The Mitchell ReportI don’t normally put what a player says on the field in the newspaper. But Darrius Wright put Tuesday night’s rivalry game into perfect perspective.
Moments before Tyler George threw the first pitch, Wright looked down to Yazoo County’s catcher and said, “I’m not your friend anymore.”
It’s cold, but the truth. Once the umpire yells “play ball” there are no friends on the opposing team - rivalry game or not. The goal becomes to beat the other team without worrying about feelings or any of that type of stuff.
Now, there weren’t any moments that make a rivalry game standout. There were no fights, and only one controversial call (and that’s a stretch) the whole game.
But if you think Wright was kidding about that friend part, you’re kidding yourself. Just look at his stat line. He went 2-for-4 at the plate with two singles. Nothing too fancy, but what he did on the mound isn’t something a person would want to do to their friends.
Wright didn’t allow one hit in seven innings of work (a full high school game) and struck out 16 batters while giving up three walks, which led to Yazoo County’s lone run.
For a freshman, that’s very impressive. The most impressive stat is the one I didn’t notice until I sat down to write the game story. Wright struck out six straight batters during the fifth and sixth innings.
Friends also don’t smack home runs that send the ball sailing over the center field wall. But that’s exactly what Samuel Campbell did and sources tell me they’re still looking for that ball.
Before Campbell struck, the Panthers weren’t out of the game. There was still a feeling that all they needed was one hit and the game would be tied again at 2-2. However, with two outs already down, Campbell made sure Yazoo County wouldn’t be able to catch the Indians with his blast to centerfield.
Many of the players on Yazoo City’s and Yazoo County’s roster are friends because Yazoo is a small community. These players are still friends. Friendships don’t end because of sports, but rather are just put on hold.
I’ve played against friends before in high school and junior high. I remember one game we won easily and another we lost badly. I had friends on the other team each time and our friendship wasn’t over with after the game.
But in between those whistles, friend was just another six-letter word.

Bre Rhoads slides into home plate for the 11th run of a 12-1 victory against Madison St. Joe Tuesday night.By TAYLOR MITCHELL
Sports Editor

The Yazoo County softball team was overshadowed Tuesday night by the Battle of Yazoo going on 50 feet away. However, the Lady Panthers are shining brightly with their fifth win of the 2012 season, a 12-1 beat down of Madison St. Joe in five innings of play.
The last time the Lady Panthers took the field they fell to Kosciusko 4-3. Tuesday night they showed that loss was a fluke.
Raven Carter led the way for Yazoo County with five RBI during the game, including a bases-clearing triple in the third inning that scored three runs.
“Raven Carter was my player of the game,“ Yazoo County head coach Grant Andrews said. “If she (Carter) hits like that every game, we’re going to be a tough team to beat.”
Quertisha Bullock got things started with a two run triple to left center field in the bottom of the first inning. Kelsey Anderson added another run on a ground ball that allowed Bullock to give Yazoo County a 3-0 lead.
After watching St. Joe score their lone run on an error by Yazoo County in the second inning, the Lady Panthers put the first three batters on base in the bottom of the third inning. That’s when Carter hit her three-run triple that put Yazoo County up 6-1. Carter later scored on a passed ball to make it 7-1.
“We just got on base and made the key hits with runners in scoring position,” Andrews said.
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Senior David Coody had another great performance on the mound for Manchester with 12 strikeouts against Canton, while giving up just two hits in a 4-0 victory Tuesday night.By TAYLOR MITCHELL
Sports Editor

Before the season, Manchester Academy head coach A.J. Downs said his team would be using more small-ball strategy than before.
He wasn’t joking either. The Mavericks reeled off their seventh straight victory of the season with a 4-0 win at Canton Tuesday night, a win that saw the Mavs employ sacrifice bunts and sacrifice flies to get ahead.
“It’s a team effort,” Downs said. “Sacrafice bunts, you’re giving up yourself to put your teammate in a better position. It’s not an individual thing and these guys have bought into it. It’s a team-first mentality.”
Against Canton, senior David Coody added another impressive performance to his resume with 12 strikeouts recorded and only two hits given up.
Offensively there weren’t any fireworks, but Manchester was still effective. Seth Hutton got a big hit, as Downs put it, to start off a big inning for the Mavericks.
“We scored our runs through aggressive base running, bunts, stealing and sacrifices,” Downs said. “We did a little bit of everything.”
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Not too long after qualifing five members of the powerlifting team, Yazoo City went to Oxford for the north half state championships with hopes of being one of three to advance to the state tournament in April. Dspite their best efforts the team of John Ingram (left) and (from left to right) Milton Gates, Kelvin Rembert, Raheem Harris and David Gower finished in fourth place as a team, one short of qualifing for state.