By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

MOSS POINT — It looks as if the first of five openings for head football coaches in the “Southern Six” is about to close.

According to sources close to the situation, Derrick Jenkins, who is currently the defensive coordinator at Perry Central High School, is the pick of the administration to become the next head football coach at Moss Point High.

The move must still be approved at the next meeting of the Moss Point School Board which is set for next week on Tuesday, Feb., 11th unless a special session is called before then.

Apparently, Jenkins was offered the job on Monday afternoon and is expected to accept.. Jenkins is in his second season in his capacity at PCHS, after serving in that same role at St. Martin for one year. He came to SMHS after being the defensive coordinator at Mendenhall for a couple of seasons.

Jenkins is set to replace Julius Bridges at the helm of the Tigers. Also, for the Tigers, Jenkins, if approved by the school board, will become the fourth head football coach in as many seasons for the Tigers which hasn’t occurred in over 70 years at the school.

Bridges, a former MPHS multi-sport standout, stepped up and served one season as head coach after John Feaster left suddenly in the spring of last season after spending just one season as head coach as well.

In his lone season, Bridges led MPHS to its first win-less season in 72 years, and the 0-9 record was the worst overall since that 1952 squad went 0-11.

The Tigers were eliminated from the state playoff chase on Oct. 18th, the earliest in the history of the program. Moss Point managed to lead in a game just twice last season. Twice.

It also marked the first time that MPHS missed the state playoffs in back-to-back seasons in 42 years, and it’s just the second time ever since the implementation of a state-wide football playoff system in the state of Mississippi in 1981 that has happened as well.

Feaster replaced Eugene Harmon and went just 2-7 in his only season on Dantzler Street missing the playoffs as well. He left suddenly to take over a program that was even more disarray at that time at Pearl River central.

Harmon served for six seasons as MPHS head coach and led the Tigers to the Class 4A state playoffs in all six years.