Meet the Preseason All-South Mississippi High School Football Team for 2022
The 2021 season saw a bevy of seniors take the stage one last time in an exciting season, but this year’s cast of Gulf Coast standouts is ready to put on their own show.
This year’s All-Preseason list features some of the biggest names in the state. Ocean Springs quarterback Bray Hubbard is ready to showcase his athleticism before heading to Alabama as a defensive back.
Picayune running back Dante Dowdell was a zero-offer, unranked prospect when last season ended and is now an Oregon commit with a four-star rating.
These two highlight a trove of talent that can be found throughout the Coast.
Fan choice offensive player of the year
Palazzo won our fan poll for offensive player of the year after a 2021 season in which he tossed 15 touchdowns for the Admirals.
It was his first year as the starting quarterback and he led a bounce-back campaign, guiding Gulfport to the playoffs after a 1-win 2020 season.
Fan choice defensive player of the year
Gavin Allen, St. Martin
Allen outlasted Gautier’s Monyeh Boykin in a close vote in our poll. He’s coming off a breakout sophomore season that saw him lead his team in tackles.
Allen has more help of defense this year and a new defensive coordinator. The Yellow Jackets hope to use Allen and others as the centerpieces of their rebuild.
2022 Preseason All-South Mississippi High School Football Team
QB Bray Hubbard, Ocean Springs senior: Hubbard is an Alabama commit who scored 52 touchdowns for the Greyhounds, 30 through the air and 22 on the ground.
QB Kaden Irving, Gautier senior: Irving is an Ole Miss baseball commit, but on the gridiron he led Gautier’s air raid attack with 3,687 yards and 39 touchdown passes.
QB Jacob Palazzo, Gulfport senior: Palazzo threw for 1,863 yards and 15 touchdowns to only 2 interceptions as a junior.
RB Dante Dowdell, Picayune senior: Dowdell rushed for over 2,500 yards and 28 touchdowns on his way to winning MaxPreps Mississippi Player of the Year.
RB Maurice Travis, Poplarville senior: Travis ran for 1,330 yards and 13 touchdowns for the 11-win Hornets as a junior.
RB Melvin Pickens, West Harrison senior: Pickens led West Harrison with 1,010 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns as a junior.
WR AJ Phillips, Gautier senior: Phillips is the Gulf Coast’s leading returning receiver after catching 76 passes for 1,212 yards as a junior.
WR Duran Parish, Biloxi senior: Parish is a Vanderbilt commit who caught 41 passes for 609 yards and 6 touchdowns as a junior.
WR Tavaris Henshaw, Gulfport senior: Henshaw caught 42 balls for 776 yards and 5 touchdowns as a junior.
OL Ladarius Jordan, Gulfport senior: Interior lineman with multiple JUCO offers and a Division I offer from Nicholls.
OL Gage Thibodeaux, Picayune senior: Versatile lineman who primarily lines up at tackle and opens holes for one of the top rushing offenses in the state.
OL Peyton Wells, Picayune senior : Transitioned from fullback to became a key blocker for Picayune
OL Jeremy Flora, Pascagoula senior: Flora is a 6-foot-5, 350 lb interior lineman with JUCO offers and Division I interest.
OL Ziron Brown, Bay High junior: Brown is a 6-foot-5, 265 lb lineman garnering interest from colleges.
Iron Man Jacob Bradford, St. Stanislaus junior: Bradford rarely leaves the field, playing on the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. He had 85 tackles and 16 tackles for loss in 2021 and holds an offer from MGCCC.
DL Jamarious Brown, Moss Point senior: Brown is an Ole Miss commit who had 84 tackles and 5 sacks as a junior.
DL Jamonta Waller, Picayune junior: Waller is an edge rusher with an offer from Florida A&M. Had 85 tackles and 9 stops for loss as a sophomore.
DL Amarion Ware, Harrison Central senior: Ware, who holds an offer from Nicholls, had 81 tackles and 5 tackles for loss as a junior.
DL Jeffery Rush, Pascagoula junior: Rush is holding six college offers so far, including ones from Ole Miss and Southern Miss.
LB Gavin Allen, St. Martin junior: Allen had 91 tackles, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery as a sophomore.
LB Trace Carter, Ocean Springs junior: Carter had 60 tackles and 20 tackles for loss as a sophomore.
LB Mark Will, Poplarville senior: Will had 103 tackles, 3 sacks and an interception as a junior.
LB Amarion Tyson, Picayune junior: Tyson registered 169 tackles and 18 tackles for loss as a sophomore.
DB Noreel White, St. Martin junior: White is a four star defensive back and wide receiver with offers from Florida State, Ole Miss and Mississippi State.
DB Monyeh Boykin, Gautier senior: Boykin had 81 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, 4 sacks and 2 interceptions as a junior.
DB Daniel Pickens, Resurrection junior: Pickens, who also had over 800 all-purpose yards, picked off 6 passes as a sophomore.
DB Kieron Jones, Harrison Central junior: Jones intercepted four passes while also making 31 tackles as a sophomore.
K Evan Noel, St. Stanislaus sophomore: Noel is the No. 1 kicker in the country for the class of 2025 on Kohl’s.
P Bart Edmiston, Jr, Ocean Springs senior: The No. 6 punter in his class, Edmiston, Jr downed 11 punts inside the 20-yard line as a junior.
Honorable mention
ATH D.K. Jenkins, St. Martin; QB Christian Turner, Harrison Central; QB Deuce Knight, George County; RB Avan Jarvis, Poplarville; LB Nakiel Trotter, Poplarville; RB Chris Davis, Picayune; FB Darnell Smith, Picayune; DL Zavion Coleman, Picayune; DL J.B. McWilliams, Picayune; WR J.P. Coulter, Ocean Springs; LB Eric Moore, Jr, Ocean Springs; LB Keshawn Thomas, Ocean Springs; ATH Jeffrey Hopgood, Hancock, WR Todd Dedeaux, Hancock; QB Keilon Parnell, Pascagoula; LB TJ Dunsford, East Central; RB/LB Thomas Salloum, St. Patrick; ATH Took Norwood, Biloxi; ATH Kaleb Raston, Moss Point; OL Fulton Ascherl, St. Stanislaus; LB Mekhi Redmond, Gautier; ATH Terry Patton, Pass Christian; OL Joshua Battles, Pascagoula; ATH Colt Busby, Long Beach
