By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

PASCAGOULA — The search for a new head football at Pascagoula High for the first time in 15 years is apparently coming to an end.
The interview process took place this week, and from a field of quite a few candidates, sources close to the situation indicated to SouthMiss6 Sports that at least six were at PHS on Wednesday to talk about the job.
Those same sources indicate that, apparently, current Gulfport defensive coordinator Zach Green is the choice of the search committee. Green is expected to accept the job and begin work next week, after being approved at a specially called session of the Pascagoula School District School Board which is also expected to convene early next week.

Green was a driving force on an Admiral coaching staff this past season that captured the Class 7A state championship for the first time in program history.
His defense helped guide Gulfport to three straight wins in the Class 7A South State playoffs in which the Admirals allowed just 24 points total in those three games combined, before GHS beat defending state champion Tupelo 21-20 in the state title tilt.

Green is in his third season as defensive coordinator at GHS under third-year Admiral head coach Blake Pennock. He came with Pennock from Ocean Springs, where he served in the same capacity during Pennock’s three seasons at the helm of the Greyhounds and OSHS registered a solid 32-5 mark and won two region titles.
Green came to OSHS and accepted his first role as defensive coordinator after serving as the linebackers coach at Theodore (Ala.) High. He has never been a head coach on the high school level in the state before. He also served on the defensive staff at Biloxi before going to Theodore.

Sources close to the situation indicated that Green emerged from a candidate pool of men that also interviewed on Wednesday that included current Pascagoula assistant coach Eric Hollis, current Morton head coach Zach Jones, Hattiesburg offensive coordinator Archie Gibbs and current Ocean Springs offensive coordinator Tracy Lampley as well as current St. Martin offensive coordinator Tim Lala, who is also a former head coach at St. Stanislaus.
Green is now expected to become the first new Panther head coach since 2011, when Lewis Sims crossed over Jefferson Street and left his alma mater Moss Point to take over at PHS.
Sims retired last month, after his 15th season leading the Panthers.