By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

The prep football season turns seven this week.

And, as usual, Rock’s Locks is back to fill y’all in on it all.

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.

After about half of the 24 teams in the “Southern Six” were off last week, we’re back at full strength this time out.

In the words of Jimmy Buffett, “I like mine with lettuce and tomato, Heinz 57 and french fried potato…”

1. Picayune at Pascagoula (Game of the Week) — Some might ask why a game that features a team with a 1-4 record is the “Game of the Week”, well, that’s because the winner of this game has won the region title the past six years. Granted, Picayune has won five of those crowns, but Pascagoula holds the only league crown that the Maroon Tide didn’t win in 2020. Picayune has won seven out of the past eight meetings in this series and eight out of 10 over the past decade. The winner of this one will take a big step towards securing home field advantage in the opening round of the upcoming Class 6A South State playoffs as well as the Region 4-6A title. Picayune 27, Pascagoula 17.
2. St. Martin at Gulfport — This one at historic Milner Stadium shapes up to be something it basically never has been in the 32-year history of this series, an important game in region play. The Admirals are 3-2 overall, but more importantly, 1-0 in Region 4-7A action after knocking off league kingpin Ocean Springs last week for the first time in six years. The Yellow Jackets are 1-1 in the region race and 5-1 overall after beating Biloxi for the first time in seven years last week. The Admirals have won 15 straight games in this series that were actually played, including a 42-7 and 42-6 the last two years and 41-7 four years ago. Gulfport owns a commanding 18-1 overall lead in the all-time series. We see that trend continuing…Gulfport 31, St. Martin 28.
3. Ocean Springs at D’Iberville — Yet another key encounter in Region 4-7A as the Greyhounds and Warriors meet for the 44th time on the gridiron this week. Ocean Springs has won four straight over DHS, after stopping a five game Warriors’ winning streak in the series in 2021. You couldn’t get much more even than this series over the past decade with OS now up 6-5 over the past 11 meetings. The Warriors stand alone currently in the region race at 2-0 after a win over previously unbeaten West Harrison last week. Meanwhile, OSHS does not have at least a share of first place in the league for the first time since late in the 2020 season after having its record 25-game region win streak snapped last week. In fact, the last team besides the Greyhounds to win a region crown was the Warriors in that 2020 season. With a shaky nod, we’ll say…Ocean Springs 24, D’Iberville 21.
4. Bay High at Moss Point — These two teams are a combined 1-10 between them, but this may be the only contest in the state of Mississippi in which a Class 4A South State playoff berth is on the line this week. Both teams are struggling for a win, as has been the case in recent times. Moss Point is 1-5 and 0-1 in Region 8-4A after an historic type loss to Forrest County AHS last week. Bay High is 0-5 overall and this is the first league game of the season for BHS. No matter all that, though, this match-up in all likelihood will be a battle for the fourth and final seed in the league standings for playoff purposes. Moss Point 6, Bay High 5.
5. Taylorsville at Resurrection — This game was supposed to be a home game for the Eagles but scheduling conflicts at both War Memorial Stadium and Vaughan-Wallace Stadium have sent RCS on the road for this Region 8-1A contest. Resurrection needs a win to stay alive in the region race against perennial state power Taylorsville or risk not qualifying for the Class 1A South State playoffs in back-to-back seasons for the first time in 13 years. The tartars are 2-0 all-time against the Eagles. Taylorsville 41, RCS 12.
6. Forrest County AHS at Pass Christian — A key match-up in the battle for the top spot in Region 8-4A takes place at McDonald Stadium Friday night as the Pirates host the Aggies. The two teams sit tied atop the region race at 1-0 after wins last week, and the winner of this one will take a major step towards securing homefield advantage in the opening round of he upcoming Class 4A South State playoffs in a month. Pass Christian 35, FCAHS 8.
7. West Harrison at Harrison Central — Two county rivals each coming off of losses in Region 4-7A play meet on Thursday night in Lyman at Earl Phillips Stadium. The Red Rebels and Hurricanes are region foes again for the first time in five years, and HCHS is 4-0 all-time against WHHS. A loss by the Red Rebels will almost assure that they miss the Class 7A South State playoffs for the second straight season under second-year head coach Nekemia Rich. West Harrison 33, Harrison Central 14.

A Six pack to Go:

PRC 42, Hancock 14

Gautier 27, Long Beach 21

West Jones 23, George County 19

Purvis 21, East Central 20

Northeast Jones 24, Vancleave 22

Stone 35, Wayne County 14