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

All prep football teams in the “Southern Six” have now played at least one region game.

There are also some pretty big region games are on tap this week along the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

Contests that could have a vital impact on league races in Class 1A, 4A, 5A, 6A and 7A are all on tap Friday night.

Here are 7 games in the “Southern 6” to keep an eye on Friday night.

1. Ocean Springs at Harrison Central — A pair of unbeaten teams after one week of play in Region 4-7A play face off at Earl Phillips Stadium in Lyman this week, as the Greyhounds come calling on the Red Rebels. Ocean Springs is 5-1 and has won five straight games under new head coach Jake Bramlett after dropping its season opener, and HCHS also sits at 5-1 overall. The Greyhounds have won the past two games in this annual affair pretty handily, but the series has been fairly even over the past decade and the Red Rebels, in fact, actually have won six out of the past 10 games.
2. George County at Hancock — A battle of two of the top quarterbacks in the “Southern Six” takes place at Brett Favre Field in the Kiln this week as the unbeaten Hawks host the Rebels. George County is led by Deuce Knight, and Hancock by Dylan Moran, and this game also pits a pair of unbeaten teams in Region 4-6A action after one week of league play. These teams haven’t met on the football field since 2016, and this marks just the third meeting in the past decade between the two.
3. West Harrison at Picayune — The Maroon Tide won its 15th straight consecutive region game last week and looks to continue that streak as the Hurricanes head to Lee-Triplett Stadium this week. West Harrison is 0-1 in league play, and is still looking for its first-ever state playoff appearance. These teams have met 10 times total, and Picayune is a perfect 10-0 in the series all-time.

   

4. Gautier at Wayne County — Yet another battle between a pair of unbeaten teams in league play so far takes place in Waynesboro as the Gators head to the home of the War Eagles. Both squads opened Region 4-5A play with a win, and the winner of this game takes a major step towards securing a Class 5A South State playoff berth. This is a rematch from the opening round of the playoffs last year, a 38-21 Gautier victory. It was the first actual win on the field win for the Gators in this series after WCHS took the first six meetings.
5. Gulfport at D’Iberville — The Admirals are 1-0 in the Region 4-7A race while the Warriors are 0-1 as these teams meet in league play this week. Both squads carry rather mediocre marks thus far this season, as GHS stands 3-3 and DHS 2-4, but a lot is riding on this game for both.
6. St. Stanislaus at St. Patrick — The all “Southern Six” meeting in Region 8-3A takes place this week as the Fighting Irish host the Rock-A-Chaws. The Rocks are 1-0 in league play, but St. Pat is 0-2 and in dire need of a league win if making the state playoffs for just the fifth time in school history is in their plans this season.
7. East Marion at Resurrection — The Eagles host another flock of Eagles at War Memorial Stadium this week in a key Region 8-1A match-up. Resurrection is 2-0 in league play, while the Eagles from EMHS are 0-2 in the region race. A win by RCS would ensure them a berth in the upcoming Class 1A South State playoffs for the ninth time in the past 10 seasons.