Lamar Raiders win 3A South State tennis title

By Staff
From staff reports
The Lamar tennis team claimed the MPSA Class 3A South State championship on Wednesday at Jackson Prep. The Raiders ended the tournament with a team score of 11 points to edge out Jackson Prep, which finished with 10.5.
Wade Covington took the boys No. 1 singles championship with a 6-3, 7-5 win over Walter Freeman of Adams County Christian, while Justin Blanks fell in the No. 2 singles championship match to Robbie Aru of Jackson Prep 6-2, 6-0.
Lamar's Lane Rush and Bryan Barham took the doubles championship with a 6-4, 6-2 win to round out the boys' action.
The Lady Raiders finished in second place behind Jackson Prep with a team score of seven points.
Sara Michelle Nicholson advanced to the No. 2 girls singles championship but was eliminated by Jordan Zachary of Jackson Prep 6-1, 6-1. Amy Swartzfager and Kelly Brown lost in the championship match of the No. 1 doubles6-4, 6-1, while Katie Pearson and Kristina Makey dropped a 6-1, 6-2 decision in the championship match of the No. 2 doubles match.
Dawson Dyess and Brown ended the day for Lamar by advancing to the mixed doubles championship match but were 6-2, 7-5.
Robby Atkinson
Need a job? Try Biloxi
Biloxi High is in the market for several new faces in its athletic program.
John Pugh, 243-73 as a head coach, has resigned as boys' basketball coach. He led the Indians to the 2004 Class 5A state championship after previously leading the 2001 Indians to a state title.
Biloxi is also looking for a new athletic director after Ken Hall resigned and a new girls' basketball coach after Jesse Ratliff resigned.
Pugh was a longtime assistant under Jackie Laird and was an assistant coach when the Indians won back-to-back state championships in 1989 and 1990.
Marty Stamper
Not up to snuff
The Broad Street Jaguars were forced to give up their right to host a Class 2A baseball regional because their field at Shelby didn't have lights.
Broad Street tried to find a place with lights to host the tournament, but couldn't. It looked like the search might have been over when the Jaguars were allowed access to Mills Road Field in Greenville, but the dimensions of the field were too short.
Marty Stamper
Not bad for baseball players
Morton twins James and John Harris won their fifth straight boys doubles state tennis championship Wednesday at the Ridgeland Tennis Center. Over that period, they have never lost a match.
They beat Columbia 6-1, 6-1 in this year's finals.
Not bad considering they both start for the Panther baseball team which was hosting a Class 3A regional that Purvis eventually won on Monday, beating Morton in the finals.
John, who plays center field, and James, who starts at shortstop, have already signed baseball scholarships at East Central Community College.
Marty Stamper
War Eagles faces Kosy in spring game
The two-time defending state champion War Eagles of Wayne County will face Kosciusko in a spring football game on May 14 at 7 p.m. Wayne County head coach Marcus Broyles and Kosciusko head coach John Perry coached together in 1998 at Pearl.
Marty Stamper