Michael Brown News

* COACH: Bob Hollen * KEY RETURNERS: Nathan Maurer (Sr.), Tommy Brown (Jr.), Kurt VanNess (Sr.), Cody Washka (So.), Nick Burger (So.), Josh Dickson (So.), Marcus Hamilton (So). * KEY NEWCOMERS: Colin Pleasants (Sr.), Eric Sneckenburg (Fr.), Jacob Fondriest (Fr.). * OUTLOOK: The Blue Aces have to replace the graduated Michael Brown and Patrick Merrilees, but Maurer was right on their heels in 2007. VanNess and Washka were two of the better Nos. 4 and 5 runners in the area, and Burger also earned a spot on the regional-qualifying team. Sneckenburg was the MSL-Ohio middle school runner-up. * HOLLEN SAYS: "We definitely feel like we can vie for that league title. They were second last year, and most of them remember that. They would like to dethrone Bexley. They also liked the experience of running at the regional meet." * COACH: Tony Phillips * KEY RETURNERS: Dustin Weaver (Jr.), Jake England (Jr.), Corey Thrush (Jr.), Chris Monroe (So.), Mackenzie O'Flaherty (So.). * KEY NEWCOMERS: Michael Francis (Fr.), Josh Wedor (Sr.). * OUTLOOK: The Bulldogs returners have started almost where they left off to end last season, which has Phillips pleased. Wedor, who also is kicking for the football team, had the top time at Saturday's Newark Catholic Invitational. * PHILLIPS SAYS: "I still have a fairly young team, and our times are coming down from last year so they worked hard in the offseason. Most of them did it as a group, so that was nice to see." * COACH: Eric Hamner * KEY RETURNERS: Jeremy Hornick (Sr.), David Harper (Sr.), Keith Wilbur (Jr.), James Platt. * KEY NEWCOMER: Drew Jenney (Fr.). * OUTLOOK: The Johnnies' numbers are down in Hamner's first year, but Hornick, a regional qualifier in 2007, impressively broke the 17-minute mark in the season-opening race Saturday. Harper ran second on Saturday. * COACH: Suzie Ketcham * KEY RETURNERS: Chris Taylor (Sr.), Chris Davis (So.). * KEY NEWCOMERS: Kevin Yeager (Fr.), Cody Hood (Fr.), Kevin McCauley (Fr.). * OUTLOOK: Yeager, who ran for the Hornets in middle school, has stepped into the No. 1 role. Taylor is back after an impressive wrestling season, and he and Davis both have experience and potential. * KETCHAM SAYS: "Only guy I had in middle school last year was Kevin Yeager. He is just one of those all-around athletes. He can do it all." * COACH: Don Mealick * KEY RETURNERS: Nathan Vaughn (Sr.), Jared Snider (Jr.), Ethan Osborn (Jr.), Cris Nester (Jr.), Logan Hardbarger (Jr.), Andrew Smith (So.) * KEY NEWCOMERS: Austin Carreins (So.), Norm Gutridge (Fr.), Zane Mealick (Fr.), Zach Roberts (Fr.). * OUTLOOK: Six of the seven returners were on the Panthers' Division II regional qualifier in 2007. Vaughn and Snider finished in fifth and sixth at the MSL-Ohio meet. Mealick said Gutridge is the newcomer with the biggest upside so far. * MEALICK SAYS: "They really ran well together and worked together. I would like to see them keep working together and improving as a group. As well as they finished the season last year, if they could just duplicate that effort and be able take a little more time off, I think they would be a pretty competitive group." * COACH: Randy Noftz * KEY RETURNERS: Dylan Lewis (Jr.), J.J. Newman (So.), Tanner Temnick (Jr.). * KEY NEWCOMERS: Chase Prior (So.), Jamaal Johnson (So.), Jerell Johnson (So.). * OUTLOOK: Lewis recorded the fastest time for a sophomore last year, and he is now attempting to break Colin Prescott's school record. Noftz said Temnick and Newman, who is returning from injury, have shown the commitment necessary to take the next step. * NOFTZ SAYS: "(Lewis) has a goal to trying to better what Colin did. He is a slower starter ... so what is hurting him now is he doesn't have a lot of kids out there leading him. He has to be the leader, so we are working on him to step up." * COACH: Rennie Bare * KEY RETURNERS: Bryson Wade (Sr.), Jason Snider (So.), Matt Bowman (So.), Danny Miller (Sr.), Dean Yocum (So.), Jonathon Wagner (So.), Ben McKnight (So.). * KEY NEWCOMERS: Corey Kane (Sr.), Nick Lafferty (Sr.), Cody Taylor (Sr.). * OUTLOOK: Wade, who is the defending MSL-Ohio champion, is attempting to return to the Division III state meet and reach All-Ohio status. Snider, Yocum and Wagner are sophomores who will be expected to contribute if the Green Wave are to contend in the league. * BARE SAYS: "(Wade) has a chance to definitely be All-Ohio. He has a chance to be the fastest cross country runner in the past 22 years at Newark Catholic, anyway. He has to also do some leading this year. ... The rest of the core pretty much are sophomores and freshmen." * COACH: Mike Dudgeon * KEY RETURNERS: Jesse Irvin (Sr.), Derek Hull (Sr.), Josh Parkinson (Jr.) * KEY NEWCOMERS: Michael Derringer (Fr.), Paul Hager (Fr.), Joe Pileski (Fr.), Joe Larson (Fr.). * OUTLOOK: Derringer was the MBC middle school champion and already is approaching the Vikings' high school record. Irvin and Hull are both experienced runners with the ability to provide support. * DUDGEON SAYS: "My goal is always to make it fun and enjoyable first. I haven't had this strong of a young core for quite a while." * COACH: Marty Dahlman * KEY RETURNERS: Mike Taylor (Jr.), Kevin Nickolas (Sr.), Ryan Mounts (Sr.), Gage Marek (So.), Michael Robbins (So.), Rob Baisden (Sr.), Austin Prosek (Sr.). * OUTLOOK: The Warriors will have to replace 2006 state qualifier Brock Finelli, but Dahlman said Taylor is capable of filling the shoes. The success of the team will depend on how the returners can fill the Nos. 4 through 7 spots. * DAHLMAN SAYS: "We might be overlooked because nobody knows any of our kids with Brock gone. I think we are going to surprise some people." Editor's note: Information for the Utica teams and the Lakewood boys team could not yet be attained.

In retrospect, Mississippi State's 8-5 football finish and Sylvester Croom's SEC Coach of the Year honors of a season ago seem almost magical.

College YAHOO! College Sunday, August 24, 2008 Sylvester Croom: 17-30 in four seasons at Mississippi State and overall Q: Will your senior class lead as well as last year's group? A: I have high expectations ...

Even as Hurricane Katrina flushed the Bush administration's mendacious Federal Emergency Management Agency head Michael Brown out of office, a slippery menagerie of bottom feeders, swamp things, carpetbaggers, ...

Times Sports Staff reggie.benson@htimes.com Ex-Mississippi St. star received All-SEC honorable mention Alabama A&M, in desperate need of a left tackle after preseason All-Southwestern Athletic Conference pick ...

Around the grounds: a scene from Alone Together . Phillipa Hawker August 6, 2008 Aussie rules and the Melbourne Film Festival are two of this town's great winter passions, it was only a matter of time before ...

By Gregg Ellis Daily Journal STARKVILLE - Derek Sherrod won't say it's been smooth sailing since spring drills concluded, but he will say he has a far better understanding of his new position than he did back ...

Thursday, July 24, 2008 10:26 AM CDT HOOVER, Ala. -- There was nothing pretty about the situation involving offensive lineman Michael Brown when he was dismissed from Mississippi State's football team in the ...

Mississippi State coach Sylvester Croom chose not to play it safe on Wednesday at SEC Media Days.

SEC Football Media Days 2008 quotes from Mississippi State coach Sylvester Croom and Mississippi State players.

The 2008 supplemental draft, which had tentatively been scheduled for next week, has been cancelled due to a lack of entrants, NFLDraftScout.com has learned.

After picking up an important home win June 20, Mississippi Brilla FC returned to action June 21, taking on the New Orleans Shell Shockers and winning 2-1. Brilla seemed to suffer the effects of games on ...

With a few days to go before the last stretch of the bloated Mississippi River reaches its crest, Missouri residents toiled around the clock Monday to reinforce levees already strained and saturated from the ...

Videos Over the last month and a half we've rolled out the top films from the Serac Adventure Film School, and provided tips on filmmaking from award winning director Michael Brown.

The Warriors boss has warned changes are imminent after another defensive display that bordered on embarrassing as his side let slip a 14-0 lead to lose 35-28 to the Rabbitohs.

Tom Fisher has a longstanding policy of not publicly criticizing his players. Friday, the Zephyrhills coach came close in an effort to motivate the Bulldogs to stay in shape this summer and prepare for next ...

By Spencer S. Hsu The Washington Post WASHINGTON - Within days of Hurricane Katrina's landfall in August 2005, frantic officials at the Federal Emergency Management Agency ordered nearly $2.7 billion worth ...

“That was a battle of Champions and a good match, with many 3-3 games being decided by the final point”

Huntington's Tennis Team made a good showing at the MPSA State Tournament at Mississippi College in Clinton, last week. via Concordia Sentinel

“First offense, getting a felony. I've just got to move on. Everything happens for a reason.”

Forty-four days ago, Michael Brown was finishing spring football practice at Mississippi State, ready for the four-month long respite between practices. via The Clarion-Ledger

It's not so much that she wishes death on condemned inmate Earl Wesley Berry, Jena Watson just wants an end to the nightmare that began with her mother's murder in 1987. via WMC-FM