By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

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.

There has been a lot of talk about Rock’s Locks over the years. But I didn’t care what was said, I decided to try and sometimes make a fool out of myself again this year.

For the third straight week, there are at least eight games that pit a pair of “Southern Six” squads against one another as there are again some big games that highlight the schedule this week.

In the words of Ryan Adams…”I still love you, New York”

1. Ocean Springs at Pascagoula (Game of the Week) — This Jackson County rivalry is back on after a two year absence. This series evolved into one of the most intense 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. The Panthers have a 21-16 lead all-time, however, the Greyhounds have done their best to even up the affair as it approaches it’s 40th anniversary 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. We think the trend will continue…Ocean Springs 28, Pascagoula 20.
2. Biloxi at Picayune — Yet another pair of “Southern Six” squads in Picayune and Biloxi will renew a rivalry that’s been dormant for 13 years this week. The last time the two teams met was in 2012, and this marks the first meeting between the Indians and Maroon Tide in Pearl River County in 22 years, since 2003. And even though Picayune has won four state championships since the last time Biloxi even won a single state playoff game, the Indians still hold a large lead in the all-time series at 28-9-2 thanks in large part to a 17 game win streak in the series back in the old Big 8 Conference days that ran from 1961 to the 1984 Shrimp Bowl. Picayune stays unbeaten on the young season in this one…Picayune 27, Biloxi 21.
3. St. Martin at Stone — Two teams off to a pair of pretty good starts to the season face off in yet another all “Southern Six” affair in Perkinston at A.L. May Stadium on the campus of Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College. The Yellow Jackets are off to a solid 2-0 start for the first time in six years, while the Tomcats are 1-1 but led Poplarville until the final three minutes of play last week. Stone has a 14-5-1 all-time lead in the series that dates back to 1959, including a 24-15 road win last year. The Yellow Jackets get some revenge this year…St. Martin 30, Stone 28.
4. Gautier at West Harrison — Here’s another pair of “Southern Six” teams set to renew acquaintances after a brief respite. The Hurricanes host the Gators in a match-up of two teams that moved up a level this year and are competing in completely new classifications for each. West Harrison is 2-0 for the first time in three years and Gautier is 1-1 for the fourth straight season. The Gators lead this all-time series overwhelmingly 11-1, including a 48-19 win in 2022, which marked the ninth consecutive win in the series for GHS. Man, this one is almost too close to call, but we’ll go with the homefield advantage…West Harrison 28, Gautier 24.
5. Poplarville at Hancock — The defending Class 4A state champ Hornets, who are off to a 1-1 start, will travel south to the Kiln for their first match-up with Hancock in a decade. It will mark a rare meeting between the two teams on the gridiron also, as that last meeting in 2015 was the first in 17 years as well. 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 are off to an inauspicious 0-2 start this season, and we see it staying that way…Poplarville 27, Hancock 16.
6. Bay High at Long Beach — These two longtime rivals will face off for the 69th time overall Friday night. Long Beach won just two games last year, one of which was an exciting 36-35 road win over the Tigers at McCulloch Stadium. Both of these teams come in each looking for their first wins under  new guidnace, as Katlan French is in his first year at BHS as is Cody Finley in the same post at LBHS. The win by Long Beach last year snapped a three game losing streak to the Tigers, and the two teams have split the last six games. Bay High 7, Long Beach 6.
7. Gulfport at Laurel — Gulfport is heading to historic R.H. Watkins Stadium this week to face the Golden Tornadoes “Between the Bricks”. This marks the first trip to Laurel for the Admirals in 26 years, since 1999. It also marks the first meeting between the two teams in 25 years, since the 2000 season. Both teams are also still looking for their first wins of the new campaign, with Gulfport coming off an open date at 0-1 while Laurel is off to a rough 0-2 start. This is the 64th all-time meeting between these two old time Big 8 Conference foes, and we don’t think it’ll be close...Gulfport 40, Laurel 14.

A Six Pack to Go:

PRC 37, East Central 15

St. Stanislaus 30, Moss Point 8

Greene County 28, George County 12

Forrest County AHS 27, Vancleave 21

Heidelberg 21, Harrison Central 0

Pass Christian 31, Presbyterian Christian 17