Are we really surprised the Petal Panthers are one game away from the 6A South State Championship? After a 1-6 start to the season, Petal has won when it mattered most, and it’s on a five-game winning streak heading into a second-round matchup with rival Oak Grove.
Sure, the Panthers didn’t necessarily beat top-notch talent in the final four games of the regular season, which led to most people around the state writing Gulfport into the second round without a game being played. If you listen to the PineBeltSPORTS Podcast, you’d know that I’ve mentioned the level of competition, but I’ve also said that Petal’s confidence heading into the postseason was the biggest benefit of the win streak.
Even though it was against Jim Hill, Terry, George County and Meridian, the Panthers figured out how to finish games and win. Prior to the win over Jim Hill, Petal played Pearl, Oak Grove and Brandon close, so I knew Petal could hang with good teams.
But, never in my wildest dreams did I expect a 34-0 thumping of the No. 1 team on the coast. From the time Gulfport lost a fumble in the opening minutes of the game, Petal literally ran away with the game with the help of a dominating defense. You could tell, the Gulfport sideline looked confused as to what was happening in front of their eyes.
There’s an odd saying, “Nothing is certain in life except death and taxes.” I made a slight edit to that on my Saturday morning’s Instagram post. “Death, taxes and Petal winning a playoff game.” I mean, it’s almost a guarantee every season Petal wins at least one playoff game at this point.
The Panthers have made the postseason every year Marcus Boyles has been the head coach, and they’ve won a playoff game in every year but one since 2010. It’s quite remarkable if you think about it.
I said it during the lousy start to the season, if I know one thing about a Marcus Boyles-coached team, it’s they’ll get it figured out. They definitely have at the most important point in the season.
All of that sets up a massive game in west Hattiesburg. I don’t have to tell you that Oak Grove and Petal are two of the biggest rivals in the state. I wrote about it and talked about it a ton when the two met in the regular season, but this rivalry is heated, and this will be my first experience seeing it in the playoffs.
In fact, this is the first time the two will meet in the postseason since 2013, and it’s happened twice in the last 10 years. For what it’s worth, Oak Grove won both of those matchups.
For how intense the first matchup was in late September, I can’t imagine what Friday night will be like at Warrior Field. I’m predicting a more tense atmosphere this time around. Sure, everyone wants to win the regular-season matchup, but EVERYONE wants to win the playoff game.
Follow Camal on Twitter via @PineBeltSPORTS or email him: camal@PineBeltSPORTS.com
