By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

The prep football season heads toward Hallpween once again this week, and we foresee some key contests throughout the Gulf Coast region.

“A Look Ahead” 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 on SouthMiss6 Sports take a look at the action set to kickoff in that particular week all across this region.

Here are seven games in the “Southern Six’ to keep an eye on this week:

Here are “7 games in the Southern 6” to keep an eye on this week:

1. D’Iberville at Gulfport (Game of the Week) — This one will decide the Region 4-7A championship. Gulfport is taking aim on its second straight title for the first time in seven years, and comes in just behind DHS in region race with a perfect 4-0 mark, while the Warriors are 5-0. Even though this all-time series dates back 38 years to 1988, this is just the 18th meeting on the football field between the two teams. Gulfport has a commanding 12-6 lead, and the Admirals have won four straight and seven out of the last nine games over DHS. D’Iberville is looking for its first region title in six years.
2. Hancock at Pascagoula — While this might not be a battle for the Region 4-6A crown, this is still a key contest in the chase for a state playoff berth in the league standings as the Panthers host the Hawks at War Memorial Stadium. Hancock comes in at 2-1 in the region race, with PHS a step behind at 1-2 . These two teams never met on the football field until 21 years ago in 2005, and since then the Panthers own a 10-3 advantage in 13 meetings over the past two decades including wins in the past five seasons over HHS. The Hawks can take a big step towards securing the second seed and the home-field advantage in the opening round of the upcoming Class 6A South State playoffs as well with a win over the Panthers.
3. Gautier at Picayune — The Maroon Tide is a perfect 3-0 in Region 4-6A and on course to take their sixth straight league title as the Gators come calling to Lee-Triplett Stadium Friday night. Also, Picayune is 16-0 all-time against Gautier. If the Gators are gonna snap that win-less streak, there’s no better time to do so than this week as Gautier is on the verge of falling out of state playoff contention at 1-2 in league play after two losses by a combined total of nine points over the last three weeks. A win by Picayune would clinch that sixth straight region title.
4. Columbia at Poplarville — For the second straight season, the Hornets will battle the Wildcats for the Region 7-4A title Friday night. Last season, en route to an unbeaten 15-0 march to the Class 4A state championship, Columbia thumped visiting PHS 20-14. The two teams then faced off again four weeks later, also in Columbia, and the Wildcats won the Class 4A South State crown, slipping past the Hornets 20-14. This marks the 17th all-time meeting, and thanks in large part to last year, CHS leads the all-time series 10-6. The Wildcats have also won three out of tghe past four meetings.
5. Biloxi at West Harrison — Just the fourth meeting all time between these two teams on the football field is set for Friday night in what could turn into a very important Region 4-7A battle. Currently, the Hurricanes sit solidly as the fourth seed in the region race, which of course is the cut off line for qualifying for the state playoffs. A win by West Harrison would secure the first-ever playoff berth in program history for the Hurricanes. The Indians need a win this week as well some help in order to not miss the postseason for the first time since 2021.
6. Vancleave at East Central — A game that will be talked about in duck blinds and deer stands all across Jackson County for the next year goes down in Hurley on Halloween eve night as the Hornets host the longtime arch-rival Bulldogs. Both teams are coming off of losses last week. A third straight win for ECHS over VHS would not only clinch the first state playoff berth for the Hornets in four years but also allow the home team to host an opening round state playoff game for the first time in nine years. East Central comes in at 2-1 in Region 4-5A play, and Vancleave is 0-3. Another Bulldog loss would eliminate VHS from playoff contention. This marks the 66th edition of this annual affair, and the overall series has been pretty close with the Bulldogs up 33-32 after the Hornets pulled out a 27-24 win last year as well as a 28-26 win two years ago
7. Thursday Night football — The regular season ends for teams in the four lower classifications this week, and some of those finales come a day early on Thursday as Bay High travels to Pass Christian, St. Stanislaus hosts West Marion and Stringer hosts Resurrection. St. Patrick wrapped up its season last week. Bay High needs Greene County to beat Forrest County AHS in Brooklyn Thursday night to clinch a state playoff spot.