Petal rides punt blocks to 31-14 win over Hattiesburg

Posted 11:15 p.m.

By JOSH MLOT
Sports Editor

PETAL — The Panthers’ new black uniforms looked fashionable. The play on the field, on the other hand, didn’t always fit that bill.

It wasn’t always pretty, but Petal’s special teams came through in a big way, blocking two punts for touchdowns and forcing a safety on another as the Panthers dropped rival Hattiesburg 37-14 at Panther Stadium in Petal in a Region 3-6A opener that was closer than the final score indicated.

Petal wide receiver Jesse Jackson goes up to tip and then catch a touchdown pass over Hattiesburg's Emory Ireland on Friday night at Panther Stadium in Petal. The home side won 37-14. (Photo by Josh Mlot)

The Tigers (2-3, 0-1 Region 3-6A) actually out-did Petal (2-3, 1-0) on offense, running 70 plays for 262 yards compared to the Panthers’ 39 for 160. But the special teams gaffes and penalties (nine for 73 yards compared to the home side’s one penalty for three yards) were extremely costly for Hattiesburg and left too big a hole to dig out of.

“It was a new life for us,” Petal head coach Steve Buckley said. “We’ve taken our lumps the last three weeks, but I thought we started fast and finished strong.”

Senior linebacker Hunter Linton twice got through the line on punts, cleanly blocking the ball off the boot of the Tigers’ Marlin Pope before sophomore teammate Jalen Boney scooped up the loose ball and rolled into the end zone, first for 28 yards with 8:25 left in the first quarter and then for 29 yards with five and a half minutes left in the first half.

“It was something that we had worked on and it was there for us,” Linton said. “It wasn’t just me, it was everyone out there that made the play happen.”

The initial block got the Panthers on the board, 7-0, while the second one gave them a 21-0 lead. A third punt, at 4:07 of the second quarter, was snapped high over Pope’s head and out of the back of the end zone for a safety and 23-0 advantage.

“We thought we had something and we took advantage of that,” Buckley said. “We spend a lot of time on special times and we’ve always done that.

“We didn’t do a whole lot of things different, we just challenged our kids in all three phases of the game — offensively, defensively and in the kicking game. ”

Linton also had a number of key stops on defense, as well as a sack.

“Hunter’s played well all year. He’s a senior and we expect a lot from him.”

Petal senior linebacker Hunter Linton made a number of key stops on defense against Hattiesburg on Friday night, as well as two punt blocks that directly led to scores. (Photo by Josh Mlot)

Panther quarterback Anthony Alford was held to 11 carries for 59 yards and 2-of-4 for 40 yards through the air, but both of his completions — both to Jesse Jackson — were of the scoring variety, on strikes of 15 and 25 yards. Alford was also intercepted once.

Running back Terrance Payne added a 5-yard run late in the first half to take a 30-0 advantage to halftime.

Lee Jackson led Hattiesburg with 68 rushing yards on 13 carries — all in the second half — while senior quarterback Darien Brown was 7-of-14 for 131 yards and a TD. Freshman QB Cameron Myers was 2-of-5 for 14 yards.

Brandon Acker caught three balls for 39 yards and a fourth-quarter score, while DeAnthony Williams led the Tigers with 41 yards receiving on two catches.

Despite a defensive start to the game, Petal struck quickly. After both sides went three-and-out to begin the game, Linton broke through for his first punt block, and Boney took the ball to the house for a 7-0 lead less than four minutes into the showdown.

Even with a 7-0 advantage, the Panthers weren’t able to get the offense going. The Tigers managed to control the ball, even while being forced to punt, and when Hattiesburg cornerback Emory Ireland picked off an Alford pass late in the first quarter it kept the home side scratching its head offensively.

The tide turned when a fake punt attempt by the Tigers went for naught and gave Petal great starting position at midfield. Larson Barkurn was then able to push the offense forward on the ground, and Alford found Jackson in the right side of the end zone for a 14-0 lead.

Momentum really swung just three plays later, when Linton and Boney combined on another punt block and return, giving the home side a three-touchdown lead midway through the second quarter.

“Hattieburg’s really good on defense,” Buckley said, “they really are, and we knew that coming in. But it was a huge play to get that blocked punt and get points on the board. Heck, when you’re 1-3 you’ll take points any way you can get them, and I thought it was a huge swing for us momentum-wise.”

Hattiesburg’s nightmare got even worse on it’s next position, running three plays for no yardage and then watching a high, sailing punt snap fly out of the back of the end zone for two more points Petal’s way.

The Panthers took advantage of getting the ball back as well, as the Tigers continued to impolode. A facemask penalty on the first play of the drive gave the hosts a boost, and another Hattiesburg flag two plays later pushed Petal deep into Tiger territory before Payn stacked together runs of eight and five yards to cap the drive with a touchdown. Payne finished the night with 10 carries for 36 yards.

The score gave Petal a comfortable 30-0 advantage at halftime and was a sigh of relief for a team that has played in nip-and-tuck games every week.

Hattiesburg running back Tony Bridges breaks around the edge of the Petal defense on Friday night. The Tigers were able to rack up some yards and first downs, but couldn't find enough ways to get into the end zone. (Photo by Josh Mlot)

But Hattiesburg game out driving after the break. Jackson took over in the backfield, grinding the ball all the way down to the 1-yard line. Just when it looked like Petal had made a great defensive stand, forcing fourth down, a pass interference call in the end zone kept the drive alive and allowed Jackson to cap it with a 4-yard run.

Petal responded by recovering an onsides kick attempt by the Tigers, then got a big, 29-yard scamper from Alford to drive toward the red zone. Two plays later Alford lofted the ball to Jackson, who tipped the ball up over Ireland and then reeled in the floating football for a 37-8 lead with 2:02 left in the third quarter.

Brown found his rhythm when Hattiesburg got the ball back, hitting Terrance Flowers for a 34-yard gain, then tight end Marlin Pope — who had a rough night as the punter — for another 12 yards. Three plays later he connected with Acker for a 23-yard touchdown despite some contact initiated by Acker on the defensive back.

“We weren’t smart in cover 3 tonight,” Buckley said. “The field’s divided in three and you’ve got to stay behind it. We didn’t stay behind it at times.

“But I thought defensively we responded very well in the first half. We got some key stops and were flying around and playing as a whole unit.”

It looked like the Tigers were going to make things even tighter when they sat on the Petal 1 with just over a minute left to play, but a fumble on the snap was recovered by the Panthers to seal the final score.

Injured linebacker Jared Smith was held out of the game, as was wide receiver Jamarcus Revies, who is fighting a groin injury. Revies is expected back next week, while Smith is less certain. The Panthers have already lost starting linebacker Carlton Burger to an ACL tear.

“We hope to get Jared back next week,” Buckley said, “and obviously we won’t get Carlton back — he’s at home watching on the Internet. But defensively some young guys had their chances, and I want to get back and watch the tape. The biggest thing is we’ve got to play hard, and young guys, when it’s their turn, they’ve got to play.”

Hattiesburg will host No. 3 Meridian (5-0, 1-0) next week. The Wildcats dispatched of previously undefeated Natchez with ease on Friday night.

Petal next travels to archrival Oak Grove (5-0, 1-0), a 41-14 winner over previously undefeated Forrest Hill.

Be sure to check out the full photo gallery of game action…

PETAL 37
HATTIESBURG 14 

Score by Quarter
Hattiesburg                  0     0   8   6—14
Petal                               7   23   7   0—37

First Quarter
P—Boney 28 punt block return, (Franklin kick), 8:25.
Second Quarter
P—Jackson 15 pass from Alford, (Franklin kick), 7:43.
P—Boney 29 punt block return, (Franklin kick), 5:28.
P—Punt snap out of end zone for safety, 4:07.
P—Payne 5 run, (Franklin kick), 2:33.
Third Quarter
H—Jackson 4 run, (Acker pass from D. Brown), 4:51.
P—Jackson 25 pass from Alford, (Franklin kick), 2:02.
Fourth Quarter
H—Acker 23 pass from D. Brown, (pass failed), 11:28.

TEAM STATISTICS
H                  P
First Downs                  19             11
Rushes-Yards               50-117    34-120
Comp-Att-Int                9-20-0    2-5-1
Passing Yards              145          40
Total Plays-Yards       70-262    39-160
Fumbles-Lost                3-1           1-0
Punts-Avg.                     3-13.7     2-34.5
Pentlties-Yards             9-73        1-3

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing
Hattiesburg—Jackson 13-68, Bridges 6-56, Walker 11-23, D. Brown 5-16, Hammond 4-10, C. Myers 4-7, Martin 2-2, Croom 1-0, Team 4-(-65).
Petal—Alford 11-59, Payne 10-36, Waites 5-18, Barkurn 8-7.
Passing
Hattiesburg— D. Brown 7-of-14, 131 yds., TD; C. Myers 2-of-5, 14 yds.; Pope 0-of-1.
Petal—Alford 2-of-4, 40 yds., 2 TDs, Int.; Barkurn 0-of-1.
Receiving
Hattiesburg—Williams 2-41, Acker 3-39, Bridges 1-34, Boyd 1-14, Pop 1-12, Killings 1-5.
Petal—Jackson 2-40.