Summer Previews: Mississippi 6A Region 4

Get 25% off your subscription by entering AJ30 in the coupon code area. Enjoy! Down on the coast, one of Mississippi’s toughest football divisions exists. With multiple teams in Region 4 in 6A being capable of making deep playoff runs, it is truly a gauntlet week in and week out down here. Today, we dive into our summer preview of this region, highlighting each team and players to watch out for.   <h5>Preseason Player Picks</h5> Offensive MVPs: QB [player_tooltip player_id="108938" first="Bray" last="Hubbard"] (Ocean Springs), RB Isaiah Benn (Pascagoula), WR [player_tooltip player_id="139596" first="Noreel" last="White"] (St. Martin), OL Ladarius Jordan (Gulfport) Defensive MVPs: DL [player_tooltip player_id="139602" first="Jeffery" last="Rush"] (Pascagoula), LB [player_tooltip player_id="282392" first="Eric" last="Moore Jr"] (Ocean Springs), DB [player_tooltip player_id="139638" first="Kieron" last="Jones"] (Harrison Central)   <h5>2021 Season Standings</h5> 1. Ocean Springs (10-1) 2. D’Iberville (10-2) 3. Gulfport (8-5) 4. Harrison Central (7-4) 5. Pascagoula (4-7) 6. Biloxi (3-7) 7. St. Martin (2-8) 8. Hancock (3-7) <h5>2022 Season Projected Standings</h5> 1. Ocean Springs 2. Gulfport 3. D’Iberville 4. Harrison Central 5. St Martin 6. Pascagoula 7. Biloxi 8. Hancock   Ocean Springs The preseason favorite to win the region, Ocean Springs has been a dominant force in 6A since the emergence of star quarterback and Alabama commit [player_tooltip player_id="108938" first="Bray" last="Hubbard"]. Boasting a fast, physical, and explosive offense, the Greyhounds are poised to put up similar numbers to last year, averaging close to 36 points a game in the 2021 season. Ocean Springs is well equipped with pass catchers on the perimeter and a strong running game on the inside led by an offensive line that knows how to move people around. On the defensive side of the ball, Ocean Springs returns many members of their talented front 7 that was a problem for opponents all season last year. Ending their season last year with a 7 point loss to Oak Grove, Ocean Springs will look to bounce back this season for a deep playoff run. Players to Know: QB [player_tooltip player_id="108938" first="Bray" last="Hubbard"], WR JP Coulter, WR Christian White, LB [player_tooltip player_id="282392" first="Eric" last="Moore Jr"], LB [player_tooltip player_id="346399" first="Trace" last="Carter"], DL [player_tooltip player_id="346400" first="Talan" last="Carter"], DL Keshawn Thomas, Gulfport A bit of a younger team last season, Gulfport finished the season with losses to only Picayune, D’Iberville, Ocean Springs, and Oak Grove - all who of which won a state championship or played deep into the playoffs. This is a talented team that can be expected to play some good football this year. Gulfport returns a lot of their offensive talent both on the line and at the skill positions. The offensive is predicated around the running game with a lot of RPOs being thrown as well. On the defensive side, Gulfport boasts an athletic secondary and strong returning defensive line. Players to Know: QB Jacob Palazzo, OL Ladarius Jordan, WR Gavin Brown,WR Tavaris Henshaw, RB Emmanuel Bentley, DB [player_tooltip player_id="344140" first="Damon" last="Felder"], DL [player_tooltip player_id="346398" first="Kai" last="McClendon"], DL David Lewis, DB Ladarius Jordan D’Iberville A tough and physical team, D’Iberville has always established a powerful rushing attack. This season looks to be no different for the Warriors, who finished 10-2 on the year last season. D’Iberville’s offense is predicated on misdirection and getting the ball to the playmaker with a wide open hole opened up by the offensive line. This is a tough offense to prepare for when opponents have to play the Warriors. The defense was one of the top units in the region last season, surrendering less than 20 points a game in almost every game played last year. With a tenacious front 7, teams struggle to run the ball against the Warriors and the pass rushers cause fits for opposing quarterbacks. D’Iberville looks to rebound this season after a narrow loss to Warren Central in the playoffs last season. Players to Know: QB Gage Peterson, DL Shannon Donaldson, Harrison Central Drawing future state champion Brandon in the first round of the 2021 playoffs, Harrison Central will look to make yet another playoff run in QB [player_tooltip player_id="108935" first="Christian" last="Turner"]’s last season. The veteran quarterback has led the Red Rebels to winning seasons in each season starting, but will look to add a few extra weeks in the playoffs this year. Harrison Central runs a high octane spread offense that distributes the ball quickly to the athletes in space. The defensive side of this team doesn’t get enough credit. Boasting one of the top secondaries in the region, Harrison Central returns multiple playmakers who were playing as freshmen, sophomores, and juniors last year. In addition, DL Amarion Ware makes life uneasy for the opposing quarterback. It will be tough to throw it around on the Red Rebels defense this year. Players to Know: QB [player_tooltip player_id="108935" first="Christian" last="Turner"], DB [player_tooltip player_id="350967" first="Trevon" last="Deans"], DB [player_tooltip player_id="139638" first="Kieron" last="Jones"], DB JT Robinson, DL Amarion Ware St. Martin With the new arrival of head coach Ty Smith (former Ocean Springs offensive coordinator) and quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="119867" first="DK" last="Jenkins"], St. Martin looks set to surprise some folks this season. St. Martin struggled to score last season, but with the addition of these two, it is hard not to be optimistic about this upcoming year. Quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="119867" first="DK" last="Jenkins"] brings a similar skill set to the table that Coach Smith worked with last year at Ocean Springs and is due to have a big season. St. Martin has one of the top weapons in the state at WR in [player_tooltip player_id="139596" first="Noreel" last="White"], so look for him and Jenkins to have a big time connection. On the defensive side of the ball, the Yellow Jackets return the majority of their linebacking corps and a rising secondary that can make a difference. Looking for a big turnaround down here at St. Martin. Players to Know: QB [player_tooltip player_id="119867" first="DK" last="Jenkins"], WR [player_tooltip player_id="139596" first="Noreel" last="White"], DB Treyvon Tolbert, LB Xander Krohn, LB Gavin Allen Pascagoula Returning multiple starters on the offensive line, Pascagoula is yet another team that could surprise some teams this season. With new quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="159398" first="Silas" last="Corder"] looking like the new signal caller under center, the future for this team has a lot of exciting pieces to it. Pascagoula also returns a dependable back in Isaiah Benn, as well as a stud athlete at wide out in [player_tooltip player_id="107301" first="Keilon" last="Parnell"]. On the defensive side of the ball, the Panthers return the defensive line duo of [player_tooltip player_id="139602" first="Jeffery" last="Rush"] and [player_tooltip player_id="106316" first="Joshua" last="Battles"]. These two gave teams trouble last season and have done a great job at improving in the offseason. This is a talented team with a lot of talent; do not think for a second that they won’t be able to compete with the best in 6A! Players to Know: QB [player_tooltip player_id="159398" first="Silas" last="Corder"], DL [player_tooltip player_id="139602" first="Jeffery" last="Rush"], OL [player_tooltip player_id="340828" first="Jeremy" last="Flora"], OL [player_tooltip player_id="346340" first="Tristen" last="Fortenberry"], OL [player_tooltip player_id="340871" first="Zackery" last="Kammer"], WR [player_tooltip player_id="107301" first="Keilon" last="Parnell"], DL [player_tooltip player_id="106316" first="Joshua" last="Battles"], RB Isaiah Benn Biloxi Last season was tough for the Biloxi Indians, who won only 2 region games in the 2021 calendar. This offseason, Biloxi lost quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="114386" first="Deljay" last="Bailey"] to a move, but return a quality group of skill players who will look to elevate the overall team. Junior quarterback Zachary Marlin looks to be the frontrunner for the starting job as evidenced by the spring practice period, and will look to give this offense the jolt that it needs. Biloxi returns some talented players on defense, but will also look to replace multiple players in the front 7 due to graduation. Defensive lineman Braden Ratliff was a strong presence last year, as well as defensive back Damaryion Fillmore in the secondary. Players to Know: WR [player_tooltip player_id="340816" first="Duran" last="Parish"], DL Braeden Ratliff, DB Damaryion Fillmore Hancock Finishing the season without a region win, Hancock had one of the youngest teams in region this past season. With that experience being given to many starters last season, Hancock should be in a much better position to compete this year. The Hawks run an offense heavily dependent on running the football and will look for some of their younger backs to step up this season. The play action passing game worked when the run was set, and rising quarterback Dylan Moran looks to be the future starter for Hancock. On the defensive side of the ball, Hancock returns DB Kristoff Ganier and LB Xavier Ganier, both who were productive playmakers for the Hancock unit that struggled to create turnovers last season. Looking for the youth revolution to benefit Hancock and have them competing with one of the toughest divisions this year. Players to Know: DL Ryder Island, DB Kristoff Ganier, ATH Xavier Ganier,