By CURTIS ROCKWELL

Item Sports Editor

CARRIERE — Pearl River Central head football coach Jeremy Weir has finalized the schedule for the upcoming season for the fourth edition of his Blue Devil squad.

Like arch-rival Picayune, PRC will be moving up into Class 5A from Class 4A and will compete in the new Region 4-5A.

Thanks to some scheduling efforts from Weir, the Blue Devils will be able to keep a few of the familiar teams on their slate from the past and will of course play the Maroon Tide in league play.

But besides those games, PRC will be facing quite a few new teams.

“It’s going to be a really tough district to play in, but we are excited about it,” Weir said. “It gives us the chance to play some of the more powerful teams in the state, so we look at it as a good opportunity.”

The Blue Devils will begin with a jamboree at South Jones, and then face Hancock in the MHSAA Classic game which won’t count as an official game for the record but will be played like a regulation game.

The season officially kicks off against Poplarville, a series that will continue despite the Hornets remaining in Class 4A.

Games with Bay High and Long Beach follow, and those teams have been with PRC in the old Division 8-4A for the past few seasons.

“It was a good thing to be able to keep playing Poplarville and keep that series going as well as pick up those guys that we have been playing,” Weir added.

Highlights of the region slate include first ever meetings with Forest Hill, Brookhaven, McComb and Wayne County as well as the annual battle with arch-rival Picayune.