By JOSEPH W. GEX II/Sports Writer

Bay St. Louis — The Saint Stanislaus Rock-A-Chaws welcomed the Moss Point Tigers ‘between the walls’ Friday night at Brother Phillip Memorial Stadium but the cordial greeting only lasted a little while.
The Rocks (2-1) broke open a close game in the third quarter and ran away with the victory 33-12 while avenging a 22-20 loss to Moss Point last season.
The win was the first for SSC over Moss Point since 2018. 

Saint Stanislaus head coach Tate Thigpen commented, “There were several options we worked on quite a bit throughout the week, but the big run by Sam Grant was one that we focused on a great deal in practice. People underestimate Sam’s ability to run the football. We had Ian Gonzalez Rios last year which gave us different options on offense. Sam can do some really good things, as well. Tonight, he showed he can run the ball. Andrew Whitney had a solid game on the defensive side of the football again tonight. Andrew has become the emotional leader for us in practice and the locker room. He is a big part of why we are playing the way we are right now. As a staff, we have a lot of work ahead of us to get ready for Pass Christian. They are very similar bonus on offense spreading the ball around. We will have to be ready to play when we take the field next week.”
The Rocks forced Moss Point to a three and out to open the game and quickly put Evan Noel in a spot for 53-yard field goal attempt that missed wide left with 5:36 to play in the first quarter. 
SSC immediately jumped a pass route on the ensuing Tiger possession as Finn Williford picked off KeVon Ford at the Tiger 17 yard line. The Rocks settled for a 38-yard field goal by Noel to make the score 3-0 with 3:00 left in the first quarter. 

Moss Point answered with a methodical 80-yard drive that resulted in a three-yard touchdown pass from Ford to Kenyon Hyde with 10:37 left in the first half. The PAT by Demetris Free-Sellers was blocked by Andrew Whitney leaving the score 6-3. 
The teams traded possessions twice each before the Rocks took over at their own 24 yard line. Sam Grant went to the air for completions to Williford for 23 yards and Tripp Lee for four yards. Grant ripped off an 18-yard run and Moss Point added 15 more to it with a late hit infraction. Grant then hit Williford for a 16-yard scoring toss with :02 left on the clock. Noel’s PAT missed leaving the score 9-6.
Moss Point kneeled the ball to run the clock out for intermission.
On the second play from scrimmage in the second half, Grant made nifty move inside and then sprinted down the sideline for a 62-yard scoring run with 11:05 left in the third quarter. Noel’s PAT was good making the score 16-6.
The Rocks jumped a pass route and Javien Thompson picked off a Tiger pass at the Moss Point 35 yard line. 
Three plays later, Noel converted a 47-yard field with to make the score 19-6 with 7:36 left in the third quarter. 
The Tigers were forced to punt after a strong defensive stand by SSC. Whitney broke through the line and blocked the punt, scooped the ball up and returned it 27 yards for a touchdown with 5:57 left in the third quarter. Noel’s PAT was good making the score 26-6. 

Two possessions later, Moss Point answered with a 35-yard scoring toss from Ford to Con’darious McCorvey with 11:14 left to play. The two-point conversion failed leaving the score 26-12. 
The Tigers tried an onsides kick that failed giving the Rocks the ball at the Tiger 45 yard line. Grant hit Christian Haas for an 18-yard gain followed by an 11-yard pickup by Brayden McDonald. Henry Nunmaker gained eight yards before McDonald scored his first rushing touchdown of the season on a three-yard carry with 9:29 remaining in the game. Noel’s PAT was good making the score 33-12. 
The Rocks’ Tripp Lee picked off a Moss Point pass at the Rock three yard line and returned it to the 39-yard line. The Rocks attempted a 54-yard field goal at the foot of Noel that fell just short with 2:30 left in the game with the final score 33-12. 

Moss Point head coach Julius Bridges stated, “We were in the game at halftime. In the first half, we missed on some opportunities that we did not take advantage of. The defense played hard. In the second half, we came out like we were half awake. We missed some assignments early that allowed Saint Stanislaus to get some momentum. By the time we regained our focus, Saint Stanislaus controlled the momentum. We host Gautier next week for our first home game of the season. We are looking forward to playing in front of our home crowd. We have to get back to work this week and correct our mistakes so we can give our home fans a good game.”
On defense, the Rocks were led by Whitney with a blocked punt, fumble recovery returnee for touchdown, three quarterback hurries, and five tackles. Salvatore Riccardi had seven tackles and a pass break-up followed by Nunmaker with six tackles and Lance Vaughn with six tackles. 
Moss Point was led by Ford with 10 carries for 52 yards and was 18-for-33 for 182 yards, two touchdowns, and three interceptions. McCorvey caught nine passes for 196 yards and a touchdown. 
The Tigers host Gautier next Friday. Gautier beat Pascagoula 38-31 on Friday night. The Rocks travel to Pass Christian next Friday. The Pirates beat Pearl River Central 41-28 last night. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.