Pascagoula battles elements, East Central to improve to 2-0. ‘It took a lot of grit.’
East Central landed a right hook and a jab and turned a game that seemed well in Pascagoula’s hands into a one-point contest during the fourth quarter of Friday’s revisit of an old regional rivalry.
But Silas Corder responded. In a steady rain inside of Pascagoula’s War Memorial Stadium, the senior Southern Miss quarterback commit led a lightning-quick drive that culminated in a perfectly spotted 15-yard fade to Darius Carter in the end zone.
Momentum stacked. East Central fumbled the ensuing kickoff. On the next play, Sean Norvell rumbled 41 yards for his second rushing touchdown of the night and put a bow on the Panthers’ 27-14 win.
“Once it got to 15-14, our guys kind of woke up and started understanding what they needed to do to be successful,” Pascagoula coach Lewis Sims told the Sun Herald after the game. “It was a hard-fought game. It was one of those games that you need because later in the year you’re going to need to be able to play in the rain and do some good things.”
Pascagoula led 15-0 heading into the final quarter. Driving rains had stalled and confounded a typically explosive Panther offense. The defense pitched seven shutout quarters to open the season starting with last week’s 48-0 win over Moss Point, but the Hornets dented its ERA with back-to-back scoring drives to open the fourth.
Corder — who struggled through the first three quarters and threw an interception on the opening drive — rallied the troops.
“He’s a consummate leader,” Sims said. “He’s able to go out and didn’t let the elements control us... He’s able to keep his composure, keep everybody settled down and keep everybody controlled. Which is really cool.”
He connected with multiple different targets during the spark drive through RPO looks over the middle, on the outside and vertically.
The Panther defense followed cue and forced two of the Hornets’ four turnovers in the final minutes of the game, giving PHS its second 2-0 start in as many years.
“It took a lot of grit, a lot of just pushing through,” Corder said. “Rain is never easy to play in, especially against a running team like that. They had the upper hand so we adjusted when it counted and came out on top.”
Talented Panthers
Pascagoula came one play away from being a two-seed in the playoffs last season and still managed a first-round upset of Hattiesburg on the road.
Much of the production from that team has returned, forming a Panther roster that has tasted postseason success and won’t be overlooked as a real contender in the loaded Region 4-6A.
“We want to build on last season,” Corder said. “8-4 is not good enough for us. The one thing on our mind is state.”
Pascagoula has an athletic defense led by linebackers Jaylon Parnell and Jarrad Loper and defensive back Tylan Wilson that has the potential to be one of the better units in the state.
Parnell had two sacks and a safety in the shutout of rival Moss Point and Wilson snagged a red zone interception against the Hornets.
“Each game we want (our opponent) at zero,” Wilson said. “We strive and go hard at practice. We’re mentally strong. We don’t want anybody to beat us.”
Corder and his bevy of weapons have and continue to provide run support that is rewriting record books. Surrounded by a trio of receivers in Carter, Christian Campbell and DJ Nunnery and flanked by running backs Norvell and Amarie Jackson, Corder has cemented himself on top of the school’s leader boards.
He set the PHS career record for passing touchdowns previously held by Shane Matthews last season and topped Matthews’ yardage record against the Tigers.
“It’s a testament to the coaches and players,” Corder said. “Breaking that record is something that meant a lot to me, something I wanted to do since I was a kid.”
Pascagoula will be tested in the coming weeks with games against speedy Gautier, physically stout D’Iberville and an athletic Biloxi Indians squad. Then comes the pivotal district-opening bout at Picayune.
According to Sims, the Panthers can reach their goals with a week-by-week approach.
“It’s got to be 1-0 every week,” Sims said. “Enjoy this one, come Sunday we’re 0-0. Time to zero in on another opponent and we just have to continue to play against ourselves and try to be the very best team we can be.”
This story was originally published September 7, 2024 at 5:00 AM.
