Photo by Army National Guard
On Feb. 21, the ninth annual MaxPreps Football Tour of Champions presented by the National Guard visited
Picayune Memorial High School to celebrate the football team on its successful season and national ranking. Picayune Memorial, who went 12-2 this season, defeated Oxford 42-35 to capture the Mississippi 5A state title. This is the school's second state title over the past three seasons. This year, Picayune Memorial was ranked No. 87 out of 16,000 football teams in the national rankings by MaxPreps.
At Picayune Memorial High School, the excitement was apparent as students, faculty, family and friends gathered in the gymnasium to honor the football team. MaxPreps and the Mississippi Army National Guard greeted everyone as they entered for the special pep rally.
Sergeant First Class Carley Davis of the Mississippi Army National Guard presented head coach Dodd Lee and his team with the Army National Guard national ranking trophy. SFC Davis congratulated the team on its successful season and the hard work and dedication that was involved in taking their second state title. Then, Coach Lee, who has coached at Picayune Memorial for 18 seasons, briefly spoke about how he had coached many players throughout his tenure and how proud he is to be a part of the Picayune family. Students, teachers and teammates all clapped and cheered, expressing their pride and excitement at receiving this national recognition.
Congratulations to the Picayune Memorial football team on its outstanding season and national ranking! We hope to see you again next year on the Tour of Champions!
