SBLive's 2021 MHSAA 2A All-Sports Awards: St. Patrick sprints to title
Welcome to a continuing tradition at SBLive Mississippi – the MHSAA All-Sports Awards.
At the conclusion of every high school athletic year, SBLive’s Tyler Cleveland will crunch the numbers to award Mississippi high school athletic programs who achieve the highest level of success in the most sports. Think of it as an Athletic Director’s Award.
The scoring system has developed over the years and is based on how each team finishes in each sport. For example, a team receives 30 points for winning a state championship in any respective sport. If the sport relies on a playoff bracket to determine a champion, the runner-up receives 25 points and the teams who were defeated in the semifinal round receive 20 (and so on). Every team that reaches the playoffs, regardless of the team’s record, scores points for their school.
In a sport determined by indirect competition (like powerlifting or cross country), the first-place team receives 30 points, second place gets 25 (and so on), with the top eight teams receiving points.
Here's a look at how the top teams in MHSAA's Class 2A fared during the 2020-2021 athletic season:
CLASS 2A ALL-STATE AWARDS
1. St. Patrick
Total Score: 240
Championships: Girls’ Cross Country, Boys’ Cross Country, Girls’ Track, Boys’ Track
The Fighting Irish had a breakout year in 2A. In addition to their twin cross-country championships and twin track titles, St. Patrick finished runner-up in girls’ soccer and made deep playoff runs in boys’ basketball and volleyball.
2. East Union
Total Score: 217.5
Championships: Boys’ Bowling, Girls’ Powerlifting
The Urchins won two championships and had a slew of sports in which they nearly won more titles. They finished runner-up in baseball, girls’ bowling and girls’ cross country and had deep playoff runs in football and softball.
3. St. Joseph Catholic
Total Score: 160
Championships: None
The school might not have brought home a state title, but St. Joe (Madison) had some big-time success in several sports. The Bruins reached the state semifinals in girls’ soccer, finished third in girls’ swimming, runner-up in boys’ swimming and made the playoffs in boys’ and girls’ basketball, volleyball and baseball.
4. Mantachie
Total Score: 137.5
Championships: None
The Mustangs nearly won two state titles: they finished second in archery and softball. Mantachie also reached the semifinal round in volleyball and made the playoffs in football, boys’ and girls’ basketball and baseball.
5. Walnut
Total Score: 127.5
Championships: Archery, Volleyball
The Wildcats were competitive in most sports, but their total score was buoyed by the twin titles in archery and volleyball. Walnut reached the playoffs in boys’ and girls’ basketball and football and finished runner-up in boys’ cross country at the state meet.
