by Hunter Dawkins, Owner/Publisher – editor@thegazebogazette.com or hdawkins@supertalk.fm
LONG BEACH (GG) — In their 100th high school football season, the Long Beach Bearcats will host the Pass Christian Pirates for The Gazebo Gazette 9th Annual Oyster Bowl game at Lumpkin Magee Stadium Friday night, August 28, 2026. Although there is a lot more than 9 years in the history of this football game (Long Beach leads the overall series 41-24-1), the Pirates have dominated the contest since 2017, winning six.
With all of the speculation from both sides, one detail remains clear: this is the first high school game for both teams and both cities want a positive start to the 2026 season. The preview will evaluate both high school teams, the coaches, the school districts, and the camaraderie each town has shown in their football team.
History of the Game
While the Oyster Bowl trophy has been passed around for only eight years, this will be one of the longest rivalries on the coast for the 67th game. Long Beach has won over 63% of the games between both schools yet the MHSAA era (1981-present) has not been kind to the Bearcats.
Despite the lackluster overall performance by the Bearcats since 1981, they lead the matchup during the era 17-14 with a ten year gap between 2007-17. The Pass Christian Pirates have been in the MHSAA Playoffs 10 times during this era with a 5-10 overall record and earning berths in the MHSAA Quarterfinals twice in the last two year.
Across town, the Bearcats have earned 6 MHSAA berths and finishing with a 2-6 overall record in the playoffs. The farthest they have reached is the second round in two of the seasons. The last season Long Beach has been in the MHSAA Playoffs was 2011.
Before last year, the Pass Christian Pirates had never won a region title during the MHSAA era. The Pirates changed their course of history, winning the most games in team history (11) and earning the first district title in program history before advancing to the state quarterfinals.
The Long Beach Bearcats pulled together their only district title in 2005 despite the dismay of Hurricane Katrina and proved to be an inspiration with winning their last four games, including a victory over Pass Christian to win the region. Their overall record was 5-2.
Coaches
Jeff Stockstill has shown a lot of success in his upcoming fourth season, but the benefits happened way before he started at Pass Christian High School. Before leading the Pirates, Stockstill won 2 consecutive MHSAA State Championships at Scott Central and leaving with a 28-2 overall record. His previous stop before was at Raleigh where he coached for 3 years, each team advancing to the playoffs at leaving with a 29-12 record.
Not to be out matched, Cody Finley was a head coach for 20 years in Tennessee and a 95-108, including 11 at Cheatham County. After finishing his high school coaching career at Gibson County, Finley moved down to the Mississippi Gulf Coast before eventually taking the reign with Long Beach in 2025.
The Teams
With only 16 wins in the last 10 years, the Long Beach Bearcats want to start the year off right. After a great scrimmage performance last week (17-10 win) against St. Stanislaus, the Bearcats look to show a similar defensive performance with Dylan Foxworth and Aiden Downey looking to be in the mix.
A lot of hype and hope has been placed around returning All-District & All State Quarterback Paris Trivillion and heavily recruited Wide Receiver Mario Burks, the Pass Christian Pirate want to bring out a high powered offense and remind the Bearcats of their 2025 49-20 domination.
The School Districts
Every year for the last decade, both school districts maintain amazing accomplishments in the academic and athletic fields. With the construction of a vocational center in Long Beach and an upcoming performing arts center in Pass Christian, both school district remain the top of the class in Mississippi. It’s no surprise every October, both school district rank in the top 5 after the MDE accountability ratings are released.
Conclusively, this game will be decided in the trenches and the fellowship between both towns provides the reason to live here. Outstanding performances will be seen and the legacy left on the field will live on.
(Photos by Hunter Dawkins & Aimee Cronan/The Gazebo Gazette via Associated Press)
