April 2000 Mississippi High School All-Sports Skuttle-Butt

Support your hometown high school sports team because these players and coaches put forth a lot of effort and hard work to be the best they can be and by going to their games you show them that you appreciate their efforts. If you want to have an added incentive, go to the game to see if you can find a prospect I can put on this page. I want your input to make this page the best it can be.

Check out my 1999 Top 40 Seniors-to-be Mississippi HS Football Players list by clicking here.

Top Mississippi High School Football Players 03/14/00

04/30/00
New Hope High School Baseball - After losing at Cleveland 10-5 Friday, New Hope defeated Cleveland 6-5 at New Hope Saturday. Pitchers Drew Jaudon and Lee Boyd did the job on the mound with the help of excellent defensive play. The hitting hero was senior Wesley Clay who knocked in the winning run with a solo home run.

In powerlifting, he has won four first place awards in the Super Heavy-weight Powerlifting category. Three of those were this spring.

Bruce Carter is 6=0, 150-lbs. He also made MPSA all conference for infield, he plays shortstop. He also won the school's Hitter Award and had a .632 batting average (struck out one time all season). He was also selected as the school's MVP in baseball.

04/29/00
Pearl High School Baseball - Did you know that Pearl HS senior catcher Josh Perry has been hit by a pitch 20 times this season? Josh is now the state record holder for being hit by a pitch in a season, breaking the old mark of 19. Also, as a team, the Pearl HS Pirates have been hit by a pitch 66 times, which breaks the team record of 65 set by South Pontotoc.

04/27/00
Brandon High School Football - Here is more info on Brandon's junior-to-be running back Jerious Norwood. According to a source of mine, during last season's game against Northwest Rankin, Jerious looked like a "man among boys" as the saying goes. My source said that his cuts on a very wet field were impressive.

Tupelo High School Baseball - Yesterday, I mentioned a Tupelo baseball player by the name of Holt Montgomery. He, along with Jonathan Bell and Reed Hawkins, both MSU signees, are the top senior prospects on Tupelo's team. However, Tupelo has at least one other player on their team that has a chance to be a D-I prospect in a couple of years. His name is Kevin Caldwell. According to my source, Kevin, who plays shortstop, is going to be a star. He's only a sophomore right now but he already stands around 6-5 and weighs close to 200. He bats left, has some holes in his swing, but he's got another two years to mature.

04/26/00
Brandon High School Football - According to a source of mine, Brandon High School's outstanding junior-to-be running back Jerious Norwood is identical to former Chicago Bears running back great Gale Sayers. Jerious, who is 16 years old, is somewhat lean at the moment but he's an extremely explosive player who should continue to grow.

Holt, in a playoff game against Clinton Monday, hit a home run off an excellent pitcher that Ole Miss has signed. According to my source, a coach from Ole Miss was at the game watching Holt.

04/25/00
Noxapater High School Baseball - Noxapater HS baseball clinched the 1st round series 2 games to 1 one with a win over the visiting West Lincoln Bears 5-2 Monday night at Tiger Field in Noxapater. Nijel Young went the distance for the Tigers improving his record to 10-1 on the year. Freshmen led the way for the Tigers with catcher Corey Coward going 3-for-3 and Sed Eichelberger hitting a solo shot in the 5th inning. Noxapater will now travel to Mize Friday night for the opening game of the 2nd round series. Game time is set for 6:00 p.m.

04/24/00
Quitman High School Baseball - Anybody heard of this guy? I have been told that Quitman High School has a lefthanded pitcher by the name of Mario Laphand. According to my source, he has over 120 strikeouts on the season. My source believes that Mario had a 16-K game against West Jones and a 19-K against Northeast Jones. Schools that are looking at him include Jones Jr. College and Mississippi Valley State.

04/23/00
Noxapater High School Baseball - The Noxapater Tigers dropped a hard fought game two to the West Lincoln Bears at West Lincoln Saturday afternoon, 9-8. The loss forces the series back to Noxapater for a deciding game three Monday night at 6:00 P.M. The loss drops Noxapater to 15-7 on the season. Everyone come out and support your Tigers at Tiger field Monday night.

In the first game, which was played at Warren Central, sophomore lefty Brae Wright (6-3, 170-lbs., 8 and 2 record) limited Warren Central to 4 singles (2 of which were of the infield variety) over 8 innings for a 5 to 2 win. He also struck out 6. Junior Mitchell Vaughan blasted a two-run homer in the eighth inning and sophomore Gary Gabbert had double in the first inning to lead Southaven offensively.

Senior Bobby Mueller ( 6-0, 185-lbs, 6 and 0) defeated the Vikings 8 to 2 in the second game. The Southaven Chargers were led at the plate by senior Justin Donovan who had a double and a single and sophomore John Moran who also had a multi-hit game with 2 singles.

04/22/00
Noxapater High School - The Noxapater Tigers opened the Class 1A state playoffs with a 10-3 win over the West Lincoln Bears from Lincoln County. Noxapater moves its record to 15-6 on the year.

Nijel Young earned the win for Noxapater and improved to 9-1 on the year. Matthew Stone had three hits, while Dee Hornesbuger and Justin Wilkesalso had a multi-hit game with two hits each. Will Baskin and Corey Moore also joined in the offensive display with one home run each.

Game 2 will be played at 3:00 p.m. today at West Lincoln.

04/21/00
Indianola Academy - Stephen Arant, a 6-3, 175-lb junior to be at Indianola Academy, had an excellent sophomore season and was a very big part of what turned out to be Indianola's best season in the last 9 years. My source told me that Stephen started at free safety and also played wide receiver in four games (caught 11 passes during those four games). During the latter part of the season, he also returned punts. He is a very aggressive player who is a great tackler and really covers well in the open field.

Several colleges have already expressed an interest in Stephen.

04/19/00
Caledonia High School Baseball - Here are stats on a few of Caledonia's players. Two of the players include freshmen who bear watching over the next few years.

Chris Wright - Senior, lefthanded hitter, 2B-SS
BA: .432
HR: 11
RBI: 32
OB%: .650

Lance Dawkins - Senior, righthanded hitter, SS
BA: .323
HR: 4
RBI: 20
OB%: .707

Scottie Jacobs - Freshman, righthanded hitter, OF
BA: .265
HR: 0
RBI: 15
OB%: .409

Josh Johnson - Freshman, right-handed hitter
BA: .366
HR: 0
RBI: 9
OB%: .450

Here is how the game went...
New Hope got on the scoreboard first when Matt Bogue scored on a fielder's choice. They added another run in the top of the second. In the 4th inning WPHS's Walt Bounds hits a monster home run to make it 2-1 New Hope. New Hope would add another run in the 5th on a miscue from the outfield and the cutoff man. Trailing 3-1 going into the 7th, WPHS would, in dramatic fashion, score three runs to earn the victory. This was West Point's first time to defeat New Hope in twelve years. Walt Bounds, an Ole Miss signee, earned the win with a 9 strike-out performance.

Brent Walker will take the mound against Pearl Thursday afternoon.

04/18/00
Ripley High School - According to a source of mine, about a month ago senior-to-be quarterback/punter Brandon Roberson punted in front of six representatives of the Ray Guy Kicking and Punting Camp, one of the most prestigious kicking camps in the nation. The word is the reps said that Brandon had the strongest leg they had seen all year. It is also rumored that Brandon was invited by the reps to attend their camp this summer.

Humphreys Academy (Belzoni) - Shelton Aycock (5-8, 170-lbs), currently a freshman, played fullback, tailback, some quarterback and linebacker for HA this past season. He rushed for 1,100+ yards, had over 400 yards receiving and also made 91 tackles. According to my source, Shelton runs the 40 in 4.6 seconds, benches 225-lbs, squats 315, is very smart, has great field vision and is very competitive. Shelton could turn out to be a really great player if he continues to work hard in practice and grows a little more (which he should do since he is only 15 years old).

04/14/00 - Info from various sources:

Mize High School - Mize clinched a playoff spot Tuesday night with a 10-inning 12-11 victory over Mercy Cross. The score was tied at six until the 10th inning when Mercy Cross scored 5 runs to make the score 11-6. However, Mize came back in dramatic fashion in the bottom half of the inning. Jared Mullins led the inning off with a single. Then, after two walks and a fly-out, the bases were loaded for Joey Sullivan who hit a grand slam to make the score 11-10. Curtis Keyes then reached base on a drag bunt and Matt McAlpin hit a two-run homer to win the hard fought game 12-11. Mize and Stringer will now face off Friday night at Stinger for the Division 8-1A championship.

With the right coaching and probably a neccessary redshirt freshman year, Chris is sure to develop into a legitimate Division I prospect.

Right now the academies are winding down their regular seasons and headed toward the play-offs. Benton Academy is a solid 11-2 and Pickett's bat and arm are a big reason why the Raiders are in contention.

Senior leadership has been the key.

Senior Scott Ellison has the highest team batting average at .486! Scott has 9 home runs. (Scott and Matt Childs, another senior, hit back to back home runs twice in one game against Nettleton this week.) Scott is also the team pitching ace with a 9-1 record, 97 strike outs, and a 1.19 ERA. Scott is a definite college or pro prospect. He was a Dandy Dozen pick by the Clarion Ledger.

Senior Jeremy Brooks is another fine pitcher for Houston. Brooks has the tools to be an outstanding pitcher, and would be the ace of most teams. He could be a real juco prospect. Jeremy's ERA is 3.88 and he has struck out 36. Jeremy Brooks also plays third base when not pitching and is hitting .310. The Toppers would not be where they are if not for Jeremy's solid pitching. He had a great outing against Tupelo, the # 1 ranked team in the state.

Senior centerfielder Matt Childs, who is walking on to play football at MSU this fall, leads the team in home runs with 11 (in 24 games) and in RBI with 36. Matt has stolen 9 bases in 9 attempts and is batting .388.

Senior Grant King has made himself into the best defensive catcher I have ever seen in high school. Not only has Grant thrown out two to three baserunners a game, but has picked 4 off of first base! In the game against Tupelo, he threw out the speedy Jonathan Bell by two steps!

Senior Lance Baird has played a great defensive outfield. Lance got off to a slow start at the plate, but is now hitting well and has gotten several key hits for the Toppers.

Behind these 5 seniors are a talented group of juniors, sophomores, and freshmen. Check them out on the net at http://members.xoom.com/HHSBaseball.

West Point defeated Louisville Friday in the seventh inning when Overton Moore hit a 3-run blast to tie the game at three. The next batter Joe Fitzpatrick walked and was driven in by Reggie Brown giving West Point and Walt Bounds, an Ole Miss baseball signee, the win.

In Tuesday's game, West Point did it again in come from behind fashion when in the sixth inning Ben Earnest hit a double, then Walt Bounds came through with a huge home run to tie the game at two. In the top of the eighth, Walt Bounds hit another home run to give West Point the lead going into the bottom of the 8th. After Neshoba Central loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the 8th, Walt Bounds struck out the next two batters, then got a 6-4 put out to seal the victory.

Bounds had a huge day at the plate going 4-for-4 with 2 home runs, while striking out 12 in 8 innings. West Point will now play rival New Hope at home for a playoff berth.

04/10/00
Pearl HS Baseball - The Pearl Pirates have a 21-5 record this season and are 11-0 in Division 4-4A. The Pirates can clinch the division title with one win in their last three division games. The Pirates are still a young team with only one senior as an everyday starter. Pearl's pitching staff includes Junior left hander Jake Bell who is 6-1 with a 2.08 ERA. Bell was the winning pitcher earlier in the season in Pearl's 4-1 win over traditional power West Lauderdale and was the winning pitcher in Pearl's 2-1 win over arch rival Brandon. Senior Cody Tanner is 2-0, Junior Flint Roberts is 2-0, Junior Eric Wheat is 2-0, Junior Kevin Grantham is 3-0, Junior Will Duke is 3-2, and Junior James Cantrell is 3-2. The Pirates have a team ERA of 3.40 and opponents are batting only .213. The Pitching staff has struck out 190 opposing hitters and have issued only 87 walks.

At the plate, the Pirates are led by Junior DH Aaron Budlove who is hitting .426 with 2 HR's and 21 RBI. Senior catcher Josh Perry is hitting .411 with 7 doubles and 3 HR's. Jake Bell is hitting .407 with 10 doubles 4 HR's and 22 RBI. Junior Flint Roberts is hitting .365 with 2 triples. Junior third baseman Will Duke is at .347 with 25 RBI. Junior Right fielder James Cantrell is hitting .343 with 5 HR's and 26 RBI. Junior second baseman Corey Hughes is hitting .323.

This week Pearl has six games scheduled because of the rain the last couple of weeks. On Monday the Pirates play Raymond at 4:30 and Forest Hill at 6:30 with both games at Hinds Community College. On Tuesday the Pirates take on Wingfield at Level Woods Park at 5:00. Thursday, the Pirates host St. Andrews at 6:00. Friday, Pearl Host Canton at 7:00 and on Saturday the Pirates take on Coach Sam Temple's Warren Central Vikings at 11:00 at Pearl's Pirate Park.

If Pearl clinches the division championship this week they will play either Kosciusko or Neshoba Central in the first round of the playoffs.

04/09/00
Gulfport HS - A source of mine emailed me info on the latest Gulfport HS baseball results. Sophomore pitcher Bart Heath relieved in the middle of the 3rd inning with Gulfport behind Harrison Central 7-0. He pitched the final 4 innings, allowing no runs, three hits, walked no one and struck out five. Gulfport scored four runs during his stint to make the final score 7 to 4. Gulfport, despite the loss, has clinched their division-8 title.

04/07/00
Humphreys Academy - According to a source of mine, sophomore-to-be Shelton Aycock rushed for 1,100+ yards and had over 400 yards receiving while playing fullback, tailback, and some quarterback this past season. He also had 91 tackles as a linebacker. My source went on to say that Shelton is a highly dedicated, smart, and talented athlete with the best field vision he has ever seen in such a young player. He runs the 40 in 4.6, bench presses 225 pounds, and squats 315 pounds, which is quite impressive for a 5-8, 170-lb. 15-year-old.

ACCS (13-4 overall, 6-1 in district play) travels to Hillcrest on Friday for a double header.

04/06/00
Terry High School - According to a source of mine, Terry pitcher, Matt Gray, threw a complete game 7-0 victory over Brookhaven High School recently. He topped out at 84 mph with his fastball. Matt has signed with Hinds CC as has another Terry player, centerfielder Trey Raine.

One other player who stands out on the Terry team is senior, third baseman Steve Bowers who is currently hitting .510 with 9 doubles, 1 triple, and 6 home runs with 19 base on balls and 30 RBI with an on base % of almost .700. Some of you may remember Steve as the young man you read about in The Clarion-Ledger article a few Wednesday's ago, who broke his neck playing in a 4th of July American Legion Tournament in Tuscaloosa, AL. According to my source, his main goal is to play at Delta State University.

04/04/00
Gulfport HS Baseball - Bart Heath, a sophomore righthanded pitcher from Gulfport High School, in his first varsity start, struck out seven in a complete game 11-6 win over West Jones High School. Bart, who is approximately 6-3, 175-lbs, consistently throws 81-81 mph, according to my source.

A teammate of his, senior-to-be Shun Carmichael, is receiving attention from Alabama, Arkansas and Ole Miss, so far. Look for Shun to be one of the top senior quarterbacks in Mississippi this coming football season.

Stats for several Mize High School baseball players
Name	Avg	OB%	SLG%	HR	RBI	R	SB	IP	K	ERA
Matt McAlpin (Senior)	.487	.746	1.128	7	29	---	---	31	49	3.83
Jared White (Senior)	.589	.807	1.154	5	25	---	---	28.1	37	3.18
Joey Sullivan (Sophomore)	.426	.672	.745	3	14	31	14	---	---	---

04/03/00 - According to a source, Justin Roberts, from Florence High School, averaged 7.98 yds. per carry as a fullback. My source also said Justin is a hard-worker in the classroom and is 3rd in his class. Look for Justin, who will be a senior next season, to be one of the better running backs in the state.

04/02/00
Starkville Academy Baseball - According to a source of mine, sophomore Joby Garner is fast becoming a tremendous prospect. What sets Joby apart from most other players is his velocity, which is in the low to mid-80's range. Another SA player, senior Will Prosser (6-2, 190), has a chance to either play football (quarterback) or baseball at the next level.

The Pirates are led at the plate by senior catcher Josh Perry who is hitting .429 with an outstanding on-base percentage of .579. Josh has walked 10 times and has been hit by a pitch 13 times. Other leaders for the Pirates are junior CF/P Jake Bell who is hitting .386 with 6 doubles and 3 home runs. Jake is also 5-1 on the mound. Junior designated hitter Aaron Budlove is hitting .426. Junior shortstop Flint Roberts is hitting .372, Other players of note: Junior 3B Will Duke leads the team with 19 RBI, junior P/OF James Cantrell has 39 K's in 30.1 innings pitched, junior SS/OF Marc Chisholmhas 10 stolen bases 15 RBI's, and junior 1B/P Eric Wheat, who is one of the best defensive first basemen in the area, is fielding at a .995 clip. Sophomore outfielder Steven Farris has done a great job stepping in and playing both center and left field.

4/01/00 - Saltillo HS baseball has a couple of young baseball players to keep an eye on. They are sophomore Luke May (6-2, 180) and junior Tim Dillard. Luke, who went 3-for-5 against New Hope Friday night, is a first baseman/pitcher, while Tim, who is also about 6-2 tall, is a pitcher/catcher. Tim has hit home runs in each of the last two Friday games. One was to dead centerfield while the other one was to leftfield. The word is his dad, Steve, played in the major leagues and at Ole Miss while his brother, Jeff, walked on at MSU last year but broke his leg and is no longer on the team.

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