By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

WIGGINS — Stone standout running back Ayden Green made sure his Tomcats stayed alive in the chase for the state playoffs Friday night.

The Tomcat junior ran roughshod over visiting Vancleave, ripping off 247 yards on just nine carries and scoring four touchdowns as the Tomcats thumped the Bulldogs 59-20 in Region 4-5A action.

The win was the first in the region race of the season for the defending league champ Stone, as it moves to 4-4 overall and 1-2 in the loop. Vancleave is now 2-6 overall, after losing five straight games, and the Bulldogs are 0-3 in the region race and will in all likelihood miss the state playoffs for the second straight season and for the third time in the past six seasons.

The Tomcats, behind a strong ground game that piled up almost 500 yards on the ground, never trailed and jumped out to a quick and commanding 28-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Green got things rolling with a 25-yard scoring scamper, and then his running mate in the backfield Amarion Fairley dashed 53-yards for a touchdown to make it 14-0 just seven minutes in.

Stone quarterback Zander Howard then raced 38-yards for a score, and Green answered with a 45-yard touchdown run to make it 28-0 as the second quarter got started.

Green then sprinted 75-yards for a score in the second quarter to seal the deal.

Howard added a 25-yard scoring keeper in the second half as well. And Green wrapped up his impressive worksheet with a 45-yard touchdown jaunt late in the third frame.

Fairley chipped in 121 yards on 10 tries and the one score for Stone.

Meanwhile, after a win over East Central Friday night Wayne County leads Region 4-5A at 3-0. while both the Hornets and Purvis are at 2-1. Stone and Northeast Jones are both 1-2, but the Tigers beat the Tomcats 31-21 two weeks ago.