The Hattiesburg Tigers have breezed through their region schedule so far. Not a single team has come within 27 points of the Tigers, and they’ve won three straight games by more than 41 points.
But, the competition gets tougher this week with Picayune coming to town Friday night. Hattiesburg has made the road trip to Picayune two straight years and the matchups have been split. Friday night’s winner will be in the driver’s seat for the region title.
The Maroon Tide started the season 2-2 with losses to 6A D’Iberville and Gulfport, but like Hattiesburg, they’ve dominated in region play. With Picayune’s powerful offense, it’ll be Hattiesburg’s toughest test yet, but Hattiesburg coach Tony Vance likes the way his defense is playing heading into the matchup.
“I think we’ve shown improvement every week, and I think that’s what we have to do,” Vance said. “I think they’ve done that and we just have to continue to work. We still have to do a better job of tackling and creating turnovers, so there’s still room for improvement. I’m definitely happy with where they are. I think we’re a solid defense.”
It’s tough for teams to prepare for an offense like Picayune because very few teams run the same style of the run-first offense. It uses quick handoffs to fullbacks and power tosses to quick running back.
It’s nearly impossible for a team like Hattiesburg to replicate it in practice, too.
“That’s what makes them so tough to stop,” Vance said. “Nobody else really does what they do offensively. You have two or three days to try and get ready to defend that, so that makes tough. You can’t replicate it. All you can do it try to show them as much as you can on film and try as best as you can to replicate in practice, but it’s tough.”
The Maroon Tide has 408 rushing attempts to just 26 passing attempts, and they’ve picked up 3,192 yards on the ground with 40 touchdowns. Senior Jortin Raine leads the offense with 176 carries, 1,529 yards and he’s third with six scores, while senior Jairice Travis leads with 10 touchdowns while adding 513 rushing yards on 67 carries.
Junior quarterback Jakail Myers is just 10-for-24 passing the ball with 249 yards, two touchdowns and an interception, but he has seven rushing touchdowns on 26 attempts.
Year in and year out, it’s the same offense with different players Picayune is putting on the field, and it’s continued to see success every year.
“They don’t add anything,” Vance said. “They’re the same team each and every year with just different guys doing it.”
The Maroon Tide is stingy on defense, too. They have five players with at least five tackles for a loss, while the team has totaled 62. Picayune has also collected 21 sacks, five interceptions and five fumble recoveries.
“They’re going to bring a lot of pressure and force you to turn the ball over,” Vance said. “They’ll try to stop the run game to shorten the game and keep your offense off the field. They like to keep their offense on the field. That’s kind of who they are and what they try to do.”
