By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

Our annual day after Thanksgiving edition of prep picks is here.

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.

Last week was our worst outing of the year as Rock’s Locks went a miserable 4-3 last week, to move to 125-41 so far for a winning percentage of 76% on the season. Again, it’s “go big or go home for the seven teams left in the “Southern Six”…

In the words of WSMFP…”Well I can’t sleep, I been up all night…”

1. Brandon at Gulfport — This marks the third straight season these two teams have faced off on the football field, but by far this is the biggest game of recent note for both as the Admirals host the Bulldogs in the Class 7A South State championship game at historic Milner Stadium. Gulfport is 10-2 and has won nine straight games coming in, while the defending Class 7A South State champ Brandon is a paltry 7-5 and had three different head coaches in the past 10 months. This marks the 12th all-time meeting on the gridiron between the two, with the Bulldogs in total control up 8-3. Brandon has beaten the Admirals six straight times dating back 25 years to the 2000 season. That streak ends tonight…Gulfport 31, Brandon 17.
2. Oxford at Tupelo — The winner of this one advances to the Class 7A overall state championship game. Tupelo 27, Oxford 23.
3. Picayune at Hattiesburg — Picayune faces Hattiesburg for the 44th time on the football fields Friday night. But never have the first 42 meetings in an all-time series that dates back 102 years meant as much as the past two. The Maroon Tide and Tigers meet for the second consecutive season in the Class 6A South State championship game. Picayune comes in at 10-2 and winners of seven out of its last eight games, while Hattiesburg also stands 10-2 but on a nine game win streak. Picayune, playing in its fifth straight South State title tilt under head coach Cody Stogner, is looking not only for its third trip to the state finals in that span but for a measure of revenge after visiting Hattiesburg pulled out an exciting 39-35 win in this round in Lee-Triplett Stadium last season. They’ll get it…Picayune 38, Hattiesburg 34.
4. Ridgeland at Warren Central — The winner of this one advances to the Class 76 overall state championship game. Warren Central 17, Ridgeland 16.
5. Poplarville at Columbia — Friday night, Poplarville plays in its ninth Class 4A South State championship game in the past 10 seasons. And the Hornets just hope that when all the dust settles at Walter Payton Field in Columbia, they’ll be headed back to their sixth state championship game in that same span. Poplarville travels just up the road a bit to the county seat of Marion County for the second time in less than a month this week, and once again a daunting task awaits against unbeaten Columbia. The Wildcats dispatched the Hornets 49-28 in the Region 8-4A and regular season finale for both squads on Halloween eve. Columbia sits at 13-0. and would tie a program record with their 14th win with its second victory over the defending Class 4A state champions this season. The Wildcats went 14-1 two years ago but fell to Louisville 19-6 in the Class 4A state championship game that season. The last time Poplarville lost to the same team twice in one season was four years ago, in the 2021 season, when it fell to this same Columbia squad in both the regular season and in the Class 4A South State championship game. Columbia went on to win the state title that year. We don’t don’t what’s in store for the Wildcats next week, but Friday night its a case of deja vu all over again…Coulumbia 35, Poplarville 31.
6. Louisville at Kosciusko — The winner of this one advances to the Class 4A overall state championship game. Louisville 13, Kosciusko 9.
7. Laurel at Brookhaven — The winner of this Class 5A South State championship game advances to the Class 5A overall state championship game. Ole’ Brook 34, Laurel 14.