By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

With yet another prep football regular season winding down across South Mississippi, and it’s time for next installment of “Friday Night Rewind” here at SouthMiss6 Sports.

“Friday Night Rewind” has been a part of the journalistic fabric of prep football across the “Southern Six” for most of the past three decades. Each week of the season we’ll take a look back at the action that took place all across this region the previous week before we move on to the next week.

Here are seven things we noticed in the “Southern 6” Friday night:

1. Once Again — Friday night marked the 50th game between longtime arch-rivals Gulfport and Biloxi since the city of Gulfport made the change to just one high school. And, just like they have so many times since, the Admiral picked up another win over the Indians. Visiting Gulfport jumped out to a quick 21-0 lead right at 14 minutes into the game and never looked back in taking down Biloxi 35-3 here at the Biloxi High Sports Complex Friday night in the 104th all-time meeting between these neighbors on the football field.
2. About Time — Pearl River Central celebrated “Senior Night” Friday by staying out of the retirement home. The home-standing Blue Devils knocked off Pascagoula in a defensive battle 17-7 to stay alive in the Region 4-6A race here at Hendrix Stadium on the PRC campus. The win was the first for PRC in league play, and moves the Blue Devils to 5-3 overall and 1-2 in the region race. Meanwhile, the Panthers are also now 1-2 and stand 3-5 overall after losing five of their last six games. The Blue Devils got off to a 17-0 first half lead and held on for the all-important win.
3. Running Wild — Stone standout running back Ayden Green made sure his Tomcats stayed alive in the chase for the state playoffs Friday night. The Tomcat junior ran roughshod over visiting Vancleave, ripping off 247 yards on just nine carries and scoring four touchdowns as the Tomcats thumped the Bulldogs 59-20 in Region 4-5A action. The win was the first in the region race of the season for the defending league champ Stone, as it moves to 4-4 overall and 1-2 in the loop. Vancleave is now 2-6 overall, after losing five straight games, and the Bulldogs are 0-3 in the region race and will in all likelihood miss the state playoffs for the second straight season and for the third time in the past six seasons. The Tomcats, behind a strong ground game that piled up almost 500 yards on the ground, never trailed and jumped out to a quick and commanding 28-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.
4. More Offense — Hancock (4-4, 2-1) took advantage of six Gautier turnovers and capitalized on the arm of senior quarterback Justin Wedgeworth as the Hawks held off the Gautier Gators (5-3, 1-2) 50-43 on Friday night. Gautier led 43-42 and was threatening to build on its lead with a 38-yard pass completion to the Hawks 40-yard line. But on the very next play, Derrick Smith got the read on an ill-advised Gators’ pass, intercepting it and giving the Hawks’ offense the opportunity they needed with just over four minutes to play. Wedgeworth would lead the Hawks on a 9-play drive, completing six passes, culminating with a six-yard scoring toss to senior wide receiver Aspen Farve to take the lead at 48-43. Wedgeworth would connect with Farve again on the 2-point conversion to close out the game’s scoring.
5. Maybe? — In the 18-year history as a football program, West Harrison has never qualified for the state playoffs. On the other hand, in that same span, beginning in 2009, Ocean Springs has played 22 playoff games, including playing for three South State championships, while earning postseason berths 15-out-of the last 16 years. However, the landscape may be changing after Friday night. The visiting Hurricanes blew into Greyhound Stadium and stunned home-standing Ocean Springs 28-17 in a key Region 4-7A game Friday night. Not only did it mark the first win ever for West Harrison over OSHS, but it also puts the winning team in prime position to grab that elusive first-ever state playoff berth also. In addition, it severely hampers Ocean Springs’ efforts of gaining a postseason spot for the 11th straight season as well as the 21st time in the past 22 seasons.
6. Not Yet — Wayne County almost assured itself of the Region 4-5A title. The War Eagles easily dispatched visiting East Central 35-14 in what was a battle for the top spot in the region standings. Wayne County is just 4-4 overall, but now a perfect 3-0 in league play, while the Hornets dropped their first region game of the year and sit at 2-1. The War Eagles swept all three “Southern Six” squads in the first three weeks of region play to take complete control of the region race.
7. Finally — Bay High picked the perfect, and perhaps last chance this year, to snap a long 20-game losing streak with an exciting 17-12 win over visiting Forrest County AHS in Region 8-4A play. Young Tiger quarterback Benton Ladner tossed two touchdown passes in the final 45 seconds of the second stanza to provide all the offense the home team would need. Then, the Tiger defenders turned the Aggies away in the waning moments of the game to secure the timely win. Bay now has the inside track at the fourth and final playoff spot in the region.