Patrick’s Picks: Will Ocean Springs and Harrison Central stay on a hot winning streak?

Two of the hottest teams in Region 4-6A, Harrison Central and Ocean Springs, have a chance to make a statement on their home fields Friday night.

Ocean Springs (3-2, 1-0) has won three consecutive contests headed into Friday night’s game against D’Iberville at Greyhound Stadium. Ryan Ross’s squad started out Region 4-6A on a positive note with a 39-29 victory at Hancock last week.

D’Iberville (2-2, 0-1) is coming off a 21-14 loss at home to Biloxi and is in serious need of a victory on the road Friday night. It’s difficult to label any game a must-win this early in the season, but the Warriors are likely facing that situation at Ocean Springs.

Harrison Central (4-1, 1-0) has won four consecutive games as it prepares to host Biloxi (3-2, 1-0) in another important region contest in Lyman.

After throwing for just 6 yards in the season-opening loss to Jefferson David County, Harrison Central senior quarterback Dayln Anderson has put up some of the best passing numbers on the Coast the last four weeks. He has thrown for 781 yards, nine touchdowns and two interceptions, completing 43 of 87 attempts. He also has four rushing touchdowns.

In Biloxi, Harrison Central will likely face the toughest defense it has seen since Jefferson Davis County won 17-7 in Lyman on Aug. 17.

My pick: Biloxi 20, Harrison Central 17.

Here’s how I see the other games shaking out:

D’Iberville 28, Ocean Springs 24: The pressure is on D’Iberville to follow up last week’s loss to Biloxi with a victory, but you can be assured Coach Eric Collins will have his Warriors prepared. D’Iberville can’t allow Ocean Springs quarterback Blake Noblin and his top two receivers, Khalil Levy and Darien Wallace, to get in rhythm.

Gulfport 31, Pascagoula 20: The Admirals (4-1, 1-0) have found ways to win tight games the last couple of games, winning 37-35 at Picayune on Sept. 7 and 35-34 at St. Martin last week. Gulfport senior quarterback T.Q. Newsome has taken a significant step forward this year, completing 65.4 percent of his passes for 813 yards, nine touchdowns and only one interception. He also leads the team in rushing with 382 yards and four touchdowns.

St. Martin 31, Hancock 17: Even though it came out on the losing end last week against Gulfport, St. Martin (3-2, 0-1) is looking like a playoff team. Hancock (2-3, 0-1) has to find a way to get right in a hurry after enduring three consecutive defeats.

Gautier 35, Long Beach 28: This is a crucial contest for both teams. Both squads have lost back-to-back games, including their region openers last week. Gautier (3-2, 0-1) enters an important four-game run of Long Beach, West Harrison, Stone High and Pearl River Central. Gautier has to play well during that stretch because it has to travel to Picayune and Wayne County to close out the season.

Picayune 49, West Harrison 14: Last week’s 60-33 win over Wayne County sent a sign to the rest of Region 4-5A that Picayune (3-2, 1-0) is warming up at just the right time. Senior running back Jortin Raine has 109 carries for 779 yards and two touchdowns.

Hattiesburg 45, Stone High 17: It’s hard to see Hattiesburg (5-0, 1-0) losing a game this season, but Picayune will always put up a fight. Stone High (1-3, 1-0) got a boost last week with the return of senior quarterback Trey Arrington, who had 18 carries for 205 yards and four touchdowns in a win at West Harrison. He also threw for 100 yards and two scores.

Wayne County 42, Pearl River Central 28: The PRC ground game has shown significant improvement in recent weeks, helping the Blue Devils win two of the last three games. Senior Kobe Whitehead has 541 yards and seven touchdowns. Junior Detrich Spikes has 558 yards and six scores.

Pass Christian 20, Bay High 17: Pass Christian (1-4) seemed to find a little life last week in a 21-13 defeat to an undefeated Sumrall squad. Bay High has a shot at its first win since Sept. 16, 2016.

East Central 31, Moss Point 17: An extremely tough non-region slate has come to an end for Moss Point (1-5), but now it has to face the No. 1 team in all of Class 4A. East Central (4-0) has been just fine with two of its most experienced running backs, Ryan Evans and Cameron Gray, sidelined with injuries. Junior Dylan Grinsteinner has carried the load with 76 carries for 464 yards and eight touchdowns.

Vancleave 34, St. Stanislaus 28: This is a key Region 8-4A opener for both teams. Vancleave had a solid run through non-region play at 3-2. St. Stanislaus is just 1-4, but it has found its way on offense lately. SSC Senior running back Delvin Henry should clear the 1,000-yard Friday night with 96 carries for 941 yards and 11 touchdowns through five games. Turnovers have been an issue for St. Stanislaus. The team’s two quarterbacks have combined for no passing touchdowns and eight interceptions.

Poplarville 35, Greene County 28: No first-week region contest is more important than this one. The result of this contest may very well decide who wins Region 7-4A. Greene County has won four consecutive games to stand at 4-2. Poplarville (4-1) has also won four straight games after losing to Picayune in the opener. Sumrall, another 7-4A squad, is 6-0, but Poplarville and Greene County have played tougher schedules up to this point. Poplarville is sharing the wealth in the ground game, but Ethan Taylor leads the way with 29 carries for 501 yards and four scores. That’s 17.3 yards a carry.

North Forrest 27, St. Patrick 20: This game is essentially a coin’s toss, but North Forrest (3-3) has won three straight. St. Patrick (3-2) is coming off a 40-20 loss at Bogue Chitto.

Resurrection 28, Stringer 27: This is another region opener that will have major implications in 8-1A. Both teams have only one loss with Resurrection sitting at 4-1 and Stringer at 5-1. Senior quarterback Jacob Galle, who transferred to RCS from St. Martin, has been a big boost to the offense. He has completed 58.6 percent of his passes for 879 yards, seven touchdowns and two interceptions.

Sun Herald Top 5

1. East Central (4-0)

2. Gulfport (4-1)

3. Picayune (3-2)

4. Poplarville (4-1)

5. St. Martin (3-2)

This story was originally published September 26, 2018 at 10:48 AM.