South MS playoff roundup: The Coast is sending one team to Starkville
The Mississippi Coast will have one representative in state’s final weekend of high school football.
Three teams from the Lower Six played for South State titles and the sole survivor emerged from a region that has rarely produced December contenders.
Here’s the rundown of this week’s semifinal action.
Gulfport 40, Brandon 7
And it wasn’t even that close. The Admirals scored touchdowns their first six possessions and did not allow a score until the final minute of the game.
Cooper Crosby scored four times and Parker Nettles was responsible for the other two. The win was Gulfport’s 10th in a row and locked the Admirals into their first state title appearance since 1982. They are the first team from the Coast’s highest class to earn a South State championship since George County in 2007.
Gulfport meets reigning state champion Tupelo next week at Davis Wade Stadium in Starkville for a shot at a gold ball.
Hattiesburg 47, Picayune 27
The Maroon Tide ran out of gas. Picayune trailed just 27-20 midway through the third quarter before Hattiesburg pulled away down the stretch.
Xavier Dennis scored three touchdowns for the Tide in what was their third straight loss in the state semifinal round and second to the Tigers.
Picayune hits the offseason with a 10-3 record, a 21-year playoff streak and a double-digit win season for the fifth consecutive season.
Columbia 20, Poplarville 14
The Hornets kept the rematch much closer than the first go around and even held a 14-12 lead with just four minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.
That’s when Columbia gave Poplarville a taste of its own late-game medicine with a 99-yard go-ahead touchdown drive. Ty Keys scored twice for the Hornets and crossed the 3,000-yard rushing mark in the loss.
Poplarville’s season comes to an at 8-5. It’s the first since 2019 the Hornets didn’t reach 10 wins, but did reach the state semifinal for the third year in a row and the ninth time in the last 10 seasons.
7A
North: Tupelo 21, Oxford 20
South: Gulfport 40, Brandon 7
State Final: Saturday, 7 p.m.
6A
North: Warren Central 45, Ridgeland 42
South: Hattiesburg 47, Picayune 27
State Final: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
5A
North: West Point 20, Holmes County Central 6
South: Brookhaven 31, Laurel 6
State Final: Thursday, 7:30 p.m.
4A
North: Kosciusko 17, Louisville 7
South: Columbia 20, Poplarville 14
State Final: Friday, 4 p.m.
3A
North: Noxubee County 54, Winona 21
South: Raleigh 27, Seminary 14
State Final: Saturday, noon
2A
North: East Webster 21, Kemper County 14
South: Heidelberg 46. Mize 14
State Final: Saturday, 3:30 p.m.
1A
North: Calhoun City 36, Biggersville 14
South: Simmons 12, Taylorsville 8
State Final: Thursday, 4 p.m.
This story was originally published November 28, 2025 at 11:29 PM.
