As the Mississippi High School Activities Association implements a seventh classification for prep sports this school year, that move will affect in some form or fashion almost 90 percent of the 24 high schools in the “Southern Six” that field prep football teams sanctioned by the MHSAA.
However, Resurrection is one of the few teams that won’t see any ramifications with the new format.
The Eagles will remain a Class 1A program and will once again compete in Region 8-1A just like it has done for over a decade since resurrecting its gridiron program and rejoining the MHSAA. In addition, head coach Eric Denmark is back for his second season at the helm of RCS.
The only slight change for the Eagles this season is the same that most of the teams across the state will face as all regions in the three largest classifications (7A, 6A and 5A), as well as the smallest classification (1A), will drop from having an eight-team league with seven region games to a six-team league with just five region games.
The Eagles will now be in Region 8-1A with East Marion, Enterprise-Lincoln, Sacred Hart and Salem as well as old rival Lumberton. Resurrection doesn’t have to face perennial state powers Taylorsville and Bay Springs anymore like it did the past two seasons.
“I really think there wasn’t that much change in all of Class 1A, Denmark said. “We get East Marion and Sacred Heart both back, and they’ve been in this region before. We lose Richton but we’re still gonna play them in the pre-district part of our schedule.”
Denmark and the Eagles will kick off the season like most of the rest of the squads across the state on Friday, Aug. 25th hosting Bay High, a Class 4A foe, in a rare meeting on the football field between the two schools. They will also travel to Hattiesburg twice this season to face both Presybeterrian Christian and Sacred Heart on the road. Also, RCS will play all of its home games at War Memorial Stadium in Pascagoula this season.
Here is the complete team-by-team schedule for Region 8-1A:
REGION 8-1A
EAST MARION
Coach: Jerry Fletcher
A. 25 at West Marion
S. 1 Hazlehurst
S. 8 West Harrison
S. 15 at Collins
S. 22 Heidelberg
S. 29 at Sacred Heart
O. 6 Lumberton
O. 13 at Resurrection
O. 20 Enterprise-Lincoln
O. 26 at Salem
ENTERPRISE-LINCOLN
Coach: Trey Woodard
A. 26 vs. Loyd Star (at Co-Lin CC)
S. 1 at St. Andrew’s
S. 8 Bogue Chitto
S. 15 at Leake County
S. 22 West Lincoln
S. 29 at Lumberton
O. 6 Resurrection
O. 13 Salem
O. 20 at East Marion
O. 26 Sacred Heart
LUMBERTON
Coach: Jonathan Ladner
A. 25 at Purvis
S. 1 at North Forrest
S. 8 West Marion
S. 15 at Wesson
S. 22 Mount Olive
S. 29 Enterprise-Lincoln
O. 6 at East Marion
O. 13 Sacred Heart
O. 20 at Salem
O. 26 at Resurrection
RESURRECTION
Coach: Eric Denmark
A. 25 Bay High
S. 1 at PCS
S. 8 Richton
S. 15 Mount Olive
S. 22 open
S. 29 at Salem
O. 6 at Enterprise-Lincoln
O. 13 East Marion
O. 20 at Sacred Heart
O. 26 Lumberton
SACRED HEART
Coach: Ed Smith
A. 25 St. Patrick
S. 1 at West Lincoln
S. 8 at St. Andrew’s
S. 15 at Sylva-Bay Academy
S. 22 Richton
S. 29 East Marion
O. 6 Salem
O. 13 at Lumberton
O. 20 Resurrection
O. 26 at Enterprise-Lincoln
SALEM
Coach: David Barber
A. 25 at McLaurin
S. 1 Bogue Chitto
S. 8 Loyd Star
S. 15 at West Lincoln
S. 22 Brookhaven Academy
S. 29 Resurrection
O. 6 at Sacred Heart
O. 13 at Enterprise-Lincoln
O. 20 Lumberton
O. 26 East Marion
