost yardage.
Resurrection 23, Bogue Chitto 7
The Eagles scored all 16 points in the second half to pick up a solid road win to begin the season.
Senior Will Clemens scored in a variety ways for the Eagles — a 6-yard rushing TD, a 15-yard TD reception, a 34-yard interception return for a score, a 36-yard field goal and an extra point kick.
Other Coast scores
Jefferson Davis County 13, Poplarville 7
Pascagoula 24, George County 21
Purvis 33, Pass Christian 21
This story was originally published September 5, 2020 at 3:16 AM.
