By MAURICE SINGLETON/Sports Writer

KILN — The Hancock Hawks (1-1) scored on a safety and a touchdown in the fourth quarter to get a 16-6 win over the visiting Moss Point Tigers (0-2) on Friday. The safety came after nearly a twenty-minute scoring drought, since the 2:51 mark in the second quarter.

The Hawks appeared to threaten to pull away several times over the course of the game, but penalties nullified big gains and good field position.

“We did a lot of self-inflicted wounds there,” said Hawks coach Neil Lollar. “I think if it wasn’t the effort and energy they were giving, I would be really disappointed to a certain degree. But I’m not; those are fixable things. On a night like tonight, the ball is slick and the ground is slick. There is a lot of emotion because of the weather. They battled through it, and I thought they did a great job of making adjustments.”

Hancock got on the scoreboard first, capitalizing on their first possession of the night following a good defensive stand, limiting Moss Point to a single first down to open the game. The Hawks went 67 yards on twelve plays as junior quarterback Kaison Koenenn capped the drive with a 9-yard keeper with 3:14 remaining on the first quarter clock. The Hawks led 7-0 after Samuel Powell’s successful PAT kick.

The drive included 7-yard pass completions from Koennen to Julyan Crowe.  Crowe also had an 18-yard carry on the drive.

Moss Point didn’t get on the scoreboard until their third possession of the game as they drove the field on 18 plays. Quarterback KeVon Ford completed three passes on the drive, two eleven-yard completions to Robert Bridges and a 6-yarder to Bridges for the Tigers only score of the game with 2:51 left before halftime. The PAT kick was unsuccessful, and the Hawks led 7-6 at halftime.

Koennen broke away for a 45-yard score in front of the Moss Point bench early in the third quarter, but a holding penalty against the Hawks nullified the score.

The Hawks moved the ball deep into Tigers’ territory on the second possession of the third quarter, getting within seven yards from the goal line. But a holding penalty and a personal foul penalty two plays later, forced the Hawks backward to the Moss Point 35-yard line. The drive ended with an unsuccessful 50-yard field goal attempt.

The Hawks’ defense stepped it up on the Tigers’ ensuing possession, denying the visitors a first down, forcing a fourth-and-13 from their own 17 yard line. The snap went over the Tigers’ punter’s head and he fielded it in the end zone to give Hancock the safety and a 9-6 lead.

The Moss Point punt following the safety went out of bounds at the Hancock 48, giving the Hawks excellent field position. Three plays later, Alex Vincent scored on a 23-yard run for the Hawks. Powell’s second PAT kick of the night closed out the game’s scoring.

The Tigers kept the game close through midway in the fourth quarter, until after their leader, starting quarterback Ford left the game with an injury.

“We had to face a little adversity tonight,” said Moss Point coach Julius Bridges. “When our quarterback went down, I think that’s went everything else went down. He’s one of our captains, one of our experienced guys. Our backup quarterback was out tonight. We were down to our number three guy. But our guys fought hard tonight, and they battled. So, I’m proud of them. It’s a growth from last week.”

Moss Point will play on the road at St, Stanislaus next Friday. Hancock plays on the road at St. Martin.