By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

MOSS POINT — In the past six seasons, Moss Point has played every other Jackson County foe on the football field except for Class 1A Resurrection.

That mark hit a high in that span in 2019, when MPHS faced five county opponents. And while the Tigers won’t quite see that many neabby rivals this year, it’s still a step up from a low of just two out of that group during that same time frames last season.

Moss Point opens the season hosting its oldest and longest-running rival Pascagoula as the annual “Battle of the Cats” is set for Friday, Aug. 29th.

In week four, on Friday, Sept., 19th, the Tigers will head east a bit and face another Jackson County neighbor in Gautier.

The Tigers and Gators will meet on the gridiron for the sixth straight season as well as the 21st time in the past 24 years. Only one year glitches in 2002, 2005-2006 and 2019 keep the annual affair from not being played every season dating back to its inception in 2001.

The Tigers lead the all-time series 12-8.

Bulldog Bite

In addition, Vancleave, led by Moss Point alum and former Tiger and Mississippi State standout quarterback Kevin Fant, is back on the MPHS slate also after a brief two year break.

The Tigers will host the Bulldogs in week five, on Fri., Sept. 26th at Dantzler Stadium. The two Jackson County rivals met 10 straight times on the football field from 2013-2022 before taking the last two years off.

Moss Point leads the all-time series 8-6, which dates back to a 35-13 MPHS win at home over VHS in 2007.

The teams then met 13 times over the next 17 seasons with a two year gap also in 2011-2012.

Capital Affair

In other non-region action, after hosting arch-rival Pascagoula to open the season MPHS will remain at home in week two and host Jackson Lanier.

That contest will be just their third ever meeting between those two teams on the gridiron and first in 46 years since 1979, a game that took place at Hughes Field. It will also mark just Lanier’s second trip ever to Moss Point, and first since 1978.

The Tigers beat the Bulldogs at home 16-6 in 1978 and on the road 29-8 in 1979.

Lanier opens the season hosting Harrison Central the week before heading down to Jackson County.

Region Wars

The Tigers will remain in Region 8-4A as new head coach Derek Jenkins takes command, but there has been one slight change in the league as reigning Class 4A state champion Poplarville departs for Region 7-4A and Forrest County fills that open spot.

The new league foe FCAHS and MPHS are no strangers to one another. the two teams most recently met in the opening round of the Class 4A South State playoffs in 2022, with the home-standing Tigers thumping the Aggies 48-6.

However, when MPHS travels to Brooklyn in week six, to open region action on Friday, October 3rd, it will mark just the fourth-ever meeting between the two teams on the football field and the first at FCHAS in 18 years since 2007.

The Aggies returned the visit, making the trip to Dantzler St., the next year. Moss Point is 3-0 all-time vs. FCAHS, winning 31-14 in 2007 and 36-35 in 2008.