MAIS Regional 2012 Softball Champions Crowned

Bayou Academy

North Class A

Leake Academy

North Class AA

Magnolia Heights School

North Class AAA

Silliman Institute

South Class AA

Parklane Academy

South Class AAA

.Heidelberg Academy
South Class A









Gateway Tire & Service Center Player of the Week

Glenbrook quarterback Regan Edwards is the Gateway Tire & Service Center Player of the Week. The 6'1" 175 lb. junior led the Class A sixth ranked Apaches to an 82-69 win over Class AA River Oaks on the road this past Thursday night.

Edwards amassed 615 total yards in leading Glenbrook to their first win over River Oaks since 2004 going 20/32 for 485 yards and six touchdowns (0 ints) through the air and rushing for 130 yards on 12 carries and two touchdowns.

"He's a gamer and loves to compete on Friday nights," said first year head coach Greg Tibbitt. "Regan had to come in and get used to a new school and learn a whole new system but he's gotten better each week and had a great night against River Oaks."

Tibbitt, who came to Minden by way of Liberal High School in Liberal, Kansas went a little further in talking about the skills of his junior signal-caller. "He's such a polished quarterback and has really become our leader, he's the best I've ever coached."

Glenbrook and Edwards will look to win their fourth straight game and improve to 5-2 this Friday as the Apaches host Tallulah.

Bayou blown out at DeSoto

By Kristy Kitchings

Bayou Academy traveled to Desoto School on Friday night and were handed a 45-6 loss from the Thunderbirds.
The Colts won the toss to begin the game and kicked off to the Thunderbirds. On the first play of the game, the Thunderbirds fumbled the ball and senior Hunter Kovac recovered and the Colts looked to be ready to take on the No. 2 team in MAIS Class A football. But that would be extent of the Colts success on the night. Bayou would be forced to punt and Desoso would strike first with 5:47 on the clock and take the lead 6-0. But, the Colts would answer for their only touchdown of the night when Caleb Pilgrim connected with Cole Hutchinson for a 70 yard touchdown pass to tie the game 6-6. This would be the closest the Colts would come to the Thunderbirds on the night. Again, Desoto would get the ball back and drive down on the Colts defense and regain their lead 14-6. With one more shot and less than a minute on the clock, the Colts fumble the ball on their own 20-yard line and Desoto would take advantage and put the ball in the end zone for six more to extend their lead over the Colts 21-6 to end the first quarter.
Pilgrim kicked off the second quarter with a punt that pinned the Thunderbirds deep into their own territory but that would not stop Desoto from taking the ball down field for another touchdown to pull away from Bayou 28-6. After a turnover on downs from the Colts, Desoto would score again and continue to out man the Colt defense, 35-6. Once again, the Colts turn the ball over on downs and once again Desoto goes in for the touchdown to make the score 42-6. With two minutes left on the clock, the Colts get the ball back but again are forced to punt. With four seconds on the clock before half-time, Desoto kicks a 45-yard field goal to take a 45-6 lead into the locker room at half time.
The Colts returned to field the field in the second half to put the ball back into the hands of the Thunderbirds. With the clock continuously running in the second half, Desoto drove the ball down on the Colts once again but attempted a field goal on second down. The attempt was no good and Colts take over at the 45 yard line. Making progress and moving the ball down field the second half, the game would come to a close with the Desoto Thunderbirds leading 45-6.
Desoto played an error free ballgame against the Colts and scored on eight of their ten possessions, only having to punt the ball one time. The Colts struggled with dropped passes, missed tackles and blocking in the road loss.
The Thunderbirds held the Colts to under 100 yards rushing and 158 yards passing on the night.
Seniors Caleb Pilgrim and Ty Holder led the Colts on defense.
The Colts (3-3 overall, 2-2 district ) will have an open date on Sept. 28 and will kick back off on Oct. 5 as the Greenville Christian Saints come marching into town for the Colts Homecoming. Game time is set for 7 pm.

Centreville outlasts Brookhaven on the road

Southern Sports & Travel

The stage was set for a Class AA battle between top ranked Centreville and fourth ranked Brookhaven from R.M. “Red” Stuart Field on the campus of Brookhaven Academy on Friday night and the act that followed was reminiscent of a well done sequel or curtain call following any well done performance in the theatre.

When Brookhaven took a 35-33 lead with just under four minutes remaining in regulation on Friday night chatter on the sidelines amongst fans began to reference 2009 and the epic classic that took place on the same field and resulted in a Brookhaven 57-56 double overtime win that halted Centreville’s quest for their third straight Class AA title.

While the stakes weren’t as high the setting had all the trappings and intensity of a playoff game between the two squads and came eerily close to equaling that game in 2009.

In the end Centreville broke a string of three straight losses at Brookhaven and pulled out a 41-35 win to remain undefeated and improve to 6-0 as they now look to begin preparations for a week seven matchup at home against Adams Christian.

(Above) Centreville tailback Mark Curry (#23) follows Tiger blockers

Centreville got the start they had hoped for on Friday night as they forced Brookhaven’s offense into a quick three and out on the opening possession of the game and marched 58 yards in just four plays to take an early 6-0 lead on Randy Bell’s 1 yard dive. Brock Andrus added the PAT to give the Tigers a 7-0 lead with 10:03 left in the opening quarter.

Brookhaven answered the Tiger score with a five play, 80 yard drive that was capped on a 21 yard burst off the right side by junior tailback Landon Nettles at the 8:46 mark. The Cougars failed on the PAT.

In what would be a wild first quarter of play Centreville took the ensuing kick-off and pounded out a classic Tiger drive that went 76 yards in nine plays and was culminated  on another Randy Bell score, this time from 13 yards out with 5:18 left in the quarter. Andrus added the PAT to extend Centreville’s lead to 14-6.

Just 22 seconds later the game was knotted at 14-14.

Landon Nettles took a first down hand off from the Cougar 23 yard line and plowed his way over the left side and dashed 77 yards to pay-dirt and wide-out Seth Rushing took a reverse in for a successful two point conversion to tie things up with nearly five minutes still left in the quarter.

(Above) Brookhaven's Landon Nettles (#33) rushed for 184 yards & 2 touchdowns

Before Brookhaven fans could enjoy the score Centreville’s offense was on the move again. Senior tailback Colton Terrell ripped off a 49 yard run on first down all the way to the Cougar 24 yard line and three plays later Terrell went in from 8 yards to cap a four play drive that burned up just 1:27. Andrus added his third PAT of the quarter to give the top ranked Tigers a 21-14 edge.

Brookhaven finished the quarter strong as senior quarterback Gage Posey put the Centreville defense on their heels with precision passing and scrambling in getting to the Cougar 49 yard line. That was followed by a 15 yard personal foul on Centreville to advance the Cougars to the Centreville 34 yard line as the opening quarter closed but Brookhaven would stall out and give up the football when Centreville defensive back Jake Darden broke up a Posey pass attempt on fourth down less than one minute into the second quarter.

Centreville capitalized and mounted a 67 yard, six play drive that paid dividends when Randy Bell went in from 11 yards out at the 8:35 mark. Andrus would miss on the PAT but Centreville had taken their biggest lead at 27-14.

Brookhaven appeared to have cut into that 13 point deficit on the seventh play of their next possession as Matthew Evans darted in from 25 yards out but a illegal procedure infraction wiped out the score. The Cougars were bitten once again by a yellow flag and it proved to be just as costly. Gage Posey scrambled 27 yards to score but a holding penalty negated a sensational scramble and run by the southpaw signal-caller.

Brookhaven compounded the error prone drive with a mishandled snap on a punt attempt and gave Centreville possession at mid-field with 4:45 left in the half.

Centreville slowly pushed their way to the Cougar 2 yard line where they spiked the football to kill the clock at 9 seconds. A Casey Haygood pass attempt to wide-out Colby Shaw was long in the back of the end zone and with four seconds remaining the Brookhaven defense stopped Colton Terrell for no gain to end the Centreville threat and the half with the Tigers holding a 27-14 advantage.

(Above) Randy Bell (#13) of Centreville rushed for 194 yards and 4 touchdowns

Centreville threatened to blow the game open with a six play, 57 yard drive to open the second half as Colton Terrell busted in from 13 yards out at the 9:31 mark. Centreville’s two point attempt would fail but the Tigers had taken their biggest lead of the night at 33-14.

Brookhaven appeared deflated as they lost four yards on their opening offensive possession of the second half but the Cougar defense began showing signs of strengthening.

Brookhaven got back into it with a six play, 66 yard scoring drive that was set up by a Posey to Seth Rushing 46 yard hookup to the Tiger 20 yard line. Posey would cap the drive four plays later with a 9 yard touchdown run and a successful Kevin Nettles PAT cut the deficit to 33-21 with 1:06 left in the quarter.

Brookhaven would quickly regain possession as senior Will Hickman recovered a Centreville fumble on the ensuing kickoff to set the Cougar offense up at the Tiger 33 yard line with 59 seconds left in the third quarter.

Facing a fourth and 13 from the Centreville 36 yard line Gage Posey connected with wide-out Ross Foreman at the Tiger 20 yard line to extend the drive and close out the quarter.

Four plays later Posey ran in from five yards out to narrow the Centreville lead to six points at 33-27 with 10:38 remaining in regulation. Centreville blocked the PAT attempt.

The momentum shift continued as Centreville found themselves mistake prone. The Tigers managed just six yards out to their own 34 yard line on their next possession and were flagged for two penalties but disaster struck as a high snap sailed over punter Randy Bell’s head and a mad scramble ensued to recover the football. Bell was ultimately successful in batting the football out of the end zone and avoiding a Brookhaven touchdown but the Cougars climbed two points closer at 33-29 in forcing a safety.

Centreville appeared to have stopped the bleeding after defensive end Frasier Hogan recovered a fumble at the Brookhaven 48 yard line on the free kick following the safety but the Brookhaven defense held court.

(Above) Two Brookhaven defensive players deliver a crunching hit on a Tiger tailback

The Cougar defense stopped Tiger tailback Randy Bell on a fourth and 7 run at the Brookhaven 26 yard line with 5:31 remaining and the Cougars wasted little time in grabbing their first lead of the night.

Two plays into the drive Gage Posey hit senior wide-out Matthew Evans for 51 yards to the Centreville 11 yard line and Posey then hit Seth Rushing with a perfectly thrown pass and catch in the corner of the end zone to give the Cougars a go-ahead score. The PAT attempt failed but Brookhaven had taken a 35-33 lead with 3:51 remaining in the contest.

Centreville looked out of gas and shocked as they took the Cougar kick-off out to the Tiger 38 yard line with 3:44 left to set up one last drive.

A Colton Terrell first down carry resulted in a two yard loss as a fired up Brookhaven defense got to the tailback rapidly but on second and 12 the unexpected happened as sophomore quarterback Casey Haygood calmly dropped back and connected with Terrell for 38 yards to the Brookhaven 26 yard line.

“Coach Stutzman made an excellent call on that play,” said Centreville head coach Bill Hurst.

Randy Bell exploded for a quick 10 yards to the Cougar 16 yard line and the senior tailback added another 9 yards on the next carry that pushed the line of scrimmage to the Brookhaven 7 yard line.

Centreville completed the five play, 62 yard drive when Bell scored his fourth touchdown of the night on the next play.

Bell then converted on the two point attempt to give the Tigers a six point cushion at 41-35 with 1:43 remaining in regulation.

Brookhaven managed to advance to the Centreville 48 yard line in the closing seconds but a hook and lateral play would be stopped at the Tiger 32 yard line as time expired.

Top ranked Centreville improved to 6-0 and piled up 416 yards on the ground led by Randy Bell’s 194 yards and 4 touchdowns on 27 carries.

“Our offensive line did a great job tonight,” said Bell. “This game and the Parklane game were the two most physical of the season. This is a big win for us because we want home field for the playoffs and it’s also a big momentum boost having Coach Hurst back on the sidelines.”

Centreville tailback Colton Terrell added 173 yards and 2 touchdowns on 25 carries on the ground.
Brookhaven quarterback Gage Posey went 14/26 for 215 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 46 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Tailback Landon Nettles racked up 184 yards and 2 touchdowns on 18 carries for the Cougars who slip to 3-3.

Brookhaven will host Oak Forest next week.

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Post game with Centreville head coach Bill Hurst

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Colts comes up big at home
by Kristy Kitchings

It could not have started out any worse for the Bayou Colts at home Friday night against conference opponent, West Memphis, Ar. The Colts found themselves in a 13-0 deficit with just under two minutes off the clock and not in a position they are used to rebounding from.
The Colts settled down and played a turnover and penalty free ballgame from the ten minute mark of the first quarter when Ty Holder would find the end zone to get the Colts on the board and the two- point conversion by Jordan Coopwood would be good and the West Memphis Black Knights lead 13-8. After a turnover on down by the West Memphis, the Colts would get the ball back on downs and Tyler Kitchings would find Caleb Pilgrim down the right hash mark for 75-yard touchdown pass. The extra point by Weber Herbison would be good and the Colts would come from behind and take the lead 19-13. But the Black Knights would answer on the next possession with a touchdown and end the first quarter of play ahead 19-15 over the Colts.
With 7:35 on the clock in the second quarter, Pilgrim would cross the goal line and the extra point would be no good and the Colts were back on top 21-19. The next possession, Weber Herbison would intercept the ball from a Black Knight receiver and the Colts take advantage and Hunter Kovac gets into the end zone for his first touchdown of the season and the extra point would be good and the Colts extend their lead, 28-19 at halftime.
To start the second had, Kovac and the Colt defense came up big on a fourth down goal line attempt by the Black Knights. Bayou would again string together a series of first downs and Holder would find the end zone once again on a short run up the middle and the extra point would be good and Bayou pulls away 35-19. The Colts would use excellent clock management to end the third quarter of play leading 35-19.
Holder would kick of the fourth quarter with his third touchdown on the night and the two-point conversion by Davis Dalton would be good and Bayou keeps their foot on the petal and lead 43-19. But, Holder would not be done just yet as he would push across the goal line with 4:29 on the clock for his fourth touchdown. The extra point would be good and the final score of the night would be 50-19 Bayou.
“Our kids played hard all night long. Even though we fell behind 13-0, we never gave up and lost focus and good things happen when you play hard and with confidence,” said head coach Terry King.
The duel quarterback system worked well for the Colts against the Black Knights as Kitchings went 2-3 on the night for 78 yards and one touchdown, followed by Pilgrim 1-2 for 15 yards.
Senior Ty Holder was an ever minded presence on the field Friday night as Holder had 15 carries for 76 yards and four touchdowns, followed by Hunter Kovac with 13 carries for 128 yards and one touchdown, Davis Dalton with 10 carries for 73 yards and Caleb Pilgrim with 8 carries for 62 yards and one rushing touchdown and one receiving touchdown. The Colts recorded 339 yards of offense on the ground and 93 yards through the air on the night.
Jordan Coopwood led the Colts on defense with nine solo tackles, followed by Andrew Rogers and Cole Hutchinson with six solo tackles each.
Bayou improves to 3-2 overall and 2-1 in the district. Next up for the Colts is a road trip to Desoto Academy ( 4-1 ). Game time is set for 7 pm.

North Delta takes down Kirk

By Brad Greer
North Delta¹s Hunter Baker could not picked a better time to record the first interception of his high school career Friday night against Kirk Academy.
With the score tied 21-21 with 2:09 remaining in the third quarter, the freshman linebacker stepped in front of a Gunner Hudspeth pass and returned it 10 yards to the Raider 45-yard line.
Six plays later, quarterback Skyler Lawson scored on the first play of the fourth quarter from one yard out to give North Delta a 28-21 lead. From there the Green Wave would tack on another score to take a 35-21 victory over Kirk Friday night in a District 1-AA contest. "We were playing a straight up man defense and I just read the play,” said Baker of his interception. "We came out a little flat and they tied it up at halftime. We pretty much shut down their running game so they started throwing the ball. In the second half we did a better job putting pressure on their quarterback and kept them out of the end zone," said Baker, who along with teammate Parker Jones led the Green Wave defense with five tackles each.
Senior tailback Taylor Morris torched the Kirk defense for 195 yards on 22 carries and two touchdowns as the Green Wave rushed for 322 yards. Morris' 82-yard touchdown run on the second play of the game staked North Delta to a 7-0 lead early in the first quarter.
Kirk answered back on the following series as Tyler Kirk picked off a deflected pass from Lawson on the Green Wave 29 yard line. Four plays later, Hudspeth connected with Payton Box on an 11-yard scoring pass to even the game at seven following Travis Taylor¹s PAT with 6:42 left in the first quarter.
North Delta (3-2 & 1-0) retook the lead on the first play of the second quarter as Austin Hagstrom spun away from two would-be tacklers for a 22-yard touchdown run. William Dean booted his second of five successful PAT¹s to complete the six-play, 49-yard drive.
The Raiders however would strike again later in the quarter by marching 82 yards on 10 plays to close the margin to 14-13 as Hudspeth hit Kirk on a 17-yard scoring pass with 4:35 remaining before halftime as Taylor missed the point after.
The Raiders finished with 169 yards of offense, all through the air, as Hudspeth finished the night 16-of-31 passing with three touchdowns and two interceptions. Kirk was held on zero yards rushing by the North Delta defense. "
We knew Kirk would come out throwing the ball. We felt like we were better than them up front. I was surprised they did not run the ball more but they were having success throwing the ball in the first half. The second half we did a much better job putting pressure on their quarterback. I think we had four or five sacks, but our defensive backfield did an outstanding job in their coverages that gave our guys up front time to put pressure on them," said North Delta head coach Brandon Ciaramitaro.
The Green Wave opened up the second half with a little trickery as Chase Coker recovered a pooch kickoff on the Raider 38 yard-line. The gamble paid off as three plays later Lawson called his own number and raced 20 yards into the endzone to extend North Delta¹s lead to 21-13.
Lawson completed only one pass on the night for 18 yards, but rushed for 47 yards on 15 carries.
"I am proud of Skyler for the way he has come in and managed the game without asking him to do a whole lot. We just asked him to go out there and play smart and so far he has done a fine job of running the offense," said Ciarmitaro.
Kirk rallied yet again as Cole Crenshaw reeled in a 19-yard pass from Hudspeth with 5:07 left in the third quarter. Hudspeth hooked up with Dalton Turner for the two point conversion to tie the game at 21.
That would as close the Raiders would get as Morris iced the game for North Delta on an 18-yard run with 2:43 remaining in the game. Hagstrom followed Morris in rushing with 71 yards on 14 carries while Baker added two carries for nine yards. Morris caught the pass from Lawson for 18 yards.
Hunter Pitcher added four tackles and two quarterback sacks for the Green Wave defense while Will Magee added three stops and intercepted a pass. Morris also registered three tackles and forced a fumble. Tyler Beard contributed with three tackles while Justin added a fumble recovery.
North Delta was penalized nine times for 95 yards while Kirk was not flagged during the game.
Box led the Raiders in receiving with six catches for 64 yards while Kirk followed with five receptions for 67 yards. Turner and Crenshaw chipped in with two catches and Cole Mabry had one catch for 11 yards.
North Delta wraps up a three game homestand with a homecoming tilt against Tunica while Kirk travels to Strider Academy.

Cougars Edge Colonels 13-8

By Watson Cook

The IA Colonels made their first ever trip to Central Hinds Academy last Friday night and nearly stole a win away from the home team. The Cougars, however, held on in the final minutes to end the Colonels’ hopes of a comeback.

The first half was a defensive struggle that saw neither team reach the red zone until mid-way through the second quarter. The first four offensive series of the game were identical with each team running four plays before being forced to punt on their first drive. On the second time around for the offenses, each team ran six plays, with both turning the ball over on downs. After the Cougars’ turnover on downs, the Colonels took over at their own 41 with 2:22 to play in the first quarter. It appeared IA was poised to break through and put points on the board, driving to the Cougar 29. However, on 4^th and 13, Colonel quarterback Jonathan Holland’s pass was picked off to end the quarter. The Cougars returned the interception to their own 48, giving them good field position to start the second quarter. Central Hinds used 11 plays to drive inside the IA 15, giving them the best scoring opportunity of the night for either team. However, the Colonel defense came up with a stop on 3^rd and 2 from the 10. The Cougars opted for a field goal attempt but a botched snap resulted in a turnover on downs. Unfortunately, the Colonels were not able to take advantage and the game went to halftime tied 0-0.

Central Hinds returned the second half kickoff to the IA 40 to give the offense a short field. They needed only 8 plays to find the endzone and take a 7-0 lead with 7:30 to play in the 3^rd. The Colonels, looking to answer, made their way down to the Cougar 27 before Holland was intercepted for the second time, ending the Colonel threat. Following an exchange of punts, Central Hinds took over at their own 32 with 9:23 remaining in the game. The Cougars drove 68 yards on 12 plays to extend the lead to 13-0 (missed PAT). Now with only 2:19 to play and down by two scores, the Colonels found themselves needing a miracle. Starting from their own 26, IA would find the endzone 10 plays later on an Ashton Knight 14-yard touchdown run. Holland completed the 2-point pass to Michael Sykes to cut the Cougar lead to 13-8 with :52 to play. Sykes’ onside kick attempt traveled the necessary 10 yards but Central Hinds was able to fall on the ball to secure the win.

With the loss, IA falls to 2-3. The Colonels will open district play Friday, September 21 at Legion Field when they host Marshall Academy. Kickoff is set for 7:00.
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Gateway Tire & Service Center Player of the Week

Tri-County Academy tailback Ryan Cothern is the Gateway Tire & Service Center Player of the Week. The 5' 9" 175 lb. sophomore rushed for 242 yards on 16 carries, had 34 receiving yards, 64 return yards and 6 touchdowns in producing 340 all-purpose yards in the Class A top ranked Rebel's 40-0 shutout win over Prairie View. Cothern rushed for 236 yards on 12 carries and 2 touchdowns in a 42-0 win over West Memphis last week and ranks third in the MAIS with 851 rushing yards.

"Ryan is a great kid and a very unselfish player," said Tri-County head coach David Blount. "He understands that he has a very good line opening holes for him. Ryan gets better each week and we are expecting great things from him the rest of the season."

Cothern and Tri-County will travel to Lexington to take on fifth ranked Central Holmes (4-1) on Friday night with hopes of extending their 18 game winning streak.

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Rams top Raiders in top five battle

Southern Sports & Travel

It’s almost commonplace that when Riverfield and WCCA meet on the gridiron fans expect it to be a physical slobber-knocker and on Friday night in Woodville those expectations held true as the fourth ranked home-standing Rams grounded out a 17-10 win over second ranked Riverfield.

Wilkinson Christian quarterback Taylor Prevost accounted for two touchdowns  and kicked a 23 yard fourth quarter field goal as WCCA improved to 3-1 overall but more importantly 2-0 in District 3-A play, just one game behind Claiborne, the Ram’s next opponent.

WCCA started out firing on all cylinders as the Rams struck pay-dirt on their second possession of the game on an 85 yard touchdown pass from Taylor Prevost to Dra Tolliver. Prevost would add the PAT to give WCCA a 7-0 edge with 5:35 remaining in the opening quarter.

WCCA caught Riverfield napping on the ensuing kickoff as Prevost’s pooch kick went uncovered and sophomore linebacker Jamar Vessell covered it at the Raider 32 yard line.

WCCA tailback Kaleb Sterling quickly ripped off 26 yards to the Riverfield 6 yard line and Prevost cashed in on the following play to push the advantage to 13-0. Prevost added the PAT and with 5:06 left in the quarter WCCA had stunned Riverfield with an early 14-0 lead.

Riverfield was able to mount a second quarter drive on their fourth possession of the game. Following a 17 yard WCCA punt the Raiders set up shop at the Ram 44 yard line. Riverfield quarterback Will Stansbury connected with Tyler Hamby with a 12 yard hookup to the Ram’s 2 yard line following a 15 yard facemask infraction on WCCA.

After getting backed up 5 yards due to a delay of game penalty Riverfield got on the board as Joseph Morris punched it in from 6 yards out at the 4:18 mark to cap a 7 play drive that took just over three minutes.

Cody Hixon’s PAT cut the deficit in half at 14-7 and that would be the score in a first half that included 14 penalties and a playoff type intensity.

WCCA threatened to add to their lead in the closing minutes of the third quarter. Ram defensive back Austin Goodfellow picked off a Will Stansbury pass at the WCCA 47 yard line and returned it to the Raider 40 but Riverfield’s defense stiffened and held as a fourth down Prevost pass into the end-zone went incomplete.

Riverfield would take over at their own 37 yard line and mount a seven play drive that extended into the fourth quarter but the drive would be halted as Austin Goodfellow again intercepted a Stansbury pass, this time at the WCCA 16 yard line at the 9:42 mark of the final quarter.

The Rams then produced a ten play, 78 yard drive that would result in a clutch Taylor Prevost 23 yard field goal to extend the lead to 17-7 with 4:12 remaining in the contest.
"It was just like any other kick," said Taylor Prevost. "When I line up I don't worry about anything else, I just focus on the kick."

WCCA’s defense would rise to the occasion as the Rams would hold firm on a Riverfield fourth down attempt at their own 36 yard line with 2:38 remaining.

With the game in hand and possession of the football WCCA made a mistake that could have been costly as the Rams attempted a pass on third down from the Raider 37 yard line that sophomore Brennan Morris picked off and returned all the way to the WCCA 34 with 1:20 left in regulation but the Ram defense stood tall again in holding Riverfield to a 28 yard Cody Hixon field goal with 15 seconds left.

Still facing a 17-10 deficit Riverfield’s onsides kick was covered before it made the ten yard minimum securing a 17-10 WCCA win.

WCCA tailback Kaleb Sterling (photo right) led the Rams rushing attack with 110 yards on ten carries and while Taylor Prevost had an exceptional outing in passing and rushing for a touchdown along with a field goal the WCCA defense stood the tallest.
"This was a big win for us," said Prevost. "Our offensive line played well and our defense made some key stops and it's fun when Coach Wright gets excited on the sidelines, he gets us pumped up."

WCCA held Riverfield tailback Patrick Pelley, the fourth leading rusher in Class A, to 33 yards on 15 carries, quarterback Will Stansbury to 29 yards on 12 carries and notched three fourth down stops against the Raider offense and two interceptions.

WCCA will hit the road next week as they travel to Haynesville, LA to take on District 3-A leader Claiborne Academy who destroyed ASC 52-6 on Friday night to improve to 4-1 and 3-0 in district.

Riverfield will try and bounce back as the host Class AA Prairie View.

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Post Game with WCCA head coach David Wright

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Silliman enters playoffs on major roll

Southern Sports & Travel

One definition of the term "bull's eye" is defined as "The precise accomplishment of a goal or purpose."

For Silliman head softball coach Trae Weaver his squad has now acquired the proverbial term after this past weekend in which the Lady Wildcats captured the Carroll Tournament. Winning the tournament was an achievement of its' own and all girl's softball fans know how physically demanding a day long tournament can be.

The tournament trophy was of more significance than any other regular season  tourney accomplishment for the Lady Cats as they did the unexpected in halting Leake's 85 game winning streak with a 2-1 semi-final win in Carrollton on Saturday.

"We knew the Carroll Tournament would have the feel of a state tournament environment," said Weaver. "We wanted the opportunity to see some of the teams from the north and to see how we measured up."

If Weaver wanted a true measurement of how his squad would stack up against quality teams he got it as Silliman recorded shutouts over arguably the two best teams in Class A in perennial power Bayou and Tri-County and got a small sense of revenge in defeating the team that eliminated them in the Class AA Tournament last season, North Delta.

Silliman won the Carroll Tournament by edging host Carroll 6-5 but the crowning achievement was their 2-1 win over powerhouse Leake in the semi-finals.

"It was a big deal for us," said Weaver. "Our kids were excited but we had little time to celebrate because we had to prepare ourselves for one more game."

Weaver was concerned that his squad had burned up too much energy in the Leake victory but Silliman held on to defeat Carroll after a long day of travel and playing five games.

"Lots of people don't understand what girls endure during softball season, many dance during football games, run track and all the while trying to focus on their studies. We made a long drive and didn't get back home till nearly 3 a.m. Sunday morning."

Weaver, who is in his fifth season as head coach, knows that the win over Leake will assuredly draw the focus of the entire AA class but it could also be a watershed moment for a squad that consists of seven contributing seniors. "Now we feel like we have a bigger bull's eye on us but it could be a momentum builder at a critical time of the season. We use Leake as a measuring stick, we've looked up to them and that's the type of program we're striving for."

Silliman will wrap up the regular season by competing in the Jackson Prep Invitational this weekend and will enter next week's Class AA South State Tournament in Liberty, MS on a roll.

Silliman has won a state championship in girl's fast-pitch softball one time (2005) and two of their seven seniors will play huge roles in their post season quest this season.

Kayla Davidson has been exceptional on the mound in producing a 22-2 season mark. Her season numbers following the Carroll Tournament were staggering as the senior had a 1.01 ERA and 126 strikeouts in 97 innings of work. What's more impressive is the fact that these numbers have been produced while competing against many top tier squads. "Kayla is a complete player," said head coach Trae Weaver. "  "Probably the best I've ever seen in my time coaching, she's very special."

Davidson also provides power at the plate with a .372 batting average and an on-base percentage of .535 and three homers. She also is a tough out as the senior has only struck out four times all season.

When it comes to hitting another senior leads the Lady Wildcats.

Taylor Leblanc is pacing Silliman with a .458 average and on-base percentage of .587 and 33 runs scored. The senior is arguably one of the best base-runners in the MAIS with 29 stolen bases and amazingly has only been thrown out two times in three years.

As the regular season draws to a close the 31-2 Lady Wildcats will enter postseason play with the momentum necessary to make a serious run at a state championship and it helps that the squad is comprised of senior leadership and coming off a momentous weekend of success.

"Hopefully it will help us get to where we want to go," said Weaver. "Most of our seniors have been playing since the seventh grade."

Since Silliman's weekend tournament win the Lady Wildcats have shut out Oak Forest and Bowling Green.



Presbyterian Invitational
Southern Sports & Travel
The Columbia Academy Boys Cross Country team dominated the Presbyterian Christian School Invitational in Hattiesburg Monday. The Cougars placed all 5 scoring runners in the top-13 beating 2nd place Jackson Prep by 16 points. Jon Luke Watts finished 1st in a National Elite time of 16:19 for the 5K course. Michael Reid finished 4th, with Tyler Berry, 9th, Trevor Dixon, 11th, and Luke Coleman 13th.

Columbia Academy Boys also won the Jackson Academy Invitational on August 27th to kick off the MAIS Cross Country season. The next MAIS meet on the schedule is the Jackson Prep Invitational on Monday, September 17 @ Choctaw Trails in Clinton, MS.

Girls results: (3K)
Individual Winner - Tavin Lovitt, MRA, 11:26
Team Results:
1. Presbyterian - 34 Pts.
2. Jackson Academy - 61 Pts.
3. Jackson Prep - 86 Pts.
4. Silliman - 91 Pts.
5. Columbia Academy - 207 Pts
6. MRA - 263 Pts.
7. Sumrall - 202 Pts.
8. Wayne - 305 Pts.
9. Starkville - 350 Pts.
10. Lamar - 368 Pts.
11. Purvis - 430 Pts.
12. Christian Collegiate - 537 Pts
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Boys Results: (5K)
Individual Winner - Jon Luke Watts, Columbia Academy, 16:19
Team Results:
1. Columbia Academy - 38 Pts.
2. Jackson Prep - 54 Pts.
3. Presbyterian - 63 Pts.
4. Chamberlain-Hunt - 128 Pts.
5. Jackson Academy - 138 Pts.
6. Starkville - 197 Pts.
7. Silliman - 286 Pts.
8. Laurel Christian - 290 Pts.
9. Lamar - 307 Pts.
10. Sumrall - 379 Pts.
11. Christian Collegiate - 587 Pts.
12. Purvis - 639 Pts.

MAIS TOP RUSHERS & CLASS AA TOUCHDOWN LEADERS