After seeking out powerhouse teams the last two years, the Red Carpet Bowl is heading south in 2009 and 2010.

Gulfport and Ocean Springs, a pair of schools from the Gulf Coast, have agreed to a two-year contract to play in the 47th and 48th annual Red Carpet Bowl Classic games, RCB Committee chairman Winky Freeman said.

The 2009 games will be played at Warren Central’s Viking Stadium. Ocean Springs will play Vicksburg High in the first game, followed by Gulfport vs. Warren Central. In 2010, the game will be played at Memorial Stadium and the opponents will flip-flop. Freeman credited state senator Briggs Hopson, an RCB Committee member, for finding the two teams that will replace South Panola — which netted two of its state-record 89 straight wins in the last two Red Carpet Bowls — and longtime Class 4A power Clarksdale.

“I know Briggs talked to a lot of teams, and a lot of them would like to have it home-and-home, but Gulfport and Ocean Springs don’t mind taking it to the road. Plus, they know it’s a bowl game and they are playing for something. They also know we treat the teams well,” Freeman said.

Hopson, now a state senator from Vicksburg, said Gulfport was an easy sell because of coach Mike Justice’s familiarity with the game. Justice is a former Madison Central coach who built the Jaguars into a Class 5A power. Gulfport, which went 4-6 this season, last played in the RCB in 2004. The Admirals lost to WC in 2003, 17-7, then beat Vicksburg 20-8 the next season.

“Mike Justice was fired up about it,” Hopson said. “Gulfport was here (five) years ago, and had a good time.”

Ocean Springs has been in the Class 5A playoffs for the past five seasons, including a spot in the 2004 finals against South Panola. The Greyhounds went 9-2 this season, including a 39-7 win over Gulfport and a 28-17 loss to Hattiesburg in the first round of the 5A playoffs.

“They have been a playoff team the last few seasons. I know they will be a good football team. And then the following year, we get Mike Justice and his team at our field. We go way back with Coach Justice. There are no surprises with his teams,” Vicksburg coach Alonzo Stevens said.

Freeman was happy to have four teams in the Mississippi High School Activities Association’s new Class 6A kicking off the season.

“I think it’s a great deal to be able to put four of the new 6A class teams all on the same field,” he said.

Besides the new classes for the teams, another major change for the game is the date — Aug. 21, a week earlier than normal. The change was precipitated by the MHSAA’s latest realignment.

“It’s a week earlier than we would normally play,” Freeman said. “That was the date the Mississippi High School Activities Association said we could play the ‘Classic’ games.”

Warren Central coach Curtis Brewer said the early date will make it tough on preparation but that there will be a benefit later on.

“The MHSAA wants to start on Aug. 21 because they want all the 5A and 6A teams to have an open date during the season. Of course, it’s going to put a strain on the coaches and players to start that early because it cuts down on practice time leading up to the game,” Brewer said.

Still, Brewer is looking forward to battling Justice and Gulfport again. In 1988, the two schools played for the Class 5A South State title. The Vikings won 27-7 in Gulfport and went on to win their first state title the next week over Greenwood.

“Gulfport is a good team to play first. I know Coach Justice will have a good team coming back. He’s a tremendous coach who we’ve known for a long time. Now, it’s up to our young kids to go out and work hard this offseason and get ready to play them,” Brewer said.

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Contact Jeff Byrd at jbyrd@vicksburgpost.com.