St. Martin survives upset bid thanks to big plays from rushers Duncan, Robinson
West Harrison’s upset bid was grounded in the backfield before it could take off.
St. Martin rusher LaLonnie Duncan made the game-sealing sack in the backfield on the final play to secure a 20-15 win over the Hurricanes and give the Yellow Jackets their eighth straight win dating back to last year during Thursday’s week two meet at West Harrison.
“She disrupts everything that the other team is doing,” St. Martin coach Charlie Pavlus told the Sun Herald of Duncan. “It’s hard to sit there and wait on girls to get open with her and Victoria Robinson, our other rusher, out there.”
Duncan is Pavlus’ “flag-pulling demon” and her exploits were needed to help St. Martin survive a game in which it allowed its opponent to score in double figures for the first time since the program’s inception a year ago.
The sack was one of two flag pulls for Duncan, who also had a pass-breakup and quarterback hurry. Not to be outdone, Robinson ended West Harrison’s penultimate drive with an interception.
St. Martin quarterback Emma Chester threw touchdown passes of 15 and 18 yards to Kalynn Martin and Dalayzia Mayes, respectively, while Brianne Sanders scored a 35-yard touchdown run on the Jackets’ first play from scrimmage.
Chester’s two scoring tosses came in response to the first deficit St. Martin has faced this season. Hurricane quarterback Jaza’Ya Craighead connected with Sydnei Barber for a 20-yard score to give West Harrison a brief 7-6 lead in the first half.
It rallied from down 20-7 with a 45-yard receiving touchdown by MJ Jackson and back-to-back sacks by Desiree Lacy that resulted in a safety.
West Harrison fell to 1-1 in its first season but is still in play for the playoffs with three regular season games left. The reigning champs are 2-0 with games against D’Iberville, Picayune and Biloxi remaining.
“We want to be state champions again,” Duncan said. “We’re taking it game by game, focused on what we’re doing now and make our way up.”
St. Martin and West Harrison was the final of three Region 8 games. Picayune shut out Harrison Central, 14-0, and Biloxi blanked D’Iberville, 21-0.
In Region 9, George County highlighted the action by hanging 40 in a shutout win over Perry Central and are off to a 2-0 start. East Central won a critical matchup with Pascagoula, 19-7.
This story was originally published April 3, 2026 at 7:02 AM.
