Holmes Community College Head Football Coach Jeff Koonz announced recently that the 2019 season was his last at the helm of the program as he plans to retire at the end of the school year.
Koonz has worked 15 years at Holmes Community College, serving the last nine as head coach. He gleamed with pride when talking about his time at Holmes which saw the Bulldogs become a national powerhouse on the offensive side of the ball, especially in the running game. The Bulldogs led the MACJC in rushing the last six seasons and have finished the season as the NJCAA's No. 1 rushing offense twice in the last three seasons.
Koonz, a two-time MACJC Coach of the Year (2012 and 2016) and MAC Coach of the Year (2012 and 2016), holds a Bachelor of Science from SUNY-New Paltz and a Master of Science from Georgia Southern University. Prior to getting into college football coaching, he played football at SUNY-Plattsburgh and returned to his alma mater, Wallkill High School, to become the head football coach. He came to Holmes as head coach from Georgia Military College, where he served as the special teams strength and conditioning and defensive line coach.
— Steve Diffey
MSU WOMEN ROLL
The Mississippi State women whipped Ole Miss and Vandy last week although they did suffer a two-point road loss to No. 1 South Carolina earlier in the week. The Lady Bulldogs are 18-3 overall and 6-1 in SEC play while Ole Miss is winless in SEC play. The Southern Miss Lady Eagles (11-7, 3-4) lost two conference games this week and now must hit the road for games at Old Dominion and Charlotte.
— Dale McKee
HCC LADY
BULLDOGS WIN
The Holmes Community College Lady Bulldogs went to 3-2 in the North Division here Thursday night with a 61-58 win over the Northwest Mississippi Community College Lady Rangers. With the win, the Lady Bulldogs improve to 7-9 overall and were set to visit Itawamba on Monday.
Jordyn Manning hit two free throws with 10 seconds to play to put Holmes up 60-58. Shawanda Gray added a free throw to increase the lead to 61-58 with three seconds to go. A three-point attempt at the buzzer was blocked by Manning to secure the win.
Gabrielle Bunch led the Lady Bulldogs with 13 points while Manning had 11. Brysa Maxwell of Choctaw County and Morgan Williams each had 10. Bunch had eight rebounds in the contest.
— Steve Diffey
REBS EARN FIRST SEC WIN
The road weary Ole Miss Rebels (10-9, 1-5) won their first conference game by 10 points at Georgia. The Rebels hit over half of their shots from the floor. The Mississippi State Bulldogs fell this weekend in Norman to Oklahoma in the Big 12 vs. SEC challenge. MSU (12-7, 3-3) plays at Florida and hosts Tennessee this week. USM (6-15, 2-6) in C-USA play will host Old Dominion on Thursday this week as they try to get back on track after suffering a two-point last second loss to Middle Tennessee.
— Dale McKee
CASEY TO COACH HCC SOFTBALL
Holmes Community College has called on a familiar face to lead the Holmes Community College Lady Bulldog softball team this spring as Ricky Casey returns as interim head coach for the 2020 season.
Casey coached the softball team for 12 years before retiring after the 2018 school year. Former Head Coach Christa Childress left the program in December to take over as head coach at Coastal Alabama-North in Monroeville, Ala.
"I appreciated them calling me," Casey said. "It made you feel good that the place you left wanted you to come back. That's always something to be proud of."
The Ethel High School graduate and Attala County native made his mark in two sports at Holmes Community College –men's basketball and track. He made All-State in basketball after his sophomore season in 1974. He was a member of the MACJC state championship track team in 1973 and was state champion in the mile run his sophomore season. He was named Most Athletic at Holmes in 1974 and was named to the Holmes Sports Hall of Fame in 2004.
— Steve Diffey
JUCO BASEBALL RANKINGS
The NJCAA preseason baseball poll shows a lot about our state’s junior college baseball programs. Pearl River is ranked No. 5, Jones No. 6, Itawamba No. 7, Northwest 15th, Hinds 17th and Meridian 20th.
— Dale McKee
ECCC FOOTBALL TRYOUTS SET
The East Central Community College Warrior football program will host an open tryout for all positions on Wednesday, Feb. 26, at Bailey Stadium on the ECCC campus in Decatur.
Those football players interested in trying out for the ECCC football team should report to the stadium for registration at 10 a.m. The tryouts will begin at 10:30 a.m. There is no cost to tryout.
Prospective players should bring their own cleats and gear to workout in. For more information, contact ECCC Assistant Football Coach Dennis Alexander at dalexander@eccc.edu or 601-635-6371.
— Bill Wagnon
FEDORA LANDS
Former USM head football coach Larry Fedora will join former Delta State defensive coordinator Dave Aranda Baylor’s staff as offensive coordinator. Aranda was the DC at LSU this season. Former DSU head coach Ron Roberts will be the DC at Baylor.
— Dale McKee
HCC MEN 2-3 IN NORTH
The Holmes Community College Bulldogs dropped their second straight North Division contest here Thursday night falling to the Northwest Mississippi Community College Rangers, 62-56.
With the loss, the Bulldogs fell to 10-6 and 2-3 in the North Division. Holmes is on the road at Itawamba Monday night at 7:30 p.m. Josiah Lewis finished with 21 points and 16 rebounds to lead the Bulldogs.
— Steve Diffey
