St. Patrick is 1-4 all-time in the prep football state playoffs.
And after a season in which the Fighting Irish were ineligible to participate in the postseason, there’s a new head coach on board at SPHS that has his sights set on returning the squad to the state playoffs and hopefully improving that postseason mark.
The administration at St. Patrick High recently announced the hiring of Oscar Glasscock to the position of head football coach. He was a successful coach in the prep football circles in Alabama before coming to South Mississippi.
St. Patrick chose to play as an “Independent” last season and did not play a region schedule so the Fighting Irish weren;t eligible for the MHSAA state playoffs. St. Patrick went 6-2 last season under then-head coach Trey Bailey. The Fighting Irish are back in Region 8-3A this season.
Glasscock comes to the “Southern Six” from Cullman (Ala.) High School, where he went 28-17 and led his team to the playoffs in each of his four seasons. The Bearcats were 7-4 in 2022, losing 41-24 to Gadsden City in the first round of the Class 6A playoffs.
The Fighting Irish will compete in Region 8-3A once again this season, where four of the six teams will qualify for the state playoffs. The MHSAA is implementing a seventh classification for the first time ever this season.
St. Patrick will share Region 8-3A with “Southern Six” Catholic school rival St. Stanislaus, as well as Perry Central, Tylertown and West Marion. St. Patrick’s return forced perennial state power and defending Region 8-3A champ Jefferson Davis County out of the loop and back into Region 7-3A.
The Fighting Irish won their first-ever state playoff game on the gridiron back in 2008 over Wesson before being eliminated the next week by Forest. Since then, SPHS has suffered first-round losses in 2009, 2010 and 2020.
Here is the complete list of team schedules for Region 8-3A:
REGION 8-3A
PERRY CENTRAL
Coach: Nick Griffin
A. 25 Heidelberg
S. 1 at Amite County
S. 8 at Wesson
S. 15 North Forrest
S. 22 Greene County
S. 29 at St. Patrick
O. 6 open
O. 13 West Marion
O. 20 at St. Stanislaus
O. 26 Tylertown
ST. PATRICK
Coach: Oscar Glasscock
A. 25 at Sacred Heart
S. 1 at Bowling Green (La.)
S. 8 Sylva-Bay Academy
S. 15 at Ben Franklin (La.)
S. 22 Centreville Academy
S. 29 Perry Central
O. 6 at West Marion
O. 13 St. Stanislaus
O. 20 at Tylertown
O. 26 open
ST. STANISLAUS
Coach: Tim Lala
A. 25 Forrest Co. AHS
S. 1 at Bay High
S. 8 at Moss Point
S. 15 Pass Christian
S. 22 at Escambia Academy (Ala.)
S. 29 Stone
O. 6 Tylertown
O. 13 at St. Patrick
O. 20 Perry Central
O. 26 at West Marion
TYLERTOWN
Coach: Osborne Holmes
A. 25 at Center Point (Ala.)
S. 1 Scott Central
S. 8 at Jim Hill
S. 15 Harrison Central
S. 22 at Lawrence County
S. 29 West Marion
O. 6 at St. Stanislaus
O. 13 at Poplarville
O. 20 St. Patrick
O. 26 at Perry Central
WEST MARION
Coach: Mason Woodrow
A. 25 East Marion
S. 1 at Columbia
S. 8 at Lumberton
S. 15 at Sumrall
S. 22 Collins
S. 29 at Tylertown
O. 6 St. Patrick
O. 13 at Perry Central
O. 20 open
O. 26 St. Stanislaus
