The word 'heart' was how Petal quarterback Deljay Bailey described his team's performance after pulling off a 21-18 comeback win on Saturday night.
In the first half against rival Hattiesburg, the Panthers were beaten in every aspect of the game - offense, defense, and even special teams - but football is a game of two halves.
"We have some heart," Bailey said. "We have some guys that can play. We believe in each other on offense and defense even though we started slow."
With just under four minutes left in the game and on the Tigers' 7-yard line, Bailey opted to keep the ball himself and successfully dove for the endzone as he gave the Panthers' the lead after trailing 12-0 at halftime.
Instantly Bailey's arms shot up to signal a touchdown along with the officials as he gave the Panthers an 18-17 lead.
"I really wasn't trying to (score)," Bailey said. "It was instinct. I knew it was the game on the line, and I want the ball in my hands.
"We work hard. It all comes down to effort at practice and consistently doing things. If you believe in your team and your team believes in you, then you know you are going to come back."
To Bailey's point, it was undoubtedly an all-around team effort by Petal to flip the script on Hattiesburg.
Initially, the game was a true defensive battle, with each team managing to convert just one first down and eventually leaving the first quarter scoreless. Hattiesburg did suffer a setback on the game's physicality, which was losing starting quarterback Deuce Vance to an arm injury.
Despite losing their starter, backup quarterback Tavares Wade connected with Malcolm Boykin for a 72-yard catch that set up a 1-yard touchdown run for Dillon Brown. Hattiesburg held a 6-0 lead with the PAT being blocked.
The Panthers tried to answer but missed a 28-yard field goal, and one drive later, Hattiesburg scored again as Wade found Jackson Sanders for a 22-yard touchdown and pushed the lead to 12-0. The Hattiesburg defense also came up with a fumble that killed a promising drive for Petal midway through the quarter.
"I thought our wide receivers played young tonight in the first half," Petal coach Allen Glenn said. "We had to get with them at halftime. There were some things that we weren't doing out wide that we should have been.
"Defensively, I thought we played well all night. They were on the field the entire first half, and so I think our defense won the football game for us."
While Petal was turned away on offense, the Panther defense had equal success and helped control the time of possession. In the first half, Petal ran 36 plays and ran 73 by the end of the game.
"I think in the second half, we didn't do a very good job of finishing the game," Hattiesburg coach Tony Vance said. "Offensively, we were stagnant, more in the second half than the first half. The defense gave up some big plays, and special teams gave up some big plays. They outplayed us in all three phases of the game in the second half and outcoached us in the second half.
"It was way too many snaps for our defense. Offensively, we have to do a better job of getting first downs and at least give our defense a break."
Petal got on the board in the third quarter after running back Corey Toole ran for a 33-yard touchdown. A missed PAT kept the game at 12-6.
However, Hattiesburg answered as a 60-yard kickoff return helped set up a 6-yard touchdown run to extend the Tigers' lead to 18-6.
"I thought our offensive line took over the game in the fourth quarter," Glenn said. "We got our tempo gaming going a little bit. Ryan Poole and Corey Toole, our running backs, got going, and our offensive line kind of dominated the line of scrimmage."
But Petal continued to struggle as a flag erased a 55-yard touchdown pass and threw an interception. But momentum shifted in the fourth quarter, as Bailey connected with Cayden Burger for a 68-yard touchdown and cut the deficit to 18-13.
Injuries began to take their toll on Hattiesburg, with numerous players having to leave the game. Still, the biggest that occurred was losing Wade to an arm injury, which essentially left the Tigers without a reliable quarterback.
"I'm not sure how serious those injuries are; hopefully, they will be back next week," Vance said. "We always try to have at least two quarterbacks ready, but when you get down to your third, fourth, and fifth quarterback, it's tough on anybody."
Eventually, Poole combined to run for 36 yards on the Panthers' lead-changing drive that set up Bailey's touchdown.
"(Bailey) is a guy that you don't know that's going to hurt you with his feet," Glenn said. "He's very capable of it. He's 6-foot-2 and 210 pounds, and he can lean on you a little bit.
"We leaned on the guys upfront at the end and left the decision on (Bailey) whether to run it or throw it. We had no issue putting it in his hands."
In total, Petal put up 377 yards on 73 plays, with Poole accounting for 148 yards on 30 carries. Bailey finished the game 9-for-26 and threw for 157 yards, one interception and a touchdown while running for 21 yards and a touchdown on nine carries.
Hattiesburg totaled 256 on 38 plays, with Wade accounting for 137 all-purpose yards.
"It's one game. We're not going to drop our heads acting like the season is over," Vance said. "We have to get ready next week. We have another tough opponent coming here next week with Oceans Springs. We have to be ready to play. It's next man up mentality."
