Here is a look at the top stories of 2019 in sports:
1. Andy Ogletree win the U.S. Amateur
Union native Andy Ogletree leapt, or better yet, drove his way into the national scene when the Georgia Tech rising senior won the U.S. Amateur Tournament. Ogletree, who won five individual state championships at Union and one team championship, won his first major title since playing for Georgia Tech. Ogletree was the first Mississippian to ever win the U.S. Amateur. The win also landed Ogletree a spot on the United State’s Walker Cup team, which he helped lead to victory over Europe a few weeks later. The win also gave Ogletree spots in the 2020 Masters, U.S. Open and British Open along with 10 starts on the PGA Tour after he graduates from Georgia Tech.
2. Newton girls win 2A basketball title
The Newton Lady Tigers capped off a magical season as they beat West Lincoln 39-33 to win their third state championship. Led by second-year coach Perry Fletcher, who left after the season, went 29-2 as they dominated opponents all season long.
3. Newton County softball back on top
Newton County returned to its place atop the fast-pitch softball world. Led by senior pitchers Shelby Anderson and Brittany Thomas, the Lady Cougars beat Tishomingo County in two games to win the school’s 10th state championship in fast-pitch softball and their first since 2014.
4. Lake wins slow-pitch state championship
The Lake Lady Hornets won their first ever state championship in any sport as they beat Houston in three games to win the Class I title. The Lady Hornets were led by first-year coach Jake Loper and finished the season with a 32-3 record and came back from a game one loss to Houston to win the next two contests 9-2 and 13-3. Not long after Lake won its first-ever state championship, the Mississippi High School Association voted to disband softball as an official sport.
5. Kemp Alderman
Newton County Academy Kemp Alderman capped off an incredible year when the senior signed with Ole Miss to play college baseball. Alderman collected plenty of hardware along way as he was named Player of the Year by the MAIS, The Meridian Star and Perfect game. Alderman was also a standout on the football field, recording 100 tackles from his defensive end position and played in the MAIS All-star game.
6. The rise of Newton County football
After years of poor play, the Newton County football team made the playoffs for the first time in almost a decade. The Cougars were 8-6 under second-year coach Bobby Bass. Led by junior running back Carlois Walker, who ran for more than 1,700 yards, the Cougars made a late-season charge to make the playoffs and win two playoff games, capping off the season with a win over Moss Point in the second round of the Class 4A playoffs.
7. Union powerlifting dominates again
The Union powerlifting team flexed their muscles again as they won the Class 2A state championship for the second straight season. The Yellowjackets, led by strongman Jacob Moore, who set the 2A standards in squat and deadlift and had a total of 1,605 pounds. Union also got individual state championships from Bankston Rush, Cody Rogers and Raylon Nettles. Moore’s performance led all of Class 2A in any weight division.
8. Breland joins elite company
Union football coach Brad Breland joined some elite company and made some history as well when he helped guide Mississippi to a 17-16 win over Alabama in the annual Mississippi-Alabama All-star football game. Breland joins a short list of Mississippi coaches to lead the state to win in the game, one that includes his brother, former Lake coach Jeff Breland.
9. NCA, Newton County tennis get close
Both the Newton County and Newton County Academy tennis teams posted strong seasons on the courts again. Newton County fell to perennial champions New Albany 6-1. But in the individual tournament, Daylon Nance and Lee Hill won the boys doubles state championship. The Newton County Academy team easily won the South AA championship by winning seven of the nine events at that tournament, which was held at East Central Community College. The only individual state championship came at No. 2 boys singles from Micah Douglas. The NCA boys and girls teams team finished second overall.
10. Coaches on the move
There was plenty of movement on the coaching scene this past year. After winning the 2A title at Newton, Perry Fletcher left for Florence. Also at Newton, long time coach Darin Gray left for Lake while former coach Crandal Porter came back to Newton to coach the boys team. At Union, Dustin Hamrick left the baseball program to be an assistant at West Lauderdale while former coach Joey Ward came back to lead the program.
Honorable mention
• Newton County basketball coach Steve Harber was honored for 45 years of service by the Mississippi Association of Coaches.
• Lake’s Brady McGee was honored by MaxPreps as a Freshman All-American. McGee was named to the team as a pitcher after he went 10-0 and posted a 1.07 ERA in 52.1 innings pitched and struck out 59. At the plate, he hit .500 with 51 run scored and 25 RBIs as he hit 10 doubles and seven triples.
• Newton County sprinter Jada McDougle signed to continue her career at Mississippi State.
• A year after leaving Lake to take the East Central Community College softball job, Eric Neal resigned to take the same position at Gulf Coast Community College.
• The Newton boys has another outstanding basketball season wit a 24-8 record as they lost to Coahoma County to finish just one game shy of the Class 2A Final Four.
• The Lake baseball team put together a strong run through the Class 2A playoffs, falling just two games short the championship series as they lost to Calhoun City in the semifinals and finished 22-9 on the season.
• The Newton County Academy baseball team also finished two games short of making the Class AA championship game as they in two games to Brookhaven Academy, finishing 17-14 on the year.
• The Newton County softball team finished just one game shy of the Class II slow-pitch championship series, losing to eventual champion Neshoba Central in the semifinals as they finished the season with a 31-4 record.
• After leading his team to the Class 4A state championship, Newton County softball coach Justin Chaney was named the National High School Athletic Coaches Association National Softball Coach of the Year.
