SBLive's 2021 MHSAA 6A All-Sports Awards: Madison Central reigns supreme
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 6A fared during the 2020-2021 athletic season:
CLASS 6A ALL-SPORTS AWARDS
1. Madison Central
Total score: 282.5
Championships: Baseball, Boys Soccer, Girls Swimming, Boys Swimming, Tennis
Madison Central celebrates its 2021 MHSAA 6A baseball state title. (Photo by Keith Warren)
The Jaguars’ had a banner year under outgoing athletic director Anthony Hart. On top of the school’s five state championships, Madison Central also finished runner-up in boys’ golf and girls’ soccer. The baseball team was ranked No. 1 for much of the season before defeating Northwest Rankin in the championship, and the Jaguar boys defeated Brandon in a knock-down, drag-out of a soccer championship game.
2. Ocean Springs
Total score: 250
Championships: None
The Greyhounds might not have brought home a state title in the 2020-2021 athletic season, but they sure came close in a bunch of them. The finished runners-up in girls’ golf, girls’ powerlifting and tennis, reached the state semifinals in boys’ soccer and finished third in both boys’ and girls’ cross-country.
3. Oxford
Total score: 242.5
Championships: None
Oxford came oh-so-close to winning a couple of state titles in the past year. The Chargers finished runner-up in girls’ swimming and boys’ cross country, and famously lost to Oak Grove on the final play of the 6A Football Championship.
4. Tupelo
Total score: 230
Championships: Boys’ Golf
The Golden Wave was in the mix in just about every sport over the past year. In addition to the boys’ golf title, Tupelo finished runner-up in boys’ swimming, third in girls’ swimming and reached the semifinal round in baseball and tennis.
5. Clinton
Total score: 212.5
Championships: Boys’ Basketball, Girls’ Track
Clinton didn’t receive points in several sports, but had some deep post-season runs in others. The Arrows made the state semifinals in football, both boys’ and girls’ soccer and finished runner-up in boys’ track. Their championship run in boys’ hoops was one of the highlights of the year.
