By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director
CLINTON — The Status quo will remain for most of the 24 high schools in the “Southern Six” sanctioned by The Mississippi High School Activities Association in the upcoming reclassification process.
However, several schools will face some fairly significant changes in not only classification but region assignments as well, according to sources close to the situation.
Of course, nothing is set in stone at this point. However, this is always the time every other year between the time when enrollment numbers are required to be reported to the MHSAA and the time when the bi-annual enrollment numbers are released that rumors begin to circulate.

New enrollment numbers are expected to be released by the end of this month, with all new region assignments revealed during the prep football championship weekend in Hattiesburg the second weekend in December.
First off, as it sits now with less than two weeks to go before enrollment numbers are expected to be announced, West Harrison appears to be the only sure lock to change classifications as the ever-evolving Hurricanes are expected to move up from Class 6A (Region 4-6A) to Class 7A and join a reconfigured Region 4-7A that will also include current league members Biloxi, Gulfport, Ocean Springs, St. Martin and D’Iberville.
But wait, what does that do for Harrison Central in Region 4-7A as an entrance to the region by WHHS would set up an almost natural rivalry?

The Red Rebels won’t be in that number, however, as it appears HCHS is headed north to Region 3-7A to compete in all likelihood with Oak Grove, Petal, Meridian, Brandon, Pearl and Brandon most likely with Northwest Rankin moving to Region 2-7A as it had done before when there was just six classifications.
It is expected that a school from North Mississippi, perhaps Horn Lake, will drop down from Class 7A to Class 6A to even the numbers up.
Remember, the top 24 schools in enrollment size across the state of Mississippi comprise Class 7A, with the next 24 in Class 6A and the next 24 in Class 5A giving all 12 regions across the top three classifications six members apiece.
In Class 6A in the “Southern Six”, it is expected that Pearl River Central will be reassigned to Region 4-6A to take West Harrison’s spot in that loop after the Blue Devils have been the southernmost school in Region 3-6A the past two years sharing a league with schools from the Pine Belt all the way to Jackson.

The move south by PRC will renew the long-standing rivalry with county rival Picayune in all sports after the two schools didn’t play each other in any sport beginning with expansion before the 2023-2024 school year.
The Blue Devils will join Picayune, Pascagoula, George County, Long Beach and Hancock in the newly realigned region.
No change is expected in Region 4-5A for Gautier, Stone, Vancleave, East Central, Wayne County and Laurel.
In Class 4A, the only question at this point seems to center around Moss Point and whether the Tigers will tumble to Class 3A this time. It appears at this point that MPHS will barely stay in Class 4A but almost certainly will drop to Class 3A two years from now.

So that leaves, MPHS, Poplarville, Bay High, Pass Christian and Greene County in Region 8-4A again.

In Class 3A in the “Southern Six”, St. Stanislaus and St. Patrick seem to be safe in Region 8-3A for another two years at least.
And, Resurrection will always stay in Region 8-1A as it is still one of the smallest 1A schools in enrollment size in the state.

The lowest 24 schools in enrollment size comprise Class 1A, while after Class 5A and Class 1A is decided the rest of the schools in the state are evenly divided to make up Class 4A-Class 2A.

Also remember, that unlike most years in the past since a statewide playoff system was implemented across the state in 1981 that when regions shrank from eight members to six after expansion to seven classes last year that the regions stay the same pretty much in all sports.
So buckle up and enjoy the rest of the prep football regular season as we all await the new numbers and class assignments coming soon.