1. New Hope 1, Oxford 0 (Baseball): When its season on the brink, the New Hope baseball team returned to Trojan Field and evened the Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 5A North State championship series with a dramatic victory at home. Josh Stillman pitched a two-hitter and Will Godfrey hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the seventh inning to allow New Hope to send the series back to Oxford for a decisive third game.
2. Starkville 43, Madison Central 40, OT (Boys basketball): In a dramatic finish, Starkville won the MHSAA Class 6A state championship with a heart-stopping victory over region rival Madison Central at the Mississippi Coliseum in Jackson. Starkville rallied from a double-digit deficit to win its second state championship in five seasons.
3. Kentucky 92, Mississippi State 90, 2 OT (Women’s basketball): While the Bulldogs did not snag the victory, this epic battle at Memorial Coliseum may have been the best basketball game in the Southeastern Conference season last year. Victoria Vivians scored 39 points, but fell in a personal duel with Kentucky’s Makayla Epps, who netted 42 points. MSU erased a 10-point deficit in the final 5 minutes, 48 seconds of regulation to force the extra time.
4. Noxubee County 26, Starkville 20, 2 OT (Football): Many felt this regular-season opener matched two potential state champions. It turns out that wound up being accurate. Noxubee County would later overcome a 2-4 start to win 10 straight games and the MHSAA Class 4A title. Starkville overcame this loss with 14 straight wins to capture the MHSAA Class 6A title. Starkville scored late, but Jeffery Simmons blocked an extra point giving his Tigers a chance at new life in the overtime period.
5. Columbus 23, DeSoto Central 21 (Football): Columbus won its MHSAA Class 6A, Region 1 opener in come-from-behind fashion. The Falcons eventually won three region games in which they trailed by double figures. In this contest, Columbus rallied from a 21-10 halftime deficit behind the strong running of Kylin Hill. A Chris Taylor 36-yard field goal provided the game-winning points.
6. Mississippi State 8, Georgia 7, nine innings (Softball): Mississippi State enjoyed a lot of final-inning magic in softball this past season. The trend started with a come-from-behind Sunday Southeastern Conference win over Georgia at the MSU Softball Field. Kayla Winkfield hit a two-run triple in the seventh inning to keep home team alive. In the ninth inning, Katie Anne Bailey hit a game-winning home run.
7. Mississippi State 51, Arkansas 50 (Football): It doesn’t get much wilder than this Southeastern Conference Western Division showdown played in Fayetteville, Arkansas. After a demoralizing loss to Alabama, MSU needed something good to happen and it happened in the form of 631 yards of total offense against Arkansas. Behind a splendid first-half performance from Dak Prescott, MSU built an early 31-14 lead. However, victory was not secured until Arkansas missed a field goal in the final minute.
8. Oxford 3, New Hope 2, eight innings (Baseball): An intense MHSAA Class 5A North State championship series started with a dramatic win by the Chargers at Edwin Moak Field. Brody Stokes and Jason Barber competed in quite the pitcher’s duel. New Hope held a 1-0 lead before Oxford tied things in the sixth. In the eighth, New Hope grabbed a 2-1 lead on a Payton Lane double and misplay by Oxford in the outfield. In the home half of the inning, however, Ben Bianco hit a two-run walk-off home run with two outs off ace Josh Stillman.
9. Columbus 70, New Hope 66 (Boys basketball): While the final score may be slightly misleading, the season’s best rally came in a losing effort by New Hope. The Trojans trailed by as many as 24 in the New Hope Trojan New Year Classic. After beating Columbus in the Joe Horne Classic, New Hope wanted to the season sweep and sure made things interesting down the stretch. However, a 25-point night by Robert Woodard II and a few defensive plays late were enough to save the day for the Falcons.
10. Clinton 56, Columbus 42 (Football): Columbus saw its best football season in 15 years come to a close with this opening-round loss in the MHSAA Class 6A playoffs. Columbus erased 35-14 third-quarter deficit to tie the game at 42. In the end, Clinton had a tie-breaking score and a defensive score to account for the final margin. Kylin Hill had the area’s best rushing night with 382 yards and five touchdowns as Columbus finished 8-4.
— Scott Walters
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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