Rock's Locks: The march north to Oxford begins for many, continues for some

Gautier quarterback Kelvin Beavers is pictured in action from earlier this season. (Photo by Kerry Bass/228Sports)

Rock’s Locks is ready for the playoffs.

Well, at least we think we are.

For the fifth straight week, we posted double-digit win numbers in our weekly prep pigskin prognostication proceedings, going 11-2 missing only on Vancleave and East Central.

So, after personally winning our weekly 228Sports Staff Picks overall championship as well (HA!), we think we’re ready for a march north to Oxford in search of a state title or two.

Our recent successful stint moved us to 110-33 on the season for a winning percentage of right at 77 percent overall.

As usual, we here at 228Sports will have extensive coverage of all the action Friday night.

“If I had two dozen roses, and an older bottle of wine. If I had two dozen roses would it change your mind….?”

Noxubee County at St. Stanislaus — Just the third-ever meeting between these two teams in football as an old nemesis of the Rock-A-Chaws comes calling in the second round of the Class 3A South State playoffs. This is by far the furthest south in the state that the Tigers have traveled for a football game, regular season or playoffs. The two previous meetings between these teams came in the Class 4A state championship games in both 2014 and 2015, when the Tigers from Macon, Miss. collected their 12th and 13th state championships. They now own 15 overall state titles. We like the Rocks’ chances in this one quite a bit, but we’re gonna let ’em prove us wrong…Noxubee 23, St. Stanislaus 16..
Pascagoula at Hattiesburg — This will mark the first meeting of these two long-time rivals in three seasons, when the Panthers and Tigers faced off twice in the 2020 Covid Campaign with PHS taking both games including 35-32 in the second round of the state playoffs. This is one of the most interesting match-ups in the opening round of the Class 6A South State playoffs, as a pair of teams that lost key region games last week face off as each would be in different situations with wins last week. One pretty darn good team will see its season come to a sudden halt late Friday night at D. I. Patrick Stadium and we’re afraid it just might be the Panthers. Hattiesburg 30, Pascagoula 28.
Meridian at Ocean Springs — The Greyhounds take on the once perennial state power Wildcats for just the fourth time in history Friday night at home, and all three of those past meetings came in the state playoffs just as this one does. Ocean Springs is looking for its first ever win over Meridian in the history of his infrequent series. The last game came in 2010, and the Wildcats also won playoff games between the two teams in 2006 and 2007 also. A bit of a shaky nod to…Ocean Springs 24, Meridian 21.

The Greyhounds quarterback William Berglind releases before being hit by Jayden Curtis from St. Martin. (Photo by Kirstie Goodman / 228 Sports)
Pearl at Gulfport — The other Class 7A South State opening round playoff game in addition to the OSHS-MHS contest on the Mississippi Gulf Coast this week takes at historic Milner Stadium as the Admirals host the Pirates. This is just the third-ever meeting between these two schools in football, and first in the postseason, but is the second in three seasons after GHS nipped PHS 13-12 early in the 2021 season. Gulfport has lost its last three opening round state playoff games over the past three years, and the Admirals have only one postseason win in the past 13 years and have also lost in the first round of the playoffs in 10 of the past 11 trips to the postseason, including being blown out at home by Warren Central last year 39-0. An even shakier nod goes to…Gulfport 21, Pearl 17.
Natchez at Gautier — The Gators host the Bulldogs in the first-ever meeting between these two teams on the football field as the Class 6A South State playoffs kick off Friday night. Gautier is looking to continue its recent postseason success from last season, after the Gators advanced to their first-ever South State championship game before falling to eventual state champion Picayune. We think they will. Gautier 35, Natchez 13.

Gulfport quarterback Nicholas Williams watches his pass sail over the head of Gautier’s C. J. McCreary.
West Talahatchie at Resurrection — This marks the second meeting between the Eagles and the Choctaws from Webb, Miss. in the opening round of the Class 1A South State playoffs in the past four years. Resurrection won the previous game 54-20. Resurrection struggled a bit to open the postseason last week, while West Talahatchie did not. A long road trip to face powerful Velma Jackson awaits the winner of this one. Resurrection 17, West Talahatchie 16.
Hancock at West Jones — The Hawks were the last of the unbeaten teams standing in the “Southern Six” over two months into the season reeling off seven straight wins to open the 2023 campaign before suffering its first loss of the year. Since then, though, Hancock has dropped three out of its past four games. We see that trend continuing. West Jones 34, Hancock 21.