By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

GULFPORT — Gulfport’s Javaious Hales 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.

The versatile junior Hales sees time on both defense and offense for the Admirals, but it was from his spot in the secondary that he made the biggest impact in Gulfport’s first state playoff win in six years last week.

Hales recorded a pair of interceptions which he returned for touchdowns in a 45-7 thumping of visiting northwest Rankin at historic Milner Stadium in the opening round of the Class 7A South State playoffs.

After his teammate running back Cooper Crosby helped Gulfport get off to a quick 21-0 first half lead with a trio of rushing scores, Hales stepped in front of a pass from Cougar quarterback Gavin Phillipson and raced 97-yards with a pick six to make it 28-0 and basically seal the deal for Gulfport even before halftime.

However, Hales wasn’t through just yet as the defensive back picked off another Phillipson pass in the second half and he also returned it for a score.

Hales has also been a weapon offensively as a wide out for head coach Blake Pennock’s squad this season.

His heroics helped push GHS to their eighth straight win, also for the first season since that last playoff win in 2019. The Admirals now stand 9-2 overall, and will host Petal Friday night in the Class 7A South State semifinals.

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.