By Curtis Rockwell/Sports Director

We’ll take a look at a couple of current streaks in “By the Numbers” before we get to the weekly poll;

When once mighty Moss Point heads west down U.S. Highway 90 to Hancock County to take on Bay High Friday night for a key Region 8-4A encounter, the numbers between the two teams on the football field don’t lie.

These two teams are a combined 1-10 between them, for the second straight season at the samepoint, but this may be the only contest in the state of Mississippi in which a Class 4A South State playoff berth is on the line this week.

Both teams are struggling for a win, as has been the case in recent times. Moss Point is 1-5 and 0-1 in Region 8-4A after a loss at home to Forrest County AHS last week. Bay High is 0-5 overall and this is the first league game of the season for those Tigers.

Bay High has also lost 18 straight games, as well as 23-out-of-its last 24 games dating back to early in the 2024 season. After going 0-9 last year, the Tigers are trying to avoid their third win-less campaign in the past nine years.

A loss to MPHS Friday would match the 19-game losing streak BHS suffered from the middle of the 2016 season until the middle of the 2018 season. That is the longest losing streak in the past 76 years, or in the “modern era”of prep football in the state of Mississippi.

That streak wound up equalling the current 23-losses-in-24 games streak for BHS as well.

The Tigers also lost 22-out-of-23 games in a stretch from 1988-1990.

No matter all that, though, this match-up in all likelihood will be a battle for the fourth and final seed in the league standings for playoff purposes. Moss Point has dominated the all-time series at 17-3, but the two teams have split the past four meetings.

Meanwhile, Moss Point won five state championships in the 17-year span from 1983-2000. The Tigers then played for yet another state title in 2001, 25 years ago.

Then, several years later, MPHS went 12-2 in 2007 and 11-3 in 2009, falling in the South State championship game both years.

However, since Lewis Sims left 15 years ago, Moss Point has never won more than seven games in a season (once) and has only two winning regular seasons. In both of those MPHS went 6-3, including once during the Covid season in 2020.

No matter all that, though, this match-up this week in all likelihood will be a battle for the fourth and final seed in the league standings for playoff purposes. Moss Point has dominated the all-time series at 17-3, but the two teams have split the past four meetings.

“Super 7” in the “Southern 6”

Every Tuesday through the first week in December, we will publish our “Super 7 in the Southern 6” weekly poll involving all 24 prep football teams in our coverage area.

The weekly poll is the only one in the state that is voted on by a panel of veteran sportswriters, a few selected area coaches and other media members.

This week is the week seven rankings for 2026.

“Super 7 in the Southern 6”

1. Poplarville
2. Gulfport
3. Pass Christian
4. D’Iberville
5. St. Martin
6. Picayune
7. Pearl River Central

(Others receiving votes: Long Beach, Gautier, Stone)