By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

KILN — In its first season under new head coach Mikey King, the Hancock Hawks will face an all “Southern Six” schedule in 2025.

Hancock is just one of three teams this year inside that “Southern Six” footprint that won’t travel outside of that range for a regular season game nor host an opponent from outside it this year as well. Pascagoula and St. Martin are the other two teams.

King will lead Hancock forward on the gridiron for the Hawks as they once again wage into the Region 4-6A wars for the third straight season, although there are two changes in the composition of the revamped league.

One of the notable items when the new league configurations were announced was that George County would be sent back “north” to compete in Region 3-6A once again.

That meant that Pearl River Central would be enjoying old home week as the Blue Devils will replace the Rebels in the loop.

Also, however, Gautier is moving up a classification and into Class 6A for the first time ever. In addition, Region 4-6A is losing West Harrison which is moving up to Class 7A for the first time ever as well.

The Hawks will begin the season with five pre-region games before following those with a like number of league contests.

The Mikey King era at Hancock High kicks off on Friday, Aug. 29th at home on Brett Favre Field when Stone comes calling. It’ll be the first meeting between the Tomcats and Hawks in five years.

After a trip to Lyman to face home-standing Harrison Central in week two, Hancock returns home to take on defending Class 4A state champion Poplarville. That game is notable because it will mark the renewal of the rivalry with the Hornets for the first time in a decade.

After a 28-3 win by the visiting Hornets in 2015, the two teams were scheduled to meet again the following year in Poplarville in 2016. However, a torrential downpour that afternoon in Pearl River County caused that game to be cancelled.

The Hawks will finish out non-region play with road games at St. Martin and Bay High with an open date sandwiched in between.

When the Tigers host Hancock for Homecoming on the first Friday in October in week six on Oct., 3rd, it will mark the first meeting between the two intra-county foes on the football field in nine years, since 2016.