By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

OCEAN SPRINGS — A new prep football season is just four weeks away.

Ocean Springs hosts Meridian on Thur., Aug. 27th, to kick off the action in the “Southern Six” for the second straight year.

Last season, OSHS went on the road to face the Wildcats in historic Ray Stadium for the first time ever and picked up a big win to also open the new campaign on a Thursday night with a 35-0 thumping of MHS.

But, the Wildcats got a new head coach since the end of last season as veteran mentor Tony Vance took over during the off season.

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 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.

“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.”

When the Wildcats come calling, OSHS and fourth-year head coach Jake Bramlett will be counting on a returning starter behind center to lead the way this year.

Greyhound junior quarterback Chalmers Berglind actually eased his way onto the scene in prep football circles in the “Southern Six” late in his freshman season, sharing some time behind center down the stretch.

He then took over full time last year during his sophomore campaign, and as QB1 for the Greyhounds did a solid job as he passed for 1,685 yards while connecting on 92 passes in 146 attempts last season for an impressive 63% completion rate with 17 touchdowns while averaging 153.2 passing yards per game in the process.

He guided the Greyhounds to a second place spot in Region 4-7A, behind Class 7A state champion Gulfport, and to a solid 9-1 regular season mark with the only loss coming to those Admirals.

Berglind displayed his potential in a pre-region match-up against perennial state power Picayune when he completed 10-of-13 throws for 326 yards and four touchdowns in an eye-opening 56-42 win over the Maroon Tide.

That outing included a career-long 99-yard scoring strike, as well as an average completion rate of almost 33 yards per reception.

This season, Berglind looks to lead OSHS to not only its third South State championship game in six seasons but also its fourth region title in that span as well.