For all the yards D’Iberville gained, for all the chances it had inside the red zone, for all the moments it felt like momentum was about to swing, the Petal defense never flinched. The Panthers bent several times — but they never broke.
That resolve carried Petal to its first home playoff win since 2019 with a 14–3 slugfest over a pesky D’Iberville squad in the opening round of the Class 7A playoffs.
The Warriors reached the red zone four different times in the contest, including three trips inside the 10, yet came away with just three points. D’Iberville was turned away on fourth down inside the five early in the first half — the first time the Warriors had even crossed midfield.
“Our defense played great all night,” Petal head coach Marcus Boyles said. “They’re explosive on offense. Their quarterback can really throw it and they’ve got weapons. We gave up a couple of big passes that got them down there, but our defense bent — and it didn’t break.”
After a slow, scoreless opening quarter that featured six combined punts, Petal finally hit the play it needed. Quarterback Caiden Belton dropped back and found Drew Moody on a quick bubble screen; Moody slipped a defender and raced 44 yards for a touchdown, putting Petal ahead 7–0 early in the second quarter.
Then came arguably the biggest moment of the night. D’Iberville marched inside the Petal 5-yard line late in the half. But with no timeouts and the clock winding, the Warriors mismanaged the final seconds and failed to run another play before time expired — a mistake that preserved Petal’s halftime lead and ultimately loomed large.
Belton said the Panthers needed time to settle into the moment.
“We started slow — playoff jitters — but we picked it up,” Belton said. “We got the run game going, got the pass game going, kept the drives going and kept the defense off the field. That’s what helped us win.”
D’Iberville kicked a field goal on its second drive of the second half to make it 7–3, but the Warriors struggled to run the ball most of the night against a stout Petal front. The Panthers controlled short yardage, and the secondary tackled well in space, preventing explosive plays.
“It keeps the energy going,” running back Acely Brown said. “Seeing our defense stop them over and over like that — that just keeps everybody up.”
Despite Petal’s defensive dominance, the scoreboard remained tight into the fourth quarter. Midway through the final period, the Panthers finally put it away. After another turnover on downs, Petal drove the field, and Brown bounced a run off-tackle and powered into the end zone from six yards out to make it 14–3.
“They were quick,” Brown said. “Zero was fast — he was there almost every time. We just had to keep pounding it, keep running inside zone and stick with it.”
D’Iberville reached the 20 one final time before Petal blocked a short field goal to seal the victory.
“I wouldn’t call our offense struggling — I’d call it going up against a really good defense,” Boyles said. “Caiden played well, made some throws, and we’ve got to get better on the perimeter blocking. But overall, just a great team win.”
“What a great feeling this was. We hadn’t had this feeling in a long time,” he added. “Let’s keep working and get another one.”
Petal (8–4) now travels to Gulfport (9–2) next week for the second round of the playoffs — a rematch of the Panthers’ 25–24 thriller in early September. The Admirals haven’t lost since that game and are coming off a 45–7 rout of Northwest Rankin, the same team that beat Petal last week.
“Gulfport’s well-coached and they’ll have revenge on their mind,” Boyles said. “They’re a different team now — and so are we.”
Belton echoed that message.
“We’ve got to come out more physical, execute more, and be ready,” he said. “It’s going to be a tough one.”
Brown expects a fast, aggressive defense.
“They’ll blitz, and that linebacker is quick,” he said. “We’ve got to keep the energy going.”
Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. The winner advances to the South State championship to face the Oak Grove–Brandon winner.
