By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

GULFPORT — Defending Class 7A state champion Gulfport scored 13 points on Friday the 13th.

And that wasn’t enough.

Visiting Brandon out-scored the Admirals 14-3 in the second half, overcoming a 10-0 halftime deficit in the process to stun Gulfport 21-13 in the opening round of the Class 7A South State playoffs.

The win ends the campaign for the reigning state champs at 9-2, while the Bulldogs head to the second round at 8-3 overall.

The game was a rematch of last year’s South State championship game, in which Gulfport thumped Brandon 40-7. But the 13 points were the fewest for the Admirals at home in over two years, since a 42-0 loss to these Bulldogs in late Sept., of 2024.

Also, Brandon earned the win without the services of standout running back and recently named “Class 7A Mr. Football” Tyson Robinson, as the University of Michigan commit was out with an injury.

“Our guys played their butts off, and that’s what we asked them to do” BHS head coach Eugene Clinton said. “Our guys knew what happened last year. I’m so proud of them.”

The home team not only took a 10-0 lead into the waning moments of the first half, but also managed to keep Brandon off the scoreboard through the first 23 minutes and change of that span as well.

Gulfport got 13-yard scoring run from running back Amijai Frederick at the 4:02 mark of the first quarter. as well as the ensuing extra point plus a 20-yard field goal with one minute to play in the second period from place-kicker Shaw Killebrew to take that aforementioned 10-0 lead.

But the Bulldogs quickly came alive and marched right down the field to get an 18-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Sladen Shack to wide out Josh Parker to draw within 10-7 at halftime.

It was a harbinger of things to come.

All the Admirals got in the second half was a 31-yard field goal from Killebrew mid-way through the third frame the rest of the way.

Meanwhile, the same Shack-to-Parker combination struck again from 28-yards out with just 0:49 left in the third frame, and suddenly the visitors had their first lead of the night at 14-13.

Bulldog defender Brandon Steele picked off Gulfport quarterback Jackson Wolverton in the end zone for a touchback with eight minutes to play.

Then, on the biggest play of the night, Parker found Cam Hartfield on double pass for a 20-yard scoring strike on a 4th-and-12 situation with just over two minutes to play to make it 21-13.

Brandon defender Gavin Washington then picked off Wolverton seconds later to seal the deal.

“There were a lot of key moments in the game,” Gulfport head coach Blake Pennock said. “Several trips in the redzone that we couldn’t turn into touchdowns and they converted some big fourth downs into touchdowns. Credit to Brandon for making the plays to win the game.”

Despite Robinson’s absence, Brandon tailback Kingson Mays helped the Bulldogs control the ground game with 157 yards on 32 carries.

“I’ve said all year that we have two great running backs,” Clinton concluded. “I’m just so grateful for how he responded.”