The football team at Gulfport High School spent 14 seasons in Class 6A after the last time the Mississippi High School Activities Association expanded classifications.
And during that span, the Admirals were a perennial playoff participant qualifying for the postseason in 11 out of those 14 seasons.
But now, as the landscape changes across the state once again due to expansion by the MHSAA, the Admirals hope not only to sail back into the playoffs but make a little more postseason progress moving up into uncharted waters as well.
Although Gulfport has made the playoffs in 11 out of the past 14 seasons and 14 times out of the last 20 years, the Admirals have only two postseason wins in that two-decade span with the last coming in 2019 in s 20-19 win over George County.
Beginning with the current school year, the MHSAA expanded to seven classes for the first time in the history of the organization. And with such expansion, Gulfport has moved up to the new Class 7A level after spending 12 seasons in Class 6A and the Admirals also have a new head coach in place.
In the first-year under new mentor Blake Pennock, GHS will join the newly named Region 4-7A, and although the region is new five familiar foes are joining Gulfport to comprise the loop in Pennock’s former team at Ocean Springs as well as Biloxi, D’Iberville, St. Martin and Harrison Central all move up from the same region in 6A as does the Admirals to form the new league.
Pennock moves west down the coast amidst the most successful run in his prep football head coaching career, as he guided the Greyhounds to back-to-back undefeated regular seasons the past two years and arrives at GHS after going an impressive 32-5 overall in three seasons at OSHS. The Admirals went 9-3 last year under John Archie in his last season and finished second in Region 4-6 behind OSHS. Home-standing Gulfport fell to Warren Central 38-3 in the opening round of the Class 6A South State playoffs, marking the ninth time out of the past 10 appearances that the Admirals fell in the first round.
The Greyhounds went 3-3 in three playoff appearances under Pennock.
The Admirals kick off the “Blake Pennock Era” on Friday, Aug. 25th hosting Gautier in the second game of the annual “Port City Classic”. The doubleheader also has Harrison Central host Ridgeland in game one at 5:30 p.m. Gulfport-Gautier is scheduled for 8:30 p.m.
Here is the complete list of team schedules for Region 4-7A:
REGION 4-7A
BILOXI
Coach: Katlan French
A. 25 Stone
S. 1 at Meridian
S. 8 George County
S. 15 at Hattiesburg
S. 22 Pascagoula
S. 29 open
O. 5 at Gulfport
O. 13 St. Martin
O. 20 at Ocean Springs
O. 27 Harrison Central
N. 2 at D’Iberville
D’IBERVILLE
Coach: Josh Ladner
A. 25 Columbia
S. 1 at Gautier
S. 8 Picayune
S. 15 Pascagoula
S. 22 open
S. 29 at Wayne County
O. 6 at Ocean Springs
O. 13 Gulfport
O. 20 at Harrison Central
O. 27 at St. Martin
N. 2 Biloxi
GULFPORT
Coach: Blake Pennock
A. 25 Gautier
S. 1 Vancleave
S. 8 Madison Central
S. 15 Picayune
S. 22 at Brandon
S. 29 open
O. 6 Biloxi
O. 13 at D’Iberville
O. 20 at St. Martin
O. 27 Ocean Springs
N. 2 at Harrison Central
HARRISON CENTRAL
Coach: Tony Myers
A. 25 vs. Ridgeland (at Gulfport)
S. 1 open
S. 8 at Quitman
S. 15 at Tylertown
S. 22 Mendenhall
S. 29 Meridian
O. 6 at St. Martin
O. 13 Ocean Springs
O. 20 D’Iberville
O. 27 at Biloxi
N. 2 Gulfport
OCEAN SPRINGS
Coach: Jake Bramlett
A. 25 at Madison Central
S. 1 Scotlandville (La.)
S. 8 at Northwest Rankin
S. 15 Natchez
S. 22 at Picayune
S. 29 open
O. 6 D’Iberville
O. 13 at Harrison Central
O. 20 Biloxi
O. 27 at Gulfport
N. 2 St. Martin
ST. MARTIN
Coach: Ty Smith
A. 25 at Vancleave
S. 1 Petal
S. 8 at Hancock
S. 15 at Stone
S. 22 East Central
S. 29 open
O. 6 Harrison Central
O. 13 at Biloxi
O. 20 Gulfport
O. 27 D’Iberville
N. 2 at Ocean Springs
