Stars were out, and messages sent, across the MS Coast in Week 7 of the football season

Week 7 brought the biggest games to date on the Mississippi Coast.

All-important region battles played out across the Coast as teams jockeyed for early positioning in the road to the postseason. Stalwarts defended their long-held titles, the first playoff spot was clinched and an upset shaped a key playoff race.

The full results and standings from week seven can be found at SunHerald.com.

Here are the five biggest stories from Friday.

Whitehead shines at quarterback

Ocean Springs made a change at quarterback, putting Sharroid Whitehead behind the center full-time. The results were resounding.

The Greyhounds toppled D’Iberville on the road , 27-13, behind a masterful performance from the three-star athlete. Whitehead completed 10 of his 12 passes for 121 yards and scored as a passer and runner.

The win kept an Ocean Springs team that struggled through its non-district slate in the driver’s seat of a region it has held firmly onto for the last three seasons.

All but clinched

Several Coast teams signed on the dotted line this week and all that’s left is for their playoff spots to be notarized. Unless you’re Poplarville, of course, who did officially clinch a postseason berth with its win over Pass Christian.

While Pearl River Central and Bay High haven’t clinched, it would take multiple stunning outcomes to halt the delivery of their playoff tickets. The Blue Devils took down Forest Hill in a five-team region that features state title contenders West Jones and Hattiesburg and a stout Terry team. The Patriots would have to pull off a pair of highly unlikely upsets against the trio without another PRC win to regain positioning.

Back in Poplarville’s region, Bay High cruised to a 46-27 win over Moss Point and now only needs one more loss from the Tigers to secure its playoff seat.

Knight back at The County

Five star quarterback and Auburn commit Deuce Knight returned to lead the George County offense against Long Beach.

The Bearcats made it in interesting early, but the Rebels turned a slim 14-13 second quarter lead into a 48-13 runaway victory. George County is now averaging 44 points per game in the three contests Knight has completed against the 19.5 points a game in the other four.

Knight accounted for five total touchdowns in the district-opener, including one on the ground.

Picayune sends a message

The Maroon Tide faced their first challenger to the throne and turned back Pascagoula 38-28 with a dominant second half performance.

The Panthers led 21-14 at halftime thanks to a pair of 60-plus yard touchdown passes from Silas Corder to Darius Carter, but were held to one desperation score in the back half of the game. Picayune running back Darrell Smith gained 138 yards on his four touchdown carries alone to lead the Maroon Tide.

The win was the first leg in Picayune’s journey to defend its Region 4-6A crown for the fourth consecutive time.

Hawk stunner

Hancock freshman Coleton Hopgood lifted the Hawks’ playoff odds significantly with two plays against West Harrison.

The running back opened the game with a double pass touchdown to Tyran Ramsey and closed it with the go-ahead goal line plunge to give Hancock a surprising 21-20 win over West Harrison.

The Hurricanes had taken the lead in the fourth quarter, but a blocked extra point left the door open for the Hawks. Julyan Santee picked off West Harrison’s desperation in the final moments, giving Hancock a critical win in a Region 4-6A that will have a tight battle for the fourth playoff spot.