NATCHEZ — Nothing says love like a football mom.

Nine seniors expressed their gratitude for many years of unwavering support during the annual Pigskins and Pearls celebration at Cathedral School Thursday night.

Many thanked their mothers for cleaning years of laundry and doing all the behind-the-scenes stuff mothers do.

“Thank you for coming to all my games and posting all that stuff on Facebook,” Ethan Huff said about his mother, Angie Huff. “I don’t know what my social life would be without that.”

Many of the football players thanked their mothers for providing a shoulder to cry on and harsh criticism when needed.

“Thank you for pushing me until I got old enough to know how to push myself,” JT Harris said.

Most of all, the players thanked their moms for their sacrifices

“I would like to thank my Mom for going back to work to pay for my college,” Jack Russ said about his mom Sarah Russ.

Pigskins and Pearls has become a favorite tradition of the school since it started 12 years ago. Over the years the event has become a celebration of the moms who stand in the football stands year after year watching their sons play, organizer Jennifer Russ said.

Russ stepped in four years ago to keep the tradition alive when the events original creator, Kappi Rushing moved with her husband Ron Rushing when he became head coach of the Brookhaven football team.

“I enjoyed it so much, and it was so special to me. I didn’t want it to end,” Russ said.

The event includes dinner, door prizes, guest speakers and a slide show featuring photos of the players through the years. This year’s guests were the Rev. Mark Shoffner and the Rev. Scott Thomas, the two new priests assigned to the St. Mary Basilica parish.

But it was the words of gratitude from football seniors that elicited oohs, aahs and a few tears from the crowd of women who attend each year.

“It is a very special evening for the moms,” Russ said. “It’s their sons’ last year of playing football for 99% of them. It is the beginning of the end.

“Most of the moms end up crying,” Russ said.