By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

The prep football season turns 14 weeks old this week, believe it or not, and every team left standing is fighting for a Gold Ball in about four weeks in Hattiesburg.

“A Look Ahead” 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, SouthMiss6 Sports takes a look at the action set to kickoff in that particular week all across this region.

The South State championship games dot the landscape across the “Southern Six” this week

.Here are seven games in the “Southern Six’ to keep an eye on this week:

1. Hattiesburg at Picayune — The Maroon Tide and the Tigers face off for the Class 6A South State Championship and a berth in the upcoming state title tilt Friday night at Lee-Triplett Stadium. Picayune, which is looking for its third state championship trophy in four seasons, stands 11-2 and comes into this battle on a nine game win streak while Hattiesburg is considered perhaps the hottest team in the state with an unbeaten 12-0 mark. This is the first meeting between the two teams in three years, since the Maroon Tide took a 35-13 decision from the visiting Tigers in the opening round of the state playoffs on Picayune’s march to the 2021 state championship. Overall, Hattiesburg leads the all-time series 24-18 but Picayune has won five out of the last seven games in the past 10 seasons.
2. Brandon at Ocean Springs — The Greyhounds host the Bulldogs for the second time in the South State championship game in the past three seasons, this time in Class 7A with a berth to the upcoming Class 7A state championship round on the line. Ocean Springs has overcome a rough 1-4 start to the season with seven straight wins and sits 8-4 overall while the Bulldogs are on their own nine game win streak and stand a solid 11-1. The teams have met six times in the past two decades with Brandon winning the last five including 34-31 on a last second field goal two years ago. The only OSHS win came in the opening round of 2005 state playoffs 19-12 in the first ever meeting between the teams. Brandon has been considered the heavy favorite to win the Class 7A state tile all season long by most observers.
3. Brookhaven at Gautier — The Gators host the Panthers in the Class 5A South State championship game with a berth to the upcoming Class 5A state title tilt on the line at Vaughan-Wallace Stadium Friday night. This marks the third straight appearance in this round for Gautier, but it will be the first time in the history of the Gator gridiron program that they will host a South State championship game. Both teams sit at an impressive 11-1 overall, as the Gators are on a 10-game win streak and Ole’ Brook has won seven straight. Both losses by each team came to Class 7A foes on the road, as GHS lost to D’Iberville 33-12 in a torrential downpour in week two while BHS fell to Northwest Rankin 35-30 in week five. This marks just the second meeting ever between the two teams on the football field, with Gautier taking a 20-13 win at home in 2000, in the opening round of the state playoffs 24 years ago.
4. Poplarville at Forest – The Bearcats host the Hornets Friday night in the Class 4A South State championship game with a trip to the upcoming Class 4A state title tilt on the line. Forest is an impressive 12-1, while Poplarville stands 11-2 coming into the big battle. This is just the second all-time meeting between the two teams, and the first in 43 years since a 36-12 thumping by the Bearcats in 1981 which came in the second round of the state playoffs in the inaugural season when a state-wide playoff system was implemented in Mississippi. The winner of this game will face either Louisville (12-1) or West Lauderdale (10-3) for the Class 4A state champion on Saturday, Dec. 7th, at 3:30 p.m. in Hattiesburg.
5. Madison Central at Tupelo — The Golden Wave host the Jaguars in the Class 7A North State championship game. Madison Central sits at 10-2 overall and Tupelo, like Hattiesburg is a perfect 12-0 so far. The winner will face the winner of the Ocean Springs-Brandon match-up next week on Thursday night at 7:30 p.m., at M.M. Roberts Stadium in Hattiesburg on the campus of the University of Southern Mississippi for the Class 7A state championship.
6. Grenada at Warren Central — The Vikings host the Chargers in the Class 6A North State championship game Friday night. Grenada is an impressive 12-1 overall, while Warren Central sits at 9-3. The winner will face the winner of the Picayune-Hattiesburg match-up next week on Saturday night at 7:30 p.m., at M.M. Roberts Stadium in Hattiesburg on the campus of the University of Southern Mississippi for the Class 6A state championship.
7. West Point at Cleveland Central — The Wolves host the green Wave in the Class 5A North State championship game Friday night. Perennial state power West Point is 9-3 overall, while up-start Cleveland Central is like Hattiesburg and Tupelo a perfect 12-0 so far. The winner will face the winner of the Gautier-Brookhaven contest next week on Friday night at 7:30 p.m., at M.M. Roberts Stadium in Hattiesburg on the campus of the University of Southern Mississippi for the Class 5A state championship.