Which high school football teams will be the class of the Coast in 2018?

The high school football season begins this week with no clear favorite to be considered the best team on the Coast, but there are a handful of quality contenders.

The Coast has consistently produced state title contenders in Class 4A over the last five years and Resurrection has been in the hunt in 1A, but most of the other squads in South Mississippi have struggled to make deep runs in the postseason.

The last Class 5A team to play for a state title came in 2013 when Dodd Lee’s Picayune squad toppled Oxford in Jackson.

The Coast hasn’t sent a Class 6A team to the South State title game since Ocean Springs fell 27-6 to Oak Grove in 2009.

However, there’s no lack of talent on the Coast and St. Martin and Hancock both return a good group of starters from a year ago.

With the high school football season beginning Thursday with Long Beach hosting Pass Christian, here’s a look at the Sun Herald’s Preseason Top 5.

1. Poplarville — The Hornets lose last year’s star running back in Austin Bolton, but they aren’t missing much else from a squad that finished 13-1 with a 52-45 loss to East Central in the Class 4A South State title game.

Bolton finished with 2,300 yards and 30 touchdowns last season, but he may not be that hard to replace. Junior running back Chase Shears seems ready to step up after being limited by injuries a year ago.

Poplarville also returns its starting quarterback, senior Antonio Barnes, and two other players who had over 850 yards rushing last year — junior Cory Knight (934 yards, 13 TDs) and senior Tyson Holston (853 yards, 9 TDs).

On defense, senior linebacker Ross Barnett leads the way after making a team-leading 189 tackles last season. Defensive back Canaan Ray, who had three interceptions last year, can also be a playmaker.

It’s hard not to see Poplarville as the clear favorite to win Class 4A this season.

2. Hancock — The Hawks had an impressive 2017 debut under head coach Neil Lollar, finishing 10-3 and knocking off Brandon 30-27 in the first round of the Class 6A playoffs.

Quarterback Caleb Garcia is in his senior year after completing 60.3 percent of his passes for 2,001 yards, 16 touchdowns and nine interceptions last year.

Senior receiver Brooks Rayburn, who holds a Kansas offer, will be one of the best targets on the Coast after catching 29 passes for 652 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Senior running back Blake Comeaux is back from injury after putting up 743 yards and 12 touchdowns in eight games a year ago.

On defense, the Hawks have one of the best linebackers on the Coast in Trenton Ladner. He is coming off a 176-tackle campaign.

3. St. Martin — The Yellow Jackets return the most experience of all from a team that finished 6-6 last season.

Senior running back Ham McGee, who holds a Southern Miss offer, should be the focus of the offense after rushing for 1,368 yards and 13 touchdowns. He’ll be running behind an offensive line led by senior right tackle Brandon Cunningham, a 6-foot-5, 300-pound Mississippi State commit.

At quarterback, senior Milleon Graham is set to take over after seeing significant time at the position a year ago. He ran for 462 yards and five scores.

St. Martin returns every starter from a 2017 defense that showed significant improvement. Senior linebacker Keni Williams, who had 132 tackles last year, will be the leader of the group and head coach Eddie Wayne Whitehead believes senior linebacker Ricco Moore, who had 81 tackles last year, is due a big season.

St. Martin may be the Coast team best positioned to take a leap forward this year.

4. Gulfport — The Admirals lose most of their starting 11 from last year’s stout defense, but they still feature some of the most talented players on the Coast.

If senior quarterback T.Q. Newsome stays healthy this year, Gulfport should stay in the running for a region title. The Southern Miss commit ran for 916 yards and 15 touchdowns while throwing for 633 yards and four touchdowns. His future is likely at running back at USM, but he’s no slouch as a passer.

Newsome will also be helped by the arrival of former Pass Christian standout Tionne Frost, a 6-foot-2, 220-pound running back who ran for 1,397 yards and 13 scores last season. First-year head coach John Archie also expects junior running back Tyran Gable, who stands 5-8, 185, to see significant carries.

Senior linebacker Derick Hall holds scholarship offers from LSU, Florida, Ole Miss, Mississippi State and Missouri. The 6-foot-4, 220-pound Hall should be a terror for opposing offenses and will have a role to play as a receiver on offense.

Gulfport has a high ceiling. It’s just a matter of how well the first-year starters play on a defense that has plenty to replace.

5. East Central — East Central no longer has running back Tony Brown or tight end Brad Cumbest, but the Hornets should again be a dangerous team on both sides of the ball.

The Hornets will be deep at running back with senior Cameron Gray, senior Ryan Evans and junior Dylan Grinsteinner all expected to see significant carries.

With junior Will Young expected to step in as a standout at quarterback, the main concern for East Central will be developing an offensive line that won’t be as big as last year’s group that helped pave the way for a Class 4A South State title.

Senior linebacker Avery White, who holds offers from Southern Miss and South Alabama, will again be one of the most dynamic defenders on the Coast. He led South Mississippi in tackles last year with 202.

It seems a good possibility that we’ll see a Hornet Bowl II in November after Poplarville and East Central collided for the 4A South State title last season.

Five more to watch: D’Iberville, Picayune, Stone High, Long Beach and Biloxi.

This story was originally published August 14, 2018 at 4:00 AM.