The first week of football is upon us with a big West Harrison County game between the Pass Christian Pirates and the Long Beach Bearcats.
Opening its 100th official season of high school football, Long Beach will host rival neighbor Pass Christian on Friday at 7 p.m. at Lumpkin-Magee Stadium in the seventh annual Oyster Bowl sponsored by The Gazebo Gazette, the Harrison County independent newspaper.
Despite losing six consecutive Oyster Bowl games, the Bearcats have the all-time series lead at 40-23-1. Last year, when both teams had new coaches, the Pirates won 49-21 at Francis McDonald Stadium in Pass Christian after overcoming the Bearcats’ 21-14 halftime lead.
 Facts about this rivalry game:
- It’s the second-longest Harrison County rivalry.
- Pass Christian has won six games in a row since 2017.
- Long Beach was 6-1 from 2000 to 2006.
- Pass Christian has one 10-win season and Long Beach has three.
- This is Pass Christian’s 94th season.
- Nov. 12, 1965, is the date of the only tie game in the series—a 6-6 contest in Long Beach.
Here are historical stats and facts about the Pirates:
- A 3-4 playoff record with the first MHSAA quarterfinal berth in 2023.
- Won the Pascagoula River Conference championship in 1974 and 1975 for the program’s only football titles.
- First playoff berth was in 2001, when Pass Christian finished 9-2 and beat Long Beach 34-0 in the second game of the season.
- Coaches Joseph Brown and Kenny Lyons share the school record for most wins with 34 each.
- The Pirates’ all-time record is 308-447-15.
The Bearcats are looking forward to a number of firsts in nearly a decade, including the first win in this series since 2017, the first winning season since 2017 and the first region victory since 2018.Â
Here are historical stats and facts about the Bearcats:
- One district title in 2005 and a 2-6 playoff record between 2005 and 2011.
- Two undefeated seasons, 11-0 in 1961 and 1973, and both years included shutout wins over Pass Christian.
- Gulf Coast Conference championships in 1973 and 1974. The 1974 team lost a bowl game 14-12 to Pass Christian.
- Coach Paul Magee has the Long Beach record for most wins with 51 from 1956 to 1963.
- The Bearcats’ all-time record is 354-450-12.
