by Jeff Clark, Staff Writer 

LONG BEACH (GG) — Pass Christian High School Head Coach and Athletic Director Jeff Stockstill said one of the biggest issues affecting his team going into the 2026 football season is hype. How could there not be some hype around a team that played in the semifinal round of the playoffs in 2025 for the first time? And there’s also the hype around senior quarterback Paris Trivillion, who helped lead the 2025 team to its place in history. Yes, expectations were high for the 2026 Pass High Pirates, who kicked off their 2026 season Friday night at Lumpkin-McGee Stadium in Long Beach against crosstown rivals the Long Beach Bearcats in the Ninth Annual Gazebo Gazette Oyster Bowl. Pass High leads the series 7-2.

But did the Pirates live up to the hype? The answer in the Pirates’ 48-3 dismantling of the Bearcats lies somewhere in the middle. There were moments of brilliance, but there were also missed tackles, missed formations, penalties, and other opening-night issues that will give Stockstill plenty to work on with his team.

“It was game one for all of us — coaches and players,” Stockstill said. “We had to knock the rust off.”

The Oyster Bowl had all the makings for a classic “smash-mouth” football rivalry, at least through halftime. After going three-and-out on their first drive, the Pirates got on the board first with a seven-yard touchdown pass from Trivillion to Brandon Laneaux.

Long Beach struck first in the second quarter with a field goal from Aiden Downey. It would be the only time the Bearcats would get on the scoreboard for the rest of the contest.

Pass High would find the end zone once more in the first half on a 39-yard rush from Trivillion. The Oyster Bowl was close at the end of the first half, with the Pirates up 14-3.

“We were able to clean up some things at halftime, and they played much better in the second half,” Stockstill said.

It was all Pirates in the second half, as Trivillion had three more rushing touchdowns in the third quarter, including one for 79 yards. He rushed for 209 yards total on 11 carries and picked up five rushing touchdowns along the way. Trivillion also passed for 140 yards with one touchdown.

Cecil Lizana was the leading rusher for the Pirates with four carries for 68 yards and one touchdown, a one-yard run late in the fourth quarter.

Kaiden Mooney led the Pirates in receiving with three catches for 72 yards.

Turnovers were a big issue for the Bearcats. The final turnover in the fourth quarter was an interception that was returned 81 yards for a touchdown by Alonzo Strickland.  Stockstill said he was happy with the way his defense performed.

“I thought after the first couple of drives, the defense settled into the game and got some stops and forced some key turnovers,” he said.

The Pirates will host Purvis Friday, Sept. 5, at 7 p.m. Purvis is 1-0 after a big road win against Lumberton.

“Purvis is a quality team, and we’ll have to regroup on Sunday afternoon and put a good game plan together for those guys,” Stockstill said.

Long Beach will hope to rebound next week against 1-0 Forrest County Agricultural High School. FCAHS beat St. Stanislaus Friday night 27-14.

The Gazebo Gazette Oyster Bowl at a glance:

  • 9th overall Oyster Bowl, Pass Christian leads 7-2
  • Pass High – 96th Football Season, Long Beach – 100th Football Season
  • Pass High All-Time Passing Yards – Dustin Allison = 5049, Paris Trivillion – 4752
  • Pass High All-Time Leading Touchdown Passes – Paris Trivillion = 54, Dustin Allison – 50
  • Pass High All-Time Combined Yardage – Paris Trivillion – 6848, 81 Touchdowns
  • Long Beach has scored 92 points in the last five Oyster Bowls; Pass Christian has scored 223 points

(Photos by Ezabelle Janssen/The Gazebo Gazette.  Story Contributed by Hunter Dawkins/The Gazebo Gazette)