In a strange turn of events Hattiesburg has found its way back into the 5A playoffs.
While Hattiesburg faced a must-win situation a week ago, the Tigers received some luck and some bad luck at the same time with an unexpected Picayune loss to Pascagoula.
Last week, the Tigers would have been able to secure as high as the No. 2 seed if Hattiesburg defeated East Central in the final week of the season and assuming Picayune were to win out.
However, the playoff scenarios with Hattiesburg have changed with the Tigers being able to be either the No. 3 or No. 4 seed in the playoffs.
“We have to finish strong,” Hattiesburg coach Tony Vance said. “We have an opportunity to go into the postseason on a four-game winning streak and be one of the hottest teams in south Mississippi. That’s our mindset. We feel like we have been playing better at the right time.
“Let’s get into the playoffs and then let the chips fall where they may.”
If Picayune beats Wayne County, then the Maroon Tide secures the No. 1 seed. If East Central defeats Hattiesburg and Pascagoula beats Long Beach, then East Central will be the No. 2 seed, Pascagoula secures the No. 3 seed, and Hattiesburg falls to the No. 4 seed.
The Tigers could become a No. 3 seed in one of two ways. Hattiesburg will have to defeat East Central, but due to tiebreakers, they must beat the Hornets by 12 or more points. Hattiesburg could also be the No. 3 seed if Pascagoula loses to Long Beach and Gautier defeats Pearl River Central. Hattiesburg would have the tiebreaker over Gautier and secure the higher seed.
East Central enters the matchup having won four games in a row.
“They are similar to Picayune,” Vance said. “It’s going to be a team that probably throws it a little more than Picayune.”
On offense, the Hornets have averaged 28 points per game, but in the last three games have scored an average of 36 points.
East Central’s offense is centered around its run game. Quarterback Deuce Hugger is a dual-threat player that has thrown for 446 yards and four touchdowns on 66 attempts and has rushed for 418 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Their quarterback is their play maker, and he makes them go. He is good. He’s an athlete. He can fly. They run a lot of load and counter option. He’s really good.”
In addition to Hugger, running backs Eli Smith and Sam Walls have combined for 210 carries, 1,079 yards and seven touchdowns.
“Those are two guys that run extremely hard,” Vance said. “They are going to put their foot into the ground and go north or south. You have to be sound with what you are doing defensively. You have to tackle well because they run hard.”
Defensively, East Central has held teams to 15 points per game. The Hornet defense is centered around its two linebackers Hollis Porter and TJ Dunsford, who have combined for 111 tackles, 25 tackles for loss, seven sacks and four forced fumbles.
“They do a lot of zone coverage,” Vance said. “They are going to try and make you throw the football.
“(Dunsford) is probably the better of the two. Those two guys blitz a lot, and they are the playmakers for them on defense. They split into a 4-4 defense and play a lot of Cover 3 and will play man defense. They are pretty good at what they do. They may be the best team we have played all year.”
