DeVante Nichols was absolutely determined not to end his high school football career at Pearl without a victory over Brandon.
“It was really sore, but this meant too much. I wasn’t fixing to go out without a fight,” Nichols said moments after his 3-yard touchdown pass in overtime to D.J. Thompson was the difference the Pirates ended a four-year skid against their archrivals with a 27-24 triumph Friday night at jam-packed Ray Rogers Stadium. “Even back in junior high, we were losing to them. To finally beat them, it feels great.”
Nichols, a cat-quick 5-foot-6, 155-pound senior quarterback, accounted for 250-plus yards and four TDs to key Pearl (1-1) in the 60th renewal of the Rankin County Super Bowl.
“DeVante’s a tough kid who’s come a long way,” Pearl coach John Perry said. “Two years ago, even last year, he would’ve been out of the game with a sprained ankle.
“Our school needed this, our town needed this, our team needed this. It’s been four long years.”
Brandon led 24-21 after Matthew Spencer’s 20-yard field goal on the first possession of OT.
The Bulldogs, 1-1 after their second straight overtime game, had rallied from a 21-7 hole and survived a botched 32-yard Pirate field goal try on the last play of regulation.
“Hats off to Pearl,” first-year Brandon coach Brad Peterson said. “They played a heck of a football game. They made the play at the end when they had to do it. We played hard in the fourth quarter. We just fell a little short.”
Brandon leads the series 37-22-1.
