By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

There were some historic milestones achieved by various aspects of athletic squads spread across the “Southern Six” in 2024.

Here are the seven biggest accomplishments we witnessed last year as voted on by a panel of our sports writers.

1. Poplarville Football – The drought is over. Poplarville won it’s first ever state championship on the football field. The Hornets overcame an eight point deficit in the fourth quarter to pull out a heart-stopping 29-28 win over perennial state power Louisville at M.M. Roberts Stadium in early December in the Class 4A state championship.Hornet sophomore running back Ty Keys finished with 130 yards rushing on 23 carries and a touchdown. He also converted a two-point conversion and had a kickoff return for a touchdown and was named the “Most Valuable Player” in the game.
2. George County Baseball — The gorilla has left the room.Playing for their fourth state championship in the past 10 seasons, George County finally is bringing the title back to Lucedale after sweeping Warren Central in the Class 6A state championship series with a 3-2 win in game two in May. Canyon Reeves drove in Alex Wade with a two-out RBI-infield single in the top of the seventh stanza for the winning run. The win resulted in just the second state title ever in program history for the Rebels, and the first in 27 years since 1997.
3. Gautier Football — No matter the outcome, history was going be made in the annals of prep football in the state of Mississippi in the Class 5A state championship game in early December at M.M. Roberts Stadium on the campus of the University of Southern Mississippi. Unfortunately for Gautier, it was perennial state power West Point that penned the milestone chapter. The Green Wave, the defending Class 5A state champ that was playing in their ninth straight state title tilt, overcame an early 7-0 deficit with 28 unanswered over a 23 minute span from the end of the first quarter to the middle of the third period to pull out a 28-21 win over the Gators. The decision gives West Point its 23 overall state championship trophy, which sets a new state record in the state. West Point ends the season at 11-3. Gautier, which was playing in its first state title tilt in school history, ends the season at 12-2 with the loss that snapped an 11 game winning streak.
4. Vancleave Baseball — For the second time in six years, the Vancleave Bulldogs sit atop the world of prep baseball in the state of Mississippi. Vancleave knocked off Lafayette 6-1  in the third and deciding game of the Class 5A state championship series Saturday night here at Trustmark Park to claim the second state title in program history. The Bulldogs also took home the Class 4A crown in 2018. Sixth-year head coach Justin Edwards’ crew took the hard way to the state title, winning back-to-back games on Friday and Saturday after dropping game one on Wednesday. It also marked the third straight season a team from Jackson County has won a state crown, and the sixth overall for squads in the county in the past six seasons.
5. Pascagoula Basketball — Pascagoula’s bid for history was denied in the most crushing way possible. Ridgeland used a variety of defenses to stymie the Panthers, and the Titans took control in the fourth quarter to score a 48-42 upset Wednesday night in the Class 6A semifinals at Mississippi Coliseum. The win by Ridgeland snapped a school record 29 game win streak for the Panthers, and made sure they would always remember the Titans. (24-9) will face Pascagoula’s season ended at 29-2.
6. Soccer Champions — A trio of “Southern six” soccer squads bought home state titles in 2024. Actually, the Bay High boys, the Long Beach boys and the St. Patrick girls all won their second straight state title. Bay High’s Aiden Boudro was selected as Mississippi’s Gatorade Soccer Player of the Year for 2024. The forward is coming off an incredible season in which he led the Tigers with 17 goals and eight assists on their way to the second of two consecutive state championships for the Tigers. The Tigers went 23-1-2 this season.
7. Hancock Basketball — Much like the Pascagoula boys, the Hancock girl’s basketball team enjoyed one of its best campaigns on the court in school history only to come up a step short in playing for a state title. Hancock finished the season at 30-2, with a loss to Neshoba Central 48-30 in the overall Class 6A Final Four in Jackson. The Lady Rockets went on to win the title and finish at 32-1 overall.