By Curtis Rockwell/Sports Director
GAUTIER — Last season was one that no one associated with the Gautier football program was accustomed to going through.
After all, the 3-7 overall record marked the first losing record for the Gators in six years, and Gautier missed the state playoffs for the first time in five years also.
So, as veteran GHS head coach Marc High enters his ninth season at the helm of the Gators, he looks to get his program back to the likes of the 2022-2024 span in which they won 30-out-of-40 games and qualified for the South State championship game three straight years played for a state championship in 2024.
“We were pretty much a young team last year, but now the kids know that there is no excuse for anything,” High said in a recent interview. “There is no excuse for last year; they know there is no excuse. Now they understand the expectations that come with being a Gator.”

The Gators lost three straight games by a combined total of eight points down the stretch in Region 4-6A play that ended that run in the state playoffs. Last season was Gautier’s first ever in Class 6A as well.
“These kids saw what it took to get to the state championship. A lot has to play into you getting that far,” High added. “Good Lord willing, he is going to bless us, and we are going to be back there, but it is all about the kids pushing. Going 1-0 every day, 1-0 every game, that is all we can look for. Where our feet are right now and let’s push.”
And if the Gators are to get back to those lofty heights, they’ll depend on a pair of key skill position players offensively to do so.
Chief among those players is sophomore quarterback Keon McNeil. McNeil burst upon the scene as a freshman last season and seized control of a Gators offensive attack that has proved to be one of the most potent in South Mississippi over the past five years or so.

In his first action on the varsity level, he produced the most passing yards in the state as a ninth grader with 2,267 and added 19 touchdowns on 174 completions while completing just over 56% of his passes.
That rough stretch in region play included a 17-14 loss on the road to Pearl River Central in the waning seconds as well as a 28-27 loss to Hancock. In that loss to the Hawks, McNeil finished the night with a career-high 477 yards passing and four scores.
“Last year he started picking it up toward the end of the year, really catching on, and this year it’s already faster than it was at all last year,” High said, of his standout signal-caller.
McNeil will look to both Devon Garrett and A’Shaun Tubbs out wide, the top two returning receivers for GHS.
When he’s not whipping the ball around through the air, McNeil will look to hand the ball off to junior running back Latrell Pogue, the leading rusher for GHS last season.

Up front, High specifically mentioned offensive lineman Jackson Summers and Landyn Taylor as leaders and he added “Our entire offensive line has returned, so we feel better with that because last year they were basically all new, so those guys working of course with the quarterback and the running back being year two and year three for them so we’re looking forward to getting things out of them.”
Defensively, 6-foot-5, 225-pound stalwart Malik Ward leads the way andmthe elusive defensive end is looking to shake things up in the offensive backfield for opposing offenses this coming season for his Gators.
A Tulane commit, the rangy and lengthy Ward produced 45 tackles, 11 solo tackles and three tackles for loss last season and he also added a pair of pass deflections.

He also had overtures from Jacksonville state, South Alabama, and Southern Miss before casting his lot with the Green Wave.
Landon Beasley joins Ward up front in the trenches and Isiah Dean is back at linebacker. Those are Gautier’s top two returning leaders in total tackles from last year.
Kingston McNeil roams the secondary.
“When you get guys on the field that’s been through the fire a little bit, it’s always helpful.” High concluded. “Last year we didn’t have as many as we’re used to a couple years before, so it’s just a learning process for them and it takes time for them to get to where they need to be mentally, physically and all that, so we feel good with where we are.”
Gautier opens its season at home in Vaughan-Wallace Stadium, “The Swamp”, against visiting George County on Fri., Aug. 28th.