By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

This one is for my old friend Jeremy Forehand…

Rock’s Locks is back in South Mississippi for yet another prep football season. Rock’s Locks was a steady feature in several daily newspapers (remember those?) across South Mississippi for much of the past three decades and has been a part of the journalistic fabric of prep football across the “Southern Six” for most of that time frame as well. Each week we will attempt to provide some insight with some prep pigskin prognosticator picks and provide you readers with much material to ridicule me with I am sure.

And, over the past 25 years or so, one of those folks that I respected immensely that was sure to ridicule me each week if I was wrong was my longtime pal Forehand. The Ultimate D’Iberville Warrior.

Sadly, this will be the first prep football season since 1999 that I’ve had without talking to Forehand several times a week after he lost his lengthy battle with cancer a couple of months ago.

Cancer, as we all know, does indeed suck. And that had become the battle cry of the guy that I simply called “Forehand” for most of the past 30 years or so.

I have covered prep sports in South Mississippi for most of the past three-plus decades. I have been a by-lined sports editor or sports writer at all four daily newspapers in the south part of the state; The Mississippi Press, The Sun Herald, The Hattiesburg American and the Picayune Item, at a time when all were operational as pertinent news sources that the public trusted on a daily basis.

I met thousands of high school sports fans on that journey, seemingly from every nook and cranny, from Buzzard Roost to Lakeshore and all points in between.

But none quite ever impacted my life like my old pal “Forehand” did.

I first met him while I was a young and eager sports writer with The Mississippi Press and I covered a D’Iberville-East Central football game in Hurley in late October of 1995. Forehand, the solid senior starting quarterback for DHS, led his team in with a 6-3 record against the unbeaten Hornets who were leading the district at 8-0.
A few years later, when his playing days were over, Forehand started a 27-year career in the operations department at The Mississippi Coast Coliseum.
And, after still bumping into one another from time to time at high school football stadiums across the Coast, it would be at the Coliseum in early 2000 when our relationship really began to strengthen. I joined the staff there in special events.

One of our biggest yearly back-and-forth conversations dealt with him coming east into Jackson County. My mantra was always, “You’re good in St. Martin and OS (Ocean Springs), but once you hea any further east on Highway 90 you best check in with me for clearance our else prepare for the consequences and retaliation…”

His retort was always something like “Dude, I don’t answer to no man! You’ll know I’m coming when I show up!”.

Man, I loved that dude.

So I thought, with his beloved Warriors head to Gautier this week, it would be the perfect time to welcome Forehand, in spirit, back to my part of Jackson County.

As he might say, borrowed from “Wrasslin”….”Let’s get ready to rumble….”

1. D’Iberville at Gautier — Two teams coming off solid season-opening wins face off in Jackson County as the Gators host the Warriors. Gautier began its era in Class 6A with a 35-0 thumping of home-standing George County 35-0, while DHS turned back visiting Raleigh 14-6. Despite making it to the Class 5A South State championship round the past three seasons, including winning it for the first time ever,Gautier is looking for its first 2-0 start to a season in four years. This is the 20th overall meeting between the two teams, and the Warriors smacked the Gators 33-12 last season in a torrential downpour. That was the only regular season loss for GHS last season in its march to the Class 5A state championship game. Sorry Forehand, but the Gators extract a measure of revenge this year…Gautier 35, D’Iberville 13.
2. Biloxi at Pascagoula — As Pascagoula travels to Biloxi in this renewal of an old Big Eight Conference rivalry, it’ll mark the 101st meeting ever on the gridiron between the schools. The series is the longest running rivalry for the Panthers in football, and the second longest for the Indians who will play long time arch-rival Gulfport for the 103rd time this season next month. Pascagoula clobbered Moss Point 47-0 on the road last week, while the Indians fell at home to Holmes County Central 33-30. The Panthers hammered the visiting Indians 44-3 last season, in what was the largest winning margin in 64 years in the all-time series since a 47-6 PHS win in 1960. We’ll take the visiting team in a much closer decision than last time out…Pascagoula 23, Biloxi 20.
3. St. Martin at East Central — A pair of teams coming off vastly different starts to the new campaign tangle in an all Jackson County affair as the Yellow Jackets host the Hornets. St. Martin scored its most points last week in a 64-21 beat down of Vancleave since beating West Harrison 63-21 five years ago. The 64 points scored by the Yellow Jackets marked a new school record in the 67-year history of the program. Meanwhile, the Hornets fell to visiting Greene County 34-27 in overtime. It’s more of the same results for both this week…St. Martin 34, East Central 21.
4. Hancock at Harrison Central — Two teams coming off losses to open the season face off at Earl Phillips Stadium in Lyman. The homestanding Hawks fell to Stone 31-13 and the Red Rebels dropped a 28-12 decision on the road at Jackson Lanier at historic Hughes Field. This game will be the first between the two old Region 4-6A foes in three years, since expansion to seven classifications. The series has been one of the most competitive in South Mississippi since 2011, with the two teams splitting the last 12 games. The Hawks one up the Red Rebels in this one…Hancock 21, Harrison Central 13.
5. Poplarville at Stone — The Tomcats and the Hornets meet for the 55th time on the gridiron this week, and both teams are coming off different results in week one. Stone went on the road and roughed up Hancock 31-13, while the defending Class 4A state champion Hornets were roughed up on their homefield as well 34-18 by West Harrison. Poplarville picked up a close 13-7 win last year over visiting Stone en route to the first state football championship in school history. The Tomcats turn the tables this time…Stone 28, Poplarville 24.
6. Petal at Ocean Springs — After opening the season with an historic 35-0 road win over Meridian last week, the Greyhounds return home to face their fifth straight opponent from Region 3-7A dating back to last season. It’s the first regular season meeting between the two teams in 15 years, since the 2010 season, although the teams last met in the opening round of the 2014 Class 6A South State playoffs. Petal was just as good in its season-opener, pounding neighboring rival Hattiesburg 50-26. We’ll go with the home team…Ocean Springs 24, Petal 21.
7. St. Stanislaus at Bay High — Last week, the Rocks and Tigers combined to allow 88 points in losses to Forrest County AHS and PRC, respectively. This week, the two teams will meet in the annual “Battle for the Crab Trap”. Bay High 3, St. Stanislaus 2.

A Six Pack to Go:

South Jones 26, George County 15

Forrest County AHS 35, Long Beach 12

Pass Christian 21, Purvia 16

Picayune 31, Slidell (La.) Northshore 14

PRC 28, Slidell (La.) Pope John Paul 10

Jackson Lanier 27, Moss Point 7