When Luther Riley took over the Columbus High School boys basketball program, he said the Falcons would be title contenders right away.
It turned out to be an accurate prediction.
In his first and only season on the bench, Riley earned The Dispatch’s All-Area Coach of the Year honors after leading the Falcons to their first Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) Class 6A State championship in boys basketball.
This historic season is being recognized today as The Dispatch’s top prep sports story for 2016.
“Being able to win a championship with these guys was an amazing experience,” Columbus senior Christopher Deloach said. “Winning a state championship is something you will remember for the rest of your life. It means more for our program, since it was the first one.
“It was a good way to end your high school career, winning a state championship.”
Columbus beat Starkville 37-33 in the championship game at Mississippi Coliseum in Jackson. The Falcons had blown away most of their postseason opposition. However, the final victory required a second-half rally.
Despite being held to six points in the championship game, leading scorer Robert Woodard II, a sophomore, was named the game’s MVP. Woodard II is the only returning starter on this year’s squad, which lost 10 seniors.
“Winning a state championship means you always are part of history,” Woodard II said. “Coach (Riley) came in with real high expectations. He told us we had the capability of winning a state championship. I don’t think all of the guys believed at first. Once we all bought in and started playing together as a team, we were very hard to beat.”
Longtime assistant coach Gary Griffin took Riley’s place in the off-season. After going 27-5 during its state championship run, Columbus is at 5-6 as the new year quickly approaches.
Things changed for the better for the state championship team after an 80-61 loss at Starkville. Entering that game, Columbus was the state’s top-ranked team. However, Starkville, the reigning state champion at the time, sent notice it would fight to defend that title.
As the Falcons grew to know Riley and become comfortable with one another, the team began to take flight.
A two-point loss to Velma Jackson at the Rumble of the South and a four-point region loss at Tupelo were the only setbacks once the calendar turned to 2016. Columbus also avenged the regular-season defeat to Starkville with a 70-47 win at home, setting up the rubber match eight weeks later for the championship.
Columbus beat Tupelo to win the region tournament at Hernando.
“That is when we knew we could win a state championship,” Columbus senior Javontae McDavid said. “Some of it was mental. We had to do something special to prove to ourselves we could win the championship. … A lot of people had Tupelo winning the state championship. After we won that game, we knew it could be us instead.”
Columbus won its first three playoff games by an average of 33.6 points per game. It beat Southaven 67-42 in the state semifinals.
Starkville beat Tupelo in the other semifinal. From there, the Falcons had a date with destiny and a state championship was brought home.
TOP 10 PREP SPORTS STORIES FOR 2016
1. Columbus won its first Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) state championship in boys basketball. In his only season as head coach, Luther Riley led the Falcons to a 27-5 record. Columbus defeated Starkville 37-33 in the Class 6A State championship game at Mississippi Coliseum in Jackson. The two teams had split two regular-season meetings. Then-sophomore Robert Woodard II was named the game’s MVP.
2. West Point won the MHSAA Class 5A state championship in football, for the first time since 2010. On a rain-soaked night at Davis Wade Stadium, West Point defeated Laurel 29-8 in the state championship game, giving head coach Chris Chambless his third title. Junior Marcus Murphy ran for three touchdowns in the championship game and earned most valuable player honors. The West Point defense allowed three total touchdowns in four playoff wins.
3. In girls basketball, Starkville again returned to the MHSAA Class 6A Final Four. However, a state championship continues to elude Kristie William’s squad. Starkville saw a 13-game winning streak snapped with a 44-42 loss to Murrah in the semifinal round at the Mississippi Coliseum in Jackson. Led by then-junior Kelsey Jones, Starkville fell in the semifinal round for a second-straight year. It lost to Horn Lake in this same round to end the 2014-15 season.
4. The area’s biggest surprise in prep football took place in Lowndes County. In his first season as coach, Sean Harrison led Heritage Academy to a 10-3 record. Heritage Academy saw its season end with a 42-14 loss at Indianola Academy in the semifinals of the Mississippi Association of Independent Schools (MAIS) Class AAA playoffs. Indianola Academy also won a regular-season meeting between the schools. Led by senior quarterback Tyler Anderson and junior running back Dontae Gray, the Patriots finished with 10 or more wins for first time since 1999.
5. As usual, the area sports year included another playoff run by the New Hope High baseball team. Coach Lee Boyd has built one of Class 5A’s best programs and again the Trojans delivered with another strong season. New Hope finished 20-12 and advanced to the third round of the Class 5A playoffs, where it dropped two heartbreakers to Grenada. The Trojans were led by seniors Tyler Jones and Will Godfrey. With abundance of juniors and sophomores seeing playing time, the success should continue in the year ahead.
6. Columbus Christian Academy has enjoyed a year full of state championship success as well. In February, the Rams won the first MAIS Class AA state championship in boys basketball, beating Canton Academy 40-31. RJ DeLoach earned Dispatch Player of Year honors for helping lead the Rams to that title. In May, the school won its first-ever boys track and field state championship. In November, the school repeated as cross country state champions.
7. Another strong season for the Caledonia volleyball team ended with a second-round loss to Lewisburg in the MHSAA Class II playoffs. Coach Samantha Brooks led the Lady Confederates to a 27-6 record. Seniors Kaylee Jernigan, Gracie McCleskey, Jensen Reed, and Cheyenne Ruth led an experienced squad that also received key contributions from junior Bailie Cross and freshmen Maddy Suggs, Tori Brooks, and Ansley Brown
8. The prep career of Starkville basketball standout Tyson Carter fell just short of a repeat MHSAA Class 6A state championship. A two-time Dispatch player of year honoree, Carter led Starkville back to the Mississippi Coliseum and back to the Class 6A state championship. After beating Madison Central in 2015, Starkville wasn’t as fortunate in the repeat attempt, falling to rival Columbus in 2016. Already a member of the Mississippi State starting lineup, Carter, who played for his father Greg at Starkville High, also was chosen Gatorade Player of Year after averaging 22 points and five assists as a senior.
9. The area lost two of the bigger coaching legends this season. After one season at Columbus, Luther Riley wasn’t retained as boys basketball of the Falcons. In his one season, Riley carried Columbus to a 27-5 record and its first state championship in boys basketball. Riley has won six titles overall. At Starkville, coach Ricky Woods resigned his football position and has since returned to South Panola. In two seasons at Starkville, Woods was 21-5, including winning the 2015 MHSAA Class 6A state championship. It was Woods’ seventh MHSAA state championship.
10. Realignment has once again taken place for both the MHSAA and MAIS. New Hope will drop back down to Class 4A competition in the fall of 2017. Columbus remains the smallest of the state’s 32 schools in Class 6A.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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