More with Gore

FULTON, MS – A pair of area soccer standouts have signed national letters of intent to play for the Itawamba Community College programs next season.

The Lady Indians signed New Albany midfielder Randi Stevens while the Indians picked up goalkeeper Will Pearson of Pontotoc.

Randi Stevens of New Albany signs with the ICC women's soccer program (Adam Gore/ICC Sports Information) Front left to right: Lynn Stevens, Randi Stevens, Rebecca Stevens. Back left to right: New Albany head coach Les Huntington, ICC head coach Mike Sullivan, New Albany principal Lance Evans. (Adam Gore/ICC Sports Information)

“It’s really exciting knowing I’ll be continuing my soccer career especially at ICC,” said Stevens, who is currently missing her senior campaign due to knee injury. “Because they are traditionally one of the better teams in their division and that makes me really excited to be a Lady Indian.”

“Randi is going to fit into our program real well,” said ICC soccer coach Mike Sullivan. “She’ll find time somewhere on the attacking side and we are looking forward to seeing her potentially score some goals for us next season.”

Front left to right: Deedie Pearson, Will Pearson, Mike Pearson. Back left to right: ICC head coach Mike Sullivan, Virginia Brookins, Merry Claire Pearson, Pontotoc head coach JT Thompson. (Adam Gore/ICC Sports Information)

Pearson, a second-year captain, has had 81 saves over the past two seasons and a save percentage of over 70-percent as a four-year starter for the Warriors.

“I’m just really happy to be playing at ICC next year,” said Pearson. “This is something I’ve been working towards for the past four years and this is a real big day for me to be able to reach this goal of mine.”

“Will is going to compete for the starting goalkeeper job next season and is a great kid that has worked really hard to help Pontotoc have a really good season so we are look forward to having him,” Sullivan said.

Stevens and Pearson are the first two signees of the season for ICC and Coach Sullivan expects to announce more signings over the course of the next few weeks.

For more information on ICC soccer and the eight other intercollegiate athletic programs visit the college website at www.iccms.edu.

FULTON, MS – Six more former ICC football players signed National Letters of Intent to continue their careers as student-athletes during the early signing period.

Defensive lineman Tim McAdoo (Murfreesboro, TN), linebacker Jeremy Sessom (Byhalia, MS) and running back and MACJC All-Star selection DeShawn McGaughy (Fulton, MS) will be heading to Raleigh, NC to play for NCAA Division II Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) South Division member Shaw University Bears.

Defensive back Dan Huddleston (Fulton, MS) signed with William Penn University, a Midwest Collegiate Conference (MCC) NAIA school located in Oskaloosa, IA.

Linebacker LaBrandon Mosley (Hattiesburg, MS) will be joining the West Texas A&M, a NCAA Division II Lone Star Conference football program in Canyon, TX.

Defensive lineman Andrew Mahan (Selma, AL) signed with the Faulkner University Eagles, a Mid-South Conference NAIA school located in Montgomery, AL

“Each of these guys have put in a lot of work both on the field and in the classroom,” said ICC head football coach Jon Williams. “They all were vital parts of our success last season and will do the same for each program they are moving on to next season.”

In total, nine former Indians signed to continue their careers as student-athletes during the early signing period with defensive back Ryan Thompson (Pontotoc, MS) signing with Indiana, defensive back and All-state first team selection Martrez Townes (Nesbit, MS) with Troy and tight end and All-State second team selection Wes Saxton (Hueytown, AL) joining the South Alabama football program.

For more information on ICC football and the nine other intercollegiate athletic programs visit the college website at www.iccms.edu.

FULTON, MS – The ICC Lady Indians cruised to an 88-59 victory over the Jones County Junior College Lady Bobcats while the Indians dropped a 93-86 decision in the nightcap.

Sophomore point guard LaPrecious Naylon scored a team-high 23 points and dished out 11 assist while Vechatita Bonner added her own double-double performance with 17 points and 11 rebounds to help the Lady Indians improve to 9-2 in impressive fashion.

Jameika Hoskins added 13 and Shay Bonner chipped 10 points as every active player on the roster put points on the board.

“This is how we were hoping to come off the Christmas break,” said ICC Lady Indian head coach Nanci Gray. “The girls really worked hard on their own during the break to stay in shape and it showed in the way they all played tonight.”

The Indians pulled within six points in the final minutes of the game, but saw timely offensive rebounds and made free throws allow the Bobcats to pull away down the stretch for 93-86 victory.

“We looked really sluggish,” said Coach Marty Cooper. “It’s tough to come off a break and play a team as physical as Jones when you haven’t been working to stay in shape during the break. They out hustled us on the boards and made the plays they needed to make to be able to leave with the win.”

Anthony McDonald scored a game-high 21 points and Quintin Lee added 16 with Deontaye Ewing scoring 13 and Nick Moncure recording a double-double performance with 11 points and 11 rebounds.

The highly anticipated debut of former Parade All-American DJ Gardner saw the freshman from Okolona score 15 points.

ICC will host Co-Lin Community College on Thursday with the Lady Indians tipping at 5:00 p.m. and the Indians scheduled to follow at 7:00 p.m.

For more information on ICC basketball and the eight other intercollegiate athletic programs visit the college website at www.iccms.edu.

Click here to see photos from last night’s games vs Jones County; like the Facebook page while you are there.

ICC will take on Jones County on Tuesday in a game that will see former Parade All-American David Gardner (Okolona HS) see his first action of the season.

FULTON, MS — Itawamba Community College will open up the 2012 half of the basketball season Tuesday at 5:00 and 7:00 p.m. against Jones County Junior College and will mark the return to the hardwood for Parade All-American DJ Gardner.

The Okolona High School graduate originally signed with Mississippi State before transferring to ICC this past summer.

“It’s going to be really good getting back on the floor,” said Gardner. “I’ve learned a lot from all this, but I’m ready to put all of it behind me and play ball and do what I can to help the team get wins.”

Due to NJCAA transfer rules, Gardner had to sit out the first half of the season. He averaged 32 points and 10.3 rebounds per game in his final season at Okolona.

“Adding a player like DJ to the roster is obviously going to be a boost,” said ICC men’s head basketball coach Marty Cooper. “I expect there will be a little adjustment period, but I also expect to see big things from the guys once everyone comes together as a team.”

The Indians closed the 2011 half of the season winning three out their last four games to improve to 4-6 and 1-0 in MACJC North play.

The Lady Indians (8-2, 1-0 MACJC North) received votes in the final NJCAA women’s basketball poll of the 2011 season and will look to make a leap into the Top 15 in the early stages of the 2012 season.

“It’s been an exciting start to the season,” said ICC women’s head basketball coach Nanci Gray. “We’ve got a good mix of experienced sophomores and talented freshman that can come off the bench to give us solid minutes on both sides of the ball.”

Sophomore LaPrecious Naylon (Greene County HS, AL) leads the Lady Indians with 16.9 points per game (43^rd in the NJCAA) and earned NJCAA Player of the Week honors in December. Fellow sophomore Jameika Hoskins (Aberdeen HS) is 21^st in the nation in rebounding with 10.7 boards per game.

“We had a lot of positives to build on from the first half of the season and hopefully we continue improve to start playing our best basketball once division play rolls around,” said Gray.

ICC will host Co-Lin on Thursday, January 12 at 5:00 and 7:00 p.m.

For more information on ICC basketball and the eight other intercollegiate athletic programs visit the college website www.iccms.edu.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – He was a trending topic on Twitter by halftime, but by the end of the night Aberdeen’s Channing Ward grabbed the nation’s attention as Team Blur dominated Team Highlight 49-16 in the 2012 Under Armour All-America game.

The four-star defensive end finished with seven tackles (6 solo, 1 assist) and tied a single-game record with 2 sacks and a record-setting 3.5 tackles for loss.

“We told ourselves we were going to control the game and that’s what we did from the start,” said Ward of Team Blur holding Team Highlight to under 100 yards rushing on the night. “We went hard in practice and tried to push and push ourselves because we wanted >>> click here to read more from djournal.com

All eyes of Southeastern recruiting were locked on Aberdeen’s Channing Ward Thursday before the Under Armor All-American game in St. Petersburg, Fla. Thursday.

Sources close to Ward told the Monroe Journal Thursday afternoon he will commit to Ole Miss. Ward will play in the Under Armor All-American game scheduled for tonight at 6:30 p.m. in St. Petersburg on ESPN.

Fans will tune in to see where stars like the 6‘4, 250-pound four-star Aberdeen defensive end will continue their football careers.

Ward will have hats representing Alabama, Ole Miss and Mississippi State sitting on his table during an interview tonight at the game tonight, he will pick up the >>> click here to read more from NeMissPreps.com

BOONEVILLE, MS — The Calhoun City Wildcats improved to 6-6 on the season with a 60-49 win over the Biggersville Lions in the Booneville Kiwanis Christmas Classic on Friday.

More impressively for a Calhoun City squad that returns only one starter from last year’s Class 2A Final Four it was the second-straight win in a three-game, three-day span that saw the Wildcats travel to Oxford and Booneville over the Christmas break.

City got 21 points from Tavion Primer, highlighted by a buzzer-beater near mid-court to end the first quarter. Tae Lawrence added 17, connecting on five three-pointers, to go along with Taborris Coffey’s 11-point effort in the win.

The ‘Cats dropped a 57-53 heartbreaker to 5A Lafayette County in the opening of the O-Town Show down at Oxford High School before picking up a 53-47 victory over 3A Independence despite three starters fouling out of the contest.

Hear more from Calhoun City head coach Darren Coffey:

Itawamba Community College head football coach Jon Williams has announced three ICC Indian football players have signed National Letters of Intent to play football with Division 1 programs on Wednesday.

Ryan Thompson (Pontotoc) signed with Indiana University, Wes Saxton (Hueytown, AL) with the University of Southern Mississippi and Martrez Townes (Southaven) with Troy University.

“These guys have meant a lot to our program,” said Williams. “They are great athletes and great leaders that really helped our program enjoy success both on the field and off the field.”

Ryan Thompson (Pontotoc) signed to play football for Indiana on Wednesday. (Kim W Williams/ICC Public Relations)

Thompson is the first player in storied history of the ICC football program to sign with the Hoosiers of Indiana.

“I really want to thank the coaches for getting me to this point in my football career,” said Thompson. “I didn’t have any kind of offers coming out of high school and thanks to the coaches believing in me and giving me the opportunities to prove myself on the field I have the opportunity to live out a life-long dream of playing football on a big time level.”

The 6’2 sophomore defensive back finished the season with 44 tackles with four tackles going for a loss of 15 yards, picked off three passes that were returned for a total of 46 yards, broke up three pass and recovered one fumble that was returned 28 yards.

“I’m ready to get on campus to help Coach (Kevin) Wilson start to turn things around by taking the lessons of hard work and dedication the coaches taught me here at ICC.”

Wes Saxton (Hueytown, AL) signed to join CUSA champion Southern Miss next season. (Kim W Williams/ICC Public Relations)

Saxton signed to take his game to CUSA champion Southern Miss after one season with the Indians.

“I really appreciate everything the coaches did to get me ready to take my game to the next level by preparing me to be at the top of my game while showing me how taking care of business in the classroom relates to how I handle myself on the field as well,” said Saxton.

The 6’4 freshman tight end earned MACJC All-State second team honors after hauling in 137 yards and one touchdown on 10 catches for ICC and will follow in the footsteps of former Indian offensive lineman Lamar Holmes (Gastonia, NC) in wearing the black and gold next season.

“I’m excited about the opportunity to play at a program like Southern Miss and hope to be able to make an immediate impact by working hard to prepare for next season both on the field and in the classroom.”

Martrez Townes (Southaven) will join former ICC teammate Xavian Evans at Troy next season. (Kim W Williams/ICC Public Relations)

Townes will join former ICC teammate Xavian Evans (Pontotoc) at Troy next season.

“I’m excited about being at Troy next season,” said Townes. “When I came to ICC I knew the coaches would do everything they could to help me continue my football career, but they did a lot more.”

“They taught me how I handle myself off the field reflects how I handle myself on the field. Once I started to see what they meant I really wanted to work harder in the classroom and be more of a leader for my teammates off the field and that motivation from my coaches is what got me this opportunity to continue my football career.”

The 6’1 sophomore defensive back earned MACJC All-State first team honors and was selected to participate in the MACJC All-Star game after recording 46 tackles with six going for a loss of 31 yards, a sack for a loss of nine yards, three interceptions returned for a total of 85 yards, three pass break ups and a fumble recovery for the Indians.

Williams expects future announcements about other players taking signing to continue their careers as student athletes with various programs across the nation after the Christmas break.

For more information on ICC football and the nine other intercollegiate athletic programs visit the college website at www.iccms.edu.

FULTON, MS – Itawamba Community College golf coach Dr. David Rather announced eight new players have signed to play golf for the Indians this season.

Scott Milam (Tupelo Christian Prep), Tyler Rosenthal (Shannon), Matt Belk (Shannon), Justin Ward (Shannon), Sam Warren (Tupelo), Aaron Carter (Tupelo), Dustin Poole (Belmont) and Chaz Robinson (New Hope) will join the four returning sophomores for the 2011 season that saw the Indians advance to the NJCAA Region 23 Tournament.

“We were very fortunate to get the class we were able to get for this season,” said Coach Rather. “I think they are outstanding young group of men and I’m really looking forward to working with them.”

Rather has turned out a pair of players to go on to the next level of the past two season with Bobby Parks (Saltillo) signing with Blue Mountain College last season and former NJCAA All-American Alex Rowland (Houston) taking his game to Mississippi State after representing ICC in the 2010 NJCAA DII National Tournament in Arizona.

“We’ll be young and some big shoes to fill from the past few seasons, but we’ve got four sophomores coming back that I’m expecting some leadership out of them not only on the golf course but off the golf course as well.”

ICC golf season includes six stops throughout the state starting on February 26 and 27at the Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College Invitational at The Oaks Golf Club in Pass Christian, MS and will conclude with the MACJC State Championship on April 16 and 17 that the Indians will host at Riverbirch in Amory, MS.

For more information on ICC Golf and the nine other intercollegiate athletic programs visit the college website www.iccms.edu.