By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

Gautier’s Trey Irving is the first recipient of our inaugural “Baria Law Firm Game Ball of the Week” as presented by SouthMiss6 Sports.

Every Wednesday, throughout the end of the school year, we will honor student/athletes across the “Southern Six” with our “Game Ball of the Week” sponsored by David Baria, Attorney-Mediator.

Irving is a senior standout signal-caller for the Gators who has guided Gautier to its third straight Class 5A South State championship game. He was recently named as “Class 5A Mr. Football” in the state of Mississippi and also on Wednesday was named to the South Roster for the annual Bernard Blackwell North/South All-Star Game that will take place at Historic Milner Stadium in Gulfport on Saturday, Dec. 21st.

Gautier hosts Brookhaven in the Class 5A South State title tilt Friday night with a berth to the upcoming Class 5A state title tilt on the line at Vaughan-Wallace Stadium.

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.

The winner of this match-up will face the winner of the Class 5A North State championship game between West Point and Cleveland Central 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.

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Indian added

In addition to Irving, yet another “Southern Six” product was named to the South Roster of the annual Bernard Blackwell North/South All-Star Game also.

Biloxi senior linebacker Coleman Gazzo was added to the squad earlier this month to replace an injured player. Gazzo, in his final campaign with the Indians, helped led Biloxi and first-year head coach Jamey Dubose into the Class 7A South State playoffs.

The addition of Gazzo and Irving brings the total of “Southern Six” products playing in the Bernard Blackwell Game to a whopping 13.

Joining those two recent additions are running back Darrell Smith of Picayune, quarterback Silas Corder of Pascagoula, athlete/return man Kevon Ford of Moss Point, wide out Brenn Moody of George County, offensive lineman Deshawn Feazell of Moss Point, offensive lineman Brooks Martinez of Bay High, offensive lineman Zaylin Dedeaux of Ocean Springs, defensive lineman Tyneke Davis of George County, defensive back Kohl Bradley of George County, linebacker Fred Nicholson of Gautier and linebacker Sebastian Ford of Pascagoula.

Dedeaux is not expected to play however.