By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

PICAYUNE — The last time a hurricane was churning in the Gulf of Mexico during the week of the Picayune-Pascagoula game marked the last time the Panthers managed a win in this series.
But that contest was played on a Saturday afternoon in the wake of Hurricane Zeta in the friendly confines of War Memorial Stadium four years ago. The question this week is, can the Panthers find that magic once more to pull off a rare win over the Maroon Tide in Pearl River County?
The Panthers and the Maroon Tide kick off Region 4-6A play at Lee/Triplett Stadium Friday night in the renewal of this annual battle. This contest is the “Sonic Big Game of the Week” sponsored by Sonic Drive Inn of South Mississippi.

“This is a rivalry game in my opinion,” fifth-year Picayune head coach Cody Stogner said Thursday afternoon. “This game is a playoff game. One team will set themselves up with a better possibility of getting that number one seed. Now it’s not guaranteed because this district is tough, but it will definitely put you started on the right foot.”

The teams actually faced off twice last season, with Picayune totally dismantling Pascagoula each time by a combined total of 89-14 as the Maroon Tide beat the Panthers both on the road at War Memorial Stadium 51-14 in early October as well as at home six weeks later 38-0 in the second round of the Class 6A South State playoffs..

“Last time we were there, they made the clock hot before half.” veteran Pascagoula head coach Lewis Sims said Thursday afternoon. “Our guys got to experience the level of intensity needed when competing in the playoffs. And this is a playoff type game. With only five region games, every game is important.”

Picayune has won six out of the past seven meetings in this series and seven out of nine over the past decade.
Pascagoula has lost 12 straight games on the road in Picayune dating back to 1988. The winner of this one will take a big step towards possibly securing home field advantage in the upcoming Class 6A South State playoffs which begin in just over five weeks.
The Panthers were off last week and are 4-1 coming into this one, while Picayune pushed past Petal 24-21 in a hard-fought game in Forrest County last week as the Maroon Tide finished the non-region part of their schedule at 4-2.

“The fight for playoff seeding begins,” Sims added “Picayune is still the team to beat, no matter what the talking heads say. Pre-region is over and Everybody is 0-0 at this point. The Maroon Tide are a talented, well-coached football team that has been tested by one of the most brutal schedules in South Mississippi.”

It marked the second straight three-point win over a Class 7A foe on the road for Picayune, after slipping by Ocean Springs 38-35 the previous week. Allen Magee caught two touchdown passes from Brandon Parker and Darrell Smith ran for 178 yards and one touchdown to pace Picayune offensively last week.
In the win over the Greyhounds, the senior standout tailback Smith, a Louisiana-Lafayette commit, ran for almost 300 yards and four touchdowns.

In the last outing for the Panthers, veteran head coach Lewis Sims’ squad posted perhaps its most impressive outing of the season so far with a resounding 44-3 win over visiting Biloxi.
The contest marked the 100th all-time meeting between the two teams on the gridiron, and it was Pascagoula’s second straight win over Biloxi and the Panthers have won three of the last four meetings over the past four seasons. Pascagoula senior quarterback Silas Corder, a Southern Miss commit, completed 21-of-27 passes for 298 yards and four touchdowns in the win heading into an open date for both teams.

“Coach Alex (Jerry Alexander) used to always talk about how important the first region game is to getting off to a quick start in region play,” Sims concluded. “Both teams know how important it is and we must match their intensity from the opening whistle.”

Make sure and stop by the Sonic Drive Inn in Picayune at 3001 Highway 11 North for all of your pre-game or post game meals.