In a game that had no bearing on the region standings or the postseason, Picayune and Hancock played out the regular season Thursday with the 4-6A champion Maroon Tide coming out on top 35-17 in Kiln.
Picayune (9-2) will host Pearl River Central next Friday in the first round of the Class 6A playoffs while the Hawks (3-8) will travel to Hattiesburg to face the Tigers in the opening round of the 6A playoffs.
Maroon Tide coach Cody Stogner had high praise for the Hawks, who came to play, while Stogner felt his team did not.
“It was a tough football game,” said Stogner. “Hancock is the best 4 seed in the state. I believe that. I’m glad we won, but we made silly mistakes that we shouldn’t be making in Week 11.”
Running back Triston Cooper, starting in place of 2,000-yard rusher Darrell Smith, who was in street clothes on the Picayune sideline, busted up the middle for an 80-yard touchdown on the Maroon Tide’s first play from scrimmage. Edgar Cruz tacked on the point after for a 7-0 lead.
After missing a field goal on their first drive, the Hawks tied the game at 7-7 when quarterback Kaison Koenenn scored on a 10-yard run to cap a 12-play, 76-yard drive with 2:54 to play in the first quarter. The junior accounted for most of the yards with his legs on the drive. Sam Powell hit the extra point.
Xavier Dennis scored on a 17-yard run as Picayune answered with a five-play, 51-yard drive late in the opening quarter. Cruz added the extra point, and the Maroon Tide led 14-7 with 44 seconds left in the quarter.
Tide lineman Nolan Wilson recovered a fumble at the Hancock 41 with 10:35 to play in the second quarter and Picayune capitalized.
On fourth-and-goal, BJ Ducre scored from a yard out on a wingback reverse to cap a 10-play, 41-yard drive. The point after pushed the Picayune lead to 21-7 with just over six minutes to play in the quarter.
Powell nailed a 25-yard field goal halfway through the third quarter to pull the Hawks within 21-10 after Koenenn once again used his legs on a time-consuming drive.
Cooper culminated a 55-yard, six-play drive with a 2-yard touchdown run. The drive was highlighted by a 27-yard Cooper run and Cruz hit another point after to make it a 28-10 ballgame with 56 seconds to play in the quarter.
On the final play of the quarter, Hancock running back Alex Vincent broke free up the middle for a 68-yard touchdown and Powell added the PAT to pull the Hawks to within 28-17.
Hancock then recovered an onside kick, but after a near 10-minute discussion, it was determined illegal touching nullified the recovery.
With 9:43 to play in the game, the Hawks recovered a fumble at the Picayune 35, but they couldn’t move the ball and turned it over on downs.
Dennis had a 36-yard run to the Hancock 2-yard line and then the sophomore scored from there to cap a seven-play, 59-yard drive. The extra point from Cruz made it 35-17 with four minutes to play.
The Hawks turned the ball over on downs once again and the Maroon Tide ran out the final two minutes of the game.
Cooper ran for more than 200 yards with a pair of touchdowns while Dennis also had a pair of touchdowns and ran for more than 100 yards.
Koenenn had a great game for the Hawks, running for nearly 200 yards and a TD. Vincent added around 100 yards and a score.
Picayune now turns its attention to Pearl River Central (2-7), which is in the playoffs for the first time in nearly a decade.
“Everything up to this point now doesn’t matter,” said Stogner. “We are 0-0 and it’s win or go home. So, we have to have the best Monday of the year.
“I know they (PRC) will be well-coached and play hard.”
