PRZMS’s Storylines and Highlights of Opening Week

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">6A Picayune Takes Down 7A Brandon 28-21</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Picayune has been one of the state's perineal winners over the last few years, boasting an incredible resume of wins in 5A. Friday, Picayune had a statement win that could set the tone for the rest of the year over Brandon. It is clear to anybody who could watch the game - this Picayune team is as physical as all get out and will punch anybody in the mouth. With the defense led by [player_tooltip player_id='344138' first='Jamonta' last='Waller'] and offense led by RB [player_tooltip player_id='344053' first='Chris' last='Davis'], Picayune looked like the best team in all of Mississippi this past week. A tough schedule ahead could task the Maroon Tide with some troubles, but Picayune should easily finish 10-0 on the regular season this year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">"He's a freshman?"</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In Northwest Rankin's win over Germantown this past week, one player in particular popped out in a big way. Freshman receiver [player_tooltip player_id='1237190' first='Deshawn' last='Dillon'] put up a stat line of 9 receptions for 200 yards and 2 touchdowns in his first high school game ever. Looking close to 6'3", Dillon already has college size and length that should ignite his recruitment in due time. In the open field, Dillon can jet past defenders and has some vertical ability as well. It feels like each year a young wide out bursts out on to the scene - this year's just might be Dillon. Continue watching this player over the fall, there is no doubt he captured some attention last Friday.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Petty-Burnside Connection Alive and Well</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Starting down 12-0, Starkville's QB [player_tooltip player_id='273258' first='Trey' last='Petty'] and WR [player_tooltip player_id='139597' first='Braylon' last='Burnside'] needed to turn it on again in order to get the team out of the deficit. Rest assured, they did with Starkville beating Noxubee County 49-18. The Illinois commit threw the ball at an extremely high level in his season opener and still looks as athletic as ever when he hears his name called in the run game. Burnside, a Mississippi State commit, still has the natural ball skills and route running that made him an 1000 yard player in 2022. This duo is set to cause havoc on defenses throughout 2023 and were too much fun too watch to start the season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Gulfport Dominates Under New Offensive Scheme</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Playing against Gautier to open the season, Gulfport was expected to play a close game with the air raid team that scored touchdown after touchdown last season. We were left with a Gulfport win by 42. It is clear that Gautier is missing their offensive studs from last year, whether it be from graduation or transfer, but Gulfport is a team that we need to talk about. Senior quarterback Nico Williams looked composed in the pocket and did a great job at running the football when he was asked to. The offensive line play for the Admirals was also at a high level, giving plenty of time in pass protection to Williams to get the ball out. Gulfport has one of the most challenging schedules on the coast ahead, but with this new offense in hand, could the Admirals be a sneaky team that competes for the region title?</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Tupelo Sets Record Straight With Out of State Team</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Playing Memphis based team Whitehaven to open the season, Tupelo started the season off with a bang. When the captains came out to the coin toss, Whitehaven players refused to shake hands with the Golden Wave, leaving a bad taste in Tupelo's mouth. From there, it was all Tupelo, with the team winning 37-0. Yet again, this should be a completely stacked team in 7A capable of challenging anybody for a state championship. Offensively, the team remains very balanced in both the run and pass game with QB [player_tooltip player_id='344100' first='Jeremiah' last='Harrell'] at the helm. This defense is still on another level just like last year and will look to shut down some of the state's best offenses ahead on the schedule. It is always fun to see these out of state matchups, but Tupelo will kick off Mississippi play this week with Southaven.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->