McCarter signs with Mississippi College

Hannah McCarter of Presbyterian Christian has inked with Mississippi College to continue her basketball career.

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Callie Cole, still changing lives

Southern Sports & Travel

It’s been nearly four years since an auto accident changed the young life of Brookhaven Academy student Callie Cole forever. After participating in a Brookhaven softball game Callie was involved in an accident just five miles from her home and as a result sustained severe head trauma.

Callie would slip into a coma and spend seven weeks at The University Medical Center in Jackson before transferring to Shepherd Center in the Atlanta area. The facility is one of the top rehabilitation hospitals in the nation specializing in treatment for spinal cord and brain injuries. After nearly two months in Atlanta Callie finally returned home to Bogue Chitto, Mississippi but would travel back to Shepherd Center once more in July on 2010 for three months of treatment.

Callie’s journey has touched the lives of thousands and while her life has changed her life’s passion never did.

In Callie’s honor Callie’s Mission was formed to help carry out her dream of helping to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ all over the world. Callie’s Mission awards scholarships to assist high school and college students participate in spreading the Gospel and just recently handed out over $34,000 to some 25 students.

As of this past February Callie’s Mission had awarded over $132,000.00 to aid 128 students travel to 34 different countries to share the Gospel.

Callie’s Mission consists of a ten member board with Callie serving as Board Member Emeritus.

The fourth annual Callie’s Mission Golf Classic was held in April on the campus of Copiah-Lincoln Community College and raised over $53,000 to help in awarding funds to future scholarship recipients who have felt led to do work in the mission field.

Callie’s Mission is easily found on Facebook where photos of students traveling around the world spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ are posted and the Callie’s Mission website address is http://www.calliesmission.org/.

Anyone interested in contributing to this life changing scholarship fund is urged to visit the Callie’s Mission website to learn how.

Presbyterian's Riley to play for U.S. Golf Championship

Davis Riley of Presbyterian Christian has advanced to the finals of the U.S. Junior Amateur Golf Championship at Martis Camp Club in Truckee, California. The junior Bobcat defeated John Augenstein today in semi-final play to advance to Saturday's championship 36 hole round against Scottie Scheffler from Dallas, TX.

Riley, a 16 year old Hattiesburg resident, defeated Augenstein 4&3 and in doing so eliminated one of the hottest golfers in the tournament.

The final round will be aired on The Golf Channel Saturday afternoon at 3 pm.

Former winners of the prestigious tournament are Tiger Woods, Hunter Mahan, David Duvall and Johnny Miller.

2013 SOUTHERN SPORTS & TRAVEL PRESEASON FOOTBALL RANKINGS

Outlook never brighter for Southern Sports & Travel

Southern Sports & Travel is beginning its' sixth year of providing MAIS athletic coverage to an ever growing number of devoted readers. From a meager 200 visitors during the peak month of the inaugural 2008 football season to a high of over 35,000 visitors during the 2013 month of February the website has continued to grow and expand its' MAIS athletic coverage. 

Relatives and friends of MAIS athletes and former MAIS athletes from 36 states frequent Southern Sports & Travel each year to remain informed on the latest events that interest them.

While the goal of providing quality coverage of MAIS athletics and exposure to MAIS athletes was an expensive challenge during the first four years the tide has begun to change. Southern Sports & Travel is excited to report to its' readers that the website is now totally self-sufficient and the future has never looked brighter.

The ability to expand coverage and attract thousands of new readers each year is the result of those who have chosen to support Southern Sports & Travel. From just a handful of sponsors in 2009 to over 35 and still growing today, the 2013 MAIS athletic season promises to be better than ever.

This summer's ad campaign has been another sign of encouragement as nine brand new school sponsors have committed to supporting Southern Sports & Travel and the website's first corporate sponsor, Gateway Tire, has renewed its' support for another year and Toyota of Brookhaven has pledged their support once again.

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Those who make it possible:

Adams County Christian School
Amite School Center

Bank of Holly Springs
Bayou Academy

Bowling Green School

Brookhaven Academy
Cenla Christian Academy

Centreville Academy
Claiborne Academy

Columbia Academy
Deer Creek School

DeSoto School

Gateway Tire

Heritage Academy

Hillcrest Christian School
Indianola Academy

Lamar School

Manchester Academy

Marshall Academy

Mickey & Patty King

Oak Forest Academy

Oak Hill Academy

Parklane Academy

Prairie View Academy
Prentiss Christian School

Presbyterian Christian School

R.B. Wall Oil Company

RDI Consulting

Riverdale Academy

Riverfield Academy

River Oaks School

Silliman Institute

Simpson Academy

Starkville Academy

Toyota of Brookhaven

Tri-County Academy
Washington School

West Memphis Christian School
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To support Southern Sports & Travel call or text 985-750-3455 or email aafandaman@yahoo.com for info and ad design samples.

Calling them like I see them………….

Recently the MAIS approved a revamping of the football playoff format in Classes A and AA for the upcoming season. Gone is the North and South State Championship format and in its’ replacement is a welcomed and more balanced change that most seem to agree with. The new format will provide better match ups throughout the entire playoffs each year.

Now the MAIS needs to focus on improving the Class AAA Divisional playoff format but in only one area, baseball.

Baseball is arguably the only of the three major sports in Class AAA where parity is strong. The same cannot be said with regards to football where Jackson Prep and Jackson Academy have dominated Class AAA on the gridiron and while basketball has its’ years when parity creeps in, Jackson area teams have won 22 of the past 24 Overall Boys titles.

In MAIS baseball two classes, A and AA, have started the third round of postseason play when Class AAA begins their playoff games and with the seasons Magnolia Heights and Jackson Prep enjoyed in 2013 it begs to question why the playoff format isn’t tweaked as to determine the best team in Class AAA. Can anyone argue that a Magnolia Heights versus Jackson Prep match up wouldn’t have been huge for the MAIS?

The simple solution would be to begin the Class AAA baseball playoffs one week earlier and once the division state titles are determined allow those two squads to battle it out for Class AAA supremacy. 

From the Notebook......................

>Magnolia Heights graduate Jacob Billingsley has been named to the MaxPreps All-American second team among the nation's middle size schools. Billingsley, who was named The Southern Sports & Travel Baseball Player of the Year, hit .398 and produced a perfect 10-0 mark on the mound accompanied by an ERA of 0.54 while leading Magnolia Heights to a perfect 38-0 season and a second consecutive Class AAA Division-II State Championship. Billingsley is a Mississippi State signee.

>Presbyterian Christian junior to be Trista Magee will be attending the University of Alabama to play basketball upon her graduation in 2015. The 6'1" guard was the first player to commit to new Tide head coach Kristy Curry.

>The coaching carousel has made for a busy summer and by all accounts it will continue as a handful of schools are attempting to fill positions for the upcoming 2013/14 school year.

Porter's Chapel went through a near complete overhaul as head basketball coach EJ Creel and head football and baseball coach Wade Patrick both stepped down from their positions. Creel, who became the first woman head coach in MAIS history to lead a boys team to a state championship, resigned to spend more time with her family and Patrick resigned to take on the role of Athletic Director.

Amanda Yocum has been named the new head girls basketball coach while Allen Ward will take over the boys program.

Wyane Lynch is the new head football coach and Chris Mixon will lead the baseball program.

>Prairie View has announced that head football coach Reagan Morrison is the school's new Athletic Director and John Robert Warner the new head baseball coach.

The school is actively searching for a replacement for Ed Bain who led the girls basketball program and is no longer at the school and boys basketball coach Joseph Waller who recently resigned.

>The past three weeks has been spent renewing Southern Sports & Travel sponsorship ads and to this point ad sales have already exceeded the 2012/13 campaign as several new schools have committed to supporting Southern Sports & Travel and making it possible for readers to continue to get comprehensive MAIS athletic coverage. 

Schools interested in supporting Southern Sports & Travel can email aafandaman@yahoo.com or call / text 985-750-3455 for details.
>Southern Sports & Travel is pleased to announce the return of the Football Pick Em Contest. This season the stakes have been raised as the winner will receive a $250.00 gift card. See below for details.

Pitts inks with Indians

Jackson Pitts, a member of the Magnolia Heights starting rotation that won back to back state championships has signed with Itawamba Community College to play baseball. Pictured here with Jackson are his parents and Coach Collier of ICC and Coach McMinn of Magnolia Heights.