NEWTON — The Newton girls basketball team is approaching this week's MHSAA Grand Slam tournament as an opportunity. An opportunity to make their mark as a state power.
After the Tigers won their second Class 2A state championship last week, Newton is now turning its attention to the rest of the state.
"The Grand Slam, for us, is an opportunity to take our program even to a state-wide level," Newton coach Crandal Porter said. "Class 2A-wise, we're pretty high, but we want to creep up into that state-wide level and be mentioned with the Murrahs, the Wayne Countys and the Raymonds and all those kinds of people.
"This is an opportunity and a challenge for us."
That opportunity is exactly why Porter and the Tigers are excited about the Grand Slam. Now in its fourth year after a 25-year hiatus, the Grand Slam gives the state's smaller schools a chance to prove their mettle against their bigger counterparts.
"I think it's awesome," Porter added. "2A level, because of so many different factors which haven't really influenced us as much, you don't really get a chance to step out and play the bigger schools. But the Grand Slam is an opportunity for you. We look at it as a big, big opportunity for us to showcase our program against the better programs in the state."
The difference in school size makes no difference to Newton, though. The Tigers downed Class 5A champion Wayne County earlier in the season and also has battled with Class 4A semifinalist Northeast Lauderdale and Class 3A semifinalist Choctaw Central. Those battles give Porter confidence heading into today's 1 p.m. opener against Class 1A champ McAdams. The winner advances to Friday's semifinal against Class 6A winner Horn Lake.
"I feel we can compete against anybody," he said. "We play at that level anyway, so playing bigger schools won't be an intimidating factor for our kids because we do that already."
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Newton girls look to make mark at Grand Slam
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Neel leaving champion War Eagles for Panthers
Eric Neel spent three seasons coach at East Central. The Hornets played in three state championship games.
Neel then coached the past three years at Wayne County, leading the War Eagles to three straight Class 5A fast-pitch state crowns.
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Russell Christian Academy senior Camryn Lee and Newton County Academy duo Clay Upton and Dillon Williams will wrap up their senior seasons today.
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Pitcher Ginger Lonergan and centerfielder Relanda McFarland were both named to the NJCAA Division II All-American first-team on Thursday. -
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The Drought Is Over
All Mason Irby was hoping for was to find a way on base.
The Southeast Lauderdale sophomore did that and so much more. Irby's single with two outs in the seventh inning broke a tie, lifting the Tigers to a 6-3 MHSAA Class 3A state championship win at Smith-Wills Stadium on Wednesday, and handing Southeast (32-7) its first title since 1966. -
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The bar was set pretty high.
After all, Southeast Lauderdale senior right-hander Colby Ramey needed just 65 pitches to beat Kossuth in Game 1 of the MHSAA Class 3A state championship game Thursday.
However, according to fellow senior Blake McMullen, Ramey cleared the hurdle Wednesday when he scattered eight hits on 104 pitches to finish off the Aggies in a 6-3 state championship-clinching win at Smith-Wills Stadium on Wednesday. -
Southeast wins MHSAA Class 3A Championsip
Slideshow from the MHSAA Class 3A state championship game between Southeast Lauderdale and Kossuth.
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Briarwood to host Emerald Coast Golf Tour in June
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