By Staff
From staff reports
April 8, 2002
New Albany football coach Steve Denson has been named the new head football coach at Ackerman. Denson replaces Ricky Woods, who earlier accepted the head football job at South Panola.
Denson coached the New Albany Bulldogs two years with those teams compiling a 10-12 record. New Albany went 6-5 in 2001.
Denson is a graduate of Mississippi University for Women.
Meanwhile, Denson's job at New Albany has been filled by Ricky Bates. Bates has been the athletic director at New Albany this year, but previously was head coach at Walnut for five years and spent seven years at Falkner where he won a state title.
Marty Stamper
Third time the charm?
The Myrtle Lady Hawks have finished second in the Class 1A state basketball tournament the last two years, losing 58-57 to Lake in 2001 and 86-80 to Durant a few weeks ago.
Myrtle returns all five starters from this year's team for yet another run for the elusive big gold ball in 2003.
Marty Stamper
Lawson fans 18
Wayne County's Ty Lawson recently struck out 18 batters in the War Eagles' 8-1 Division 5-5A win over Brandon.
Through Wayne's first 12 games, Lawson was 3-2 with a 1.93 ERA. In 29 innings, he had 45 strikeouts to go with only 10 walks.
Marty Stamper
Bradley leaving Mooreville
After taking the Mooreville Troopers to the Class 2A state football playoffs the last two years, Michael Bradley has resigned to take the head football job at Pearl River Central.
PRC, a Class 4A school located in Carriere, went 2-8 last fall.
Prior to Bradley, Mooreville had not been to the state playoffs in 14 years. The Troopers went 9-3 in 2000 and 7-4 in 2001.
– Marty Stamper
Jones coaching at CA
Neshoba Central grad Jonathan Jones is in his first year coaching the Canton Academy Panthers baseball team. He was an assistant coach at Canton High School last year and was 28-28 in two years at Sebastopol.
Jones played college ball at East Central Community College and Belhaven College.
The Panthers improved to 8-3 with Tuesday's 10-0 victory over Leake Academy.
– Marty Stamper
Hillcrest needing coaches
Hillcrest Christian School in Jackson is looking for a new football coach and boys' basketball coach. Dennis Thompson resigned as football coach after three seasons resulted in an 11-18 record.
Boys' basketball coach Kenny Bizot was recently named assistant men's basketball coach at Mississippi College. In five seasons at Hillcrest, Bizot had a 122-58 mark with two Academy Overall championships (2000 and 2001). The Cougars also won AAAA state championships in 2000 and 2001.
– Marty Stamper
Butler out at Biloxi
Biloxi High School baseball coach Chuck Butler was relieved of his coaching duties for the remainder of the 2002 season in the aftermath of his ejection for disputing a call in a game at St. Martin.
Butler won the Class 5A state championship in 1988, his first season with the Indians. Biloxi won division championships in 1988, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, and 1995 under Butler.
Kevin Burdine will serve as interim coach the remainder of the season.
– Marty Stamper
Gray interested in DSU job
Tupelo girls' basketball coach Nanci Gray is one of several people who have applied for the Delta State University women's basketball job.
The Lady Statemen job became available following the retirement of 19-year veteran Lloyd Clark.
Gray has a 339-85 record which includes a 156-20 showing in five years at Tupelo. The Lady Waves won the 2001 Class 5A state championship and reached the semifinals this year en route to a 34-2 season.
A new coach is expected to be named at DSU by late May or early June.
Others interested in the DSU job include UAB assistant Amy Champion, Henderson State head coach Sandra Rushing, Mississippi Delta Community College head coach Burnadette McDonald, former Texas Southern head coach and DSU legend Lusia Harris-Stewart, and former East Side head coach Lucy Seaberry-Moore.
Champion played on two of DSU's national champion teams. McDonald played under Clark at DSU and was a full-time assistant there for nine years. Harris-Stewart is the most prolific athlete in Lady Statesmen history, while Seaberry-Moore is DSU's first black gradate.
Seaberry-Moore currently is the second-winnningest girls' basketball coach in Mississippi high school history.
– Marty Stamper
Natchez names stadium for ex-coach
Last week Natchez High School had a ceremony at its football stadium which has been named for the late Tom F. Williams, a longtime coach in Natchez.
Williams spent 20 years at Natchez as both coach and administrator. He started out in 1964 as an assistant coach at S.V. Thompson High School before taking an assistant's job at South Natchez.
He was named head coach at North Natchez in 1974 and head coach at Natchez High School in 1992 after North Natchez and South Natchez were consolidated. Williams was a member of the Mississippi coaching staff in the 1989 Mississippi/Alabama All-Star Game.
Williams passed away in 1997.
– Marty Stamper
Cathedral revives track program
After nearly a 20-year layoff, Natchez Cathedral is running track this spring. Cathedral has eight boys and one girl participating.
– Marty Stamper
Dirks shows his stuff
Hernando left-hander Clay Dirks is considered to be the top baseball player in the state this year by many. He has already signed with LSU.
In a game with Tishomingo County last week, Dirks struck out 17 batters and allowed only two hits and two walks in a 5-0 win.
He struck out the side in the second, third, sixth, and seventh frames.
– Marty Stamper
Natchez snaps 16-game skid
The Natchez Bulldogs dropped their first 16 games of the 2002 baseball season before taking wins over Vidalia, La. (12-8) and Block, La., (12-2) last week.
The modest winning streak ended Tuesday with a 13-3 Division 5-5A loss at Meridian.
– Marty Stamper
Carthage, Murrah tops in track
The Carthage boys and Murrah girls are the top-ranked track teams so far in the 2002 season, according to iHigh.com.
Following Carthage in the boys' poll are Oxford, Tupelo, Madison Central, and Pearl. Meridian is No. 15.
Behind the Lady Mustangs are Natchez, Amite County, Tupelo, and Madison Central. The Meridian Lady Wildcats are No. 13.
– Marty Stamper