Union County Gold 2016

UNION COUNTY GOLD

New Albany

Gazette

Union County Gold

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An Introduction

W

elcome to the New Albany Gazette’s salute to our 2015-16 Mississippi High School Activities Assocation State Champions.

The past year in sports was phenomenal with a total of ten state championships earned by the five area schools in the New Albany Gazette’s coverage area. In addition to that fantastic achievement, Union County saw 18 athletes earn individual state titles.

The Gazette has joined together with several local sponsors to honor these tremendous achievements in print by looking back on the 2015-16 year and recognizing the hard work, dedication and teamwork involved in winning these state titles.

Athletics can be a valuable tool in teaching everyday lessons in life and in the workplace, often leading us to realize that not every endeavor will result in victory, but also that with any activity or work, sacrifice and discipline must be a part of our daily regimen.

The opening section of this book honors the team championships, and has been designed to follow the chronological order of the yearly sports calendar.

The second section of the book holds a salute to the individual champions and features the additional accomplishments of these athletes.

In closing, we again say congratulations to our teams, individual athletes, coaches and schools on the banner year they enjoyed. We at the Gazette look forward to the upcoming 2016-17 year, and also bid a fond farewell to many of our champions who will be moving on to begin their collegiate careers.

We thank you for the privilege of covering you during your high school years and are gratified to have shared some truly special moments with each of you.

Sincerely, Donica Phifer, Sports Editor and Dennis Clayton, Sportswriter

New Albany Gazette

Table of Contents Union County Gold 04-05 East Union Cross Country 06 Myrtle Cross Country 07 New Albany Bowling 08 Ingomar Basketball 09 East Union Powerlifting 10 New Albany Golf 11 Myrtle Track 12 New Albany Tennis 13 East Union Baseball 14-17 Individual Champions Special Thanks Chris Basil, Dana Roberts, Shane Sanderson, John Pitts, and Larry Hillard.

This publication was designed and edited by Donica Phifer, Sports Editor, The New Albany Gazette.

Articles written by Donica Phifer and Dennis Clayton, Sportswriter. Cover Design by Sonny Harrison.

New Albany Gazette 2016 Fall Sports Preview coming August 17th

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New Albany Gazette

Donica Phifer | Gazette Staff

The East Union Lady Urchins claimed the Class 2A Girls State Title on Nov. 10, 2015.

Lady Urchins clinch 2A cross country state title Donica Phifer Sports Editor

CLINTON - In the girls’ 2A race, Sarah Duley and Hannah Duley anchored the team with third- and fourth-place finishes, followed by Cayce Smith in seventh place and Mary Kate Nobles in 14th.

Delani Akin finished up for the Urchins as the fifth runner for a 18th-place finish.

The Lady Urchins totaled 46 points in the win, with Potts Camp High School taking the runner-up title.

“When we came down, we

thought we could win two, one or zero and these kids just stepped up and ran hard. The boys have been runners-up two years in a row, and they had a lot of pain to get some good out of it and finish strong,” Urchins coach Nathan McClellan said. “That’s what our motto is, that is what is on the back of our team shirts and that’s what we did today.”

The two wins mark the fifth and sixth state championships for East Union.

Donica Phifer | Gazette Staff

East Union’s girls team reacts to the announcement of their state title win.

New Albany Gazette

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Donica Phifer | Gazette Staff

The East Union Urchins claimed the Class 2A Boys State Title on Nov. 10, 2015.

Urchins clinch 2A cross country state title Donica Phifer

Sports Editor

CLINTON - The two-day cross country meet netted quite a bit of new hardware for Union County as East Union’s girls’ and boys’ teams swept the 2A competition for state titles and Myrtle’s boys’ squad upset title favorites Hickory Flat and TCPS to take the win in Class 1A. East Union’s boys’ squad took home their win by two points, defeating two-time champion J. Z. George High school to take the title.

Jordon Salmon was the highest finisher for the Urchins with his second-

place finish while Zack Rowan and Clayton Fulgham ranked third and fifth.

Hunter Nobles and Zac Cisowksi turned in 11th and 15th place finishes, while Joey Pace proved a valuable tiebreaker for the point difference with his 16th place run.

Ingomar’s Falcons team also ended with a good run, scoring 78 points as a team for a third-place finish. Both Thomas Floyd and Alex Sanders finished in the top 15 runners for all-state honors with Luke Roberts and Noah Bryant just outside the list in 17th and 18th place.

Donica Phifer | Gazette Staff

East Union’s boys team reacts to the announcement of their state title win.

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New Albany Gazette

Donica Phifer | Gazette Staff

The Myrtle Hawks claimed the Class 1A Boys State Title on Nov. 9, 2015.

Myrtle Hawks take 1A cross country title Donica Phifer Sports Editor

CLINTON - For Myrtle, their state title win was unexpected.

In a rebuilding year for a strong Hawks team, the final runner made the difference.

Blake McNeal finished as the fifth athlete for Myrtle, snagging the 21st spot that handed the Hawks to needed points to edge out runner-up and 2014 State Champion Hickory Flat.

“I challenged one of them to step up and be the twelfth man,” Hawks coach Greer said, “And Blake did that today. He did enough to help us win it. I’m just so proud of these

kids. They’ve worked so hard for this.”

Senior Josh Sampson and junior Titus Gillard were the top finishers for the Hawks in eighth and ninth place.

Evan Gann also earned AllState honors for Myrtle with his 13th place run.

For Myrtle, the boys’ state title win is the 10th for the program since 2005.

The Hawks win, combined with two titles earned by East Union in 2A, gives Union County 18 cross country titles among the five schools.

Donica Phifer | Gazette Staff

Myrtle’s boys team reacts to the announcement of their state title win.

New Albany Gazette

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Photo Submitted by Shane Sanderson

The New Albany Lady Bulldogs won the Class 1 state title on February 18, 2106 in a match against Richland. Team members include, from left, Sarah Hajeh, Brandi Gann, Oceana Finley, Summer Frain, Sarah Bain, and Taylor Dawe. Head Coach Wayne Dye (far right) and Assistant Coach David White (far left).

Lady Bulldogs bring home state bowling title Larry Hillard

Special to the Journal

JACKSON - The New Albany Lady Bulldogs overcame a slow start in qualifying to win their first championship on Thursday, a 3-1 victory over Richland.

The Bulldogs were last among the eight teams midway through qualifying after bowling games of 638 and 590.

They followed with 840 and 739 games to finish second in

the qualifying round with a 2,807 total.

“They came all the way from eighth to second in order to get to the Baker. Then they excelled there, as I knew they could,” said New Albany assistant coach David White.” They were bowling like they were supposed to in the third and fourth games.”

Richland led qualifying with a 2,914 total. Other qualifying finals included Kossuth (2,745), Tupelo Christian (2,742), Trem-

ont (2,724), Itawamba AHS (2,644), Mantachie (1,932) and North Pike (1,850).

New Albany wrapped up the championship with a 118-113 victory in the fourth game of the roll-off when Sarah Bain, the Lady Bulldogs’ final bowler, had a spare and a strike in the tenth frame.

Madison Hardage of Richland was the top individual bowler in qualifying with a 796 four-game total.

Hardage was followed by

New Albany freshman bowler Taylor Dawe with 642 points.

“We beat them [Richland] by one pin on a game, and on another it was just 11 pins. But on the third game we beat them pretty good, but on the fourth game they beat us by just a few pins,” Bulldogs head coach Wayne Dye said, “So it was close the whole way.”

“Really this was our best time to win,” Dye said, “Four of our six bowlers are seniors and its nice to see all of their

practicing and hard work pay off and to see them succeed this way in their final year.”

The New Albany boys team finished sixth among the eight qualifying bowling teams. East Union finished third and West Union finished fourth in boys Class 1 competition.

Additional reporting by Donica Phifer, Sports Editor, The New Albany Gazette.

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New Albany Gazette

Donica Phifer | Gazette Staff

The Lady Falcons hold up the Class 2A Championship Banner after being awarded the 2A State trophy on March 11, 2016.

Lady Falcons win Class 2A state title in basketball Donica Phifer Sports Editor

JACKSON - It is said that defense wins championships.

That’s exactly what led the Lady Falcons to their first Class 2A state title in school history on Friday, where the team defeated Heidelburg 41-40.

Ingomar played from behind for most of the game, down by as many as 13 points, before orchestrating a defensive push that saw the Lady Oilers come apart at the seams.

The Lady Falcons grabbed their first lead with 89 seconds left to play, and Ingomar never looked back, shooting timely free-throws and applying defensive pressure that made it difficult for the Oilers to regain control.

“We really just kept chipping away at them,” Falcons coach Trent Adair said, “That kind of stuff happens down here. The weight of the world was on their shoulders to win this game being that they were undefeated. That pressure gets to you when it gets close and that’s what we said, in the fourth quarter keep in close and see how they handle it.”

Carson Grisham began it all for the Falcons, containing Heidelburg point guard Keyara Jones for a five-second call.

Lauren Thompson and Mallory Russell each drew a charge, and both nailed shots at the line when called upon.

Two steals, one from Thompson and one from Maggie Smithey, added more pressure to the Lady Oilers and if Thompson’s two-pointer for the 38-37 lead

didn’t add to the urgency, a block from Russell to prevent Heidelburg from tying up the game at 39-37 certainly did.

The second half was a world of difference from the first half where the Falcons were ice cold from behind the arc and only shooting 32-percent from the floor.

“At halftime, [Coach Adair] told us to get some stops, to make the lead shorter,” freshman point guard Gara Beth Self said, “And to make every shot count.”

The shots did count, with Ingomar snagging its first state championship in 22 years.

The Lady Falcons last won in 1994, with appearances in the Class 1A title game in both 1998 and 1999.

“Our focus really was to play our pace,” Thompson said, “We

didn’t want to play their game, we wanted to play ours. We did that and, now, this just feels surreal. I don’t know how to feel yet. I’m sure it will hit me later that we won.”

Keeping the game at a halfcourt style was one the goals that Adair listed for the Falcons headed into the game as well as a low-scoring affair, Adair said.

“We felt like if the score would be in the 40s that it would favor us,” Adair said, “We were facing players who were better athletes, we weren’t out-skilled but out athleted.”

The Lady Oilers season ends at 32-1, while Ingomar closes out at 34-5.

“It feels awesome, it’s very emotional, and we’ve worked hard to get here. We deserve it and we couldn’t have done it

without Coach Adair,” Lindsay Hall said, “You can describe this feeling, you don’t feel this way a lot. We are very thankful and very blessed.”

Thompson and Russell led in scoring with 12 points, and Smithey added eight in the victory.

“I feel amazing, it feels really good to be a state champion,” Smithey said.

Russell was named the Most Valuable Player for the championship game, and Sydney Roberts the scholar-athlete of the game.

“It was a crazy game from tip off to the end,” Russell said, “Coach Adair told us at halftime to go out there and give it everything, so I gave it everything.

And it doesn’t feel real at all, I feel like I’m dreaming.”

New Albany Gazette

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Photo Submitted by Chris Basil

The East Union Lady Urchins won the Class I Girls Powerlifting State Championship on April 16, 2016. Team members were (left to right)Sylvie McVey, Kensie Roberts, Calla Basil, Janna Humphreys, Yilah Isby, Katlin Prewett, Coach Scott Duley, Lindsey Hill, Tianna Castillo, Katie Roberts, Kaitie Boatner and Jessie Roberts.

Lady Urchins win historic Class 1 powerlifting title Dennis Clayton Sportswriter

East Union won the Class I Girls Powerlifting Championship on Saturday in an impressive team performance. The Lady Urchins had 10 girls competing and all 10 medaled in their events.

The Lady Urchins took four gold medals, four silver and two bronze in their competition.

“We knew we had 10 girls and Calhoun City had eight, so looking on paper we knew if our girls came close to doing what they were capable of we should be able to score more points,” East Union coach Scott Duley said.

“Our strategy was to go heavy early with our morning session girls which were our young, light girls because I knew if we could get the points that we needed to in the morning, we could relax a little in the afternoon and not have to put so much pressure on ourselves. The young girls did an incredible job, I can’t say enough about our junior high girls because they really set the table for us. With Tianna and Calla in mid-morning doing what they did, we were really in a wonderful position to be able to take it a bit easy in the afternoon.”

Gold medal winners were Tianna Castillo, Katlin Prewett,

Kaitie Boatner and Jessie Roberts. Silver medalists were Lindsey Hill, Calla Basil, Kensie Roberts and Yilah Isby. The bronze medalists for the Lady Urchins were Janna Humphreys and Katie Roberts.

“Everyone performed well and we finished in exactly in the same places that we did at North Half and the team won by 10 points,” Duley said. “Every single girl that we brought down medaled and that’s the first time that I’ve ever had every person on the team medal. They all did a wonderful job. Everyone set at least one personal record also.”

East Union set two state re-

cords in the event and both were set by first year junior high lifters.

“Jessie (Roberts) squatted 215 pounds in the 97 pound weight class and she set a state record,” Duley said. “Kaitie (Boatner) was in the 114 pound weight class and she squatted 290. She could have done a lot more, she could have set a dead lift record.”

East Union had an entry in every weight class with the exception of the 181 and 220 pound divisions.

“We have five seniors (Castillo, Prewett, Basil, Hill and Humphreys) and I cannot say enough about them,” Duley said.

“They have jobs, they are already enrolled in their college, they were filling out scholarship applications. They were as busy as any group of kids that I have ever coached and yet they consistently, every day made time to get the workout in. The difference between us taking second and winning was the dedication and sacrifice that we saw, starting with our seniors and going all the way down to our junior high girls.”

This gives Duley four state powerlifting championships in a row, three boys and one girls.

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New Albany Gazette

Donica Phifer | Gazette Staff

New Albany Girls were named the 2016 Class II Girls Golf State Champions. Team members are (left to right) Head Golf Coach Shane Sanderson, Lauren Dunlap, Lucy Martin, Olivia Thompson and Carley Adams.

Lady Bulldogs win Class II golf title John Pitts

Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal

After years as the state’s second-best team, New Albany won its first Class II girls golf championship on Tuesday in Cleveland.

Bulldogs’ junior Lucy Martin won the individual title, beating her good friend – and playing partner – Presley Baggett of Germantown with a birdie in a playoff after both shot 76s. And, to top it all off, Martin hit her first hole-in-one during Tuesday’s round at the Cleveland Country Club.

“We finally did it,” New Albany coach Shane Sanderson said. “Seven out of the past

nine years, we’ve been the runner-up to a 5A school. It was a great day, no doubt.”

His team finished with a 161 total, four strokes better than defending champion Germantown in the rain-shortened event.

“Germantown returned its two top golfers and we returned two of our top three,” Sanderson said. “We knew they were the team to beat.”

The teams were supposed to play 36 holes, but Monday’s round was rained out.

“We hated to see it shortened, but we were delighted to win,” said Sanderson, who’s in his first season as coach. Robert Garrett, who helped get the

girls’ program off the ground, was promoted to assistant principal this year.

Sanderson made a point of giving Garrett a shout-out on Twitter after Tuesday’s win.

“He played a huge role in everything that led us to this title,” Sanderson said.

Martin, who’s been in the program for five seasons, led the way. Lauren Dunlap, a senior, shot an 85 – with a fourstroke advantage over Germantown’s second golfer that provided the winning margin.

“Lauren and I have been together since the beginning,” Martin said. “This was awesome, very exciting. I guess it was just my day.”

Martin said she was unhappy after a bogey on the first hole – quickly forgotten after her first career ace.

“I’d been between clubs on No. 2 in my practice rounds and I was very nervous,” she said. “One bounce and my drive went in. It was a very special feeling.

Photo Submited by Shane Sanderson

Lucy Martin retrives her hole-in-one ball from the course during the Class II state meet.

New Albany Gazette

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Dennis Clayton | Gazette Staff

Myrtle won the 2016 Boys Class 1A State Track Championship on May 7, 2016. Team members are (left to right) Hunter Hall, Titus Gillard, Josh Sampson, Abiram Frazier, Roy Contreras, Ed McGaha, Chris Hill, Evan Gann, Teshun Bougard, Braxton Wilson, Coach Chris Greer and Cole Windham.

Myrtle Hawks win 1A boys state track title Dennis Clayton Sportswriter

PEARL - The Myrtle boys had never won a state title in track, but that all changed on Saturday as the Hawks won the 1A title utilizing their numbers and hard-work ethic in the competition.

“We put a lot of people in (events), we got a lot of people out, ”Myrtle coach Chris Greer said. “Abiram (Frazier) did a great job and Chris Hill qualified in a lot of events.We didn’t have as good

a day as I wanted, but you know, we survived. The pole vault came in handy and Titus (Gillard) gritted it out in the two-mile to give us extra points.”

Frazier gave the Hawks the boost they needed early, taking first in both the discus and shot put.Frazier threw the discus 14007, a personal record, beating the second-place competitor by 14 feet and in the shot put, he recorded another personal best with a throw of 46-01.50. Frazier successfully defended his state title in the discus,

but bettered his winning mark in 2015 by 11 feet.”

“I ate a good breakfast this morning and had energy,” Frazier said.“We needed this one, I’ve thrown 143 feet (discus) before, but that was in practice. This is my personal best in a meet.”

Josh Sampson came through for the Hawks in the 1A pole vault, taking first with a 10-06.00. Hunter Hall joined Sampson on the podium with his third place finish to give Myrtle critical points in the competition.

Myrtle’s initial points of the day came from the 4 x 800 relay team comprising Ed McGaha, Even Gann, Braxton Wilson and Roy Contreras as they placed third in the opening event.

Those were the only podium appearances for Myrtle on the day, but the Hawks kept putting points on the board to secure the title.

“I would have never thought we would have won a boys’ state championship, but a lot of factors went our way,” Greer said.“The kids worked hard and they put

themselves in position to win. I think kids will be more interested and really hope this is a building block.”

Myrtle finished the day with 72 points, beating out West Lowndes and Ray Brooks as they tied for second with 64 points.

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New Albany Gazette

Donica Phifer | Gazette Staff

The New Albany Bulldogs tennis team, with Head Coach Suzy Bowman and Assistant Coach Bo Bowman, pose with the Class 4A State Championship trophy and banner following their 6-1 win over Newton County on May 9, 2016 at the FNC Tennis Courts in Oxford.

Bulldogs win fifth consecutive 4A state tennis title Donica Phifer Sports Editor

OXFORD - For the fifth consecutive year, the Bulldogs brought home a state title.

New Albany defeated Newton County 6-1 for the Class 4A tennis championship, in seven matches that could have gone either way through the opening sets.

“I think just the excitement of the day, it made it a bit closer of a match and Newton County really battled with us today,” Bulldogs head coach Suzy Bowman said.

The mixed doubles duo of Morris Kelly Clayton and Seth Male snagged the first win for New Albany on their court with a 6-0, 6-1 victory.

That win was followed by Chris Shands’ defeat of Dylan Barnett in two 6-1 sets, handing the Bulldogs half of the courts that they needed for the title.

Shands’ win was followed by boys doubles with Trace Thompson and Grayson Godbold winning 6-0, 6-2.

“This [title] right here takes a close second to my tenth grade year,” Thompson said,”That was probably the biggest win I’ve ever had, but this one is a close second with a win over a good team because it’s my last one.”

The match of the day became the fourth court that the Bulldogs secured, as Roberto Valadez and Michael Crotts

won a tiebreaker point in the second set for a 6-0, 7-6 win for the final court to win the championship.

“We just got tight in that second set,” Valadez said, “And the large crowd, it got in my head a bit,” Crotts said.

The large crowd consisted of numerous students from New Albany High School who attended and cheered on the Bulldogs from the sidelines.

“It helped us a lot, I feel, we kind of fed off it,” Valadez said.

With the title secured, the pendulum swung towards the girls’ courts with Katie Davis and Meghan Van taking the fifth court.

“I was nervous at first,” Van

said, “But then I heard everyone yelling for the last court and we just talked to each other and decided to just play our game and we did.”

The final court of the day, won in a third set tiebreaker by Laura Creekmore and younger sister Maggie Creekmore was bittersweet for senior Laura.

“I love playing with her,” Laura said, “Its nice to have two state championships together...this one is sweeter because it’s my last one and, last year, we lost to the girls that we defeated this year. So that was a nice comeback to have, too.”

A final farewell The 2016 title marks the sixth in seven years for New

Albany, with many of the team’s 11 seniors having just begun their careers in the program in 2011.

“I wanted this so bad for them, I wanted it to end this way,” Bowman said. “They really have worked so hard. I was proud of how they played today, and how they prepared today.”

For all the seniors, the win was emotional, with the highs of success and the lows of knowing that this marked the beginning of the end.

“The team is like our family,” Davis said, “It’s all of our favorite sport, just because we are all so close. It’s hard not to cry, but its really exciting at the same time.”

New Albany Gazette

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Donica Phifer | Gazette Staff

The East Union Urchins pose with the Class 2A state championship banner and the Golden Glove trophy following their 5-1 win over Loyd Star on May 21, 2016.

East Union wins first state title in baseball

Donica Phifer Sports Editor

PEARL – East Union closed the book on their baseball season with a bit of gold.

The Urchins defeated Loyd Star in a 5-1 final on Saturday, earning the series sweep to claim the Class 2A state championship. That win is a first for the program, which made their seventh appearance in Pearl this year.

For Urchins head coach Chris Basil, it was the fifth trip to the championship series in his career at East Union.

“It’s unbelievable,” Basil said of the win, “I can’t describe it. Our kids….I just sat them down the other day and asked them [what this team meant] and every response was about family and being together, about unity. And that describes their strengths, that’s how I would describe them.”

Joel Wilkinson threw the complete game on the mound for the Urchins,

striking out six and allowing four hits on the night. Wilkinson’s success on the mound, along with the work that senior Witt Roaton put in during Tuesday’s opening game, proved the key to the state title.

“They’re a good hitting ball club,” Basil said, “But the bottom line is that our pitching dominated them in these two ball games. And I thought (Assistant Coach) Zane Treadaway called an incredible game.”

For Wilkinson, the realization of what was on the line began early.

“Somewhere around the National Anthem my heart started pounding and I thought ‘this is it, this could be the last game that I play with the seniors’, but after the first pitch I got comfortable, I just zoned everything out, I felt like I was at East Union and just tried to throw strikes,” Wilkinson said.

Offensively, the key to the Urchins success fell at the hands of catcher Jacob Raines whose hit in the first inning

put East Union on the board. An error from Loyd Star allowed a second run, and a third, scored by Raines courtesy runner Grant White, handed the Urchins a 3-0 lead.

Loyd Star’s single run arrived in the third with an error and a misplayed bunt loading the bases for a ground out RBI for Cade Hodges.

“This is the greatest feeling in the world right now,” senior center fielder Thomas Moore said, “It’s not even real yet.”

Moore is one of a trio of seniors, including Roaton and first baseman/right fielder Dillin Eddings that marked a third trip to Pearl in their high school careers.

“We wanted to make history,” Eddings said, “And we’ve done that.”

“This win….it’s really about every kid that has ever put on a brown and Donica Phifer | Gazette Staff gold uniform,” Basil said, “….these East Union seniors Witt Roaton, Dillin Eddings and kids, they knew that. It’s theirs; they Thomas Moore with the Golden Glove trophy. finally got what they deserve.”

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New Albany Gazette

Individual State Champions New Albany High School

Donica Phifer | Gazette Staff

Donica Phifer | Gazette Staff

Lucy Martin won the Class II Girls Golf Individual Chris Shands won the Class 4A Boys Singles Individual Tennis Title on May 11, 2016.

Title on May 2, 2016

Seth Male (left) and Morris Kelly Clayton (right) won the Class 4A Mixed Doubles Individual Tennis Title on May 11, 2016.

Photo Submitted by Shane Sanderson

Donica Phifer | Gazette Staff

Roberto Valadez (left) and Michael Crotts (right) won the Class 4A Boys Doubles Individual Tennis Title on May 11, 2016.

New Albany Gazette

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Individual State Champions East Union High School

Photo Submitted by Chris Basil

Dalton Hall won the Class 2A boys 114 pound weight class individual state title on April 16, 2016.

Photo Submitted by Dana Roberts

Photo Submitted by Dana Roberts

Kaitlyn Prewett won the girls Class I 200+ pound Jessie Roberts won the girls Class I 97 pound weight weight class individual state title on April 16, 2016. class individual state title on April 16, 2016.

Dennis Clayton | Gazette Staff Photo Submitted by Dana Roberts

Tianna Castillo won the girls Class I 148 pound weight class individual state title on April 16, 2016.

Photo Submitted by Dana Roberts

Kaitie Boatner won the girls Class I 114 pound weight class individual state title on April 16, 2016.

Lauren Jane Whitenton of East Union won the State 2A Girls’ High Jump with her top jump of 4-09.00 on May 6, 2016.

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New Albany Gazette

Individual State Champions East Union High School

Dennis Clayton | Gazette Staff

Jordon Salmon of East Union won the State 2A Boys’ Dennis Clayton | Gazette Staff 1600 Meter Run with a time of 4:54.39 and the State Cayce Smith of East Union won the State 2A Girls’ 2A Boys’ 800 Meter Run with a time of 2:09.25. on Pole Vault with her top vault of 8-00.00 on May 6, May 6, 2016.

2016.

Dennis Clayton | Gazette Staff

Katie Rowan of East Union won State 2A Girls’ Long Jump with a distance of 17-06.00 and the State 2A Girls’ 100 Meter Hurdles with a time of 16.67. on May 6, 2016.

Dennis Clayton | Gazette Staff

East Union won the State 2A Boys’ 4 x 800 Meter Relay with a record time of 8:54.30 for Class 2A on May 6, 2016..

Winners were (left to right) Clayton Fulgham, Zach Rowan, Hunter Nobles and Jordon Salmon.

New Albany Gazette

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Individual State Champions Myrtle High School

Dennis Clayton | Gazette Staff

Dennis Clayton | Gazette Staff

Josh Sampson of Myrtle won the State 1A Boys’ Abiram Frazier of Myrtle won the State 1A Boys’ Aaliyah Cole of Myrtle won the State 1A Girls’ Pole Pole Vault with his 10-06.00 vault on May 7, Discus with a throw of 140-07 and the State 1A Boys’ Vault with a top vault of 6-00.00 on May 7, 2016.

2016.

Shot Put with a throw of 46-01.50 on May 7, 2016.

Dennis Clayton | Gazette Staff

West Union High School

Donica Phifer | Gazette Staff

Kylie Massengil won the girls 1A Cross Country individual title on November 9, 2015 with a race time of 20:50.0.

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New Albany Gazette

Union County Gold

22

New Albany Gazette

Bowling Center

Come join our Bowling League. Call 538-0703 for more information.

June & July Special:

Bowl two games/shoe rental for only $5 Monday thru Saturday

Open everyday by 2 p.m.

504 W. Bankhead St.

912 W. Bankhead Street

534-9323

New Albany, MS

Quality Eye Care, Quality Eye Wear

New Albany Vision Clinic 484 W. Bankhead, New Albany, MS

662.534.0101

Welcome to New Albany, a great place to call home.

225 Starlyn Ave. • New Albany

662.534.5025

www.FiveStarRealtyMS.com Join us on facebook and keep current with all new listings.

New Albany Gazette

Union County Gold

23

No matter which school you support, Alexander has a deal for you!

ALEXANDER AUTO SALES

716 CARTER AVENUE, NEW ALBANY, MS

662-790-3111

At the Downtown Exit

Congratulations to our State Champions of the 2015-2016 season!

Look for our 2016 Fall Sports Preview in the August 17th New Albany Gazette