MOSS POINT — The 83rd edition of the almost annual “Battle of the Cats” pitting longtime arch-rivals Moss Point and Pascagoula against one another on the football field is set for Friday night on Dantzler Street in Moss Point.
The contest has been selected as this week’s 228Sports “Kneed to see” Game of the Week sponsored by Bienville Orthopaedic Sports Medicine Center/Encore Rehab. The close series is led by the Panthers, 42-37-3, and Pascagoula has won two straight games in the series including 33-26 last year.
The series took a two-year hiatus in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic and resumed last year. The series has been almost even in the past five meetings, with Pascagoula having won three, but before the current stretch, the Panthers won five straight.
Under current head coach Lewis Sims, ironically enough, Pascagoula has taken over the all-time series lead after Sims left his alma mater (MPHS) and came across Jefferson Street 13 years ago. This will be Sims’ 14th time as a head coach in the “Battle of the Cats” and he stands 11-2 overall at both PHS and MPHS.
The Pascagoula-Moss Point game will feature staff from Bienville Orthopaedic Sports Medicine Center/Encore Rehab on the sidelines providing sports medicine coverage for both teams.
One of the members of the Bienville staff, Dr. Donnis Harrison, knows how intense the arch-rivalry can be as he was a standout offensive lineman for the Panthers in the 1980’s and was a member of the undefeated state championship team in 1987.
Harrison, who serves as the PHS team physician, has been a member of the Bienville Orthopaedic Specialists practice on the Mississippi Gulf Coast for 17 years and is a native of Pascagoula. He is a board-certified surgeon dedicated to providing exceptional orthopaedic care.
Dr. Harrison has gained an immeasurable amount of experience in many aspects of general orthopaedics including Sports Medicine, Joint Replacement, and Trauma with a specialty interest in Shoulder and Elbow disorders and Sports Medicine. After graduating from the University of Mississippi Medical Center he completed his orthopaedic residency at Medical College of Georgia. With more than 700 cases per year of surgical experience in the Operating Room and practice with the latest, cutting-edge surgical techniques of today; you can be assured his clinical credentials are excellent.
In addition, Dr. Harrison completed a post-residency Fellowship program in Shoulder and Elbow in Dallas, TX which earned him the title of the only fellowship-trained orthopaedic surgeon in arthroscopic shoulder surgery on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. This gives him a unique experience to provide comprehensive non-surgical and surgical treatment to all types of injuries and conditions involving the shoulder and elbow.
Kickoff time is set for 7:00 pm., Friday night for the 228Sports “Kneed to see” Game of the Week.
