By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

PASCAGOULA — The renewal of the Jackson County rivalry featuring Pascagoula and Ocean Springs on the football field is this week’s “Vertical Raise Game of the Week” for SouthMiss6 Sports.

Each week during the prep football season, SouthMiss6 Sports will feature a “GOTW” sponsored by Vertical Raise, the premier online fundraising platform for athletic teams and associated clubs and supporters of all ages.

As Ocean Springs travels to War Memorial Stadium to take on Pascagoula Friday night, this series is back on after a two year absence. This series evolved into one of the most intense and most anticipated annual rivalries in South Mississippi over the years as the teams met for 37 straight seasons since first facing off in 1986 before the series was interrupted in 2023.

Ocean Springs comes in at 2-0 and PHS is 1-1. The Greyhounds are coming off of a 27-17 win over Petal last week in their home-opener, while this game will serve as the home-opener for the Panthers who are coming off of a 21-18 loss to Biloxi.

“Overall, it will be our toughest challenge of the year to stay on the field with them,” veteran PHS head coach Lewis Sims said, before practice Wednesday. “We have to protect the football and minimize mistakes while playing with relentless effort for four quarters. A slow start will doom any team they play.

“They’re the number one team on the coast,” Sims added. “Coach (Jake) Bramlett has a tremendous staff and they do a great job of getting their players to buy into the total team concept. They execute well under pressure and play four quarters.”

The Panthers have a 21-16 lead all-time, however, the Greyhounds have done their best to even out the once annual affair by bringing in a three game win streak into the renewal and OSHS has won seven of the last nine games dating back to the 2014 campaign.

Ocean Springs has also won 12 out of the last 16 meetings dating back to the 2007 season.

As the premier online fundraising platform, Vertical Raise utilizes the newest technology through a tested combination of email, text and social media campaigns to maximize the reach of your fundraiser.

Our successes are built upon our best-in-class email deliverability, detailed tracking and the complete personalization of every participant’s page. Combining this proprietary system, with experienced and passionate fundraising coaches has made us the most effective fundraising platform available.

We look forward to partnering with you to elevate your organization to its full potential! Please contact your local fundraising rep Ricky Cunningham at 228-263-4755 for more information.