By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

PASCAGOULA — The Pascagoula High football team made native son Jimmy Buffett proud Friday night.
With coaches and many fans in the stands at War Memorial Stadium dressed in Hawaiian shirts and other tropical wear, the Panthers rang up yet another victory in the annual “Battle of the Cats” over visiting arch-rival Moss Point 48-0.
The win, in the season-opener for both teams, came almost one year to the day since the untimely death of the Pascagoula native Buffett and also on the newly named “Jimmy Buffett Day”.
It was the largest margin of victory in the series in 94 years, since a 53-0 PHS win in 1930.

“We didn’t play our best, but we played hard.” veteran PHS head coach Lewis Sims said. “Big win, it’s always good to start off with a win.”

Pascagoula senior standout quarterback Silas Corder made history himself, breaking Shane Matthews’s record for all-time career passing yardage at PHS in the first half.
It marked the third straight win in the annual affair for the Panthers, including a 31-0 thumping of the Tigers last season.
And for the second straight season, this wasn’t much of a contest.
After taking a 9-0 lead at the end of the first quarter, the Panthers poured on 25 more unanswered points in the second stanza to put the game away by halftime.

Corder accounted for all four PHS touchdowns in the decisive first half, throwing for three and running for one.
His 18-yard scoring strike to LaDarrius Picket with just over a minute to play in the opening quarter gave the Panthers a 9-0 lead. Pascagoula put the initial points of the season on the board five minutes earlier when Panther senior standout linebacker Jaylon Parnell sacked Moss Point quarterback Ke’Von Ford in the Tiger end zone for a safety.
Corder continued to shine as the second quarter unfolded.
On the second play of the stanza, he hooked up with D’lass Nunnery on a 67-yard touchdown toss to make it 16-0.
Minutes later, PHS linebacker Jarrad Loper recovered a Tiger fumble right at midfield. Nine plays later, Corder kept around the left end for a touchdown run and Amari Jackson’s two-point conversion made it 24-0 with about five minutes left before intermission.
But Pascagoula wasn’t finished. Mason Kramer, who connected on all four extra point attempts in the first half, booted a 42-yard field goal to extend his team’s lead to 27-0.

Then, after taking over on Moss Point’s 26 after a short Tiger punt, the nightmare first half was over for the Tigers after Corder found Tylan Wilson behind the Moss Point secondary for a 25-yard scoring pass to make it 34-0.
And if the visiting Tigers had any thoughts of a miraculous second half comeback, Pascagoula sophomore running back sprinted 57 yards on the third play of the third frame to stretch Pascagoula’s lead to 41-0.
Corder finished the night 11-for-18 for 203 yards and the four total touchdowns.
Pascagoula has won 10 of 12 games played on the field since Sims left his post leading his alma mater MPHS and took over the Panther program in 2011. During this recent stretch, PHS has wrestled the all-time series lead away from the Tigers as the record now stands 45-37-3.
The game was the debut of new Moss Point head coach Julius Bridges.
Pascagoula continues a favorable early season schedule next week by hosting yet another Jackson County foe as the East Central Hornets come calling to War Memorial Stadium.
Four of the first five games of the season are home contests for the Panthers.
Meanwhile Moss Point stays on the road and heads to Hancock for a match-p with the Hawks. The Tigers face three road games to start the season before heading home to Dantzler Street.