Prep Football Roundup: Pascagoula pulls off top seed, Biloxi earns rare win at Gulfport
The Pascagoula High School football team was down and out on Oct. 8 after a 49-27 loss to rival Gautier at War Memorial Stadium.
A month later, Panthers are Region 4-5A champions following a 38-7 win at Long Beach Friday night.
Pascagoula beat Long Beach 38-7 and everything fell in place for a four-way tie atop the region with the Panthers, Picayune, Hattiesburg and East Central all knotted up with 5-2 marks in region competition.
Picayune and Pascagoula were 2-1 against the other teams involved in the four-way tie. Hattiesburg and East Central were 1-2.
Pascagoula broke the tie with Picayune thanks to its 42-35 upset victory over the Maroon Tide on Oct. 31. The Panthers (6-4) will host Brookhaven (2-3-1) in the first round of the playoffs.
After returning from Long Beach, 30-40 players hung around to hear the good news from coach Lewis Sims after he spoke Friday night with an official with the Mississippi High School Activities Association.
“They were excited because all year long we talked about being the No. 1 seed,” Sims said. “If you’re the No. 1 seed, you’re at home. During COVID, you’re at home with your band and cheerleaders. If you’re on the road without your band, it sucks.”
Sophomore quarterback Keilon Parnell completed all six of his passes Friday night for the Panthers, throwing for 125 yards and a touchdown. He also had a rushing score.
Parnell’s top target was Houston Johnson, who caught five passes for 116 yards and a TD.
Sophomore Isaiah Benn was ‘Goula’s top rusher with 16 carries for 119 yards and a touchdown.
D’Iberville 34, St. Martin 16
The Warriors pulled away in the second half after a hard-fought first half between the two rivals to finish off an undefeated regular season at 9-0.
D’Iberville fullback Dre Lenoir ran seven times for 120 yards and had a 68-yard touchdown reception to help spark the offense.
Senior cornerback/running back Justin Walley had another big night with four carries for 55 yards, including touchdown runs of 12 and 25 yards. On defense, the Minnesota commit had 11 tackles and one pass break-up.
Senior running back Justice Davis had 12 carries for 65 yards and a touchdown.
D’Iberville junior Logan Forsythe had a busy night on defense with 14 tackles and two pass break-ups.
D’Iberville will host Petal (6-4) in the first round of the Class 6A playoffs.
Biloxi 7, Gulfport 6
Biloxi (6-3) converted on 4th and 1 with 1:25 remaining Friday night to close out the Indians’ first win at Gulfport since 1984.
Senior running back K.K. Kendrick, who cleared the 1,000-yard mark for the second consecutive season Friday, provided Biloxi’s only score on a 10-yard rushing TD with 9 minutes left in the second quarter.
Gulfport had a shot to tie the game after Breck Leflore hit senior Lushawn Griffin from 15 yards out for a touchdown with 7:07 remaining, but the extra point try was partially blocked.
Biloxi will travel to Oak Grove in the first round of the playoffs.
Hancock 42, West Harrison 7
The Hawks piled up nearly 500 yards of offense at in the season finale for both teams at Brett Favre Field.
Hancock quarterback Kameron Breland completed all four of his passes for 133 yards and two touchdowns.
Senior athlete Sema’J Robertson ran twice for 100 yards and two touchdowns. Wyatt Ladner chipped in 93 yards rushing and Caleb Crowe had 86.
Hancock finished the season with a record of 3-6.
Hattiesburg 20, East Central 18
An East Central drive was stopped with 50 seconds remaining when junior quarterback Brady Fant was sacked and stripped of the ball, allowing Hattiesburg to run out the clock.
East Central (8-2) will travel to Laurel (4-3) in the first round of the 5A playoffs and Hattiesburg will go to South Jones.
Gautier 27, Pearl River Central 8
Gautier scored the final 27 points, but the four-way tie atop Region 4-5A prevented the Gators from reaching the playoffs. The Gators finish the season 5-4 overall and 4-3 in region play.
Poplarville 62, Florence 17
The Hornets (7-3) made short work of Florence to advance to the second round of the Class 4A playoffs. Poplarville will next host South Pike (7-3)
Poplarville is the only Class 4A team still playing in South Mississippi after the five other teams lost in the first round of the playoffs.
North Pike 13, St. Stanislaus 5
The Rockachaws jumped out to a 5-0 lead following a safety on the Jaguars’ opening drive and a 22-yard field goal by Gene Hoffman.
North Pike led 6-5 at the half and pushed the lead to 13-5 on a 61-yard touchdown pass early in the third quarter.
The Rockachaws were held to 211 yards of offense as their season came to an end with a record of 6-4.
McComb 40, Vancleave 30
The Bulldogs finished their season on the road with a record of 3-6. Dayan Bilbo led Vancleave with 25 carries for 135 yards and two touchdowns.
Lawrence County 20, Moss Point 19
Lawrence County built a 20-7 lead at the half and held off the Tigers in the fourth quarter.
Moss Point got in the end zone with 7:40 remaining to cut the lead to 20-19, but the Tigers failed on the two-point try.
The outcome was one of the bigger surprises in the state as Moss Point ends the season with a 6-3 mark.
Wayne County 27, Picayune 16
The Maroon Tide (8-2) were upset for the second consecutive week, falling to the War Eagles in Picayune.
Picayune faces a tough first-round playoff game, hosting West Jones (9-2).
Other South Mississippi football scores
Meridian 30, George County 29
Harrison Central 35, Ocean Springs 28
South Pike 40, Bay High 15
Mendenhall 28, Stone High 27
Scott Central 44, St. Patrick 0
