It can be hard to translate regular season success to the playoffs, but Ocean Springs had no problem doing just that on Friday. They walked away with a 24-17 win over the Northwest Rankin Cougars. For the Greyhounds, this counts as revenge for the 29-28 victory the Cougars walked away with the last time they faced one another back in September.
It was another big night for Will Smith, who rushed for 179 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 9.4 yards per carry. Those 179 rushing yards gave him a new career-high. Lucas Sinopoli was in the mix too, providing Ocean Springs with a touchdown.
Ocean Springs' defense stepped up as well, laying out the QB five times. Bryant Ausmer was particularly dangerous to the passing game, picking up three sacks himself. He has become a key player for Ocean Springs: the team is 5-1 when he posts at least two sacks, but 2-3 otherwise. Brody Saenz was another major factor on D, picking up a sack and making nine total tackles (3.0 for loss).
Ocean Springs pushed their record up to 7-4 with the win, which was their third straight at home. Those good results were due in large part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 7.7 points per game. As for Northwest Rankin, they are on a four-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 5-6.
Ocean Springs will square off against Oak Grove at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Oak Grove will roll in looking for their fifth straight victory, something Ocean Springs surely won't give up without a fight. Northwest Rankin does not have any more games scheduled as of now.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
