By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director
OCEAN SPRINGS — Since Jake Bramlett took over as head coach at Ocean Springs High just over two years ago, the Greyhounds have played in a Class 7A South State championship game but have never started a season off at 2-0.
Until Friday night, that is.
Bramlett and his home-standing squad picked Petal apart 27-17 at Greyhound Stadium in a battle of Class 7A South State powers. Ocean Springs is off to its first 2-0 start since Bray Hubbard’s senior year of 2022, and the Pine Belt based Panthers drop to 1-1 on the young campaign.

“That was a huge win last night for us as a program,” Bramlett, in his third season at the helm of the Greyhounds, said. “We showed the resilience and capability of finishing a big game against a great opponent that we struggled to do early in the year last year. The boys showed relentless physicality throughout the game, and I’m very proud of how all three phases are playing together as a unit. Petal is a great football team that is going to win a lot of games. They have a lot of weapons on offense and more than likely one of the best defensive fronts we will see all year.”
In a bit of an oddity, the Panthers were the fifth straight opponent that OSHS has faced from Region 3-7A dating back to the start of the Class 7A South State playoffs last season. The Greyhounds are a solid 4-1 during that stretch, with a loss to Brandon in that aforementioned Class 7A South State title tilt last season as the lone blemish.
In the first regular season meeting between the two teams in 15 years, Ocean Springs never trailed Friday night. Solomon Baggett scampered 25-yards for the first touchdown of the game just over three minutes in to put OSHS up 7-0.

On Petal’s ensuing possession, Greyhound linebacker Brody Saenz fell on a Panther fumble at his own 45-yard line.
The Greyhound offense went right back to work, converting the turnover into points on a 1-yard scoring plunge by Baggett at the 4:29 mark of the opening frame and suddenly it was 13-0.
Petal bounced right back, though, on a Caiden Belton to Trey Barnes 28-yard scoring pass to cut the deficit to 13-7 with 2:31 left before the second quarter started.
Greyhound offensive lineman Raymond Johnson provided the first points of the second stanza, when he recovered a fumble in the end zone early in the period to extend the OSHS advantage to 20-7.
Mid-way through the frame, Sharroid Whitehead placed OSHS in complete control of the contest when he raced 74-yards with a direct snap and the Greyhounds took a 27-7 lead.

Petal cut the deficit to the final count on a field goal and a 2-yard sneak from Belton, but it wouldn’t be near enough.
“Our defense did a great job of creating turnovers throughout the game, and made their adjustments at halftime to get off the field on third downs.” Bramlett continued. “Offensively, we did a great job in the first half of putting up points with nearly every opportunity. I would’ve liked to see us put together a few more first downs in the second half, but I will put that on myself with poor second down play calling. Overall, it was a great team win.”