By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director
HATTIESBURG — Former Moss Point wide out Larry Simmons has wasted no time in making his mark with Southern Miss this season.
The 6-foot-1, 190-pound redshirt sophomore, a transfer from Ole Miss, leads the Golden Eagles in receptions early on in the young campaign with nine catches for 190 yards after three games inlcuding a three catch, 89 yard performance against South Florida at home at M.M. Roberts Stadium Saturday night.
That outing came on the heels of a career best game for Simmons against Southeastern Louisiana the week before when hauled in five catches for 100 yards in a 35-10 home win over the Lions.
After playing very little for two seasons in Oxford, Simmons has quickly pushed his way into the starting line-up for USM head coach Will Hall and the Golden Eagles. Southern Miss is 1-2 on the season and hits the road to face Jacksonville State Saturday.
After signing with the Rebels out of MPHS, he did not see any action in 2023, after appearing in one game as a backup wideout and was redshirted in 202 but he did earn his first collegiate letter.
At Moss Point, he was rated a consensus three-star prospect by all major recruiting service as well as the number two 2 receiver and No. 10 prospect out of Mississippi by 247Sports. Simmons was selected to play in the prestigious Mississippi/Alabama All-Star Game his senior season, as well as named to the First Team Class 4A All-State Team.
He totaled 2,688 receiving yards and 82 touchdowns over his high school career as well as adding 703 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns for head coach Eugene Harmon.
Formidable foe
Last season, not only did the other teams in Region 8-4A welcome perennial power Poplarville into a newly reconfigured alignment but Greene County was the only team to hand the Hornets a league loss with a 29-28 upset in Leakesville in the regular season finale that propelled the Wildcats into the Class 4A South State playoffs as well.
This season, Greene County is continuing to prove to be a force to be dealt with in Region 8-4A for Moss Point, Bay High, Pass Christian and Poplarville thanks to senior standout signal-caller Coby King.
King, the son of Wildcats head coach Mike King, accounted for nine touchdowns last week as he went 17-of-25 passing for 294 yards with six touchdowns and had 14 carries for 177 yards and three touchdowns in the Wildcats 66-48 win over Wayne County.
King also was 24-of-35 passing for 418 yards with a touchdown and had 11 carries for 137 yards and four touchdowns in the Wildcats 51-36 loss to George County the prior week when he went head-to-head with Notre Dame commit Deuce Knight. King has already accounted for 18 total touchdowns this season both through the air and on the ground.
He has tossed for over 5,500 yards in his career and thrown for 54 touchdowns while running for 25 more.
“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 Week Four rankings for 2024.
“Super 7 in the Southern 6”
- Picayune
- Poplarville
- George County
- Gulfport
- D’Iberville
- Gautier
- Pascagoula
(Others receiving votes: Biloxi, Ocean Springs, Pass Christian, St. Stanislaus)
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