By Curtis Rockwell/Sports Director

OCEAN SPRINGS — Even though the upcoming prep football season is still a little over five months away from kick off, a perennal playoff participant from the “Southern Six” in the largest classification of play recently finalized a key item on its 2026 schedule.
In Ocean Springs, the Class 7A Greyhounds recently confirmed that they will open the season at home at Hugh Pepper Field on a Thursday night as Meridian comes calling on August, 27th.
Last season, OSHS went on the road and played in historic Ray Stadium for the first time ever and knocked off the Wildcats to also open the new campaign on a Thursday night with a 35-0 thumping of MHS.

However, even though that was the first year of the usual two-year agreements in the schedule-making process between two teams, the Wildcats got a new head coach since the end of last season as Tony Vance took over leaving things heading into this year a little unsettled.
But OSHS head coach Jake Bramlett recently confirmed to SouthMiss6 Sports that Vance agreed to keep the game on Thursday night this season as well.
The highly-regarded Vance comes to Meridian after serving one season as the offensive coordinator at Theodore (Ala.) High.
Prior to that, Vance had a 97-54 record in 12 seasons at Hattiesburg High, including two championship appearances.
Vance’s first head coaching job in Mississippi was at Charleston from 2008-12, where he won the Class 3A state title in 2011.

Vance has turned multiple programs around throughout the state and intends to do so at Meridian, as the Wildcats have not won a state title since 2008.
Vance had a 97-54 record and went 9-11 in the playoffs with the Tigers and two championship appearances. Vance’s first head coaching job in Mississippi was at Charleston from 2008-12. He won the MHSAA 3A title in 2011. His 17-year career coaching record is 157-64, including 21-15 in postseason play.
Vance has turned multiple programs around throughout the state and intends to do so at Meridian, as the Wildcats have not won a state title since 2008.
“I’ve been a guy that turns programs around,” Vance said, in a recent interview. “I feel like we got (Charleston) built in the right way and won a state championship and competed for a state championship. When I got to Hattiesburg, the program was not in very good shape. We built it the right way. When I was gone from those programs, they had the opportunity to have great success, and I think we can do the same thing at Meridian.”

Meridian ended last season at a sub-optimal 2-8 and went 0-5 in Region 3-7A play. After that, Shelton Gandy stepped down as head coach opening the door for Vance.
“I can’t tell you how important the state of Mississippi is to me, and to my career,” Vance added. “”Being a coach, I don’t know if it ever gets out of your blood,” Vance said. “Wasn’t planning on being back in Mississippi this soon. But just the opportunity to coach one of the most storied programs in the history of high school football in Mississippi.”
And his first game ever leading the Wildcats will be in Ocean Springs in late August.