Pascagoula vs. Moss Point
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Moss Point
edges 'Goula
Saturday, September 13, 2008
By
COLLIN MICKLE
MOSS POINT — Raqueem Richmond could hardly believe his eyes. The
Moss Point senior defensive back had already
intercepted three Pascagoula
passes in Friday night's game at Dantzler Stadium. Now, with just 53 seconds
left and Pascagoula gunning for a game-tying
touchdown, Panthers quarterback Jerell Dallas was challenging Richmond again.
Richmond
intercepted that pass, giving him four in the game. The interception snuffed
Pascagoula's final drive, clinched a wild 28-21 victory for
Moss Point, and left
Richmond
almost speechless.
"I
was surprised he would throw it at me," he said of Dallas' final pass. "I think everybody was
surprised that he'd be throwing the ball at a guy who already had three picks in
the game. But I just made a play."
Richmond wasn't the only one
making plays for Moss Point
(2-1). The Tigers rolled out a dominant run game, racking up 315 yards on the
ground.
Byron James had 91 yards on eight carries, Joseph Snell added 73 on 14 carries
and Reggie Matthews had 58 yards on 11 carries. That powerful run game helped
take pressure off freshman quarterback Joseph Kirkland, who made his first
career start in the traditional rivalry game. "We needed that, to help Joseph
Kirkland get settled," Moss Point coach Lewis Sims said. "It really
helped." But despite Moss Point's big game on the
ground and Richmond's huge day on defense, the game came down to one
final possession, with Pascagoula
(1-1) — after yet another second-half comeback — driving to tie the game.
The Panthers scored 14 of their 21 points after halftime, including a 10-yard
touchdown run by Eric Wills with 3:40 to play that pulled Pascagoula within a touchdown, 28-21. "Our
kids never quit," Pascagoula
head coach Scott Sisson said. "They played hard and never gave up, and that gave
us a chance."
Pascagoula's
defense forced a three-and-out on the ensuing Moss Point possession, taking over with 1:43
left. After two Dallas
runs and a short completion to Tim Johnson, the Panthers had first-and-10 on
their own 42 and called a deep pass play.
The receiver appeared to have
a step on Richmond,
but the ball hung in the swirling wind, which had whipped around the field
throughout the game. That gave Richmond
enough time to recover.
He
did just that, snaring the pass and touching off a wild celebration on Moss Point's sidelines.
"I'm so proud for Rock," Sims said. "He's been working hard all summer, and he's
becoming the leader we expected him to be. In big games, your leaders have to
step up, and that's what he did."
Richmond
credited his teammates for his big night. "The defensive line pressured the
quarterback all night, and they made him force some throws," he said. "Plus, I
work against the best receivers on the coast every day in practice, and that
gets me prepared to face anybody."
Moss Point
(2-1) never trailed. Snell had a 7-yard touchdown run on the Tigers' first
possession and added a 23-yard run on the second as Moss Point took a 14-0 lead.
Pascagoula
(1-1) got on the board late in the second, when
Dallas
threw a 38-yard touchdown pass to Travis Bradley. But Moss
Point regained its 14-point edge when Kirkland scored on a 5-yard run with 54
seconds to play in the half. Antone Thornton scored
Pascagoula's second touchdown, a 9-yard run in the third
quarter. Kirkland
threw a 17-yard touchdown pass to DeAdrian Terry early in the fourth quarter to
give Moss Point
a 28-14 lead.
Dallas finished with 49 yards
rushing and 88 passing for Pascagoula.
Both teams begin region play next Friday. Pascagoula
plays at Picayune and Moss Point
plays Gautier at War Memorial Stadium.
