For the last two years, the Leaf River Rivalry game has been an exciting game that kicks off the high school football season in the Pine Belt area.
Petal has defeated Hattiesburg for three straight years, with the Panthers emerging late in the fourth quarter for a 21-18 victory last season to even the all-time series at 11-11.
Both teams come off victories in their jamborees, with Petal defeating Ridgeland 21-7 and Hattiesburg beating Quitman 16-6.
“They made a run at the end of last year and overcame some early injuries during the year,” Petal coach Allen Glenn said. “I expect a really athletic, tough and hard-nosed football team coming in here.”
For Hattiesburg, the season opener against Petal has been the cause of two straight 0-4 starts to the season, as the Tigers have developed a recent unfavorable tradition of having their starting quarterback get hurt in the game.
“That’s priority one,” said Hattiesburg coach Tony Vance on hoping his team stays healthy. “We can’t do anything to help them. In the last few years, it was costly and untimely turnovers in the last two games that have helped them and propelled them to victory. Kudos to them, but we have to do a better job of taking care of the ball and taking care of the little things. We have to go in and execute the game plan. We know they have to be ready to play. They are well-coached, but we have to go take care of Hattiesburg and make sure it’s the best version of Hattiesburg that we put on the field this week.”
To recap last year’s game, Hattiesburg jumped out to a 12-0 lead by halftime before the Panthers pulled off a second-half comeback and took the lead with four minutes left in the game.
One of the breakout players of the game was Petal wide receiver Cayden Burger, who scored a 68-yard touchdown and finished the game with four catches for 122 yards. Burger nearly had a 55-yard touchdown, but a penalty called it back. Vance hasn’t forgotten Burger’s breakout game and knows he’ll be an integral part of the Panthers’ game plan.
“He was the cog in the wheel for them last year,” Vance said. “We have to do a good job of trying to contain him. He’s a tremendous athlete. I got a chance to see him this summer and in camps. He’s deceptively fast. He does a great job of running routes and getting open. They do a great job of getting him the ball in different places.
“We have to know where he is at all times. You know, looking at their (jamboree) from Friday, they definitely have some running backs that make you raise eyebrows and give you cause for concern. I think they’ve got a pretty balanced team. Their offensive line is always one of the best offensive lines we play every year.”
As for Glenn, his biggest concern is having his young defense stop an offense that brings back nine starters and an offensive line that has an average weight of almost 300 pounds.
“What sticks out on tape is how big they are up front,” Glenn said. “They have a quarterback that has played a lot of football, and he has skill. Players that he can get the ball to. It’s definitely a challenge for us. Then defensively, they have really good players on that side of the ball too.
“We believe in our offseason program and believe in what we started in November. You have to believe in what we do and the culture that we have built here. We feel like our kids play really hard, and they have a fight about them.”
Petal will host Hattiesburg this Saturday, with kickoff set for 7 p.m.
Follow @PineBeltSPORTS on Twitter for updates.
