Center Hill holds on for state crown; Lewisburg dethrones Ocean Springs
Center Hill’s two-set lead was gone, but its championship chance was still alive. The Mustangs answered Hancock’s comeback with a 15–4 deciding set for the Class 6A crown Thursday, October 15. Lewisburg followed with a 3–1 victory over defending champion Ocean Springs in the Class 7A final, giving DeSoto County two state titles.
Center Hill answers in the fifth
Center Hill’s 3–2 win over Hancock was a test of how it would respond when an early advantage disappeared. The Mustangs took the opening sets 25–16 and 25–22, but the Hawks won the next two to force a fifth. Center Hill then produced its clearest winning margin of the match, taking that deciding set 15–4.
The championship completed four consecutive playoff victories and left the Mustangs 18–11. Their finish extended a postseason run that had already carried them through Neshoba Central, as covered in our Monday playoff roundup.
Lewisburg takes the crown back
Lewisburg’s seventh state title came through two tight opening sets and a firm finish. The Patriots edged Ocean Springs 25–23 and 31–29, lost the third 14–25, then closed the match 25–16. The 3–1 victory over the reigning champions left Lewisburg 35–8.
The extended second set gave Lewisburg a two-set cushion; Ocean Springs’ response in the third made the Patriots earn the final step. Lewisburg did so in four, ending the Greyhounds’ title defense. The matchup was one of the championship games featured in our Thursday Games To Watch preview.
Jackson Academy sweeps; Pillow wins in five
Jackson Academy beat Jackson Prep 3–0, winning 25–9, 25–15 and 25–17 to move to 45–7.
Pillow Academy took a longer route against Heritage Academy. The Mustangs won 3–2, answering a 17–25 fourth-set loss with a 15–11 victory in the fifth. That final response decided a match in which neither team won consecutive sets.
Tupelo stays perfect; Lumberton and Lanier win on the road
Tupelo scored 21 points in the opening quarter and went on to beat Hernando 42–7. The Golden Wave added 14 in the second quarter, when the Tigers scored their only points. Tupelo improved to 8–0; Hernando fell to 5–2.
Lumberton’s 62–0 road victory over Resurrection Catholic was more emphatic. The Panthers improved to 3–4 overall while keeping an unbeaten district start at 2–0.
Lanier also won away from home, beating Holmes County Central 50–20. The Bulldogs improved to 7–1, while the Jaguars dropped to 2–6.
Reporting sources: desotocountynews.com; desotocountynews.com; www.maxpreps.com; www.maxpreps.com; www.maxpreps.com; www.maxpreps.com; www.maxpreps.com; www.maxpreps.com; www.maxpreps.com.
Coverage: 7 verified games. Active sports checked: Cross Country, Football, Golf, Soccer, Softball, Swimming, Volleyball. This is a source-confirmed selection, not a complete statewide scoreboard or schedule. Unreported results, unconfirmed schedules and unavailable sources are omitted. Schedules may change.
