By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

GULFPORT — In the almost 45-year history of a state-wide playoff system in the state of Mississippi, Gulfport High School has never lost an opening round playoff game for five straight seasons.

But that’s exactly what the Admirals will be trying to avoid doing this season.

Entering the new season, Gulfport has lost four straight playoff games in four consecutive seasons for the second time in the past 10 years. Head coach Blake Pennock, entering his third season as the skipper of the Admirals, and his crew are dead set on snapping that streak this year.

“We have really harped on having more of a competitive edge this season,” Pennock said, in a recent interview. “We’ve been so close. In the playoffs, we had a lead against Pearl almost the entire game two years ago and let it slip away in the end and then last year Petal kicks a game-winning field goal in the final seconds. I’m pretty excited about the competitive fire that our kids have shown so far this off-season.”

Another thing that should have Pennock excited is his offensive backfield, especially senior standout running back Cooper Crosby.

Crosby is back in the fold after he racked up over 1,300 yards of total offense and 16 total touchdowns last season. The three star recruit, a recent Louisiana commit, picked up 1,032 rushing yards on 130 carries with 15 touchdowns and also had 278 receiving yards with one score.

He’ll be joined in the backfield by new quarterback Parker Nettles, who was recently recognized at the annual 601 Elite Quarterback “Under the Lights” Camp with the “Top Gun Award”. Nettles transferred in to join the Admirals earlier this year from Silliman Institute High in Clinton, La.

This will mark the third school in three years for Nettles, who earned Midsouth Association of Independent Schools Class 3A All-State honors at Centerville Academy as a sophomore before transferring to rival Silliman last year. Silliman, a Class 5A member of the MAIS, finished 8-4 last season.

Defensively, up front in the trenches Javon Anderson returns after he made 49 tackles total tackles including 15 tackles for loss last season with two sacks and he had eight pass deflections and a forced fumble.

Also back on the next level for GHS is linebacker Andre Peters, who returns for his bon voyage campaign with the Admirals after enjoying one of the best defensive seasons for a linebacker in the state as a junior last season.

He earned Class 7A First Team All-State honors and was named Defensive Player of the Year in Region 4-7A. He tallied an incredible 149 total tackles, including 88 solo stops and seven tackles for loss. Peters also forced two fumbles and recovered three fumbles and registered two sacks. His total tackles number ranked second overall in the state of Mississippi.

“It’s the first time in my career that we’re probably going to really lean on our defense — not necessarily because our offense isn’t going to be good, but because our defense, we feel like, is going to be really good,” Pennock added. “It’s a major expectation on them, it’s a difference in coaching philosophy for me, but we’re excited. There’s a lot of guys I think we can roll in and they look the part too. I’m really excited about that and seeing what they can turn into, but they’ve got to keep the edge and stay disciplined in the way they play.”

Pennock’s thid year at the helm of the Admirals starts at home in historic Milner Stadium on Fri., Aug. 29th, as perennial state power Picayune pays a visit.

“We’re ready to go,” Pennock concluded. “We’re trying to get to the very top. At this point, we’re looking to play in the top games in the state of Mississippi, playing in the next week in November, playing on Thanksgiving. You can be so close at times, but there’s a lot of room in that small margin right there. We’re really trying to be the best possible team we can be, and if we do that, I feel like we’ll be playing for a long time.”