By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

GULFPORT — 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.

Nightcap

The opener of the Port City Bowl doubleheader is not the only historic first meeting taking place at Milner on Friday night.

When the host, Admirals under the tutelage of second-year head coach Blake Pennock, take on Greenville Christian in the nightcap at 8:30 it will also mark the first-ever meeting between the two teams on the gridiron.

This will also be the first time ever that Gulfport has faced a squad that’s a member of the Midsouth Association of Independent Schools on the football field.

Sims searching

With a win in the 84th annual “Battle of the Cats” between arch-rivals Moss Point and Pascagoula Friday night, veteran Panthers head coach Lewis Sims will tie his mentor Jerry Alexander for most wins total in that series at 14 wins and three losses.

Sims went 3-0 vs. PHS as a head coach at his alma mater MPHS before crossing Jefferson Street to take the helm of the Panthers 14 seasons ago. Since then, he is 9-2 against the Tigers.

A win Friday by Sims would leave both he and Alexander at 14-3 overall in the series, thanks to a COVID forfeit win that PHS got in 2021.

“Super 7” in the “Southern 6”

Every Tuesday through the first week in December, we will publish our “Super 7 in the Southern 6” weekly poll involving all 24 prep football teams in our coverage area.

The weekly poll is the only one in the state that is voted on by a panel of veteran sportswriters, a few selected area coaches and other media members.

This week is the initial rankings for 2024.

“Super 7 in the Southern 6”

1. Ocean Springs
2. Picayune
3. George County
4. Pascagoula
5. Gautier
6. Gulfport
7. Poplarville