By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

LUCEDALE — The Kelly Causey era begins in just over a week at George County High School.

But the schedule that awaits new Rebel head coach in his return as a head coach to the “Southern Six” and his first Rebel squad in Lucedale will look vastly different than the one the Rebels faced over the past decade or so.

George County moved “north” after bi-annual reclassification. And in addition to five new neighbors in Region 3-6A, only arch-rival Greene County, Wayne County and new league rival Hattiesburg are holdovers from last season on the current slate.

Also, the Rebels weren’t able to keep neighboring rival East Central on the new schedule nor Vancleave or Pascagoula.

It marks the first time in five years that the Rebels won’t face the Hornets or Bulldogs, and George County and Pascagoula have met 14 times in the past 20 years.

Gautier returns to the GCHS schedule after a brief absence and the Rebels will host the Gators to kick off the season on Friday, Aug. 29th. The Rebels will only play 10 regular season games this upcoming season after playing 11 in the past two campaigns.

The renewal of the long-standing rivalry with Stone returns when the Rebels host the Tomcats in week five on Fri., Sept. 26th. It marks the first meeting between the old Gulf Coast Conference rivals since a 28-20 win by Stone in 2014, 11 years ago.

Ironically enough, George County is Stone’s longest-running series of all-time, as the two teams have faced off 68 times in a series that dates back to 1925.

In fact, the two teams met annually on the football field for over four decades, from 1963-2004 when the series halted. It then resumed for six seasons in 2009 through that last game in 2014.

Also, GCHS will meet South Jones again for the first time since that 2014 season as well. This will be the 22nd all-time meeting between the Rebels and Braves in an seies that dates back to 1969.

George County joins Hattiesburg, West Jones, Terry, Jackson Jim Hill and Jackson Forest Hill in the slightly revamped Region 3-6A.

The Rebels upset defending Class 6A state champion West Jones on the road last year to open the south state playoffs, marking the first postseason win for GCHS in 17 years.

Now the Mustangs will be a region foe for the Rebels, as will Hattiesburg after the Rebels and Tigers have met in the regular season each of the past two seasons.

Terry came to Lucedale in 2023 and upset GCHS in the opening round of the Class 6A South State playoffs.

The Mustangs and Hattiesburg are the prior two defending Class 6A South State champs, as the Tigers fell to Grenada in the state title round last season.