SPORTS ANCHORING 090320

LAST DAY OF 25 TEAMS IN 25 DAYS

Certainly not the least.- coming off their eighth straigh- trip to the playoffs, the - tigers-- led by one of the most- explosive offenses in all - of south mississippi-- is - looking to achieve even - more this season.

- here's news 25's jeff haeger, - one last time, right off the- water on- beardslee lake.

- - 25 teams in 25 days... brought- to you by gulf coast business - furniture and supply... your- source for covid-19 supplies an- all of your sanitation needs.

- nat ---> generic football - practice noise- "a lot of the old heads, they - don't let us forget that we - - - - haven't won in a long time.

The- don't care nothing about the- district championship.

They - don't care nothing- about that.

They want state.

So- they all come back saying hey - man, you haven't- done anything yet.

All them - offers don't mean anything.

- - - - you've got to go get that gold- ball."- football isn't played with the- past... but the moss point- program sure is built on it.- five state championships -- the- most of any school, on the- gulf coast -- starting in - 1983... then '91... - back-to-back, in '96-'97... - and finally... 2000.- but that was 20 years ago...- - - - "each state championship got- their team picture up on the- wall in the weight- room, and since day 1 i walked- in there and i was like dang, - - - - that's an empty spot waiting on- us to come in and put our team- picture up there."- that spot stayed empty, in- 20-19... despite moss point's - run back- to the post-season, for the - eighth year in a row... on the- back of winning its first - district title... since 2009.

- the tigers would go on to win - their first playoff game, - since 20-15... in the form of a- 24- 23 nail-biter... over stone- "i just remember that it was a- close game, and we were battlin- - - - all night and we came up with - the 'w' and we were excited to- go to the playoffs round two."- "i just remember running out- onto the field on that last pla- like man, we got one.

- we got one.

Everybody in the- stands was going crazy.

The - - - - sidelines were going crazy.

I - just remember thinking, we got- one.

The locker room just - turned up afterwards, just up i- there with your brothers having- the best time of your - life and i'm ready to feel that- - - - feeling again."

That feeling wa- short-lived... by virtue of a - seven-point loss- at newton county, the following- - - - week.

Overall... the tigers - finished just 4-7... although - four- of those losses did come agains- - - - 5 and 6-a schools... in the - non-district portion of the - schedule.

- - - - "i just believe in tough- competition.

Coming from- southern miss, we always- believed in - playing anyone, anywhere, - anytime.

Now that mentality has- always stuck with me.

It doesn'- matter who we're playing.

We've- still got to go out there and - compete."

- moss point was un-able to aveng- one of those losses, in last- week's jamboree at rival- pascagoula... also the 82nd - rendition, of the battle of the- cats... ending in a 10-6- halftime- defeat.

- "yeah, it was kind of weird - because we only got to play two- quarters, so it was - kind of weird.

But they came ou- on top."- "playing two quarters and it wa- 10-6, we wanted to play the - whole game.

So it's - like if we ended on 10-6, it's- not a great feeling knowing tha- we lost to our biggest- rival."

- chances are... friday's - six-point showing will be a - season-low, on- the scoreboard... as long as- senior quarterback- deuce lee ii... and un-committe- four-star wide receiver larry - simmons... have something to sa- about it.

- in fact... the tigers return tw- 1,000-yard receivers, in- simmons and trell millender...- setting the stage, for a- weekly fireworks display... off- beardslee lake.

- "yeah, we're going to be able t- do a lot on the field.

Offense,- i know the pass game- is going to be there.

Everythin- is going to be there for us, so- i feel like we've got a lot - coming."- "i know we're going to be a - problem.

I know we're going to- - - - be a problem.

I mean i don't- want to overhype us either.

- knock on wood.

But i know we're- going to be a - problem.

I mean we've just got- too many weapons.

Just too many- ways we - can hurt you.

I know we're goin- to be a problem."

- the tigers certainly aren't - lacking confidence, - heading into the new campaign..- and why should they... returnin- 12 seniors... and 16 combined - - - - starters, on both sides of the- ball.

- now on the eve, of the 20-20- high school football season...- the - writing... is on the wall.- "any time anybody is screwing u- man, we just point at that wall- we just say man, look - at that wall man, we've got a - spot right there.

A spot right- there with our picture- on it, with our name on it.

So- we've got to go out there and - - - - dominate every practice.

We've- got to dominate every workout,- like we want to go get that spo- on- the wall."- - the tigers re-scheduled two - games and dropped two - games as a result of covid- 19.- moss point will not play- - - - pascagoula nor st.

Martin this- season... and have replaced - varnado and lakeshore out of- louisiana with... gautier at- home on september 11th... and - stone on the road on- september 25th... respectively.- tomorrow at 7 p-m, moss point - kicks off its season... at home- game against ocean springs.

- - southern miss kicked off its- football season tonight at home- against south alabama.- on just the third play of the - game, south alabama - quarterback desmond trotter - completed a pass to receiver- jalen tolbert for a 73-yard - touchdown.- south alabama currently leads - southern miss 20 - 10 with 10:2- in- the 3rd.- - - - - for today's w-x-x-v play of the- day - we're headed to game 3- of the nba east semifinals.

- 4th quarter with a half a secon- on the clock -- raptors guard - kyle lowry in bounds the ball t- forward o-g - - - - anunoby -- who takes the shot..- and drains the three for the- win over the celtics by one,- 104-103.- toronto captures its first game- of the series with- - - - boston.