Football Game Preview: Picayune Maroon Tide vs. Gautier Gators + Official Tickets

Picayune is a perfect 9-0 against Gautier since September of 2015 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Friday. The Maroon Tide will square off against the Gators at 7:00 p.m. Picayune will be looking to extend their current four-game winning streak.

On Friday, Picayune humbled Long Beach with a 42-7 victory. Given the Maroon Tide's advantage in MaxPreps' Mississippi football rankings (they are ranked 13th, while the Bearcats are ranked 172nd) , the win wasn't entirely unexpected.

Meanwhile, Gautier was just a hair shy of victory on Friday and fell 28-27 to Hancock. Despite 190 more yards than the Hawks, the Gators couldn't convert that extra yardage to scores.

Picayune will need to focus on slowing down A'shaun Tubbs, one of several Gautier players who made an impact when they last played. He picked up 179 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Tubbs really caught the secondary sleeping when he pulled down a catch that went for 73 yards. Another player making a difference was Kasin Thomas, who picked up 140 receiving yards and a pair of scores.

Gautier has traveled a rocky road recently, having lost three of their last four contests. That's put a noticeable dent in their 3-5 record this season. Even worse, they were so close so many times: the losses came by an average of only 2.33 points. As for Picayune, their victory bumped their record up to 7-1.

Friday's game might be decided in the trenches. Picayune has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 327.5 rushing yards per game. It's a different story for Gautier, though, as they've been averaging only 89 rushing yards. How will they fare against such a dominant running game?

Everything came up roses for Picayune against Gautier when the teams last played back in November of 2022, as the team secured a 49-14 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Maroon Tide since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.