Pascagoula out to steal crown in first flag football season with rocket-armed QB
Pascagoula may be one of nearly three dozen new kids on the flag football block but isn’t exactly content to just test the waters of Mississippi’s newest sanctioned high school sport.
The Panthers bombed and dashed their way through Vancleave, 19-0, on Thursday, picking up the program’s first-ever win during the opening week of flag football’s second season in mercy-rule fashion.
Pascagoula scored three times behind rocket-armed quarterback Genesis Delgado, who threw a 30-yard touchdown pass to Yasmine Black over the outstretched hand of a Bulldog safety, and the slew of senior skill players around her.
“I let them be playmakers,” Pascagoula coach Josh Priddy told the Sun Herald. “There’s only so much you can do. You can overcoach these girls, tell them what to do, show them what to do, but ultimately they’ve got to make plays. And that’s what they do. They know what’s expected, and they go out there and give 100 percent. They do things I can’t coach.”
Asante Dawson goes into the record book as Pascagoula’s first touchdown scorer after taking a handoff 20 yards for a score on the Panthers’ first drive.
The final score came in the second half by way of a 60-yard run from Abby Mosley. The two touchdowns came around Delgado’s downfield dime.
Delgado has an arm that Priddy says can cover more than half of flag football’s 80-yard field. He compares her to another South Mississippi quarterback who made a name for himself with his arm.
“She’ll remind you a lot of Brett Favre in his early days,” Priddy said. “She’s going to just sling it. She’s going to make some dang throws that you’re like ‘God bless, why’d you throw that ball?’ And then she’s going to make some throws that you’re like, ‘Holy cow, how did she make that throw?’”
The Panthers are confident it’s the depth of talent on offense that will allow them to do more than just be the school’s first team, but also the school’s first champion.
“We’re after that champion title,” Delgado said. “And we’re going to get it this year.”
The Panthers are 1-0 with four games remaining before a chance to unseat St. Martin as state champs when the statewide playoffs begin April 30.
Pascagoula was one of 11 Coast teams in action. George County dispatched Gautier, 33-0, behind three touchdown passes and a pick-six by QB-DB Lani McDoniel while East Central blasted Perry Central, 43-0.
In Region 9, St. Martin blanked Harrison Central, 35-0. Yellow Jackets quarterback Emma Chester threw three first-half touchdown passes. Dalaysia Mayes and Bri Sanders scored two touchdowns apiece.
West Harrison earned its first flag football win as a program by toppling D’Iberville, 20-6. Biloxi also began its program with a win, beating Picayune, 12-9.
This story was originally published March 27, 2026 at 7:00 AM.
