The 2012 year for local sports in the area was filled with record-setting performances, state title runs and plenty of coaching changes to go around.
Here are some of the more memorable stories of year:
South Pike runs Brown off, finishes 1-9
The local sports scene lacked drama for most of the year until South Pike made a highly questionable and rather shocking decision in June to not renew football coach Willie Brown’s contract.
An alleged personality clash between Brown and then-defensive coordinator Michael Andrews ultimately led to Brown’s removal, multiple sources told the Enterprise-Journal.
According to these reports, Brown wasn’t satisfied with Andrews’ attitude and suggested last May to district officials that they strip Andrews of his duties as an assistant football coach. When word spread, South Pike officials instead began discussing removing Brown as head coach and athletic director and his contract wasn’t renewed at a June 12 board meeting.
Brown lasted two seasons as coach at South Pike and was the athletic director for three. He finished with a 11-14 record but eight of those wins came in 2011 when he led the resurgent Eagles to the Class 4A South State semifinals.
Andrews declined to comment on the matter despite multiple attempts and the school board never gave a definitive answer as to why Brown was let go.
Brown retained his job as a teacher at South Pike but left the school in August to become Lanier’s new football coach. Lanier finished the season 0-11 and scored 48 points the entire season.
Meanwhile, Andrews and South Pike had a rough year as the Eagles finished 1-9 and failed to make the playoffs for only the second time since 1986.
Area littered with fresh faces
Andrews was just one of several new coaches to the area on the gridiron.
The most notable hire was Parklane Academy, which hired former player and Brookhaven offensive coordinator Mike Powell to lead the Pioneers.
Powell’s first year was a success as he finished with an 8-3 record and was a win away from making the playoffs.
In Tylertown, longtime offensive coordinator Jason Johnson took over reins after head coach Walter Denton took the same position at Columbia. Johnson and the Chiefs won the Region 7-4A championship, but were bounced out of the 4A playoffs in the second round.
Robert Raines made the playoffs in his first year as Amite County’s lead man despite a 3-7 record. The Trojans lost in the first round but were a much-improved team in the second-half of the year. Amite County started the season 0-5 and won three of its final four regular-season games to clinch a playoff berth.
On the baseball diamond Parklane hired Amite School Center coach Robert Young after former coach Michael Clements resigned to take a job in the oil field. Clements’ departure was somewhat unexpected after he enjoyed continued success at Parklane, including a run to the state championship in 2012.
Parklane, Bogue Chitto close to state title
The aforementioned Clements and his Pioneers nearly won the schools first state championship since 2001.
Parklane was swept by Madison Ridgeland Academy, 2-0, in a pair of heartbreaking defeats in the MAIS Class AAA Division I State Championship.
MRA cranked a go-ahead three-run home run in the bottom of the sixth inning back in May and held on for a 4-2 win and its second state title in three years. MRA used heroics again two days earlier with a pair of home runs in the sixth inning to rally past Parklane, 5-4.
Parklane did finish with its second consecutive South State championship, which was only the fifth time since 1972.
Besides the home runs, the game was marred with controversy in Game 2, when the two teams nearly caused a brawl.
Parklane’s Zach Smith launched a forearm toward MRA pitcher Ryan Ward after getting in a rundown and chaos ensued. Ward was several feet in front of the bag at first base when Smith tried to jolt the ball free.
With Smith face-first on the ground, MRA nearly started a bench-clearing brawl when Ward tried to go after Smith and had to be held back by Parklane assistant coach Dusty Davis, the umpire and another MRA player. Meanwhile, the first base umpire and home plate umpire quickly met and emphatically ejected Smith, yet left Ward without punishment.
On the football field, Bogue Chitto enjoyed the longest run out of any area team. The Bobcats wrapped up the regular season with a 11-0 record and a Region 4-1A championship.
Bogue Chitto won a pair of playoffs games before falling 21-7 to Stringer in the South State championship game. The appearance in the South State title game was Bogue Chitto’s first in school history.
Parks breaks NP soccer record
North Pike soccer standout Dakota Parks shattered the Lady Jaguars’ school record for goals scored with 49 in 2012.
Parks set the record of 42 goals, which was previously held by Kayla Stockton in 2008, on Jan. 14 against Magee.
The senior helped lead North Pike to a 17-1 regular season, although the Lady Jags lost in the first round of the 4A playoffs to Poplarville.
Parks scored a goal in every game but two and had 10 multi-goal games. Her best performance game in January against Lawrence County when she poured in five goals.
