Two dominant backs in Amarie Jackson and Latrell Pogue are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Pascagoula Panthers will be playing in front of their home fans against the Gautier Gators at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Pascagoula has three straight wins, Gautier has three straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
Pascagoula's defense heads into the contest hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Friday. They took their matchup with ease, bagging a 35-0 victory over Hancock. Considering the Panthers have won four games by more than 32 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
It was another big night for Sean Norvel, who rushed for 89 yards and one TD.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: Pascagoula was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 330 rushing yards. They are 4-1 when they've run for more than 200 yards.
Pascagoula's defense stepped up as well, laying out the QB five times. That dominant display was truly a team effort as five different players picked up one apiece. Creevy Harness was another major factor on D, picking up a sack and making six total tackles (4.0 for loss).
Meanwhile, Gautier was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap on Friday as they fell 35-31 to Picayune. While losing is never fun, the Gators can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Mississippi football rankings (they are ranked 114th, while the Maroon Tide are ranked 18th).
Despite the loss, Gautier saw an underclassman step up: freshman Keon McNeil threw for 248 yards and three touchdowns, and also punched in one rushing score. The Gators' leading receiver Kasin Thomas was McNeil's top target yet again, picking up 85 receiving yards and one score.
Pascagoula's win bumped their record up to 4-5. As for Gautier, their defeat dropped their record down to 3-6.
Thursday's contest might be decided in the trenches. Pascagoula has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 205.3 rushing yards per game. It's a different story for Gautier, though, as they've been averaging only 78.1 rushing yards. How will they fare against such a dominant running game?
Pascagoula couldn't quite get it done against Gautier when the teams last played back in September of 2024 as they fell 38-31. Will the Panthers have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more football content.
