By Staff
From Staff Reports
Nov. 28, 2001
At Southeast Lauderdale family is important. Joe Miller began his twelfth year as the girls basketball coach this season.
Miller's son Ryan has followed in his footsteps as he begins his fourth season as the boys' basketball coach, a post that his father once held.
The elder Miller is proud of his son, but he doesn't get in his way. "I pretty much leave Ryan alone with the team," said Joe Miller. "He doesn't ask me for a lot of advice, but I help when I can."
The Millers get to share a special camaraderie between father and son. "We are excited for each other when one of us wins," said Joe Miller. "It was his choice to coach and I'm happy it's worked out for him."
Josh Taylor
Geography, MPSA style
MPSA Activities Director Les Triplett had a funny line while introducing Wayne Academy to the podium on Monday.
Wayne and its final's opponent in Trinity Episcopal of Natchez are located just off U.S. Highway 84 which crosses the southern half of Mississippi.
Jeff Byrd
Closing in on 2000 points
Scott Central senior Britney Burks entered the ECCC Central Mississippi Classic needing only 124 points to reach the 2,000 mark for her career.
Burks is a five-year starter for Chad Harrison's Lady Rebels.
Teammate Kattie Nickson is closing in on 1,000 points, needing only 33 to reach that milestone.
Marty Stamper
Hanging up those points
Eleven of the 20 teams who won in Friday night's quarterfinal round of the Mississippi High School Activities Association football playoffs scored more than 30 points.
The most points scored by any of the losing teams was 31 by Picayune in a 34-31 overtime loss to D'Iberville. Taylorsville scored 30 in a one-point, double-overtime loss to St. John and Louisville scored 28 in a 36-28 loss to Hernando.
Moss Point put up the biggest numbers in a 51-15 win over Biloxi in the Class 5A playoffs. Four other teams scored 40 or more points, while 17 of the losing teams scored 18 points are less.
There were four shutouts, with two of those coming in Class 5A, where Vicksburg rolled past Madison Central 28-0 and Starkville beat Warren Central 21-0.
Austin Bishop
All dressed up and somewhere to go
Teams attending the MPSA Press Conference for this week's state championship games came in different attire.
Five teams wore game jerseys which certainly helped the attending media make quick player identifications. The teams wearing game jerseys included Wayne Academy, Trinity, Magnolia Heights, North Delta School and Jackson Academy.
Wearing school colored shirts were Louisiana finalists in Oak Forest and Silliman Institute.
Jackson Prep, a 15-time participant in the state finals, saw head coach Ricky Black and four players dressed in coat and ties.
Jeff Byrd
I think I know those guys
When Taylorsville and Bay Springs met each other in the second round of the MHSAA Class 2A playoffs on Nov. 16 it wasn't a matchup between two teams who didn't know each other.
It was the fifth time in three years that the two teams had met and the second time in three years that they had tangled in the playoffs. The Tartars of Taylorsville won the game 29-14 given them a sweep of the two games the teams played this year. THS won the first won 9-6.
In 1999 the two teams split, with Bay Springs beating the Tartars for the South State title, while Taylorsville won the lone 2000 meeting.
By the way, Taylorsville has won 12 straight 7-2A titles.
Austin Bishop
How to stop Ridley
Wayne Academy Head Coach Tom Boszor saw on film just how effective Trinity's Chad Ridley can be.
Later, Boszor offered these thoughts on Ridley.
We've got three guys in our secondary who have at least three interceptions. One of them has seven."
The Jaguars intercepted three passes in Friday's 14-7 win over DeSoto School. Senior Jacob Ferguson, who attended the conference along with senior safety Cory Cochran, quarterback Steven Wood and defensive end Jaret DuVall, had two in the game. All the picks came in the fourth quarter.
The one bad stat for Ridley is interceptions. He has been picked off 13 times by Saint opponents.
Another weapon is a good Jaguar offense.
Jeff Byrd
Better late than never
The Louisville High School football team had trouble scoring in its first four games of the year, as the Wildcats tallied just 34 combined points on the way to a 1-3 start.
LHS rebounded as the offense began to get it going. In each their first two MHSAA Class 4A playoff games the Wildcats topped the combined point total of those first four games.
Louisville beat Oxford 38-14 and Shannon 44-38, before losing to Hernando 36-28 on Friday night to end the year at 8-5.
Austin Bishop
Baseball Evaluation Camp set for Dec. 2
A Top Prospects Baseball Evaluation Camp for grades 9-12 will be held Sunday, Dec. 2, at 2 p.m. at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College in Perkinston.
Preregistration is $75 and on-site registration is $85. For registration forms or more information, call Greg Owen at 601-928-2322 or Tim Hendrix at 318-325-5335.
Marty Stamper