By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

The renewal of the Ocean Springs-Harrison Central rivalry is this week’s “Sonic of South Mississippi Big Game of the Week”.
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 to face the Greyhounds. 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.

Despite getting off to their worst start to a season in 23 years with a 1-4 mark in pre-region play, Ocean Springs showed up and showed out once the league bell rang against D’Iberville last week taking a 27-13 win in the Region 4-7A opener for both squads. The win moved OSHS to 2-4 overall.
In his first start behind center this season, versatile jack-of-all-trades standout Sharroid Whitehead completed 10 of his 12 passes for 121 yards while throwing for a touchdown to Nolan Wells and running for another.
Running back Will Smith also scored a rushing touchdown for OSHS, while Greyhound placekicker Peyton Williams not only booted a pair of field goals in the winning effort but he also converted a two-point conversion when he took a pitch and scooted in for the score on a fake extra point attempt.

Meanwhile, home-standing Harrison Central gave new head coach Nekema Rich a big win to open up Region 4-7A play last week.
The Red Rebels rallied from an early 7-0 deficit to pull out a 20-16 win over St. Martin in the league opener for both teams at Earl Phillips Stadium. Harrison Central snapped a three game losing streak with the comeback win, and now stands at 2-4 overall. The Yellow Jackets dropped to an even 3-3 with the loss.
Trailing 7-3 at halftime, Harrison Central’s Darrion Kirksey hauled in the second half kickoff and rambled some 65-yards for a touchdown to give the Red Rebels not only their first lead of the night at 10-7 but a lead they would never relinquish.

Harrison Central defender Jayden Taylor then recovered a fumble by St. Martin quarterback Kevin Marshall at the Red Rebel one to thwart a threat by the Yellow Jackets.
The Red Rebels followed that up with another score, this one coming on their first offensive possession of the third quarter when quarterback Jorden Anderson hit Kirksey on an 80-yard scoring strike to extend the HCHS lead to 17-7 at the 9:07 mark of the period.

Sonice Drive In of South Mississippi is a longtime supporter of prep sports in South Mississippi. There are two locations in Ocean Springs for all of your pregame or post game meal needs one at 740 Bienville Blvd. and one at 3909 Bienville Blvd.