By Maurice Singleton/Sports Writer

GULFPORT — The Gulfport Admirals (4-2, 2-0) scored two touchdowns in a five-and-a-half-minute span of the third quarter on their way to a 40-0 shutout win over the St. Martin Yellow Jackets (5-2, 1-2) on Friday.

The Admirals have won 16 straight games in this series that were actually played, and Gulfport owns a commanding 19-1 overall lead in the all-time series. The only St. Martin win on the field came in 2003, although GHS forfeited a game to SMHS in the Covid season of 2020.

St. Martin kept it close in the first half, holding the Admirals to a touchdown in the first quarter and two field goals in the second quarter.

But the Admirals came out swinging in the third quarter. After winning the coin toss and deferring to receive the second half kickoff, the Admirals put together a 7-play 78-yard drive to extend their lead to 20-0. Parker Nettles completed three of three passes to three different receivers on the drive: a 17-yarder to Cooper Crosby, a 14-yard completion to Javious Hales, and a 16-yard completion to Mylan Stubbs to the one-yard line. Crosby would carry one yard for the score.

The Admirals’ defense also came out firing in the third quarter, holding the Yellow Jackets to three snaps and a fourth and very long for a first down – 18 yards – forcing a punt. And the Admirals’ special teams would show up big as Cordarious Payton would return the punt 43 yards to the St. Martin 4-yard line.

The Admirals would build an unsurmountable lead as Crosby would score from four yards out to extend the lead to 27-0 with 6:20 left on the third quarter clock.

“Hopefully we are getting closer to hitting our stride,” said Gulfport coach Blake Pennock. “Obviously the game started really sloppy, a lot of penalties early. The defense played great. We won the line of scrimmage.

“Our guys have been playing solid football and doing a great job,” said Pennock. “You look at some of our games early in the year, just little things here and there, not making the plays and stuff, and we’d self-destruct.”

The Admirals have last two games by a total of four points (to Picayune 31-28 and to Petal 25-24).

The Admirals scored on their first possession of the night, going 73 yards on seven plays as Nettles completed three passes on the drive, two to Hales for gains of six and 13 yards. The third pass on the drive was a 59-yarder over the top of the defense to Camden Morgan for the touchdown with 8:00 showing on the first-quarter clock.

Junior Carter Platt would kick two field goals in the second quarter: the first was a 20-yarder with 4:06 left in the period, and the second a 36-yarder as time ran out in the second quarter.

Nettles connected with Stubbs for an 18-yard score early in the fourth quarter to take a 33-0 lead. The 2-point conversion attempt failed.

Nettles connected with Morgan for a 22-yard touchdown with just under six minutes remaining to close out the game’s scoring.

Nettles completed 14 of 21 passes on the night for 193 yards and three touchdowns. Crosby led all rushers with 73 yards on 15 carries and two touchdowns.

On defense, the Admirals tallied 7 sacks, and Deandre Williams recorded an interception.

Gulfport plays on the road at West Harrison next Friday. St. Martin hosts D’Iberville.