HATTIESBURG – It’s just another week of the district schedule, but there’s no doubt this game means a little more to the teams playing in it.
Oak Grove (4-1, 1-0 in Region 3-6A) and Petal (2-3, 0-1) are sure to be locked into another tight region race to make the playoffs, and this is just another game on the schedule.
But, it’s not just another game on the schedule.
“It’s a rivalry, so it’s a little more special, there’s no doubt about it,” Petal coach Marcus Boyles said. “Obviously, our backs are against the wall 0-1, so we want to come out and play really hard. We know it’s going to be tough over there.”
The Panthers continued their tough stretch of the schedule into region play last week against Pearl, and after the Oak Grove Friday night, they’ll host another potential playoff team in the region, Brandon.
The Warriors got junior quarterback John Rhys Plumlee back last week at George County, and Oak Grove coach Drew Causey said Plumlee and the offense faced probably the best defensive lineman Causey has ever seen at the high school level in sophomore McKinnley Jackson.
“Yeah, don’t remind me,” Causey said with a laugh when told he’ll have to see Jackson for two more seasons.
Both Petal and Oak Grove had two of the best defensive performances both teams have seen all season. Petal held the No. 2 team in the state to just 14 points, while the Warriors sacked the George County quarterback 11 times. Both senior Jaden Crumedy and junior Jack Harris had four sacks each, too.
“It was nice to see those guys get back to playing like they’re definitely capable of playing,” Causey said.
Causey and his defense are tasked to stop a Petal offense that has shown dangerous abilities at times throughout the season. The Panthers put up 37 points in a losing effort to Hattiesburg and they also had a 40-point performance against New Orleans-based Brother Martin.
Petal did, however, struggle against Pearl last week, only putting up three points.
“We had some opportunities early in the game to get some points, and we just didn’t do it,” Boyles said. “Give credit to Pearl’s defense, but we did move the ball with success in the first half. Just didn’t have any points to show for it at halftime. The second half, we started first-and-20 several times, and it’s tough to overcome that.”
Despite the struggle, Causey knows the Panthers can be tough to stop.
Nataurean “Phat” Watts has proven to be a force to be reckoned with out of the backfield, and his brother, Natorian “Deuce” Watts, is a weapon at receiver. Petal also has three other receivers who are capable, and Phat Watts can make plays in the passing game, too.
“They’re just extremely talented,” Causey said. “They have a lot of guys who make plays for them, and you really can’t focus on just one guy. They have multiple guys who they can get the ball to, and they can do some damage. We have to definitely play our best game.”
Phat Watts moved to running back fulltime against Gulfport Week 2, and Causey acknowledges the move was a brilliant one.
“They want to get the ball in his hands as much as possible,” he said. “Moving him to running back was a really smart move because you can do so much more different stuff. Get him out of the backfield to catch balls, get him matched up on linebackers and things like that. It definitely makes it a little more challenging.”
On the other side of the ball, Petal is tasked with stopping Plumlee and all his weapons on the offensive side of the ball. Senior running back Orlando Simon is averaging 110 yards per game on the ground for Oak Grove, while Plumlee is carrying the ball for at least 9 yards per rushing attempt.
“I don’t know if you stop someone like (Plumlee),” Boyles said. “When you have opportunities to make a tackle, you have to make a tackle. Obviously, he’s going to make some guys miss when he’s running the football. He’s a really, really special athlete who plays the game with great passion and toughness.”
Junior wide receiver Kevin Barnett has six touchdowns and 442 yards on 28 receptions, and sophomore Brandon Hayes has shown flashes of speed. While senior Deltarus Thompson only has four grabs, he’s averaging 20 yards per reception.
“Offensively, probably the best offense we’ve played all year,” Boyles added. “They’re really good up front, a couple of good running backs and a couple big-time receivers, with Barnett being one of those guys.”
