Shrimp Bowl split: Gulfport and Biloxi parting ways

They say all good things must come to an end. For the last six years, Gulfport and Biloxi have kicked off the high school football season at the Shrimp Bowl, but those days are now over.
Today, the Sun Herald first reported the two schools would be parting ways, leaving the Shrimp Bowl as a single game event at Biloxi. Gulfport has since partnered with Harrison Central to form the Port City Bowl, a double header very much similar to the old Shrimp Bowl format.
The Admirals and Red Rebels will take turns hosting the new event starting at Gulfport’s Milner Stadium in 2017. Recently consolidated Jefferson Davis County High School will play its first ever game versus Harrison Central and George County against Gulfport.
Despite losing more than seven decades worth of history, Gulfport Athletic Director Bryan Caldwell is taking the changes in stride. “Let me be clear that our split is very amicable. I enjoy working with Tom Gladney and the Biloxi Athletic Department, and it’s just we had a difference of opinion on how this should proceed so we decided to go our separate ways on it. In my way of thinking one game is just a game, but a double-header is an event and we liked it to be kind of a big deal. I think it’ll be exactly the same with the change being that our co-host will be Harrison Central instead of Biloxi.”
Biloxi officials declined to comment on the mutual split due to the ongoing Battle at the Beach high school baseball tournament. Both Gulfport and Biloxi are host sites for the inaugural event.