By Paul Keane/The Wayne County News
GAUTIER — The top seed in Region 4-5A with the new Class 5A “Mr. Football” faced a team it had beaten, 31-8, six weeks earlier but things were definitely different Friday night at Vaughn Wallace Stadium.
The Gators of Gautier had to block an extra point at the start of the contest and then stop a two-point conversion attempt to hang on and take a 28-27 win over Wayne County High School in the second round of the Class 5A playoffs South State playoffs. The Gators move on to host Brookhaven in the 5A South State Championship Game this Friday while the War Eagles close out the season at 5-8, winning three of their last four contests.

“Great team win, it was a score for score night..” GHS head coach Marc High said. “Wayne is a much improved team. Our defense stepped up and made plays when they needed to be made.”

Wayne County head coach Jack Hankins said he was extremely proud of how his team was able to keep things together and turn around a 2-7 start into an Elite Eight appearance in the playoffs.
The War Eagles used a methodical offense that milked the clock via 271 yards rushing while the defense utilized a “bend but don’t break” approach in order to try and corral quarterback Trey Irvin, Class 5A’s Mr. Football this season. For the most part, the plan worked as Irvin was held to 150 yards passing on a 19-of-22 performance and the two teams traded scores throughout the night.Both teams punted once — both in the first quarter — and the only other drive that did not end in a score was the one that ended the first half of play.
WCHS took the opening kickoff and marched 64 yards in 11 plays, milking 6:51 off the clock before Shundrell Miller scored on a 1-yard plunge. The extra point was blocked, giving the War Eagles a 6-0 lead with 5:09 left in the opening quarter.

The defense held the Gators to a three-and-out, but the Gators returned the favor by forcing a punt that allowed the GHS offense to set up at its own 33-yard line. Thirteen plays later, Irvin raced in from 3 yards out and the extra point made it 7-6 Gators with 8:16 left in the first half.
Pat Hamilton returned the kickoff 36 yards to the WCHS 48-yard line, and seven plays later, the War Eagles faced a third-and-goal from the GHS 16-yard line after an illegal participation call from the 1-yard line negated a touchdown. Quarterback Jacob Bowles rolled to his right then turned and threw back to tight end Marquise Leverette, who was wide open and sauntered into the end zone. Omar Boykin, Jr., then ran in the two-point conversion to give the visiting team a 14-7 lead with 3:09 left before the intermission.
It took Irving and his offense only five plays — with an assist from a personal foul against the War Eagles — before Kasin Thomas plunged in from 2 yards out. The Eric Robinson extra point tied things at 14-all with 1:41 left in the half.
WCHS reached the Gautier 43-yard line before an incomplete pass on the final play of the half.

The Gators took the second-half kickoff and marched 65 yards in 11 plays, with Thomas capping off the drive with a 1-yard run. The Robinson extra point made it 21-14 with 7:38 left in the third quarter.
Still sticking to the running game, the War Eagles answered with a solid eight-play, 69-yard drive that was capped off when Steve Morgan raced in from 8 yards out. The Rony Gonzalez kick tied things up again at 21-21 with 2:40 left in the quarter.
In the seesaw manner that was the contest, Gautier answered right back with a 73-yard, 11-play scoring drive that ended when Irving raced in from a yard out on a fourth-and-goal play. The score was set up when the offense shifted four players over to the left side of the formation in a trips sets and the defense shifted over, leaving a wide open space up the middle for Irving to tip-toe through. The Robinson extra point opened up a 28-21 lead for the home team.

Again, though, the War Eagles were undaunted, taking over at their own 26-yard line and smoothly marching downfield in 13 plays, only one of which was a pass. Behind the running of Miller, Morgan, Boykin and Zimetrice Denson, WCHS steadily marched downfield. The only pass in the drive came on a fourth-and-3 from the GHS 40-yard line when Bowles hit Denson with a 12-yard pass play. Four plays later, Boykin raced up the middle for an 11-yard gain.
With Miller out of action after spraining his ankle on the drive, the War Eagles lined up in a Wildcat formation for the two-point conversion, but Boykin was stopped short of the destination.
The Gators took over and — one third-and-9 — Irvin raced 21 yards for the first down that allowed Gautier to take a knee twice to run out the clock.
Neither team committed a turnover during the contest.

“It’s an honor to be playing at home (next week),” High added. “It’s something we’ve been working towards. The last two were on the road, so we feel blessed to finally have one at home.”