PCA coach guided team to Academy-A crown.

As the regular season was winding down, Randy Wright was a frustrated coach.

He had tried almost everything in his motivational bag of tricks to inspire his Porters Chapel Academy players, yet nothing seemed to be working. One game, they looked like the championship-caliber team he knew they could be. The next, they’d struggle and look like an eighth-grade junior varsity squad.

Even now, six weeks later, Wright isn’t sure exactly what made his team finally click. All he knows is that he’s already ordered state championship rings for the second time in four seasons and has collected his third Vicksburg Post Coach of the Year award. He also received the award in 1999 and 2003.

&#8220I think we really peaked at the right time,” said Wright, who has a 226-79-1 record in 11 seasons at PCA, with MPSA Class A titles in 2003 and ‘06. He led PCA to a 26-10-1 record this season. &#8220The kids really stepped up when we got into the playoffs. They got it in their mind that they wanted to be state champions and got it done.”

Midway through the season, there didn’t seem to be much chance of that.

The Eagles were plodding through a tough schedule and seemed to be catching every opponent’s best pitcher, to boot. They played eight playoff teams and finished 18-8-1 during the regular season – their highest loss total since 2001, when they went 22-13.

Even worse, they split a doubleheader with Tri-County in the last week of the season, ending a 49-game district winning streak and their string of five straight district championships.

&#8220We had some bad matchups in the middle of the season where we were seeing everybody’s ace and we were throwing our No. 5 or No. 6,” Wright said.

Once in the playoffs, however, the Eagles were on even footing with their opponents and their fortunes soared.

They avenged a loss to Benton in the 2005 playoffs by sweeping the Raiders, then demolished defending Class A champion Tunica in two games. In the Tunica series, PCA’s pitchers allowed only five baserunners, two runs, and recorded 27 of a possible 36 outs via a strikeout.

The semifinals brought a rematch with Tri-County, another two-game sweep, and PCA’s fourth trip to the Class A finals since 2001. By then, Wright could tell the Eagles were on their way.

&#8220We could feel it,” Wright said. &#8220We had that big first-round series win over Benton, and we had a lot of enthusiasm. We could all feel something special was coming. We just seemed to click.”

The Eagles were finally tested in the Class A finals against Huntington. They lost Game 1, then gutted out a win in a tough three-game series in which every contest was decided by one run.

Michael Busby won Game 2 with a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 10th inning, then Matt Cranfield’s block of home plate on a wild pitch in the seventh inning of Game 3 secured the victory.

The win was sweet for Wright, and not just for himself. He was happiest for a group of players who finally achieved a goal they had been chasing for years.

Busby, Hayden Hales, Moose Carney and Cole Smith all played together on the Culkin Critters youth team that won several state championships as 10-, 11-, and 12-year-olds. As they rose to the high school ranks, expectations were high for them. Some close to the predicted multiple state titles.

As they began their high school careers, most of the Critters attended PCA. Some have transferred to other schools, but Busby, Hales, Carney and Smith have stayed. To finally see them earn a state title was rewarding, Wright said.

&#8220It’s a great feeling to win a championship. I’m really happy for these kids,” he said. &#8220We have four or five kids who have been told since the time they were 6 years old that they were going to be state champions, and there was a lot of pressure on them. I’m glad they came through and won it.”

Ole Miss-bound shortstop hit over .500 for Vicksburg.

In four years of varsity baseball, the last three as a starter, Jordan Henry never hit a home run or developed into a dominant pitcher.

He hit 11 doubles this season, more than the number of extra-base hits in his previous three years combined.

What Henry did better than anyone, however, was the little things. He got on base, usually with a line drive to the outfield. He hit for average. He scored runs, stole bases, and gave his Vicksburg Gators a chance to win.

Through his success and consistency, Henry earned a baseball scholarship to Ole Miss. He has also earned the 2006 Vicksburg Post Player of the Year award.

&#8220It’s an honor,” Henry said. &#8220With all the talented players in this county, it’s just an honor to be recognized.”

Henry has led Vicksburg High in hitting twice, and was second on the team his sophomore year. This season, his .539 average led Warren County. Unlike many good high school hitters, however, Henry never showed a power stroke.

In 2004 and 2005, he had a total of eight doubles, no triples and no homers. This season he had 11 doubles and two triples. Even his RBI totals – 54 in four seasons – weren’t among the county’s best. He simply sprayed line drives everywhere and got on base for the bashers behind him.

Henry had 107 hits in his career and scored 84 runs. In his career, he scored a run 54 percent of the time he reached base and only struck out 28 times in 223 at-bats.

&#8220I’m not a big power guy. Trying to get hits and get on base is what I tried to do to be successful,” Henry said.

This season was Henry’s best. In addition to his gaudy batting average, he collected 48 hits, scored 38 runs and stole 16 bases. All were career highs, and helped boost his career average to .480.

&#8220Every time he gets on base it’s an extra-base hit. With his speed and ability to steal bases, he’s always a threat to score,” Vicksburg coach Jamie Creel said, adding that Henry’s ability to hit when he gets behind in the count played a big part in his success. &#8220Jordan may be the best two-strike hitter I’ve ever seen. He has the ability to put the ball in play and leg a lot of balls out.”

Henry also improved his defense at shortstop. He played there even though it wasn’t his natural position. In 2005 he struggled through a below-average season in the field but showed vast improvement this season.

At Ole Miss, he expects to play in the outfield, at second base – anywhere but shortstop.

&#8220I feel I’m not a shortstop. I can play better somewhere else. That’s where I played and I worked through it,” Henry said. &#8220They haven’t mentioned anything for me, and it doesn’t matter to me. Anywhere I get to play is cool with me.”

Henry also figures he won’t be in the Rebels’ pitching rotation. He threw 19 innings for the Gators this season, posted a 3-0 record and has a fastball that hits in the 80s on the radar gun. And that’s it.

&#8220I would’ve liked to (pitch) a little more, but we had a great staff. It’s not like we had to run me out there,” Henry said, adding with a laugh, &#8220I only had one pitch working for me.”

The leadership and hitting ability Henry showed keyed the Gators to a successful season. They finished second in a tough division that included archrival Warren Central amd Class 5A runner-up Madison Central. Vicksburg then won the Southaven regional in the Class 5A playoffs before losing to Northwest Rankin in the second round.

The ending was tough to swallow, but Henry said it was hard to be too upset with the team’s success.

&#8220That second game against Northwest Rankin was one of the worst games we played as a team. But it was good to beat Warren Central four times and win the regional,” Henry said. &#8220When you look at all of that stuff, it was a good year.”