GULFPORT – It’s been a long time coming for the Gulfport Admirals.
In fact, President Bill Clinton was wrapping up his last year in office the last time the Admirals advanced to South State.
But tonight, after 26 years, Gulfport has finally broken through. The Admirals left no doubt in a dominating 45-10 win over Petal, ending the Panthers’ storied season. Petal had a lot of accomplishments this season, but ultimately the offensive inconsistencies were the Panthers’ downfall.
“They’ve got a really good football team,” Petal coach Marcus Boyles said. “They took it to us. I’m proud of our kids — they never quit — but we just couldn’t get anything going on either side of the ball.”
Gulfport quarterback Parker Nettles was nearly flawless, completing 10 of 15 passes for 189 yards, two touchdowns and an interception, while adding a rushing score. Running back Cooper Crosby powered the Admirals on the ground with 18 carries for 143 yards and two touchdowns, consistently gashing Petal’s front.
Gulfport left no doubt from the jump
Four plays into the game, Gulfport was already winning. Nettles found Deuce McDonald streaking down the middle of the field wide open for a 55-yard touchdown, flexing its newly powered offense immediately.
The Panthers’ offense picked up one first down and then punted back to Gulfport, and the Admirals took just two snaps to score again.
Nettles hit Amijai Frederick in stride for a 57-yard touchdown, stretching the lead to 14-0 midway through the first quarter. Gulfport had run six offensive plays and produced 144 yards.
Boyles got into a heated argument with the officials after that touchdown, arguing that Frederick had not properly checked back in. The flag was thrown, but after a lengthy discussion the head official decided to pick up the flag.
Petal finally was able to put a drive together after going down 14-0. Running back Acely Brown had some nice runs to put Petal in scoring position, but they stalled inside the 5 and had to settle for a short field goal to cut the lead to 14-3.
A potential spark – and then the unraveling
Gulfport got the ball back after the field goal, and Nettles had his pass tipped up in the air and intercepted by Petal defensive back Dashawn Jones, who returned it 20 yards for a touchdown, trimming the lead to 14-10 and giving the Panthers a much-needed spark on the sideline. But Gulfport didn’t blink.
The Admirals rattled off 10 straight points, extending the lead to 24-10 late in the second quarter and regaining complete control.
Then came the sequence that broke the game open.
Petal, desperate for a stabilizing drive before halftime, instead suffered a crushing mistake. Belton threw an interception deep in his own territory, and Gulfport returned it to the 2-yard line. Nettles cashed in three plays later on a quarterback power to push the advantage to 31-10 heading into the break.
“That was huge,” Boyles said. “Their kid made a great play on the screen, and it flipped the field. If we get that over his head, we’ve got a big gain, but instead it’s a turnover. And they capitalized.”
From there, the Admirals never let Petal back into the game.
Second half was all Gulfport
Gulfport leaned on Crosby and its offensive line to chew clock and bury the Panthers’ hopes. Crosby ripped off chunk runs throughout the third quarter, and the Admirals added two second-half touchdowns to put the game out of reach.
Petal’s offense, which had battled inconsistency all season, never found any footing. Acely Brown led the Panthers with 10 carries for 51 yards, while Chavez Walker added 35 yards on seven attempts, but Petal rarely moved the ball across midfield until late, meaningless possessions.
The Admirals’ defensive front consistently pushed the pocket, forced Belton into rushed throws and swallowed up run lanes before they ever opened. Petal finished with well under 300 yards of total offense.
“They made plays,” Boyles said. “We just couldn’t match it. But our kids fought to the very end.”
In Boyles’ two seasons back as Petal’s head coach the progress is undeniable. He led both campaigns to 8-5 records and back-to-back appearances in the 7A quarterfinals.
While losing in the second round in back-to-back seasons stings, the Panthers have a bright future ahead.
The Panthers also return a strong core next fall, something Boyles believes should position them to push even deeper in 2025.
“The future’s bright,” Boyles said. “We’ve got a good nucleus back. We’ve just got to build on it and get better.”
Gulfport moves on to face Brandon in next week’s South State championship — one win away from its first state title appearance since 1982.
