The Moss Point High School football program was at one point the most feared prep franchise on the gridiron in the state of Mississippi.
After all, in a 10-season span, from 1991-2000, the Tigers reeled off four state championships in 1991, 1996, 1997 and 2000 and also appeared in the state title tilt in 2001.
But that loss to Starkville in the 2001 championship game was the last time the Tigers played for a state crown, and Moss Point has gone 11-19 in 19 trips to the state playoffs in various classifications in the past 21 seasons.
John Feaster has been tasked with the mission of getting the once mighty Moss Point program back in the position of playing for a state championship once again. Feaster comes to Dantzler Street from Wiggins, where he guided the Stone Tomcats for seven seasons including playing for the Class 4A South State championship last season.
Feaster compiled a record of 39-34 during that span at Stone from 2016-2022. He replaces former Tiger head coach Eugene Harmon, who stepped down late last year after six seasons at the helm of MPHS. Feaster becomes the sixth head football coach at Moss Point in the last 15 years.
Harmon led the Tigers to the second round of the Class 4A South State playoffs last season and posted a 27-39 mark during his tenure, but that included an impressive 18-8 record in Region 8-4A. Moss Point qualified for the postseason in all six of his seasons as head coach. Last season, the Tigers started the season at 0-7 but won their final two regular-season region games to earn a state playoff berth and then thrashed Forrest County AHS 48-6 at home in Dantzler Stadium to advance to the second round of the Class 4A South State Playoffs.
Despite having not played for a state title in 22 years, Moss Point has only missed the state playoffs twice in that span, in 2003 and 2011. Moss Point has won five state titles overall, including the Tigers’ first title in 1983.
Feaster’s crew is still competing in Region 8-4A as the MHSAA expands to seven classifications, as the Tigers have since first dropping down to Class 4A a decade ago. His former team Stone moved up and out of the league with the expansion, and into Region 8-5A. Poplarville replaces the Tomcats, moving from Region 7-4A to the “Southern Six” dominated Region 8-4A, which now features MPHS, Poplarville, Bay High, Pass Christian and Greene County.
The “John Feaster Era” at MPHS kicks off against long-time arch-rival Pascagoula in the annual renewal of the “Battle of the Cats” on Friday, Aug. 25th at home.
Here are the complete 2023 schedules for each team in Region 8-4A:
REGION 8-4A
BAY HIGH
Coach: Jeremy Turcotte
A. 25 at Resurrection
S. 1 St. Stanislaus
S. 8 at Long Beach
S. 15 West Harrison
S. 22 at Pearl River Central
S. 29 PCS
O. 6 at Moss Point
O. 13 Greene County
O. 20 at Poplarville
O. 26 Pass Christian
GREENE COUNTY
Coach: Michael King
A. 25 at West Harrison
S. 1 George County
S. 8 at Wayne County
S. 15 Forrest Co. AHS
S. 22 at Perry Central
S. 29 Pass Christian
O. 6 open
O. 13 at Bay High
O. 20 at Moss Point
O. 26 Poplarville
MOSS POINT
Coach: John Feaster
A. 25 at Pascagoula
S. 1 Hancock
S. 8 St. Stanislaus
S. 15 at Gautier
S. 22 at West Harrison
S. 29 at Poplarville
O. 6 Bay High
O. 13 at Pass Christian
O. 20 Greene County
O. 26 open
PASS CHRISTIAN
Coach: Jeff Stockstill
A. 25 Long Beach
S. 1 Purvis
S. 8 at Pearl River Central
S. 15 at St. Stanislaus
S. 22 Northeast Jones
S. 29 at Greene County
O. 6 Poplarville
O. 13 Moss Point
O. 20 open
O. 26 at Bay High
POPLARVILLE
Coach: Jay Beech
A. 25 Jefferson Davis County
S. 1 at Stone
S. 8 at Newton County
S. 15 at Pearl River Central
S. 22 West Jones
S. 29 Moss Point
O. 6 at Pass Christian
O. 13 Tylertown
O. 20 Bay High
O. 26 at Greene County
