Gulfport thinking big after Admirals feast on Biloxi turnovers on way to Region 4-7A win
It wasn’t the fast start Blake Pennock was hoping to see his Gulfport Admirals get off to, but his defense proved even-keeled and turned the tide.
Gulfport dominated Biloxi in the second half of a 21-7 district-opening road win on Thursday thanks to two forced turnovers that led to touchdowns and soured the fortunes of the Indians’ upset bid.
Biloxi led 7-0 at halftime after forcing three Admirals punts and intercepting a Dane Sullivan pass at the goal line. The Indians scored on their opening drive, but were denied access to the red zone throughout the rest of the game.
Admirals safety Pierre Felder intercepted a batted ball in the third quarter and Sullivan followed with a 35-yard touchdown strike to Krisjeohn Burks. Following a touchdown run by Dakoreyon Payton that gave Gulfport its first lead, Zaylen Smith forced a fumble that Felder recovered, and Cooper Crosby iced the game a few plays later with a short plunge into the end zone.
“I think one of the keys to victory was winning the turnover battle,” Pennock told the Sun Herald after the game. “We did a really good job. We gave one away, but defensively we just continued to put pressure on the quarterback and we felt like they would give us some and they did. Our guys just made plays when it was crucial.”
The second-year Gulfport coach credits Biloxi with bringing a defensive game plan it had not shown on film. Running lanes were thin and Sullivan’s timing was being disrupted on dropbacks.
The Admirals — who were coming off a bye week and a 42-0 loss to Brandon two weeks ago — needed a locker room reset at halftime.
“They were a little shocked,” Pennock said of his team. “They didn’t expect that outcome in the first half. But we really just settled in and did our job. We’re a really good football team so we just kind of had to lock in.”
Defensive leadership spurs momentum shift
Playing with little to no offense to back them up didn’t affect a Gulfport defense that seemed to grow stronger with each Biloxi drive.
Remaining grounded and creating momentum from within led to nine consecutive Biloxi possessions that came up empty.
“Just keeping each other locked in, keeping each other’s heads up,” defensive lineman Javon Anderson said. “Don’t matter if someone misses a tackle on the field, we say ‘hey, keep going.’ Just keep hitting ‘em, hitting ‘em, hitting ‘em. And in the second half they end up folding.”
Gulfport’s defense has played a heavy role this season, tossing a shutout against Vancleave and holding Picayune to just one score through the first three quarters of an impressive 41-21 win over the Maroon Tide.
At the center of the unit is linebacker Andre Peters. The junior entered Thursday’s game second in 7A in total tackles and serves as the gravitational force that the Admirals “Havoc” defense revolves around.
“He’s just a beast,” Pennock said of his linebacker. “He’s a guy that really cleans us up. His wisdom is beyond his years and I’m really happy we had him on our team to lead us.”
Pennock describes Peters as a level-headed and steady leadership presence that made an impact against Biloxi through his attitude and a message sent to his teammates during halftime.
“Just pick up the energy,” Peters said of his locker room speech. “I’m telling them to pick up the energy because we came out kind of sluggish and we let Biloxi score and that put a burden on us. But I had to let them know that the first half, just throw that out the window.”
Complementing Peters’ level approach was Anderson. The linebacker-turned-defensive end was the primary source of energy on his side of the ball as he used his skill set and voice to wreak havoc and maintain an intensity that Biloxi struggled to respond to.
The pair create a perfect tandem in the front seven that acts as the driving force behind the entire defense.
“(Peters) is the muscle, the head of the defense at the mike linebacker position and he keeps us at a level head,” Anderson said. “I might be undersized at my position, but I keep a high motor and I keep going every play.”
Anderson entered the game leading his team in pass deflections while playing the edge and extended that lead with two more against the Indians.
The junior utilizes the speed and knowledge from his former position to provide a different look on the defensive line and a play a pesky role for opposing offenses.
“When I moved to this position, I had a lot of speed and my get-off was great,” Anderson said. “I was working on speed rushing during the spring and summer and now I’m working on more of a power type. I’m trying to make sure I’m keeping my versatility straight because when we play these good teams I’m going to need more in my arsenal. Me playing linebacker (before), I feel like I can see the whole field from a D-line standpoint.”
That versatility from Anderson and the ball-hawking ability from Peters meshes with the rest of a highly athletic Admiral defense that will have their work cut out for them going forward.
Gulfport gets the pleasure of turning the page to a vastly improved D’Iberville team next week that Pennock knows will take advantage if his team sleep walks into it.
“They’re a really good team,” Pennock said. “Very much improved and Coach (Josh) Ladner has done a great job.”
It’s the next step in the Admirals’ journey to retake a district that Ocean Springs has held onto firmly for the last three seasons.
Though Gulfport is young this season and still building, the team feels like the door is open for a new champion to be crowned in Region 4-7A.
“With the squad we have, we have confidence we can take this all the way and then make a pretty long run, if not state championship, in the playoffs,” Peters said. “We just need to continue to play to who we are and continue to raise the standard.”
“I feel like the region is wide open,” Anderson said. “You’ve seen Biloxi, they’ve got a great team over there. Ocean Springs, they always come good every year. I feel like the region is wide open this year and we have a chance to go on a long, long run. We just got to keep our head level and I feel like we’re going to win the region this year.”
