Three-touchdown day from senior tailback lifts Biloxi over D’Iberville
Biloxi High needed an answer inside the final two minutes of the game.
The Indians (3-1) and their neighboring district rival, D’Iberville (1-4), were caught in a back-and-forth battle that saw the two sides trade blows throughout the night.
Senior running back Demaryion Fillmore got the call from 11 yards out. He bounced outside, found a cutback lane and broke through an arm tackle on his way into the end zone. It was his third score of the game and it put Biloxi up for good, 34-27.
“It’s all about that O-line right there, man,” Fillmore said after the game. “They block hella hard. The receivers blocking the DBs, linebackers, cracking them and getting in the end zone.”
Fillmore shredded the Warriors’ home turf with big plays throughout the night, scoring on a fourth-and-short run from 43 yards out in the second quarter before later dusting the defense with a 72-yard touchdown in the third.
“Fillmore is a great player. He’s tough,” Biloxi coach Katlan French said. “He plays all game long. We don’t take him off the field. We knew he’s special. He fights real hard, he gives you everything he has. He’s a special player.”
D’Iberville took a 27-26 lead on an Andre Crosby touchdown with 2:37 left in the game. Biloxi moved downfield quickly in response and followed Fillmore’s score with a two-point conversion to Vanderbilt commit Duran Parish.
A throat-slash gesture led to an ejection for Parish and to excellent field position for the Warriors, but quarterback Gage Peterson had a pass over the middle picked off by Indian defensive back Bryce Hooker.
“I saw it was pass and I saw it was going up the seam,” Hooker said. “I saw the quarterback was throwing and I jumped it.”
The interception sealed what was an electric district opener for both teams.
“This game always brings a lot of energy,” French said. “Our fans always show up for this game. We need them to show up like this every game, which they have been doing. ... I’m just glad we’re able to win some games.”
The win served as a weight lifted from Biloxi’s shoulders in the fierce series, as the Warriors had won three consecutive meetings and eight of the previous 10.
“There was a lot of talking coming into this game, but we came in and delivered,” Fillmore said. “We fought hard every play. That’s how we got the dub. We hadn’t beat them since I was in high school.”
Sophomore Jamir Haskin had a strong night on the ground for the Indians as well, scoring from 33 yards out in the second quarter and again near the goal line early in the fourth quarter.
D’Iberville’s Landyn Shannon was the Warriors’ driving force, rushing for 63 yards, catching a 21-yard pass and returning a punt 76 yards for a score. Josh Ladner’s team will hit the road next week for a tough matchup with undefeated Ocean Springs.
Biloxi will look to build off of its big win next week at Harrison Central against a stout Red Rebels defense.
This story was originally published September 24, 2022 at 12:12 AM.
