Gulfport wins late night brawl over George County in Port City Bowl
It wasn’t pretty, but a win doesn’t have to be.
Gulfport won a nail-biting battle with George County, 19-14, in a game that started Friday — and ended Saturday.
The Admirals overcame a halftime deficit and a stagnant second half to secure the victory.
“This was a great game to start off the season,” Gulfport coach John Archie said. “Our guys never gave in and just kept fighting to the end.”
Those who stayed late were in for a treat with a quarterback battle unfolding between Admiral gunslinger Jacob Palazzo and the rising Rebel star Deuce Knight.
The two went back and forth, trading touchdowns over the first 24 minutes and arriving at halftime with a 14-12 GCHS lead.
The game quickly devolved into a slow, grinding struggle as both teams dealt with penalties and turnovers in the second half.
George County lost multiple fumbles and had a promising drive at the end of the game stalled by a holding call in Admiral territory.
“It was just first game stuff,” Rebel coach James Ray said. “I don’t think anything went wrong... You don’t get pushed in practice like you do in a game, so just got to get through that. We cramped up way too much, too. We got to get to game condition and we got to learn to overcome adversity.”
Palazzo’s offense faced it’s own fair share of adversity, too, as it watched an extra point get blocked in the first quarter and then failed to convert a two-point try in the second.
The senior scored the go-ahead touchdown in the third quarter when he navigated traffic in the pocket and then scrambled to the corner of the endzone for the game’s final points.
“We really shot ourselves in the foot all game long, but we battled through adversity and we got the job done,” Palazzo said.
Palazzo was responsible for a pair of scores, the other being a 58-yard touchdown pass to Tavaris Henshaw in the second quarter.
The Admiral defense pitched a second half shutout, though it was aided by numerous flags that negated several long runs by Knight, including one that would have put the Rebels inside the red zone in the final minutes.
Knight didn’t successfully escape the pressure every time, though, and GHS’s defense kept him uncomfortable throughout the night.
“We weren’t thinking about (Knight),” defensive lineman Jermiyah Parkman said. “We weren’t thinking about him. His background doesn’t scare us. We have our own mindset and him being as he is doesn’t change what we want to do on this field.”
The game was the nightcap of a season-opening doubleheader at Milner Stadium in Gulfport that also featured a close contest between Harrison Central and Oak Grove.
Gulfport will stay at home next week and face Escambia (Fl.) while GCHS opens its home schedule against Greene County.
This story was originally published August 27, 2022 at 7:00 AM.
