Pascagoula looks to remain hot in South State title

PASCAGOULA, Miss. (WLOX) - Pascagoula will host a South State title game Friday night for the first time since the magical undefeated 1987 season. Fresh off an overtime victory over Hattiesburg last week, the Panthers are five weeks removed from their last loss - a hard-fought battle against East Central.

But the season didn’t start on as high of a note as it ended, as Pascagoula was 1-2 through its first three games. From there, sophomore quarterback Keilon Parnell helped lead the offense through an explosive stretch, averaging over 36 points per contest from that point forward.

The PHS Panthers defeated Hattiesburg 35-32 in overtime in the second round of the playoffs!! We will play for South State next Friday! #workofheart #TeamPHS
Posted by Pascagoula High School on Friday, November 20, 2020

And just two months after the 1-2 start, the Panthers are a win away from playing for all the marbles.

“Can I get two claps and Ric Flair? Woo!” head coach Lewis Sims exclaimed before practice Thursday. “If you’re practicing on Thursday morning, on Thanksgiving, you’ve done something right. Our guys have always believed in what we’re doing, it’s just a matter of going out and executing in critical moments and making sure we take care of ourselves and take care of what we do.”

“Really just more confident than nervous,” Parnell said. “I feel like we’re mentally ready and physically ready. It’s not anything new to us right now.”

“It really means a lot to a lot of us, especially us seniors,” senior linebacker Karon Leverette said. “It’s what we’ve been working for. For the past few years, and even during quarantine, we’ve been working for this moment. And now we got it.”

The Pascagoula Panthers take on West Jones this Friday at War Memorial Stadium! Tickets must be purchased through...
Posted by Pascagoula-Gautier School District Athletics Department on Tuesday, November 24, 2020