By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

PEARL — Going into the Class 6A state championship series this week, veteran George County head coach Brandon Davis said that the Rebels’ opponent, Saltillo, reminded him a lot of his own squad.

“Very similar,” Davis said.

And after two hard fought games for the title, the similarities were even more apparent.

Including family ties.

Davis, as it has been well documented in SouthMiss6 Sports reports, won the state championship last season with his son Ben as a standout for the Rebels.

It marked the first state title for the Rebels in 27 years, and that one in 1997 came with the elder Davis as a standout for that Rebel team.

Davis just completed his 14th season at the helm of his alma mater. Saltillo head coach Eric Reynolds was also a former key player for the Tigers in the late 1990’s as well, and he just finished his 11th season leading his alma mater.

Ironically enough, his son Eaton is a junior this season and played a key role this week as Saltillo swept GCHS for the crown.

Easton Reynolds, the Tiger designated hitter, played an important role in a decisive sixth inning rally in the series finale Wednesday night when his RBI-double to right tied the game up at 1-1 and erased a Rebel lead.

In 1998, when Saltillo reached the state championship series to face West Lauderdale, the Tigers won game one thanks to a two-run home run by Reynolds. He then tossed a no-hitter in game two, even though the Knights ended up taking the series 2-1.

As a senior at GCHS, Brandon Davis led the Rebels to the first state title in program history. He was named First Team All-State to cap off his high school career, as he hit .406, with 13 doubles, four home runs and 28 RBIs. He also threw out 25 base runners from behind the plate as the GCHS catcher.

The elder Davis played his best during the playoffs, however, as he raised his batting average to .610 including going 7-for-10 in the three game championship series win over Northwest Rankin.

Last season, Ben Davis was named the “Class 6A Player of the Year” after helping lead the Rebels to their first state title since his dad did the same in 1997.

Easton Reynolds had two hits in the clinching win over GCHS Wednesday night, as his father led the Tigers to their second state title under his direction.

Also, both Brandon Davis and Eric Reynolds went on to quite successful junior college careers, as Davis used two years at Mississippi Gulf Coast to earn a scholarship to South Alabama and Reynolds enjoyed a productive enough stay at Itawamba to get drafted in the ninth round by the New York Yankees.

Now, Ben Davis is also headed to Perk, while Easton Reynolds has a year left under his dad’s tutelage as the Tigers try and get back here to Trustmark Park to defend their title.

Just like the two Davis family members did this season, marking the first time George County played for back-to-back state finals since the head coach’s junior and senior years in high school.