25 teams in 25 day: Picayune Maroon Tide

Picayune and the Maroon Tide are coming into the 2024 season after graduating one of, if not the most, talented senior class in the state. Power five level players moving on to the next level. But if you ask head coach Cody Stogner, this year’s group is looking to make a name for themselves.

“The group the graduated was pretty special here,” coach Stogner said. “These guys have kind of put it in their mind that they don’t want to be the group after the group. Just the amount of work that they have been putting in and the energy they have been pushing out has been great. They want to let it be shown that they can carry the torch going forward.”

Picayune is no stranger to winning, having won the state championship in 2021 and 2022.

When going for the three-peat in 2023, the Maroon Tide fell short and were bounced early in the playoffs. Seniors Darrell Smith and Marquez Solomon say the chip on their shoulder is as big as it has ever been.

“I mean we’ve got a big chip on our shoulder; you know, we went back-to-back but that is what everybody expected,” Solomon said. “Since last year, everybody brought us down. They aren’t looking at us like we went back-to-back. They are looking at us like they are gone. They are the class after the class. We are here to show them we aren’t just the class after the class – that we are going to be something.”

“Every year, if after the back-to-back,” Smith said. “We fell short last year but we are coming back with everything we have. We will just go get after it and do what we do.”

To carry a chip as large as the one on the Maroon Tide’s shoulders this season they need to be in the weight room. Strength and physicality, two things they know ware the biggest keys to success on the gridiron.

“Ah man it is everything,” coach said. “The game is based off of blocking and tackling so to be good at that you have to be as physical as you can. These guys learn that at an early age and that is what we expect out of them. It’s expected that we are going to be physical and we are going to be hardnosed. We are never going to be the most talented team, the biggest team out there, but we are going to give it everything we’ve got for 48 minutes.”

“It’s everything to be honest,” Smith said. “We are usually the smallest team out of everybody. Us working that hard, moving all that weight, gets us right so it can be better for us. Gives us a better opportunity to win.”

Like so many other teams throughout the Mississippi Coast, the Picayune Maroon Tide are looking forward to August where they can put pads on and go against another team in the regular season.

“I mean, I am really excited,” Solomon said. “Senior year – we’ve got to give it our best. You know the chip on our shoulder, we want to win. That’s all, we just want to win.”

Picayune will begin their 2024 regular season campaign on August 30th, on the road, against the Brandon Bulldogs.