By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

LUCEDALE — Last season, George County survived a close scare to pull out a 28-26 road win over Hancock in Region 4-6A play.

Friday night, the outcome was the same but the route to that decision was a bit of a different trip for the Rebels.

George County held off the visiting Hawks 51-41 in Region 4-6A play at Gill-Martin Stadium to move to 2-0 in league play and drop the Hawks to 1-1. The Rebels move to 5-3 overall and Hancock is 2-6.

Rebel running back Branden Gautier’s two-yard scoring run with just less than eight minutes left in the game gave George County the first double digit lead for either team and helped the home squad hold off a scrappy bunch of visitors.

Gautier ran for right at 200 yards and a trio of scores, all three coming in the second half, as the Rebels beat the Hawks for the 14th straight time. Hancock has registered a win over GCHS in 31 years, since 1993.

After Gautier’s touchdown run and a two-point conversion run by GCHS quarterback Deuce Knight put the Rebels up 45-35 with 7:59 left in the game, Gautier added a 1-yard scoring run four minutes later to secure the win and make it 51-35.

The teams traded blows back and for most of the first three quarters.

Hancock took a quick lead early in the game when the Hawks recovered a Rebel fumbled at the GCHS 30 on the first play from scrimmage.

Six plays later, Hawk quarterback Kaison Koenenn carried for a four-yard touchdown run to make it 7-0 visitors at the 8:27 mark of the first quarter.

But the Rebels responded immediately as 0:47 seconds later Knight hit Montrell Dortch on a 49-yard scoring pass to make it 7-6 after a missed extra point.

Koenenn was back at it again on Hancock’s next possession, as he again scored on a short run to return the lead to the Hawks at 14-6 at the 5:53 mark.

Not to be outdone, Dortch was back at it again five minutes later as he put a bow on an exciting opening period with a 34-yard scoring scamper and Knight added the two-point conversion to knot things up heading into the second stanza.

George County took its first lead of the game when Leighton Fryfogle booted a 37-yard field goal mid-way through that next quarter to put the home team up 17-14.

But Hancock was having none of that, as Koenenn supplied his third scoring run of the first half this time from 29 yards out with 2:59 left before intermission to make it 21-17 Hawks.

However, the Rebels weren’t denied a halftime lead as at the 1:29 mark Knight nailed Brenn Moody on an 80-yard scoring strike to send GCHS to the locker room with a 24-21 lead.

It was more of the same as the second half started, as Hancock took possession first and moved 62-yards for a score on a 19-yard run by Julyan Santee and Sam Powell’s fourth extra point of the game put the Hawks back up at 28-24.

George County wasted no time in replying, as Knight found D.J. McNair on a 10-yard touchdown toss to push GCHS back ahead at 31-28 with just less than seven minutes left in the third period.

Gautier then got into the act with a 62-yard touchdown jaunt but a missed extra point made it 37-28 with 1:02 left before the fourth frame.

Koenenn then responded with a 10-yard touchdown run

After Gautier’s third score of the game put GCHS 52-35, Hancock’s Omarr Zelaya returned the ensuing kickoff 78 yards for a touchdown to cut into the deficit and result in the final score.

Koennen ran for 183 yards and the four scores in a losing effort, while Knight completed just nine passes but threw for 337 yards on the night and the three scores.

These teams have met 21 on the football field and GCHS has dominated the all-time series with 16 wins.