Panthers power through Biloxi with monster second half, 38-27

Petal fans who trekked to the coast got to celebrate as the Panthers took out Biloxi, 38-27, on Friday night to advance to South State. (Photo by David Gustafson)

Posted 10:54 p.m.

By JOSH MLOT
Sports Editor

BILOXI — When the engine’s rolling, get out of the way.

The Petal football team struggled mightily to fire up the engine on offense in the first half before exploding for 338 second-half yards thanks to some clutch plays from its key players, as the Panthers came back from a 20-9 third-quarter deficit to bounce Biloxi, 38-27, and secure a rematch with Meridian at South State next week.

Senior quarterback Anthony Alford put on a show in a must-win situation, rushing for 159 yards and passing for another 145 as he took the team on his back in the second half, factoring in to Petal’s three unanswered second-half touchdowns, including a go-ahead rush from nine yards out with 7:37 left to play.

“What can you say?” Petal head coach Steve Buckley said. “I’ve seen him for four years. Great players make great plays and he’s a great player. I thought Anthony took the ballgame over with his legs, and sometimes you’ve got to do that.”

“We dropped some balls early and we didn’t play well offensively early in the game. But it goes back to willing yourself to win, and this football believed in each other and believed in what we’re doing and they will their way through this thing.”

Akeem Pollard led the Panthers with 89 yards receiving, the biggest of which was a 23-yard grab in the end zone that drew Petal within 3, 27-24, late in the third quarter. It was a moment of redemption for Pollard, who had dropped multiple passes earlier in the half and then reeled in what looked like a 57-yard score only to fumble the ball away into the end zone.

Jamarcus Revies ran three times for 55 yards, all in the second half. He took his first touch of the game 43 yards to paydirt halfway through the third.

“That was the biggest thing we said at halftime — we’ve got to get the ball in Jamarcus’ hands,” Buckley said.

Biloxi quarterback Jaylen Woullard ran for 119 yards and a touchdown and threw for 154 more yards and two more scores on 8-of-22 passing. He also tossed two interceptions, including a critical one snagged by Johna Myers with seconds remaining in the game that sealed the win for Petal.

The Panther defense came out on a mission, dropping the Indians for a loss on 11 first-half plays. But with the offense struggling mightily the gassed defense couldn’t hold forever. It did just enough to keep things close at half, as field goals of 18 and 42 yards from Biloxi kicker Grayson Pontius gave the hosts a 13-9 advantage going to the break.

Petal QB Anthony Alford led a second-half offensive revival, running for 159 yards, passing for 145 and scoring three touchdowns to lead his team to victory over Biloxi. (Photo by David Gustafson)

“It was frustrating because they played so well early,” Buckley said. “I thought the defense played a great first half and we ended up going into the half down. But our locker room was great at half time.”

On the Indians’ first play of the second half Woullard broke 64 yards through the defense for a touchdown and a 20-9 advantage, and when Pollard fumbled the ball away on the ensuing possession it felt like a back-breaking moment.

But the Panther defense forced a punt and Revies broke through with the kind of explosive play the visitors needed. An Alford plunge over the pile on the two-point conversion try brought Petal within a field goal, 20-17.

Woullard responded with a 37-yard toss to Scott Austin (five catches, 98 yards) that made things 27-17, but it was the last time a high-powered Biloxi offense got onto the board.

Alford, who ran for 121 yards in the second half, drove his team towards the red zone before hooking up with Pollard on a 23-yard score with 38 seconds remaining in the third frame.

The Petal defensive line held the Indians at bay on the next two possessions, thanks to a sack by G’Monee Brown that dropped Woullard back 12 yards and two tackles in the backfield from junior Haydn Lott. Brown had five tackles on the night. Those two defensive stands sandwiched Alford’s go-ahead nine-yard run, bouncing off tacklers and stumbling over the goal line for a 31-27 lead with 7:37 left on the clock.

“(The offense) did what they had to do, and we did what we had to do (on defense) to help them out too,” Lott said.

Biloxi kept hope alive when Austin reeled in a 41-yard heave that was deflected up by defensive back Revies, but when Woullard went looking for the end zone moments later, Myers dove in front.

Petal originally took a 6-0 lead with less than a minute in the first half with its ninth punt block of the season, with Lucas Dixon getting through the line and getting a hand on the ball and Jalen Boney scooping it up and running it in. Boney also led the red-and-white on defense with 10 stops.

The punt block was a bit of a consolation after Petal had driven down to the 12 yard line only to see running back Terrance Payne (10 carries, 46 yards) cough the ball up.

“The whole team has got to keep believing in each other,” Buckley said, “and that’s what this team is all about. The kicking game had the big blocked punt early in the game; the defense came out and played their tails off. We stuck together.”

Panther kicker Austin Franklin booted one through the uprights from 31 yards out three and a half minutes into the second for a 9-0 advantage — set up by a Jesse Jackson 39-yard interception return — but four minutes later Woullard hit McCormick form 31 yards out to pull things close at 9-7.

Petal now travels to Meridian, 16-0 winners over Meridian on Friday night, for a South State meeting. The game is a rematch from a testy game earlier this season in which the Wildcats scraped out a 14-6 win as tempers flared at the game’s end.

“It’s a big step for us,” Lott said. “I’m happy to go, but I’m ready to do what we have to do to win. I’m glad we get another shot (at Meridian), but it’s just another game.”

Buckley wasn’t even thinking that far ahead.

“It’s an honor to go to South State,” Buckley said, “but I want to enjoy this one first and we’ll talk about Meridian tomorrow.”

NOTES: Despite running only half as many plays as Biloxi in the first half, and ultimately losing that battle 65-51, Petal won the battle of possession 25:20 to 22:40. … Biloxi’s top tackler was senior defensive lineman Demetric Antione, who had nine stops.

Check out the full photo gallery of game action…

PETAL 38
BILOXI 27

Score by Quarter
Petal              6     3   15   14—38
Biloxi            0   13   14     0—27

Scoring Summary
First Quarter
P—Boney 20 punt block return, (kick failed), :57.
Second Quarter
P—Franklin 31 field goal, 8:31.
B—McCormick 31 pass from Woullard, (Pontius kick), 4:25.
B—Pontius 18 field goal, 2:12.
B—Pontius 42 field goal, :01.
Third Quarter
B—Woullard 64 run, (Pontius kick), 10:13.
P—Revies 42 run, (Alford run), 6:08.
B—Austin 37 pass from Woullard, (Pontius kick), 4:42.
P—Pollard 23 pass from Alford, (Franklin kick), :38.
Fourth Quarter
P—Alford 9 run, (Reynolds kick), 7:37.
P—Alford 4 run, (Franklin kick), 2:50.

TEAM STATISTICS
P                   B
First Downs                19                     19
Rushes-Yards               34-290               43-187
Att-Comp-Int               6-17-1               8-22-2
Passing Yards              145                   154
Total Plays-Yards         51-435               65-351
Fumbles-Lost              2-2                    0-0
Punts-Yardage              1-28.0               6-25.3
Penalties-Yards            4-44                  9-52

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing
Petal—Alford 28-159, Revies 3-55, Payne 10-46, Barkurn 2-11, Team 1-(-1).
Biloxi—Woullard 25-119, McCormick 2-48, Martin 12-29, Austin 1-9, Hasan 2-2, Team 1-(-20).
Passing
Petal—Alford 6-of-17, 145 yds., TD, Int.
Biloxi—Woullard 8-of-21, 164 yds., 2 TDs, 2 Ints.; Team 0-of-1.
Receiving
Petal—Pollard 3-89, Jackson 1-37, Revies 1-10, Barkurn 1-10.
Biloxi—Austin 5-98, McCormick 2-53, Wright 1-13.