Petal has successfully come out of its tough non-region schedule with a 3-1 mark.
The Panthers, who are just five points short of an undefeated record, bounced back with a 45-40 win over Laurel last week.
While Petal coach Allen Glenn admits the momentum and start to the season is nice, it essentially no longer matters as the Panthers begin Region 3-6A play this week.
“We played a really tough non-division schedule,” Glenn said. “That gets us prepared for a really tough division schedule. Winning a game right before you head into division play is huge.
“Now it’s a new week. Everybody is headed to division play. Now is when it matters. You have got to be playing well at the right time.”
Pearl is off to a 1-3 start after opening the season with a 37-0 win over South Pike. They then dropped three straight to Ridgeland, Morton and Biloxi, but the Pirates lost two of those games by one score.
“I think that’s a little skewed as far as what their record holds,” Glenn said. “I think they’re a lot better than what their record is. They have played some good football teams as well. I thought from just watching the film that they’re very well-coached. They play really hard. They have 6A football players all over the field.
“We’re going to Pearl. We’re going to their place, and Pearl is always a tough place to play, so we’ve got our hands full.”
On offense, Pearl features a well-balanced offense that relies on freshman quarterback Jack Durr. Durr has thrown for 479 yards, six touchdowns and been intercepted four times, and has also run for 100 yards and a touchdown.
Durr has split his passes primarily between three different receivers, who are Justice Moore (196 yards, three touchdowns), Kingi McNair (251 yards, three touchdowns) and Marquell Lake (125 yards, three touchdowns).
“They have really good skill players offensively,” Glenn said. “They are playing a young quarterback. I think he’s kind of getting his feet wet and progressing each week. He’s a very talented kid and is going to be a really good player. They definitely have got weapons offensively.”
At running back, Pearl hands the ball off to mostly TJ McKenzie and JaMarion Turner as the duo has combined for 384 yards and three touchdowns on 69 touches. Notably, McKenzie has scored all three touchdowns.
Defensively, Glenn says he was most impressed with Pearl’s run defense.
“There are kind of hybrid defense,” Glenn said. “They are a 3-4, 3-3 stack. They’re an odd-man front but can also move their front to give you an even front look as well, so they are very multiple on defense. They don’t just stay in one thing and sit in it all night.
“What sticks out to me is just how big they look on film. They have played really well in the box in all of their games. Nobody has been really able to run it very successfully, so we’re definitely going to have to figure out a way to move the football.”
Petal hits the road to face Pearl with kickoff set for 7 p.m.
“It’s a tough league that we play in,” Glenn said. “It’s a tough night every Friday night. I think every school in our division would say the same thing.
“You definitely want to try to win the first one and get off to a good start.”
