By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

Both Pascagoula and Pearl River Central picked up key Region 4-6A wins Friday night, and in the process set up a big league encounter next week.
The Panthers went on the road and thumped Long Beach 47-14, while the Blue Devils stayed home and slipped past Gautier 17-14.
The decisions leave PHS, PRC and GHS as well as Hancock all knotted up at 1-1 and tied for second place in the region race behind league-leading Picayune.

In Carriere, a 29-yard field goal by PRC’s Bryce Tartar was the only points of the first half, but in the end it proved to be the difference in the three point win for PRC.
In the second half, PRC quarterback Titus Feaster ran for one touchdown and threw for another to Kendall Morrison while Gautier countered with a touchdown pass from quarterback Keon McNeil to Kasin Thomas and Latrell Pogue ran for a score.
The game wasn’t decided until the final 20 seconds, when on a first-and-10 play from the Blue Devil 10-yard line Pogue saw the ball come loose right at the goal line and it was ruled a fumble and a touch back as PRC held on for the win.
McNeil finished with 223 yards passing and Feaster accounted for 228 yards of total offense and those two touchdowns.

The win helped PRC bounce back from a region-opening loss to Hancock last week.
Meanwhile, at Lance Lumpkin Stadium in Long Beach, Pascagoula’s defense got the night off to a quick start as cornerback Tylan Wilson and safety Jer’meryian Pickett both returned interceptions for touchdowns early in the first quarter.
Panther running back Amarie Jackson then scored from a yard out to cap Pascagoula’s first offensive possession to make it 21-0 heading into the second stanza.
Pascagoula’s La’darion Pickett then scored on a short shovel pass to open the second period, and the route was on at 28-0 for PHS.
Panther running back Sean Norvell ran for 179 yards and a touchdown in the winning effort, while quarterback Jarrad Loper threw a scoring pass to D’lass Nunnery n addition to his short toss to Pickett.
Junior Brown scored on a rushing touchdown for LBHS.

Pascagoula hosts PRC next week.