By By BRUCE HIXON – Sports Editor
(First in a series)
As the year 2005 gets ready to slip into the history books, it is time to take one final look back at the people, teams and events that made the year a memorable one.
January
* Both the T.R. Miller Tigers and Lady Tigers won their Class 3A Area 1 opener with respective victories over Clarke County.
* W.S. Neal administration announced the school would not field a golf team in 2005 due to lack of interest. Principal Phil Ellis said only two students had said they wanted to play.
* The T.R. Miller Lady Tigers wrapped up the Class 3A Area 1 regular season championship with a 56-24 win over W.S. Neal. The title gave T.R. Miller the number one seed and home court for the Area Tournament.
* The Jefferson Davis Warhawks snapped an 11-game losing streak with a 75-62 win at Wallace State-Selma thanks to 17 points by Richard Ford.
* JDCC volleyball player Holly Almony became the organizer and head coach of the Pensacola Beach Volleyball Club. The team was the first local club team to surface and consisted of T.R. Miller and W.S. Neal players.
* Florida Marlins vice-president of player personnel Dan Jennings was the special guest instructor of a baseball camp held at W.S. Neal High School.
* The T.R. Miller Tigers beat Straughn 58-54 to earn a share of the Class 3A Area 1 regular season championship with Clarke County.
The Bulldogs later won a coin toss that gave them the number one seed and home court for the Area Tournament.
* Texas Rangers manager Buck Showalter, the 2004 American League Manager of the Year, visited W.S. Neal Elementary and Middle School.
* The W.S. Neal Blue Eagles halted a 13-game losing streak with a 42-36 win over Frisco City.
February
* W.S. Neal tight end Cory Freeman signed to play at Jacksonville State.
* T.R. Miller's 800 and 1600 meter relay team of Rodney lane, Mikel Riggs, James Hildreth and Javaris Drakeford took first place in the Class 1A-4A state indoor track meet held at Priceville. The Tigers finished fourth as a team.
* T.R. Miller Lady Tiger Joy McCorvey scored her 1,500th career point against Northview. McCorvey joined Deanna Jackson, Ashley Samuel and Felicia Jackson as the only T.R. Miller girls to reach that plateau.
* Both the W.S. Neal Blue Eagles and lady Blue Eagles had their basketball seasons end in the opening round of the Class 3A Area 1 Tournament.
The Blue Eagles lost to Clarke County 71-38 and finished the season 5-22. The Lady Blue Eagles lost to T.R. Miller 63-12 and finished 4-20.
*The T.R. Miller Lady Tigers rallied late in the game for a 43-38 win over Clarke County to win the Class 3A Area 1 Tournament. Senior guard Keonshaye Lane was named the tournament's Most Valuable
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Player.
*The T.R. Miller Tigers won the Class 3A Area 1 Tournament with a 57-47 win over Clarke County. Senior guard Damian Jackson was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player.
* T.R. Miller junior Laine Lucas hit what was believed to be a school best 20 straight free throws.
* Both the T.R. Miller Tigers and Lady Tigers beat Aliceville to earn spots in the Class 3A Southwest Regional.The Tigers won 61-51 and earned their first regional berth in nine years. The Lady Tigers won 47-27.
* The T.R. Miller Tigers had their postseason run end in the first round of the Southwest Regional when they lost to Leeds 68-26. T.R. Miller finished the season at 19-9.
o * The T.R. Miller Lady Tigers had their season come to an end when they lost to Midfield 47-39 in the 3A Southwest Regional championship game. T.R. Miller finished the season at 29-2.
o * W.S. Neal football coach Shane Smothers left the school to become the head coach at Walker High School. Smothers had a 14-9 record in two seasons with the Blue Eagles.
o March
o * The Jefferson Davis Warhawks basketball team won their first postseason game since 1999 when they edged Bishop State 76-71.
o * T.R. Miller lady Tigers softball catcher Terri Lynne Peacock belted two homers and drove in seven runs in a 13-0 win at W.S. Neal.
o * The T.R. Miller boys track team won eight of nine events to claim the annual TRM Relays.
o * Jefferson Davis pitcher Patrick Sorrells threw a no-hitter and struck out nine in a 14-0 win over Hibbing.
o * The Jefferson Davis Warhawks basketball team had its postseason end in the second round of playoff competition with a 78-68 overtime loss to Gadsden State. JDCC ended the season with a 10-21 record.
o * The Jefferson Davis Lady Warhawks softball team beat Wabash Valley (Ill.) 2-0 at the Okaloosa-Walton Tournament. Wabash Valley eventually finished fourth in the country.
o * The Jefferson Davis Warhawks baseball team beat Enterprise 8-3 for its 10th straight win.
o * T.R. Miller Lady Tigers basketball player Joy McCorvey was named to the Alabama Sports Writers Association All-State First Team.
o * W.S. Neal's Justin Smith hit three homeruns in an 11-8 loss to Robertsdale at the Gulf Shores Tournament.
April
o The W.S. Neal Blue Eagles baseball team beat Clarke County 5-4 for their first Area win since 2002.
o * The T.R. Miller Tigers baseball team clinched a playoff berth with a doubleheader sweep at Straughn.
o * Tyler Shehan had seven hits and five RBIs and Jacob Salter had six hits and three RBIs to lead the T.R. Miller Tigers to a doubleheader sweep over Excel. Excel entered the twinbill ranked number one in the state in Class 2A.
o * East Brewton Little League opened its new facility named R.T. Johnson Park.
o * W.S. Neal's 7-4 loss to Clarke County gave the Class 3A Area 1 regular season championship to T.R. Miller. The loss eliminated the Blue Eagles from a playoff berth.
o * Jacob Salter's walk-off homerun gave the T.R. Miller Tigers a 9-8 win over W.S. Neal and extended the tigers' winning streak to 12 games.
o * W.S. Neal softball coach Chuck Riddle got his first victory when the Lady Blue Eagles swept a doubleheader against McKenzie.
o * W.S. Neal hired Blaine Hathcock as its new head football coach and athletic director.
o * The T.R. Miller Tigers golf team capped off an 8-1-1 regular season with a 335-376 win over Greenville.
o * The W.S. Neal girls tennis team won their season school record third match with a 6-3 victory over Opp.
o * The T.R. Miller girls tennis team won season bragging rights against W.S. Neal with an abbreviated 5-1 victory. The teams split two regular season meetings. The W.S. Neal and T.R. Miller boys, had their season rubber match rained out.
o * The W.S. Neal Blue Eagles baseball team won their first Escambia County Tournament championship since 2001. Jake Smith belted four homers and drove in 10 runs to lead W.S. Neal, which went 3-0 in the tournament. T.R. Miller finished third with a 1-2 record.
o * The T.R. Miller Tigers track team won the sectional championship, while W.S. Neal finished third. T.R. Miller's girls finished third and W.S. Neal came in fourth.
o * The T.R. Miller Tigers baseball team beat Leeds 10-0 and then swept Montgomery Catholic 11-1, 11-8 in the first two rounds of the Class 3A playoffs.
o * The T.R. Miller boys golf team qualified for the Class 3A state meet with a second place finish at the Section Meet held at Montgomery. James Dixon led the Tigers with an 82. The state berth was T.R. Miller's first since 1993.
o * Jefferson Davis Community College baseball coach Jim Morrill was let go as part of a job consolidation move by the school.
o * Jefferson Davis Warhawks pitcher Jimbo Bunch set a school record for wins in a season when he beat Enterprise 12-1. The win was Bunch's 11th.
o * T.R. Miller's boys tennis team finished third in sectional competition and W.S. Neal finished fifth.
o W.S. Neal's girls finished fourth at the sectional, while T.R. Miller came in fifth.
o May
o * W.S. Neal lineman Brandon Gantt signed to play at Huntingdon College.
o * The T.R. Miller Lady Tigers softball team won the Class 3A Area 1 Tournament with a 10-0, 13-3 sweep against Clarke County. The Lady Tigers got a forfeit win over W.S. Neal in the opening round of the tournament when the Lady Blue Eagles did not have enough players to field a team.
o * The T.R. Miller Tigers baseball team had their season come to an end with an 8-2, 3-0 doubleheader loss to Montgomery Academy in the Class 3A quarterfinals. The Tigers finished the year at 22-8.
o * T.R. Miller Lady Tigers sprinter Joy McCorvey won the Class 3A 200 and 400 meter dash state championships. W.S. Neal thrower Joe Bailey won the state title in the discus.
o The state meet was the last competition for retiring T.R. Miller coach Alan Baker.
o * The Jefferson Davis Warhawks baseball team won the Alabama Community College Conference south division championship with a 5-2 win in the second game of a doubleheader at Alabama Southern.
o * T.R. Miller Lady Tigers basketball player Keonshaye Lane signed with L.B. Wallace.
o * The T.R. Miller Lady Tigers softball team swept Dale County 4-2 and 10-6 in the opening round of 3A sub-state action. T.R. Miller was eliminated in the second round of sub-state play by Montgomery Catholic and finished 18-11.
o * The T.R. Miller golf team finished sixth at the Class 3A state meet. Junior Tripp Owens finished third overall.
o * W.S. Neal lost its second coach in just over two months to Walker High School when boys basketball coach David McCollum accepted the girls basketball coaching position at that school. McCollum also served as tennis coach at W.S. Neal in his one year at the school.
o * The Jefferson Davis Warhawks baseball team lost both of its games at the state tournament and finished the year at 41-16.
o * T.R. Miller softball coach Jamie Riggs announced he was stepping down from his post after three seasons at the helm. Riggs had a 49-31 and led T.R. Miller to its first state tournament berth in 2004.
o * Jefferson Davis athletic director Karen Reynolds completed her final athletic season at the school. Reynolds retired after 38 years at the school.
o June
o * Brewton Middle School basketball coach Steve Lambert accepted the head coaching position for the W.S. Neal High School Lady Blue Eagles.
o * The East Brewton Braves beat the Brewton Braves 8-7 to win the Little League City Tournament in the Age 9-10 Division. The East Brewton Dodgers beat the Brewton Mets 8-0 to win the City Tournament Age 11-12 division.
o * T.R. Miller catcher Jordan Ball was named to the Alabama Sports Writers Association Class 3A All-State First Team.
o * The Blue Jays beat the previously undefeated Orioles twice to win the Brewton Babe Ruth Tournament.
o * T.R. Miller hosted its annual boys and girls basketball summer tournament.
o * Don Lucas took over the presidency of the T.R. Miller Quarterback Club.
o * The Brewton Babe Ruth 14-year-old all-stars beat Monroeville 10-3 to win the district tournament played at Brewton.