by Hunter Dawkins, Publisher/Owner – editor@thegazebogazette.com or hdawkins@supertalk.fm

PASS CHRISTIAN (GG) — If a seasonal moment could be wrapped in a bottle, the Pass Christian Lady Pirates would undoubtedly want Friday night’s buzzer beating goal.  After trailing 1-0 with 9 minutes left, the Pass Christian Lady Pirates (12-5-1) scored two unthinkable goals over Sumrall (18-5-2) for an upset 2-1 victory in the MHSAA 4A Girls Soccer State Quarterfinals Friday, February 7, 2025. The Lady Pirates advanced to the MHSAA 4A South State Championship Tuesday, February 11, 2025 against cross town rival Bay High Lady Tigers.

The left foot shot at the buzzer was made by Midfielder Adalyn Snell, which came after the 9th minute goal from Harper Batten to tie the game at 1.  The Lady Bobcats scored in the 33th minute while controlling the ball most of the start of the second half.  With no real offensive surge from either team in the first half, the score was 0-0 at halftime.

“Going into this game, we knew Sumrall was going to be technical, fast, and used to scoring, but we knew that we had to be patient and wait for our opportunities to score,” said Pass Christian Head Girls Soccer Coach Devin Griffith, who will coach in first South State Championship game for the Lady Pirates in 6 years.  “I’m not sure if they made changes at halftime, but they were very aggressive coming out in the second half.  There was a lot of pressure after they scored, however, I thought we handled it well.”

Griffith is a 2013 graduate of Pass Christian High School where she excelled in cross country, soccer, and track and field. She earned an athletic scholarship to the University of Southern Mississippi where she played soccer and was chosen team Captain. She has coached Select Soccer for South Mississippi Soccer Club 3 years before getting the job in 2019.

Allyson Funderburk was the Pass Christian Goalkeeper who made numerous stops, especially in the start of the second half as the Lady Bobcats controlled their side of midfield until the last 10 minutes.  The Pass Christian Lady Pirates will play against the district, cross-town rival Bay High Lady Tigers at 6pm Tuesday, February 11, 2025.  Bay High will host the game at Joe D. McCullough Stadium.

The Long Beach Lady Bearcats (18-2-1) will play on the road in the MHSAA 6A South State Championship after demolishing Hancock 6-0 at the Lumpkin Magee Stadium Friday night.  Long Beach has yet to allow a goal in the 2025 playoff, outscoring opponents 15-0.  An opponent will be determined Saturday, February 8th between West Harrison and West Jones.

Photos by Hunter Dawkins/The Gazebo Gazette