As the Mississippi High School Activities Association expands to a seventh classification for the first time ever in the history of the organization, the football team at Hancock High is staying in place but changing a bit at the same time.
The Hawks are still in Region 4-6A but have a few new foes in the league including some that are old familiar faces.
Hancock now calls Region 4-6A home along with Pascagoula, Picayune, George County, Long Beach and West Harrison. Despite the expansion, Pascagoula also remains in the league with the Hawks, but the other four members moved up from Class 5A into the revamped region.
Hancock does have one distinction entering the new 2023 prep football campaign, and that’s that only the Hawks and two-time defending Class 5A state champ Picayune qualified for the state playoffs last season among the six teams now residing in Region 4-6A.
Hancock enters its seventh season under the direction of head coach Neil Lollar. Last season, Lollar and his Hawks went 6-6 overall, with a 42-7 loss on the road to eventual Class 6A South State champion Brandon to open the playoffs and end the season. The Hawks’ 6-5 regular season mark was good enough for the fourth-place spot in the eight-team Region 4-6A last season. The 3-4 region mark left the squad from the Kiln tied with D’Iberville in the region race, but a 31-24 Hancock win over those Warriors gave HHS the head-to-head tiebreaker and the final playoff berth in the league.
Hancock kicks off the 2023 season on the road in Natchez on Friday, Aug. 25th. The regular season concludes with the Hawks traveling to Lee-Triplett Stadium in Picayune for the renewal of an old rivalry with the neighboring Maroon Tide. It will mark the first meeting on the gridiron between the two teams in 19 years, since 2004. That last meeting ended a streak of 14 consecutive regular-season meetings between the Hawks and Maroon Tide which began in 1991. Also, Hancock hasn’t faced Long Beach in 11 seasons, since 2012, and last met George County seven years ago in 2016.
REGION 4-6A
GEORGE COUNTY
Coach: James Ray
A. 25 East Central
S. 1 at Greene County
S. 8 at Biloxi
S. 15 at Vancleave
S. 22 Wayne County
S. 29 Hattiesburg
O. 6 Long Beach
O. 13 at Hancock
O. 20 West Harrison
O. 27 Picayune
N. 2 at Pascagoula
HANCOCK
Coach: Neil Lollar
A. 25 at Natchez
S. 1 at Moss Point
S. 8 St. Martin
S. 15 at Petal
S. 22 at Vancleave
S. 29 Florence
O. 6 at West Harrison
O. 13 George County
O. 20 at Pascagoula
O. 27 Long Beach
N. 2 at Picayune
LONG BEACH
Coach: Jacob Massey
A. 25 at Pass Christian
S. 1 Forrest Co. AHS
S. 8 Bay High
S. 15 at Purvis
S. 22 at Petal
S. 29 South Jones
O. 6 at George County
O. 13 Pascagoula
O. 20 Picayune
O. 27 at Hancock
N. 2 West Harrison
PASCAGOULA
Coach: Lewis Sims
A. 25 at Moss Point
S. 1 at East Central
S. 8 Gautier
S. 15 at D’Iberville
S. 22 at Biloxi
S. 29 open
O. 6 Picayune
O. 13 at Long Beach
O. 20 Hancock
O. 27 at West Harrison
N. 2 George County
PICAYUNE
Coach: Cody Stogner
A. 25 at Brandon
S. 1 Catholic (La.)
S. 8 at D’Iberville
S. 15 at Gulfport
S. 22 Ocean Springs
S. 29 open
O. 6 at Pascagoula
O. 13 West Harrison
O. 20 at Long Beach
O. 27 at George County
N. 2 Hancock
WEST HARRISON
Coach: Quincy Patrick
A. 25 Greene County
S. 1 Sumrall
S. 8 at East Marion
S. 15 at Bay High
S. 22 Moss Point
S. 29 open
O. 6 Hancock
O. 13 at Picayune
O. 20 at George County
O. 27 Pascagoula
N. 2 at Long Beach
