And then there were four.
Just four Southern Six teams remain in the chase for a state football championship heading into Friday night’s South State title games.
Class 7A
For the second time in the last three seasons, Ocean Springs will be hosting a South State championship game after holding off a late Oak Grove rally last week.
The 8-4 Greyhounds beat the 8-4 Warriors 27-14. Oak Grove pulled within 20-14 late in the game, but Ocean Springs quarterback Sharriod Whitehead broke free for a 70-yard touchdown run to seal the win.
Now Ocean Springs turns its attention to Brandon—the school that knocked the Greyhounds from the playoffs in 2022 in the 6A South State title game. The 34-31 loss was the only defeat for Ocean Springs that season.
The Bulldogs (11-1) are riding a nine-game win streak, including last week’s 39-10 victory over Petal.
Class 6A
Picayune—a perennial power in high school football for more than a decade—is playing in its fourth consecutive South State championship after dispatching George County last week in a 63-40 blowout victory.
The Maroon Tide (11-2) beat the Rebels (7-6) for the second time in two weeks to set up the South State title game at Lee-Triplett Stadium against unbeaten Hattiesburg.
The Tigers (12-0) come into Picayune having rolled up 405 points on the season while yielding just 120. They’re coming off a 33-17 win over Pascagoula. The Panthers (9-3) reached the second round of the playoffs the last two years.
Class 5A
Gautier won a thriller over Wayne County to reach the South State championship game.
The Gators (11-1) stopped a two-point try by the War Eagles to hold on for a 28-27 win and host their first South State title game in “The Swamp” against Brookhaven.
The Panthers (12-1) beat Stone 33-7 last week to end the Tomcats’ season.
The Gators, who are playing in their third consecutive South State championship game, have reeled off 10 straight wins and are seeking their first state championship game appearance.
Class 4A
Poplarville scored 35 unanswered points on its way to a 41-21 win last week over McComb to reach the South State title game for the eighth time in the last nine seasons.
(Photo by Carlos Hurtado / 228 Sports)
The Hornets (11-2), who last played for a state championship in 2020, will have to travel to Forest for the opportunity to win their first state football title.
The Bearcats (12-1) knocked off Quitman—the only team to hand Forest a loss in the regular season—17-12 to reach the South State championship game.
