Entering the first round of the 5A playoffs, teams struggled to find answers against Hattiesburg as the Tigers entered Friday night with a seven-game win streak.
Vancleave's answer was running back John Peterson, who accounted for 369 yards and six touchdowns on 55 carries as the Bulldogs upset Hattiesburg 41-35 to end the Tigers' season.
"I thought in the end, they were the most physical football team tonight," Hattiesburg coach Tony Vance said. "They imposed their will on us, and we haven't had anybody do that to us all year. They came in and had a game plan and stuck to it. They did a great job of executing their game plan."
Despite Peterson's big night, Hattiesburg and Vancleave were locked into a back-and-forth game until late in the fourth quarter. The key to the Bulldogs' win was winning the time of possession and ultimately tiring out the Hattiesburg defense. Vancleave ran 66 plays for 405 yards compared to the Tigers' 34 plays for 431 yards.
Tony Vance admitted that the fast scoring drives were part of their game plan but that it also hurt his team's defense.
"The thought process to score fast and hope the defense could force a stop or get a turnover and have a chance to double them up on the scoreboard," Vance said. "That just didn't happen tonight, but that's the risk you take."
Hattiesburg got off to a quick start with quarterback Deuce Vance throwing a shovel pass to Malcolm Boykin for a 54-yard touchdown on the first play of the game. The Bulldogs responded with a 14-play, 65-yard drive that ended with Peterson scoring to end the drive.
The Tigers looked to answer as they drove to Vancleave's 20-yard line, but penalties and a bad snap led to a turnover on down. Four plays later, Peterson took off for a 79-yard touchdown to take a 13-7 lead after the PAT was blocked. Just before the half, Hattiesburg took the lead after a 40-yard completion set up an 11-yard touchdown for Dillon Brown.
In the second half, Peterson ignited for Vancleave as he ran for 222 yards and four touchdowns on 32 carries.
"That's the first I have seen that in a while," said Vance on Peterson's workload. "Hats off to that kid. He's a heck of a football player. His offensive line did a great job of opening up some holes for him, and he just did the rest. We were trying to do a couple of different things on the front. We tried to pinch him and make him bounce it. A couple of times, we had him, but we missed the tackle, or he broke the tackle."
The Bulldogs opened the third quarter with a 9-play, 65-yard scoring drive. Again Hattiesburg answered quickly as Deuce Vance hit Boykin again for a 55-yard touchdown to tie the game at 21-21.
After exchanging scores again, Vancleave held a 35-27 midway through the fourth quarter. As Hattiesburg tried to answer, Deuce Vance was intercepted, which led to Peterson scoring the game-sealing touchdown on a 16-yard touchdown.
Hattiesburg managed to score but failed to recover the onside kick to keep the game alive. Deuce Vance finished the game 11-for-22 and threw for 358 yards and three touchdowns. Boykin accounted for 217 all-purpose yards and three receiving touchdowns.
"They made some plays in the passing game," Vance said. "We felt coming that we have struggled to run the ball and that we would be able to throw it on them. We were able to do that tonight, but we needed the ball back one more time."
Hattiesburg finishes the season 7-5, after rallying from an 0-4 start to clinching the Region 3-5A title.
"I'm proud of our kids," Vance said. "Tonight's game does not define the season that we had. I'm proud of our kids and the way they bounced back and the resilience they showed all year, toughness and character they showed all year. You wish you have a do-over, but in the playoffs, it's win or go home. Kudos to our team for battling adversity and finding ways to win."
