D’Iberville slams the brakes on West Harrison for best start in half-decade
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- D’Iberville moved to 6-0 with a 25-7 win, its best start since 2020.
- Defense limited West Harrison to under 50 first-half yards and two turnovers.
- Next week’s Ocean Springs matchup will test D’Iberville’s physical edge and depth.
Jordan Walley was all smiles as he crossed the goal line.
D’Iberville’s (6-0, 2-0) multi-positional quarterback had taken a 3rd-and-21 draw 36 yards untouched to put the seal on a dominant 25-7 win over West Harrison (5-1, 1-1) on Friday and move the Warriors to 6-0 for the first time since 2020.
“That was a big play,” Walley said after the game, still sporting the same grin. “My linemen opened the gap up. My running back filled the hole and I made a play from there.”
That was the final play of a 7-minute fourth quarter drive that started on the Warriors’ own 17-yard line and was one of only two possessions the Warriors had in the second half. The first covered 87 yards and was capped by Walley’s first score when he plunged under the pile from one yard out.
Both marches across The Tropics exemplified what coach Josh Ladner and his Warriors set out to prove in the first 5-0 vs 5-0 matchup in the Coast’s upper classification’s history.
“I told my team before the game that there is a difference between a physical scheme and a physical football team,” Ladner said. “Tonight, I believe with all my heart we showed who the most physical football team was. Regardless of what your scheme is, if you’re not physical up front, or you don’t win the trenches, then you’re probably not going to move the ball very well. I think we showed that.”
The numbers weren’t needed to back up Ladner’s assessment, but they paint the picture of the dominant outing the Warriors had on both sides of the line of scrimmage.
West Harrison entered the night averaging 377 rushing yards a game, and its star running back Jordan Stapleton 230 all-purpose yards. Stapleton was held under 100 all-purpose yards for the first time in 16 games, dating back to the 2023 finale at Long Beach.
D’Iberville’s three-man front, consisting of state sack leader KJ Washington on one end and 290-pound Caleb Estrada on the other, afforded very little space to the Hurricanes’ running back room and routinely made contact before the ball carrier could reach the line of scrimmage.
The Hurricanes went into halftime with less than 50 yards of offense on four possessions, and would turn the ball over twice during the night.
“Our defense has been so consistent all year,” Ladner said. “I’m proud of them for allowing us the chance to make the adjustments we needed to for the second half on offense.”
Chan Harvey ended the game’s opening possession with a defender-dropping side-step into the end zone that would make Lamar Jackson proud.
Jaylan Johnson scored his fourth touchdown of the year in the second quarter, building the lead to 12-0 around first-half drives that ended in a turnover on downs and three and out.
The win leaves the Warriors in a spot not seen in half a decade, when the 2020 team won it’s first 10 games. While he’s not sure this iteration is at that level yet, Ladner does give substantial credit to the team he has now.
“The only team that I’ve ever seen that loved their teammates as much as they love their teammates was the year that I graduated,” Ladner said, alluding to the 2002 state title team. “They have that characteristic, that they just love each other, and they play hard for each other. Are we there yet? I don’t know, but I guess next week we’ll find out more.”
Next week, of course, is Ocean Springs week. While D’Iberville was tying up its win, the region was updended one county over where Gulfport snapped the Greyhounds’ 25-game district winning streak and placed the Warriors in first place.
West Harrison has an opportunity to stay in the top four next week when it faces a struggling Harrison Central squad.
