Ole Brook (6-3) makes a long road trip to Picayune (5-4) Fridaynight to battle the Maroon Tide in the first round of the Class 4Astate playoffs. Kickoff is 7 p.m.

Picayune was runner-up in the Region 8-4A race and Brookhavenfinished third in Region 6-4A, losing a 3-way, tie-breaker to Terryand Mendenhall. No. 1 Terry hosts No. 4 Poplarville out of Region 8while Mendenhall entertains Bay St. Louis. No. 4 McComb is atRegion 8 champion Long Beach.

“Picayune is a good, solid football team,” said Ole Brook headcoach Tucker Peavey. “Their division is a lot like ours. The teamsthat finished in the top three were about even.”

Judging from game films and scouting reports, Picayune prefers agrind-it-out rushing attack. The Tide’s linemen are big andstrong.

“Picayune is very patient, with a ball-control offense,” saidPeavey. “They apply a lot of pressure on defense. They do a lot ofblitzing.”

Dodd Lee coaches the Tide which dropped from Class 5A to 4A thisseason. The Tide lost its first three games of the season to Class5A foes Moss Point 16-6, Hattiesburg 35-21 and Ocean Springs 21-7before going on a roll.

The Tide defeated Pearl River Central 38-18 for its first winand beat Pass Christian 28-9 the next week. Long Beach dumped theTide 20-7. Picayune rebounded to beat region foes Bay St. Louis23-20 and Poplarville 46-6 the next two weeks.

“Their quarterback does a good job running their offense,” saidPeavey. “They have a couple of good running backs. They are arun-first type team. They don’t panic. They grind the ball down thefield and use a lot of the clock.”

Being the defending state champion does have its positives,according to Peavey. His players are battle-tested in theplayoffs.

“I think our kids understand what’s at stake,” said Peavey.”They know what it takes to be successful in the playoffs.”

The Panthers are riding a 5-game victory string and are freshfrom a 35-0 triumph over the archrival Lawrence County Cougars.They have outscored opponents 201-55 since the 31-14 loss atMendenhall on Sept. 30.

Directing Ole Brook’s offense is sophomore quarterback BoboRancifer who has passed for 963 yards and 6 touchdowns. He hasrushed for 438 yards and 13 touchdowns.

Junior running back Charles Wilson is the team’s leading rusher.He has accumulated 817 yards and 16 touchdowns.

Sophomore tight end Simmie Yarborough has caught 20 passes for340 yards and 2 touchdowns. Senior wide receiver Montral Smith has19 catches for 205 yards and 3 TDs. Marcus Smith has 14 receptionsfor 200 yards.

Junior kicker Will Thibodeaux has converted 31 extra points andmade 3 of 5 field goal attempts. He is averaging 31.2 yards perpunt.

On defense, Virgil Sanders leads the Panthers with 53 tacklesand 3 sacks. T.J. Qualls has 51 tackles. Bart Sias has 36 tackles,Marlon Dixon 35 and Orlandus Chapman 33.

In the Ole Brook secondary, Jerome Avery and R.J. Jenkins eachhave 3 interceptions.

Panther Paws: Brookhaven hasn’t played Picayunesince the 1997 season when the Panthers prevailed 27-10 on KingField in the second round of the state playoffs.