There’s nothing quite like the feeling of a prep football team in the state of Mississippi practicing on Thanksgiving day.
Not just for the players and coaches, but the fans and families and sportswriters that also cover the teams.
Rock’s Locks went 4-2 in an abbreviated slate last week, bringing the season total to 128-34 for a winning percentage of right at 80 percent. We’ve got just one more version of the ole prep pigskin prognosticator left for this season after this special holiday edition.
“Love to eat turkey, ‘Cause it’s good…love to eat turkey like a good boy should”
- Gautier at Picayune (Game of the Week) — A rematch from this same match-up in this same venue from just four weeks ago, but this one comes in the Class 5A South State finals. The Maroon Tide won the first contest which served as the championship game in Region 4-5A 48-42 in overtime in an “instant Classic” thriller. Gautier has never beaten Picayune in 13 all-time meetings This is the second time the teams have faced off in the state playoffs, as the first-ever meeting between the squads came in the opening round of the 2007 postseason and the Maroon Tide took a 34-31 win in that one. We’ll stick with Picayune until proven otherwise. Picayune 38, Gautier 35.
- Brandon at Ocean Springs — The Greyhounds host a Class 6A South State playoff game for the third straight week, a first in school history. Ocean Springs is playing in its third South State championship game, after beating Oak Grove in 2004 and falling to the Warriors in 2009. The Bulldogs are in the Class 6A South State championship game for the third time in four seasons, and BHS lost in the state championship game last year to Madison Central 24-17. Brandon leads the all-time series 4-1 and has won four straight in the series including the last meeting in 2016 45-10. The Greyhounds’ only win over the Bulldogs came in the first meeting, a 19-12 decision in the opening round of the 2004 state playoffs. We believe in this one that OS is the Best. Ocean Springs 34, Brandon 31.
- Mendenhall at Stone — The Class 4A South State championship takes place Friday night at A.L. May Stadium on the campus of Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College as the Tomcats host the Tigers. Stone High is playing its third South State championship game in school history, but the first since 1991, after registering a major upset in knocking off Poplarville 32-28 at home last week. The Tomcats rallied from a 28-18 fourth-quarter deficit to pull out the win, and moved to an impressive 9-2 on the season. Head coach John Feaster’s crew began the season with two straight losses, but has won nine straight since then and is now one win away from earning a trip to the state championship game for the first time in 31 years. We think that Stone’s magical ride ends this week, though. Mendenhall 28, Stone 27.
Class 6A North State: Tupelo 27, Starkville 16
Class 5A North State: West Point 23, Vicksburg 21
Class 4A North State: Louisville 30, Houston 27
