The final week of the high school football regular season is upon us and there were few surprises as preseason favorites rose to the top of their respective regions.
Ocean Springs, after a slow start of 0-3 and 1-4, captured its fourth straight Region 4-7A title by defeating Gulfport handily 20-3 last Friday.
Picayune, after an uncharacteristic 2-2 start, won six in a row and again proved to be the best in Region 4-6A for the fourth straight year.
Greene County upset Poplarville 49-28 to secure the Region 8-4A title.
Gautier swept through Region 4-5A for the third straight season.
Teams winning region titles have a double advantage—getting to host first-round games and playing a fourth-seeded team.
Second-place teams also get to play host in the first round, going against a third-place opponent.
Most games this week are scheduled for Thursday, which is a good thing as Hurricane Rafael may have an impact on the Gulf Coast on Friday or Saturday.
Wick’s Picks followed a perfect 12-0 record in Week 9 with an 11-1 slate last week, bringing the season tally to 68-23 for a 74.7 percent success rate. The Picker was surprised by missing only one game last week, expecting to go 50-50, and he would have been happy with that.
The only game missed was East Central’s narrow 28-26 upset of archrival Vancleave. Congrats to the Hornets on their second victory of the season and having bragging rights over the Bulldogs for another year.
This week’s picks:
Pascagoula at George County: The Panthers have a score to settle with the Rebels. Last year, Goula couldn’t hold a 20-0 lead and fell in the final 46 seconds when quarterback Deuce Knight threw a 28-yard touchdown pass, his fifth of the game, for a 43-40 victory. You could say this is a game of quarterbacks—Knight vs. the Panthers’ Silas Coder, who has set numerous school career passing records. But games like these usually come down to turnovers and big plays. A win gives the victor second place in the region and a first-round home game. The Picker is going with the Cats to exact revenge. Pascagoula 42-35.
D’Iberville at Biloxi: This game will decide the third- and fourth-place seeds in Region 4-7A as Ocean Springs and Gulfport have secured the top two spots. D’Iberville and Biloxi are coming off big wins and are 2-2 in region play. Overall, the Warriors have the better record at 5-4 to 4-5. Warriors should keep it that way. D’Iberville 28-21.
Ocean Springs at St. Martin: The Yellow Jackets haven’t won a region game, but the three victories they do have show they are headed in the right direction after a winless season in 2023. The Greyhounds started the season slow but have captured the top seed in Region 4-7A and they want to keep that momentum going headed into the playoffs. Ocean Springs 35-13.
Long Beach at West Harrison: The playoffs are out of the picture for these two teams who started the season with impressive results but have since hit the skids. Long Beach opened 2-1 but has lost seven in a row. The Hurricanes looked like they were going to be a force to be reckoned with when they won four of their first five, averaging 46 points in each of the wins. But just like the Bearcats, the second half of the season has been disappointing for the Canes, who have lost four straight despite scoring 50 points against Picayune and 49 versus George County. The Canes have the firepower to blow out the Cats. West Harrison 49-14.
Harrison Central at Gulfport: The Red Rebels had high hopes to sneak into the fourth playoff spot when the season began. But things unraveled quickly, and HC tumbled to a 2-7 record with one Region 4-7A win. This could be an upset game, but The Picker will go with the 6-3 and playoff-bound Admirals. Gulfport 21-14.
East Central at Stone: The Hornets won their second game of the season
last week by upsetting archrival Vancleave 28-26. Another win would send the Hornets into the offseason on a positive note and could end the Tomcats’ slim playoff hopes. Let’s call this the upset special. East Central 21-20.
Picayune at Hancock: After a shocking 2-2 start, Picayune has gotten its act together and has used its typical ground-and-pound game to win seven straight and take the No. 1 seed in Region 4-6-A. Hancock, at 4-6 and 2-2, has the fourth seed in hand. An upset of the Hawks’ rivals would be fuel for the playoffs. NOT. Picayune 52-21.
Laurel at Gautier: The Gators, 8-1 overall and 4-0 in Region 4-5A, are the top seed and should make easy work of the 2-8 and 1-3 Tornadoes. Gautier 35-13.
Vancleave at Wayne County: Last week’s upset by East Central was an eye-opener for the Bulldogs. They need a win to guarantee a playoff spot in Region 4-5A. They won’t be caught napping. Vancleave 24-14.
