By CURTIS ROCKWELL

Item Sports Editor

The last two weeks have been about settling scores on the gridiron for Picayune.

This week the Maroon Tide gets a chance to do just that once more.

Picayune travels to Dantzler Stadium to face Moss Point Friday night in the Class 5A South State semifinals. Kickoff on the banks of the Escatawpa River is set for 7 p.m.

The Maroon Tide is coming off a playoff opening win over D’Iberville 28-14. That came after the Warriors had handed Picayune a 49-21 loss last year, the worst loss for the Tide in the past 15 years.

Also, Picayune earned the right to host that game against D’Iberville thanks to a 27-21 win over visiting Wayne County the week before. That win was the first ever in six all-time meetings for Picayune over the War Eagles.

And now, this week, the Tide gets a chance to face a Tiger squad that spanked them at home 41-19 three months ago to open the season.

“They are the best team we have faced all season,” Picayune head coach Dodd Lee, whose team also dropped a one point decision to unbeaten and top-ranked West Jones this year, said. “But if you would have told me after that first game that we’d get another chance to play them, I would have taken it in a second.”

These two teams are very familiar with one another, with this being the 10th meeting in the past six seasons between the teams. This will also mark the second time in the past three seasons that the teams have met twice in one year.

Two years ago, Moss Point also came to Picayune and beat the Maroon Tide to open the season. Then, about three months later, Picayune traveled to Jackson County and fell in the Class 4A South State semifinals 17-10 in overtime.

Moss Point has won three out of the last four meetings between the teams. The Tigers have won five state championships in the past 26 years, while Picayune has won one.