By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director
BILOXI — The football team at Biloxi High School hasn’t won a state playoff game in 14 years.
That’s the longest such drought between postseason victories for the program in the almost 45 years since a state-wide playoff system was implemented in Mississippi.
Indian head coach Jamey Dubose, who is back for his second season at the helm at BHS, is the fourth mentor tasked with snapping that stretch since that last playoff win in 2011. And he hopes now that year of experience pays off this season as his team consists of 22 seniors and 12 returning starters.
“Last year we were all brand new,” DuBose said, in a recent interview. “It was my first year here and all of the eight coaches I brought in were new. Just the advantage of being together for a complete year and having an offseason. This is the first time we had an offseason with all of us as a coaching staff. I think the language, how we talk and the understanding of the scheme is a lot better last year. I thought the guys last year did a great job of picking up what they could in a short period of time, but we’ve had a little bit more time now to progress and get some things added in and get some understanding of what we’re doing.”  

Dubose’s first BHS edition went 5-5 in the regular season and finished fourth in Region 4-7A and the season came to an end on the road with a 34-20 loss in Oak Grove in the opening round of the Class 7A South State playoffs.
Biloxi gets back quarterback Jaylen Ramsey, after he shared time behind center last year and displayed some effectiveness both throwing and running the ball.
He will have running back Jaylan Johnson back also after he ran for right after 500 yards and five touchdowns last season. When Ramsey looks to the air he’ll have veteran wide out William Lai to find after Lai caught 27 passes for 257 yards last year

Up front, massive lineman Hayden Ainsworth is ready for his senior season after recently committing to Nebraska. The 6-foot-5, 300-pound Ainsworth recently reclassified and will bypass his junior season with the Indians and play as a senior this year. He picked the Cornhuskers Nebraska overoffers from Ole Miss, North Carolina State, Okalahoma and Florida State among others.
Defensively, both linebacker Jaquan Thompson and cornerback Jashun Bass return after Bass recorded 95 total tackles and three sacks last year and Bass made 85 total stops.

“I feel like we’ve made great strides, but we’re still not there,” Dubose added. “I’m excited for the challenge. It’s going to be another great challenge. Our schedule is extremely tough, our region is always tough, but our guys have been practicing with a chip on their shoulder, so I’m anxious to see what they’re going to do and see if we’re ready to take that next step to get us back in the playoffs and actually do something in the playoffs and maybe have a chance to vie for a first or second seed in the region and host a home game. These are things that haven’t happened, and at some time it’s going to happen and we’ve got to believe it is so we’ve got to hope that our culture has carried us a little bit further than where we were last year.
Dubose and his Indians kick off the new campaign on Fri., Aug. 29th at home against Holmes County Central.