by Hunter Dawkins, Publisher/Owner – thegazebogazette@gmail.com or hdawkins@supertalk.fm
Despite only leading 10-6 after the first quarter, the Pass Christian Pirates football team outscored the Moss Point Tigers 31-6 in the final three quarters Friday, October 13, 2023, for a convincing 41-12 victory. This win gave Pass Christian High School (6-2, 2-1) its second consecutive berth in the MHSAA 4A Playoffs. In the last decade, this is the 6th time Pass Christian has made the playoffs, only winning once against Purvis 35-20 on November 8, 2019 for the first round.
With 485 yards total offense led by Pass Christian Running Back Jacquez Alexander-Dedeaux accounting for 235 of them and three touchdowns, the Pirates took a 31-12 halftime lead over their District 8-4A rival Tigers. The score would not get any closer for Moss Point as the defensive unit finished with 10 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, 2 hurries, an interception, a fumble recovery, and a blocked punt to post a shutout in the second half.
“We made some mistakes early but overall played well enough in all three phases,” said Pass Christian Head Football Coach Jeff Stockstill in his first season as the leader of the Pirates football program. “Good win for the team on senior night. Hopefully this will give us momentum to close out the regular season.”
Offensively, Quarterback Ladd Scriber tossed for 187 yards on 13-17 passing attempts and one touchdown. Even though Alexander’s performance on the ground led the Pirates, another touchdown was scored from the grass off a 24-yard jet sweep by Pass Christian Receiver Anthony James. Along with this, James had 3 receptions for 64 yards.
Scriber’s longest pass was to the Bernard Blackwell South All-Star Terry Patton, Jr. on a 39-yard post route. Along with this reception, Patton, Jr. caught 6 passes for 95 yards and ran the ball twice for 5 yards close to the goal line.
Defensively, Karsten Mooney led the Pirates with 9 total tackles, a sack, 4 tackles for loss, and a blocked punt. Bernard Blackwell South All-Star Defensive Lineman Jayden Acker had the other sack, a tackle for loss and 5 total tackles. Pass Christian Defensive Back Perry Williams III grabbed the interception while Specialist Cooper Schatzle had the fumble recovery.
The Pirates have a bye week followed by the last district game Friday, October 27 against Bay High at Joe D. McCullough Stadium/Tank Williams Field. In one of the longest matchups, historically in South Mississippi, the Tigers lead their series on a 41-27-2 record.
The game will have playoff seeding implications and will start at 7pm.
(Photos by Aimee Cronan/The Gazebo Gazette via Associated Press)
