By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

PICAYUNE — The George County football team hasn’t won a playoff game in Picayune in 25 years.
And, with the Rebels on the road once again Friday night to face the Maroon Tide this week in the Class 6A South State semifinals, thoughts of many in Lucedale and beyond go back to that game in November of 1999 in part because that contest also took place in the state playoffs when heavy underdog GCHS tumbled the Tide 38-35 with a score in the final two minutes of the game.
Junior George County quarterback Lance Davis, who was also a baseball standout for the Rebels, hooked up with future Ole Miss wide receiver Trey Fryfogle for four touchdown passes that night to lead the way for the Rebels.

“We were back and forth all night long,” Davis, who threw for 277 yards and the four scores that night, said in an exculsuive interview with SouthMiss6 Sports Thursday night. “I think their defense was one of the best in the state at the time. But they came into the game playing man coverage, which was a mistake on their part. We lit it up.”
With the game tied up at 28-28 with a little over six minutes to play, Rebel placekicker Junior Albuquerque nailed a 34-yard field goal to put GCHS up 31-28.

But the home team responded and took the lead on a a 7-yard scoring run by running back Josh Carter four minutes later to re-take the lead at 35-31. It was Carter’s third rushing score of the game.
However, in a blow-by-blow battle, the Rebels finally delivered the knockout punch.
Davis quickly directed the visitors down the field on a game-winning drive that ended when Rebel running back Clifton Fairley dashed 9-yards into the end zone with less than a minute to play.
“To be honest, they were bit a more physical than we were,” Davis, who still resides in Lucedale, said. “We couldn’t run the ball too well so we had to air it out, but we knew their defense backs couldn’t hang with our receivers, especially Trey. I felt like we could compete that night, but I didn’t think we had a shot to win. It was a huge win for us that night in front of a big crowd. Just a great performance by George County that night.”

The last scoring strike from Davis to Fryfogle covered 64-yards and tied the game up at 28-28 early in the fourth period. It also ended a comeback by the Rebels from an early 21-7 deficit all of which came on touchdown tosses from that duo.
“It was the biggest win of my high school career, Davis said. “We had to be physical that night, because they were tough.”
That Maroon Tide senior class, which included current PRC head coach John Feaster, was 14-2 at home during their career entering the game. Current Picayune head coach Cody Stogner was a sophomore on that squad as well.

Picayune, under the legendary Dodd Lee, stood an impressive 10-1 overall and had won its second district title in three years and was on an eight game win streak while the Rebels came in at 7-4 and finished second behind Gautier in its region.
Like Picayune, George County was also led by a Maroon Tide alumnus in Andrew Hickman, who was in his second year at the helm of the Rebels.
Hickman told this sports writer after the game that “it was the biggest win of his career” to that point.