Patrick’s Picks: Can Moss Point football finally take down East Central?
A week before district play fires up across Mississippi, one non-region game Saturday could have all the intensity of a playoff game.
The East Central-Moss Point was originally set for Friday, but Hurricane Sally’s disruption of preparations convinced both staffs that it would best to wait a day and kick off at 7 p.m. on Saturday. Perry Central-Bay High and North Pike-Pass Christian have also been moved to Saturday with both games starting at 6 p.m. The Greene County-George County and D’Iberville-George County games have been called off.
Moss Point (1-1) hosts East Central (2-0) in a matchup that’s had the potential to turn into a nice rivalry contest in recent years, but the Hornets have won the last five games over the Tigers.
Last year, East Central rolled over Moss Point 70-35 in Hurley.
That’s an outcome that Moss Point coach Eugene Harmon and his players surely haven’t forgotten.
After stumbling 26-15 against Ocean Springs in the season opener, Moss Point righted the ship with a 47-28 win over Gautier.
Moss Point senior quarterback Ruben Lee has completed 27 of 48 passes for 482 yards, four touchdowns and one interception. He has also run 37 times for 227 yards and two TDs.
Lee’s top receiver so far has been Chanton Millender, who has 15 catches for 326 yards and 2 TDs.
Moss Point has the talent to put up as many points as any team in Class 4A, but East Central has gotten off to a promising start under new head coach Eric Collins. The Hornets beat Vancleave 31-29 and Hazlehurst 35-6 — both games on the road.
The Hornets will have to prove they can slow down a Moss Point passing attack that’s gifted at the skill positions.
My pick: Moss Point 31, East Central 27.
My Friday night predictions
Here’s how I see the rest of this weekend’s games shaking out:
Biloxi 30, Stone High 20: After sitting out the opening week, Stone High showed up strong to start the season with a 34-9 victory over Hancock. Junior running back Carlos Brown, who had 154 yards last week, has a shot to be one of the top rushers on the Coast this season. On Friday night at Biloxi, he’ll run up against the most talented defense in South Mississippi.
Ocean Springs 24, Pascagoula 14: This will likely be a game where both teams keep it on the ground, but Ocean Springs (2-0) may take a few more shots down field after watching Harrison Central quarterback Christian Turner throw for 319 yards and five touchdowns in a 46-7 win over Pascagoula (1-1). The Panthers will have to find a way to limit OSHS sophomore QB Bray Hubbard and junior RB David Humphries on the ground.
Gulfport 34, Pearl River Central 27: PRC is 2-0 and last week’s 19-17 victory over St. Martin in Carriere shows the Blue Devils should be able to hang with Class 6A Gulfport. It’s year No. 3 under coach Jacob Owen and it appears things are headed in the right direction with a strong defense and a grind-it-out defense. Gulfport is sitting 0-2, but it’s only a matter of time before things come together for the young Admirals.
Bay High 35, Perry Central 13: Eric Collins left Bay High after one season, but he didn’t leave behind a shortage of talent. The Tigers (1-0) were impressive in a 32-0 win over St. Patrick to open the season. Junior running back Noah Cutter had three touchdowns last week, running seven times for 78 yards and catching five passes for 163.
Vancleave 31, South Jones 28: The Vancleave offense should consistently put up points each week. Junior running back Dayan Bilbo has 37 carries for 308 yards and seven touchdowns so far.
St. Stanislaus 28, Long Beach 14: This is a game that should feature a fair amount of intensity with as many Long Beach residents who have played football at SSC over the years. St. Stanislaus (2-0) seems as battle tested as any team on the Coast so far. Senior linebacker Blake Bilich has 30 tackles as one of the Coast’s most active players on defense.
Picayune 28, Poplarville 17: This has been a fun game in recent years and Friday night should be no different at Picayune. The Maroon Tide is still working its way through some early kinks under first-year coach Cody Stogner, but stands at 2-0. Poplarville has played great defense early on, but the Hornets are still 0-2 against a brutal early schedule.
St. Patrick 30, Enterprise 7: The Fighting Irish rolled over Enterprise 32-0 a year ago, and that should be the case again Friday night at St. Patrick.
North Pike 17, Pass Christian 14: Pass Christian (1-1) has been competitive so far and the 31-6 victory over West Harrison was arguably the best defensive showing of the week on the Coast.
Resurrection 28, Mount Olive 12: Mount Olive showed some progress a year ago after taking it on the chin for several years. Still, I expect senior athlete Will Clemens and the RCS Eagles to move to 3-0 at War Memorial Stadium in Pascagoula.
Coast schedule
All games at 7 p.m. unless noted otherwise.
FRIDAY’S GAMES
South Jones at Vancleave
Pearl River Central at Gulfport
Poplarville at Picayune
Stone at Biloxi
Pascagoula at Ocean Springs
St. Stanislaus at Long Beach
Enterprise at St. Patrick
North Pike at Pass Christian
Mount Olive at Resurrection Catholic
SATURDAY’S GAMES
East Central at Moss Point
Perry Central at Bay High (6 p.m.)
North Pike at Pass Christian (6 p.m.)
This story was originally published September 17, 2020 at 4:00 AM.
