By CURTIS ROCKWELL

Item Sports Editor

Several streaks remained intact Friday night, as Picayune hosted rival Pearl River Central.

Picayune won its six straight game, as the homestanding Maroon Tide dispatched an overmatched Pearl River Central squad 56-17.

The loss was the eighth straight for the Blue Devils this season, and 10th consecutive overall and the win was the 11 straight in this series for Picayune over PRC.

Picayune’s Jamal Hall ran for 211 yards and five touchdowns in the first half alone, as the Maroon Tide took a 42-10 halftime lead.

The win moves Picayune to 6-2 overall and 5-0 in Region 3-5A play, while PRC falls to 0-9 and 0-5. Picayune is tied with West Jones atop the league standings.

“He ran well, he had a good half,” Picayune head coach Dodd Lee said. “It’s good be where we are. Our season starts Monday.”

The Blue Devils hung tough early, trailing just 14-10 early in the second period, before the Maroon Tide took control.

“Picayune’s the best team we have faced so far, they are very good,” PRC head coach Jeremy Weir said. “I was proud of how our kids played with a lot of heart. I have a lot of respect for the kids on our team, because a lot of players wouldn’t still be playing as hard as they are.”

Hall scored five of the first six times Picayune had the ball. He tallied tallied short scoring runs from 3, 2 and 1 yards out while also scampering to paydirt on runs of 48 and 46 yards as well.

It was the most prolific scoring performance by a Maroon Tide running back since Justin Magee scored seven times in a playoff win against Northwest Rankin in 2002.

PRC’s Bryce Spence ignited the Blue Devils crowd early, as he broke free on an 81-yard touchdown dash.

Blue Devil kicker Ashton Lancaster booted a 27 yard field goal as well.

Picayune’s Chris Burton added a 10-yard touchdown run just before halftime.

In the third frame, Tide reserve quarterback Da’Keith Burton hooked up with Justin Mark on a 40 yard scoring strike to make it 49-10.

In the final period, Picayune’s Scottie Merrill scored on a 1 yard run and PRC’s Chase Thigphen scored on a 4-yard run as well.

The game featured three runners that broke the 100-yard barrier, as Merrill added 112 yards rushing to Hall’s total while Spence ran for 117 yards for the Blue Devils.

Defensively, for Picayune Chase Tretbar recovered a fumble while Blake Goode and Desmond Michaels also pounced on loose balls for the Blue Devils.

The Maroon Tide travels to SoSo for a battle for first place in the league against the top-ranked Mustangs on Friday, while PRC hosts Wayne County which fell to West Jones Friday night.