By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

GULFPORT — Cooper Crosby of Gulfport gets the “Baria Law Firm Game Ball of the Week” as presented by SouthMiss6 Sports this week.
Every week throughout the end of the school year, we will honor student/athletes across the “Southern Six” with our “Game Ball of the Week” sponsored by David Baria, Attorney-Mediator.

Gulfport sailed into Greyhound Stadium and manhandled home-standing Ocean Springs 41-28 Friday night in Region 4-7A play. The loss was the first in league play in almost five years for OSHS, as the Admirals snapped a school record 25 game region win streak for the Greyhounds.

And Crosby was a major reason why.
The Admirals used five scoring runs from the senior standout tailback 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.
Crosby’s first touchdown dash of the night came from 3-yards out at the 6:05 mark of the opening frame to make it 6-0.
On the ensuing OSHS possession, the Admirals basically swiped the ball off the foot of Greyhound punter Peyton Williams and Admiral defensive lineman Javon Anderson scooped it up and raced 13-yards to paydirt to make it 13-0 just over two minutes later.

From there, it was all Crosby.
Crosby was back at it the next time GHS got the ball, after the Admirals defense caused OSHS to turn the ball over on downs at the Greyhound 46.
Gulfport covered the distance in six plays, and Crosby cashed it in from 7-yards out to give the visitors a 20-0 advantage with :40 seconds left in the opening quarter.
After OSHS cut the deficit to 20-14 entering the fourth period, Crosby closed in for the kill.
His 15-yard touchdown jaunt just :32 seconds into the fourth period extended the GHS lead to 27-14.
After another blocked punt by the Admirals, Crosby moved 15-yards for his fourth score of the night and the Greyhounds were reeling as Gulfport went up 34-14 with 7:42 remaining.

The knockout blow came just over two minutes later, when Crosby raced 55-yards for a score and it was 41-14.
It was the first win for GHS over OSHS in six years. The decision moves Gulfport to 3-2 overall and 1-0 in the region race, while OSHS suffers its first loss of the season and falls to 5-1 overall and 1-1 in league play.

The Baria Law Firm, the Gulf Coast branch of Cosmich, Simmons and Brown, provides a beacon of trust and reliability in a complex legal landscape. Our firm’s unwavering dedication to you is at the core of everything we do. Choose David Baria of Baria Law as your legal ally, and let us handle the details while you focus on what matters most. Reach out to David at 228-395-8303 or dbaria@barialaw.com and at https://barialaw.com.