By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

GULFPORT — Although both Gulfport and Tupelo are located over 300 miles apart from one another, both football programs share one big reason why the two teams are vying for a Class 7A state title Saturday night.
And that similarity that both possess is a potent ground game that has gotten both to this point.
The Admirals face the Golden Wave Saturday night at 7 p.m., at Davis-Wade Stadium in Starkville on the campus of Mississippi State University for all the marbles in the largest classification in the state.
Gulfport’s ground game is led by senior standout running back Cooper Crosby, who is expected to sign with either Auburn or Mississippi State on Wednesday on National Signing Day. has enjoyed one of the best rushing campaigns in GHS history.

Crosby has rushed for 1,631 yards on 243 carries with 32 touchdowns. He has added 609 yards receiving out of the backfield with seven more scores on 43 catches for a total of over 2,200 yards of total offense and an almost inexplicable 39 touchdowns overall.
Crosby has rushed for more than 100 yards this season eight times in Gulfport’s 13 games, and has guided the Admirals to 10 straight wins and a school record 11 wins with just two losses.
And those stats come despite just about every opponent loading up in the box and keying on Crosby and the Gulfport ground attack.
“We’re rolling right now,” Crosby told SouthMiss6 Sports Tuesday afternoon just before practice. “We’ve found what we needed to do, and we’re just rolling.”

Meanwhile, Tupelo’s offensive backfield is led by versatile senior stalwart J.J. Hill, the two-time and reigning “Class 7A Mr. Football” in the state. Hill, who is expected to sign with Mississippi State on Wednesday, has split his time between running back and quarterback this season due to an early season suspension of THS signal-caller Braylen Williams.
Hill has led the Golden Wave to an impressive 13-1 record, as he has run for 1,705 yards on 182 carries with 17 touchdowns. He has also caught a touchdown and thrown for one as well.
“We trusted him and we put the ball in our best player’s hands,” Tupelo head coach Ty Hardin said. “It was an opportunity for him to grow as a player, too. He had so much success at running back and then it had a little bit of failure at quarterback, obviously two different positions, but it made him a better player, made him a better person.”

Hill’s move to quarterback for half the season also opened the door for his backfield mate Kylan Bobo to step up and fill his role at running back. Bobo, just a junior, is the heir apparent to the top slot at THS next season as he has run for 1,672 yards on 188 carries with 27 touchdowns as well as one scoring catch.

“The numbers don’t lie,” Germantown head coach Russell Mitchell said. Mitchell’s Mavericks have lost twice to Tupelo in the past two seasons. “Hill is averaging nine-plus yards per carry for a reason. He’s really big, fast and strong. When you add Williams, Bobo and a really physical offensive line to the equation, they’re really hard to deal with.”
Tupelo is looking to defend is Class 7A state title it won last year, in a 28-16 win over Brandon. In that season, Hill ran for 2,028 yards on 208 carries with 32 touchdowns in leading the Golden Wave to their first state title in 30 years while producing a much similar season last year to what Crosby has posted this season for Gulfport.
The Admirals have never won a state title.