The Prairie View Lady Spartans captured the South State Tournament on Saturday at Amite School Center in Liberty, Miss. Pictured are front row (l. to r.) Caroline Oliphant, Kayla Tyson, Mallory Hall, Kara Burchfield and Leslie Spires. Middle row: Presley May, Kristen Brooke Oliphant, Lena Kate Thompson, Molly Gregory, Kirstin Swain, Laiken Russell and Victoria Billings. Back row: Coaches Ed Bain and Dan Smart.

Lady Spartans take South State

Courtesy of Marq Mitcham
LIBERTY, Miss. — Prairie View erupted for four runs in the bottom of the fourth and Kayla Tyson flung a one-hitter as the Lady Spartans blanked Bowling Green 7-0 in the South State finals on Saturday night.
Prairie View (22-3) advanced to the championship game by edging Silliman 2-1 and trimming Bowling Green 3-1 earlier in the day.
Prairie View and Bowling Green both qualified for the MAIS Class 2A State Tournament, which is set for Saturday in Ridgeland, Miss. Pairings will be announced later this week.
In the championship game, the Lady Spartans took charge from the outset.
Caroline Oliphant started off the bottom of the first with a triple and scored on Mallory Hall’s base hit.
After Hall stole second and moved to third on Tyson’s fly out to right field, Kara Burchfield swatted an RBI triple to deep center field. Next up, Lena Kate Thompson tripled down the right field line. Molly Gregory’s RBI groundout to second base brought the score to 4-0.
Prairie View put the game out of reach with three unearned runs in the third.
Tyson and Burchfield walked and Thompson, Victoria Billings and Leslie Spires were all safe on errors.
Pitching her third game of the day, Tyson (16-1) allowed her defense to do most of the work. The junior right-hander struck out only one, but did not issue a walk and carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning.
Caroline Oliphant led the Lady Spartans’ seven-hit attack with a triple and a single. Burchfield and Thompson supplied three-baggers and Hall, Gregory and Spires singled.
Prairie View 3, Bowling Green 1
Kara Burchfield slugged a three-run double to back the three-hit pitching of Kayla Tyson as the Lady Spartans advanced to the championship game.
Prairie View loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the third. Leslie Spires singled, Kristen Oliphant reached via error and Mallory Hall beat out a bunt single. With two away, Burchfield delivered the clutch hit to put the Lady Spartans in front 3-0.
Bowling Green broke up the shutout in the sixth, but could get no closer.
Tyson struck out eight and walked three for the win.
Burchfield finished the contest 3-for-3 and Hall, Lena Kate Thompson and Spires singled.
Prairie View 2, Silliman 1
Molly Gregory’s two-out, two-run tripled propelled the Lady Spartans to a Saturday morning victory over Silliman.
Trailing 1-0 in the bottom of the fourth, Kayla Tyson led off with a base hit and Lena Kate Thompson drew a two-out walk. Gregory chased both runners across with a triple.
Silliman threatened in the sixth.
With one out and runners at second and third, Prairie View third baseman Caroline Oliphant fielded a bunt. Rather than throwing to first base and allowing the potential tying run to score, she wisely held the ball. Kayla Tyson escaped the jam with a fly ball to shallow left field and an inning-ending punchout.
Tyson k’d eight and walked three in the two-hit victory.
Gregory tripled and Tyson and Victoria Billings singled for Prairie View.

Leake vs Canton shots

(Above) Junior quarterback Grant Wilson hits paydirt for the Leake Rebels
(Above) Canton linebackers Jackson Mashburn (#13) and Chris Reed (#8) stop Leake tailback Brad Hunter

(Above) Leake tailback Caleb Burns grinds out yards on the ground.

**Photos courtesy of John Byrd

Golden Eagle Cross Country Classic
@ Tatum Park, Hattiesburg, MS
Friday, Sept.25, 2009

Columbia has good showing at USM Cross Country Meet
Despite being probably the smallest school entered in the Golden Eagle Cross Country Classic, the Columbia Academy Boys Cross Country team showed they could run with the big boys. The Cougars placed 5 runners in the top-40 scoring a respectable 120 points to finish 4th. Channing Stringer led the Cougars finishing 8th in a time of 18:35.44 on a very wet and muddy course. Jon Luke Watts was 16th with 19:23.24, Issac Hitt, 29th (19:51.16), Adam Ham, 31st (19:56.16), and Jamie Thweatt finished 40th with 20:33.58.
The Cougars have two meets remaining on their schedule before attempting a three-peat AA championship on October 26. Their next meet is the Mississippi College Invitational at Choctaw Trails in Clinton, MS on Oct. 5th, and then they host the Columbia Academy Invitational at the Columbia Water Park on Oct. 13th.

Golden Eagle Cross Country Classic Results:
Girls: ( 2 miles)
Individual Winner: Katie Boudin, St. Patrick -- 12:15.13
Team: Top-10
1. UMS Wright, AHSAA (4A) - 39 Pts.
2. Oak Grove, MHSAA (6A) - 46 Pts.
3. St. Patrick, MHSAA (3A) - 63 Pts.
4. Madison Central, MHSAA (6A) - 82 Pts.
5. PCS, MAIS (3A) - 128 Pts.
6. Petal, MHSAA (6A) - 205 Pts.
7. Sacred Heart, MHSAA (1A) - 236 Pts.
8. Columbia Academy, MAIS (2A) - 239 Pts.
9. Hattiesburg, MHSAA (6A) - 241 Pts.
10. Florence, MHSAA (4A) - 286 Pts.

Boys: ( 5K / 3.1 miles )
Individual Winner: Adam Ruhl, Madison Central -- 17:01.60
Team: Top-10
1. UMS Wright, AHSAA (4A) - 40 Pts.
2. Madison Central, MHSAA (6A) - 50 Pts.
3. Oak Grove, MHSAA (6A) - 96 Pts.
4. Columbia Academy, MAIS (2A) - 120 Pts .
5. Wingfield, MHSAA (6A) - 141 Pts.
6. St. Patrick, MHSAA (3A) - 160 Pts.
7. PCS, MAIS (3A) - 209 Pts.
8. West Lincoln, MHSAA (1A) - 210 Pts.
9. Petal, MHSAA (6A) - 239 Pts.
10. Sumrall, MHSAA (3A) - 254 Pts.

Leake remains undefeated

Southern Sports & Travel

The Canton Panthers entered Friday’s district 3AA game at Leake with a 2-3 overall mark and a district record of 0-1. Canton had allowed 87 points in their last two games but unlike many teams that would have cashed in their chips early the Panthers showed up in Madden looking for a brawl. It didn’t take long for anyone attending the game to see that things could get interesting. Canton’s entire squad went to the center of the field and stood on the LA (Leake Academy) emblem and in unison turned to the Leake bench and started jumping up and down in an attempt to claim the field as their own. This may have been the fire Leake needed to dig deep and recover from an early deficit.
Canton wasted little time getting on top as senior tailback Mackey Simpson put the Panthers up 7-0 on a 3 yard run. Leake’s first possession resulted in a punt that pinned Canton inside their own 1 yard line and with the Panthers facing a 3rd and 10 from the 1, Mackey Simpson broke through with a 99 yard run increasing the lead to 14-0 in the 1st quarter. With the possibility of finding themselves in a hole too deep to recover from Leake answered on a Grant Wilson 5 yard run to close the gap to 14-7. The game had turned as the 2nd quarter ensued and the only score before the half came on a 34 yard field goal from Leake’s Dylan Alford as Canton took a 14-10 lead into halftime.
Leake quarterback Grant Wilson put the Rebels on top for the first time as the junior ran in from 11 yards out in the 3rd quarter. A Dylan Alford PAT put Leake up 17-14.
With Canton facing a 17-14 deficit entering the final quarter the Panthers made a costly mistake as they fumbled near their goal line and Leake defensive end Joshua Crane recovered the ball in the end zone. Alford’s PAT put the Rebels up 24-14, but Canton refused to quit as they scored on a Kyle Warren 22 yard run with five minutes left. Leake’s Hank Coleman blocked the PAT attempt leaving the score at 24-20. Leake burned the remaining time off the clock and earned a hard fought 24-20 win.
Caleb Burns ran for 135 yards on 23 carries for Leake and quarterback Grant Wilson had 74 yards on 6 carries and two touchdowns, along with 46 passing yards. Kannon King led the Rebel defense. The junior linebacker had 9 tackles and another junior linebacker, Ethan Bobo, had 8 stops.
Mackey Simpson led Canton with 165 yards rushing and 2 touchdowns.
Next up for Leake (5-0 & 2-0) will be a road trip to face the Simpson Cougars in another important district battle. The Rebels are currently ranked #4 in the new Southern Sports & Travel Top 10 poll.
Canton falls to 2-4 & 0-2 and will travel to Tri-County.

Columbia falls to Oak Forest

Southern Sports & Travel
Columbia jumped out to an early 6-0 lead in the first quarter but couldn’t hold on as Oak Forest beat the Cougars 21-6 in Amite. Columbia got on the board at the 9:48 mark of the 1st quarter on a 3 yard plunge by sophomore tailback Josh Broom. Oak Forest scored twice in the second quarter. Junior Drew Misita returned a punt 85 yards for a touchdown with 5:13 left in the half. Landon Curry added the PAT to give the Jackets a 7-6 lead. Two and a half minutes later Misita would find the end zone again. This time he was on the receiving end of a 67 yard pass from quarterback James Peterson that extended the lead to 14-6 after a successful Curry PAT.
Oak Forest sealed the deal with 11:22 left in the final quarter when Denton Hanson scampered 70 yards for a touchdown.
Denton Hanson rushed for 171 yards on 24 carries and a touchdown and James Peterson completed 6 of 15 passes for 125 yards and a touchdown.
Columbia’s Josh Broome ran for 100 yards on 22 carries and a touchdown and wide-out Nick Sanders caught two passes for 52 yards.
Oak Forest racked up 316 total yards on the night to Columbia’s 145.
Oak Forest improved to 3-3 and will host Parklane next week while Columbia slips to 2-4 and will travel to Liberty to take on district 4AA foe ACS.

Trinity downs Central Private for 6th win, 40-19

For Southern Sports & Travel by Kent Knee
R.J. Fleming accounted for 4 TD's in a mostly hard fought struggle against Class 2A opponent, Central Private from Baker, LA. Fleming scored on 2 passes from Givonni Dent, 16 yds & 47 yds, ran one in for 23 yds, and returned an interception for 82 yds late in the 4th quarter. Brandon Daggs scored on a 50 yd pass from Dent, and Givonni Dent on defense returned an interception 40 yds for a score with 1:23 remaining in the game. Central Private suffered a 3rd interception earlier in the game by Brandon Daggs. Senior Matthew Rymer had a great game on defense, but much of the defense was a team effort. Both teams were in position to have scored more points, but were hampered by penalties. CP fumbled several times late in the game, and although they didn't lose any fumbles, they lost yards and offensive opportunities. In six games, TE has outscored their opponents 231 to 61.

From the notebook……………

**There are 17 games this week involving AA football teams with six of those being important district battles. If I could choose which game to attend this Friday night involving district games it would be the North Delta at Marshall matchup in Holly Springs.
**I went 14-2 this past week which puts me at 86-14 on the year. Kirk’s win over Winston and Riverfield’s shutout of Glenbrook bit me.
**Here’s a run down of combined overall records from each district…….
>District 1AA – 10-12
>District 2AA – 5-13
>District 3AA – 17-7
>District 4AA – 14-11
>District 5AA – 17-8
>District 6AA – 7-13
**Friday night’s game between Brookhaven and Simpson has a few interesting twists. In the newest Southern Sports & Travel rankings Brookhaven is #3 and Simpson is #6. Brookhaven is tied with Lamar with the highest point average per game in AA at 44.2 while Simpson leads all AA teams in points yielded at 4.8 a game. Brookhaven won at Simpson last season 20-14 and in 2007 won 20-17 at Brookhaven.
**Injuries are starting to pile up at the midway point of the season……
>Caleb Burns..Leake - out

>Josh Price….Columbia – out
>David Fulks…Bowling Green – out
>Colton Owens…Bowling Green – out
>Dylan Varnado…Bowling Green – probable
>Cliff Hurst…Centreville – will play
>Tip McKenzie…WCCA – will play
>Todd Gonda….WCCA – out
>Grant Wilson….Leake – will play
>Will Thimmes…Kirk – undecided
>Michael Webster…Kirk – undecided
>Patrick Warren…..Central Hinds – out
>Kerry Burns…..Central Private – out
>Kyle Munn…..Simpson – probable
>Michael Kennedy….Simpson – out
>Lance Ginn…..River Oaks – out
**The weekly “Shout Outs” list seems to grow each week. I get emails asking why defensive players aren’t included but as I explained, unless I’m aware of it I can’t post it.
**Lamar senior quarterback Witt Haggard has a total of 29 touchdowns at the midway point of the Raider’s schedule.
**Silliman’s Florian Doeinck will not be playing basketball for the Wildcats this season. The German exchange student lost his father a few months back and returned to Germany to be with his mother and family. I met Florian at the District 5AA basketball tournament in Centreville last season and saw him play a handful of times during the season. Florian was named to the Southern Sports & Travel AA All South team as a junior. Our prayers and thoughts go out to this exceptional young man.
**Bowling Green and Oak Forest will meet on December 23rd at the New Orleans Arena before a Hornets game. As an avid basketball junkie this will be my Christmas gift.
**Thanks for all the text updates on Friday nights. I received just over 115 this past Friday night and I’m trying to set things up so those updates can be posted directly on the main page as they come in.
**I’ll be covering the Simpson at Brookhaven game this Friday night.

See ya somewhere…………….

Adams Football and the climb

By Darron Thomas, Southern Sports & Travel

Not many people root against an underdog. There’s just something about events in our lives that pit a giant against an also-ran, a David and Goliath story, if you will. Whether it’s a personal accomplishment or the witnessing of a group of people reaching a plateau that seemed improbable, the underdog seems to instill raw emotion in the participants and well as those that watch from afar. In the past 35 years of pop history in America the term underdog is associated most with the 1976 classic motion picture “Rocky”. A struggling athlete muddled in despair with hopes of glory fading. Then when all seemed lost and pointless a glimmer of hope is presented and the fighter rises to the challenge when all had counted him finished.
If you like an underdog story you need to look no further than Natchez, Mississippi. The Adams County Christian School Rebels have taken on an underdog label this season. Even as they sit at 4-1 on the season you only need to look back a few years to see just where this modern day Rocky was to appreciate where they are now at the midway point of the 2009 MAIS football season.
Paul Hayles took over as head football coach at ACCS in 2007, just one season after the Rebels posted a 6-6 record and a playoff appearance. He also took over a team that was senior laden the previous year which meant the building process was going to be a long and arduous one. The 2007 season for Rebel fans and supporters was one that seemed to have no end as Adams went winless in an eleven game schedule. Not only did they post a season mark of 0-11 they also only managed 3 points a game while giving up 32 to opponents. They were shutout six times and never scored more than 8 points in a game. Holding a team together after being outscored 350-33 on the season is done only by those with the discipline to remain focused.
The following season there were signs of gradual improvement. While the Rebels still struggled defensively they increased their scoring output to 14 points a game and suffered no shutouts but after eight weeks they had yet to win a game. Then in week nine Adams edged Prairie View 20-16 in Batsrop to win their first game since November 3, 2006. To most teams a 1-10 finish deserves little recognition but this win was a huge stepping stone in the rebuilding process.
The speculation as to which teams would contend in their respective districts in 2009 included little, if any, chatter involving Adams Christian. I’ll insert myself into that group. “We believed that we could have a good year. Our talent had matured, and this team had shown leadership that had not been present in the previous two years,” Hayles said. Had it not been for sloppy care of the football during a week two encounter with Hillcrest the Rebels would be sitting at 5-0, but as they prepare to face the toughest stretch of their schedule the thoughts of not only a winning season but a playoff appearance most certainly have to enter the heads of fans and supporters. I asked Coach Hayles what areas the team must focus on during the next six weeks? “Discipline and ball handling. With discipline we will not lose focus on maintaining and improving our strengths. Ball handling has been our greatest obstacle (fumbles),” said Hayles. And when it comes to whom the underclassmen look to for leadership? “My seniors, each one, serve as an example in some form or another."

So as the 2009 MAIS football season quickly marches on, the “Rocky” of AA football prepares for another round with a roster consisting of 10 seniors, 11 juniors and 5 sophomores. Those 10 seniors that endured the 2007 and 2008 seasons deserve much praise but the thing that I was most curious about was how do you motivate a group of kids after two very difficult football campaigns? “What does not kill us makes us stronger and these guys have always given what they have, and that is all you can ask for,” said Hayles.
Round six begins Friday night as the Rebels travel to McComb to take on AAA Parklane.

Brookhaven at Central Hinds video news clip

http://www.wapt.com/video/20999097/index.html

Central Private remains unbeaten

By Darron Thomas, Southern Sports & Travel

The Central Private Rebels moved to 5-0 Friday night with a hard fought 13-0 shutout over the Silliman Wildcats in Clinton. The shutout was the second in the last three games for the #4 ranked Rebels who will now set their sights on a tough second half of the season.
Central Private capitalized on a turnover on Silliman’s first possession. With the Wildcats facing a 3rd and 7 from their own 11 yard line senior defensive back Kerry Burns picked off a Trent Hornsby pass and returned it back to the Wildcat 11 yard line. One play later the Rebels were on the board as senior tailback Bobby Muse busted through the middle for 11 yards with 6:19 remaining in the first quarter to put Central Private up 7-0.

(Above) Central Private tailback Bobby Muse rushed for 142 yards and two touchdowns.
Silliman looked ready to answer on their ensuing possession as tailback Landon Taylor went off left tackle for 44 yards all the way down to the Central Private 37 yard line. The drive stalled after the Rebel defense held Silliman to negative yards on three rushing attempts forcing Silliman to punt back at midfield.
Following a Central Private punt to end the opening quarter Silliman put together a threat after Nick Olinger hit the hole for 9 yards and Jake Parsons broke one for 16 yards as the Wildcats quickly found themselves at the Rebel 32 yard line. The Central Private defense would bend not break once again as they held Silliman on a 4th a 2 from the Rebel 24 yard line. Central Private’s defense held Silliman again on a 4th and 9 from the Central Private 43 with just over one minute remaining and took up shop with intentions of finishing the half with a score. That drive was halted by Silliman as Nick Olinger intercepted a Jason Young pass at the Wildcat 10 yard line to end the half with Central Private up 7-0.

(Above) Central Private QB Jason Young directed the Rebel offense
On Silliman’s opening possession of the second half they wasted little time moving the ball as Trent Hornsby hit Jake Parsons for a 39 yard pass giving the Wildcats a 1st down at the Rebel 23 yard line. After a loss of eight yards and a 5 yard motion penalty pushed the Wildcats back to the 37 yard line, Cody Donze got back 10 yards on a screen pass from Hornsby to the 27. Facing a 4th and 14 from the Central Private 27 yard line the Wildcats rolled the dice once again but a Hornsby pass was intercepted by senior defensive back Steven O’Bryant in the end-zone.
Central Private regained possession at their own 20 yard line and managed to move out to their 40 but stalled. After a Brandt Moore 40 yard punt pinned the Wildcats back on their 20 yard line Silliman went back to work again and quickly moved to the Central Private 44 yard line where the Rebel defense stiffened once again forcing Silliman to punt with two minutes left in the 3rd quarter. The Rebels took over at their own 20 but after two yards in three plays they called on Brandt Moore to punt once again to end the 3rd quarter with a 7-0 advantage.

(Above) Rebel linebacker Travis Richard (#44) with a late game sack on Trent Hornsby
In a hard hitting physical game there was still that feeling that something was about to break loose and it did on Silliman’s opening possession of the final quarter. After a Rebel punt, Silliman had good field position at the Central Private 49 yard line when Nick Olinger broke through the middle for a 7 yard gain that was extended by a horse-collar infraction by Central Private. The result gave the Wildcats the ball at the Rebel 27 yard line with just over 10 minutes left in the game. A five yard delay of game penalty pushed the ball back to the 32 and two plays later with Silliman facing a 2nd and 13, with a solid threat to tie the game, Central Private senior Seth Smith made the biggest play of the night as the linebacker intercepted a Trent Hornsby pass in the flat and returned it all the way down to the Wildcat 9 yard line.

(Above) Central Private tailback Bobby Muse stopped by Wildcat Jake Parsons (#32)
Central Private capitalized on a Bobby Muse one yard plunge three plays later as the Rebels took a 13-0 lead with 8:30 left in the game.
Silliman, after the kickoff, showed little quit as they promptly moved the ball to the Central Private 38 yard line but the trend that hampered them all night made no exception on their last possession of the game. With Silliman looking at a 2nd and 10 the game was all but sealed as Central Private linebacker Travis Richard nailed quarterback Trent Hornsby from his blindside for a loss of 10 yards knocking the junior signal caller from the game. Central Private regained possession and burned 4 minutes off the clock before punting back to the Wildcats. Three plays later Central Private recovered a Wildcat fumble at the Silliman 22 yard line with 1:27 left.

The #4 ranked Rebels escaped with a hard fought 13-0 win behind 142 yards rushing on 26 carries from senior tailback Bobby Muse. Muse, who leads all AA rushers with 986 yards, also scored both touchdowns. (Above) Silliman QB Trent Hornsby and head coach Joe Moock
Silliman quarterback Taylor Hornsby went 7/13 for 115 yards and Landon Taylor ran for 54 yards on 12 carries.
Silliman had 231 total yards to Central Private’s 176.
Next up for Central Private (5-0 & 1-0) is a road trip to Natchez to face the #1 team in single A football, the Trinity Saints. Silliman (1-4 & 0-2) has an idle week.

Quarterbacks Lead High Octane Offenses
By Darron Thomas

This Friday night the #1 and #3 ranked teams in MAIS AA football will be on the road and the 33 miles that will separate them could be the closest they get to playing one another this season, unless that is, they meet in Clinton on Friday, November 27th.
The #1 ranked Lamar Raiders will roll into Canton this Friday night to open up district 3AA play against the Canton Panthers. To use the term roll is quite appropriate after what the Raiders have done the first four weeks of the season. Lamar has averaged 42 points a game en-route to wins over three AAA squads (East Rankin, Starkville and Heritage) and Central Hinds.
The #3 ranked Brookhaven Cougars will also hit the road as they make the trip to Raymond to battle district 4AA foe Central Hinds. The Cougars won their opening district game last week with a 65-0 shutout of ACS in Brookhaven and have lopsided wins over Silliman, Riverfield and AAA Copiah. Brookhaven, like their counterpart in the north, has an explosive offense averaging 46 points a contest.
The fuel that feeds the engines of Lamar and Brookhaven have similarities also. Make no mistake about it, that fuel flows from the quarterback positions. Two of the best at their respective positions will be so close to each other on Friday night that the thought of redirecting their buses to a neutral field to put on a show is alluring.
Lamar quarterback Witt Haggard is already on pace to eclipse the 3,500 yards of passing and 30 touchdowns he racked up in 2008. The senior is averaging 306 yards and 4 touchdowns a game thus far and add on the one rushing touchdown he earns each game and he is on pace to score 50 touchdowns in the regular season alone.
Brookhaven quarterback Chandler Rogers began drawing attention his sophomore season as he led the Cougars to a district

title with an 8-4 record and a playoff appearance. Rogers is averaging 187 yards a game hitting on a 62% completion rate, 13 touchdowns and 0 interceptions. The junior also averages 34 yards on the ground and has 5 rushing touchdowns.
Both Haggard and Rogers had an incredible 7 touchdowns each this past Friday night. Both had 6 by air and one on the ground. After four weeks Haggard leads AA football with 21 touchdowns while Rogers is a close second with 18. Both are the lynchpins to the success of their teams and, as their fans know, are well worth the price of a ticket.

Centreville slides past Silliman 21-0
By Darron Thomas
The Centreville Tigers improved to 3-1 & 1-0 in district 5AA with a 21-0 shutout over Silliman in Centreville. Senior running back Zach Sinclair ran for 76 yards on 21 carries and had two touchdowns and sophomore quarterback Cliff Hurst ran for another in a sloppy district opener. Silliman managed to out-gain the Tigers on the ground with 153 yards to Centreville’s 152 yards. Centreville lost two fumbles on a night that produced only 39 passing yards between both teams.

Centreville (#2 ranked) travels to Liberty next week to take on ASC while Silliman (1-3 & 0-1) hosts #4 ranked Central Private.

Cross Country Champion Crowned

Columbia Academy Senior Channing Stringer took first place in the Jackson Academy Invitational Cross Country Meet at Choctaw Trails in Clinton on Sept. 8. Stringer crossed the finish line in 18:14 to win the first MAIS CC meet of the season.

(Above) Coach Powell, Channing Stringer and Coach Fails

Southern Sports & Travel Update

Southern Sports & Travel's coverage of MAIS/MPSA football has resulted in a steady increase of visitors over the past month. After nearly 10 months the site has received 25,000 visits and with that comes the constant drive to improve and gather more information for visitors. I have received many emails with information and/or encouragement particularly since football got underway last month. Challenges are still huge when it pertains to the schools in the AA North. While I do have a few people who have generously offered to take the time to send stats, photos and general information, it remains the biggest challenge. Several newspapers have graciously allowed the use of their articles on Southern Sports & Travel but some publications only print once a week. That means information from games played on Friday night may not become available until four or five days later. If visitors question why a particular team gets very little coverage it's primarily due to the difficulty in getting information about that team. Questionnaires were sent out in July and half were returned. If you are a parent, fan, student or coach your help is needed to provide more consistent coverage of all MAIS/MPSA teams and sports. All information can be sent via email, fax or text and is only seen by me and is confidential. The primary purpose of Southern Sports & Travel is to provide coverage to MAIS/MPSA schools and athletes.

Thanks for visiting,

Darron Thomas

Columbia pummels Wayne
By Darron Thomas
The Columbia Cougars picked up their second straight win last night with a 42-7 trouncing of Wayne Academy in Columbia. The win had to have been uplifting for Columbia head coach Bruce Merchant who had been recovering from bypass surgery and unable to pace the sidelines in the Cougars first two games.

Columbia’s Josh Broom got things started early as the sophomore ran the opening kickoff 75 yards for a touchdown. The Cougars jumped out to a 21-0 first quarter lead and took a 35-7 lead into the half. Senior tailback Josh Hamilton led the Cougars with 118 yards rushing on 11 carries and 3 touchdowns. Broom netted 79 yards rushing on 4 carries.

On the defensive side of the ball for Columbia senior Josh Price led the Cougars with 13 tackles and junior Tanner Pace snatched two interceptions with returns of 21 and 26 yards.

Columbia hits the road Friday night as they take on the Simpson Cougars.

*Note*
For football fans that may not have heard of Columbia linebacker Josh Price remember his name. This young man is one of the best linebackers anywhere and is a man on the field. If this kid isn’t playing college football next year it will be a travesty.

Centreville rolls 56-28
By Darron Thomas
The Centreville Tigers improved to 2-1 on Friday night with a 56-28 home win over the Huntington Hounds. The defending state champs racked up 484 total yards on the night en-route to winning their second straight game after a week one loss at Oak Forest. Senior tailback Zach Sinclair amassed 449 all purpose yards in front of the home crowd. Sinclair rushed for 293 yards on 20 carries and had five touchdowns along with 156 return yards on the night.

After yielding an early score to Huntington the Centreville ground attack took over as the Tigers totaled 484 yards rushing against the Hound defense. Centreville took a 35-21 lead into the half and held a 49-28 lead after three quarters. Huntington, to their credit, had 309 total yards on the night……126 rushing yards and 183 in the air.

Centreville sophomore quarterback Cliff Hurst had 70 yards rushing on 11 carries and one td and was 2/6 passing for 40 yards including a 26 yard hookup to Beau Field for a score.

The #2 ranked Tigers will host Silliman (1-2) Friday night as district 5AA play begins.

Oak Forest edges Bowling Green 21-20

By Darron Thomas

Bowling Green and Oak Forest renewed their annual rivalry Friday night in Franklinton and while the two schools are no longer district foes that didn’t diminish the intensity between the two. Oak Forest overcame a 13-7 Bowling Green halftime lead to edge the Buccaneers 21-20 before a full house at Buck Hellen Stadium.

Oak Forest drew first blood at the 3:31 mark of the opening quarter on an Alex Rimes 29 yard run on 4th and 5. Bowling Green would answer with a drive beginning at their own 26 and would end the quarter at the Oak Forest 8 yard line. The drive was highlighted by two Cash Cooley connections to senior wide-out Colton Owens totaling 29 yards. After an Oak Forest sack and a delay of game penalty pushed the Buccaneers back and into a 3rd and goal from the 19 yard line the Yellow Jackets would be called for a pass interference penalty giving Bowling Green a 1st and goal at the 8 yard line. Two plays later Bowling Green tied things up on a Cash Cooley 8 yard scramble with 9:19 left in the half.

(Bowling Green led in total offense and time of possession on the night)
The first turnover of the game came on the Jacket’s next possession when Bowling Green linebacker Drake Adams nailed running back Drew Misita causing a fumble which the Buccaneers recovered at their own 40 yard line with 8:24 left in the first half. Bowling Green would advance quickly as quarterback Cash Cooley hit Dylan Varnado for 33 yards and a first down to the Jacket 27 yard line. The Bowling Green drive would stall at the Oak Forest 6 yard line and with 4:48 left in the quarter a Jason Milton 22 yard field goal put Bowling Green up 10-7. Both teams were three and out on their next possessions. With Oak Forest at the Bowling Green 38 yard line and a 1st and 10 the Jackets would turn the ball over again on a Chris Gill fumble that was recovered by Bowling Green’s Dylan Varnado at the 31 yard line with 2:24 left in the first half. Five straight completions from Cash Cooley to Buccaneer receivers quickly moved the ball to the Oak Forest 20 yard line with 32 seconds left in the half. An Oak Forest penalty moved the ball to the Jacket 10 and a Cooley to Jaron Edwards completion got the Bucs to the Oak Forest 5 yard line with 9 seconds remaining. Another Oak Forest penalty gave Bowling Green the ball at the 2 ½ yard line but with time running out Bowling Green would add another Jason Milton field goal to take a 13-7 lead into halftime.

(Above) Oak Forest quarterback Denton Hanson on a Jacket scoring drive
It didn’t take long for Oak Forest to regain the lead as running back Drew Misita busted a 72 yard run on the first play from scrimmage and was brought down at the Bowling Green 1 yard line. Misita would punch it in on the next play to put Oak Forest up 14-13 with 11:36 left in the first quarter. On Bowling Green’s second possession of the quarter and trailing 14-13 the Buccaneers completed a 74 yard drive when Cash Cooley scrambled in the end-zone on a 13 yard run. A Jason Milton extra point gave Bowling Green a 20-14 lead with 4:11 left in the third quarter. On the ensuing kickoff Oak Forest gave the ball back to Bowling Green on a fumble at their own 26 yard line. The Oak Forest defense was put to the test three plays later as Bowling Green was facing a 4th and 1 at the Jacket 17 yard line. At the 1:38 mark of the quarter Oak Forest linebacker Baylor Blanchard stopped David Fulks for a three yard loss as Oak Forest regained possession of the ball at their own 20 yard line. The quarter ended with Bowling Green up 20-14.

(Above) Bowling Green's Drake Adams (#54) recovers a fumble

Oak Forest then went on an 80 yard drive in 5:48 seconds culminating on a Chris Gill two yard run and with the PAT the Jackets took a 21-20 lead with 7:38 remaining in the game. Bowling Green was unable to get a first down on their next possession and after a 35 yard punt from Jaron Edwards, plus a 15 yard Oak Forest personal foul, the Jackets had the ball at their own 45 yard line with just over 5 minutes remaining in the game. Oak Forest would convert on two 4th downs to run out the clock and seal the 21-20 win.

Bowling Green quarterback Cash Cooley finished the night with 216 yards on 23/33 passing and had 56 yards rushing on 12 carries and two touchdowns. Senior wide-out Colton Owens had 141 yards on 9 catches.
Junior running back Drew Misita led the Jackets with 106 yards rushing on 13 carries and one touchdown. Chris Gill had 48 yards rushing on 14 carries and a touchdown.
Bowling Green fell to 2-1 and will open up district play next week when they host Central Hinds. Oak Forest improved to 2-1 and will travel to Central Private. (Right) Bowling Green quarterback Cash Cooley