By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

As the prep football playoffs head towards the Thanksgiving holiday week once again, along with many other students the athletes on both the Biloxi and Gulfport football teams will enjoy a vacation.
Both long-time arch-rivals are once again sitting at home as Thanksgiving approaches after both the Admirals and Indians were knocked out of the Class 7A South State playoffs in the opening round last week. Gulfport fell at home to Petal 17-14 and Biloxi lost to defending Class 7A state champion Oak Grove on the road 34-20.

For the Admirals, they fell in the first round for the third straight time and for the second consecutive season under the guidance of second year head coach Blake Pennock. Pennock thus becomes the first and only head football coach in the long and storied history of the GHS program to lose his first two playoff games both at home in the 43 years since a state-wide playoff system was implemented in the state of Mississippi.
In fact, Gulfport has lost four playoff games in a row overall and has won just one playoff game in its last 13 tries and that was a 20-19 win over George County in 2019. The last playoff win for a GHS squad over a non fellow “Southern Six” squad came in a first round win over Natchez in 2010.

Gulfport has also lost five straight second round postseason contests dating back to 1999 and that season 25 years ago was the last time the Admirals advanced to the third round of action.
In Biloxi, a new head coach resulted in the same old finish for the Indians this season.
Defending Class 7A state champion Oak Grove ended the season for visiting Biloxi and first-year head coach Jamey Dubose Friday night. The Warriors never trailed, jumping out to a quick and commanding 20-0 first half lead en route to a 34-20 win over the Indians in opening round play of the Class 7A South State playoffs.

The decision marked the sixth straight loss all-time for Biloxi to Oak Grove, including four consecutive in the playoffs. The Indians have never beat the Warriors on the gridiron.
The loss was the eighth straight in the playoffs for BHS, dating back to 2011. The Indians are 1-10 in their last 11 postseason outings over the past 23 years, since 2001.
Biloxi is 0-4 all-time in the second round of the state playoffs and the Indians have never advanced to the third round.