The football team at Stone High enjoyed one of its best years on the gridiron in several decades last season.
But if the Tomcats are to continue that resurgence, it will come under different circumstances in several aspects when the new season kicks off in a few weeks.
First off, Jacob Aycock has been named as the new head coach of the Tomcats. Aycock comes to Wiggins from Poplarville, where he most recently served as the defensive coordinator for the Hornets under Jay Beech.
Aycock replaces John Feaster at the helm of the Tomcats after Feaster left to take the top job at Moss Point High. Feaster guided Stone to its best season in some 30 years last season as the Tomcats went 9-3 and won the Region 8-4A title and made it to the South State championship game for the first time since 1991.
Also, as the Mississippi High School Association expands to seven classifications for the first time ever, Stone has moved up a step to Class 5A and left Class 4A behind for now.
Also, with the change in classification of course comes a new league and new opponents for the Tomcats which will now compete in its new Region 8-5A with East Central, Vancleave, Gautier, Laurel and Wayne County.
Ironically enough, Aycock comes to Stone from Poplarville as the Hornets replace Stone in the new Region 8-4A mix and joins Moss Point, Bay High, Pass Christian and Greene County in that league.
During his stint at perennial Class 4A South State power Poplarville, Aycock guided one of the more effective defensive units in the “Southern Six” over the past few seasons. In 2021, he was named the annual Luther Kuykendall Assistant Coach of the Year award which honors the top assistant coach in South Mississippi for that particular season.
The Hornets allowed an average of just over 10 points per game over the past two seasons.
Aycock also spent time in the past on the staff at previously Greene County and Purvis.
The “Jacob Aycock Era” at Stone High kicks off on Friday, Aug. 25th when the Tomcats head south to the Gulf Coast to face off with the home-standing Biloxi Indians in “The Shrimp Bowl” to open the 2023 campaign.
Here is the complete list of schedules for Region 4-5A this season:
REGION 4-5A
EAST CENTRAL
Coach: Sam Huff
A. 25 at George County
S. 1 Pascagoula
S. 8 at Lawrence County
S. 15 North Pike
S. 22 at St. Martin
S. 29 open
O. 6 Wayne County
O. 13 Laurel
O. 20 at Gautier
O. 27 at Vancleave
N. 2 Stone
GAUTIER
Coach: Marc High
A. 25 at Gulfport
S. 1 D’Iberville
S. 8 at Pascagoula
S. 15 Moss Point
S. 22 open
S. 29 at Columbia
O. 6 Vancleave
O. 13 at Wayne County
O. 20 East Central
O. 27 Stone
N. 2 at Laurel
LAUREL
Coach: Ryan Earnest
A. 25 at West Jones
S. 1 Hattiesburg
S. 8 Jefferson Davis County
S. 15 at Meridian
S. 22 at Oak Grove
S. 29 McComb
O. 6 at Stone
O. 13 at East Central
O. 20 Vancleave
O. 27 at Wayne County
N. 2 Gautier
STONE
Coach: Jacob Aycock
A. 25 at Biloxi
S. 1 Poplarville
S. 8 open
S. 15 St. Martin
S. 22 Quitman
S. 29 at St. Stanislaus
O. 6 Laurel
O. 13 at Vancleave
O. 20 Wayne County
O. 27 at Gautier
N. 2 at East Central
VANCLEAVE
Coach: Kevin Fant
A. 25 St. Martin
S. 1 at Gulfport
S. 8 at Forrest Co. AHS
S. 15 George County
S. 22 Hancock
S. 29 open
O. 6 at Gautier
O. 13 Stone
O. 20 at Laurel
O. 27 East Central
N. 2 Wayne County
WAYNE COUNTY
Coach: Jack Hankins
A. 24 at Oak Grove
S. 1 open
S. 8 Greene County
S. 15 West Jones
S. 22 at George County
S. 29 D’Iberville
O. 6 at East Central
O. 13 Gautier
O. 20 at Stone
O. 27 Laurel
N. 2 at Vancleave
