By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

MOBILE, Ala. — The Magnolia State squad will possess quite a bit of offensive power Saturday afternoon in the prestigious Alabama/Mississippi All-Star Football Classic.

But none of that will matter if the troops up front in the trenches don’t do their job, and that’s exactly where Gulfport senior standout offensive lineman J.J. McCann comes in.

It will fall in the hands of the 6-foot-3, 309-pound behemoth Admiral down lineman to protect quarterback Deuce Knight, quarterback Noah Gillion, versatile athlete Deuce Vance and the running back duo of Akylin Dear and Elijah Jones.

The 38th annual contest is set to kick off at noon on Saturday from Hancock Whitney Stadium on the campus of the University of South Alabama.

The monstrous McCann helped guide Gulfport to a 7-4 mark in his final campaign and into the Class 7a South State playoffs for the second straight season.

He’ll be part of an offensive line for the Mississippi team that also includes Tupelo center Mason Waddle, who signed with Ole Miss, and Petal (Miss.) tackle Will Hampton who is mulling over offers from Navy and his hometown Southern Miss squad and new head coach Charles Huff.

Mississippi tight end Micah Jones, a Madison Central product, inked with the University of Florida.

That quartet, and their brethren up front, with be the movers and shakers that are expected to open holes and provide protection for Knight who is headed to Auburn and Gillon who is headed to Appalachain State as well as Vance who signed with South Alabama and Deer who is headed to Alabama.

That group as well as the rest of team Mississippi will be out for revenge and to flip the script on the host team after Alabama sormed across state lines last season captured a win.

The visiting squad took advantage of six Mississippi turnovers plus a botched punt attempt, as Alabama took a 26-17 win at M.M. Roberts Stadium on the campus of the University of Southern Mississippi in the annual affair. It marked the fourth straight win for Alabama, and Alabama leads the overall series 26-11.

“What an exciting week!’ Pascagoula head coach Lewis Sims said, upon his arrival in Mobile Monday night. Sims is serving as the defensive coorditaor for the mississippi team this year.

“The best players in Mississippi and Alabama descending on Mobile to showcase their talent,” he added. “It is an honor to coach these guys and work with some of the best coaches in the state. Five coaches on the Mississippi staff just coached in the state championships over the weekend. We have a really good group that is excited to take on the challenge that lies ahead of us on Saturday and that is to Beat Bama!”