CORRECTION:

Southern Sports & Travel received a story last week regarding Bayou Academy coach Winn Scott leaving for Delta Academy. I received information from Delta Academy headmaster Barry Finnie today who said that was an erroneous report and not true.

My sincere apologies.

Lady Wildcats win another district crown

Silliman took home another girls district title last week by capturing the 6-AA meet held at Silliman. The Lady Wildcats are coached by Sharon Kline.

Canton takes district track crown

Canton Academy made it a clean sweep by capturing the District 2-AA varsity meet and the junior varsity girls team also won. The meet was held at Winston Academy. Ben Williams is the track coach at Canton.

Adams sweeps district track event

Adams Christian captured the girls and boys varsity and junior varsity District 5-AA track championship.

Central Holmes dominates district track event

Central Holmes Christian School makes a clean sweep of the District 4-A track titles.

High School Girls - 1st place

High School Boys - 1st place

Prep's Williams signs with Lipscomb

Jackson Prep senior Josh Williams has signed to play basketball at Lipscomb University of Nashville. Lipsomb is a Division-I University and participates in the Atlantic Sun Conference along with notables such as Florida Gulf Coast, Stetson and Mercer.

Williams averaged 17 points and 7 rebounds his senior season and is a two-time Southern Sports & Travel All-MAIS selection.

Shown above, L to R: Renee Williams (mother), Josh Williams and Willie Williams (father).

Watts heading back home

Southern Sports & Travel

Dale Watts will be returning to his alma mater.

Columbia Academy has announced the hiring of Watts to head up the boys basketball program. Both parties agreed to terms late this evening.

Watts, 59 and a 1971 graduate of Columbia Academy, addressed his Brookhaven squad this afternoon after informing administration officials of his plans.

The 2011 MAIS Hall of Fame inductee coached twenty seasons at Brookhaven, winning seven boys state championships including an unprecedented six consecutive.

Prior to his arrival at Brookhaven, Watts directed Parklane Academy to two Overall titles and one state title.

“We’re ecstatic,” said Search Committee and Columbia Academy Board Member Jason Stringer.

“We had a phenomenal list of candidates who were interested in our program and I can honestly say all of them were exceptional.”

Watts will direct the boys varsity and junior varsity squads while long time Columbia head coach Reid McCay will handle the varsity and junior varsity girls teams.
A formal statement from Columbia Academy officials is expected tomorrow.

Undermanned Tigers edge Cougars in extra innings

Southern Sports & Travel

The two-time defending Class AA State Champion Centreville Tigers avoided putting themselves in a big hole by edging third ranked Simpson 2-1 last night in extra innings at Centreville Academy.

Playing without three starters Centreville relied on the arm of senior Randy Bell and big plays from underclassmen filling in.

Bell (Photo left) went the entire eight innings striking out 14 and giving up just one hit while his counterpart, Simpson junior Austin Douglas, put together a solid performance allowing three hits and striking out 7 while also going the distance.

Bell would retire the first eight Simpson batters he faced before allowing a third inning, two-out walk to the Cougar’s Chris Sullivan. The walk was followed by an in-field error that put Kolby Burton on first while advancing Sullivan into scoring position at second base.

In what would prove to be a crucial play in the contest Simpson’s Christopher Richardson connected on a Randy Bell 1-1 pitch to deep center field but a diving grab by sophomore John Marcus McDowell halted what would have more than likely been two Cougar runs.

Centreville would take the lead in their half of the fifth inning.

Sophomore Casey Haygood sent an Austin Douglas 1-1 pitch into center field for a lead-off single and a sacrifice bunt from Hayden Mounce advanced Haygood to second base with one out.

Drew Noland’s grounder recorded the second out but that would move Haywood over to third base with Centreville’s Cale McKey stepping up to the plate.

McKey smoked an infield grounder that was mishandled, scoring Haygood and giving the Tigers a 1-0 lead after five full innings of play.

Simpson responded in the top half of the sixth inning.

The Cougars would get their first hit off of Randy Bell as Chris Sullivan hit a lead-off single into right field. Two pitches later Sullivan successfully stole second base but would watch Bell retire two batters and threaten to stop the Cougar rally.

Sullivan took advantage of a Bell pitch in the dirt and advanced to third base and scored on another Bell pitch that was short and couldn’t be handled by freshman catcher Chad Vanderford.

Bell struck out Walt Prince to end the inning and the two squads would play into the eighth inning knotted at 1-1 before all was decided.

Centreville's Casey Haygood (#12) readies to head home in the fifth inning

Bell retired the side in the top half of the eighth inning and Austin Douglas appeared to be on his way to doing the same in the bottom half but a critical pitching error would be costly for third ranked Simpson.

After forcing Centreville’s Drew Noland into a ground out Douglas sat down Cale McKey to record the second Tiger out but Douglas would hit pinch hitter Tyler Duncan.

Duncan was replaced by speedy sophomore Chase Hughes who wasted little time in stealing second base with fellow sophomore John Marcus McDowell at the plate.

McDowell, facing a 2-1 count, laid down a two-out bunt and just before reaching first base was hit in the back on the throw by the Simpson catcher while Hughes raced around third and scored the winning run.

“We knew we really had to come into tonight’s game focused,” said Centreville senior Randy Bell. “We had some key guys out but this win showed that we have a lot of grit and determination and our young guys really stepped up.”

Bell, who improved to 5-2, wouldn’t have been the game one starter for Centreville but without the services of junior pitcher Colby Shaw he got the nod.

“Chad Vanderford, our freshman catcher, did a great job tonight and our defense really stepped up and made some big plays,” said Bell. “Now we have to look towards Friday’s game and keep everyone focused.”

John Marcus McDowell (#32) of Centreville bunted in the winning run in the eighth inning

Vanderford along with John Marcus McDowell filled in for two other Centreville regulars who were unavailable for last night’s contest.

Austin Douglas took the loss for Simpson. The junior (6-2) recorded 7 strikeouts on the night.

With the win second ranked Centreville improves to 15-5 but more importantly the Tigers take a 1-0 series lead.

The series picks back up in Mendenhall on Friday with a double-header scheduled if necessary.

Simpson fell to 15-6.

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Post Game with Centreville Head Coach Jason Horne

PLEASE TEXT BASEBALL PLAYOFF SCORES TO 985-750-3455 AS SOON AS POSSIBLE

Simpson's Shane Brown inks with Copiah-Lincoln

Simpson Academy has announced that senior pitcher Shane Brown has signed to play baseball at Copiah-Lincoln Community College.

Pictured standing are: Co-Lin assistant baseball coach Ryan Tutor, Simpson head baseball coach Gird Warren, and Co-Lin assistant baseball coach, Bryan Nobble.

Sitting: Father, Patrick Brown, Shane Brown, and mother, Janet Brown.

Magnolia Heights eyeing another title

Southern Sports & Travel

In 2008 the MAIS discontinued the Overall Championship series that decided the best overall baseball team in the association and since then debate routinely ensues each season as to who has the best squad. The debate is worthwhile due to the parity that exists amongst all three MAIS baseball classes.

This season a handful of teams have impressed baseball enthusiasts who have an eye for talented squads but one particular group has been heads above the field with post season play approaching rapidly.

The Magnolia Heights Chiefs won the 2012 Class AAA Division II Championship and are on pace to repeat and claim the school’s fifth state title in baseball this season.

The 2013 version looks more impressive than the group that captured the crown with an impressive two game series win over Starkville last May and if the manner in which they have posted a 20-0 record thus far is any indication of what’s to come when the playoffs get underway opposing teams may struggle to get base runners in scoring position.

Those opposing teams will face the best group of pitchers assembled in the MAIS led by Jacob Billingsley, a Mississippi State signee, who has posted a 5-0 record and an impressive 0.46 ERA. Billingsley (photo below) has yielded just 8 hits and 2 runs on the season and has collected 49 strikeouts.

In last season’s 6-1 win over Starkville to clinch the state title Billingsley tossed a complete game 3 hitter to cap a 2-0 series win in which Magnolia Heights limited Starkville to just 1 run and 5 hits in 14 innings of play.

Complimenting Billingsley is senior Colin Liles who also posts a 5-0 season mark and a paltry 0.75 ERA and 37 strikeouts.

Add to the mix unbeaten senior southpaw Jackson Pitts, who hurled a 2 hit, 1-0 shutout win over Starkville in last season’s game one of the championship series. Pitts has a 1.45 ERA and with the southpaw’s experience one could understand the enormous task facing opponents.

Magnolia Height’s success isn’t limited to the mound.

Delta State signee Dalton Skelton leads the Chiefs in hitting with a .458 average and an on base average of .522 and junior Jamell Newson is hitting at a .397 clip and leads the squad with 15 stolen bases.

The Chief’s power hitter is senior Luke Latham, a Northwest Mississippi Community College signee, who has gone yard 5 times and is hitting .370 with a slugging percentage of .759 through 20 games.

Magnolia Height’s head coach Chris McMinn, who is in his eighth season, has obviously kept his squad focused and the results are there to back that up.

Magnolia Heights is 52-5 dating back to the start of last season and the Chiefs have won 24 straight and 29 of their last 30 games dating back to last season and have recorded an impressive 8 shutouts this season. Only two times has an opposing team scored more than 3 runs in the Chief’s 20 wins during the 2013 campaign.

The Class AAA Division II State Championship Tournament gets underway on April 29^th and it will take a gargantuan effort for a team to pull an upset against one of the best teams in recent years.

Magnolia Heights will be shooting for their fifth state championship in baseball in school history and third in the past five seasons but the big question that some may ask prior to the April 29^th start of the playoffs might be can a team score enough runs against such an overpowering defending champion?

It’s a 290 mile drive from Bogalusa to Senatobia but Southern Sports & Travel will be there.
The Chiefs host Washington in double-header action on Thursday.