A Look Ahead: 7 games in the “Southern 6” to keep an eye on this week

The current prep football campaign in the state of Mississippi reaches four weeks old this week. And while some squads in the “Southern Six” are up and running, a few others are still in the process of finding their footing and yet still others are still crawling behind.

Here are 7 games in the “Southern 6” to keep an eye on this week:

1. Picayune at Gulfport — This highly anticipated battle takes place at historic Milner Stadium Friday with this bit of reality hanging in the air. At the end of the game, one team will walk off the field at 2-2 after four games. Many thought these two top-ranked teams would be undefeated coming into this meeting, but that’s not the case. This marks the ninth consecutive season that the Admirals and Maroon Tide have met on the football field, and Picayune has won four straight and six of the eight games since the series was resumed in 2015. In a bit of an oddity, Gulfport has opened the season with three straight home games for the third time in 15 years. However, this appears to be the first time in over 30 years that the Admirals have opened a season with four straight home games.

   

2. Pascagoula at D’Iberville — The Panthers are one of just a trio of “Southern Six” squads still unbeaten three games into the season, and they take that perfect stripe out of the friendly confines of Jackson County for the first time this week. The Warriors await at Buddy Singleton Field, and DHS has struggled a bit to open the year at 0-3. This will be the ninth meeting on the gridiron between these schools in the past 11 seasons, and DHS has won five straight and seven of the last eight meetings since the series was renewed in 2013 after a 15-year absence.
3. Pass Christian at St. Stanislaus — The Pirates and the Rocks meet for the 48th time in series history Friday night, as PCHS is also one of the few unbeaten teams left in the “Southern Six” after the first three weeks of the season. The Pirates have also won three straight over SSC and and four of the past five meetings. The game features two coaches in their first year at their respective schools, Tim Lala at SSC and Jeff Stockstill at Pass Christian.
4. Moss Point at Gautier — And speaking of new coaches, the Tigers got their first win of the season under first-year mentor John Feaster over SSC last week and after three straight home games his MPHS squad hits the road for the first time albeit just a few miles down U.S. Highway 90. Both teams stand 1-2 on the year, and the Gators couldn’t hold an early 20-0 lead last week in a 28-27 loss to rival Pascagoula. The Tigers and the Gators meet for the 16th time in the past 17 seasons on Friday night, and GHS has won two straight in the series and three of the last four.

   

5. George County at Vancleave — The Rebels hit the road for the third straight week as they visit the Bulldogs. This series was a region rivalry for the past two seasons,but things changed with the recent expansion in classifications by the MHSAA. This is only the eight meeting all-time between the two schools in football, and they have split the past four games over the last 10 years.
6. West Harrison at Bay High — The Hurricanes head to McCulloch Stadium in the Bay to face the home-standing Tigers Friday night with each team coming off a win. Bay High is 1-2, and WHHS is 2-1 on the season. This will mark the 10th meeting in the past 11 seasons between these teams on the gridiron, and it has been a closely contested series with the Tigers having a 5-4 lead during that span.
7. St. Martin at Stone — There is a quartet of teams in the “Southern Six” that have yet to win a game this season so far and two of them face off in Perkinston at A.L.May Stadium on the campus of Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College Friday night. The 0-2 Tomcats host the 0-3 Yellow Jackets in a contest pitting a pair of squads desperately in need of a win. St.Martin has actually lost 10 straight games dating back to last season, and the Yellow Jackets are 3-11 overall under second year head coach Ty Smith while the Tomcats are looking for their first win under new head coach Jacob Aycock.