Sports - High School

Thursday, Oct. 29, 2009

Winner take all in 8-4A St. Stanislaus, Purvis meet tonight in Bay St. Louis to determine region champion

St. Stanislaus spent the entire summer focusing on winning a state championship.

The first stage begins tonight when the fourth-ranked Rockachaws (8-1, 6-0) entertain Purvis (6-3, 5-1) for the Region 8-4A championship at Brother Phillip Memorial Stadium.

The Tornadoes are one game behind the Rochachaws, setting up a tussle in the regular-season finale for the 8-4A championship.

Quarterback Dylan Favre continues to extend his career state passing records for the Rockachaws. He has completed 188 of 300 passes for 3,149 yards and 37 touchdowns.

He has also rushed for 728 yards on 89 carries while scoring seven touchdowns.

“We’re excited about playing for a championship,” St. Stanislaus coach Forrest Williams said. “Purvis has a lot of team speed. We’ll have to be on our game defensively. Our passing game gives us an advantage.”

Win or lose, SSC will be at home next week when the 4A state playoffs begin.

St. Patrick, battling for a playoff spot in Region 8-3A, faces unbeaten Perry Central (10-0, 4-0).

Classes 5A and 6A still have two weeks remaining in the regular season, and teams are positioning themselves for spots.

The Region 4-6A playoff spots should become clearer, but the seedings will come down to the end.

George County (7-2, 5-0) remains a game ahead of Harrison Central (8-1, 4-1) and Ocean Springs (7-2, 4-1).

The Rebels travel to Petal (4-4, 3-2), and could clinch a berth with a victory or Gulfport defeat against the Greyhounds.

The Red Rebels play host to Pascagoula at Earl Phillips Sr. Memorial Stadium.

“We can go from first to fourth,” George County coach Al Jones said. “Anybody can beat anybody in this region on a given night. There’s so much parity. Biloxi plays Hancock and they are both playoff-quality teams.”

Picayune (6-2, 5-0) faces its biggest test of the season as the Maroon Tide plays unbeaten West Jones (9-0, 5-0) in a Region 3-5A contest. The Maroon Tide could finish first, second or third and still must play Wayne County on Nov. 6.

The Region 4-5A picture still has a few pieces left. Region leader Moss Point (7-2, 5-0) travels to Warrior Stadium against D’Iberville (4-5, 4-1).

Gautier (6-3, 4-1) visits St. Martin (4-5, 3-2), a game which could possibly determine who hosts a first-round contest. A Gautier win sets up a title matchup with Moss Point on Nov. 6.

Long Beach (4-5, 2-3), which travels to East Central, is still in the playoff picture. The Bearcats own the head-to-head tiebreaker over St. Martin due to their 14-13 win over the Yellow Jackets on Oct. 16.