By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

As the prep football season across South Mississippi heads towards Thanksgiving, it’s time for our 13th installment of “Friday Night Rewind” here at SouthMiss6 Sports.

“Friday Night Rewind” 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 we’ll take a look back at the action that took place all across this region the previous week.

Here are seven things we noticed in the “Southern 6” Friday night:

1. Maroon Mauling — Just over a week ago, George County snapped a 17-year drought with its first win in the state playoffs since 2007. Next year, the Rebels will go into a new season with yet an even longer deficiency to solve. Perennial state power Picayune overcame a 21-7 first half drought with 35 unanswered points from late in the second quarter through late in the third period to pull out a 63-40 win over visiting GCHS Friday night in the Class 6A South State semifinals. The win at Lee-Triplett Stadium earns the Maroon Tide its fourth straight trip to the South State championship game next week when Picayune will host Hattiesburg.Picayune moves to 11-2 on the season, while George County’s season ends at a sub-par 7-6. The Rebels have lost seven straight games to Picayune, and GCHS hasn’t won a game in Picayune since 1999.
2. Barking Dogs — Home-standing Ocean Springs responded to a late Oak Grove score with a 72-yard Sharroid Whitehead keeper for a touchdown to give the Greyhounds a 27-14 win and a trip to the Class 7A South State championship game at home this coming week. The Greyhounds’ score came only two plays after Oak Grove made it a 6-point game (20-14) with just over four minutes remaining in the game. The Warriors had capitalized on a Greyhounds’ fumble at the Greyhounds’ 17-yard line. Levi Valentine took it in for the Warriors from 4 yards out to give the visitors some hope with just over four minutes remaining on the game clock. OSHS is at 8-4 and OGHS ends its season at 8-4. The Greyhounds are hosting their second South State championship game in three seasons.
3. Gator Meat — The top seed in Region 4-5A with the new Class 5A “Mr. Football” faced a team it had beaten, 31-8, six weeks earlier but things were definitely different Friday night at Vaughn Wallace Stadium. The Gators of Gautier had to block an extra point at the start of the contest and then stop a two-point conversion attempt to hang on and take a 28-27 win over Wayne County High School in the second round of the Class 5A playoffs South State playoffs. The Gators move on to host Brookhaven in the 5A South State Championship Game this Friday while the War Eagles close out the season at 5-8, winning three of their last four contests. it will mark the third straight appearance in the Class 5A South State title tilt for Gautier but it’s the first time in the history of the school that it will host that round.
4. End of the Line — Hattiesburg waited a full year for another crack at Pascagoula in the Class 6A football playoffs. And when they got the chance, the Tigers didn’t let it go to waste, avenging last year’s 7-6 first-round defeat to the Panthers with an authoritative 33-17 victory Friday night in the quarterfinal round of the 6A playoffs at D.I. Patrick Stadium. HHS remained undefeated at 12-0 and advanced to the South State finals at Picayune next week. ‘Goula finished its season 9-3. Class 6A “Mr. Football” Deuce Vance, Hattiesburg’s quarterback and a South Alabama commit, proved to be a thorn in the paw of the Panthers all night long running 21 times for 105 yards and three touchdowns. He also completed 8 of 16 passes for 128 yards and two TD passes.
5. Hornets Roll — McComb’s recent late season surge continued into the first half against Poplarville in the Class 4A South State semifinals Friday night. But just before halftime, the home-standing Hornets decided it would be the end of the line for the up-start Tigers.Poplarville overcame a pair of first half deficits and tallied 35 unanswered points in one span to dispose of McComb 41-21. The win earns the Hornets a spot in the Class 4A South State championship game next week on the road at Forest. Poplarville now stands at 11-1 overall under veteran head coach Jay Beech and he has his Hornets in the South State title tilt for the eighth time in the past nine seasons.
6. Stone-Walled — The season came to an end for Stone Friday night with a 33-7 loss on the road to Brookhaven in the Class 5 South State semifinals. The Tomcats finish the season at 6-6 overall. As has been the formula all season, the Panther defense was lights out, the team created some nice breaks via special teams, and the ground game wore down the opposing defense to make BHS 11-1 on the year. The appearance in the South State championship game for BHS is the deepest postseason run for the program since 2010.
7. Bulldog Blitz — Brandon stopped visiting Petal 39-10 in the other Class 7A South State semifinal game, sending the 11-1 Bulldogs to Greyhound Stadium up next. Brandon is 11-1 overall and comes to Ocean Springs on a nine game win streak.