By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

HURLEY — Last season, George County played the first half of its season without highly-touted quarterback Deuce Knight.
But as the Rebels kicked off their new campaign Friday night on the road against East Central, it didn’t take long for the senior standout signal-caller to make his presence known.
George County jumped out to a quick 14-0 first quarter lead and cruised to a 33-7 win Friday night on the road at H.D. Shirley Stadium.
The win marks the first time in almost a decade that the Rebels, who held off the Hornets 28-7 in the first game of the season last year, have won back-to-back season openers.
George County beat Gautier 31-27 to open the 2015 season and then followed that up by hammering the Gators 42-14 the next season in the first game of that campaign.

Knight got the Rebels rolling right off the bat with a 44-yard scoring strike to D. J. McNair less than three minutes into the game to make it 7-0.
George County standout defensive back Kohl Bradley then doubled up his team’s lead when he stepped in front of a Hornet pass eight minutes later and returned the ball 75 yards for a pick six to make it 14-0.
The score stayed that way through intermission, but the visitors began to take complete control as the third quarter unfolded.
Rebel running back Branden Gautier tallied a pair of scoring runs in the frame to again extend George County’s lead. He sprinted 67-yards for a score less than a minute into the second half to make it 20-0, then covered five yards to pay dirt later on in the period to make it 26-0 heading into the final period.

Knight was back at it as he hooked up with wide out Brenn Moody that covered 89-yards to the East Central six. On the next play he found Montrell Dortch on a 6-yard touchdown toss to make it 33-0.
East Central avoided the shutout thanks to a 4-yard touchdown jaunt by Taye Guyton to result in the final count.

Knight finished the night 8-of-12 for 157 yards and the two touchdowns. Moody had four catches fr wll over q100 yards in receptions.
George County heads back home to Lucedale to take on arch-rival Greene County in the annual “Battle for the Bell” next week at Gill-Martin Stadium while East Central heads south down. U.S. Highway 63 to War Memorial Stadium to take on the home-standing Panthers.
East Central missed out on the state playoffs for the first time in 10 years last season, and finished the year at 3-7 its worst mark since going 1-10 in 2013 which was also the last time the Hornets didn’t qualify for the state playoffs.