By Curtis Rockwell/Sports Director

PASCAGOULA — The 1976 Pascagoula High School football team will be recognized Friday night at War Memorial Stadium for its success 50 years ago.

That team went unbeaten at 12-0 and won the Big Eight State championship in that same stadium. The history-making squad, which included such Panther greats as Ray Charles “Rooster” Jones, Johnny Olsen, Kenny Ladner, Ricky Rozelle, Stacey Carmichael and Mark Brown and Ricky Conerly and Mike Clancy as well as Marc Massengale and Billy and Bobby Collins, just to name a few, will be honored at halftime of the Pascagoula-D’Iberville contest.

Even though some have passes away, a good amount of players from the 1976 team as well as most of the coaches are expected to attend the reunion.

And, with the help of former Panther standout Marc Massengale, 10 years ago we looked back through the pages of The Mississippi Press that season and reflect on the unbeaten run to the title.

Game 1

9/10/76 — Pascagoula 14, South Natchez 8

The Panthers struggled through a sloppy first game marred with penalties and fumbles. However, the defense held the Generals to 18 yards rushing and just a pair of first downs in the second half. Pascagoula senior standout tailback Ray Charles “Rooster” Jones scores in the final minute to seal the win.

Game 2

9/17/76 — Pascagoula 36, Laurel 7

The Panther offense rolled into high gear with rushing scores by Jones and fullback Ricky Conerly. Quarterback Guice Smith threw a scoring pass to Billy Collins as well. The Panther defense continued its dominance with a sack and swarming the Laurel ball carriers. Jones finished with 179 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Game 3

9/24/76 — Pascagoula 27, McComb 12

Rooster Jones racked up 245 yards on 23 carries and scored all four PHS touchdowns in the win. The Panthers’ defense continued its brutal hitting while blocking a punt, recovering a fumble, and intercepting a pass. Panther head coach Johnny Woitt credited tight end Jerry Walley with a good game, and guard Marc Massengale and Conerly were cited for great blocking, On defense, linebackers Mark Brown and Ricky Rozzell were singled out for a tremendous game.

Game 4

10/1/76 — Pascagoula 23, Gulfport East 21

This clash between the No. 2 and No. 3 teams in the state would determine the winner of the Big Eight Coastal Zone and probably propel the winner to the top spot in the Mississippi rankings. Both teams were stacked with future college signees on both sides of the ball.

The game stayed relatively close early, but the Vikings started to take the momentum in the second half. The game came down to two critical plays, one on offense and one on defense. Pascagoula’s Lynn Thomas stepped in front of Phil Freightman to intercept a Joe “747” Adams pass and give the Panthers new life. On the ensuing drive, PHS back-up quarterback Lloyd Palmer hit Billy Collins on a critical third and nine situation to keep what would be the game tying drive alive. The Panther defense added the winning margin when Kurt Schoenberger recovered a Robert Hicks fumble in the end zone for a safety.

Game 5

10/8/76 — Pascagoula 28, North Natchez 6

The Panthers, now ranked second in the state, face the Rams who are led by future Heisman Trophy runner-up Hugh Green, who played both ways. North Natchez was undefeated and No. 3 in the state before kickoff. Jones gained 174 yard on 24 carries and scored three touchdowns. The defense held the Rams to 99 yards rushing and 96 yards passing while intercepting three passes and recovering two fumbles.

Game 6

10/15/176 — Pascagoula 43, Gulfport 0

The Panther offense racked up 421 rushing yards and six touchdowns. The defense had two goal line stands on the way to a shut out. Jones gained 187 yards on 39 carries and scored three touchdowns, while passing the 1,000 yard mark for the season. The bullish Conerly added a pair of touchdowns in the win as well. The win vaulted the Panthers to the number one spot in the Mississippi statewide prep poll as conducted by The Associated Press.

Game 7

10/22/76 — Pascagoula 35, Meridian 0

Jones ran for  197 yards on 30 carries despite being ejected from the game toward the end of the third quarter. Conerly had a touchdown. Guice Smith had a big passing night, with Billy Collins enjoying a solid night on the receiving end. Back up tailback Guy Summerlin, even threw a wobbly touchdown pass to Collins toward the end of the game.

Coach Woitt praised the defense, recognizing Walter Thornton, Bill Adams, Johnny Olsen, and Stacey Carmichael. Olsen had an interception in the game.

Game 8

10/29/76 _ Pascagoula 28, Biloxi 0

Jones rushed for 208 yards and all of four of the Panther touchdowns. The defense held Biloxi to 108 total yards and six first downs while tallying another shutout. This win clinched the Coastal Zone Championship for the Panthers.

Game 9

11/5/76 — Pascagoula 22, Hattiesburg 0

The Panther defense produced yet another shutout as PHS celebrated Homecoming with a win to make the record 9-0. Jones scored on a run and caught a touchdown pass, and the PHS defense, led by Kelly Cochran, recorded five sacks in the win.

Game 10

11/12/76 — Pascagoula 14, Moss Point 7

The Panthers wrapped up the regular season with an exciting win in the annual “Battle of the Cats” at Dantzler Stadium along the banks of the Escatawpa River. The rival Tigers kept the game close throughout, and Jones was limited a bit by an ankle injury.The game came down to a key goal line stand at the end of the game with the Panthers holding off the Tigers. Roderick Buford capped off the win with and interception, and Pascagoula finished the regular season unbeaten at 10-0.

Game 11

11/19/76 — Big 8 South State championship: Pascagoula 12, North Natchez 6

Played on a sloppy War Memorial Stadium surface due to heavy rain, the game marked a rematch of the regular season showdown between the Rams and the Panthers. Pascagoula defensive back Roderick Buford recovered a fumble and blocked a punt to set up the two Panther scores. Both scores came on runs by quarterback Guice Smith. Defensively for PHS, Kelly Cochran had a key sack and Johny Olsen added an interception. Jones was still nursing his ankle injury and saw limited time.

Game 12

11/27/76 — Big Eight State Championship: Pascagoula 21, Greenville 0

The game was played on the Friday after Thanksgiving in War Memorial Stadium, and it marked the first meeting between the two squads on the gridiron in almost 30 years since the Panthers beat the Hornets for the state title in 1947. Pascagoula won this one as well.

Jones still wasn’t 100 percent, although he did score a touchdown, and his teammates picked up the slack. Mike Clancy blocked one punt and Pappy Thomas blocked another to set up two of the Panther scores with Joey Stevens falling on the first in the end zone. Junior Lloyd Palmer finished the game at QB as starter Guice Smith suffered a concussion.

Jones finished the season with a then Jackson County prep rushing record of 1,876 yards and 28 touchdowns. He almost certainly would have cracked the almost unheard of at that time 2,000 yard rushing barrier and scored 30 times if not for the injury that limited his ability over the final three games of the season. Coach Woitt praised the PHS senior offensive linemen for their leadership. Greenville had been widely considered one of the toughest defenses to run on.

The Panthers lined up on the 40 yard line as a team and ran a final 40 yard sprint to the end zone. The 40 yard sprint had been the foundation to their superior team conditioning from the first day of fall practice until they hoisted the gold football high above War Memorial Stadium on the last day of the postseason.