Week six of high school football season is here. The following are our game predictions involving Hattiesburg-area teams.
Jackson Prep (5-0) at PCS (4-1)-With PCS coming off their first loss of the season, this game doesn’t quite have the same ring as last season’s clash. Still, there’s no denying it’s a must-see matchup. Maybe last week’s loss for the Bobcats is a good thing. Get that first one out of the way, maybe? Regardless, I still like PCS and their chances of doing something special this season. Jackson Prep is a problem, though. Probably an understatement right there. Going back to 2014 and their last 40 games, the Patriots are 39-1. That one loss? To the Bobcats last season. PCS has shown they can slay the giant. Can they do it again Friday night? My heart says yes, while my brain, stats and pretty much everything else say no. Jackson Prep scored a school-record 77 points last week against St. Joseph Catholic. I do not see PCS matching that kind of offensive production.
Jackson Prep 42, PCS 28
Pearl (5-0) at Petal (2-2)-A lot like Jackson Prep, Pearl is rolling. Pretty much the consensus No. 1 team in the state headed into this season, the Pirates have won 14 of their last 15 games. That includes a win over Petal in last year’s Class 6A South State championship game. Each of the previous two years, the Panthers have shown they can beat the Pirates in the regular season. Can they do it again this year? Gonna be tough. Pearl has handed traditional powers Madison Central, Northwest Rankin, Warren Central and Brookhaven their first loss this season. Those teams are a combined 12-4. As daunting as the challenge is, do not expect Petal to back down. The Panthers are coming off a bye week and in recent years, that’s usually when they go on big runs and beat teams of Pearl’s caliber. Under Marcus Boyles, the Panthers are 5-0 in games following a bye week. The previous two came against the Pirates. Pearl, you are on upset alert.
Petal 27, Pearl 24
Seminary (3-2) at Purvis (1-3)-Not a whole lot has gone right for Purvis this season. The Tornadoes have struggled with mental miscues (penalties, turnovers, etc), and their record shows that. Things will not get much easier this week against Seminary, who is coming off a big win over Raleigh. As talented as Purvis is, they just need to flip the switch. Is it that simple? Were too many expectations put on this team? At this point, these are just hypotheticals because I still believe in the Tornadoes. Obviously they didn’t imagine starting like this, but with district play yet to arrive, all of their goals are still in front of them. Now back to this matchup, Seminary should present some problems for Purvis. The Bulldogs are not gonna fool you with their strategy. They want to run the ball and play solid defense. Purvis is the same way, so do not expect to see a big contrast in styles. No, this has the makings of a physical, defensive battle. As far as playmakers go, I gotta give the edge to Purvis. That can be the difference in games like this. Gonna be close regardless.
Purvis 24, Seminary 21
Gautier (1-3) at Hattiesburg (4-0)-Not really a whole lot to say here. Well, other than that I’m on the Hattiesburg bandwagon. The Tigers should be favored to win every last one of their remaining regular season games. In all honesty, if they’re not playing for a state title come early December, well, something went really wrong. Gautier will be lucky to keep this close come the end of the first quarter. Think of it this way: One of Gautier’s losses was to Moss Point in double overtime, 30-27. Hattiesburg destroyed Moss Point, 53-13, just three weeks ago. Tigers easily move to 5-0.
Hattiesburg 49, Gautier 14
Oak Grove (3-1) at George County (1-4)-After their loss to Hattiesburg and a bye this past week, you gotta think Oak Grove is more than ready to get back on the field. The burning question for the Warriors is centered around quarterback John Rhys Plumlee and his availability moving forward. Plumlee missed the Hattiesburg game, as he walked the sideline with his left arm in a sling. Let’s be honest here. Can Oak Grove compete for a state title without Plumlee? That’s a resounding no for me. Bigger games against teams like Brandon, Pearl, Meridian and Petal are on the horizon. If the Warriors want to have any chance against those teams, they’ll need Plumlee, so I’d imagine he sits out again this week just for precaution. Probably will not matter against George County, who is averaging only 13 points a game. If Plumlee indeed doesn’t play, I’ll look for the Warriors to lean on their defense and grind out a solid win.
Oak Grove 31, George County 17
Pass Christian (1-3) at Sumrall (4-1)-Starting to sound like a broken record here, but Sumrall’s offense continues to look mighty impressive. The unit has put up back-to-back 42-point performances now and could very well do the same against Pass Christian. Dannis Jackson and the passing game often gets most of the love, but the Bobcats have a trio of running backs playing really well in Ty’Rek Preston, Gabe Cocroft and Derrick Lemieux. On the defensive side, Sumrall is tasked with slowing down Pirate running back Tionne Frost, who is coming off a 262-yard rushing performance against West Harrison. Should be a good challenge for the Bobcats. Frost is a good player, but football is not a one-man show. Sumrall, with their offensive firepower and an improving defense, is playing like they have something to prove. I’d be a fool not to roll with the Bobcats here.
Sumrall 35, Pass Christian 21
Hazlehurst (3-2) at FCAHS (4-1)-I got a chance to see FCAHS play for the first time last week. To say the Aggies are ahead of schedule is an understatement. Are they more talented than most of the teams on their schedule? No. They appear to be so fundamentally sound, though. Majority of credit has to go to new head coach Jeff Stockstill, who said after last week’s game that his Aggies are probably the ‘Worst 4-1 team in the state’. He’s trying to keep his guys grounded, but truth is, they’re playing with a ton of confidence right now. Funny thing is, they’re not doing anything special or flashy on offense. They’re lining up and running the ball straight at you 95% of the time. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it, right? Hazlehurst will be tough, but I’m kind of to a point right now where I’m not going to pick against the Aggies until they lose. Plain and simple.
FCAHS 24, Hazlehurst 20
Heidelberg (3-2) at North Forrest (3-2)-Really good matchup going down in Eatonville Friday night. North Forrest is the lone team we cover on a regular basis that I haven’t got a chance to see yet. Hope that changes soon because the Eagles are looking more and more like the team Anthony Dillon envisioned prior to the start of the season, a dark horse contender in 2A. Next to Lumberton, Heidelberg will arguably be the Eagles’ toughest challenge of the season. The Oilers are led by quarterback Dontavious Porter, who is a load to bring down. Really good quarterback matchup with him and Daylyn Croom. I expect both will light up the scoreboard, making defense completely optional. In a lot of ways, this kind of feels like a tossup. North Forrest is giving up about 26 points a game, while Heidelberg is significantly lower at 16. That’s enough for me to roll with the Oilers in a very close game.
Heidelberg 38, North Forrest 35
Sacred Heart (3-2) at Resurrection Catholic (1-4)-The Crusaders got back to their winning ways last Friday night, beating a St. Patrick team that looks to be much-improved. Resurrection, on the other hand, has struggled mightily, especially on the offensive side of the ball. The Eagles have scored 10 points or fewer in three games thus far, all losses. Back to the Sacred Heart side of things, the Crusader defense has faced some explosive offenses in North Forrest and Sumrall the last few weeks, so you know they have to be licking their chops. Look for that unit to flex their muscles and get the ball back to the offense and running back Campbell Klein, who has been on an absolute tear the last few weeks.
Sacred Heart 28, Resurrection 10
Mount Olive (1-4) at Lumberton (3-1)-Been a rough last few weeks for the Pirates, who have lost four in a row following that season-opening win over West Lincoln. They will face their toughest challenge of the season at Lumberton this Friday night. I expect the Panthers will probably make it to Oxford this season, so yeah, it would be an upset for the ages if Mount Olive pulled this one off.
Lumberton 42, Mount Olive 14
Collins (3-2) at Lawrence County (3-2)-The Tigers are looking better and better by each passing week. In their current three-game winning streak, the Tigers have outscored opponents a combined 129-39. Neither of those teams have an above .500 record, but point is, the Tigers are dominating the teams they’re supposed to dominate. I remember talking to Eric Booth prior to the start of last season. Being honest, he told me his Tigers would struggle in year one and they did going 2-10. He added that opponents better watch out next season and for years to come, though. He was right. No, Collins is not at the level they were at in 2014 and 2015. But folks, they are coming.
Collins 35, Lawrence County 21
