By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

VANCLEAVE — A pair of reigning state champions faced off in a home-and-home series this week in an early season “Southern Six” showdown.

And in the end, both George County and Vancleave split the two games in four day affair with each taking a home win.

The Bulldogs bounced back from a loss in Lucedale on Tuesday night to knock off the Rebels 5-2 at “The Landing” in the rematch Friday night.  

Vancleave, the defending Class 5A state champs, moved to 5-1 on the young campaign under new head coach Zac Harrala with the win, while George County, the defending Class 6A state champs still under the guidance of veteran mentor Brandon Davis, fell to 4-3.

The Rebels clipped visiting Vancleave earlier in the week 8-2.

“Tuesday, those guys punched us in the mouth in a big way.” Haarala, who was an assistant on the state title team for VHS last year, said. “I challenged our guys to respond tonight and they did just that. I thought we showed a ton of resilience and anytime you play a team like George County you have to earn everything you get. I’m extremely proud of our guys tonight, it was a complete team win.”

On Friday night, the Bulldogs matched their offensive output from Tuesday night in the third frame, when Max Bates slapped a one out, run-scoring double to the gap in right-centerfield. That hit scored the speedy Kyle Capers, who walked, and then Bates scored to make it 2-0 when a ball off the bat of Martin Shaw was misplayed by the Rebel infield for an error.

George County sliced the deficit in half in the top of the fourth, when Canyon Reeves doubled and came home on Tripp Lightsey’s RBI-single.

But that would be as close as the Rebels would get, thanks to Bulldog starting pitcher Dane McElroy.

Fresh off his duties on the basketball court for VHS, McElroy tossed five solid stanzas to pick up the win, allowing just the one run on three hits and striking out seven while walking just one.

Both He and his teammates provided him some insurance in the bottom of the fifth frame with three more runs, as both Aidan Tapp and McElroy registered run-scoring singles and another run scored on yet another Rebel fielding error to make it 5-1.

“I thought Dane went out there and competed his tail off,” Haarala added. “Those guys in that other dugout can really hit and anytime you have a performance like that from your starter that’s all you can ask for. I thought he did a great job of locating his fastball and keeping hitters off balance with his off-speed stuff.”

Bates had a third of the Bulldog hits in the win, including the double.

Carson Pierce started and suffered the loss for GCHS.

In the end, the Rebels also wound up with six hits. Lightsey led the way with two of those, and Reeves had that double.

“You don’t defend what you don’t possess,” Davis said. “We do not possess the 2025 state championship so we can’t defend. That team is gone for both of us.

“What I saw is two decent high school teams, both with a chance to be pretty good and make a decent run in the playoffs.”

In game one of the series on Tuesday night, George County also got a strong starting pitching performance as well from Rebel ace Preston McAdory in bouncing the Bulldogs 8-2.

McAdory worked almost six innings of no-hit ball, striking out 12 in the process and walking just two. Reeves relieved and allowed all three VHS hits and both runs.

Grant Reeves smacked a two-run homer run for the Rebels, and both Cayler Havard and Lightsey collected three hits apiece in the winning 10-hit attack for GCHS. Havard had two RBIs as well.

McElroy had an RBI for VHS. Hunter Harper started and took the loss for the Bulldogs.

Both teams are back in action on Saturday afternoon, as The Rebels remain on the road at St. Patrick and the Bulldogs are also back at home hosting Biloxi.