By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

OCEAN SPRINGS — On a playing field filled with all-stars, one shone immensely more bright than all the others Friday night.
On Wednesday, Gulfport senior standout running back Cooper Crosby was named just one of two ball-carriers to represent his home state later this year in the annual Alabama/Mississippi All-Star Football Classic.
Two days later, he proved why he’s held in such high esteem.
Crosby accounted for just over 200 yards of total offense and scored five touchdowns as his Admirals sailed into Greyhound Stadium and manhandled Ocean Springs 41-28 in a key Region 4-7A encounter.

The win snapped a record 25 game region win streak by OSHS, and threw the race for the league crown wide open after the Greyhounds had won the last four titles. It was also the first win for Gulfport over OSHS since 2019, which was ironically enough the last year that the Admirals won the region title.
Crosby was the main reason that Gulfport broke a five game game losing streak to OSHS, which was the longest all-time regular season losing streak for the Admirals against any annual opponent in the history of the program. (Gulfport has lost all 11 games all-time against Oak Grove, including six in the regular season.)
The win not only put Gulfport in prime position to earn its first region crown in six years, but was the biggest win in Admirals head coach Blake Pennock 27-game tenure at GHS. Pennock assumed the helm of the Admiral ship after three years as head coach at OSHS.

It was under his guidance, in fact, that the 25-game region win streak for OSHS began in 2021 and reached 14 before he departed. But the Greyhounds had dominated the first two meetings since he made the move, 30-7 two years ago and 20-3 last season.

But Friday night, Cooper and his teammates had already doubled that 10 point total output over the past two years before the first quarter ended.

In addition to Cooper, seven other players in action in this contest were selected last week to compete in a pair of upcoming all-star games including his teammate GHS linebacker Andre Peters.. Greyhound offensive lineman Jayden Ross and OSHS tight end Hayden Berglind will join those two Admirals in the Alabama/Mississippi game.
Also, Gulfport quarterback Parker Nettles along with a trio of Greyhounds in offensive lineman Cohyn Meyers, wingback Sharroid Whitehead and placekicker Peyton Williams all were named to the South squad for the annual Bernard Blackwell North/South All-Star Game.

Those two games will be played in December in South Mississippi.

Also, an impressive performance by Ocean Springs running back Solomon Baggett was overshadowed a bit by the loss, as the transfer from Gautier picked up a game-high 230 yards rushing and scored two touchdowns including an 80-yard scoring scamper.
But make no mistake about, Crosby was the brightest star of all Friday night. The Admirals used 172 yards rushing and five scoring runs from him and a key scoop and score return on a blocked punt early in the game by Javon Anderson to mount a commanding 41-14 mid-way through the fourth period.

In fact, Gulfport wasted no time in setting the tone early and giving the packed house a sign of things to come, jumping out to a 20-0 lead just 10 minutes into the game, and Crosby’s first touchdown dash of the night from 3-yards out at the 6:05 mark of the opening frame to make it 6-0 gave Gulfport a lead it would never relinquish.
Crosby now has over 800 yards rushing and 12 touchdowns on the ground this season for the Admirals, who stand just 3-2 overall but both losses were by a combined total of just four points.

In a video posted on social media, Ocean Springs head coach Jake Bramlett, who was an assistant under Pennock before taking over the top job with the Greyhounds, stated “They just won their Super Bowl.”

If that’s the case, then there’s no doubt that Cooper Crosby would have been headed to Disney World as the games Most Valuable Player.