By JAY TIDWELL/Sports Writer

Pontotoc County athletes have been known as tough competitors, even before North Pontotoc and South Pontotoc came along.

The approaching school year will mark 40 years since the final sports seasons of several schools that preceded the two current county schools.

A massive consolidation program during the 1970-71 school year resulted in Algoma, Ecru, Hurricane, Randolph and Thaxton coming together to form North Pontotoc and South Pontotoc.

The coaches and athletes knew it would be their respective school’s final season, but that didn’t diminish their competitive spirit. Looking back on some of the highlights, players and coaches agree the final season was a special one.



Randolph football

In the fall of 1970, Randolph’s football squad, coached by Marvell Morgan, finished second in the Parkway Conference with an 8-1 record.

The only loss for Randolph during that outstanding season was to Hamilton, which was in the midst of a 26-game winning streak.

The Ramblers’ senior running back, Larry Austin, was selected Parkway Conference Most Valuable Player. His dark green and white No. 35 jersey was retired at the end of the year.

"That was a big honor," said Austin during a recent interview. "And to be picked (MVP) out of nine or 10 schools, that was special.

"I loved playing football more than I love to eat, and I love to eat,"

Austin said, then laughed. "But we never would have had football at Randolph if not for (principal and coach) James Hood. He took money out of his pocket and put a team on the field."

Three other Ramblers — whose mascot Austin described as "an old man, like a hobo, with a stick on his shoulder and a pack on his back" — made the All-Conference team: tight end Ron Barefield, tackle Tom Newell, and cornerback Mike Pruitt.

The Algoma Bobcats and Ecru Tigers — the only other football programs among the former county schools — each had representatives on the All-Conference squad: offensive guard Henry Lee Blanchard of Ecru and Algoma’s Southpaw quarterback Randall Holcomb.

"We were small, but yet we were large in many ways," Holcomb said. "It was great. We were really pretty good, but nobody thought we were. All the players had a good relationship and camaraderie."



Hurricane basketball

The Lady Wildcats of Hurricane had won state titles in 1966 and 1967, but perhaps their toughest challenge was in the spring of 1971, only weeks before the school's doors were to be closed.

Hurricane qualified for the state championship tournament in Class B — the smallest classification by the MHSAA at that time.



As the playoff intensity picked up, the Lady Wildcats narrowly lost the North Half championship at Lafayette to Ingomar, a team they had beaten twice earlier in the year.

On Sunday February 21, as Hurricane was gearing up for a long-road trip and potential rematch against coach Robert Hooker’s Lady Falcons’, a tornado swept through the community, causing extensive damage to the school — and destroying the gymnasium.

"We were out of school that (following) week," explained long-time Hurricane and North Pontotoc coach Zane Hale during a recent phone interview. "We had to practice at the neighboring schools. They were nice and helped us that way."

After some practice sessions at Thaxton’s gym, the Lady Wildcats traveled to Morton, where they defeated Hickory (55-48) on Friday, and, after trailing at halftime, knocked off Loyd Star (54-48) on Saturday afternoon to set up a rematch that evening against Ingomar.

In a thrilling comeback from a 23-19 halftime deficit, the Lady Wildcats edged Ingomar 46-44 to capture the state title.

Mona Robbins scored 15 points, Phyllis Williams 12, Sue Norwood 10 and Miriam Russell 9 in the championship match.

Donna Hale, Norwood and Russell — half of the Lady Wildcats’ six-on-six squad — were named to the All-Tournament team.

"The kids did well and they remained focused," said Coach Hale, who had played basketball and baseball at Hurricane as a student and is now a member of the Mississippi Association of Coaches Hall of Fame.



"I had a great bunch and they represented our school and county very well under those conditions.

"We felt like we closed the chapter at Hurricane in the right way."