By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

With the start of yet another prep football season across South Mississippi set for later this week, it’s time for our first installment of “Friday Night Rewind” here at SouthMiss6 Sports.
“Friday Night Rewind” has been a part of the journalistic fabric of prep football across the “Southern Six” for most of the past three decades. Each week of the season on Sunday we’ll take a look back at the action that took place all across this region the previous week.
We’ll kick this weekly feature off with a bit of a different take, as we take a quick glimpse back at how things ended up last season.
7 Gold Balls — For the first time ever in the state of Mississippi, seven state championship trophies were handed out after the expansion to seven classifications last year by the Mississippi High School Activities Association.
Unfortunately, no team from the “Southern Six” made it to M.M. Roberts Stadium in Hattiesburg on the campus of the University of Southern Mississippi to battle for a state title last season.
6 The Hard Way — With the aforementioned expansion, two-time defending Class 5A state champion Picayune jumped up to Class 6A for the first time ever in the history of the Maroon Tide program.
And while Picayune was able to take a third straight region title, a state a third straight crown wasn’t to be as the Maroon Tide fell in the Class 6A SouthState championship game to home-standing West Jones 42-13.
It marked the worst loss for a Picayune team since early in the 2015 season when the Maroon Tide fell to St. Martin 63-28.

5 Card Stud — Gautier, who fell to Picayune in the Class 5A South State championship in 2022, remained in the same classification and made a historic return to the same round before falling to Region 4-5A rival Laurel with a trip to the state title tilt on the line.
The Gators had never made it to. the South State championship round before 2022 and now they have a chance to make it three straight just like Picayune achieved.
4 Wheel Drive — Four head coaches in the “Southern Six” last season are no longer in similar roles as we enter the 2024 campaign.
Biloxi’s Katlan French is now the defensive coordinator at arch-rival Gulfport while Tim Lala left St. Stanislaus to take over as offensive coordinator at St. Martin. Harrison Central’s Tony Myers left to return to the Pine Belt area, and St. Patrick’s Oscar Glasscox left the Fighting Irish after just one season to return to Alabama.
There were six total coaching changes, but John Feater left Moss Point to take over at PRC and former SSC mentor Nate Encrapera is now at SPHS.

3 Of a Kind — A trio of “Southern Six” standouts were named to the prestigious “Dandy Dozen” list last season, and all have departed to take their talents to the major college football level.
Picayune’s Jamonta Waller signed with Auburn and his teammate Chris Davis inked with Stanford. Pascagoula’s Jeffery Rush, despite missing all of his senior season with an injury, signed with Ole Miss.
2 Old Guys— At least as far as longevity is concerned.
Two head coaches in the “Southern Six” have each been at their posts four over a decade, which is a pretty unusual occurrence in prep football. Pascagoula’s Lewis Sims enters his 14th season at the helm of the Panthers and his 17th overall as a head coach in Jackson County. Meanwhile, Poplarville’s Jay Beech is now in his 11th season in charge of the Hornets.
1 Up — George County senior quarterback Deuce Knight is the only “Dandy Dozen” selection this season. The current Notre Dame commit is also rated as a five star prospect, yet another rare occurrence in this region.