Articles by Theo DeRosa
Prep football roundup: New Hope falls on the road to Lafayette in rescheduled game
See how local high school football teams fared on the field this weekend.
‘This is our second chance’: With win over Northeast, EMCC sneaks into state playoffs
EMCC (6-3) held off Northeast (3-6) by a score of 30-22 in Saturday’s homecoming game, giving the Lions an unlikely berth into the MACJC playoffs.
No. 1 West Point jumps on Columbus early to win eighth straight
The Green Wave scored on their first play from scrimmage, put up all 35 points in the first half and routed the Falcons in Friday’s Class 5A, Region 1 game.
‘We left our heart out there’: Long Beach ends New Hope’s historic season in MHSAA Class 5A semifinals
STARKVILLE — Kensley Woolbright raced back. All the way back.
Caledonia’s stellar season comes to an end against Vancleave in MHSAA Class 5A semifinals
STARKVILLE — When Caledonia senior Tori Brooks unleashed a scorching shot off the face of an unwitting Vancleave player for an emphatic kill early in the second set of Thursday’s MHSAA Class 4A semifinal, the Confederates thought they’d found some much-needed momentum.
Prep football roundup: No. 1 Starkville piles on the points, dominates on defense to rout Murrah
JACKSON — Stacy Robinson caught two touchdown passes and scored on a punt return, Starkville (8-2) kept Murrah (1-8) to -17 total yards, and the
‘It was a long time coming’: To local coaches, MHSAA’s decision to cut slow-pitch softball is no surprise
The sport has seen consistently lower rates of participation, with fewer than 80 schools — including Columbus High and New Hope — fielding slow-pitch teams across the state.
Prep football capsules: Heritage Academy must stay focused to finish off perfect regular season
The Patriots (10-0) and Washington (2-7) have played five of the same opponents this season, with the Generals losing all but their matchup with Bayou. But that doesn’t mean coach Sean Harrison’s team can afford to overlook its opponent Thursday.
With No. 1 West Point set to visit, Columbus gears up for rivalry game
Coach Joshua Pulphus’ Falcons (3-5) are looking for a signature home win against top-ranked West Point, where Pulphus coached tight ends in 2018.
How two New Hope teammates went from playing baseball at Propst Park to the EMCC sports hall of fame
Rodney Batts and Chris Chism grew up together, played high school baseball at New Hope together and attended EMCC together. This weekend, they’ll be inducted into EMCC’s sports hall of fame together.
New Hope volleyball sweeps Ridgeland to advance to MHSAA Class 5A semifinals
The Trojans won a battle of a third set to sweep the Titans 3-0 and advance to Thursday’s state semifinal against Long Beach, breaking new ground for the Trojans once again.
Starkville ranked first overall in new state poll after win over Madison Central
Check out the ballot Theo DeRosa submitted for The Dispatch.
‘He’s always gonna be with us’: West Point rallies around senior quarterback Gray Berry after ACL tear
WEST POINT — West Point senior Brandon Harris dreamed of finishing out his final football season with the Green Wave with all his fellow seniors alongside him on the field.
With a new coach and a small roster, the Heritage Academy girls basketball team knows it’s an ‘underdog’
Head coach Moe Reed knows what the Heritage Academy girls basketball team is up against.
EMCC up three spots in new NJCAA football poll
The Lions jumped three spots to No. 14 in the overall rankings after Thursday’s blowout win at Coahoma.
Heritage Academy boys basketball tops MAIS Class 4A preseason coaches poll
The Heritage Academy boys basketball team was ranked first in Class 4A of the Midsouth Association for Independent Schools in a preseason coaches poll from Impact Sports.
Prep football roundup: Columbus earns overtime road win over Lake Cormorant
See how local high school football teams fared on the field Friday night.
No. 1 Heritage Academy uses big first half to rout Starkville Academy
Heritage Academy showed why it is the top-ranked football team among Mississippi private schools with a 42-7 rout of rival Starkville Academy on the road Friday.
EMCC gets back on track with road rout of Coahoma
Zias Perryman scored three touchdowns and special teams ruled the day as the No. 17 East Mississippi Community College football team improved to 5-3 with a 55-20 blowout of Coahoma Community College (1-7) on Thursday in Clarksdale.
Caledonia volleyball advances to second round of playoffs with sweep of Corinth
CALEDONIA — First, they danced.
