The first week of the high school football season is upon us on Friday night and there are some big games scheduled in the Southern Six.
Brandon at Picayune
Two teams expected to be playing in December will square off at Lee-Triplett Stadium.
A year ago, Picayune managed to pull out a 28-21 win at Brandon as running back Chris Davis rushed for more than 240 yards and three touchdowns.
Davis is now at Stanford, but the Maroon Tide seem to reload in the backfield each year.
Thousand-yard rusher Darrell Smith is expected to be the top Picayune back.
Brandon, No. 1 in the state in several preseason rankings, has a number of seniors. They were on the team in the 2023 campaign, which saw the Bulldogs reach the 7A South State championship game.
Two of those seniors are wide receivers Quincy Phillips Jr. and Jay McQueen, expected to be key targets of quarterback Jacob Chancelor, who replaces Landon Varnes.
Moss Point at Pascagoula
The rival Tigers and Panthers will meet for the 84th time on the gridiron in their opener at War Memorial Stadium.
The Panthers lead the series 43-37-3 and are 9-2 against the Tigers since Lewis Sims left Moss Point to become the Pascagoula coach in 2011.
George County at East Central
The Rebels roll out their potent offense led by quarterback Deuce Knight, a four-star standout who committed to Notre Dame.
He has plenty of weapons, including Kohl Bradley and Brenn Moody.
The Hornets are looking to improve on their 3-7 season last year. East Central has a ton of experience with 19 seniors on the roster and five starters returning on offense and five on defense.
The Rebels beat the Hornets 28-7 a year ago.
Madison Central at Ocean Springs
Ocean Springs lost just one regular-season game in 2023 and will get a chance to avenge that loss when it plays Madison Central at Hugh Pepper Field at Greyhound Stadium.
The Greyhounds return just a few starters from last year’s team that went 9-1 in the regular season. Ten starters are gone on the defensive side.
Coach Jake Bramlett said his team has a good mix of size, speed and experience on offense.
It will be a tough challenge in the opener.
The Jaguars return a veteran team with more than 30 seniors on the roster. They’re expected to contend for another North State 7A championship.
Stone High at Biloxi
The Jamey DuBose era at Biloxi begins with high expectations for a veteran team.
The Indians have 24 seniors on their roster.
Biloxi, looking for its first playoff win since 2011, kicks things off with Stone
High.
Jacob Aycock’s Tomcats are looking to improve on a 3-7 season in his second year as coach.
Stone has 13 seniors to work with and a very large junior class.
Biloxi beat Stone 44-14 in last year’s opener.
Greenville Christian at Gulfport
Gulfport will cap a doubleheader of action on Friday when the Admirals host Greenville-Christian in the annual Port City Bowl.
Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. and will follow the Harrison Central vs. Gautier contest that starts at 5:30 p.m.
The Admirals have never faced the Saints, who captured back-to-back Class 3A MAIS championships in 2020 and 2021.
Week One schedule
Moss Point at Pascagoula
Brandon at Picayune
George County at East Central
Stone County at Biloxi
Madison Central at Ocean Springs
Vancleave at St. Martin
Gautier at Harrison Central
Greenville Christian at Gulfport
West Harrison at Greene County
Pass Christian at Long Beach
D’Iberville at Columbia
Pearl River Central at South Pike
Natchez at Hancock
St. Stanislaus at Forrest County AHS
Resurrection Catholic at Bay High
Sacred Heart at St. Patrick
Jefferson Davis County at Poplarville
