Week four of high school football season is here. The following are our game predictions involving Hattiesburg-area teams.
Oak Grove (3-0) at Hattiesburg (3-0)-Game of the Year? Maybe, just maybe. This is no doubt where I and probably most of you will be Friday night. Both teams have a ton to prove. This appears to be Oak Grove’s first real challenge of the season. For Hattiesburg, the Tigers have not beaten their crosstown rival since 2012. I spent some time earlier this week with both teams, and each are saying what you would expect, that it’s just another game. Sorry, it’s not. This will be a game that 20 years from now, people will still be talking about. They will talk about the thousands of folks that piled into D.I. Patrick Stadium. They will talk about where the game ranks all-time in the fabled series. They will talk about Tony Vance and his first win against the Warriors. The Tigers have not lost a home game in over a year, and if there ever was a year they could snap that losing streak to Oak Grove, this is it. My gut says Tigers win a wild one.
Hattiesburg 42, Oak Grove 38
North Forrest (1-2) at Sacred Heart (2-1)-This is a sneaky good matchup. Sacred Heart is off to one of its best starts in school history, while North Forrest is coming off its first win of the season. Had it not been for a few bad breaks, both teams could have very easily been 3-0 heading into this one. Sacred Heart has an offense that can light up the scoreboard on any given night and a physical defense you would not expect from a 1A school. North Forrest has some serious playmakers on offense and a defense that is steadily improving. Put it all together, and I think this will be a close, hard-fought game. Sacred Heart has been the most consistent of the two and with them being at home, I’ll give the Crusaders a slight edge.
Sacred Heart 31, North Forrest 28
Petal (2-1) at Laurel (1-2)-How is it possible that Petal is playing under the radar right now? The Panthers have played for two-straight south state titles, are led by one of the best head coaches in the state and more importantly, playing some really good football right now. Offensively, the Panthers are looking more balanced than they have in recent years. Might sound like a broken record, but the defense is, again, playing like one of the south’s finest. All of that spells serious trouble for Laurel, who unlike Petal, is still searching for some big answers.
Petal 35, Laurel 21
Resurrection Catholic (0-3) at FCAHS (2-1)-Even though the Eagles are 0-3, Aggie head coach Jeff Stockstill is not taking Resurrection Catholic lightly. They’re going to be tough and should execute well, according to Stockstill. The first-year coach certainly expects the same from his players this week against a team that, on paper at least, they should probably beat. It should come down to the running game. The Aggies are averaging close to 250 yards a game on the ground, while the Eagles are stuck around 100. Advantage, FCAHS.
FCAHS 31, Resurrection Catholic 24
PCS (3-0) at Simpson Academy (1-2)-Led by their dominant ground game, the Bobcats have played near-flawless football a quarter of the way through this season. Everybody wants to compare them to the Bobcats of 2016, which is not fair. No, this team has its own identity. Some things, however, have not changed and that’s the smash mouth, hard-nosed football preached by head coach Joey Hawkins. Hawkins and company are out to prove last season was not a fluke. Hint: It was not. Simpson Academy, good luck.
PCS 42, Simpson Academy 17
Sumrall (2-1) at Enterprise (0-3)-I got a chance to watch Sumrall play last week, and I must say, I was impressed with the Bobcats and specifically, Billy Garrity at quarterback. Garrity is a hard-nosed kid that’s hard to bring down. Sure, he needs to improve on his passing, but it certainly helps to have a guy like Dannis Jackson to throw it to. Few teams can contain Jackson. 50-50 balls to your average receiver, well, they might be 90-10 balls in Jackson’s favor. I do not see Enterprise, a team that is giving up nearly 50 points a game, slowing down the superstar receiver or Garrity, for that matter.
Sumrall 38, Enterprise 24
