Area Roundup: Gayten touchdown run puts Panthers over Franklin County
Published 2:20 pm Saturday, September 2, 2023
Brookhaven High 21, Franklin County 14
It was another Friday night on King Field, another close game with an area rival located on Highway 84 and another big performance late from Brookhaven High senior running back Xavier Gayten.
Franklin County got a touchdown and two-point conversion with two minutes left in regulation to tie the game at 14-14 Friday night against Brookhaven High
Unfortunately for the Bulldogs (0-2), the Panthers (2-0) have Gayten, a Mississippi State commit. A week after scoring twice in the fourth quarter to give BHS a win over Lawrence County, Gayten was big again late.
On the second play of the subsequent drive after the tying score, Gayten ripped off a 72-yard touchdown run to give the Panther faithful something to cheer about in a game where neither team established much rhythm.
The Panthers will be at 7A Pearl High next week. Pearl is 2-0 after whipping Neshoba Central 35-10 in week one and beating Warren Central 25-24 in overtime on Friday.
Bogue Chitto 48, Salem 25
Junior Isaiah Collins returned an interception for a score, blocked a punt that was recovered for a touchdown and ran for two more scores on the ground as Bogue Chitto handed Salem its 30th straight loss.
The Bobcats (1-1) led the Wildcats 27-7 after the first quarter and 27-13 at halftime. The Bobcats outscored Salem 21-0 in the third quarter.
BC coach Gareth Sartin and his team picked up 286 yards on the ground. Senior quarterback Jax Leggett went 4-of-6 passing for 47 yards and one score. Senior Easton Sartin rushed seven times for 108 yards. Randy Crisler rushed seven times for 91 yards and two scores.
Kayson Magee recovered the blocked punt by Collins for the score.
BC plays at Enterprise on Friday in an all-Lincoln County matchup.
Enterprise 46, St. Andrew’s 20
Enterprise (1-1) made history on Friday, beating St. Andrew’s Episcopal (1-1) 46-20 in a game that was never close. The Yellow Jackets were 0-8 all-time against SAE coming into the night in a series that stretches back to 1989.
Junior Daylan Barden scored three rushing touchdowns and coach Trey Woodard got another score on the ground from junior Ayden Arevalo.
Junior quarterback Landon McNickles thew one score to AJ Raiford and rushed for another touchdown.
Defensively, EAC forced three turnovers including twice picking off St. Andrew’s quarterback Friend Walker
Jefferson Davis County 27, Lawrence County 24
Lawrence County (0-2) led 12-7 after the first quarter and 18-13 at halftime, but homestanding Jefferson Davis County (2-0) won the third quarter by a 14-6 advantage to take a tough 27-24 win in Bassfield on Friday.
LC and coach Jesse Anderson continue with a challenging regular season schedule by playing their first home game next week against 5A East Central. East Central, located in Hurley, is 0-2 after a 28-7 loss to George County and a 34-6 defeat against Pascagoula on Friday.
Sacred Heart 35, West Lincoln 7
Sacred Heart Catholic of Hattiesburg jumped up 35-0 at half and cruised to a 35-7 win on Friday at Flea Hop. The Crusaders (2-0) got three passing touchdowns from junior quarterback Kyron Murphy who finished 8-of-10 for 162 yards through the air.
The West Lincoln Bears (0-2) and coach Brad Bland got on the board when sophomore Braden Hamm scored on a rushing touchdown in the third quarter.
WL is on the road next week at Puckett (2-0).
Oak Forest Academy 49, Brookhaven Academy 14
The first district game in the MAIS 5A ranks for Brookhaven Academy came at Oak Forest Academy Friday in Amite, Louisiana.
The OFA Yellow Jackets (2-1) are the defending 5A champs and will be a contender again this season as they led 35-0 in the first quarter on the way to a 49-14 victory over the Cougars (0-3).
A week earlier, Oak Forest had been the bug and not the windshield when they played at Madison-Ridgeland Academy and brought back a 49-7 loss to Tangipahoa Parish.
BA and coach Reggie Lea are back on the road again on Friday with a trip to Natchez to face another district foe, Adams County Christian School.
ACCS is 3-1 on the season with their lone loss being a 24-12 setback against Jackson Prep. The Rebels beat Simpson Academy (0-3) 39-7 on Friday in Mendenhall.