By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

OCEAN SPRINGS — The big Region 4-6A match-up between Pascagoula and Pearl River Central Friday night 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.

This marks just the eighth all-time meeting on the football field between the Panthers and Blue Devils, with kickoff set for 7 p.m., at War Memorial Stadium.

It’s the first meeting in five years, and because of that 37-8 win by PHS in that 2020 run to the South State finals for the Panthers, Pascagoula has a slight 4-3 lead in the all-time series.

Both teams sit at 1-1 in the region race, and whichever team leaves the playing surface at Dutch Binion Field this week will take a major step towards securing not only a berth in the upcoming Class 6A South State playoffs but possible homefield advantage in the opening round as well.

Both teams are coming off of key wins in league play. The Panthers went on the road and thumped Long Beach 47-14, while the Blue Devils stayed home and slipped past Gautier 17-14. The decisions leave PHS, PRC and GHS as well as Hancock all knotted up at 1-1 and tied for second place in the region race behind league-leading Picayune.

As the premier online undraising 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.