By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

AS yet another prep football season across South Mississippi starts to wind down, it’s time for our next installment of “A Look Ahead” here at SouthMiss6 Sports.

“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 Monday, we’ll take a look at the action set to kick off in that particular week all across this region.

This is the final week of the regular season for the 19 teams in the three largest classifications in the state this week. Also, the state playoffs kick off for the four smaller classifications across the state this week as well.

In addition, the season has already come to an end for three teams; Moss Point, West Harrison and St. Patrick.

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

1. Ocean Springs at St. Martin (Game of the Week) — One of the most important games between these two neighborhood rivals in quite some time takes place Thursday night in a key Region 4-7A contest in which one team has already clinched a berth in the upcoming Class 7A South State playoffs while the other is still looking for a path to do so as well. The Greyhounds have qualified for a berth in the postseason for the past eight seasons, but need a win and some help to extend that streak to nine. The Yellow Jackets are looking to finish as either the third or fourth seed in the loop. St. Martin is looking to qualify for the state playoffs for the first time in eight years as well. This marks the 62nd all-time meeting between the two teams on the football field, and OSHS has completely dominated the series at 50-11. The Greyhounds have won eight straight in the series, and 19 out of the last 20, after a 49-21 win last season.
2. Pascagoula at Gautier — The renewal of the “Singing River Classic” sees the Panthers head west down U.S. Highway 90 a bit to take on the Gators at Vaughan-Wallace Stadium Thursday night in the regular season finale for both teams. Pascagoula leads this all-time series 14-10, after thumping Gautier 49-12 at home last season. Unlike last season, there’s quite a bit of drama involved in this annual affair this year as both the Panthers and Gators are still battling for a berth in the upcoming Class 6A South State playoffs. There are all kinds of scenarios in the works for possible tie-breakers here, but let’s just suffice it to say either team is eliminated with a loss.
3. D’Iberville at Biloxi — For the fourth straight season, these two neighboring rivals end the regular season against one another on a Thursday night, and for the second consecutive season the contest carries with it playoff implications in Region 4-7A. The Warriors have already clinched a berth in the upcoming Class 7A South State playoffs, and even though the Indians are in a much better position to still be playing next week than they were last week, they still need some things to go just right this week to clinch another postseason berth. This is the 36th all-time meeting between the two teams on the gridiron, and the Indians hold a slight 19-16 lead after the Warriors shut out the Indians 28-0 on the road last season. The two teams have split the past 10 meetings. All 35 meetings between the two have come since a state-wide playoff system was implemented in the state of Mississippi in 1981.
4. Picayune at PRC — The longtime and neighboring rivals face off Thursday night in Carriere as this long time rivalry is renewed to end the regular season for the second straight season. The Maroon Tide leads the all-time series 27-7, but PRC snapped Picayune’s eight game win streak in the series last year with a stunning 28-21 upset on the road. That win stopped a 28-game region win streak for the Maroon Tide as well. Once again, Picayune is the top seed from Region 4-6A having just won their sixth straight league title. PRC has also already clinched a state playoff berth as well for the second straight season after breaking a 10-year absence last year.
5. Stone at East Central — This is a battle for the second seed in Region 4-5A and homefield advantage in the opening round of the Class 5A South State playoffs next week. A win for the Hornets clinches both of those goals for ECHS. This is the 36th all-time meeting between the two teams that dates all the way back to 1959, and Stone leads the affair by a wide margin 25-10.
6. Forest at Pass Christian — An historic regular season for the Pirates results in them hosting this opening round game in the Class 4A South State playoffs Friday night in what has become the friendly confines of Buddy McDonald Stadium. Pass is in the postseason for the fourth straight season under the direction of head coach Jeff Stockstill, and the perfect 10-0 Pirates are a perfect 5-0 at home this season as well as 12-0 over the past two seasons. Stockstill’s squad is the top seed in Region 8-4A for the second straight season, after winning their second consecutive region title for the first time in program history. This is the first meeting ever between these two teams on the football field. Forest is 5-4 overall, and the fourth seed from Region 6-4A.
7. Three More — A trio of other “Southern Six” playoff bound squads also open the postseason Friday night, one more at home and two others on the road. Poplarville, the Region 4-7A champion, will host Northeast Lauderdale, while St. Stanislaus opens the Class 3A South State playoffs on the road at Magee and Resurrection kicks off the Class 1A South State playoffs by traveling to South Delta.