Category Archives: Sports

May 10, 2013 · 1:58 pm

Boys doubles, singles set to compete for State Championship

By: Tyler Lee and Kirk McCarty

Staff Reporters

This year has been a rebuilding year for the tennis team after losing most of the team to graduation last year. All of the underclassmen got plenty of playing time this year, so the future is bright for the program. The Warriors won four matches this year, which included two against Hattiesburg High School and Meridian High School. The Warriors’ wins against Hattiesburg came on March 26 at Tatum Park, the home site for the Warriors.  An additional win against Hattiesburg came on April 2 at Kamper Park. The other wins came against Meridian in an away match on March 28 and a home match on April 4.

The 2013 Warrior tennis team will be heading to State next week. The Warriors are sending doubles partners John Lewis Neese and MacAlister Parker and singles player Eric Swisher. The Warriors are looking to capture their first doubles title since Ben and Brock Hurston’s win a few years ago.

Swisher has signed with Jones County Junior College to continue his tennis career through college. Head coach Zane Thomas said, “Eric is a life-long tennis guy. He is dedicated to the game and will be successful at the next level.”

Lewis and Parker were ranked number one in the state prior to being defeated by Gulfport’s doubles team by a score 6-2, 7-6. The team dropped to the tenth seed for the 16-team state tournament. Neese is extremely confident in his chances of a state title. “Go ahead and make room in the trophy case because we’re bringing it for the boys back home,” Neese said.

The first year under Coach Zane Thomas was a success in the eyes of the players. MacAlister Parker said, “Coach Thomas brought enough raw emotion for the whole team.” Thomas won’t be returning as coach for the 2014 season due to accepting a football coaching position at Madison Central. “The athletic programs at Oak Grove are second to none, and the tennis program is no exception.” Coach Thomas said. “I really enjoyed seeing these kids compete this season. It was really different than coaching a contact sport like I’m used to with football. I’m going to miss this group.”

Leave a Comment

Filed under Sports

Tagged as , , , ,

· 1:57 pm

Softball team preps for South State

By: Samantha Papp

Staff Reporter

After a rather disappointing 2012 season, the Lady Warriors fast-pitch softball team is back with a vengeance.  The Lady Warriors spent the 2013 regular season honing their defensive and offensive skills and preparing themselves for playoffs.  After finishing the regular season with a 21-4 record and sweeping both D’Iberville and Brandon in the early rounds of playoffs, the Lady Warriors are feeling confident about their chances at success this season.

“We’ve got a little bit different mindset this year,” head coach Gary Ivy said.  “We’ve had trouble closing the deal over the last couple years.  I think we’ve worked on the mental approach, and hopefully, we’re prepared to finish it for a chance.”

The Lady Warriors have put up impressive numbers this season, finishing the regular season with a team batting average of .412.  Prior to playoffs, seven of the nine starting players were batting over .350.  The two varsity pitchers, senior Payton Sheffield and junior Mahalia Gibson, had an earned run average of 1.43, and opposing teams only scored 28 earned runs in the entire regular season.

In 2012, the Lady Warriors lost to Harrison Central in the third round of playoffs.  After winning the first game of the best of three series, the Lady Warriors lost games two and three by scores of 6-5 and 8-5, respectively.  However, the team is not planning on letting such defeat occur again in 2013.  After winning first place in their district in 2013 and receiving a bye from the first round of playoffs, Oak Grove swept D’Iberville in the second round and Brandon in the third round.

“We aren’t willing to let people hang around anymore,” Ivy said.  “We’ve got to play hard through the entire game and not have those letups that let teams come back on you.”

After defeating Brandon in the third round of playoffs on May 6, the Lady Warriors earned themselves their ticket to South State.  The Lady Warriors will have home field advantage against Harrison Central, the team that ended Oak Grove’s season last year.  Oak Grove will play at Harrison Central on Saturday, May 11 and at Oak Grove on Monday, May 13.

 

Leave a Comment

Filed under Sports

Tagged as ,

· 1:56 pm

Archery team brings home first ever State title

By: Samantha Papp

Staff Reporter

After only three years at Oak Grove, the archery team has quickly become one of the most populated sports at the school.  Beginning with 20 archers in 2011, the team’s numbers rose to 30 in 2012, and skyrocketed to around 48 members in 2013.  With this increased level of participation came an increased level of success; this year’s archery team was the first Oak Grove archery team to win a State championship.

“Winning State felt pretty great,” senior archer Kyle Caver said.  “Last year, we didn’t have as much experience.  This year, we had veterans who helped us set up the shoot better.”

The team’s unprecedented success this season can be attributed to several factors:  new coaching strategies, improved practices, and player-to-player instruction.  This season is the archery team’s first year under head coach Shauna Hedgepeth’s reign.  Hedgepeth has previous experience of coaching robotics, mathematics, and cheerleading.  She decided to tackle the task of coaching archery this year.

“I decided to coach archery because the age restriction goes all the way down to fourth grade, so my son could start learning the sport,” Hedgepeth said.  “Also, my dad and brother shoot; I wanted to get back into archery so that they would stop ignoring me during holidays.”

Under the coaching of Hedgepeth, Colonel David Morris, and Bobby DeLeon, the team saw more numerous and intense practices.  The team practiced every afternoon during the week and sometimes on Saturdays, with practices lasting up to four hours.

After participating in five meets and winning two, the team traveled to the Jackson State Fairgrounds on April 16 to bring home Oak Grove’ first archery state title.  The team will look to add one more meet against Sumrall before drawing the 2013 season to a close.

 

Leave a Comment

Filed under Sports

Tagged as , ,

· 1:55 pm

Powerlifting teams compete at State

By: Nan Buti

Staff Reporter

The Oak Grove powerlifting teams have proven to not only represent themselves as true warriors with leadership and brainpower, but also have shown their strength both physically and mentally. Under the coaching of Tony Myers, Knute Douglas, and Chris Tran, the boys’ powerlifting team once again placed first at state. Coaches Amanda Micka, John Micka, and Jeff Douglas led the girls’ team to State with Kim Franklin placing third and Christie Stricker placing first in their weight classes. Both teams competed at the MHSAA Class 6A State Championship on April 13 in Jackson.

The boys’ team successfully placed first with 39 points, maintaining their winning streak from last year. Boys’ team lifters who placed at state were Antonio Mikell, Alex Smith, Devonte Durr, Mikal Bilal, Dante Pittman, Trevor Neeley, and John Pride. “Everyone worked really hard and stayed dedicated from late November until April. They always kept their eye on the prize,” junior member Mauricio Hernandez said. In fact, the boys’ team consecutively placed first in every competition leading up to state, including Regionals and South State.

The girls’ team of just 11 overcame competitive teams, winning third at Regionals, second at South State, and fourth at State. “This is only my second year on the team, but all of the veterans have gotten so much stronger. We’ve actually started breaking each other’s records, which gives a healthy sense of competition to the team. All of the girls who just completed their first year on the team have come so far in just one year. I look forward to seeing how great they’re going to be next year,” junior Anna Catherine Colbert said. With a loss of seniors on both teams, Douglas feels the upcoming members will exceed their previous successes. “There are many new team members this year, and I expect next year’s team will be very well-rounded,” Douglas said.

Colbert and other team members are very thankful for their coaches dedication. “I’d like to thank coaches Amanda, John, and Jeff for so willingly donating their time, wisdom, and resources to the OG Girls’ Powerlifting team. There’s no possible way we could have gotten this far or even have known about powerlifting without them,” Colbert said.

Both Oak Grove teams have seen every member breaking personal records.

 

Leave a Comment

Filed under Sports

Tagged as , , ,

· 1:54 pm

Golf team finishes third at State, Motter places fourth

By: Tyler Lee

Staff Reporter

The 2013 Oak Grove High School golf team made the trip up to Tupelo on Tuesday, April 30, for the MHSAA 6A State Championship. Oak Grove junior Grant Motter was looking to defend his individual State Championship, an award that he has won twice in previous years. The Warriors played a practice round on Tuesday to get a feel for Tupelo Country Club, the host site for the tournament.

On Wednesday, the Warriors experienced a rough first round, shooting a dismal 327 as a team. After the first day, they found themselves 33 strokes behind defending champs Tupelo, who finished the first day at eight over as a team, shooting 296 altogether. The Warriors shot better on the second day, coming in with 324, but Tupelo held on, shooting 299 as a team. The Warriors ended up finishing third with a two-day total of 651, behind Tupelo’s 595 and Madison Central’s 623.

Individually, Tupelo’s number one golfer Austin Rose opened up with a six under 66. Oak Grove’s Grant Motter shot two over 74 and found himself eight strokes out of first place after the first day. On the second day of competition, Rose shot four under 68, and Motter shot another two over 74. Rose was the state champion with a two-day total of ten under 134. Motter finished in fourth place with a two-day total of four over 148. “I just couldn’t get comfortable with the putter. If you can’t make putts, you’re not going to win,” Motter said.

Leave a Comment

Filed under Sports

Tagged as , , ,

· 1:54 pm

Oak Grove track qualifiers head to State Championship meet

By: Kirk McCarty

Staff Reporter

The Oak Grove boys’ and girls’ track teams are nearing the end of their season, and the end of the season brings the state meet in Pearl, MS at Pearl High School.

The boys qualified in three events, including the 4×4, 800M, and 1600M. The 4×4 team ran the relay in 3 minutes and 21 seconds at the district meet at Meridian High School. Senior member of the relay team John Addison Ford said, “We’ve been training for this last meet the entire season. It all comes down to this last week. We want a ring.” The 4×4 team hasn’t lost a race this entire season. Other boys’ qualifiers include Jeremy Trask in the 800M and Will Murphey, also a cross country standout, in the 1600M (one mile). Murphey has been battling a knee injury all season but still managed to qualify for State by winning District, coming in second in Regional, and second in South State. Murphey ran a 4:43 at South State, only a second behind the winner from Forest Hill High School in Jackson. Murphey has high expectations for State, however. “I want to win State and break 4:30,” Murphey said.

The girls’ track team has encountered much success as well. The girls qualified in multiple events including the 1600M, 3200M, 800M, pole vault, and the triple jump.

Junior Christie Stricker, who qualified in the 800M and pole vault, placed second at the South State meet at Gulfport High School with a time of 2:26. Stricker won the pole vault competition, jumping 8’ 9”. “I enjoy pole vaulting because a lot of people can’t really go out and clear heights nine feet high,” Stricker said. Stricker began pole vaulting in ninth grade and is now one of the best in the state.

The girls distance runners continue
to impress as senior Chloe Sanders qualified in the 1600M and fellow
senior Dana Dillistone qualified in the 3200M as well as the 800M. The final qualifier for the state meet is junior Reagen Woods, who qualified in the triple jump.

All of the qualifiers will travel to
Pearl High School in Jackson to compete for their respective State Championships on May 13.

Leave a Comment

Filed under Sports

Tagged as , , ,

· 1:53 pm

Warrior train on the road to Jackson

By: Kirk McCarty

Staff Reporter

The Oak Grove Warrior baseball team has had what many other teams would consider a very exceptional season by any standards. The Warriors won a district title, going 9-0 in district play, which included a three game sweep of rival the Petal Panthers.  The Warriors finished the regular season with an impressive 24-3 record and first round bye in the 6A South State baseball playoffs.

The Warriors had to wait patiently to find out who the first contender would be between the Ocean Springs Greyhounds and the Hancock Hawks. Ocean Springs won the series in game three with a 6-2 win in the deciding game.

Game one was a much-anticipated game for the Warriors, who had been off of the field for nearly two weeks. The game was scheduled to take place on Thursday, but had to be played Saturday at Ocean Springs due to inclement weather. The Warriors came ready to play, scoring runs in all of the first four innings off of Ocean Springs starter Billy Cox. Junior left-handed pitcher Kirk McCarty towed the hill for the Warriors and, with exceptional defense, took a no hitter into the sixth inning before it was busted on a single off up a slider up in the zone. Senior utility player Jalen Haskin had a solid game at the plate for the Warriors going 2-5 with a double and two RBIs in the game, including a two out RBI in the top half of the first inning.  The Warriors easily got through game one, winning by a score of 7-0

Game two featured junior righty Taylor Braley for the Warriors and senior ace Wes Wendam for the Greyhounds. Braley has been a key part of the Warriors success with his stellar 1.67 ERA. Braley has thrown two no-hitters already this season.  The Warriors jumped on the Hounds again early striking for four runs in the first, but after that Wendam found his groove. The Warrior bats fell silent, and the Greyhounds countered. The Hounds scored five runs (three earned) over the next five innings to take a 5-4 lead after a two-run homer by Wendam. The Warriors, for the first time in the playoffs, found themselves having to work from behind.  They were, however, up to the task. Jansen Bounds provided the big hit of the game with a 2-RBI single in the bottom of the sixth to score Jalen Haskins, who led off the inning with a walk, and sophomore Matthew Guidry, who reached on a controversial fielder’s choice. Colton McMurry then added another run on a sacrifice fly to left field that scored pinch runner JC Keys. The two run lead would be all the Warriors needed as Braley found his groove and pitched a near perfect seventh inning to earn his 9th win of the season.

The Warriors will face the Biloxi Indians, who swept the Brandon Bulldogs in round two. Game one is set to take place tonight at Purvis High School.

 

Leave a Comment

Filed under Sports

Tagged as , ,

April 12, 2013 · 12:30 pm

We ARE Oak Grove

By: Samantha Papp

Staff Reporter

Kristen Martin, sophomore, has attended Oak Grove since third grade and has played softball since she was four years old. Along with playing softball, Martin participates in BETA club, Junior Citivan Club, and Fellowship of Christian Athletes and maintains All A’s while enrolled in advanced classes.

In 2012, Martin was the starting right fielder for the Oak Grove varsity softball team.  However, after losing four seniors, Martin was expected to switch to a completely new position in the 2013 season.  Martin spent the entire pre-season practicing second base, and after finally becoming comfortable at her new position, Martin started at second base for the first few games of the season.

However, numerous injuries to the Oak Grove softball team forced Martin to again step up and learn a completely different position: shortstop.

“Martin has proven herself to be very diverse this season,” head coach Gary Ivy said.  “She is an awesome athlete with a great drive and desire to excel at everything she does.”

Martin is a powerful slap bunter/hitter who bats leadoff for the softball team.  She has helped lead the team to victory in the past, including when she had a game-winning walk-off hit in an extra inning game against competitive rival George County.

While athletics may be a strength for Martin, academics are also her forte. She makes straight As while in advanced classes and rarely goes a night without studying.  Martin does not accept failure and always pushes herself to her greatest potential, whether on the softball field or in the classroom.

Martin is an exceptional role model for any student athlete.  Martin has exhibited what true Warriors are made of through her high academic standards, her athletic abilities, and her determination to always perform to her greatest potential.  Kristen Martin is Oak Grove.

Leave a Comment

Filed under Sports

Tagged as ,

· 12:30 pm

OG athletics adjust to tornado effects

By:  Mary Ryan Karnes 

Editor

In the wake of the February 10 tornado that brought devastating damage to Oak Grove High School, the surrounding area, and other parts of Hattiesburg, Oak Grove’s baseball and softball teams are continuing their seasons despite the harm done to their respective facilities. Although a new football field house as well as baseball batting facility is already being planned, the athletic department at Oak Grove is currently having to make do with battered stadiums and training equipment.

The baseball team, whose entire stadium was quickly destroyed during the tornado, has suffered the most damage out of all the athletic facilities at the school. Junior baseball (and football) player Kirk McCarty, although disappointed by the loss of such an important building, remains optimistic about the team’s season and morale. “We have to travel every game, and everyone is ready for a change,” McCarty said. “But it’s still baseball. It’s still the same game. We still have to play the same.” The team hopes to be fully settled back at its home field by next season, but they are playing at the University of Southern Mississippi and other host fields until that happens. “We’re ready to play on our home field with our home fans,” McCarty said.

The softball field suffered major damage to everything from the bleachers to the concession stand; however, thanks to speedy recovery efforts, the softball team is now back on its home field for the remainder of the season. Senior softball (and basketball) player Constance Quinn is glad to be back at Oak Grove, playing for and being cheered on by the Warriors. “Being a senior, I thought I wasn’t going to be able to play on the softball field again,” Quinn said. “It’s really great to have it back.” Although the paint colors are slightly different and the scoreboard and bleachers have not been reinstalled yet, fans are still showing up to games to support the softball team.

Leave a Comment

Filed under News, Sports

Tagged as , ,

· 12:30 pm

March Madness: Bracketology at its finest

By: Kirk McCarty

Staff Reporter

The first annual Warrior Beat March Madness Braketology contest featured, ironically, 64 “perfect” teacher and student brackets.

Brackets were busted from the very beginning as Florida Gulf Coast upset the two seed Georgetown Hoyas. The coin flip bracket, which failed miserably, was the only bracket to correctly predict this upset. The nine seed Wichita State Shockers shocked the nation as they upset Pittsburg and Gonzaga, who came into the tournament with the best record in the country at 31-2. Wichita State made it to the Final Four before having their hopes for a Cinderella story crushed by the soon to be National Champions, the Louisville Cardinals.

The 2013 NCAA Tournament was another tournament to remember, or forget for many bracketologists. Of the 64 brackets entered in the contest, 26 contestants correctly predicted Louisville’s run to the championship game, while 14 predicted a Louisville victory. No one in the competion correctly predicted the Michigan versus Louisville matchup, but sophomore Paul Xhang did have Michigan making it to the championship and had they won, so would he.

Boys’ assistant basketball coach, Derrick Willis, took home the victory, and a $25 dollar VISA card, with his bracket in which he correctly predicted 40 out of 63 games. Second place overall and winner out of all of the student entries was James Ritchey who was one game behind Coach Willis, as he predicted 39 out of 63. When asked about his strategy for predicting Louisville to win the tournament Coach Willis said, “Well, I talked to Coach Petino after they beat Syracuse, and he said his team was on fire. So, I picked them.” The chances of this being truthful information are slim to none, but either way, he was right.

Louisville may have been hot after beating Syracuse 78-61 to win the Big East Conference Championship, but the brutal leg injury to shooting guard Kevin Ware took the nation by storm and seemed to motivate Louisville more than ever. Ware suffered a compound fracture to his right leg while attempting to block a three-point shot against the Duke Blue Devils in the Elite 8 matchup. Ware’s bone could be seen sticking out of his skin on national television. After the gruesome injury, it seemed only fate for Louisville to take home the National Championship.

In the National Championship game, junior shooting guard Luke Hancock came off the bench and took over the game scoring 22 points, including 5-5 from behind the arch. After his outstanding performance, Hancock was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player. Michigan’s Trey Burke, who was recently awarded with the Naismith trophy, led Michigan with 24 points, but it wasn’t enough to beat the red hot Cardinals.

Leave a Comment

Filed under Sports

Tagged as , , ,