Patrick’s Picks: Moss Point seeks grip on Region 8-4A, Gautier-Pascagoula up for grabs
Hurricane Delta forced all high school football contests in South Mississippi to be moved up to Thursday with the exception of Picayune’s home game against Hattiesburg, which is now slated for 7 p.m. on Saturday.
Thursday’s Moss Point-Vancleave game stands out as one of the more important games on the slate.
Moss Point (3-2, 1-0 in Region 8-4A) rolls in with some momentum after dominating St. Stanislaus in a 26-0 game last week, holding the Rockachaws to just three yards on offense.
Vancleave (2-2) has shown that it’s capable of competing in a shootout, but the Bulldogs are looking to get their swagger back coming off the bye week. Kevin Fant’s squad fell 59-26 to West Marion on Sept. 25.
Senior quarterback Christian Kell is a nice dual-threat option at quarterback for the Bulldogs and junior running back Dayan Bilbo has been one of the Coast’s most productive running backs, running for 525 yards and nine touchdowns through the first three games.
Moss Point senior quarterback Ruben Lee continues to turn in an outstanding season for the Tigers. He only threw for 120 yards and a TD last week, but he killed the Rockachaws on the ground with 14 rushes for 89 yards and two touchdowns.
If the Moss Point defense turns in a showing similar to what they did against SSC, it’ll be tough for Vancleave to keep pace.
My pick: Moss Point 42, Vancleave 28.
Here’s how I see the rest of this week’s games playing out:
Bay High 21, St. Stanislaus 14: Points have been hard to come by for St. Stanislaus thanks to some injuries on offense in recent weeks. As for Bay High (3-1, 1-0), the Tigers showed they can pull out a hard-fought win after taking down rival Pass Christian 45-43 last week.
D’Iberville 38, West Harrison 10: D’Iberville (4-0, 2-0) overcame some self-inflicted mistakes to beat Ocean Springs 27-24 last week. The Oct. 30 Harrison Central-D’Iberville contest appears to be the game that will determine who wins Region 4-6A.
Harrison Central 35, St. Martin 14: Harrison Central star receiver Jacobi Moore, who has committed to Mississippi State, hasn’t played since suffering an injury in Week 2. However, the Red Rebels (4-0, 2-0) have been just fine without Moore, beating opponents by an average of 36.3 points over the last three games.
Pearl River Central 28, Long Beach 10: This game marks Long Beach’s return to the field after the team was placed in quarantine due to COVID-19 exposure back on Sept. 25.
Ocean Springs 20, Biloxi 17: It appears unlikely that Ocean Springs sophomore quarterback Brayson Hubbard will be on the field this week and his status is unclear moving forward in a significant blow to the Greyhounds (4-1, 1-1). He suffered a knee injury during last week’s loss to D’Iberville and didn’t play at all in the second half. Senior quarterback/receiver Jak King is a good athlete and a capable passer, but it remains to be seen how the offense will operate with him behind center. This game is an absolute must-win for Biloxi (2-2, 0-2).
Poplarville 42, Stone High 21: A 69-8 beat down of Forrest County AHS last week shows that the Hornets (2-2, 2-0 in Region 7-4A) are rolling again on offense. Stone High (2-2, 1-1) will travel to Poplarville with its own potent rushing attack. Junior Carlos Brown has 87 carries for 719 yards and eight touchdowns.
East Central 17, Wayne County 14: East Central (4-1, 1-1) has quietly built one of the Coast’s best defenses. Since allowing 29 points in a win over Vancleave in the opener, the Hornets have given up 35 points over the last three games.
Picayune 38, Hattiesburg 17: Picayune (5-0, 2-0) was without three starters due to COVID-19 protocol, but still found a way to beat Gautier 47-43 last week. If Hattiesburg plays as sloppily as it did last week, it won’t have much of a chance.
Pascagoula 28, Gautier 27: This game may very well end up being the week’s most entertaining. The Gators (1-2, 0-1) have only played three games, but sophomore quarterback Kaden Irving is putting up huge numbers. After throwing for 455 yards and 4 TDs last week, Irving has thrown for 1,304 yards. It’ll be interesting to see if Pascagoula senior defensive back Antonio Sanford can pick off a pass after coming up with four last week against Hattiesburg. Pascagoula (3-2, 2-0) looks to stay perfect in Region 4-5A.
Northwest Rankin 31, George County 24: The Rebels (1-3, 1-1 in Region 3-6A) finally put it all together in a 28-10 win over Brandon in Lucedale last week. Senior quarterback M.J. Daniels will have to have a performance similar to his three-touchdown showing against Brandon.
East Marion 20, St. Patrick 17: East Marion (0-5) hasn’t won a game yet, but it has also played a tough schedule up to this point. St. Patrick (3-2, 1-0) hasn’t played a game since falling 15-6 at Bogue Chitto on Sept. 25.
Resurrection 31, Richton 14: Resurrection (4-1) should bounce back easily after falling 25-10 at Stringer last week.
Prep Football Schedule
Thursday’s games
Bay High at Stanislaus, 6 p.m.
D’Iberville at West Harrison, 6 p.m.
St. Martin at Harrison Central, 6 p.m.
Pearl River Central at Long Beach, 6 p.m.
Stone at Poplarville, 6 p.m.
Lumberton at Salem, 6 p.m.
East Central at Wayne County, 6 p.m.
Gautier at Pascagoula, 6 p.m.
Ocean Springs at Biloxi, 7 p.m.
George County at Northwest Rankin, 7 p.m.
Moss Point at Vancleave, 7 p.m.
St. Patrick at East Marion, 7 p.m.
Resurrection at Richton, 7 p.m.
Saturday’s game
Hattiesburg at Picayune, 7 p.m.
This story was originally published October 7, 2020 at 1:12 PM.
