Articles by Adam Minichino
Fast start pushes New Hope into state title match
Mary Nagy can tuck those slow starts away and put them to rest now that the New Hope High School girls soccer team is going to play for a state title.
Lee leads group of Columbus signees
An opportunity was all Trace Lee wanted.
After two and a half seasons as starting quarterback for the Columbus High School football team, Lee wasn’t ready to give up on a sport he loves. That’s why he wasn’t satisfied with schools that were willing to give him a chance to play baseball and not football.
Heritage Academy’s Foxworthy, Bell sign with schools
The college recruiting process moves extremely quickly.
After suffering a season-ending injury, Joshua Foxworthy thought coaches were going to pass him by, so he didn’t give much thought to the pageantry of National Signing Day.
Starkville Academy’s Janssen signs with Delta State
Jeff Terrill has been coaching long enough to know that “putting the pieces together” is more than knowing what to do.
The former Itawamba Community College football knows it is imperative for players to know how and why to do things. Couple that with great effort and intangibles like leadership and character and you’re liable to be talking about Tripp Janssen.
West Lowndes’ Williams going to Coahoma
Phytrell Williams wasn’t going to let an injury prevent him from realizing his dream.
Watching from the sidelines as his teammates played Heritage Academy on Aug. 30, Williams looked forlorn as he contemplated a season that began with a promising victory against Montgomery County.
Player of Week: Morrison leads New Hope into North State title match
Effie Morrison wasn’t going to let her coaches’ words be swallowed in silence.
MSU women have all of answers vs. Georgia
STARKVILLE — The Mississippi State women’s basketball team had all of the answers Sunday.
New Hope girls soccer team continues to make history
As her teammates jumped in unison in front of her, goalkeeper Mackenzie Harvey stood and watched.
When the ruckus quieted down, Harvey pounced and wrapped junior teammate Effie Morrison in a bear hug. She then danced on her left foot and joined in the history-making celebration.
Chapel building confidence for MSU
Thanks to a talk with coach Vic Schaefer, Ketara Chapel intends to make the most of her opportunities.
Hemphill’s save sparks Caledonia boys
CALEDONIA — Eli in the Middle works just fine for the Caledonia High School boys soccer team.
The only thing is it took the Confederates a little longer than usual Thursday night before they could put their sophomore goalkeeper in the center of their postgame huddle/celebration.
New Hope girls soccer will try to take next step
Nothing against Oxford, but if the New Hope High School girls soccer team had its choice of opponents, it would love to face Ridgeland in the second round of the Mississippi High School Activities Association North State playoffs.
Mattix emerges as more than just track standout for New Hope
Mercedes Mattix loves to run.
Whether it is the 100, 200, or 400 meters, Mattix has made her mark as one of the state’s top sprinters.
But Mattix also loves to ball.
Whether it is flying up and down the court in a fast break or hawking the ball in pressure defense, the New Hope High School senior has made herself into more than just a sprinter who plays basketball.
West Point boys learning to share
Missed shots don’t bother Brad Cox.
The West Point High School boys basketball coach is more concerned about the process his players take to get those shots. That’s why Cox couldn’t help but clap when he saw Juan Davis drive the middle of the New Hope High defense Friday night and kick to the ball to his right. Davis’ penetration created a wide-open look for Trey Williams on the right wing, but the 3-pointer missed. Still, Cox applauded his team’s efforts and knew execution like that was going to pay dividends.
Repetition key word for MSU women
Repetition is the word for the Mississippi State women’s basketball team.
Coming off an 87-85 overtime loss to Ole Miss on Thursday in which coach Vic Schaefer blamed himself for not getting his team home down the stretch, the Bulldogs spent the past two days working on execution in late-game situations. MSU re-visited the play calls from the huddle at the end of regulation and at the end of overtime that gave the Bulldogs a chance to beat the Rebels but didn’t work. Schaefer then had his players watch those situations on film before they took the court for practice in an attempt to understand exactly how to get the best possible shot.
Starkville High’s Hardin signs with ICC
STARKVILLE — Noa Katherine Hardin can’t help herself.
Maybe it is the fact she is a red head. Maybe it is her love for the game of soccer. It also could the combination of both of those factors.
Regardless of the reason, Hardin smiles when asked what it is about her that makes her a “firecracker” when she is on the field playing soccer.
Ole Miss gets first SEC win vs. MSU
OXFORD — The next play.
It sounds simple to be able to put a bad play or consecutive mistakes behind you. Truth be told, Kenyotta Jenkins wouldn’t have been able to do that a year ago. The old Jenkins likely would have put her head down after being picked on by an opponent and let her play affect her performance and the play of her teammates.
If that was still the case, Matt Insell still would be looking for his first Southeastern Conference victory.
Schaefer takes blame for loss to Ole Miss
OXFORD — Vic Schaefer took one for the team Thursday night.
The Mississippi State second-year women’s basketball coach accepted the blame for not putting his squad in position to close a victory against archrival Ole Miss. Leading by as many as 11 points in the second half and by seven with a little more than four minutes left in regulation, MSU couldn’t deliver the knockout blow and allowed Kenyotta Jenkins to score on an offensive rebound putback with 0.8 seconds to go in overtime that gave Ole Miss an 87-85 victory before a crowd of 1,107 at Tad Smith Coliseum.
Hamilton’s Jackson signs with EMCC
HAMILTON — Jordyn Jackson realized as a sophomore she had work to do if she was going to realize her dream of playing softball in college.
Caledonia High’s Brown signs with Mississippi Delta C.C.
CALEDONIA — The numbers point to a bright future for Caleb Brown.
