MOSS POINT — Just before the 83rd “Battle of the Cats” Friday night between Pascagoula and Moss Point, the Panthers learned that they lost the services of Dandy Dozen defensive end Jeffery Rush for the season.
Turns out the Panther defense handled the news pretty well.
Pascagoula pummeled their arch-rival Tigers 31-0 at Dantzler Stadium. The Panthers now hold a 43-37-3 advantage in the series that began back in 1920’s.
The win marked the sixth consecutive PHS win on the road at Dantzler Stadium, a first in the series. All wins have come since Panther head coach Lewis Sims left MPHS, his alma mater, and crossed over Jefferson Street to take the helm of the Panthers in 2011.
Sims in now 12-2 overall in this series on both sides of the ball.
“Our defense absolutely stepped up and came together and took it into their hands to get the job done tonight,” a jubilant Sims said afterward. “The kids really stepped up and responded so well. Eeryone embraced their role, and the Panthers played together as a team tonight.”
After the Panthers plodded their way to a pedestrian 10-0 lead at halftime, Pascagoula powered through the third frame to take a commanding 24-0 advantage after three frames.
The Panthers extended their lead to three scores on a defensive play when Jaylon Fornett took the ball away from Moss Point quarterback Chequin White on a mass scramble for a fumble in the Tiger end zone. Tank Bishop’s point after made it 17-0.
Just minutes later, Panther tailback Cameron Deflanders raced 62 yards through the heart of the Tiger defense to make the lead 24-0 after three quarters.
Both teams began the game a bit sluggish, as a 22-yard field goal by Bishop produced the only points in the first period. The boot resulted from an inexplicable fake punt by Moss Point on a fourth and 42 situation from deep in its territory that gave the Panthers a first down at the MPHS 29.
Pascagoula maintained that slight advantage just minutes later when the Panthers forced the Tigers to turn the ball over on downs at the PHS 21 after holding on a fourth-and-five situation.
In the second stanza, the Panthers duplicated the feat on the other end of the field forcing the Tigers again to turn the ball over on downs at the PHS 28 mid-way through the stanza.
Those results set up the next scoring play of the game, as three plays later Pascagoula junior quarterback Silas Corder nailed Darius Carter in stride streaking down the right sidelines and Carter scampered into the opposite end zone for a 78-yard scoring strike.
Bishop’s point after made it 10-0 with five minutes to play in the first half.
Just minutes later, Pascagoula had another chance to expand its lead before intermission when Jarrad Loper picked off a MPHS pass but Bishop would miss a 28-yeard field goal and the teams went into halftime at 10-0.
Corder closed out the scoring in the fourth period with a four-yard scoring scamper.
Pascagoula heads to East Central next week while Moss Point hosts Hancock.
