By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

SOSO — The drought is over.
For the first time in 17 years, the George County High School football team won a playoff game.
The Rebels escaped with a 26-22 win over the defending Class 6A state champion Friday night in the opening round of the Class 6A South State playoffs. George County now gets a chance to make history once again in the second round, as the Rebels travel to perennial state power Picayune next week to face a team they haven’t beaten in 22 years in a stadium where they haven’t won in 25 years.

George County senior standout signal-caller Deuce Knight accounted for all four Rebel touchdowns, as he recorded a pair of scoring runs as well as two touchdown tosses including the eventual game-winner to wide out D. J. McNair from 55-yards out with just over two minutes to play.
The exploits of that dynamic duo helped GCHS overcome an early 10-0 deficit to pull out the rare postseason win.
Mustang quarterback Tootie Lindsay gave WJHS that aforementioned 10-0 lead on a 10-yard run at the 8:24 mark of the second quarter.
Knight and his Rebels responded just before the end of the first half as he scored on an 11-yard keeper as well to make it 10-7, but GCHS gave up a safety in the waning minutes of the period when the punter ran out of the back of the end zone to make it 12-7 home team at halftime.

But the second half belonged to Knight and McNair and the Rebels.
Knight’s 3-yard scoring sneak less than five minutes into the third frame gave GCHS its first lead of the game at 13-12 after the try for two was no good.
The Mustangs bounced back to reclaim the lead on a 38-yard field goal by Alexis Avalos to make it 15-13 on their ensuing possession.
It was then that Knight decided to go to the air, as he found McNair on a 60-yard scoring strike to put GCHS back on top at 19-15 after a botched point-after attempt with just :34 seconds left before the start of the fourth period.

Mustang standout senior running back Elijah Crosby seemed intent on keeping the chances for a repeat of back-to-back titles alive for WJHS as he plowed over from 4-yards out with 9:35 to play to make it 22-19.
But Knight and his favorite target Friday night had one last arrow in their quiver as he and McNair combined on that 55-yard touchdown pass with just 2:15 left. Leighton Fryfogle’s PAT resulted in the final four point count.
Knight completed 13-of-23 passes for 226 yards and the two scores to McNair who ended the evening with six catches for 165 yards.

Geoge County sits 7-5 overall, while Picayune is 10-2. The Mustangs finish the season at 8-3.