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 “A Look Ahead” here at SouthMiss6 Sports.

“A Look Ahead” 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 Monday we’ll take a look at the action set to kickoff in that particular week all across this region.

We’ll kick this weekly feature off with a look at “7 games in the Southern 6” to keep an eye on this week:

1. Moss Point at Pascagoula (Game of the Week) — The 84th annual “Battle of the Cats” between these longtime arch-rivals takes place in War Memorial Stadium Friday night. This is the 10th time in the past 12 seasons that the Panthers and Tigers have opened the season against one another, after almost five decades of meeting in the regular season finale. Pascagoula has owned the series of late, going 9-2 on the field against MPHS since veteran head coach Lewis Sims left the Tigers to take the helm at PHS.
2. Gautier vs. Harrison Central — Not only will the annual Port City Bowl provide us with the first prep football game in the “Southern Six” once again this season but the opening contest of the doubleheader will be an historic one as well. When Gautier takes on Harrison Central at 5:30 Friday afternoon at Historic Milner Stadium in Gulfport it will mark the first-ever meeting on the football field between the Gators and Red Rebels. Gautier is entering its 27th season as a football program this season, and head coach Marc High’s team is coming off back-to-back trips to the Class 5A South State championship game for the first time in program history as well. The Red Rebels are entering a new era under first-year head coach Nakemia Rich. Harrison Central qualified for the first-ever Class 7A South State playoffs last season before falling in the first round.
3. George County at East Central — Five star standout signal-caller Deuce Knight makes his senior season debut for the Rebelolums on the road against the home-standing Hornets in Hurley. Knight is the only “Dandy Dozen” selection this season in the “Southern Six”. The current Notre Dame commit is also rated as a five star prospect, yet another rare occurrence in this region.
4. Vancleave at St. Martin — The home-standing Yellow Jackets look to snap a 17 game losing streak as they host the Bulldogs in the second all Jackson County affair on the docket in the season-opener for both teams. The squads have split their last four meetings over the past 11 seasons but Vancleave has won two straight in the series including 42-7 last season.
5. Stone at Biloxi — This is the seventh meeting between these two teams in the past eight seasons, and the Indians have dominated the series all-time and recently. Biloxi has won five straight and 13 of 14 overall over the Tomcats, with the lone exception being a 28-24 Stone win in 2017 which was the renewal of this series after an 11 year break.
6. Pass Christian at Long Beach — The Pirates, coming off an historic season, head to Lance Lumpkin Stadium to kick off the upcoming campaign against the homestanding Bearcats in the annual “Oyster Bowl”. This marks the 65th overall meting between the two neighboring rivals, and PCHS has won four straight in the almost annual battle. Pass Christian advanced to the third round of the state playoffs last year for the first time in school history.
7. Resurrection at Bay High — One of the the biggest wins in program history for the Eagles came over the much larger Tigers in last seasons opening game for both teams, which was the first-ever meeting between the two teams. Both teams are coming off state playoff appearances last season. Bay High, which is a Clas 4A team, is the largest classification of opponent that RCS has ever faced on the football field. Resurrection overcame a fourth quarter deficit last season to beat Bay High 29-26.