On Friday, Ocean Springs faced Northwest Rankin in a battle between two of the state's top teams. The Ocean Springs Greyhounds were just a hair shy of victory and fell 29-28 to the Northwest Rankin Cougars. The Greyhounds just can't catch a break and have now endured four losses in a row dating back to last season.
Ocean Springs' defeat came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Will Smith, who rushed for 112 yards and a touchdown.
Ocean Springs wouldn't let Northwest Rankin keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force two fumbles. Ocean Springs can thank Brody Saenz and Bryant Ausmer for forcing both of them. Saenz is also on a roll when it comes to total tackles, as he's now made nine or more in the last three games he's played dating back to last season. Another thorn in Northwest Rankin's side was Jacolby Bailey, who made 11 total tackles (2.0 for loss).
Even though they lost, Ocean Springs was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 264 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 191 rushing yards in five consecutive matchups dating back to last season.
Ocean Springs' loss dropped their record down to 0-3. As for Northwest Rankin, they now have a winning record of 2-1.
Ocean Springs will face off against Natchez at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Natchez will roll in looking for their fourth straight victory, something Ocean Springs surely won't give up without a fight. As for Northwest Rankin, they will square off against Madison Central at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
