The Poplarville Hornets and the West Jones Mustangs put their undefeated records on the line last Friday night in Laurel in what was expected to be a high-scoring-affair.
Instead of lighting up the scoreboard, the teams put on a good old-fashioned defensive battle and the Mustangs came out on top 10-7, sending the Hornets to their first loss in four games.
Probably the hottest team through five games is West Harrison, winner of four straight after a disappointing loss to Greene County in its opener. The Hurricanes have averaged an impressive 46 points in those victories.
Vancleave defeated Hancock 35-17 to extend its winning streak to three games after opening the season with two defeats.
Resurrection Catholic School defeated archrival St. Patrick by one point, 14-13, stopping a two-point conversion attempt in the final seconds, to make it two straight wins.
Another team to flex its muscles was Pascagoula, which overpowered Biloxi 44-3.
Gulfport came into its game against Brandon averaging 39 points in its three victories. Brandon proved to be too tough defensively and shut out the Admirals by a shocking 42-0.
For the Moss Point Tigers, the losing continued and the Tigers now stand at 0-5. The prospect of a victory doesn’t get any easier as Poplarville comes to town this Friday seeking to get back on the winning track.
After two weeks of picking more wrong than right, The Picker was a perfect 8-0 in Week Five.
He missed hitting the score of the West Harrison-Moss Point game on the nose by one point.
The pick was a WH win by 48-14 and the score was 48-13.
Week Six has nine teams with open dates leading up to the opening of region play for most squads.
The top game this week looks to be George County at Hattiesburg.
The purple-and-gold Tigers have had close games and blowouts en route to a 5-0 record. Big wins were 46-7 over Laurel and 40-7 over Sumrall.
The Rebels got back into the win column last week despite having talented quarterback Deuce Knight on the sidelines for the second week in a row. If Knight is back in uniform the Rebels could hand the Tigers their first defeat. Call it Hattiesburg 38, George County 21.
Greene County at Pass Christian: This should be a high-scoring game. The Wildcats are averaging 46 points a game in their four victories, including a 66-48 win over Wayne County. The Pirates are clipping along at 45 per game in their three wins but fell to Northeast Jones 35-28 last week. Going with the visitors. Greene County 48, Pass Christian 35.
Poplarville at Moss Point: This game should be a walkover. The Hornets are not happy after losing last week, ending their winning streak of four games to start the season. The Tigers have shown improvement of late, but not enough this week. Poplarville 42, Moss Point 13.
Salem at RCS: The Eagles are back on the winning track with two straight victories after starting 0-3. Homecoming for the Eagles should be enough motivation for an RCS win. RCS 28, Salem 7.
Wayne County at D’Iberville: The War Eagles have not played up to their usual standards in going 1-4, including three straight loses—one being the 66-48 shootout loss to Greene County. D’Iberville was open last Friday and the Warriors are losers of two straight. Going with the home team. D’Iberville 31, Wayne County 24.
Long Beach at South Jones: In most seasons, the Bearcats had no chance of beating the Braves. But the Maroon and White are much improved and now aren’t pushovers. But South Jones is at home and has played a tough schedule in going 3-2. Home team prevails. South Jones 35, Long Beach 21.
Picayune at Petal: The Panthers have not scored less than 38 points in winning four straight after suffering a 7-3 setback in their opener to Hattiesburg. Meanwhile, Picayune has had an uneven season and is 3-2, not a record the Tide usually have at this point of the season. Home team prevails again. Petal 48, Picayune 42.
