Success and failures in sports often compare to real-life situations. And even though high school football only lasts three or four years of a young man’s existence, there are many examples a player can use to help him remain on an even keel through the ups and downs life will bring. With that said, the current Pascagoula High School senior class will have plenty of lessons to choose from.
This year’s class of 18 seniors, who suffered several heartbreaking moments through back-to-back ugly seasons of 3-8 and 1-10, have righted the ship by finishing in third place in Region 4-5A and for the first time are headed to the postseason Friday night to face Laurel. Nobody is a bigger cheerleader for these seniors than their head coach, Lewis Sims.
“This is a wonderful group of guys. They were 5-2 as ninth graders, struggled the last two years, but they all stuck with it by fully buying into what we are doing here and I couldn’t be more proud,” Coach Sims said. “They have helped us turn the corner with this program and now they have an opportunity to get a playoff win. As a player, you can’t ask for more than that.”
Pascagoula lost all seven district games last year but lost four of those games by a total of 11 points and had the lead in the fourth quarter in three of them. Despite those losses, the Panthers were able to beat arch-rival Gautier and in 2017, beat Moss Point, Gautier and Ocean Springs.
This year Pascagoula has managed to win all of four of their Jackson County matchups earning victories against Moss Point, Ocean Springs, East Central, and Gautier (for the 10th year in a row). With additional victories over Hattiesburg and Long Beach, they will represent the third seed traveling to Laurel, where they have lost twice in the last six years. Do these seniors have another life lesson waiting?