By Stan Caldwell/Sports Writer

HATTIESBURG — For the second consecutive season, Pascagoula’s playoff hopes ended on the field at D.I. Patrick Stadium on the campus at Hattiesburg High, and with it came the end of an era for Panther football.

The Tigers overcame a slow start offensively, and ‘Goula made too many unforced errors when there were chances to score in the first half in a 35-20 defeat in the second round of the Class 6A playoffs.

HHS improved to 10-2 overall and booked a date with Picayune next week for South State right back on their home grounds. Pascagoula finished its final season under veteran head coach Lewis Sims 6-6 overall, snapping a five-game winning streak.

“I can’t say enough about these kids, how hard they fought, especially after they watched our quarterback get taken off on a stretcher,” said Sims, who is expected to step down soon after 15 seasons at the helm of the Panthers.

“This team is so resilient. They are tough, one of the mentally toughest groups I’ve ever had. It’s a special group of guys.”

Indeed, Sims referred to a scary moment early in the fourth quarter, with the Panthers trailing 35-7. Senior quarterback Jarrad Loper took a keep for a short gain and lay motionless on the field after the play was over.

Trainers stabilized Loper, who began to show signs of movement before he was taken to Forrest General Hospital as a precaution. He was treated and released soon after.

Until then, the second half had been all Hattiesburg with a bullet. But the first half was battle, and the Panthers were right in the thick of it.

‘Goula got the ball to open the game, getting a nice return to the 40-yard-line, and Loper immediately found sophomore Brelyn Belcher open over the middle for a 35-yard gain on the first play from scrimmage.

But a holding call walked the Panthers back 10 yards, and on fourth-and-3 from the Tiger 18, Loper went nowhere on a keeper.

The Panthers got a three-and-out, as the Tigers sputtered on offense early in the game, however, the ensuing punt bounced off the chest of the returner, and Hattiesburg recovered at the 49-yard-line.

It was the first of four costly turnovers for Pascagoula.

“We had to take advantage of some opportunities in the first half, and we didn’t do that,” Sims said. “If we do that, then maybe it’s a tie game at halftime. But we just have to make sure we take advantage of the opportunities when they arise.

“In football, it’s all about execution in the playoffs, and unfortunately, we weren’t able to execute the way we wanted to in the first half.”

Starting near midfield, junior quarterback Gavin Ducksworth converted a third down for the Tigers on a 12-yard pass to sophomore Kamhad Plump.

Two plays later, the Tigers ran a halfback pass from Plump to senior Davion Young for a 34-yard touchdown play to take a 7-0 lead.

‘Goula’s defense showed it could handle Hattiesburg in the first half, but it was put in too many bad situations in negative field position.

“We were trying to run our defensive plays as a team,” said senior defensive end Francisco Kelly. “We felt like we had to stop their run, and bear down on the pass.

“We just had to work through some penalties and some bad plays. We were our own worst enemies, but we just had to battle, keep fighting.”

The Panthers got a fourth-down stop, though, getting the ball at their own 46-yard line. Loper converted a third down with a 26-yard pass to senior D.J. Nunnery to the Tiger 20. But on third-and-6, Loper misfired and his fourth-down pass was picked off by senior John Tarvin.

Other than a penalty conversion in the fourth quarter, that was the Panthers’ only third-down conversion in nine tries.

But another defensive stand gave ‘Goula the ball back, and this time, the Panthers got their offense moving. Loper connected with senior Amarie Jackson for 27 yards on the first play of the drive.

That seemed to get Jackson going, because he followed that with runs of 9 and 11 yards on consecutive plays, before Pascagoula got the touchdown, on a 12-yard run by senior Darius Carter on a reverse.

Jackson came into the game with 1,158 rushing yards and six straight 100-yard games. He was held in check for much of the game, but finished the night with 119 yards on 14 carries and two touchdowns.

“He’s been our focus all season,” said Sims. “He’s an incredible young man. I can’t wait to see what he does at the next level.”

Hattiesburg promptly answered, as Ducksworth began to find the mark. Starting at their own 20, the Tigers drove 80 yard on 13 plays, eating up more than five minute off the clock

Ducksworth converted three third downs on the drive, a 24-yard pass to senior Brayln Allbritton, an 11-yard pass to Young, and the touchdown, on an 8-yard pass to senior Josh Marshall.

Hattiesburg came out roaring in the third quarter, and took command with touchdown drives on all three possessions in the period.

It took the Tigers just 43 seconds and three plays to cover 85 yards after the opening kickoff of the second half.

Marshall burst around left end for 37 yards on the first play of the half, Young went for 2 yards, with 15 more added on for a face-mask penalty, then Young swept around right end, found his path blocked, and quickly reversed field around the left side for a 31-yard touchdown run.

‘Goula got one first down on the ensuing possession, but Loper was sacked for a 10-yard loss, then on fourth down, a low snap forced freshman kicker Miles Sprague to pick up the ball and try to run, but he was stopped well short.

This time, Hattiesburg drove 39 yards on nine plays, scoring on a 15-yard pass from Ducksworth to Allbritton.

The Panthers went for another fourth down from their own 41, but came up short, and the Tigers needed just four plays to cover 41 yards . with Young scoring his second TD of the night on a 20-yard run.

The play that lit a late fire under Pascagoula came after an exchange of punts. Taking over at the ‘Goula 45, Loper ran up the middle for 6 yards and stayed on the ground.

After the delay for the ambulance, Jackson took the next snap behind a wall of blockers around right end and ran away from the pursuit for a 49-yard touchdown run.

The Panthers held on third down to get the ball back on a punt, and they picked right up where they’d left off. Jackson went for 12 yards, then an 8-yard pickup.

Junior Sean Norvel, pressed into duty at quarterback, ran 10 yards to the Tiger 2, and Jackson got the score from there.

After it was over, Kelly reflected on the season, and the legacy his coach leaves behind.

“Our season started out pretty shaky when we lost five in a row,” said Kelly. “But we started bringing it back, put our foot on the gas and made it happen.

“Coach Sims is an excellent coach. He always wants the best for us, he always keeps us going, keeps us upbeat.”