| 1997 | March |
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04/29/97 - Here's another Picayune HS football/baseball player to watch for the next three years: Brett Harris, a 6-3, 185-lb quarterback and shortstop. He will probably be the backup quarterback this coming season, but look for him to have a legitimate chance to be one of the better quarterbacks in Mississippi his senior year if he continues to develop.
04/28/97 - Picayune HS has a couple of freshmen that have a chance to be solid division-I prospects if they continue to improve: Seth Gouguet, a 6-3, 230 offensive lineman, who is very smart and is still growing, and Jonathan Toler, a 5-11, 165 catcher, who has a strong arm and good pop in his bat.
04/27/97 - Here are some more Mississippi high school junior football players to watch next year: Nick Wash, Nick Woodson and Daniel Hart of Picayune. Wash, who is 6-1, 200-lbs, plays flanker and has 4.4 speed. Woodson, who is 5-10, 185-lbs, plays tailback and has 4.5 speed. Hart, who is 6-2, 305-lbs, plays center/noseguard. If you know anything about any of these guys, let me know.
04/25/97 - A few days ago I mentioned that Immanuel's junior standout Tony Shelton was batting over .700. His actual batting average is .750 after 12 games. He has also hit 5 home runs in his 36 at bats.
04/25/97 - Brian Cole of Meridian HS has hit 22 home runs for the season. The state record is 23, hit by Dave Clark.
04/24/97 - According to The Clarion-Ledger, high school junior Nick Floyd, one of the top linebackers in Mississippi, won the Class 1A-2A-3A State Powerlifting Meet in the 220lbs weight division with a combined lift of 1,475lbs.
04/23/97 - Reidel's Roundball Review has Clinton, MS. forward Ontario Harper rated as the 16th best junior basketball player in the nation.
04/23/97 - In the same publication, Picayune, MS. center Jonathan Bender is ranked as the 42nd best sophomore basketball player in the nation.
04/21/97 - Quitman's junior Alex Taylor won the Super Heavyweight class of the State Powerlifting Championship with a total of 1,625 pounds, including a 700-pound deadlift.
04/20/97 - Tishomingo County pitcher Blake Holly threw another no-hitter. This time he threw it against Holly Springs. Source: The Clarion-Ledger
04/17/97 - New Hope junior pitcher Shane Bazzell, pitching his third no-hitter of the season Monday night, defeated Aberdeen 14-0. He also had 11 strikeouts. Junior Brad Montgomery helped Shane's cause by hitting a two-run home run. Source: The Commercial Dispatch
04/17/97 - Immanuel's junior Tony Shelton collected 4 hits in a 11-10 victory over Open Door. I have been told that Tony is batting over .700 for the season. Source: The Commercial Dispatch
04/16/97 - Look for this kid to be on my top seniors-to-be list: Alex Taylor is a 6-2, 275-lb offensive/defensive lineman from Quitman HS who has squatted 699 pounds this year. He can also run a 5.1 second 40-yard dash. Let the recruiting begin! Source: The Clarion-Ledger
04/15/97 - I received an email from someone that knows a little about Chris Nunnaly. Some say he is the best player to come out of Jones County since David Perkins. Not sure about that, but it does sound like the kid is very good. As I receive more info about Chris, I will post it.
04/14/97 - Watch out for Skylor Magee, a 6-1, 215-lb freshman linebacker from Poplarville. A source of mine told me he was all over the field during the football game he saw Skylor play in last season.
04/12/97 - Hinds CC signed two of the fastest players in Mississippi. They are Reggie Hill a 5-8 1/2, 155-lb wide receiver from Brandon, who has run a 10.3 in the100 meters track event, and Preston McGowan a 6-2, 185-lb strong safety from Raymond HS, who has run a 10.4 in the 100 meters track event. With their speed, look for these two guys to be highly recruited in two years if they develop as football players. Considering they will be playing for Coach Gene Murphy, don't be surprised if they become excellent football players. Source of stats: The Clarion-Ledger
04/12/97 - Ackerman has a player who appears to be a division-I prospect, Conner Stevens, a 6-4, 220-lb player who runs a 4.6 forty.
04/11/97 - Here are a couple of high school players that signed with Gulf Coast CC that bear watching for future reference: 6-3 guard Charles Fountain of Pascagoula and 6-2 guard Jonathan Brown of Gulfport. They have a chance, with continued improvement, to be very good Division-I prospects in two years.
04/10/97 - Here's the latest on Columbus Heritage's Chad Ferraez. He may be playing for East Miss. CC next year as a linebacker. BTW, he now benches 340 pounds and squats 460. That sounds impressive, but this next bit of news tells the tale. He can bench press 225 pounds 16 times, according to my source. This guy, who just turned 18 in January, is a man my friends.
04/10/97 - Trey Wall, a pitcher from Starkville Academy, recorded a two-hitter in his last outing. He now has a record of 5-1 with a 2.75 ERA.
04/10/97 - A player who, in my opinion, is getting overlooked by the big boys is Chris Markham. Chris had four hits, including three doubles, and two RBIs in Caledonia's 11-3 victory over Corinth Tuesday night.
04/10/97 - Have any of you heard anything about Josh Davis, an offensive lineman from Starkville HS? If what I have heard about him is true, this guy could be a very good D-I recruit this coming year. I was told that against Clarksdale last year he pancaked Terrence Metcalf, the top high school player in Mississippi last year, four times during the Starkville-Clarksdale game. This was seen on a video tape of the game, according to my source. I realize Terrence is known as an OL, but this is supposed to be true, according to my source. I checked Pigskin Preps and it said Metcalf played both ways. My source told me most of the SEC Western Division teams, along with Arkansas State, are already recruiting him. Although he is around 270-280, his height, 6-2, may be the only thing that may hurt his recruitment. If anyone knows anything else about him, let me know. It sounds like he is a candidate for my Top Mississippi Senior's-To-Be list.
04/05/97 - Who is Donald Lee you say? Donald is a Maben High School freshman football player who is 6-3, 225, plays TE/ILB, has 4.8-4.9 speed, bench presses 300 lbs and is an overall great athlete who also plays basketball. According to my source, he has the potential, with a lot of hard work and listening to his coach Ken Williamson, to be a prime-time player by his senior year.
04/05/97 - Here's a junior football player to watch this coming season. Robert Shoto, a 6-2 245 offensive lineman from Pearl who made All-Division in football, has thrown a reported state-best 54-3 in the shot put event.
04/05/97 - Another name to watch for this upcoming season in football, basketball and track is Gulfport's 6-3, 195, Syniker Taylor, who is without question the best athlete in the state. Not only is he one of the two best junior basketball players in the state, he is also one of the best wing backs/running backs, accounting for over 1,000 yards with his 4.5 speed despite missing 6 games due to an injury. To add to his honors, he has the state's best reported long jump, 23-2. As of now, he has LSU, Miami, Ole Miss and Miss State looking at him in basketball, his favorite sport. And he has Miss State, Ole Miss, USM, Tennessee and Notre Dame recruiting him in football, a sport he would also like to play in college, if possible. Academically he has a 2.8 in the classroom, so he should qualify. Source: The Sun-Herald
04/04/97 - Here are a couple of Immanuel Christian HS junior baseball players to watch: Tony Shelton and Todd Gibson. Here's what their coach, Gary White, said about them. Tony Shelton - "Tony is a good pitcher. He has a very strong arm and a good sense of timing. But it's his hitting that has really come along in the last two years. He's a shortstop when he's not pitching and he can field the ball well. I honestly believe he has a good shot at playing big-time college baseball." Todd Gibson - "Gibson is a good leadoff man and has learned to wait on his pitch, like a good hitter. He can play about any position in the infield and we frequently ask him to do just that." Source: The Commercial Dispatch
04/03/97 - A lot of people are talking about all of the great sophomore basketball players in Mississippi this year. Well, I'm telling you right now, look out for a freshman at Bassfield High School by the name of Otho Graves. According to my source, Otho is a 6-4 post player, who wears size 16 shoes and has a sweet shot from 15' in. Plus, he is an honor roll student. He also plays football which he earned south state honors in this past football season as a DE. With the help of his coach, Jeff Vanderheiden, one of the best coaches in the state, and a lot of hard work, this kid could become something special by the time he is a senior.
04/02/97 - Here's additional info on Patrick Burchfield, a 5-11, 170 QB/DB from Maben High School, whom I consider to be one of the top 25 seniors-to-be in Mississippi.
Personal Awards:
Career Stats:
As you can see from his stats and awards, Patrick is an outstanding player. Any of you college coaches who are interested in Patrick can contact his coach, Ken Williamson, at (601) 263-8106.
If any of you know of a Division I prospect you want me to post to this page, email me the info with his coach's name and phone number and I will post it. I cannot initiate contact with the coach or player, but you can as long as you aren't a college booster.
04/02/97 - A source of mine emailed me the season stats on Kosciusko HS senior catcher Sam Potts, a D-I prospect who hasn't signed with anyone yet. Sam is hitting .405 with 1 home run. What sets Sam apart from the rest is his cannon arm. He can fire that ball to second base.
04/02/97 - I also received info on another player Kosciusko baseball who appears to be D-I material; 5-11, 155-lbs, senior second baseman Jason Tubby, who is hitting .478 with 4 home runs and only 1 strikeout this season. This guy is a player to watch.
04/01/97 - Senior Blake Holly, of Tishomingo County HS, threw his 6th career no-hitter Friday night. According to Blake's coach Jerry Long, whoever signs Blake will be getting an outstanding player. He said, according to my source, Blake can also play shortstop with the best of them.