It was an emotional night for the D'Iberville Warriors football team who experienced tragedy in last Friday's win over Gautier when junior fullback Latrell Dunbar died after collapsing on the field following a play. News reports indicate it was from a preexisting heart condition. The D'Iberville community responded with incredible generosity in honoring Dunbar, as did the players and fans of the visiting Long Beach Bearcats. Warrior supporters and cheerleaders had shirts with Dunbar's name and number 18 on them, while fans of both teams wore buttons and bracelets in his memory. Pregame ceremonies honoring Dunbar included a moment of silence, the placement of black lines at each 18 yard line and 18 pushups in unison from the D'Iberville High School Jr. ROTC Unit of which Dunbar was a member.
The greatest tribute to Dunbar, however, came from the his teammates who dedicated the game to him. An inspiring on-field perfomance by the Warrior players resulted in a 26-20 upset victory over the previously undefeated and Number 1 ranked Long Beach Bearcats that featured Division 1 college recruits defensive tackle Nick James and FB/LB Richie Brown. Especially impressive was the player Dunbar shared the offensive backfield with in good friend and senior running back Justin Brister. Despite his lean
6-0, 175 pound frame, Brister's tough running broke the tackles of Bearcat defenders all night, as he constantly picked up additional yardage after contact and finished with 144 yards rushing and two touchdowns.
The Warriors Defense also did their part, particularly in the secondary where three different defensive backs each had an interception of Long Beach sophomore quarterback Thad Miller. The first and last interceptions impacted the game significantly. Senior Cornerback Marcellus Henderson scored the game's first points with a 35 yard return first quarter pick six and Elija Wilson's snag of a deep Miller throw with 1:14 left to play ended the Bearcats hopes for a winning touchdown drive. Prior to Wilson's interception, the Bearcats went on a fourth quarter surge scoring two touchdowns in less than 4 minutes to cutdown on the Warriors commanding 26-6 lead. The Bearcats final touchdown was a 40 yard punt return by lightening quick 138 pound junior Chad Cook who scooped the ball off the bounce, found a seam and sprinted through the D'Iberville punt coverage igniting the Long Beach stands and sideline.
Also impressive was D'Ibervile Senior Quarterback Garrett Landrum who effectively commanded the Warriors offensive attack throwing two touchdowns, one on a screen to Brister and the other a 33 yard strike to junior fullback Tyler Schankin. In looking at potential future stars, two players that are bound to make heads turn on the Mississippi Gulf Coast for the next two years are beefy sophomore defensive ends Anthony Santos and JC Caldwell. They are listed at 6-3, 280 and 6-5, 295 respectively and constantly put pressure on Miller greatly contributing to the Warriors 3 interceptions.
D'Iberville advances to 4-0 while Long Beach falls to 2-1.
- Win
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