As the Mississippi High School Association expands to seven classifications for the first time ever, the football team at Pass Christian High School enters the 2023 season hoping that a new head coach that has been successful in several different classes can continue that success with the Pirates.
Jeff Stockstill was named the new PCHS head coach several months ago. He becomes the fifth Pirates head football coach in the past decade.
Stocktill is coming off winning back-to-back Class 2A state championships at Scott Central. Stockstill has accumulated a 63-19 record as a head football coach, including 28-2 for the last two years with the Rebels.
After leaving Class 3A Raleigh with a 29-12 record in three years, one district title, and being 5-3 in the Class 3A playoffs from 2014-2016, Stockstill took a position at Class 4A at Forrest County AHS for a year and finished 6-5.
In Stockstill’s two seasons at SCHS, the offensive prowess of his team allowed the Rebels to dominate opponents on the scoreboard tallying 1,329 points in two years and allowing only 326. Defensively, the Rebels had seven shutouts last season including a 55-0 win over Philadelphia High School in the Class 2A quarterfinals.
Despite the expansion by the MHSAA, Pass Christian was not affected that much as the Pirates remain in Region 8-4A along with league foes Bay High, Moss Point and Greene County as well as newcomber Poplarville. Poplarville replaces the Stone Tomcats, moving from Region 7-4A to the “Southern Six” dominated Region 8-4A.
The Pirates are coming off a 5-5 mark under Chase Carmoday last season, one in which PCHS qualified for the state playoffs for the third time in the past four seasons. Pass Christian got off to an impressive 5-2 mark last season, but finished the year with three straight losses including a 40-12 decision on the road in Poplarville in the opening round of the Class 4A state playoffs.
Carmody left to become the defensive coordinator at Ocean Springs.
The “Jeff Stockstill Era” at PCHS kicks off against long time arch-rival Long Beach at home on Friday, Aug. 25th. It’ll mark the 64th all-time meeting between the neighboring rivals when the Bearcats shoot down Highway 90 a few miles west to begin the upcoming campaign.
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
