Last week was an up-and-down week for Port Gibson’s football team.

The Mississippi High School Activities Association handed down its final verdict on the Sept. 30 fight in a win over Raymond. Ten Port Gibson players, rather than the 11 that were on the field at the time, were suspended after further video review. Originally, both schools were hit with 11 suspensions apiece and a fine.

But the bad news was that four out of the 10 received two-game

suspensions, including Mississippi State commitment Adarius Barnes, who has scored eight touchdowns this season.

“It’s unfortunate, but we’re just going to have to go on without him,” Port Gibson coach Lynn Lang said. “But we’ll get him back next week and have him for our playoff run.”

The Blue Waves (6-2, 2-2 Region 6-4A) will have six of those players back as they travel to Magee today at 7 p.m. The remaining four will return for the season finale against Richland on Oct. 21.

Lang, while unhappy with the decisions made by some of his players, believes that some good can come from the incident.

“I’m a big believer in that football teaches life lessons,” Lang said. “Our guys made poor choices and now they’ve paid the price. I think this whole thing has taught them a valuable lesson.”

Last week, without seven starters, the Blue Waves fell 33-26 to Florence. Florence erased a 20-8 halftime lead and outscored Port Gibson 25-6 in the second half.

Wins in the last two games will be critical for Port Gibson’s playoff hopes. Mendenhall and Magee are tied atop the region standings with 3-0 records, while Florence is in the third spot with a 2-2 region record. Port Gibson is in the fourth spot and would have to hit the road in the first round.

“I think our guys want to make a great statement when they come back,” Lang said.