‘We were hungry.’ Gautier football rides the ‘Air Raid’ to a rare win over Pascagoula.
A switch to an explosive brand of offense helped the Gautier High School football team end an 11-year skid against rival Pascagoula Thursdsay night at War Memorial Stadium.
Sophomore quarterback Kaden Irving, an Ole Miss baseball commit, completed 20 of 40 passes for 333 yards and one touchdown as the Gators rolled over the Panthers 49-27.
Irving pushed his season totals to 1,637 yards passing, 12 touchdowns and one interception through four games played in Gautier’s new “Air Raid” scheme.
A big reason for Irving’s breakout campaign has been the play of senior running back Kolby Packnett, who was Gautier’s top runner and receiver Thursday night. He ran 10 times for 93 yards and three touchdowns. As a receiver, he pulled in nine passes for 160 yards and a TD.
“Kolby had one of the best games I’ve ever seen for a running back in a passing offense,” Irving said. “He’s a different breed of back.”
Gautier is 3-2 and 2-1 in Region 4-5A, including a forfeit victory over Long Beach.
The stats that Irving and the Gautier offense have put up are all the more amazing considering the Gators mostly ran the Wing-T in 2019.
The switch in offensive style was all about taking advantage of what Irving has to offer as a strong-armed quarterback who stands 6-1, 215 pounds.
“We’ve got a great rhythm going,” Irving said. “Coming into this season, (Coach Marc High) decided to go with what works. The offense is definitely built around me and I’m loving it. The best part is I know I can trust my teammates — my receivers, running backs and offensive line.”
High has been pleased with how Irving has handled the new offense as just a sophomore with coordinator Jackie Williamson making the calls.
“Kaden does a good job getting his reads right and our receivers are doing a great job finding space,” he said.
The mental aspect is the part that Irving enjoys the most.
“I’m just basically trying to outsmart the defense,” he said. “A lot of times the defense is trying to play mind games with me. I’m only a sophomore. I have one year of experience, but I know my team is going to get the job done. I just have to trust my arm.”
After pushing Picayune to the fourth quarter in a 47-43 loss the week prior, Gautier entered Thursday’s game knowing they had a prime opportunity to pick up its first win over Pascagoula since 2009.
“We were hungry. (Eleven) years is a little bit too long,” Irving said. “Coach High was pumped up. It’s the best feeling ever.”
Pascagoula dropped to 3-3 overall and 2-1 in region play.
Pascagoula sophomore quarterback Keilon Parnell completed 8 of 21 passes for 115 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. He also ran 18 times for 92 yards and a TD.
This story was originally published October 9, 2020 at 2:22 AM.
