By Joseph W. Gex II/Sports Writer

Bay St. Louis — The Saint Stanislaus Rock-A-Chaws used an accurate passing game and some shifty running moves by quarterback Max Bernard to claim a 42-7 victory over the visiting Bay High Tigers and keep the Crab Trap Trophy at 304 South Beach Boulevard for one more year. 

The Rocks scored on every first half possession and added a pick-six return just before halftime to put in motion a running clock in the second half. 

New quarterback Max Bernard got things rolling for SSC when he hit Lex Rhodes for a 12-yard gain. Two plays later, Bernard tossed a tight aerial to the fingertips of Liam Hayes for a 25-yard touchdown pass with 6:52 left in the opening quarter. Jude Babin made the score 7-0 with his PAT.

After Rhodes stepped in front of a Tiger pass on the ensuing Bay drive at the Tiger 43-yard line to gain possession again for the Rocks. 

Bernard went back to the air for gains of nine and five yards to Rhodes and Adam Oliver, respectively. Bernard also had carries for five, six, and 11 yards on the 12-play drive.

Bernard converted the Tebow jump-pass to Brick Compretta for a 2-yard scoring toss with :20 seconds left in the first quarter. Babin made the score 14-0 with his PAT.

On the ensuing kickoff, Bay’s JavienThompson appeared to return the kick 98 yards for a touchdown only to be brought back for a holding call on the Tigers’ return. Bay High took over at their 33-yard line. 

Just a minute or so later Rock Fischer Smith jumped a Tiger pass route and intercepted the ball at the Tiger 47-yard line. 

Seven plays later, Bernard scored on a one-yard run with 5:46 left in the first half. Babin’s PAT made the score 21-0.

The Rock defense forced a three-and-out on the Tigers’ ensuing possession.

The Rocks took over at the Tiger 44-yard line. Bernard connected with Hayes for a 42-yard gain and then called his own number for a two-yard scoring run with 2:56 left in the half. Babin’s PAT made the score 28-0.

Then, Hayes stepped in front of a Tiger pass at the Rock 40-yard line and returned the pick 60 yards for a touchdown with no time left on the clock. Babin’s PAT made the score 35-0 at halftime. 

The Rocks opened the second half at their 34-yard line following a 33-yard return by Oliver. On the first play of the drive, Bernard hooked up with Oliver for a 56-yard gain to the Tiger 10-yard line. 

Bernard scored on the next play on a 10-yard drive with 9:23 left to play. Babin’s PAT made the score 42-0. 

Kilanta Burt finished off Bay’s only scoring drive of the night with a 4-yard run.

Bay High head coach Katlan French stated, “We had a plan to start the season and we lost our starting quarterback to a season ending injury early in last week’s game. Tonight, we had our freshman quarterback back there and we might have put too much pressure on him in his first game. Benton Ladner will be a very good quarterback for us in time. We want to target Javien Thompson with the ball, as well. We need to find out what we can do well and work on polishing that and drop what we don’t do well. We kept playing hard throughout the game and we are extremely proud of the players. We need to focus our efforts on Long Beach this week and get ready to play.” 

Saint Stanislaus head coach Even Gay commented, “Our defense played lights out tonight. We had a terrific week of practice and our players are buying into the culture we are trying to establish in this program. Max Bernard got a lot of work in practice this week. He is still adjusting to the American game and the offense. Tonight, we went four-for-four on offensive drives in the first half. We talk about goals of scoring on every drive we take every practice. Max also worked hard on his pre-snap reads and went through his progressions this week and tonight it showed. Now, we turn our focus to Moss Point this week. We need to keep playing physical and win the turnover battle which we did this week. And, we have to be efficient in the red zone.”

The Rocks were led by Bernard who threw for 201 yards and two scores on 13-for-18 passing while rushing nine times for 44 yards and three scores.