April 2001 Mississippi High School All-Sports Skuttle-Butt

04/24/01
Eupora HS - Watch our for Eupora 10th grader Cliff Davis. Cliff, who is a 6-6. 215-pound pitcher, is already throwing the ball in the high 80's and low 90's. Earlier this season, he pitched a five-inning, 15-strikeout, no-hitter in the East Webster Tourney. My source also told me that he is also a pretty good punter.

04/22/01
Horn Lake HS - Former Mississippi State punter Jeff Walker has been hired as an assistant football coach at Horn Lake High School. Horn Lake HS has also hired former Columbus head coach and Neshoba Central head coach Pat Davis. They have also hired former Weir assistant coach Chad White. According to my source, Horn Lake is very excited about having these excellent coaches join them, not only because of their coaching ability but because they are good people as well.

04/17/01
Kirk Academy (Grenada) - According to a source of mine, Kirk Academy senior-to-be fullback/punter Allen Cravens had an exceptional year last season, rushing for 1,501 yards on 165 carries while scoring 19 touchdowns. For the past two seasons, he has earned All-District honors as a running back. He was also selected second-team all-area running back by The Daily Sentinel Star, Grenada's newspaper. As a punter, he averaged 40.2 yards per punt with a long punt of 66 yards. He earned All-District 1st-team honors as a punter and 1st team All-area by The Daily Sentinel Star. He was also 1st team All-District linebacker. Allen, who is 5-10, 205 pounds, runs a 4.8 forty. Quite a few schools have taken noticed of Allen as evidenced by the fact that he is receiving letters from the likes of Ole Miss, Notre Dame, USM, LSU, Army, Georgia Tech, and most Ivy League schools. He is an excellent student who has made a very good ACT score and has an exceptional grade point average. Keep an eye out for this name because I have a feeling that you will be hearing about him next season.

04/13/01
Nettleton HS - Nettleton HS has a very good chance to continue their excellent performance of this year. Players to watch include 6-8 junior-to-be Jarvis Acker, a possible candidate for the top player in the state next season. He is a player who can play any position on the front line, according to my source. Nettleton will also have Greg Joiner, a 6-2 junior-to-be point guard from Memphis. He is an excellent shot blocker for a guard per my source. He is also very active in the passing lanes, has great leaping ability and can shoot with either hand. My source went on to say that he will attend the Prep All-Stars basketball camp and the Adidas ABCD Camp this summer. Nettleton also has one of the very best ball handlers in the state in 5-7 junior-to-be point guard Eric Adams.

Lumberton HS - According to a source of mine, Lumberton HS baseball is 21-9 this year and have a great shot to win the Class 2-A State Championship. Besides being 14-0 in district 8 2-A, they have played a tough non-division schedule, including Hattiesburg (2 times) and Greene County. The Panthers have beaten Petal and Division 8-5A champs Pascagoula. Not many teams, much less 2-A teams, can say that they accomplished this. The Panthers start 2 seniors and 7 juniors. Top pitchers are juniors Ben Townsend and Thomas Royals. Top hitters are Townsend, Royals, and juniors Keelan Jones, Jonathan Ladner, Wade Abercombie, and senior Josh Parks.

04/12/01 West Point High School - According to a source of mine, West Point junior Corey Carter, one of the top junior baseball players in the state, hit a homer Tuesday night in a 16-9 loss to Neshoba Central in a 16-9 loss. He also hit a double and two singles to go 4-for-4 on the night.

Oak Hill Academy (West Point) - According to a source of mine, Oak Hill Academy has 4 great players that we need to keep an eye on. Senior Brett Donahoo, has very good power and is 4-1 on the mound. Brooks Tinsley is a senior second-baseman who is a smooth infielder and does a good job turning double plays. David Nanney is a junior shortstop/pitcher who is batting .569 and has won 4 games while losing none and has also earned one save. The last player is junior Brandon McGarity. Brandon, who plays centerfield, is a great base stealer and hits with power.

Brandon High School - Brent Leach, a 6-4, 195-pound, left-handed pitcher for Brandon HS, pitched a seven-inning victory against Northwest Rankin, to improve his record to 1 and 6. Brandon, who appears to throw in the mid-80's, struck out 15 batters during the game, according to my source.

During his high school career, Brent has a record of 15-9 with an ERA of 2.69.

04/03/01
Clinton HS - Mike Cashion, Clinton High School sophomore pitcher/outfielder, went 4-for-7 over the last two games. His four hits consisted of a single, double, triple and home run. He leads the team in doubles with 7. On the mound he is 2-1 with an ERA of 2.60 and 49 strikeouts in 32.1 innings.

04/01/01
Kosciusko HS - KHS has a sophomore middle infielder/pitcher who bears watching the next 2+ years. Eli Dew, according to my source, leads his team in homeruns (3), batting average (.320), on-base percentage, and walks. Eli, who is 5-11, 175, plays shortstop, pitches second in the rotation and bats third in the line-up. He is also the only sophomore starter on the team. Major League Baseball scouts have already shown interest. My source went on to say that Eli has been invited to play for the Sixers in Jackson this summer, again the only tenth grader invited. He's got a good arm at short and can also play second or third.

Canton Academy - Watch out for junior pitcher Johnathan Miller of Canton Academy. In 25 innings of work he has struck out 64. He has a 3-1 record. According to my source, he has a fastball in the low to mid 80's range and a good slider.

Olive Branch HS (Info received from one of you) - J.B. Fesmire, a shortstop for Olive Branch high school, is having a very strong senior campaign. Fesmire, who transferred to OBHS from Southern Baptist Educational Center this year, has already been getting plenty of attention from very respectable college baseball programs (Ole Miss, Alabama, LSU, MSU) for two or three years now. Fesmire is beginning to garner interest from various pro teams as well, including the Marlins and the Royals.

Seeing him play for many years now, I can tell you that this kid's game is total. He hits extremely well for average, and occasionally has shown flashes of a power stroke. His range at shortstop is well above average, as is his arm strength. Fesmire has also demonstrated a knack for knowing what is gonna happen on the field before it actually does, giving him a huge advantage when the game is on the line.

Perhaps more important than his athletic prowess, Fesmire has proven that he knows how to win. He has been a member of numerous championship-winning teams in the Memphis Tigers and Doolin Dodgers competitive baseball organizations, and is consistently singled out as the leader on those squads.

I am telling you now, this kid has all the intangibles, and you WILL hear his name later. At last word, he was undecided on where he wants to play in college, and is trying to gauge his position for this year's MLB draft.

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