On the heels of their dramatic victory over Oak Grove, Petal picked up yet another statement win last Friday night, as the Panthers held off Brandon, 31-28, to improve to 4-3 overall and 2-1 in district play. Another big win, another big performance from senior running back Nataurean Watts.
Watts finished with 137 rushing yards, four catches for 136 yards through the air and two total touchdowns. For his efforts, Watts has been named our Sports601 Hattiesburg Player of the Week.
“Coach had good play calls a lot,” Watts said of his performance. “Me and Jordan [Wilson] connected a few times on wheel routes. And we were real big upfront, so I could run hard.”
“The crowd was rowdy the whole night,” Watts added. “It’s a big rivalry, because we put Brandon out of the playoffs last year. We played with a lot of energy.”
Watts’ performance came just a few days after he was not chosen to play in either of Mississippi’s high school football all-star games. He says the snub factored into his big game.
“I told someone on Twitter that I had a point to prove. I’m just trying to prove that point every week.”
Primarily a wide receiver in 2016, Watts made the transition to running back for the Panthers early this season and has not looked back since. Through seven games, he leads the team in rushing yards (780) and total touchdowns (13). He’s also tied for the team lead in receptions (29) with his twin brother, Natorian.
“I’m more comfortable at running back now,” Watts explained. “I still motion out to play some receiver some, but it’s going pretty good.”
Watts and the Panthers will look to keep rolling this Friday night at Jim Hill (0-7).
