Darrell Smith put on a performance reminiscent of Travis Hunter, playing on both sides of the ball and leading the Picayune Maroon Tide to a hard-fought 38-35 road win against the Ocean Springs Greyhounds on Friday night.
Smith, who rushed for 269 yards on 25 carries and scored four touchdowns, downplayed his impressive stats.
“It’s not all about stats,” Smith said, comparing his performance to the University of Colorado standout. “You have to prepare hard every day, every week, and I put my God-given talents to work.”
Picayune coach Cody Stogner had high praise for his senior star.
“He’s unbelievable,” Stogner said.
The Maroon Tide (3-2) built a 38-21 lead after Smith’s fourth touchdown, but Ocean Springs (1-4) mounted a late comeback with two touchdowns in the final eight minutes, falling just short.
Injuries forced Picayune to have multiple players, including Smith, play both ways—a decision that was both tactical and necessary.
“We just decided this past weekend that we need to let our players play,” Stogner said. “The outcome seemed to say so, but the film will tell a lot. We’re still learning about this football team.”
Ocean Springs struck first, driving 67 yards on just five plays. Quarterback Conner White connected with Will Smith Jr. on a 37-yard screen pass for a touchdown.
Picayune answered after a turnover on downs by the Greyhounds. The Maroon Tide went 51 yards on nine plays, with Smith scoring from a yard out to tie the game at 7 early in the second quarter.
Ocean Springs regained the lead on a 13-yard reverse for a touchdown by Sherral Whitehead, capping a 35-yard drive. A field goal by Picayune’s Edgar Cruz ended the first half, with the Greyhounds leading 14-10.
Picayune came out strong in the third quarter. On the first play of the second half, Smith broke free for a 37-yard run. Four plays later, he scored from 4 yards out to give Picayune its first lead at 17-14.
After a fumble on the ensuing kickoff, Smith struck again, this time from 10 yards out to extend the Maroon Tide’s lead to 24-14.
Ocean Springs responded with a 10-play, 73-yard drive capped by Will Smith Jr.’s 5-yard touchdown run, narrowing the deficit to 24-21.
Picayune took advantage of crucial defensive penalties by the Greyhounds, driving 80 yards on nine plays. Quarterback Bam Parker finished the drive with a 2-yard touchdown run, pushing the lead to 31-21 late in the third quarter.
Picayune’s defense came up big, stopping Ocean Springs on fourth down early in the fourth quarter. Smith then added a 67-yard run, setting up his fourth touchdown of the game on a 3-yard carry to give the Maroon Tide a commanding 38-21 lead with 8:16 left in the game.
Ocean Springs wasn’t finished, however. White tossed a 28-yard touchdown pass to Nolan Wells, pulling the Greyhounds within 38-28. The Greyhounds then recovered an onside kick, and White punched in a 1-yard touchdown run to bring the score to 38-35 with 5:29 left.
Picayune recovered the next onside kick and converted a fourth-and-4 to keep the drive alive. Smith sealed the win with a long run, sliding down inside the Ocean Springs 20 to run out the clock.
“We made some halftime adjustments to get the offense going in the second half,” Stogner said. “We saw some things we could attack, but the credit goes to the players for executing and taking the coaching. I’m so proud of them.”
Ocean Springs has a bye week before beginning region play against D’Iberville on Oct. 11. Picayune will play at Petal on Friday and then open region play at home against Pascagoula on Oct. 11.
