By SAM STAFF/Sports Writer

Both Picayune and Hancock picked up big wins in Region 4-6A play Friday night, and St. Martin grabbed a win as well in Class 7A play.
The league-leading Maroon Tide thumped home-standing Long Beach 42-7 to maintain its top spot in the Region 4-6A race. Maroon Tide tailback Xavier Dennis ran for 371 yards and four touchdowns to power Picayune to the win.

Picayune defender Amare Scott registered 12 total tackles, including three tackles for loss, to lead the way on that side of the ball as the Maroon Tide moved to 7-1 overall and 3-0 in region play.
Long Beach running back Junior Brown tallied the only touchdown for the Bearcats, as they fell to just the opposite at 1-7 and 0-3.

Meanwhile, in Gautier at Vaughan-Wallace Stadium, visiting Hancock slipped past the Gators 28-27 in Region 4-6A action.
Hawks quarterback Kaison Koennenn accounted for all four Hancock touchdowns, including the game-winer on a nine-yard scoring run late in the game. He also threw a pair of touchdown passes and ran for one more as well.
The win pushed Hancock to just 3-5 overall, but more importantly 2-1 in the region race, while Gautier dropped its second straight league contest in the waning moments for the second straight week and dropped to 1-2 in region play and 3-5 overall as well.

Also, in Lyman Friday night. St. Martin kept it’s ever so slight Class 7A South State playoff hopes alive by bashing home-standing Harrison Central 50-13 at Earl Phillips Stadium.
The Yellow Jackets moved to 6-3 overall and are now 2-3 in Region 4-7A, while the Red Rebels fall to 1-7 overall and 0-4 in league play.
No scoring details were avallable.