By Curtis Rockwell/Sports Director

The state prep football playoffs for the three largest classifications will kick off later this week.

And a pair of perennial playoff participants from the “Southern Six” won’t be in the mix this time around. Both teams finished out regular season play at just 3-7 after each suffered key league losses Thursday night to end the season.

Both Ocean Springs in Class 7A and Pascagoula in Class 6A each came up a win short of qualifying for the postseason yet again. It marks the first time in nine years that the Greyhounds didn’t make it, and its the first time since 2022 that the Panthers are sitting at home this time of year.

It’s also the first time since 2017 that both OSHS and PHS came up short of the postseason in the same campaign.

Pascagoula made it to the state playoffs 15 times in the past 22 years. And the absence of Ocean Springs is even more of a stunner, as the Greyhounds have qualified for the state playoffs 20 times in the past 23 seasons before this year.

Ocean Springs played for the South State championship twice in the past in the past five seasons, losing to Brandon in both Class 6A in 2022 and in Class 7A in 2024.

But the Greyhounds stumbled to a 3-7 overall record, and finished just 2-4 in Region 4-7A play.It marked the worst regular season mark for OSHS since going 1-9 in 2002, and it was the first losing season for OSHS in seven years.

It was the first time OSHS missed the state playoffs in head coach Jake Bramlett’s four year tenure.

For Pascagoula, the disappointing 3-7 record came in new head coach Zach Green’s first season at the helm of the Panthers.

Green served as the defensive coordinator for Gulfport last season and helped the Admirals win the Class 7A state championship. He also had coached in a South State championship game twice in the past five years.

It appeared he brought that same success down the coast line with him this year, as he became the first new PHS head coach to start off at 2-0 in 46 years.

But the wheels came off as the season progressed, and PHS went just 1-7 the rest of the way. The lone win was a 17-10 decision in double overtime against Long Beach.

The 3-7 record is the worst for PHS since a 1-10 mark in 2018. Also, its the first losing mark overall for PHS since 2022.

Ironically enough, both PHS and OSHS beat Biloxi this season. And, even though those Indians also finished 3-7 this season, Biloxi qualified for the Class 7A Southy State playoffs due to a three-way tie-breaker including both OSHS and West Harrison.