Week 4 wrapup: Dominance from R4-7A’s best leads MS Coast’s biggest stories
Week 4 has come and gone on the Mississippi Coast.
Big numbers blazed on several scoreboards as offenses flexed around the region. It was the final week of preparation for the Coast’s top classification ahead of this Friday’s district openers.
The depth rising within R4-7A is setting up for an interesting playoff race. That race is the focal point of this week’s biggest stories.
Ocean Springs, D’Iberville and West Harrison pose as the perceptively strongest trio of the group, but only two can host a postseason game.
Here’s a look at all three.
West Harrison history
The Hurricanes have found a lot of new territory over the last few seasons and they yet again find themselves in a spot the program has never been: 4-0.
West Harrison is off to its best start in school history that dates back to 2009. It has more wins this year than it attained in 11 different seasons of the 16 it’s played. But these haven’t been mere wins. They’ve been utterly dominant stompings. The latest was a 53-20 romp through Laurel.
The offense has already cleared 1,500 rushing yards. Laurel’s 20 points is the most any team has scored against the Hurricane defense as of yet and that includes a Poplarville team that has averaged over 40 points a game since it fell 34-18 to West Harrison in the opener.
The Hurricanes look the part, but they still need to prove the part in region play. There are four undefeated teams in R4-7A. Ocean Springs, St. Martin and D’Iberville all have clean 4-0 records. The margin for error in a seven-team race for four playoff spots will be thinner than ever.
Will the Greyhounds ever lose?
Ocean Springs got whatever it wanted offensively in Picayune. Sophomore quarterback Chalmers Berglind set career-highs in passing yards and touchdowns. Both Solomon Baggett and Lanny Waltman eclipsed 100 rushing yards. Picayune’s SEC-committed linemen Nolan Wilson and Mitchell Smith had just one tackle for loss each.
Now the Greyhounds enter what has been the easiest portion of their schedule in recent years. They’ve won 24 straight region games and extending that streak to 30 is a very real possibility. Gulfport is 1-2 and all three games have come down to the final plays. The Admirals just lost to a Petal team Ocean Springs beat by two scores.
D’Iberville and West Harrison both boast powerful offenses and stout defensive units and may be the Greyhounds’ strongest challengers. St. Martin is fielding its best defense since 1979. But the benefit of the doubt weighs heavily toward the team in Blue and White.
Ocean Springs gets Biloxi and Gulfport at home over the next two Fridays. The following back-to-back road games with D’Iberville and West Harrison will likely decide whether or not the Greyhounds remain atop the district.
Warriors making a strong case for homefield advantage
D’Iberville took a big step forward last season and appears to be making another in 2025. The Warriors are 4-0 for the first time since the 10-2 season of 2021. That was the last time D’Iberville claimed a top-two seed and it is well within the realm of possibility four years later.
Its latest statement was a 35-21 win over Pascagoula that wasn’t as close as the score suggests. The offense is averaging more than four rushing touchdowns a game. Jordan Walley has six himself as one of four Warriors with multiple scoring runs.
The physical play style of Josh Ladner’s team is going to be a handful for those in the district lacking depth, namely Biloxi and Harrison Central. The Warriors match up well with an athletic, but one-dimensional St. Martin offense. D’Iberville’s disruptive defense may prove overwhelming for Gulfport starter Parker Nettles and the thinner-than-usual Admiral offensive line.
KJ Washington has a Coast-leading seven sacks and the defense as a whole has recorded 10 pass breakups, forced six turnovers and made 13 sacks. The triangle of games between the Warriors, Ocean Springs and West Harrison could be the most impactful for the top two seeds in the region.