Mississippi Coach - Fall 2017

Fall 2017 | Vol. 36, No. 2

The Official Publication of the Mississippi Association of Coaches

A Standing Ovation for

MAC’s Coaches of the Year!

Kudos to MAC’s 2016–2017 State Championship Coaches

The Official Publication of the Mississippi Association of Coaches

features

6 12

Cover Story —

A Standing Ovation for MAC’s Coaches of the Year!

Feature Story —

Congrats to MAC’s 2016–2017 State Championship Coaches

departments 4

President’s Message (Derrick Hooker)

4

Executive Director’s Message (Johnny Mims)

5

2017–2018 MAC Officers Announced

13

News from MAC 2017 Hall of Fame Inductees Outstanding Coach Award 2016–2017 Service Awards Upcoming Events Amanda Price Award and lots more!

15

Index of Advertisers

The Mississippi Association of Coaches (MAC) serves its members in the industry through education, promotion and representation.

The statements and opinions expressed herein are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the association, its staff, or its board of directors, Mississippi Coach, or its editors. Likewise, the appearance of advertisers, or MAC members, does not constitute an endorsement of the products or services featured in this, past or subsequent issues of this bi-annual publication. Copyright ©2017 by The Mississippi Association of Coaches. Mississippi Coach is published bi-annually. Subscriptions are complimentary to MAC members. Third-class postage is paid at Nashville, TN. Printed in the U.S.A. Reprints and Submissions: Mississippi Coach allows reprinting of material published here. Permission requests should be directed to MAC. We are not responsible for unsolicited freelance manuscripts and photographs. Contact the managing editor for contribution information. Advertising: For display and classified advertising rates and insertions, please contact Leading Edge Communications, LLC, 206 Bridge Street, Franklin, TN 37064, (615) 790-3718, Fax (615) 794-4524. www.mscoaches.com – fall 2017 – M i s s i s s i pp i C oac h 3

// President’s

Message

// Executive

Director’s Message

Teaching

You

Students to Be Leaders

It

Make a Huge Difference

is with immense pleasure that I thank each of you for the confidence you have exhibited by electing me as president of the Mississippi Association of Coaches. I assure you I will spare no effort in continuing the work that is already in progress.

Our organization is all about teamwork, so together we will accomplish many of our short- and long-term goals.

My plans are to challenge each of you to continue to build a positive and productive organization. I look forward to working with both the staff and coaches as we grow to a mega organization and help develop healthy, robust, sharp and decisive minds in our youths.

Congratulation to all state championship coaches, MAC All-Star coaches, MAC Coaches of the Year and Hall of Fame inductees. These honors are well deserved for the countless hours and hard work you have put in with the young men and women of our state.

In conclusion, I am humbled to serve as your president, and God bless each one of you.

I

hope that being called “Coach” is one of the most exciting callings that we can have. I would hope that as each of our athlete’s participation days comes to a close, that athlete is able to look back on the experience with positive memories.

Only a few of us will have the opportunity to coach an elite athlete who may go on to high levels, but all of us will have the opportunity to help shape thousands of young men and women who will be tomorrow’s leaders. To be called a coach is a special calling, and that calling is part of the bigger picture.

Good luck in this school year. Please let us know if there is ever anything that we can do to assist you. I look forward to this year with great excitement and anticipation as we work together to make the MAC better than ever.

Johnny Mims

MAC Executive Director

Coach Derrick Hooker 2017–2018 MAC President

Thanks to

Our Sponsors & Partners!

Air National Guard

Jackson Coca-Cola Bottling

Rex

BankPlus

Max Preps

Russell Athletic

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Miller Net co.

Wilder Fitness

BSN

Mississippi high school activities assn.

Wilson

Five Star Sports — Mascot Media howard industries

Mississippi Power Mississippi Sports Medicine

4 M i s s i s s i pp i C oac h – fall 2017 – www.mscoaches.com

World Class Athletic Surfaces

MAC Officers //

2017–2018 MAC Officers Mississippi Coach is the official publication of: The Mississippi Association of Coaches Mailing Address: P.O. Box 1194 Clinton, Mississippi 39060-1194 Street Address: 600 East Northside Drive Clinton, Mississippi 39056-3437 Tel: (601) 924-3020 Fax: (601) 924-3050 www.mscoaches.com Published by: Leading Edge Communications, LLC 206 Bridge Street Franklin, Tennessee 37064 Tel: (615) 790-3718 Fax: (615) 794-4524 Email: info@leadingedge communications.com MAC Staff: Executive Director Johnny Mims jmims@mscoaches.com Office Manager Sara Angelo sangelo@mscoaches.com Creative Designer/ Web Master Lindsey Koestler lkoestler@mscoaches.com MAC Officers: President Derrick Hooker Vice President Randy West Immediate Past President Gina Skelton Executive Committee Brad Breland Justin Chaney Larry Gann Danielle Haney Randal Montgomery Shane Sanderson

President – Derrick Hooker, South Delta Vice-President – Randy West, Brandon Immediate Past President – Gina Skelton, Wayne County Executive Director – Johnny Mims Office Manager – Sara Angelo Creative Designer/Web Master – Lindsey Koestler

Class 1A/2A District

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Coach

School

Term

Larry Gann Bernadette Sayles Quintarus McCray Brad Gray Brad Breland Chris Courtney Chris McCallum Mike Meyers

Vardaman Coffeeville Riverside Winona Union Pisgah Salem Our Lady Academy

2019 2018 2019 2018 2019 2018 2019 2018

Coach

School

Term

Shane Sanderson Richard Russo Richard Horton Ben Ashley Justin Chaney Burell Leach Rickey O’Quinn Tony Woody

New Albany Independence Humphreys County Choctaw County Newton County McLaurin Franklin County Jefferson Davis County

2018 2019 2018 2019 2018 2019 2018 2019

Coach

School

Term

Pat Byrd William Bentley Bernard Berryhill Randal Montgomery Danielle Haney Roderick Davidson Tommy Clopton Tom Gladney

Saltillo DeSoto Central Cleveland Central Columbus Wayne County Ridgeland Brookhaven Biloxi

2018 2019 2019 2018 2018 2019 2019 2018

Class 3A/4A District

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Class 5A/6A District

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Honorary Board Members

Herman Sanders Scott Huskey, Brandon High School Allen Lunceford, Clinton High School

* Bold Italics indicates Executive Committee

// cover

story

A Standing Ovation for

MAC’s High School Coaches of the Year!

Athletic Director | Kenny Robinson (Mize High School)

Kenny Robinson

Coach Kenny Robinson began his 36-year career in coaching in 1981 and serves as head football coach and athletic director at Mize, where he has led girls’ basketball, girls’ track, cross country, tennis, golf, baseball and football. His football teams have compiled a record of 190–76 and claimed two Class 1A state championships in 2000 and 2004. His boys’ golf team finished as state runner-up in 2010, 2011 and 2012. Under his guidance as athletic director only, the Mize baseball squad captured the 2003 1A state crown, the girls’ hoops team finished as state runner-up in 2005, and the 2007 powerlifters team finished as state runner-up.

Baseball | Scott Gann (Houston High School) Coach Scott Gann began his 10-year coaching career in 2008 at Houston, where he first worked as an assistant and then took over the head coaching duties in 2011. Coach Gann has paced his diamond squads to a record of 145–52 in his 6-year term as head coach. In 2015, his team won the division and the Class 4A North Half championship and finished as state runner-up. His 2016 team claimed the division and North Half and defeated Newton County in the Class 4A state championship game.

Coach Gann was named the Class 4A Coach of the Year for 2016 by the Northeast Mississippi Coaches Association for Better Baseball.

Scott Gann

Basketball — Boys’ | Ronald Norman (Meridian High School)

Ronald Norman

Coach Ronald Norman started his 21-year career in 1996 at Raleigh High. From 2000–2006, he coached at Bay Springs, where he paced his hoops teams to three district titles, two appearances in the state tournament and a state runner-up finish in 2006. From 2006 to 2013, he guided the Wayne County boys’ basketball squad to seven district crowns, four state tournament appearances, two South State titles, one state runner-up finish and the 2011 Class 5A State Championship. From 2013 to 2016, he coached at Pascagoula and led his teams to three district titles, one South State crown, two state tournament elite-eight appearances and one final-four state tournament slot. In his first season at Meridian, he promptly led the Wildcats to a district title and the Class 6A state crown.

Basketball — Girls’ | Katie Bates (Pine Grove High School) Coach Katie Bates has been a head coach since 2007. She guided the girls’ hoops program at Ripley from 2007–2013, where she led her teams to two division titles, three North Half crowns, two state runner-up finishes and the 2011 Class 3A state championship. She then arrived at Pine Grove, where she has taken the Lady Panthers to two division titles, one North Half crown and the 2017 Class 1A state championship.

Overall, her basketball teams have won 228 games with only 93 losses. For her efforts, Katie was named NEMBCA Coach of the Year on three occasions and Tippah County Coach of the Year three times.

Katie Bates 6 M i s s i s s i pp i C oac h – fall 2017 – www.mscoaches.com

Bowling — Boys’ | Michael Lee (Kossuth High School) Coach Michael Lee guided the Kossuth Aggies to state championships in 2017 (his first year at Kossuth) for both the girls’ and the boys’ bowling squads. He kept the Aggies on pace, as the girls’ team won their second state title, after winning their first in 2015. His boys’ bowlers finished 10–2. In addition to the gutters and lanes, Coach Lee’s 2012 11-year-old travel baseball team won an AA-level state crown, as well as the Tennessee state championship the same year in Dixie Youth 12-and-under majors’ baseball leagues. This year’s award is Coach Lee’s first MAC Coach of the Year honor.

Michael Lee

Bowling — Girls’ | Joey Blount (Neshoba Central High School) Coach Joey Blount launched his 15-year coaching career in 1989 at Hamilton, where he started as an assistant coach. He worked as an assistant at Morton High from 1993–1996 and at Newton County High from 1996–1999. He has served as head coach at Neshoba Central since 2012. Coach Blount’s 2017 girls’ bowling squad claimed the state championship, their second in three years, as the 2015 team also won the state title. His boys’ bowling teams were state runners-up in 2014 and 2017. In addition to MAC honors, Coach Blount was also named the Clarion Ledger Coach of the Year in 2015 and 2017.

Joey Blount

Cross Country — Boys’ | Price Chadwick (St. Andrew’s High School) The MAC high school Boys’ Cross Country Coach of the Year is championship coach Price Chadwick of St. Andrew’s, who has led his Saints cross country teams to six consecutive Class 3A state championships. He entered the coaching ranks in 2007 at his prep alma mater as an assistant cross country and track coach. He was named head coach of boys’ and girls’ track in 2011 and added the cross country mentor duties in 2012. In addition to leading the boys’ cross country team to championship honors, Coach Chadwick’s Lady Saints track team claimed the 2015 Class 3A state championship.

Price Chadwick

Cross Country — Girls’ | Greg Warnick (Tupelo Christian High School) After serving one year as an assistant coach from 2009 to 2010, Coach Greg Warnick took over the track and cross country programs at Tupelo Christian in 2014. He guided the girls’ cross country team to the 2016 Class 1A state title and girls’ track squad to the 2016 and 2017 Class 1A state championships.

In addition, he led the Eagles boys’ cross country squad to the 2016 Class 1A state championship.

Along with his first MAC Coach of the Year honor, Coach Warnick was named the 2016 USTFCCCA Mississippi Girls’ Track Coach of the Year.

Greg Warnick

Football | Chris Jones (Kemper County High School) Coach Chris Jones was a 2003 All-SWAC player for the JSU Tigers and had a four-year career in the NFL and CFL with the Minnesota Vikings, Seattle Seahawks and the Saskatchewan Roughriders. He began his coaching career in 2010 as an assistant at Louisville High and took over as head coach of Kemper County in 2013. He has paced his gridiron squads to a record of 43–12 in the past 4 seasons, and his Kemper County Wildcats claimed the 2016 Class 3A state championship. Now serving as head coach at Starkville High, this year’s honor is Coach Jones’ first MAC Coach of the Year Award.

Chris Jones

Golf — Boys’ | Bradley Tate (Caledonia High School) A golfer since the age of four, Coach Bradley Tate was an All-State, All-District golf star for S. D. Lee High and Heritage Academy, and he played on the Northeast Mississippi Community College golf squad. He started his 11-year coaching career at Caledonia in 2006. In 10 of those 11 years, he has coached the Confederates golf team to the state tournament. His 2015 Caledonia golf team finished as state runner-up, and his 2016 and 2017 squads both captured the Class 4A state titles.

Coach Tate is receiving his first ever MAC Coach of the Year award with this year’s honor.

Bradley Tate www.mscoaches.com – fall 2017 – M i s s i s s i pp i C oac h 7

Golf — girls’ | Shane Sanderson (New Albany High School)

Shane Sanderson

Versatile coach and athletic administrator Shane Sanderson arrived at New Albany in 2007. He has served as a head coach in golf, softball, basketball and football for his entire 15-year career. Coach Sanderson has led the New Albany girls’ golf squad to a record of 49–11, while claiming the 2016 Class II state championship. His softball squads have compiled a record of 100–73. Coach Sanderson was named the MAC Athletic Director of the Year in 2014.

Powerlifting — Boys’ | Marty Warren (Pontotoc High School) Coach Marty Warren has been in the coaching profession for 20 years. Since his arrival in Pontotoc in 2013, he has served as an assistant coach in football and baseball and as a head coach in football, track and powerlifting. He has led the Warriors lifters to three straight powerlifting region, North State and state championships in 2015, 2016 and 2017. This year’s MAC Coach of the Year Award is Coach Warren’s first MAC honor.

Marty Warren

Powerlifting — Girls’ | Scott Duley (East Union High School) Coach Scott Duley started his 13-year coaching career as a graduate assistant football coach at Lambuth before serving as head cross country coach at East Union. After spending two seasons as a football assistant at New Albany, he returned to East Union as assistant football coach, head football coach and head powerlifting coach. He led the boys’ powerlifting team to three consecutive state championships in 2013, 2014 and 2015. His Lady Urchins claimed their second consecutive championship in 2017.

Scott Duley

Soccer — Boys’ | Josh Cavanaugh (Florence High School) Coach Josh Cavanaugh started his 11-year coaching career at Raymond as an assistant coach. He returned to his prep alma mater at Florence in 2008 where he has coached as an assistant football coach and, for the last four years, as head soccer coach. In 2017, he led the Eagles soccer squad to the Class 4A state championship. In addition to his first MAC Coach of the Year award, Coach Cavanaugh was named the 2017 Small School Soccer Coach of the Year by the NSCAA. Josh Cavanaugh

Soccer — Girls’ | Hunter Crane (Oxford High School) Coach Hunter Crane has coached at Oxford for nine years, first as an assistant and then as the head girls’ soccer coach. He has guided the Lady Chargers soccer squad to a record of 40–5 and 2 straight district, North Half and state titles in 2016 and 2017. In the past two seasons, he has had four players selected to the MAC All-Star soccer game and four players to sign college scholarships. In addition, Coach Crane was named Soccer Coach of the Year by the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal.

Hunter Crane

Softball — Fast Pitch | Sonya Wallace (North Pike High School) Coach Sonya Wallace began her 18-year coaching career in 2000 at North Pike. She has led her fast pitch softball squads to an overall mark of 314–171–1. Her North Pike teams have won four South State titles and two consecutive state championships in 2016 and 2017. Along with her coaching duties, she has been a national board-certified teacher since 2005 and was named a Star teacher in 2004.

Sonya Wallace 8 M i s s i s s i pp i C oac h – fall 2017 – www.mscoaches.com

Softball — Slow Pitch | Bryan Loague (Hamilton High School) After serving one year as an assistant at Houlka, Coach Bryan Loague arrived at Mantachie High in 2002 and led the Mustangs’ slow pitch program for nine seasons. Since 2011, he has guided the squad at Hamilton, where his 2016 Lady Lions captured the Class 1A slow pitch state championship, matching the state titles his teams won in 2012 and 2013. He is a two-time Coach of the Year as named by the NEMSBCA in 2006 and 2013.

Bryan Loague

Swimming | Lucas Smith (Tupelo High School) Coach Lucas Smith’s 20-year coaching career began at Columbus, where he served as head coach for five years before he arrived at Tupelo in 2002. After working two seasons as an assistant coach, Coach Smith took over the head coaching duties and created a high school swimming dynasty. He has led the Golden Wave boys’ swimmers to an incredible 11 state championships, including 10 titles in a row, beginning in 2007 through the latest crown in 2016. He has been a part of 9 girls’ swimming state championships, dating back to 2002, for a total of 20 state titles for Tupelo High.

Lucas Smith

Tennis | Suzy Bowman (New Albany High School) Coach Suzy Bowman arrived at New Albany in 2015 and has paced the Bulldog tennis squad to a record of 55–12. Her netters captured the Class 4A state tennis championships in 2015, 2016 and 2017. Along with her high school coaching chores, Coach Bowman has coached junior team tennis for 10 years with the USTA. She was selected as an MAC All-Star tennis coach for 2017 and was also named FCA Coach of the Year.

Suzy Bowman

Track — Boys’ | Shane Baltz (Senatobia High School) For the second straight year, the MAC has named Senatobia Coach Shane Baltz as an MAC Coach of the Year, this time for boys’ track (last year, for boys’ cross country). He has been an assistant football coach and head coach for cross country and track for the past five years. His 2017 Warriors track squad claimed their second consecutive Class 4A state crown. Coach Baltz has led five girls and seven boys to All-State finishes in cross country, and he has coached nine student athletes to boys’ track individual state championships and five relay teams to state crowns.

Shane Baltz

Track — girls’ | Jeffery Gibson (McComb High School) Veteran coach Jeffery Gibson started his 14-year coaching career in 2004. He was head track coach at Memorial High and Central High in Tulsa, Oklahoma, before coaching at Idabel High in Idabel, Oklahoma. Selected as an All-Star coach in the Oklahoma Jim Thorpe All-Star game, Coach Gibson arrived in 2013 at McComb, where he served as an assistant coach for one year before being named head track coach. In 2017, he led the McComb Lady Tigers to their third consecutive state championship.

He paced the boys’ McComb thin cladders to consecutive state crowns in 2014 and 2015.

Jeffery Gibson

Volleyball | Rick Rechtien (Hancock County High School) A former rugby star, Coach Rick Rechtien began his 40-year career in 1977. He coached at CFNI in Dallas (TX), for Missouri Club Volleyball, at Gaseonade County in Owensville (MO) and at Our Lady Academy in Bay St. Louis before his arrival at Hancock County High in 2012. He has spent 11 years as head coach for Club Dig It and MGCVC Club Volleyball. His Hancock Hawks finished as state runners-up for four straight years before claiming a state championship in 2016. Overall, Coach Rechtien has led his teams to 250 wins and only 63 losses.

Rick Rechtien www.mscoaches.com – fall 2017 – M i s s i s s i pp i C oac h 9

Also, AA round round of of applause applause for for Also,

MAC Community Community College College Coaches Coaches MAC

Coaches of the Year!

Men’s Basketball | Rahim Lockhart (Jones Junior College)

Rahim Lockhart

Coach Rahim Lockhart has been selected as the Community College Men’s Basketball Coach of the Year by the MAC for pacing the Jones Junior College Bobcats to an MACJC state title, a Region 23 crown and an appearance in the NJCAA national tournament. A native of Mendenhall, he was an All SEC and third-team All-American for Ole Miss before launching his 16-year coaching career.

woMen’s Basketball | Missy Bilderback (Jones Junior College)

Missy Bilderback

For leading the Jones Junior College Bobcats women’s hoops squad to a record of 30-2, the MACJC state championship, the Region 23 title and an appearance in the NJCAA national tournament, the MAC has chosen Coach Missy Bilderback as the Community College Women’s Basketball Coach of the Year. The former point guard for Pearl River Community College and Best Female Athlete for PRCC from 1996 to 1998, she is a graduate of Southern Miss and started her coaching career in 2001.

baseball | Chris Kirtland (Jones Junior College)

Chris Kirtland

The MAC has selected Chris Kirtland of Jones Junior College as the Community College Baseball Coach of the Year for his efforts in leading his Bobcats diamond squad to a record of 46–4, their second consecutive MACJC state championship and the team’s second straight appearance in the Region 23 finals. The top-ranked Bobcats fell one game short of making their second trip to the JUCO World Series. A native of New Orleans, Coach Kirtland is a former Southern Miss baseball player who was a member of the 2009 Golden Eagles team that appeared in the College World Series.

football | Ken Karcher (East Central Community College) Jeff Koonz (Holmes Community College)

Ken Karcher

Jeff Koonz

For the seventh consecutive year, the MAC has selected Co-Coaches of the Year for community college football.

For the second straight year, Coach Ken Karcher of East Central Community College has been selected for the MAC Football Co-Coach of the Year honors. Coach Karcher guided the Warriors to the school’s first-ever South Division title. The 2016 season was the first time in 40 years that East Central competed in the state playoffs in consecutive seasons. A native of Pittsburgh, he played quarterback at Notre Dame and Tulane before backing up John Elway with the Denver Broncos for two seasons.

Sharing the honors for MAC Community College Coach of the Year is Coach Jeff Koonz of Holmes Community College. He paced the Bulldog gridiron team to a record of 6–3 and their first trip to an NJCAA bowl since 1988. Under Coach Koonz, the Bulldogs made school history by winning the Graphic Edge Bowl Championship in Cedar Falls, Iowa. His football squad was ranked 7th in the nation after the season, the college’s highest ranking since the 2002 season.

golf | Ronnie Key (Meridian Community College) Veteran coach Ronnie Key of Meridian Community College played football and baseball at Northeast Mississippi Community College, where he was named MACJC All-State in both sports. He was head baseball coach at Northeast from 1984–1991 and led his diamond squads to winning seasons every year after his initial campaign. He has been on the Lamar staff for 20 seasons and coached the baseball team before beginning his golf coaching career at Meridian Community College in 2015. He helped Lamar post five consecutive state golf championships.

Ronnie Key

Men’s Soccer | Doug Williams (Hinds Community College) For an amazing 10th time in his coaching career and the 2nd consecutive year, Coach Doug Williams of the Hinds Community College Eagles men’s soccer team has been chosen as the MAC Community College Men’s Tennis Coach of the Year. Now in his 17th season as the Eagles’ head soccer coach, Coach Williams led Hinds to a record of 10–3–1, including the school’s 10th MACJC state championship and the squad’s 9th Region 23 title.

Doug Williams

woMen’s Soccer | Dolores Deasley (Jones Junior College) The MAC proudly presents the 2016 MAC Community College Women’s Soccer Coach of the Year award to Coach Dolores Deasley of Jones Junior College. In 2016, she guided the Bobcats to a record of 15–2 and the MACJC state and Region 23 championships. Her team played in the NJCAA District H playoff and finished ranked 8th in the nation in the NJCAA. During her tenure at Jones Junior College, Coach Deasley has paced her soccer squads to a record of 117–28–3, including state titles in 2010, 2013 and 2016. Her teams have made three consecutive appearances in the MACJC Region 23 tournament in 2014, 2015 and 2016.

Dolores Deasley

Softball | Kenneth Long (Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College) Coach Kenneth Long, the dean of MACJC softball coaches, led his 2017 Lady Bulldogs to their third-straight 40-win season with a record of 40–14, the MACJC state championship and an appearance in the Region 23 tournament. Since his arrival at Gulf Coast in 2002, Coach Long has guided the Lady Bulldog softball program to a sparkling record of 531–202, including 5 MACJC state championships, 4 Region 23 titles and 4 appearances in the NJCAA national tournament. Coach Long has been selected MACJC Coach of the Year on four occasions.

Kenneth Long

Tennis | Wanda McPhail (Meridian Community College) For the third consecutive year, the MAC has named Coach Wanda McPhail of Meridian Community College the men’s and women’s community college Tennis Coach of the Year. Coach McPhail has served as the Eagles’ tennis coach since 2000 and has guided Meridian to 10 MACJC state titles, 20 Region 23 titles and appearances in the NJCAA national tennis tournament for the past 14 seasons. Her 2017 Eagles men’s and women’s tennis netters advanced to another appearance at the NJCAA national tennis tournament. R

Wanda McPhail

// feature

story

MAC Pays Tribute to Our 2016–2017

State Championship-Winning Coaches! > Baseball

> Cross Country — Girls’

1A – Tyler Rogers (Nanih Waiya) 2A – Jared Britt (Loyd Star) 3A – Derek Thompson (Mooreville) 4A – Jerry Boatner (West Lauderdale) 5A – Neil Walther (Pearl River Central) 6A – Justin Reed (Tupelo)

1A – Greg Warnick (Tupelo Christian) 2A – Dustin Minor (Potts Camp) 3A – Timothy McDaniel (St. Patrick) 4A – Debbie Parker (Corinth) 5A – Charles Covington (Saltillo) 6A – Tim Sayers (Ocean Springs)

> Basketball — Boys’

> Dance

1A – Rolley Tipler (Ashland) 2A – Derrick Moore (Coahoma County) 3A – Anthony Carlyle (Velma Jackson) 4A – Robert Green (Raymond) 5A – Marcus Price (Laurel) 6A – Ronald Norman (Meridian)

> Basketball — Girls’

1A – Katie Bates (Pine Grove) 2A – Trent Adair (Ingomar) 3A – Bill Smith (Choctaw Central) 4A – Shayne Linzy (Lafayette) 5A – Fredrick Morris (Neshoba Central) 6A – Jason Thompson (Olive Branch)

> Bowling — Boys’

Class I – Michael Lee (Kossuth) Class II – Brad Talley (St. Martin)

> Bowling — Girls’

Class I – Michael Lee (Kossuth) Class II – Joey Blount (Neshoba Centra)

> Cheer

Small Varsity Division I – Sara Freeman (West Lauderdale) Medium Varsity 2A-4A – Keri Smith (Poplarville) Medium Varsity 5A-6A – Marie Harlow (DeSoto Central) Large Varsity – Sarah Helen Ware (South Panola) Small Varsity Non-Tumble 1A-2A – Kelly Simpson (Enterprise, Clarke) Small Varsity Non-Tumble 3A-6A – Tammie Pirie (Northeast Lauderdale) Large Varsity Non-Tumble – Melissa Carney (Southeast Lauderdale) Small Varsity Co-Ed – Lauren Shotts (Germantown) Large Varsity Co-Ed – Raven Dedeaux (Harrison Central)

> Cross Country — Boys’

1A – Greg Warnick (Tupelo Christian) 2A – James Gant (J.Z. George) 3A – Price Chadwick (St. Andrew’s) 4A – Debbie Parker (Corinth) 5A – Chris Patton (Oxford) 6A – Tim Sayers (Ocean Springs)

Large Varsity Pom – Sadie Penton (Pearl River Central) Small Varsity Jazz – Amber Rivera (St. Martin) Small Varsity Pom 3A-4A – Crystal Rogers (Purvis) Small Varisty Pom 5A-6A – Haley Lanter (DeSoto Central) Large Varsity Jazz – Sadie Penton (Pearl River Central) Small Varsity Kick – Kelly Tucker (South Jones) Hip Hop 5A-6A – Vicki Sullivan (Olive Branch) Hip Hop 3A-4A – Anna Leonard (Sumrall) Large Varsity Kick – Briana Outlaw (Northwest Rankin)

> Football

1A – Tavares Johnson (Simmons) 2A – Perry Liles (Calhoun City) 3A – Chris Jones (Kemper County) 4A – Michael Fair (Lafayette) 5A – Chris Chambless (West Point) 6A – Judd Boswell (Clinton)

> Golf — Boys’

1A – West Watkins (Nanih Waiya) 2A – Michael Gray (Baldwyn) 3A – Bart Greenhaw (Booneville) 4A – Bradley Tate (Caledonia) 5A – Steve Herring (Oxford) 6A – Sharon Rial (Tupelo)

> Golf — Girls’

Class I – Sharon Rial (Tupelo) Class II – Gregg Perry (Germantown) Class III – Brandon Rea (Nettleton)

> Powerlifting — Boys’

1A – Corey Parish (Ethel) 2A – Darryl Jones (Union) 3A – Brian Kelly (Kossuth) 4A – Marty Warren & Mickey Mapp (Pontotoc) 5A – Matt McCrory (Oxford) 6A – Logan Fallo (Gulfport)

> Powerlifting — Girls’

Class I – Scott Duley (East Union) Class II – Kyle Mickelson (Moss Point) Class III – Demetrius Hill (Meridian)

> Soccer — Boys’

1A/2A/3A – Mario Camps (St. Patrick) 4A – Josh Cavanaugh (Florence)

12 M i s s i s s i pp i C oac h – fall 2017 – www.mscoaches.com

5A – Charley Sabatier (Oxford) 6A – Chris Gardner (Northwest Rankin)

> Soccer — Girls’

1A/2A/3A – Joe Falla Sr. (Sacred Heart) 4A – Alex George (West Lauderdale) 5A – Hunter Crane (Oxford) 6A – Dean Joseph (Northwest Rankin)

> Fast Pitch Softball

1A – Scott Leggett (Bogue Chitto) 2A – Mason Grissom (Taylorsville) 3A – Perry Wilburn (Mooreville) 4A – Sonya Wallace (North Pike) 5A – Trae Embry (Neshoba Central) 6A – Dana Rhea (Tupelo)

> Slow Pitch Softball

1A – Bryan Logue (Hamilton) 2A – Lee Berryhill (East Webster) 3A – Crystal Roach (Choctaw Central) 4A – Justin Chaney (Newton County) 5A/6A – Trae Embry (Neshoba Central)

> Swimming — Boys’

Class I – Aaron Levenson (St. Stanislaus) Class II – Lucas Smith (Tupelo)

> Swimming — Girls’

Class I – Lauri Collins (St. Joseph/Madison) Class II – Bridget Carmody (Madison Central)

> Tennis

1A/2A – Nat Leathers (Tupelo Christian) 3A – Katherine Newman (Mississippi School for Math & Science) 4A – Chad Bond (Newton County) 5A – Louis Nash (Oxford) 6A – Brad Boteler (Madison Central)

> Track — Boys’

1A – Linda Faye Allen (John F. Kennedy Memorial) 2A – Coleman Price (Bassfield) 3A – Jermine Harrell (Tylertown) 4A – Shane Baltz (Senatobia) 5A – Chris Bush (Oxford) 6A – Johnathan Perkins (Clinton)

> Track — Girls’

1A – Greg Warnick (Tupelo Christian) 2A – Brittany Vaughn (West Bolivar) 3A – Earnestine Dillon (Tylertown) 4A – Jeffery Gibson (McComb) 5A – Carlton Cotton, West Harrison & Chris Patton (Oxford) 6A – Johnathan Perkins (Clinton)

> Volleyball

Class I – Mike Meyers (Our Lady Academy) Class II – Tara Ross (Oxford) Class III – Rick Rechtien (Hancock) R

News from MAC //

Congratulations to

Our NHSACA Winners!

Congratulations to our Mississippi coaches who received national recognition at the National High School Athletic Coaches Association national convention, which was held in Illinois on June 21.

Coach Jerry Boatner, 2017 National Coach of the Year.

Coach Bubba Davis with

Coach Roy Garcia,

2017 Hall of Fame Inductee.

Congratulations to MAC’s 2016–17

Service Award Winners 55–Year Service Award

Coach Bubba Davis with Becky Jones, daughter of Coach Ben Jones, 2017 Hall of Fame Inductee.

Coach Bubba Davis with Coach Ricky Woods, 2017 National Coach of the Year finalist.

Lynn Moore (Itawamba County Schools)

40–Year Service Award Woody Barnett (Pearl)

30–Year Service Awards Steve Boyd (Jones County Junior College) Ken Carter (Magee) Charles Ray Lee Jr. (Mize) Virgil Powe Jr. (Brandon)

25–Year Service Awards

Tate Fischer (Starkville) Charlette Foster (Alcorn Central) David Mosley (Stringer) Bruce Robinson (Warren Central) Edgar Sorto (Pontotoc)

MAC Announces Inductees to the 2017

Hall of Fame

To be recognized for your years of coaching service, contact the MAC office to receive the form. The form is also available in the 2017–18 Directory and online. The forms must be completed and received in the MAC office by June 1, 2018, to be recognized at the Hall of Fame Banquet.

Banquet held at The Hilton Hotel, Jackson, MS • June 23, 2017 Sponsored by BankPlus Seated (left to right): Coach Johnny Barfield and Gladys Washington (wife of Samuel Washington).

Standing (left to right): Coach Bobby Hall, Coach Johnny Hill and Athletic Trainer Mike Wilkinson.

Coach Joe Flynt

Receives the Coach Roy Garcia Outstanding Coach Award Coach Joe Flynt of Mize High School was recognized for his years of distinguished service to his students and athletes and was selected to receive the Coach Roy Garcia Outstanding Coach Award.

The award was presented at the Coaches Clinic on July 21, 2017 (Hilton Hotel, Jackson, MS).

Don’t Miss Next Year’s

Fid Jones Memorial Golf Tournament, July 16–17, 2018

Special thanks to all of the coaches who supported this year’s Golf Tournament.

Next year’s event will be held on July 16–17, 2018. Make plans to attend!

Sponsored by BSN Sports

Left to right: Coach Kenny Robinson (Mize), Coach Joe Flynt (Mize) and Coach Roy Garcia. www.mscoaches.com – fall 2017 – M i s s i s s i pp i C oac h 13

2017

Mississippi/ Alabama All-Star Football Classic,

2017

Hattiesburg, MS, December 16, 2017

The 31st Mississippi/Alabama All-Star Football Classic, featuring the “best of the best” of high school senior talent from both states, will be played at M.M. Roberts Stadium in Hattiesburg, MS.

Coaching Staff Head Coach: Lance Mancuso (Jefferson Davis County)

Assistant Coaches: Judd Boswell (Clinton) Toby Collums (Northwest Rankin) Anthony Dillon (North Forrest) Larry Dolan (Pearl River Central) Chris Jones (Starkville) Brian Rials (Seminary) Ryan Ross (Ocean Springs)

Scout Coach: Tommy Clopton (Brookhaven)

Administrative Coach: Howard McNeill Kenny Robinson (Mize)

Athletic Trainers: Richie Woods and Ray Burr (Mississippi Sports Medicine)

Congratulations to Our

Bernard Blackwell All-Star Football Game

2017

December 9, 2017

The 69th Annual Bernard Blackwell Classic All-Star Football Game will be played on Saturday, December 9, at Gulfport High School’s Milner Stadium. A special thanks to Gulfport School District Superintendent Glen East, Athletic Director Bryan Caldwell and all of their staff for supporting the MAC.

North Team Coaches Head Coach Trent Hammond (Tupelo)

Assistant Coaches

Multi-Sports Clinic Thanks to these folks who went above and beyond to make the 2017 Multi-Sports Clinic and All-Star Volleyball game a success!

• Maggie Brooks • Bayleigh Busby • Mike Chambless • Mike Curley • Roderick Davidson • Paul Allen Duke and the Mississippi College Ladies • Donny Fuller

Brad Boyette (Horn Lake) Andrew Crotwell (North Pontotoc) Clinton Gatewood (Greenwood) Brian Jones (Tupelo) Quintarus McCray (Riverside) Will Wolfe (Hernando)

• Roy Garcia

Scout Coach

• Blair McBride

Patrick Schoolar (Neshoba Central)

• Howard McNeill

South Team Coaches

• Susan Mims

Head Coach

• Eugene Sanders

Matt Caldwell (George County)

• Herman Sanders

Assistant Coaches

• Krystal Smithhart

Dan Brady (Bay Springs) Jason Goodwin (Puckett) Todd McDaniel (Hazlehurst) Jaymie Palmer (Lawrence County) Ron Renfroe (George County) Corey Reynolds (South Jones)

Scout Coach John Brown (Stringer)

Amanda Price Award Recipients

For the first time, two Amanda Price Award recipients were named in a calendar year: Jamie Wallace, wife of Coach Kyle Wallace (Yazoo County), and Jennifer Lowrey, wife of Coach Will Lowrey (Tupelo Christian). Congratulations, ladies!

If you would like to nominate your wife for this award, please be sure to submit a letter (to www. mississippicwa.com) by the deadline date. Nominations for next year’s award will begin in Spring 2018.

Left to right: Ron Price, Myla Wallace, Jamie Wallace and Sheri Shramek. (Not pictured: Jennifer Lowrey.)

14 M i s s i s s i pp i C oac h – fall 2017 – www.mscoaches.com

• Danielle Haney • Scott Huskey • Burrell Leach • Allen Lunceford

• Gina Skelton • Katrina Stagg • Glen Waddle • Randy West

News from MAC/continued

MAC’s 2016-2017 Winners of the

In Memory of

Coach Ben Jones Mississippi high school coaching legend Ben David Jones died on July 7 in Memphis in the aftermath of a stroke; he was 87.

His 32-year coaching career spanned the state, with stops at Hatley, Gulfport, Tupelo, Fulton, Meridian, New Albany and Itawamba Junior College. He led teams to state titles and conference championships, mainly in football but also in basketball.

Fulton was the scene of what Coach Jones called his most important coaching achievement. On September 8, 1967, the Itawamba AHS Indians fielded the state’s first fully integrated football team, with 18 African-American players.

Coach Jones was a former president of the Mississippi Association of Coaches and an MAC Hall of Fame inductee, as well as an National High School Athletic Coaches Association Hall of Fame inductee. He retired from coaching in 1986.

World Class Athletic Surfaces Scholarship

World Class Athletic Surfaces provides two $500 scholarships to be presented to children of MAC members. The two recipients selected at random during the MAC General Business Meeting during the 2017 Coaches Clinic were:

Macey Clair Ainsworth Daughter of Coach Greta Ainsworth (Pass Christian), attending Pearl River Community College

Michael Saul Son of Coach Richard Saul (Alcorn Central), attending Mississippi University for Women Thank you, World Class Athletic Surfaces, and congratulations to our recipients!

Notes from the MAC Staff • The tentative date set for the 2018 Coaches Clinic is July 17–20.

• Please refer to your MAC Directory to view the calendar of events for the upcoming year. Some All-Star games have been moved to coincide closer to the end of the season.

The calendar is also available for download on our website under the “Calendar” tab.

• Announcements and other important information are now posted on our website, Twitter (@MACoaches) and Facebook page. Please check these regularly. If you

have information that you think will be helpful and would like to see on these pages, please feel free to contact us. R

• Reminder: All-Star nomination forms are no longer mailed out; they will be posted on the website. An email reminder will be sent to head coaches and athletic directors when it is time to nominate.

• Please review your information in the MAC Directory to verify that we have accurate contact information for you. If we DO NOT, please contact us to make corrections, or you will not receive information from our office.

Digital Marketplace

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