Look back at 2006 local sports year
Published 1:21 am Sunday, December 31, 2006
By BY BRUCE HIXON – SPORTS EDITOR
January
* The T.R. Miller Lady Tigers beat W.S. Neal 56-42 to wrap up the Class 3A Area 1 regular season championship.
In that same game, T.R. Miller center Joy McCorvey became just the third player in school history to score 2,000 career points.
* T.R. Miller offensive line coach Jack Whigham ended 14 seasons of association with the program when he accepted the head coaching position at Opp.
* The Brewton Middle School Lady Tigers basketball team completed an undefeated season with a 42-15 win at Carver. Brewton finished the season 10-0.
* The W.S. Neal Lady Blue Eagles basketball team topped J.U. Blacksher 52-28 for its fifth win of the season, one more than the team won the entire previous year.
* The T.R. Miller Tigers upset Class 4A's third-ranked team when it beat Escambia County 59-48 at Atmore. The Tigers had lost seven straight to Escambia County.
* The Jefferson Davis Community College Warhawks moved to within a game of the Alabama Community College Conference south division lead when it beat ACCC leaders Southern Union 74-61 and Enterprise-Ozark 69-66 in back-to-back games.
* The W.S. Neal Blue Eagles snapped a 22-game losing streak in Area play with a 52-49 triumph over Straughn. W.S. Neal's sixth win of the season topped the team's victory total from the prior season.
* The T.R. Miller Tigers won their fifth straight and clinched a winning season with their 60-42 victory over Straughn.
February
* T.R. Miller Tigers senior wide receiver Mikel Riggs signed to play at Huntingdon College.
* JDCC Warhawks baseball coach Darrell Blevins had a successful debut with the program when his team swept a doubleheader from Shorter College by scores of 5-1 and 8-5.
* The T.R. Miller Tigers track team took third place at the Class 1A-4A state indoor meet. Antonio Gomez won the 55-meter hurdles and the long jump. Gomez was also a member of the first place 800-meter relay team that also included Bradley McCreary, Mikel Riggs and Briddell Jones.
* The T.R. Miller Tigers basketball team won its ninth straight game when it beat W.S. Neal 69-32 in the opening round of the Class 3A Area 1 Tournament. W.S. Neal ended its season with a 9-18 record.
* The T.R. Miller Lady Tigers ousted W.S. Neal in the opening round of the Area Tournament with a 78-28 win. W.S. Neal ended its season with a 6-21 record.
* The Jefferson Davis Community College Warhawks basketball team had one of its best games ever from three-point land when it hit 11 of 14 attempts in an 82-65 victory at Wallace State-Selma.
* The T.R. Miller Lady Tigers beat Clarke County 38-31 to win the 3A Area 1 Tournament championship. The T.R. Miller Tigers lost a 64-60 decision in overtime to Clarke County in their Area championship game.
* The T.R. Miller Tigers saw their season come to an end with a 28-21 loss to Sumter County in the Class 3A sub-state round. T.R. Miller finished with an 18-12 record.
* Midfield brought the curtain down on the T.R. Miller Lady Tigers' season for the second year in a row with a 49-16 loss in the opening round of the Southwest Regional. T.R. Miller finished with a 27-5 record.
March
* W.S. Neal pitcher Josey Brown fired a no-hitter in the Blue Eagles' 10-0 win over Red Level.
* T.R. Miller Tigers baseball coach Jim Hart won his 200th career game when the Tigers beat Jay, Fla. 7-1.
* W.S. Neal baseball coach Coy Campbell won his 100th career game when the Blue Eagles topped Red Level 10-0.
* T.R. Miller softball coach Greg White won his debut with the program, as the Lady Tigers beat Straughn 12-5.
* The JDCC Warhawks basketball team won its state tournament play-in game when it beat L.B. Wallace 56-48. JDCC's season ended with a 74-66 loss to Bevill State in the opening round of state tournament play. JDCC finished play with an 11-19 record.
* JDCC basketball player Kedric Wilson was named to the Alabama Community College Conference South Division First Team, while teammate Arthur Richardson was a Second Team pick.
* The T.R. Miller Tigers baseball team scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh to beat W.S. Neal 14-13. The win put the Tigers in first place in the Class 3A Area 1 race.
* T.R. Miller Tigers pitcher Mackie Jackson threw a no-hitter and struck out 13 in a 9-0 win over Escambia County.
* JDCC Lady Warhawks infielder Lakyn Newton set what is believed to be a school record with her ninth straight hit.
April
* The JDCC Warhawks baseball team pulled off a rarity when it won three games in one day at Central Alabama. One win was the completion of a suspended game. The other two were part of a doubleheader.
* W.S. Neal's Justin Carter hit two homeruns in one inning, as the Blue Eagles outlasted Escambia County 15-11.
* The T.R. Miller Tigers baseball team wrapped up the Class 3A Area 1 championship when it edged Clarke County 3-2. The Tigers won the game despite the fact they struck out 17 times and had just two hits.
* The W.S. Neal baseball team scored eight runs in its last at-bat to stun Flomaton 16-15.
* W.S. Neal clinched its first playoff berth in four years when it knocked off Clarke County 9-5.
* The T.R. Miller Tigers track team won the Class 3A Sectional meet by 113 points thanks to four first place finishes by Antonio Gomez.
* W.S. Neal's baseball season came to an end with a 4-2 loss to West Blocton in the opening round of the Class 3A playoffs. W.S. Neal finished play at 16-8.
* T.R. Miller tennis player Karl Kast won the number six singles division at the sectional tournament.
* The W.S. Neal softball team had one of the biggest comebacks in state history. W.S. Neal trailed McKenzie 15-0 in the third inning and was one out away from losing the game on the mercy rule when it stormed back for a 20-19 win.
* T.R. Miller softball players Catherine Layton and Terri Lynne Peacock signed with JDCC.
* The T.R. Miller Tigers track team claimed the Class 3A state championship. Senior Antonio Gomez won four events and set a state record in the 300-meter intermediate hurdles. W.S. Neal thrower Joe Bailey won his second straight discus state title.
* Montgomery Academy knocked the T.R. Miller Tigers baseball team out of the state playoffs for the third year in a row with a doubleheader sweep in the quarterfinals. The Tigers finished 17-11.
* The T.R. Miller Tigers golf team earned a spot in the Class 3A state meet with a second place finish at the Section Meet.
* The T.R. Miller Lady Tigers softball team won its third straight Class 3A Area Tournament crown when it knocked off Straughn 7-3.
* JDCC infielder Lakyn Newton pulled off a rarity when she won her team's Triple Crown for highest batting average, most homeruns and most RBIs. Newton led the Lady Warhawks in nine offensive categories.
*JDCC softball pitcher Nikki Madden was named to the Region 22 First Team, while infielder Lakyn Newton received Second Team honors.
* LAMP catcher Sara Allen belted three homeruns to beat the Lady Tigers 12-4 in the third and decisive game of the state's second sub-state round. T.R. Miller finished the season with an 18-7 record.
* T.R. Miller Tigers infielder/pitcher Baxley Raines advanced to the second round of the Lions East-West All-Star series held at JDCC. W.S. Neal outfielder Justin Smith was selected as an alternate.
* The T.R. Miller Tigers golf team finished sixth at the Class 3A state meet. Senior Tripp Owens finished third in individual competition.
* The Brewton Mets beat the East Brewton Braves 17-14 to win the Brewton-East Brewton Little League Age 9-10 City Series championship.
* The Brewton Astros beat the East Brewton Cardinals 4-0 in the Brewton-East Brewton Little League Age 11-12 City Series championship.
* T.R. Miller High School hosted its annual boys and girls summer team basketball camps.
* JDCC Warhawks infielder Steven Bingert was selected to the Alabama Community College Conference and Region 22 teams. Former T.R. Miller Tiger Jacob Salter, a freshman at Alabama Southern, was named to the ACCC South Second team.
* W.S. Neal's Spencer Williamson was named to the Class 3A All-State First Team as a designated hitter. T.R. Miller infielder Baxley Raines, who set a school record with eight homeruns, received Honorable Mention.
* The Rangers beat the Cubs 12-2 to claim the Brewton Babe Ruth League Tournament championship.
* T.R. Miller softball player Haley Rilling received Honorable Mention on the Class 3A All-State First Team.
* Nine T.R. Miller students and eight from W.S. Neal were named to the Class 3A All-State Academic Team.
T.R. Miller's honorees included Haley Rilling, Leigh Cooper, Catherine Stokes, Kelly Stallworth, Brad Smith, Clay parker, Tripp Owens, Micthell McMillan and David Mathieu.
W.S. Neal's selections included Katelin Hulley, Shekinah Adams, Andrea King, Carolyn Marshall, Jared Cooper, Aaron Lambert, Justin Cole and Whitney Qualls.