Week two of prep football action for teams in our coverage area of “The Southern Six” is in the books, and there were a few surprises along with some more traditional results when the dust settled late Friday night.
With the help of Pascagoula’s own Jimmy Buffett (Rest In Peace Sir), here are seven things we noticed Friday night:
- Pascagoula Run — The Pascagoula Panthers have won two straight games on the road to open a season for the first time in 10 years, since the 2003 season. The Panthers drilled East Central Friday night 34-7, and have now outscored their two opponents on the season 65-7 so far.
- Come Monday — It wasn’t all right for Picayune. The two-time defending Class 5A state champions saw their 27-game win streak, the longest in the state, come to an end Friday at the hands of visiting Catholic High of Baton Rouge (La.) 36-35 in overtime. It was Picayune’s first loss in 714 days, since Sept. 17th, 2021. It was the first home loss for the Maroon Tide at Lee-Triplett Stadium since Nove. 13th 202, some 1,022 days.
- Changes in Latitude — New Pass Christian head coach Jeff Stockstill has his Pirates off to a quick 2-0 start after a 35-0 win over visiting Purvis Friday night. Stockstill, who came to the coast from Scott Central where he won a Class 2A state championship, has watched as his squad has scored the most points of all the “Southern Six” squads in the opening two weeks as PCHS has totaled 84 points in two games.
- Changes in Attitude — George County is off to its first 2-0 start in seven seasons after the Rebels brought back home the “Battle of the Bell” with a 41-28 win over home-standing and arch-rival Greene County Friday night at Johnny Ainsworth Stadium in Leakesville. Last season, George County started the season off with six straight losses and eventually wound up 2-8 overall and missed the state playoffs. This season, despite losing a pair of key starters who transferred out of state the day before pre-season practice started, the Rebels are off to a 2-0 start for the first time since 2016.
New Gautier quarterback Kelvin Beavers guided the Gators to a big win over D’Iberville Friday night.(Photo by Kerry Bass/28Sports) - It’s my Job — Gautier’s Kelvin Beavers stepped in behind center Friday night against D’Iberville from his normal slot at wide receiver and guided the Gators to their first win of the season. Gautier lost Prep All-American signal-caller Kaden Irving to graduation, after Irving paced GHS to the Class 5A South State finals for the first time in school history last year. Irving’s kinfolk Trey Irving appeared to be the heir apparent to the job, but he was hurt in a season opening loss to Gulfport. In a 41-20 win over the visiting Warriors Friday night, Beavers laid claim to the starting signal-caller spot as he completed 26 passes for over 220 yards and two touchdowns and he also had a scoring run as well.
- Tampico Trauma — And speaking of quarterbacks, new St. Stanislaus signal-caller Ian Gael Gonzalez Rioz is a native of Mexico and has proven to be quite traumatic to opposing defenses just two games into the current campaign. On Friday night, the Rocks moved to 2-0 with a big 51-21 win over arch-rival Bay High in the annual “Battle for the Crab Trap”. Rioz rushed for almost 160 yards and three touchdowns as well as throwing for two more scores. In just two games playing American football, he has accounted for well over 500 yards of total offense and nine touchdowns.
- Down Around Biloxi — Or just across the bridge, Ocean Springs won its first game under new head coach Jake Bramlett disposing of visiting Scotlandville (La.) 49-6 Friday night. The Greyhounds jumped out to leads of 21-0 after one quarter and added yet another three touchdowns in the second stanza to gallop to the comfortable win. New quarterback Will Berglind and wingback Bryshen Smith each accounted for three scores apiece in the win.
