By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

OCEAN SPRINGS — The last time Picayune made a trip to Greyhound Stadium to take on home-standing Ocean Springs was 12 years ago when the then defending state champion Maroon Tide returned home with a win.
Friday night, in Picayune’s first trip to that same venue since 2012, the results were similar.
The Maroon Tide overcame a sluggish first half of play that included a 14-10 halftime deficit to record a furious 38-35 comeback win over OSHS. The win pushes Picayune to 3-2 on the season and drops the Greyhounds to 1-4 to start a season for the first time since in 22 years since they finished 1-9 in 2002.

“We showed a lot of MTXE (Mental Toughness Extra Effort) tonight, players and coaches.,” Picayune head coach Cody Stogner said. “We got behind but these guys made a promise to me that they were going to fight for every second of the 48 minutes and they did! I’m so proud of the guys in maroon and white!”

Greyhound Bryhsen Smith returned his third punt for a touchdown to open the game, but a penalty took the score off the board and OSHS began its first drive at their own eight.
Just a few plays later, Connor White’s 39-yard screen pass to Will Smith put the Greyhounds on top 7-0 at the 9:55 mark of the opening period.
Picayune responded with a Darrell Smith 1-yard scoring plunge early in the second stanza to knot things up at 7-7.
Sharroid Whitehead scooted in from 14 yards out on an end-around to return the lead to OSHS at 14-7 with 3:17 to play before halfrime, but Picayune place-kicker Edgar Cruz booted a 25-yard field goal for the Maroon Tide on the final play of the first half to cut the deficit to 14-10 at intermission.
Picayune took the lead for the first time when Smith easily trotted in from 5 yards out to open the second half scoring and put Picayune up 17-14. Smith started the scoring drive with a 32-yard run.

Ocean Springs immediately gave the ball right back to the Maroon Tide as Whitehead fumbled the ball away on the ensuing kickoff and Picayune recovered at the OSHS 10-yard line.
Smith covered that distance on the following play for his third touchdown of the season and suddenly Picayune was up by 10 points at 24-14 thanks to a pair of touchdowns just 15 seconds apart.
The Greyhounds answered with a long touchdown drive, as Will Smith ended it with a 4-yard carry to make it 24-21.
The Maroon Tide responded with a big drive, and quarterback Brandon Parker kept from two yards out to return Picayune’s lead to double digits at 31-21 at the 3:12 mark of the third frame.

Darrell Smith gave Picayune what seemed to be a commanding advantage at the time with yet another scoring run, this one from 2-yds out with 8:24 to play in the game to make it 38-21 Picayune.
But Ocean Springs mounted a furious rally as Connor White found Nolan Wells on a 28-yard scoring strike to make it 38-28 at the 7:01 mark.
The Greyhounds then pulled off a perfect onside kick, and Bryshen Smith recovered at the Picayune 41.
Seven plays later, Connor White kept on a 1-yard sneak to cut the deficit to the final margin at 38-35.
On a fourth and four with just over four minutes to play, Darrell Smith got a first down at the Greyhound 48. Three plays later, Smith sealed the game with yet another first down run.

Darrell Smith finished the night with 19 carries and 282 yards rushing and the four scores in the win.