By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

Catching up on a few notes as the Summer Solstice signals the countdown to another prep football season…

A trio of “Southern Six” head coaches will be a part of one of the most prestigious prep football all-star contests in the South this year.

Gulfport’s Blake Pennock, West Harrison’s Quincy Patrick and Pearl River Central’s John Feaster all were selected to be a part of the Magnolia State staff at the annual Alabama/Mississippi All-Star Football Classic.

In addition, Picayune head coach Cody Stogner will be a part of the South side staff in the annual Bernard Blackwell North/South All-Star Football Game.

Both games will take place in December.

Tide tales

Speaking of Stogner and his perennial state power Maroon Tide team, there were a few items of interest when going over the upcoming schedule for next season.

Picayune is looking to make a fifth straight appearance in a South State championship game after playing in the Class 6A version the past two years as well as the Class 5A deal in 2021 and 2022. Actually, if you count back to 2018, when the Maroon Tide was also in the Class 5A South State title tilt, that makes six out of the past seven seasons that Picayune has made it that far as well as seven out of nine dating back to the 2016 season.

This season, Gautier moves up a class and into Region 4-6A to renew acquaintances with the Maroon Tide among others.

And even though the Gators are coming off their first-ever appearance in a state championship game last year, the Gators can still bite another notch in their skin this season.

Picayune is a perfect 14-0 against Gautier all-time. The teams played annually from 2011-2022, including meeting twice in that 2022 season. The series dates back to 2007, and an exciting 34-31 win by Picayune in the opening round of the Clas 4A South State playoffs.

In addition, Picayune and Biloxi will renew that series after a 12 year hiatus. The Indians and Maroon Tide last met on a Saturday in mid-August in 2012 to open the 2012 season in the Shrimp Bowl when Picayune and Preston Dedeaux pulled out an back-and-forth 42-35 affair.

It will actually mark just the third meeting between the two schools on the gridiron in 22 years and just the fourth in the past 31 years.

The Maroon Tide also gets Pearl River County rival Poplarville back on its schedule this season. That means that Picayune, PRC and West Harrison, all three teams with head coaches that will participate in one of those upcoming all-star games in December, along with Hancock will be the only teams to match-up with both Gautier and Poplarville this season after both the Hornets and Gators played for state championships in their respective classifications last year.