By MAURICE SINGLETON/Sports Writer

OCEAN SPRINGS — Ocean Springs (8-4) responded to a late Oak Grove (8-4) score with a 72-yard Sharroid Whitehead keeper for a touchdown to give the Greyhounds a 27-14 win and a trip to the Class 7A South State championship game at home next Friday night.

“We had a different play called, had a pass play called,” said Greyhounds coach Jake Bramlett. “They gave us the gap right there. We ran a little power plus with the quarterback. We caught a crease, and when Sharroid catches a crease, he’s going to take it to the house.”

The Greyhounds’ score came only two plays after Oak Grove made it a 6-point game (20-14) with just over four minutes remaining in the game. The Warriors had capitalized on a Greyhounds’ fumble at the Greyhounds’ 17-yard line. Levi Valentine took it in for the Warriors from 4 yards out to give the visitors some hope with just over four minutes remaining on the game clock.

Oak Grove made a big play with a 22-yard completion on their ensuing possession, but Bryant Ausmer’s fourth sack of the night put the Warriors in a tough spot facing 20 yards for a first down. But the Warriors responded completing passes for gains of 4 and 12 yards. But on fourth-and-four, Eric Johnson Jr. picked off the Warriors and returned it 63 yards to the Oak Grove 5-yard line, ending all hope for the Warriors, and leaving only two snaps for the Greyhounds to take a knee and advance to South State.

“That’s what BJ (Ausmer) does; that’s what our defense does,” said Bramlett. “Credit to our defensive coaches and defensive players, they had a great plan for our Cover 3. They made some great adjustments. I’m so proud of those guys. They did a heck of a job.”

Oak Grove took the game’s opening possession 72 yards on 9 plays for an early lead. The Warriors used three pass plays on the drive for gains of 23, 13, and 18 yards to get the ball down field before Valentine carried it in from 5 yards out for the score.

Ocean Springs responded with an impressive drive of their own, going 70 yards on seven plays, capped by a 47-yard pass from Whitehead to Ian Harlan on a run-action pitchback to Whitehead.

From there the Greyhounds’ defense turned it up a notch, not allowing the Warriors a first down on their ensuing possession, and then stopping them after only one first down on their next possession.

On their fourth possession, Ocean Springs jumped off side to give the Warriors a first down, but that was as good as it would get for the visitors the rest of the first half as the Greyhounds would record a sack to back the Warriors up to their own 9-yard line.

Ocean Springs took the lead on their fourth possession after Ausmer recorded his first sack of the night, which put the visitors behind the chains, forcing a punt two plays later. The punt went 13 yards, giving the Greyhounds excellent field position at the Oak Grove 26-yard line. Will Smith Jr. carried the ball three times on the possession, scoring from 12-yards out to give the Greyhounds the lead with just under a minute left before halftime.

Ocean Springs extended their lead on their first possession of the fourth quarter, going 47 yards on 9 plays with Nolan Wells capping the drive with a 14-yard carry. The PAT kick failed but the Greyhounds were up by two scores (20-7) with 8 minutes left on the clock.

Oak Grove moved the ball from their own 10-yard line to the Ocean Springs 20 on the ensuing possession, but Ausmer’s fourth sack of the night killed the drive. The Warriors went for it on fourth down, but the Greyhounds took over on downs following an incomplete pass.

Ocean Springs advances to the South State championship game against Brandon in Ocean Springs next Friday.