Sports - Columnists - Doug Barber

Thursday, Oct. 22, 2009

Smiles for the Bearcats from the golden one

With football season entering the home stretch — to use horse racing vernacular — you can see teams giving their all to make the playoffs or to try and secure a winning season.

Doug’s Picks missed a couple of games last week by the narrowest of margins when Pascagoula rallied by Biloxi, and Long Beach blocked an extra point for a win at St. Martin.

The last win brought a smile to the face of the feline Goldfinger, who has kept up closely with the progress of the Bearcats. Though he didn’t say it, you knew he was thinking “Dy-No-Mite’’ when he heard the news around 1 a.m. Saturday. No word on whether he got his paws on a cellphone to call Sun Herald staffer Don Hammack, a Long Beach alumnus.

Doug’s Picks ended up 9-4 last week, just in time as we need a big push over the next three weeks so we can prove we are playoff worthy. Overall, Doug’s Picks is 85-33 for the season for a .720 winning percentage.

n Harrison Central at Biloxi: The Indians need to run the table for a winning season. They catch the Red Rebels after a stretch of three huge wins. This looks like a possible ambush but Red Rebels won’t be napping. Harrison Central 28, Biloxi 14.

n Gulfport at Petal: The winner should make the playoffs and the loser needs a lot of help. We think the Admirals will bounce back from the near-miss to George County. Gulfport 18, Petal 15.

n Hancock at George County: The Rebels need to win to maintain their one-game cushion in 4-6A. George County 24, Hancock 10.

n Pascagoula at Ocean Springs: To stay in contention for the 4-6A title, Ocean Springs must win tonight against a refreshed Pascagoula squad. Ocean Springs 24, Pascagoula 7.

n St. Martin at Moss Point: The Tigers want revenge for last year’s loss but it won’t be easy. Moss Point 24, St. Martin 14.

n D’Iberville at Gautier: The Warriors are on a roll in region. Vancleave may have caught Gautier looking ahead to this game. Gautier 17, D’Iberville 15.

n Vancleave at Long Beach: Both teams are coming off big wins and the winner still can nurse some playoff hopes if everything breaks right. Going by how both played against Gautier, we’ll take the Bulldogs. Vancleave 31, Long Beach 28.

n East Central at West Harrison: East Central has lost seven in a row but has played well the last two games. Winless West Harrison has scored three touchdowns this year. East Central 21, West Harrison 7.

n Pearl River Central at Picayune: Oh, no. Pearl River Central has had problems stopping folks, and Jamal Hall is a 1,200-yard rusher for the Maroon Tide. Picayune 48, PRC 0.

n Brookhaven at Stone: It is must-win time for the Tomcats. With hesitancy... Stone 17, Brookhaven 14.

n Bay High at Greene County: Big game for Bay, which is 1-3 on the road this year. Greene County 14, Bay High 12.

n St. Stanislaus at Pass Christian: Double Oh, no! Casey Wittmann used to coach and play at St. Stanislaus. The Pirates will be hard-pressed to stop SSC’s fast-break offense. SSC 48, Pass 12.

n Seminary at St. Patrick: The Fighting Irish, with one exception, have shown the ability to put points on the scoreboard. That’s a good trait against a high-scoring Seminary squad. St. Patrick 29, Seminary 27.