By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

The prep football season turns five weeks old this week, after an exciting kickoff to yet another season in the “Southern Six” over the first month or so.

“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 SouthMiss6 Sports take a look at the action set to kickoff in that particular week all across this region.

There are some interesting week five match-ups this week after there were several surprising outcomes in the first month of play.

Here are seven games in the “Southern Six’ to keep an eye on this week:

1. Biloxi at Pascagoula — Pascagoula and Biloxi are on course for a historic meeting on the football field this week. When the Panthers host the Indians in this renewal of an old Big Eight Conference rivalry, it’ll mark the 100th meeting ever on the gridiron between the schools. The series is the longest running rivalry for the Panthers in football, and the second longest for the Indians who will play long time arch-rival Gulfport for the 102nd time this season in two weeks. Pascagoula stands 3-1 overall after junior tailback Amarie Jackson scored three touchdowns for the Panthers in a 21-7 win over D’Iberville last week, while Biloxi comes in off a hard-fought 12-7 loss to visiting Hattiesburg despite being the first team this season to lead the unbeaten Tigers in a game this year.
2. Picayune at Ocean Springs — If someone would have told you that a pair of teams that combined for a 71-8 record over the past three season coming into the current campaign would face off at the end of September with neither having a winning record would you have believed it? Probably not, but that’s exactly the case as the Maroon Tide heads south to Greyhound Stadium to meet the home team Friday night. Ocean Springs is 1-3 and is coming off its first win of the season with a 49-16 road win over Natchez last week, while visiting Gulfport completely dominated Picayune at Lee-Triplett Stadium 41-21 last week to drop the Maroon Tide to 2-2. Picayune has allowed 120 points in three games against competition from the state of Mississippi so far this season, while despite opening the season with three straight losses OSHS is averaging almost 30 points per game in four contests.
3. West Harrison at Moss Point— Two teams headed in opposite directions face off at Dantzler Stadium Friday night as the win-less Tigers host the suddenly surging Hurricanes. West Harrison got 168 yards rushing and one score from running back Jordan Stapleton last week in a 55-0 win over Bay High and he also caught a 35-yard touchdown pass in what marked the third straight win on the season for the Hurricanes. Despite getting a solid game from quarterback Ke’Von Ford (19-of-29 passing for 280 yards with two touchdown passes and 15 carries for 72 yards rushing) as well as seven catches for 159 yards and two touchdowns receiving from wide out Condarius McCorvey the Tigers dropped to 0-4 overall with a 48-33 loss to visiting Gautier last week.
4. St. Martin at East Central — A pair of teams off to sluggish starts meet at Shirley Stadium in Hurley as the Hornets welcome in the Yellow Jackets in this cross county affair. East Central is coming off its first win of the season with a 20-6 road win at North Pike last week and the Hornets sit at 1-3 while SMHS sits at an even 2-2 after falling to visiting Stone 28-15. This is the 51st all-time meeting in this all Jackson County rivalry, and the Yellow Jackets have won five of the last six games over the past 12 years but the Hornets stopped a five game losing streak in the series with a big 42-6 road win last season.
5. Brandon at Gulfport — Two teams off to solid 3-1 starts to. the season meet up at historic Milner Stadium as the Admirals host the perennial state power Bulldogs Friday night. Gulfport is coming off of that aforementioned 20-point pounding of Picayune last week, while Brandon bounced back from its first loss of the season with a close 29-28 win over Warren Central. The teams have one common opponent on the season, as Madison Central lost to Brandon 21-17 in week two before bouncing back to knock off visiting Gulfport 31-21 in the next week. This marks the 11th all-time meeting between the schools on the gridiron dating back to 1948 and the Bulldogs have won five straight going back to 1999 including 35-20 at home last year and a 20-13 decision in four overtimes in Gulfport four years ago.
6. Poplarville at West Jones — The Hornets head to Soso as the only unbeaten team left at the end of September in the “Southern Six” to meet another unbeaten team in the defending Class 6A state champion Mustangs. Both teams sit 4-0, after Poplarville dispatched county rival Pearl River Central last week 41-28 while West Jones hammered Wayne County 35-6. The Mustangs are riding high on an 18-game winning streak, which included a 42-0 road win over Poplarville en route to that perfect 14-0 state title run.
7. Vancleave at Hancock — Again, a pair of teams coming off of much different results meet up at Brett Favre Field in the Kiln as the home-standing Hawks host the Bulldogs. Vancleave got a decisive field goal from Scottie Toothman as well as 134 yards on the ground from fullback Hunter Harper in a 27-24 upset on the road of George County last week, while Hancock was thumped by visiting Petal 49-7 The Hawks sit at 1-3 after the loss, and have allowed 80 points. in their last two losses and 144 total points this year. Vancleave is 2-2, but is on a two game win streak as these two teams meet for the 25th time overall including a 35-14 road win for Hancock last season.