Fleming resigns as PCA head football coach

Courtesy of The Vicksburg Post
Porters Chapel Academy football coach Bill Fleming is returning to his old job. Fleming resigned on Tuesday as head football coach, but he plans to stay at the school as the school’s athletic director and as a teacher, PCA headmaster Doug Branning said on Thursday. “It was health concerns,” Branning said of the reason for Fleming’s resignation. “He came into my office and he felt that he was unable to give the energy level required of the job and stand on his feet. He didn’t feel that he could give the job the attention it needed.” Fleming led the Eagles to a 4-8 record and a first-round playoff loss to Sylva-Bay in his only season at the school. The job is already advertised on the Mississippi Association of Independent Schools Web site and Branning said that he has already received a few resumés. “We’re not going to put a timetable on this,” Branning said. “We’re going to go through the applications and go from there.”

MAIS TRACK, TENNIS OR GOLF NEWS?

EMAIL TO aafandaman@yahoo.com or TEXT 985-750-3455

Playoffs approaching fast

Southern Sports & Travel, By Darron Thomas

With the AA baseball playoffs only three weeks away twelve teams will be jockeying for one and two seeds within their respected districts to begin a quest for a state championship. That quest will start on April 19th with best two of three series in both the north and south regions and culminating during the week of May 10th when a new state champion will be crowned.
With the homestretch rapidly approaching some teams are showing signs of hitting their strides while others are still looking for much needed consistency. Within the latest Southern Sports & Travel Top Ten rankings six teams are from the north region but two are struggling and one has yet to find consistency. The top four teams in the rankings are split with two from each region.
So with round one of the 2010 playoffs approaching who is hot and who is not?
Who’s Hot…….
*Brookhaven – The Cougars were sitting at 2-4 back on March 11th following a 10-0 loss to Parklane. Since then Brookhaven has won 9 of 10 including quality wins over Copiah, Centreville, Hillcrest and Canton.
*Marshall – The Patriots have been on a torrid pace in winning 12 of their last 13, they’re only defeat during the stretch came in a 5-1 loss to MHSAA 4A Center Hill on March 12th. Marshall has a firm grip on the top seed from District 1AA.
Who’s Not…....
*Adams Christian – The Rebels have lost 5 of 6 since winning a three game series with WCCA nearly three weeks ago. In early March ACCS had moved close to a top five ranking but have since fallen out of the top ten.
*Kirk – The Raiders were making some noise but have fallen to 7-6 after losing a doubleheader to district foe Indianola. They could quickly fall out of the top ten with a tough stretch upcoming. Another matchup with Indianola followed by Winona and a doubleheader with #2 ranked Marshall awaits Kirk.

On the radar…..
*Centreville - The Tigers are quietly picking up steam and sit at 12-5 overall and hold down the number six spot in the latest Southern Sports & Travel rankings. Big three game series as Centreville travels to Natchez to take on District 5AA foe Adams Christian today for one game and then the Tigers will host Adams in a doubleheader on Friday.

Time to gel……

*Simpson and Lamar have been all over the radar as of late and playing in the best overall district in AA baseball could spell trouble as playoff time draws near. Which team will put together a strong stretch will determine who stays home and who moves on next month.

Also.......

I would be remiss not to mention Central Private and Hillcrest. The top ranked Rebels have won four of the past five state titles and while dropping three games this month Central Private’s strength of schedule permits them to hang on to that top ranking.
Hillcrest has shown signs of inconsistency early on but with one of the better pitching rotations in MAIS baseball the Cougars proved to be a top five squad with a 13-3 thrashing of Jackson Prep in five innings last week.

MAIS BASEBALL RECAP

Pioneers rout Columbia 9-1 to honor former major leaguer in style
Courtesy of The Enterprise Journal

Most of the overflow crowd enjoyed a 9-1 Parklane Academy baseball victory over Columbia Saturday night. But for some, it was more of a reunion with old friends.

Former major league pitcher Jeff Calhoun was honored Saturday night along with several of the Parklane players who have won the Calhoun award since its inception in 1988. The Jeff Calhoun Award has been awarded to the Pioneer senior who most exemplifies those traits that Calhoun showed while at Parklane. Calhoun led Parklane to four straight state championships from 1973-76 before moving on to a standout collegiate career at Ole Miss. Calhoun held several strikeout and ERA records at Ole Miss. Most of Calhoun’s major league career was in Houston with the Astros as a relief pitcher. He also pitched for the Philadelphia Phillies. Calhoun made a weekend of his trip, visiting his father and other family members. He spent most of the game getting reacquainted with some old friends. “This turned out to be a nice reunion,” he said. “The park looks great and it was a beautiful day to be here.”
Calhoun lives in Houston, where he works for the Second Baptist Church. Parklane Coach Michael Clements organized the event to get former players involved in the Parklane program now. “It’s always a great thing for someone’s accomplishments to be recognized,” said Clements. “I just wanted to get all the players an opportunity to meet Jeff Calhoun. We were excited to have all those former players back on campus. Now, our players will be much more appreciative of this award and what it means.” Against Columbia, Chance Schmidt was 2-for-2 with a double to lead Parklane at the plate. He was the only player with multiple hits as Clements went to his bench early after Parklane scored six runs in the first inning en route to a 9-0 lead after four.
Brandon Austin, Parklane’s leading hitter at .556, had a single. Zach Smith (.552), Ben Kavanay, Wes Gill, and Shelby Johnson each added singles. Junior lefthander Nathan Taylor was the winning pitcher. He worked two innings, striking out three while facing only seven. Johnson worked the next two innings. He struck out three of the six batters he faced. Alex Price had two strikeouts over the next two frames. Jared Bullock worked the final inning, allowing one run on one hit. Parklane, 7-3 overall, begins conference play Tuesday when East Rankin Academy visits for a 4:30 junior varsity game and a 7:00 conference opener. Parklane travels to Pelahatchie Thursday to complete the series with East Rankin.

Raiders overcome error bug to down Rebels
Courtesy of The Meridian Star
Despite being plagued by the error bug the Lamar baseball team was able to pull out a 3-1 win against visiting Leake Academy on Thursday night. The Raiders, who committed seven errors on the night, improved to 8-4, 2-1 in division play. After a slow start offensively by both teams it was Lamar, which scored first. The Raiders loaded the bases in the bottom of the fourth inning in front of John Clinton McElroy, who drew a walk off of Leake pitcher Will Myers to put Lamar up 1-0. However, Lamar could not capitalize to add any more runs in the inning. The Rebels came right back to tie things up as Jay Moore would cross the plate on a Lamar error in the top half of the fifth inning. Lamar didn't waste any time regaining the lead as Myers walked the first two batters in the bottom of the fifth. After they advanced to second and third base on a double steal, the Raiders' Beau Burns stepped to the plate and came through in the clutch belting a two-RBI single to break open the tie game and give standout pitcher Will Haggard all the cushion he needed. Haggard (3-2) gave Lamar a complete-game effort striking out 11 Rebels, while giving up two hits and one walk. He also picked off a runner in the contest. After going three-up, three-down in the bottom half of the sixth inning, Haggard quickly shot down any chances of a rally by Leake Academy striking out the side to secure the victory for the Raiders. Lamar was led at the plate by Burns and Dylan Rivers, who each had a base hit. Leake was paced by Aaron Sheppard and Myers, who each had a single on the night. Myers took the loss for the Rebels as he went five innings striking out four, while giving up three hits and eight walks.

Glenbrook sweeps Cenla

Courtesy of The Minden Press-Herald
The Glenbrook Apaches swept a double header from Cenla Academy Friday afternoon. The Apaches beat their district opponents 15-0 in the first game and 25-2 in the second.
Chandler Singleton got the win in the first game as he went all three innings giving up one hit, while striking out eight.
Glenbrook scored three runs in the bottom of the first, four in the second and eight more in the third as they shut out the Lions.
Cody Boyd led the way at the plate as he went three-for-three with five RBIs. Rudi Spurlock had two singles and a RBI and Preston Wise doubled off the wall in left. Dave Parks had a single, sac fly and two RBIs, and Colton Spurlock had a single. Dewey Kendrick drove in a run and Caden Copeland ripped a RBI-single.
In the second game, Rudi Spurlock and Wise combined to no-hit the Lions as the Apaches unloaded their bench in the 25-2 win.
Spurlock pitched the first two innings allowing one walk and striking out three and Wise walked four and struck out two in one inning.
Singleton and Rudi Spurlock both had two hits and three RBIs to lead the Apache offense. Kendrick and Kasey Kidd each had two hits and two RBIs, and Braden Dickson had a two-run single. Levi Reagan and Conner Copeland both had RBI-singles, and Boyd added a base hit. Logan Clark drove in a run.

Glenbrook improves to 13-2.

Carroll sweeps Winston

Courtesy of The Greenwood Commonwealth
Carroll Academy took care of business Thursday night in its District 2-AA doubleheader with Winston Academy as the Rebels swept a pair of games.
Carroll easily won the first game 12-2 as Kyle Krauzyk (2-0) went 41/3 innings to earn the victory on the mound. He gave up both two runs on four hits, walking four and fanning three. C.J. Hodges came in to get the last two outs, recording one strike out. Hodges had two doubles and drove in two runs at the plate, while Peyton Banes had two singles and four RBIs. Ty Higginbotham drove in two runs with two singles, and Tyler Bingham, Jake Streeter and Clay Perry had a single each. Bingham and Streeter had one RBI apiece. The Rebels plated three runs in the first and nine in the second.The second game was more of a struggle, but the Rebels prevailed 12-10 by scoring six runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to erase an 8-6 deficit. Carroll tallied three runs in the first, and one each in the second, fourth and fifth innings. Winston scored one each in the second and fourth, three each in the third and sixth, and two in the seventh.
"This huge for this team to be as young as we are and be able to get off to a 3-0 start in district," said CA head coach Sim Shanks. "We showed a lot of poise in the sixth inning by coming back." The Rebels hit the ball well as three players had three singles each. Breland Marett, Higginbotham and Hodges had three hits each and Higginbotham drove in two runs. Marett and Hodges had an RBI each. Banes had two doubles and an RBI, and Streeter and Bingham had two singles each. Bingham had two RBIs. Adam Turner and Krauzyk had RBI singles. Hodges (1-4), the third CA pitcher, got the win on the hill. He went 12/3 innings, giving up two runs on three hits, walking one and fanning one. Higginbotham started and went two innings, allowing four runs on three hits, walking two and striking out three. Bingham was the second pitcher, going 31/3 innings, giving up four runs on five hits, walking three and fanning five.
Carroll improves to 7-8 & 3-0.

MAIS TRACK

Presbyterian Christian School Invitational Track Meet, Friday March 26, 2010

_________________________________________
Boys Team Results:

PCS 89, Columbia 86, Prentiss 22, Alpha 17, Heidelberg 14,
Simpson 12, Lamar Christian 9.

Boys Winners:
100 - Josh Broome, Columbia, 11.58
200 - Cade Eiland, Simpson, 24.9
400 - Tanner Pace, Columbia, 56.10
800 - Channing Stringer, Columbia, 2:18
1600 - Channing Stringer, Columbia, 5:19
3200 - Channing Stringer, Columbia, 10:58
110 H - Zach Gilrod, PCS, 17.9
300 H - Joel Daley, Prentiss, 42.98
PV - Jackson White, PCS, 11’
Disc - Caleb Brown, PCS, 126’ 11”
Shot - Josh Price, Columbia, 42’ 11.25”
HJ - C. J. Jenkins. Prentiss, 5’ 8”
LJ - Cade Martin, PCS, 20’ 9.5”
Triple Jump - Cade Martin, PCS, 39’ 8.75”
400 Relay - Columbia, 46.9
800 Relay - PCS, 1:36
1600 Relay - PCS, 3:49
3200 Relay - Columbia, 9:35

Girls Team Results:

PCS 68, Prentiss 48, Columbia 37.5, Simpson 30, Alpha 23.5,
Heidelberg 13, Lamar Christian 2.

Girls Winners:
100 - Lillian Vickers, Alpha, 13.2
200 - Christa Smith, Simpson, 27.30
400 - Paige Merrill, PCS, 1:05.9
800 - Madeline Campbell, PCS, 2:38.5
1600 - Madeline Campbell, PCS, 6:02
3200 - Camille Azar, PCS, 13:16
100 H - Ashton Scarborough, Columbia, 18.20
300 H - Mary Morgan Dungan, Prentiss, 53.0
Disc - Presley Dyess, Prentiss, 88’ 1”
Shot - Lakyn Miller - Prentiss, 30’ 11.75”
HJ - Mary Stephens, Simpson, 4’ 8”
LJ - Ashton Scarborough, Columbia, 15’ 9.5”
400 Relay - PCS, 54.9
800 Relay - PCS, 1:52.9
1600 Relay - PCS, 4:53

MAIS BASEBALL

Bowling Green falls to Centreville in five innings
By Brandon Wright
Bowling Green found itself on the wrong end of the 10-run rule Monday, falling 13-2 to Centreville Academy in five innings. The Tigers jumped on BGS starter Justin Lockhart early, with the first six batters reaching base en route to a four-run inning highlighted by a two-run home run by Brad Jelks. The Bucs managed a run in the bottom of the first when C.K. Creel singled home Jason Milton, but Centreville broke the game open in the second.

The Tigers plated four runs in the inning, three charged to Lockhart and one to sophomore Chris Lott, who replaced Lockhart with one out and went the rest of the game for the Bucs. Lott pitched three and two-thirds innings, allowing seven runs on six hits. Lockhart gave up six runs on five hits in an inning and two-thirds. The Bucs added another run in the second inning when Lockhart drove in Alex Mizell, trimming the lead to 7-2. The Tigers plated two more in the fourth and four in the fifth to go up 13-2 and putting pressure on the Buccaneers to score in the fifth to extend the game. Kasey King reached base to lead off the inning, but BGS couldn’t get a runner past second base and the game ended.

BGS head coach Brett Beard said his team did not play well at all, offering an unpleasant reminder of some past Bowling Green teams. “We kind of resorted back to old school Bowling Green baseball. We didn’t make plays,” he said. “We kind of sat back on our heels. Instead of wanting the baseball you could tell we were kind of going ‘Oh, please don’t hit me the baseball.’ That whole mentality, that aura, it just eats you up and it can eat you quick. It got us tonight.” The meeting was the second between the two teams in three days. Centreville won the first meeting, 7-3, and Beard said the games were similar. “We played up there Saturday, and it was really the same type of situation,” he said. “We let the wheels come off a little bit and they jumped on us.” Beard said Centreville is a very strong baseball program and a playoff team, but he expects his team to compete better than it did. “This is still a program that’s learning. It’s still a young program as far as learning to compete at a high level and win a lot of baseball games,” Beard said. “We’re going to have nights like this, we’ve just got to be able to bounce back.” That opportunity to bounce back will come sooner than Beard expected. During Monday’s game, Beard received a message from Jackson Prep wanting to schedule a game in Jackson, Miss. on Wednesday. Beard said the offer is a tremendous opportunity and a sign his program is headed in the right direction. “When was the last time Bowling Green got a call from a team like Jackson Prep to want to come up there and play? In the past that would have never happened,” he said. “I think the word is out that we’re competitive, we’re playing a lot better baseball and we play disciplined baseball.”

Glenbrook rolls past Cenla Academy 21-0
Courtesy of The Minden Press-Herald
The Glenbrook Apaches traveled to Alexandria for a district game with the Cenla Academy Lions Tuesday afternoon.
The Lions didn’t put up much of a fight, as the Apaches came home with a 21-0 win.
Glenbrook scored six runs in the first, seven in the second, one in the third and seven more in the fourth as they took advantage of 16 walks given out by the Cenla pitchers.
Cody Boyd pitched the first two innings to get the win for the Apaches. Boyd gave up no hits and struck out five. Levi Reagan closed out the final two innings, allowing two hits while striking out two.
Preston Wise hit an inside-the-park Grand Slam and Boyd homered, singled and drove in three runs. Chandler Singleton singled, doubled and drove in three, and Dave Parks had a RBI-single. Andrew Brown tripled, Kasey kidd had two hits and Reagan added a single.
The Apaches will host Cenla in a doubleheader on Friday.

Carroll opens league play with a win
Courtesy of The Greenwood Commonwealth

Carroll Academy started its "second season" on the right foot as the Rebels defeated District 2-AA foe Winston Academy 12-7 Tuesday in Louisville.
Carroll, 5-8 overall and 1-0 in league play, had three players combine to hold Winston to five hits. Tyler Bingham started but only lasted one inning. He gave up three runs on one hit, walking four. Jake Streeter relieved Bingham and went four innings to earn his first win of the season. He gave up just two runs on two hits, walking five and fanning three. C.J. Hodges went the final two innings, yielding two runs on two hits, walking two and fanning three. Carroll trailed 3-0 after one and 4-3 after three, but scored two runs in the fourth, one in the fifth and six in the seventh. Clay Perry had three singles, a double and three RBIs for CA, and Breland Marett had a single, double and drove in two runs.
Ty Higginbotham had two singles and two RBIs, and Hodges had two singles. Adam Turner drove in two runs with a single, and Streeter had an RBI single. Kyle Krauzyk had a double. Carroll and Winston square off Thursday in Carrollton for a varsity doubleheader starting at 4 p.m.

Rebels Win Monday, Play Double Header Tonight
By Patrick Tate

The Central Private Rebels opened a three game series with the Silliman Wildcats on Monday night in Clinton with a 4-1 victory. Stephen O'Bryant was brilliant on the mound as he threw a complete game 2 hitter, allowing only one unearned run. Seth Stevens once again led the Rebels offensively as he went 3-3 with 2 runs scored and 1 rbi. He was joined in the hitting department by Hunter Fontleroy who had 2 hits, scored a run, and also had an rbi. Brennan Fuchich had 2 hits for the Rebels. Corbin Burns went the distance on the mound allowing only 4 runs but absorbed the loss for the Wildcats. Austin Amphion and Austin Gayle had the only hits for Silliman. The two teams resume their district rivalry with a double header at Rebel Field on Wednesday.