By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

As many high school football teams across the state of Mississippi plan some type of remembrances of the 25th anniversary of “9-11” at games across the state Friday night, we take a look back at that week in the “Southern Six”

The terrorist attacks on the United States on Sept., 11th 2001 happened on a Tuesday during that week. So most prep football games that were scheduled for the traditional Friday playing date went on without interruption.

Some of the bigger match-ups that week included the budding rivalry between neighborhood opponents D’Iberville and Biloxi, as the Warriors knocked off the visiting Indians 21-14 thanks to 165 tards rushing and one touchdown from running back Torey Staten and he also returned a kickoff 85-yards for a score.

Warrior senior cornerback Tommy Booth picked off Biloxi quarterback Rophyel Howsell four times that night, including an interception at the DHS 11 yard line with 1:23 left to seal the deal.

The Indians had been forced to forfeit two wins to begin the season due to the use of an ineligible player, a story that broke on 9/11.

Elsewhere, a late defensive stand allowed visiting Picayune to remain unbeaten with an exciting 30-27 win over Pascagoula in double overtime at War Memorial Stadium.

The Maroon Tide stopped the Panthers twice inside the one in the second extra session to pull out the win.

“They don’t get much more exciting than that,” legendary Picayune head coach Dodd Lee told this sports writer that night. “our defense stood tall at the end.”

Also, Moss Point, ranked number one in the state in the weekly Associated Press Top 25 Poll, overcame a 20-13 halftime deficit to visiting Hattiesburg to claim a 55-34 win at Dantzler Stadium.

In other action on 9-14-01, Long Beach shut out St. Stanislaus 10-0, Pensacola Tate shutout home-standing Gulfport 14-0 at Milner Stadium and Poplarville thumped Oak Grove 48-24. Also, George County beat Gautier 42-24, St. John shut out Vancleave 35-0 and Harrison Central beat Stone 34-20 and Hancock cracked Ocean Springs 34-13.

Also, ironically enough, visiting East Central got past St. Martin 22-13 as Chris Lowery ran for two touchdowns that night for the Hornets.

That match-up is the only one from that week in 2001 that repeats itself Friday night on the 25th anniversary of “9-11” as once again Friday night St. Martin hosts East Central at Barlow Stadium 25 years later.