By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

The prep football season turns eight weeks old this week, after we managed to get through all of the open dates and region-openers for the “Southern Six” squads in the past few weeks.

“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 were a few surprising outcomes as region play got under way in full force last week. Expect more of the same this week.

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

1. Harrison Central at Ocean Springs — Two teams coming off of wins in their Region 4-7A openers face off in Greyhound Stadium Friday night as the Red Rebels head to the Gulf Coast. Ocean Springs won its 21st straight region game last week, and the Greyhounds have won three consecutive league titles. But guess the last team to knock off OSHS in region action? You got it, it was Harrison Central at Greyhound Stadium in the regular season finale in 2020. This is the 63rd all-time meeting between the two old Gulf Coast Conference rivals, and OSHS has dominated the all-time series 49-13.
2. Hancock at George County — Another pair of teams coming off winning efforts in the respective Region 4-6A openers last week meet up as the Hawks head to Lucedale to take on the Rebels in Gill-Martin Stadium this week. George County got senior standout Deuce Knight back last week, and that was a huge help as league play got underway as he threw for four touchdown passes and ran for another. Hawks freshman running back Coleton Hopgood threw a touchdown pass out of the backfield and then scored the go-ahead rushing touchdown in the final minutes of the game in a 21-20 win over West Harrison. These teams have met 20 previous time on the football field and GCHS has dominated the all-time series with 15 wins including an exciting 28-26 win at Brett Favre Field last season which marked the 13th straight win in the series for the Rebels. Hancock hasn’t beaten GCHS in 31 years, since 1993.
3. Picayune at West Harrison — The Maroon Tide has also won three straight region titles and got off to a successful start in the search for a fourth with a 38-28 win over visiting Pascagoula. Now, after playing their first four games at home to start the season, Picayune hits the road for the third time in the past four weeks to tangle with the Hurricanes. West Harrison dropped that aforementioned contest to Hancock last week in its region-opener. This is the 16th season of WHHS football, and there still are two things the Hurricanes have never accomplished and that’s make the state playoffs or beat Picayune as the Maroon Tide have won all 11 previous meetings.
4. Wayne County at Gautier — Again, another pair of teams coming off wins in their Region 4-5A openers meet in “The Swamp” as the Gators host the War Eagles. Gautier, which has made it to the Class 5A South State championship game the past two years, got off to a quick start in league play with a 47-13 win over Vancleave on the road last week but is still in search of its first region title in 16 years since the 2008 season. Meanwhile, once mighty Wayne County won just its second game in seven outings last week with a 19-7 win over visiting East Central. The teams have met 12 times prior, with Gautier winning just three of those games including a 49-33 win last year in Waynesboro.
5. Bay High at Greene County — A pair of teams off to 1-0 starts in Region 8-4A meet in Leakesville Friday night and the winner will suddenly be in a first place tie in the league standings with powerful Poplarville. The Tigers whipped visiting Moss Point 46-27 last week as Jaylen Antoine ran for 241 yards and four touchdowns in the win in the region-opener for Bay. The Wildcats opened league play two weeks ago with a 33-25 road win over Pass Christian before enjoying an open date last week. The teams have met 12 times previously, with GCHS winning eight of those games including a wild and wooly 28-26 win in the Class 4A South State semifinals on the road in 2012 as well as a 42-35 win also in McCulloch Stadium last year.
6. St. Stanislaus at St. Patrick — A pair of “Catholic League” rivals each coming off of losses in their Region 8-3A openers last week face off at Brother Phillip Memorial Stadium Friday night. Both teams come in to this annual battle with losing marks, as the Rock-A-Chaws stand 3-4 and the Fighting Irish are still searching for their first win of the season at 0-7 in the first year under former SSC head coach Nate Encrapera. This is just the fifth all-time meeting between the two teams, and the Rocks have won all four prior games including a 42-7 decision last year.
7. Pass Christian at Moss Point — Two teams still in search of their first win in Region 8-4A play meet on Dantzler Street as the Tigers host the Pirates. Pass Christian is 0-2 in the region race including losses to Greene County and Poplarville over the past two weeks, while Moss Point is 0-7 overall and sitting on the verge of an historically dismal season after that loss to Bay High last week. The Tigers need one win in their final two games to avoid their first winless season since 1951 and even then will need help to avoid missing the state playoffs for two consecutive seasons for the first time ever since a statewide playoff system was implemented in Mississippi 43 years ago in 1981.