Madison Central won the rain-delayed Class 5A state baseball championship in Pearl Tuesday afternoon, defeating Petal 3-2 in the second game of the best-of-three state series.
Petal fell to 26-8 this season, losing in the finals for the third time in the past five seasons. Madison Central (27-5) claimed a second state title, having also won the hardware seven years ago.
The game in Pearl at Trustmark Park was the continuation of a contest started Saturday, but postponed by rain in the fourth inning.
Mississippi schools seek Tennessee titles
There’s a Magnolia State flavor in this year’s Tennessee “Spring Fling” of state high school sports championships in Murfreesboro. Southern Baptist Educational Center, or SBEC, of Southaven, has its softball and baseball teams playing in the Tennessee state event.
Competing in Division II-A, SBEC is playing as a member of the Tennessee activities association, known as the TSSAA, even though it is located one mile below the state line in Mississippi.
SBEC was originally located in south Memphis, but the school and its affiliated church moved to Southaven in the late 1980s. According to the Tennessee association’s constitution, the move effectively cut SBEC from the TSSAA.
SBEC then became a member of the Mississippi Private School Association, or MPSA, but distance between the Southaven school and its competitors down state became cost prohibitive over the next decade.
TSSAA executive director Ronnie Carter, SBEC president David Manley and some of the Memphis-area schools that had associations with SBEC came together and succeeded in petitioning the Tennessee association to amend its constitution and allow SBEC to return to the Volunteer State governing body as a member school.
The changed by-law allows a school from a neighboring state previously in the Tennessee association member to re-join and compete for Tennessee championships.
Since readmission, SBEC has won a state championship in football (2003) and individual state titles in boys tennis and girls pole vault.
Carter is about to retire from his role as TSSAA executive director, and because of efforts he helped initiate, could be awarding Tennessee state championships to a Mississippi school at the end of this week’s state tournaments in softball and baseball.
Soccer: Pounders, Hayward to play at East Mississippi
Two players from the Golden Triangle area have committed to play soccer next year at East Mississippi Community College. New coach Junior Noel has signed Tyler Pounders of Caledonia and Mike Hayward of Columbus.
Noel hopes the pair can be a strong foundation to rebuilding a program that was 1-12-1 last season.
Hayward, a mid-fielder and forward, scored 13 goals and added 11 assists for Columbus, completing a four-year varsity career for the Falcons. This year’s team finished 11-10.
The 5-foot-9, 150-pounder also scored nine goals in his junior season and this year won his second straight most valuable offensive player award at the school. Hayward chose East Mississippi over Delta State.
At 6-1 and 190 pounds, Pounders will come to EMCC after playing midfield and defender for the Confederates, a 14-5 squad that lost to Pearl in the Class 4A North Half state title contest. He scored five goals and had four assists, while earning all-district and team most valuable player honors this spring.
Soccer: Martin leaves coaching job at Columbus
Columbus High School soccer coach Richard Martin is stepping away from coaching to focus on teaching only. Martin leaves after improving the boys soccer win total from three to 11 this season, which was nearly enough for the Falcons to reach the 5A playoffs.
A desire to spend more time with his family was cited as the reason for his departure from the program. Martin will continue teaching biology in Columbus.
Softball: Brand moves from coaching to administration
East Webster softball and girls basketball coach Bill Brand will take over as the school’s principal this July. Brand will go into an administration-only position fresh off taking the fastpitch softball team to its fourth straight state championship earlier this month.
His background includes coaching, teaching and administration between East Webster and Starkville. He has spent the past two years teaching driver’s education and health along with his coaching duties at East Webster.
