By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sport Director

PICAYUNE — It seems a bit ironic that Picayune is hosting Long Beach this week after the Maroon Tide put up 69 points in a win over West Harrison last week.
That’s because those 69 points by perennial state power Picayune mark is tied for the highest point total in a game for the Maroon Tide since beating the visiting Bearcats 84-19 in 2012.
Almost 12 years to the day later, the two teams will collide once again at Lee-Triplett Stadium Friday night in Region 4-6A play. Picayune comes in a 2-0 in the region race and at 6-2 overall while Long beach limps into Pearl River county with an 0-2 mark in the loop and at 2-6 overall and the Bearcats are on a five game losing streak after starting the season at 2-1.
The 84 points that Picayune scored in that 2012 game still stands as the highest point total in a contest in the 102 year history of the Maroon Tide football program.

The point total is also the most ever allowed by LBHS in a game in the 99-year history of that program.
The Maroon Tide was under the direction of legendary head coach Dodd Lee that season, and he was at that point in the midst of an historical span for the Picayune program. The Maroon Tide had won the state championship the previous season in 2011, which was their first state title in 25 years since 1986. Also, Picayune came into that contest against Long Beach at 8-0 en route to a perfect 10-0 regular season mark.
Picayune couldn’t make it back-to-back state titles in 2012, but Lee’s crew bounced back the next year to capture the 2013 state title for tw state championships in three seasons.
The Bearcats came into the 2012 contest at 1-7 overall and were coming off their first win of the season, a 35-24 win over West Harrison.
Meanwhile, nationally-ranked Picayune was on a 16-game win streak and things quickly began to crumble for Long Beach from the opening kickoff.

The Maroon Tide jumped out to an almost unbelievable 70-14 halftime lead. Yes, 70 points in the first 24 minutes of play.
“I thought we played hard,” Lee told this reporter immediately after that game on Oct., 26, 2012. “We got off to a good start and then they made some mistakes that we turned into points and then things just got out of control for them.”
That may well be an understatement.

The Maroon Tide ran only 10 offensive plays in the first half, scoring on seven of them. Picayune forced five first half turnovers, with two interceptions returned for touchdowns as well as a fumble return for a score, and the other two miscues resulting directly in offensive scores as well.
The Maroon Tide got three touchdown runs from Preston Dedeaux, and two scoring runs apiece from both Desmond Taylor and Doug Cross in that massive first half scoring barrage.
Jordan Dedeaux returnd both a fumble and an interceptions for touchdowns.
Picayune place-kicker Jake Polderman’s 10th successful point-after of the first half made it 70-14 at halftime.
The Maroon Tide moved up from number 24 to number 22 in the nation-wide prep football poll by USA Today after the win