By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director
This is the time of year that college football and the NFL doesn’t get to have all of the football fun on Thursday nights,
Nope. Late in the regular season, prep football squads in the “Southern Six” as well as all across the state of Mississippi get in on the action as well.
This Thursday night, the four smallest classifications in the state are involved in their respective regular season finales. In the “Southern Six” that slate includes Bay High hosting Pass Christian in Region 8-4A play, as well as St. Stanislaus traveling to West Marion in Region 8-3A play also. In Region 8-1A play, Resurrection hosts Stringer at War Memorial Stadium in Pascagoula.
The Region 8-4A race is basically over with, with the Pirates claiming the first ever league title no matter the outcome at McCulloch Stadium against the Tigers who have been eliminated from postseason contention.
The only game in Region 8-4A play that matters at all is in Brooklyn, as Forrest County hosts defending region champ Greene County. The winner of the “Larry Dolan Bowl” will be the second seed while the loser will be the third seed. Moss Point has already secured the fourth and final seed.
St. Stanislaus and RCS have both already been eliminated from playoff consideration.
The biggest game Thursday night, which is also perhaps the biggest in the state, is the battle for the Region 7-4A title in Columbia at Walter Payton Field as the home-standing Wildcats host defending Class 4A state champion Poplarville.
Columbia leads the region race at 3-0 and the Wildcats are 9-0 overall, while both McComb and Poplarville sit at 2-1 in the league standings. The Hornets are 5-3 overall, while the Tigers are 7-1 with their only loss coming to CHS.
McComb hosts South Pike Thursday night, and the Jaguars have already wrapped up the fourth seed.
Columbia just needs a win to clinch the league title, and that would leave McComb as the second seed and Poplarville as the third seed no matter what happens in McComb Thursday night.
The Hornets have to have a win and a South Pike win to earn the top seed. Otherwise, the Wildcats will be one, the Tigers two and PHS three.
(Rock’s Locks Thursday night)
Pass Christian 42, Bay high 0
West Marion 42, St. Stanislaus 0
Stringer 42, Resurrection 0
Columbia 29, Poplarville 24
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