Gulfport High School’s football team won its first-ever state championship on Saturday night, and the way they did is what movies are made of.
Down to last season’s 7A state champion Tupelo 20-14 with 20 seconds remaining, Gulfport got the ball back and was methodical with how it moved it. A few quick first-down passes by Parker Nettles and a timeout gave the offense one more play from 33 yards out.
Gulfport drew up what was essentially a Hail Mary – or as coach Blake Pennock calls it, “The Rebound” play – and somehow, someway Mylan Stubbs was able to come down with it with at least five Tupelo defenders in the area.
WHAT. A. ENDING: Gulfport with the state title walk-off.@Gulfport_FB wins the 7A Mississippi state title. @mylanD1stubbs pic.twitter.com/YTw6XviNmG
— MaxPreps (@MaxPreps) December 7, 2025
After Stubbs’ catch, Carter Platt trotted onto the field and easily knocked in the PAT with no time remaining to help make history in Gulfport’s road to a championship.
“When you run a play that these guys frequently go through, they execute it easily,” Pennock said after the game, explaining how often they practiced that final play. “I have coached a number of good quarterbacks in my career and Parker Nettles is one of the best at finishing up the drive in 20 seconds.”
In what was mostly a tale of two halves, Gulfport (12-2) controlled the ball in the first half with lengthy touchdown runs of 54 and 20 yards by Mississippi State signee Cooper Crosby. The halftime score was 14-7 with the Admirals having the advantage.
On the opening series of the second half, Tupelo (13-2) drove down the field in 13 plays and ended the drive with an eight-yard touchdown run by Kylan Bobo. The game was tied 14-14 going into the fourth quarter.
After both teams traded possessions for most of the final period, Tupelo running back and 7A player of the year Jaeden Hill was able to break the tie when he squeezed into the end zone from three yards out with 27 seconds remaining. The Golden Wave missed the extra point, which quickly came back to haunt them as Gulfport won it all on the game-winning pass and catch along with the successful kick after.
Numbers never lie
Gulfport outpaced Tupelo with 376 total yards of offense compared to 266. Nettles was 12 of 19 passing for 228 yards with one touchdown. Crosby was named the game’s MVP after finishing with 167 yards on 26 carries with two touchdowns. The senior back had a 45-yard reception, as well. Defensively, linebackers Deandrew Williams and Andre Peters III combined for 21 tackles.
Tupelo, which rarely passes, didn’t change the offense that got them to the state championship. Hill led the rushing attack with 27 carries for 133 yards with two touchdowns. Bobo added 54 yards and the team’s other touchdown on nine carries. The Golden Wave only passed six times, two of which were successful throws by Braylen Williams for 43 yards.
It was Gulfport’s first state championship appearance in 43 years and winning it marked not only the program’s first title but also the most wins in a season (12). Gulfport also scored 514 points in 2025, breaking another program record.
Other state title scores
While Gulfport’s win over Tupelo was the marquee matchup of the weekend, six other MHSAA classifications were settled on the campus of Mississippi State University. Games begun Thursday afternoon and went through Saturday.
- 1A: Calhoun City 14, Simmons 8
- 2A: East Webster 28, Heidelberg 16
- 3A: Raleigh 12, Noxubee County 6
- 4A: Columbia 6, Kosciusko 0
- 5A: Brookhaven 31, West Point 19
- 6A: Warren Central 56, Hattiesburg 34
- 7A: Gulfport 21, Tupelo 20
J.T. Mitchell contributed to this report.