Football Game Preview: Picayune Maroon Tide vs. George County Rebels

By Team Reports Oct 26, 2023, 1:54pm

Preview: Picayune Maroon Tide vs. George County Rebels

Picayune is 3-0 against George County since October of 2014, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The Picayune Maroon Tide will head out on the road to face off against the George County Rebels at 7:00 p.m. Each of these teams will be battling to keep a three-game winning streak alive.

Picayune can now show off four landslide victories after their most recent matchup on Friday. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat Long Beach 42-7 on the road. Given Picayune's advantage in MaxPreps' Mississippi football rankings (they are ranked eighth, while Long Beach is ranked 154th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Picayune's success was spearheaded by the efforts of Niquis Ratcliff, who rushed for 87 yards and a touchdown, and Darrell Smith, who rushed for 135 yards and five touchdowns on only eight carries.

George County had a rough season last year, but they look ready to turn that poor record around this year. They claimed a resounding 54-19 victory over West Harrison at home. The result was nothing new for George County, who have now won three games by 21 points or more so far this season.

George County's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Deuce Knight led the charge by throwing for 323 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 13.5 yards per attempt, and also punching in two touchdowns on the ground. Another player making a difference was Montrell Dortch, who picked up 231 receiving yards and two touchdowns.

Their wins bumped Picayune to 6-2 and George County to 7-2.

Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Friday's game: Picayune has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 298.4 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like George County struggles in that department as they've been averaging 218.1 per game. It's looking like Friday's game might have some serious battles in the trenches.

Everything came up roses for Picayune against George County in their previous matchup back in October of 2022 as the squad secured a 56-7 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for Picayune since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.