Patrick’s Picks: Biloxi and D’Iberville battle to become the favorite in 4-6A
Arguably the biggest Region 4-6A game of the season takes place on the first week of region competition when Biloxi travels to D’Iberville Friday night.
Both teams stand 2-0 following impressive starts to the season.
D’Iberville is the more tested squad of the two with hard fought wins on the road at Wayne County, 28-21, and Poplarville, 21-14.
After having its opener canceled following a COVID-19 outbreak at the school, Biloxi has had little trouble taking down Vicksburg, 27-0, and Stone High, 38-0.
Biloxi is dealing with loss of star defensive tackle Devon Smith, who suffered a likely season-ending knee injury last week.
Smith, who holds offers from Kansas, South Alabama and Troy, isn’t the only standout on the Biloxi defense, but his absence will be notable. It will be up to a pair of talented defensive ends, junior R.J. Moss and senior Marcus Dickey, to lead the Indians up front going forward.
Biloxi coach Katlan French says three others will have to step up at defensive tackle for the Indians – junior Cameryn Collins, junior Zytarius May and senior Alonzo Clayton.
Biloxi has decided to go with junior Deljay Bailey at quarterback after he made his first start last week, completing 10 of 14 passes for 173 yards and at TD. He is the son of former Moss Point and Southern Miss football standout C.J. Bailey.
D’Iberville will counter with one of the better offensive backfields in South Mississippi led by senior athlete Justin Walley, a Minnesota commit, and senior quarterback Dwight Williams.
“They’ve got a plethora of backs that can run the ball,” French said. “ They’ve also got a solid offensive line that moves very well. (D’Iberville coach Larry Dolan) is a great coach and I’ve got a lot of respect for him.”
The Indians have been able to cruise to a 2-0 mark, but French knows the competition takes a significant step up this week.
“We’ll play arguably the best team on our schedule,” French said. “We’ll know more after the game.”
My pick: D’Iberville 14, Biloxi 13.
With Pass Christian-Perry Central called off due to COVID-19 exposure at Perry Central, this is how I see the rest of Friday night’s games playing out:
Bay High 21, McComb 17: Bay High (2-0) hits the road Friday night before it starts play in Region 8-4A play. It’s no surprise to see junior running back Noah Cutter leading the Bay offense, but senior quarterback Josh Peters has shown he can challenge defenses with the pass. He has completed 15 of 28 passes for 288 yards and two touchdowns.
Ocean Springs 35, Hancock 13: Southern Miss baseball commit Brayson Hubbard drew buzz in the preseason as a speedy quarterback. He’s more than delivered with 415 yards rushing and four touchdowns on 57 carries.
Oak Grove 42, George County 14: The Rebels (0-2) stunned the Warriors 24-20 last year in Lucedale. I don’t see Oak Grove tripping up at home against a talented George County squad that has been hurt by inconsistent play on offense and a young defense.
Harrison Central 45, West Harrison 17: With seven touchdown tosses through two games, expect Harrison Central sophomore quarterback Christian Turner to have another big game at West Harrison Friday night.
Picayune 28, East Central 20: Coach Eric Collins has done a good job at East Central so far in his first season, leading the Hornets to a 3-0 mark. At Picayune, first-year head coach Cody Stogner is seeing improvement by the week as the Maroon Tide stand at 3-0. With both teams keeping it on the ground, this could be a 2-hour contest.
Brandon 14, Gulfport 10: This game was scheduled for Friday at Brandon after Gulfport opted to forfeit the Region 4-6A opener at St. Martin due to its concerns over how the Jackson County School District is handling COVID-19 protocols. The loss for Gulfport hands the Admirals their first official Region 4-6A defeat in 23 games. Brandon appears to have found something on defense, shutting out Madison Central and Terry for consecutive wins. The Gulfport offense came to life in the second half in time to take down Pearl River Central 42-14 last week.
St. Martin 28, Tylertown 20: St. Martin (1-2, 1-0) picks up a win to begin region play through Gulfport’s forfeit. Now, it will look for its first victory on the field against Class 3A Tylertown (3-0) at St. Martin.
Gautier 24, Long Beach 17: The Long Beach defense showed up strong last week in a 14-6 loss to St. Stanislaus. On Friday, it will have to find a way to slow down Gautier sophomore quarterback Kayden Irving at home to begin Region 4-5A competition.
Pearl River Central 28, Pascagoula 20: Ever since a season-opening win over George County, the Pascagoula football team (1-2) has been headed in the wrong direction with consecutive lopsided defeats to Harrison Central and Ocean Springs. PRC (2-1) is coming off a loss to Gulfport, but the Blue Devils should prove a tough out each night in Region 4-5A.
Vancleave 35, West Marion 24: Vancleave (2-1) had a statement win last week over South Jones, 71-34. It’ll be interesting to see what numbers Dayan Bilbo and the Bulldogs’ offense can put up from here on out.
Poplarville 20, St. Stanislaus 14: Poplarville (0-3) has played one of the toughest schedules in the state, but the Hornets’ defense should give them a chance every Friday night from here on out.
St. Patrick 27, Bogue Chitto 20: The Irish (2-1) are coming off a 40-24 victory over Enterprise that included 154 yards and three TDs on the ground from Kaleb Chatman.
Moss Point 28, Stone High 20: This should be one of the more entertaining games of Friday night, and it takes place in Perkinston. Moss Point senior QB Ruben Lee will need to have a big night to get the Tigers (1-2) back in the win column.
Resurrection 28, Sacred Heart 10: I expect the Eagles to move to 4-0 without much trouble.
This story was originally published September 24, 2020 at 1:25 PM.
