By TK EDWARDS/Sports Correspondent

VANCLEAVE — Stone entered Friday night’s game at Vancleave as the only remaining unbeaten team in Region 4-5A play.

And when the Tomcats headed back to Wiggins, they still were.

Visiting Stone overcame a scrappy bunch of Bulldogs 30-23 in a big region battle. The win moves the Tomcats one step closer to their first region title in three years, as they now sit 3-0 in league play and 5-3 overall. While Vancleave slips to just the opposite, at 3-5 overall and 1-2 in the region race.

“Honestly we knew coming in that they’re a good football team and this is a hard place to win a game,” Stone head coach Jacob Aycock told reporters. “I think we took advantage of our speed, and I thought we played tough and our kids showed how tough they are tonight.”

The home team got on the board first on its first drive of the game thanks to a 25-yard field goal by eighth grader Joseph Castro that proved to be the only points in the first quarter.

Stone responded a few seconds into the second quarter when Ren Hendrix connected on a 36-yard field goal to tie things up at 3-3.

The game’s first touchdown would be courtesy of Stone’s Amarion Fairley as running back would race 47-yards for the score. However, Hendrix’s PAT would hit the post and be no good. Stone led 9-3 with 07:13 to go in the first half.

After an exchange of possessions, Vancleave’s only first half touchdown would come on a 75-yard Kyle Capers punt return and Castro’s point-after made it 10-9 home team with 03:44 remaining before halftime.

But Stone would work the clock well in response and Tomcat quarterback Zander Howard on a capped off the drive with a shifty 3-yard keeper with just :28 seconds left in the half to put the Tomcats up 15-10 at intermission.

The only score of the third quarter came when Stone defensive back Kenneth Boggs return a fumbled 45-yards for a touchdown to extend the Tomcat lead to 22-10.

However, Vancleave would begin to work it’s way back into the lead on a 1-yard scoring plunge by Capers to cut the deficit to 22-17 with 10:24 to go in the game.

Capers was right back at it two VHS possessions later, reeling off a 66-yard dash rush down to the Stone 1-yard line. Vancleave’s Aiden Hall covered that distance for the score, and VHS was suddenly up 23-22 with 04:42 to go in the game.

But, just :18 seconds later, Stone’ running back Ayden Green would help provide the final answer of the game on a 29-yard scoring run. Fairley followed with the 2-point conversion runt for the final 30-23 count.

Stone will travel to Northeast Jones while Vancleave will be at home vs East Central in he Pascagoula River Bowl next week.