After the resignation of third-year football coach Jacob Massey on Feb. 11, the Long Beach School District did not look far in the selection of a new leader for the Bearcats.Cody Finley, the Bearcats offensive line coach the last three years, was named the Long Beach head coach at the school board m
Poplarville football dates to 1911, but in that span, the Hornets had never won a state championship.Poplarville has been close in the last decade in bringing a state trophy back home but had come up short each time.That is, until this year.Jay Beech has quietly built a perennial power in Poplarvill
Fredrick Nicholson was the cornerstone of Gautier High School’s defense this season.As a standout linebacker, he not only led the Coast in tackles but also served as a leader both on and off the field.His dedication to his team, his discipline and his family has shaped him into the player and person
The West Point Green Wave overcame a resilient Gautier Gators team, winning 28-21 to capture their 13th state football title on Friday night at M.M. Roberts Stadium in Hattiesburg.Despite a strong start by Gautier in the Class 5A title game, West Point’s championship experience and timely plays were
Two Southern Six high school football teams managed to reach their goal of playing for a state championship after claiming South State crowns last week.Gautier and Poplarville earned victories and will compete for state championships in their classes this weekend at M.M. Roberts Stadium on the campu
The Gautier Gators go after their first high school football state championship Friday night at 7:30 when they take on the West Point Green Wave at M.M. Roberts Stadium on the campus of the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg.Gautier (12-1) faces a daunting task to win the Class 5A tit
There is a saying in the movie business that goes like this: “They wouldn’t make a movie about this game. No one would believe the ending.’’ Well, believe it, sports fans. The Gautier Gators’ 37-35 home victory over the Brookhaven Panthers on Friday night for the Class 5A South State high school foo
Unbeaten Hattiesburg held off a late Picayune rally to defeat the Maroon Tide 39-35 on Friday and claim the 6A South State championship at Lee-Triplett Stadium.Down by four in the final two minutes, the Maroon Tide moved into the red zone on senior tailback Darrell Smith’s pass to wingback BJ Ducre
The chill of a 45-degree evening at Hugh Pepper Field couldn’t cool off the Brandon Bulldogs, who captured the Class 7A South State championship on Friday with a commanding 31-13 victory over the Ocean Springs Greyhounds.A night full of big plays, key turnovers and standout performances, particularl
High school football practice during Thanksgiving Week has become a normal occurrence in Picayune. Before stuffing themselves Thursday with turkey and dressing, the Maroon Tide (11-2) will be spending this week preparing for a powerful Hattiesburg team with a trip to the Class 6A state championship
Fourteen weeks ago, the high school football season opened, and every team had the ultimate goal of winning a state championship. For some teams, that goal was realistic and for others, it was only a pipe dream.Four teams in the Southern Six still have their title hopes alive and they will need to w
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 7AFor the second time in the last three seasons, Ocean Springs will be hosting a South State championship game after holding off a lat
Picayune overcame a 21-7 first-half deficit to score seven second-half touchdowns on its way to a dominating 63-40 home playoff win over George County on Friday. The Maroon Tide (12-2) advanced to their fourth consecutive South State championship game and will host undefeated Hattiesburg in the cont
Seven teams from the Southern Six kept their quest alive for a state football championship last week, but at least one of them will see their season end Friday night in Round Two of the playoffs.What makes second-round games sometimes the toughest is that teams have often played each other earlier i
Only seven teams from the Southern Six remain in the hunt for a state championship.CLASS 7AOcean Springs kept their quest for a state championship alive with a come-from-behind 24-17 win over Northwest Rankin in the first round of the 7A playoffs. The Greyhounds (7-4) have won six straight games hea
For the fourth year in a row, the Gulfport Admirals (7-4) ended their season in the first round of the state playoffs on Friday. After falling behind early to Petal, Gulfport tied the game with 3:44 left in the Class 7A contest before the Panthers won 20-17 on a 25-yard field goal at Milner Stadium.
The George County Rebels headed into Friday night’s first-round playoff game at West Jones knowing they had not won a postseason contest since 2007.The Rebels got that monkey off their back with an impressive 26-22 road win over the defending 6A state champion Mustangs.The Rebels improve to 7-5 on t
Triston Cooper accounted for three first-quarter touchdowns as Picayune jumped out to a 28-0 lead at home and never looked back in routing rival Pearl River Central 48-7 in the opening round of the Class 6A playoffs on Friday.“Win and advance,” said Maroon Tide coach Cody Stogner after the victory.
A full moon lit up the cool night sky over Pascagoula’s War Memorial Stadium on Friday making for a perfect setting to watch a high school football game. The Pascagoula Panthers made the evening perfect as they overpowered the Terry Bulldogs 41-0 in the opening round of the Class 6A playoffs.The vic
The quest for a state championship begins Friday for several Southern Six teams as the playoffs get underway in Classes 5A, 6A and 7A.CLASS 7ARegion 4-7A champion Ocean Springs starts its playoff journey in search for a state title when the Greyhounds (6-4) host Northwest Rankin (5-5) in a rematch o
It seems like just yesterday the high school football season kicked off and here we are at playoff time. The regular-season games are in the past and all teams are dead even as the race for championship gold starts Friday night.Picayune RB Darrell Smith. (Photo by Jesse Johnson / 228 Sports)The last
In a game that had no bearing on the region standings or the postseason, Picayune and Hancock played out the regular season Thursday with the 4-6A champion Maroon Tide coming out on top 35-17 in Kiln.Picayune (9-2) will host Pearl River Central next Friday in the first round of the Class 6A playoffs
The air was thick with anticipation on Thursday night in Lucedale as two of Mississippi’s brightest football stars prepared to face off in a Region 4-6A showdown.Silas Corder, the poised and talented quarterback from Pascagoula, and Deuce Knight, the electrifying signal caller from George County, bo
Coming off a 20-3 defeat against the Ocean Springs Greyhounds for the Region 4-7A title last week, the Gulfport Admirals (7-3 overall, 4-1 in the region) proved to remain the best Southern Six team in the county with a 49-21 win over the Harrison Central Red Rebels on Thursday night at Milner Stadiu