These were the best high school sports teams of the decade in South Mississippi
With the decade coming to a close, now is a good time to take a look back on the best high school sports teams in South Mississippi and consider which squads are the best of the best.
With 15 total state titles, volleyball stands out as the sport that has provided the most championship trophies for the state’s southernmost six counties. Our Lady Academy has provided eight of those.
In football, there’s no doubt that Picayune was the Coast’s best representative with the only two state championships of the last decade.
Coast squads have had a little more luck in baseball, soccer and softball with Vancleave, St. Stanislaus, Harrison Central, Pascagoula, Ocean Springs, St. Patrick and Harrison Central getting in on the title fun.
The Sun Herald has done the research and ranked the best Coast teams of the 2010’s in football, boys basketball, girls basketball, baseball, softball, volleyball, boys soccer and girls soccer.
FOOTBALL
1. 2013 Picayune (13-2) — The Maroon Tide finished 13-2, topping Oxford to claim the Class 5A state championship. Kadarius Cross ran 75 yards for a touchdown with 2:08 remaining to cap a comeback victory. Senior Preston Dedeaux played a large role all season, carrying 282 times for 2,043 yards and seeing plenty of time on defense. A 35-28 victory at Laurel at South State was one of the highlights of the postseason. It was Dodd Lee’s third and final state championship as the Picayune head coach.
2. 2011 Picayune (13-2) — This squad thumped Starkville 38-21 in the 5A title contest. Daronte Magee and Dedeaux, then a sophomore, led the Maroon Tide rushing attack. Junior quarterback Ben Hickman kept defenses honest with 1,260 yards through the air.
3. 2017 East Central (13-1) — If not for star running back Tony Brown going down with a shoulder injury in the first half of the Class 4A title game, the Hornets likely would have given the Coast a third state championship this decade. Brown, tight end Brad Cumbest, linebacker Avery White and offensive lineman Wyatt Green were part of the most talented squad in the history of the program. The Hornets finished 13-1, losing 41-35 to Noxubee County in the championship game in Oxford.
4. 2019 Picayune (14-1) — This squad was unquestionably one of Lee’s best, but it came up shy of a title with a 38-26 loss to West Point in the 5A title game in Hattiesburg to end the season at 14-1. Senior running back Cameron Thomas was explosive, running for 3,517 yards and 48 touchdowns — 51 total.
5. 2012 Pascagoula (11-3) — This is another talented squad that fell short of a championship. The Panthers avenged regular season losses to Picayune and Pearl River Central in the playoffs before falling 28-11 to Starkville in the 5A title game in Jackson. Senior quarterback/linebacker Stacey Warren was an impressive athlete on both sides of the ball.
BOYS BASKETBALL
1. 2013-14 Gulfport (32-3) — The Admirals were the lone Class 6A team to earn a state championship in South Mississippi this decade and they did it on the strength of their guard play. Junior point guard Jahshire Hardnett averaged 22.2 points a game and senior Dimitri Cook averaged 15.7. The Admirals stunned Madison Central in the semifinals and then toppled Grenada in the 6A title game for coach Owen Miller’s lone championship so far at Gulfport.
2. 2009-10 Bay High (34-3) — Future NAIA All-American at William Carey, Daron Bell, put together a tremendous season, hitting 44 percent of his 3-point attempts and averaging 21.5 points a game. Kelton Thompson’s Tigers beat St. Stanislaus 51-39 in an All-Coast final to take the Class 4A state title.
3. 2010-11 St. Stanislaus (34-2) — The senior trio of Johnny Zupardo, Daniel Grieves and Davon Hayes proved to be a dominant force. The three players combined to average 46.8 points, leading the Rockachaws to a 58-38 victory over Pass Christian in another All-Coast final.
4. 2018-19 Biloxi (30-2) — Coach Seber Windham and the rest of his Indians still have to wonder about what might have been. The Indians had a talented starting five, but a 55-51 loss to Meridian in the state quarterfinals ended their season far too short.
5. 2013-14 Pascagoula (24-8) — In one of his best coaching jobs at ‘Goula, Ronald Norman took the Panthers into Laurel and beat the Golden Tornadoes 59-58 for a Class 5A South State title. The Panthers’ season fell short of the title game, falling 82-67 to Vicksburg the next game out.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
1. 2012-13 Bay High (28-0) — Debbie Triplett’s Lady Tigers provided the only girls basketball state championship this decade and they were as dominant as they come. During the postseason tournament, Bay High beat teams by an average of 35.6 points a game. Bay topped Pontotoc 65-42 in the 4A state title game.
2. 2015-16 West Harrison (25-3) — No single player may have carried her team more over the last 10 years than Ameshya Williams. The 6-foot-2 senior averaged 24.6 points and 14.2 rebounds to lead the Lady Hurricanes to a 5A state runner-up finish.
3. 2015-16 St. Martin (28-3) — There may not have been a more talented girls basketball team this decade than this group led by senior wing Savannah Jones, senior guard Deona Morgan and sophomore center Daphane White. Jones averaged 23.6 points and 10 rebounds. The Yellow Jackets fell 69-56 to Callaway in the state semifinals.
4. 2013-14 Bay High (19-4) — The Lady Tigers finished as the Class 4A runner up, coming up just shy of another trophy in a 42-41 loss to Itawamba AHS in the title game.
5. 2014-15 Harrison Central (26-8) — Senior point guard Jazzmun Holmes led the Red Rebelettes to a trip to the Class 6A semifinals. The future Mississippi State standout averaged 15.6 points, 7.5 rebounds, 7.3 assists and 4.7 steals.
BASEBALL
1. 2010 St. Stanislaus (26-3) — Senior pitcher/shortstop Boomer Scarborough did it all for the Rockachaws on their way to a Class 4A state title and he had some help on the mound from junior lefty Jacob Lindgren, who went on to play for the New York Yankees. Scarborough, who played at Southern Miss, was 12-1 with a 0.69 ERA and he hit 15 homers.
2. 2012 Pascagoula (23-10) — The gritty Panthers took two of three games from Hernando to claim the Class 5A state championship. A walk-off homer by shortstop Tracy Hadley sent the Panthers to the title round.
3. 2018 Vancleave (29-7) — This squad was loaded with talented seniors, including Sun Herald Player of the Year Bailee Hendon. The Bulldogs swept New Hope, 1-0 and 3-0, to take the 4A state title in Pearl.
4. 2015 St. Stanislaus (29-5) — With senior pitcher/shortstop Jonathon Artigues leading the way, the Rockachaws swept Houston in the state title round to claim another 4A championship.
5. 2017 Pearl River Central (28-12) — As just a sophomore, catcher Hayden Dunhurst helped pave the way as the Blue Devils took two of three from Oxford for the 5A state championship.
SOFTBALL
1. 2016 Harrison Central (28-4) — These Red Rebelettes won a third consecutive Class 6A state championship behind the dominant pitching duo of senior Madison Burge and sophomore Kristen Cade.
2. 2014 St. Patrick (28-4-2) — The Irish earned a three-peat of their own, rallying for a pair of wins after falling in Game 1 of the Class 3A state title series to Nettleton.
3. 2015 Harrison Central (28-6) — The Red Rebelettes had a pitching staff ERA of 0.80. They swept Madison Central for the 6A title.
4. 2013 St. Patrick (31-3) — The Irish easily swept Nettleton, 11-0 and 15-6, with a big weekend at the plate.
5. 2014 Harrison Central (29-6) — To cap the first of three consecutive championship seasons, the Red Rebeletes rallied from a Game 1 loss to beat Madison Central for the 6A state title.
VOLLEYBALL
1. 2013 Our Lady Academy (41-2) — The Crescents, who have won eight consecutive state titles, were the program of the decade on the Coast and for the entire state of Mississippi. The 2013 squad didn’t lose a game to a Mississippi team and finished ranked No. 1 in the state by Maxpreps. OLA swept Senatobia in the Class I title round.
2. 2018 Vancleave (40-2) — The Lady Bulldogs completely dominated Coast competition, rolling to the Class II championship with a 3-0 sweep of Lake Cormorant.
3. 2016 Hancock (36-3) — The Lady Hawks didn’t lose many sets all season and toppled Oak Grove 3-2 to claim the Class 6A state title.
4. 2019 Vancleave (39-4) — This championship marked the third consecutive state title for the program with a 3-0 sweep of New Albany.
5. 2014 Our Lady Academy (39-4) — The Crescents swept St. Andrews for yet another Class I championship.
BOYS SOCCER
1. 2018-19 Gulfport (19-2-4) — The Admirals earned back-to-back Class 6A state titles with a roster that was perhaps as talented as any there’s been in the state.
2. 2015-16 St. Stanislaus (23-3-1) — The Rockachaws claimed their third consecutive state championship under coach Ryan Joiner.
3. 2016-17 St. Patrick (17-0-2) — The Irish earned their second consecutive Class 1A-2A-3A championship and did it without a single loss.
4. 2017-18 Gulfport (18-4-3) — Henrik Madsen’s squad was every bit as dominant as the 2018-19 champions.
5. 2015-16 Stone High (21-1-1) — The Tomcats didn’t lose a single match in 2016 and beat Germantown in overtime to claim the Class 5A state title.
GIRLS SOCCER
1. 2018-19 Ocean Springs (17-3-3) — In Neil Scott’s first season as head coach, Ocean Springs claimed the program’s second state title. OSHS won in a shootout over perennial contender Madison Central.
2. 2011-12 Our Lady Academy (19-3-3) — The Crescents claimed their third consecutive state championship and the 10th in program history.
3. 2012-13 Ocean Springs (19-4-2) — The Lady Greyhounds topped Tupelo 2-0 to win the 6A state title — the first in program history.
4. 2010-11 Our Lady Academy (18-3-3) — The Crescents took down Sacred Heart 3-1 to pick up the second of three consecutive state championships.
5. 2017-18 Long Beach (20-1-1) — The Lady Bearcats’ only defeat came in a shootout loss to Germantown in the Class 5A state championship game.
This story was originally published December 26, 2019 at 4:00 AM.
