Picayune veteran head football coach Dodd Lee compared this year’s spring training sessions to last year’s drills.

That’s got to be a comforting feeling for most Maroon Tide fans.

Picayune is coming off an 11-1 season, a year in which it registered 11 straight wins and an unbeaten regular season before falling to eventual Class 4A state champion Wayne County on the road in the South State quarterfinals 39-31.

“I felt we did a lot of good things and I also felt like there were alot of things we can improve on,” Lee, entering his 12th season at the the helm of the Maroon Tide, said. “I felt like most of the things we got hurt on during the jamboree were things that we can teach and not necessarily things we had worked alot on. So that’s promising. I thought this year went a lot like last spring did.”

Picayune wrapped up spring drills with a jamboree at Moss Point’s Dantzler Stadium facing both the homestanding Tigers and George County.

George County scored twice against the Maroon Tide on long passes and Picayune scored once on a run but had one scoring run called back on a penalty.

Against Moss Point, the Tigers kept Picayune out of the end zone while scoring once.

Offensively, Picayune will have to replace all division quarterback Micah Hickman, who was also honored as the best signal-caller on the Gulf Coast this past season. The Maroon Tide will likely turn to his brother Caleb to handle that job, at least to begin with.

Ironically, Micah injured his knee his junior season before returning to lead Picayune his senior year and Caleb hurt his knee last year as junior and now is back in the fold.

Standout running back Albert Richard missed the spring due to an injured hamstring, but should be ready for fall practice. Richard was one of the most explosive forces in the state last year, rushing for over 2,000 yards and scoring over 30 touchdowns as a junior.

In his absence, Drew Cole and T’Derryl Greys got most of the carries during the spring. Cole, an Auburn commitment, is expected to contribute in several different ways for the Maroon Tide his senior season seeing time as a cornerback, running back, wing back and as a receiver.

Picayune kicks the season off against Moss Point at home on Friday Aug. 31.