By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

PASCAGOULA — Pascagoula’s Zach Green became the first new head coach in 46 years to pace the Panthers to wins in his first two games in charge Friday night.

Home-standing Pascagoula turned back visiting Biloxi 17-8 here at War Memorial Stadium to move to 2-0 overall and drop the Indians to 1-1 as well on the new campaign.

Green is the first new PHS head coach since Luther Kuykendall in 1982 to open his tenure with two straight wins. The previous six Panther mentors failed to do so.

“It was an ugly win, but I’ll take it.” Green said. “I’m not happy at all with the penalties, but it will get handled on Monday. I was proud of the way our players fought all night and even fighting through the adversity they created with the penalties. There are a lot of things on film we will have to get corrected, but tonight I’m going to enjoy this Panther Win.”

The Panthers set the tone early scoring on their first drive of the game on a 3-yard plunge by running back Sean Norvel to make it 7-0.

In fact, it was Norvel’s ground game that helped the home team control possession for the most part in the first half.

The Panthers used a 36-yard completion off of a flea flicker from quarterback Jason Glaude to wide out Arabian Johnson to set up a 33-yard field goal from Miles Sprague late in the opening frame to push the PHS advantage to 10-0.

Meanwhile, the Panther defenders stood tall and twice thwarted Biloxi drives inside the PHS 30-yard line, including once that ended when Indian place-kicker Cayden Einhaus plunked a short 29-yard field goal off of the right up right with three minutes to play before halftime.

Einhaus was coming off of a program record-setting five field goal perormance in a win over Holmes County Central last week.

Biloxi’s only points of the first half came on a botched punt attempt for PHS that resulted in a safety.

The second half opened just like most of the first half unfolded for the home team. Pascagoula took the third quarter kick off and moved into prime position, thanks to a roughing the punter call, for Glaude to hit Keelan Harper on a 16-yard touchdown toss less than five minutes into the third frame to make it 17-2.

Then, later in the quarter, the PHS defense again thwarted an Indian move into the red zone when Kevin Marshall recovered a fumble at the PHS 15-yard line.

Biloxi finally got into the end zone for the first time in a week early in the final frame, when running back Marquez Metcalfe dashed 12-yards for a score to closed the deficit to 17-8. A try for two points was turned away by PHS.

But Pascagoula sealed the deal on its ensuing possession, marching 80-yards in 12 plays and taking six minutes off the clock before turning the ball over on downs at the Biloxi three-yard line.

Norvel paced the Panthers offensively with 154 yards rushing and the one score