By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

BILOXI — The 52nd all-time meeting on the football field between neighboring rivals Ocean Springs and Biloxi is this week’s “Sonic Big Game of the Week” in the “Southern Six” as sponsored by Sonic Drive In of South Mississippi.
The Greyhounds go forth in search of their 22nd consecutive region win as they head across the Bay to tangle with the Indians for the BHS Homecoming at the Biloxi High School Sports Complex.
Although this marks the 52nd all-time meeting between these two neighbors on the football field, the all-time series is just about as close as any in the “Southern Six”.

A 42-21 win by OSHS last season broke a 25-25 tie in the series and gave the Greyhounds the lead in the all-time affair for the first time in the history of the series at 26-25. Ocean Springs has won seven straight in the annual affair, and needs one more win to tie its best streak in the all-time series at eight straight which the Greyhounds also accomplished from 2003-2010.
Biloxi won nine straight games over OSHS in one stretch between 1948-1983. After playing one another sporadically from 1946-1968, the two teams went through a 12-year hiatus on the series but have met annually for the past 44 years.
Biloxi is 1-1 in Region play, while both OSHS and Gulfport are 2-0. Both the Indians and the Greyhounds come in to this meeting at 3-4 overall. Ocean Springs moved to 2-0 in the Region 4-7A race with a 48-3 thumping of visiting Harrison Central at Greyhound Stadium last week. It marked the 21st straight region win for OSHS, which is a new school record.

The Greyhounds jumped out to a 21-3 halftime lead as Sharroid Whitehead dashed in from 6-yards out to cap the opening drive for the Greyhounds, and less than three minutes into the second stanza OSHS running back Will Smith flipped the ball to wide out Bryshen Smith on a reverse and he sprinted 20 to pay dirt and it was 15-3 OSHS.
Smith then set up the final score of the first half when he dashed 44-yards on a run to the HCHS six-yard line then he covered the final three stripes for the score to make it 21-3 with just over five minutes to play in the first half. Smith had 10 carries for 180 yards with two touchdowns in the game.

Greyhound linebacker Bryant Ausmer had eight tackles, five tackles for loss, and three sacks in the win. Meanwhile, Biloxi gave first-year head coach Jamey Dubose his first region win last week as the Indians slipped past home-standing St.Martin 30-14.
Biloxi jumped out to a 14-0 halftime lead and then doubled that advantage to 28-0 in the third quarter and was never really threatened in earning the win.

At the 6:49 mark of the first period, Indian defensive back Jakaiden Smith picked off a Yellow Jacket pass at his own three yard line and returned it to the Biloxi 41.
On the next play, Biloxi tailback Jaylen Johnson sprinted 59-yards for the first score of the game to give the Indians a lead they would never relinquish at 7-0 mid-way through the opening period.
A little over 12 minutes later, Biloxi quarterback Wyatt Pyron connected with wide out Antonio Deere on a 45-yard scoring strike with 4:45 to play in the second stanza and Brodie Vinson’s extra point made it 14-0 at halftime.
The Indians wasted no time in adding to their advantage as the third frame unfolded, when Pyron went back to the air and found his other wide out Tristan Haynes on a 35-yard touchdown toss to make it 21-0 less than a minute into the second half.

It was Johnson’s turn again next as he covered five yards on a scoring run three minutes later on Biloxi’s next possession and suddenly the Indians were in total control of the contest at 28-0.

Sonic Drive In of South Mississippi has long been a staunch supporter of prep sports in the “Southern Six” and all across the Southeast. There are several Sonic locations in Biloxi for all of your pre-game and post-game meal needs Friday with stops at 927 Cedar Lake Rd., and 2415 Pass Road.