November 11, 2008
By Austin Bishop and Bobby Gray / Special to The Star
The Meridian Star
Tue Nov 11, 2008, 11:25 PM CST
While all five of the public school divisions are competitive at the top, none is more volatile than Class 1A of the Mississippi High School Activities Association.
Any of the top four teams could lay claim to the top spot in the rankings, and with justifiable reasons. But, after long and hard consideration, East Webster (9-0) remains on top of the Mississippi Prep Sports Source Rankings for the 11th straight week. Durant (10-0) stays firm at No.2, while Ray Brooks, the preseason No. 1, is at No. 3 with a 9-0 mark. Also 9-0, Puckett is No. 4.
In Class 3A Tylertown holds the top spot by a slim margin over 10-1 Franklin County, a team it beat in the regular season. Hazlehurst (8-2), jumped over undefeated Corinth (11-0) to take the No. 3 spot, while Newton County moved up to No. 5 and Winona shot from No. 9 to No. 6.
Five-time defending Class 5A champion South Panola is still the top team in its classification with Oak Grove moving up to No. 4 and Petal to No. 5, following Tupelo's 45-34 loss to Olive Branch.
The Top 10 in Class 4A is unchanged as all of the higher ranked teams had relatively easy first round playoff wins. Wayne County (11--0) is No. 1, followed by Noxubee County and D'Iberville.
In Class 2A Forest remains No. 1 after holding off an upset bid with a 46-45 win over Bay Springs. Taylorsville (11-0) is No. 2, followed by Baldwyn, Eupora and Ackerman.
Jackson Prep and Magnolia Heights remain No. 1 and 2 in the MPSAA Overall rankings and can solidify those spots with championship game wins on Friday at Mississippi College.
The top-ranked Patriots of Prep play Madison-Ridgeland Academy at 7 p.m. for the MPSA AAA Division-I championship, while Magnolia Heights.
MHSAA Class 5A| 1 | South Panola | 11-0 | | 2 | Meridian | 10-1 |
| 3 | Madison Central | 10-1 |
| 4 | Oak Grove | 10-1 |
| 5 | Petal | 10-1 |
| 6 | Olive Branch | 9-1 |
| 7 | Tupelo | 8-3 |
| 8 | Ocean Springs | 9-1 |
| 9 | Hattiesburg | 8-3 |
| 10 | Southaven | 8-3 |
| 11 | Northwest Rankin | 9-2 |
| 12 | Clinton | 8-3 |
| 13 | George County | 6-5 |
| 14 | Natchez | 6-4 |
| 15 | Murrah | 6-5 |
Moving Up:| Oak Grove, Petal and Olive Branch each moved up one spot to No. 4, 5 and 6 respectively. | Moving Down:| The only drop in the rankings came when Tupelo lost to Olive Branch 45-34 and fell from No. 4 to No. 7 | Lurking Around:| The only other team that can remotely be considered for the Top 15 is 6-5 Provine and the Rams pay a visit to No. 1 South Panola on Friday night. |
MHSAA Class 4A| 1 | Wayne County | 11-0 | | 2 | Noxubee County | 10-0 |
| 3 | D'Iberville | 11-0 |
| 4 | Lawrence County | 10-1 |
| 5 | Shannon | 10-1 |
| 6 | Picayune | 9-2 |
| 7 | West Lauderdale | 8-3 |
| 8 | Quitman | 10-1 |
| 9 | Itawamba AHS | 10-1 |
| 10 | Brookhaven | 7-2 |
| 11 | Pearl | 9-2 |
| 12 | Vicksburg | 9-2 |
| 13 | Northeast Jones | 8-3 |
| 14 | West Jones | 10-3 |
| 15 | Lafayette County | 7-4 |
Moving Up:| Vicksburg moved up one spot to No. 12, with NOrtheast Jones and West Jones also claiming one spot each. Lafayette County re-entered the rankings at No. 15 with a 13-0 win over West Point. | Moving Down:| West Point fell out of the rankings with the shutout loss in the first round of the playoffs. The Green Wave was ranked No. 12 last week and finished the year at 8-3. | Lurking Around:| New Hope, at 7-4, is certainly a team to watch. The Trojans host No. 12 Vicksburg in a very winnable second round game on Friday night. |
MHSAA Class 3A| 1 | Tylertown | 9-0 | | 2 | Franklin County | 10-1 |
| 3 | Hazlehurst | 8-2 |
| 4 | Corinth | 11-0 |
| 5 | Newton County | 10-1 |
| 6 | Winona | 8-3 |
| 7 | Louisville | 8-3 |
| 8 | South Pike | 6-2 |
| 9 | Magee | 8-3 |
| 10 | Ripley | 8-2 |
| 11 | Amory | 6-5 |
| 12 | Aberdeen | 9-2 |
| 13 | Columbia | 9-2 |
| 14 | Charleston | 8-3 |
| 15 | Collins | 6-5 |
Moving Up:| Magee jumped to No. 9 on the heels of it's 38-26 win over Greene County, while Ripley climbed two spots to No 10 and Amory moved up four spots to No. 11 after beating Velma Jackson 37-20. Collins entered the rankings at No. 15 with a 45-18 win over Perry Central. | Moving Down:| Velma Jackson, formerly No. 10, and No. 13-ranked Perry Central fell out of the rankings with their first-round losses in the playoffs. Charleston also took a hard tumble, dropping from No. 8 to No. 14. | Lurking Around:| Just on the outside looking in are Senatobia (7-4), North Panola (7-4), Velma Jackson (8-2) and Perry Central (7-4). |
MHSAA Class 2A| 1 | Forest | 11-0 | | 2 | Taylorsville | 11-0 |
| 3 | Baldwyn | 10-1 |
| 4 | Eupora | 9-2 |
| 5 | Ackerman | 9-2 |
| 6 | Bassfield | 9-2 |
| 7 | West Bolivar | 9-2 |
| 8 | Philadelphia | 9-2 |
| 9 | Scott Central | 7-3 |
| 10 | Leland | 9-2 |
| 11 | Hollandale Simmons | 8-2 |
| 12 | St. Patrick | 7-3 |
| 13 | Walnut | 9-2 |
| 14 | Enterprise | 8-3 |
| 15 | Bruce | 7-4 |
Moving Up:| Ackerman climbed two spots to No. 5 and Bassfield moved up four notches to No. 6. Scott Central, unranked last week, is now No. 9. | Moving Down:| Enterprise fell all the way from No. 5 to No. 14, while Bruce slid from No. 6 to No. 15 and St. Andrew's fell out of the rankings after being No. 9 last week. | Lurking Around:| East Marion (6-4), North Forrest (7-4), Hinds AHS (8-3), Leflore County (7-4), and South Delta (7-4). |
MHSAA Class 1A| 1 | East Webster | 10-0 | | 2 | Durant | 11-0 |
| 3 | Ray Broks | 10-0 |
| 4 | Puckett | 10-0 |
| 5 | Mt. Olive | 10-1 |
| 6 | Greenville St. Joseph | 9-1 |
| 7 | Weir | 9-2 |
| 8 | Sebastopol | 8-2 |
| 9 | Calhoun City | 8-2 |
| 10 | West Lowndes | 7-4 |
| 11 | Vardaman | 8-3 |
| 12 | Stringer | 7-3 |
| 13 | Bogue Chitto | 8-3 |
| 14 | Smithville | 8-3 |
| 15 | Nanih Waiya | 7-4 |
Moving Up: There was absolutely no movement in Class 1A this week.
| Moving Down: There was absolutely no movement in Class 1A this week.
| Lurking Around:| Shaw, 6-4, is hoping to pull the upset at East Webster on Friday night. Drew, at 8-2, is also on the verge of breaking in to the rankings. |
MPSA Overall| 1 | Jackson Prep | 10-1 | | 2 | Magnolia Heights | 9-1 |
| 3 | Jackson Academy | 7-4 |
| 4 | Washington | 8-3 |
| 5 | MRA | 6-5 |
| 6 | Pillow | 9-3 |
| 7 | Lamar | 9-3 |
| 8 | Winston | 12-0 |
| 9 | Kirk | 10-2 |
| 10 | Clarksdale Lee | 8-3 |
| 11 | Parklane | 7-3 |
| 12 | Centreville | 10-2 |
| 13 | Trinity Episcopal | 12-1 |
| 14 | Porters Chapel | 13-0 |
| 15 | Canton | 9-3 |
Moving Up:| Washington School moved up three spots to No. 4 with its convincing 42-7 playoff win over Lamar School, ,while Jackson Academy edged up spot to No. 3 despite losing 21-7 to top-ranked Jackson Prep. Canton, 9-3, entered the rankings at No. 15. | Moving Down:| Pillow fell three spots to No. 6 and Lamar tumbled two rungs to No. 7 after their playoff losses. | Lurking Around:| A playoff win could move Bowling Green (8-3) or Oak Forest (6-5) into the Top 15. |
- Sports
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Clarkdale serves notice in rout of Enterprise
The Clarkdale girls’ basketball team served notice that it belonged among the top teams in MHSAA Class 2A with a 59-56 division win at defending 2A state champion Scott Central on January 31.
February 8, 2012
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Northeast Lauderdale stuns, upsets Northeast Jones in opening round.
Shaquanta McDonald and Tarmecia Mack each scored 10 points as The Trojans beat the Tigers 42-28 in the opening round of the District 5-4A District Tournament held at West Lauderdale Tuesday. Brittany Williams added nine points for Northeast Lauderdale (5-21).
February 8, 2012
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Season Ender
The defense was there, but the offense never came around and Meridian High saw its playoff hopes disappear as Oak Grove pulled away in the final minutes to knock off the host Wildcats 58-48 on Tuesday night in the Region 5-6A Tournament.
February 8, 2012
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Kemper County wins thriller over Heidelberg
In a division with traditional powerhouses Choctaw Central, Southeast Lauderdale and Newton – the fourth-and-fifth-seeded Kemper County and Heidelberg girls both were hoping to just punch their ticket to the Class 3A state playoffs and hope to hit a hot streak.
Part one of that equation was successful for Kemper County Tuesday night, but it was far from easy.
February 8, 2012
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New-look Lions set to open 2012 softball season
Coming off the most successful season of fast-pitch softball competition in the program’s history, the East Mississippi Community College Lions are set to open their 2012 softball campaign by playing host to Marion Military Institute Tuesday afternoon on the Scooba campus. First pitch for the season-opening doubleheader is set for 1 p.m.
February 7, 2012
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Yellowjackets survive Hornets, keep season alive
Rarely does a team commit 46 turnovers and not get run out of the gym, but the Union girls overcame their ballhandling woes to knock off Lake 41-38 in overtime of the MHSAA Division 6-2A Tournament Monday night.
February 7, 2012
4 Photos
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Roundup — MCC baseball splits pair at tourney
The Meridian Community College Eagles salvaged a split of its final games in the 2012 T.J. Fleming Invitational at Lurleen B. Wallace Community College on Sunday.
February 6, 2012
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Crusaders use experience, speed to topple Tornadoes
Philadelphia and Sacred Heart both entered Friday's Class 1A/2A/3A soccer state championship game looking for their first state crown.
The Crusaders, though, had finished as runners-up the previous two seasons, and used that experience and their speed to their advantage as they scored three first half goals in route to a 3-1 win.
February 4, 2012
4 Photos
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Roundup — West girls rally past Louisville
The West Lauderdale girls basketball team overcame an early deficit to top visiting Louisville 60-56 to close out the regular season Friday.
February 4, 2012
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Dreams Dashed
A real life David vs. Goliath meeting took place in the Class 1A/2A/3A girls state championship soccer game Friday afternoon at Clinton High School's Arrow Field.
Having never advanced farther than the second round of the MSHSAA soccer playoffs, Clarkdale entered looking to shock the state and win its first state title. In th way stood Our Lady Academy, a nine-time state champion from Bay St. Louis.
The Crescents blanked the Bulldogs 5-0 for their third straight title and 10th since 2000.
February 4, 2012
6 Photos
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