Cardinals hit practice field

By Jeff Ireland

At 8 a.m. on Monday, with the mercury already well over 80 degrees, the Brighton Cardinals football team hit the practice field in helmets and practice jerseys.
Everybody’s schedule is different, but all area football teams began making serious preparations for the upcoming season this week, which begins in less than a month on Aug. 20.
The Cardinals were running plays about three-quarter speed and trying to develop some timing in their passing game.
“We’re doing a lot of learning right now,” said Brighton head coach Will Wolfe, who led the Cardinals to an 8-3 record last year and a home playoff game for the first time in school history. “We’re just trying to get in as many reps as we can. The goal is for everybody to be on the same page once we’re in pads.”
Teams in Tennessee can begin practicing in pads next week, and that’s generally when things really get going in earnest.
The Cardinals will be looking to build on the momentum they got started last year. With eight starters returning on offense and seven on defense, there’s plenty of optimism surrounding the program. And it showed at practice.
Brighton players and coaches maintained a quick pace throughout the morning, shuffling players in and out while running through the team’s fast-paced offense.
Returning quarterback Danny Potter worked on his timing with the Cardinals receivers and plenty of time was spent on the running game as well.
Wolfe said the Cardinals will take part in a multi-team scrimmage on Aug. at Dyer County before playing in a jamboree at Covington on Aug. 13. The regular season begins Aug. 20 at home against Raleigh-Egypt.
“We’re trying to accomplish a lot of different things right now,” said Wolfe. “Obviously conditioning. It takes a while for their bodies to get used to this.”

Note: Check back soon for updates on other area teams.

MHS soccer teams honored for academics

By Jeff Ireland

This past school year the Munford High School boys’ and girls’ soccer teams found plenty of success on the field.
The girls took second in the District 13-AAA Tournament and advanced to the Region 7-AAA Tournament. The boys finished second in the regular season district standings and played one of the toughest schedules around.
Kyle Selby, who coaches both teams, was certainly proud of how his teams, both in their first year of existence, played.
But what he was particularly proud of was how his players performed in the classroom.
Both teams were recently honored by the TSSAA. The Lady Cougars, thanks to a team GPA of 3.49, received the Outstanding Academic Award, the first ever at Munford High School. Thanks to a team GPA of 3.18, the boys became just the second MHS squad to receive the Excellent Academic Award.
Selby said coaches, administrators, teachers and athletes worked together to earn the recognition.
“Academics excellence is first at Munford High School … We work together as a team to make sure that everyone is excelling in the classroom,” said Selby. “Winning, of course, means a lot to everyone, but that will not overshadow the fact that if we do not work hard in the classroom, then everything we accomplish on the field goes for nothing.”
The word student-athlete is thrown around a lot these days by coaches and members of the media. Selby and his staff take the term seriously. He uses a spreadsheet to track the GPA of the team, as well as individuals, and keeps in constant contact with all of the players’ teachers.
He said he realizes the time constraints that are put on students who also play a sport.
“In today’s environment, athletes are being pushed to excel on the field for college scholarships,” Selby said. “They have to practice two to three hours per day and as much as 15 to 20 hours a week. If they have jobs to help their families with the costs involved in playing sports and just making it in today’s economy, then they struggle with finding the time to study.”
Last year both Munford soccer teams were able to find the balance between books, soccer and everything else that goes along with being a teenager.
At the college level, and even a few in high school, there have been numerous stories about the dilemma coaches face when a star player is not making it academically. Do you teach a life lesson, or put the best players on the field? Selby said that’s an easy decision for him.
“I really do not have an issue with this due to the fact that I know in my heart that for most of the athletes, these days of playing soccer will just be memories and will not be a part of their careers,” said Selby. “If they do not work hard in the classroom then it will affect their futures in life. I know that some people may be looking at the wins and loses, but they have to know all of the other things that are involved in raising young adults that will be proud of what they have worked hard to accomplish on and off the field.”
Ten Lady Cougars – Lauren Agcanas, Shelby Bampfield, Abby Drexler, Ruth Hull, Maggie Johnson, Brooke Joyce, Mai Nowlin, Alex Selby, Danielle Stagner and Leslie Serrano – were honored for having GPA’s of 3.5 or higher. Nine boys – Dalton Baker, Matt Billings, Jereme Gruber, Ruben Hall, Zach Kurtzman, Jessie Ocampo, Michael Ocampo, Hunter Robbins and Chaz Stoebner – received the honor.
Many of these players will be back next season.
“These student-athletes have worked very hard to do as well as they have with their GPA and on-the-field accomplishments in the first year of soccer at Munford High School,” Selby said. “We have very high goals for the upcoming season and I am sure with their commitment to excel we can reach these goals.”

BHS hires new boys hoops coach

By Jeff Ireland

Brighton High School athletic director Chic Nute had already interviewed several candidates to fill the boys’ basketball coaching vacancy at his school.
Jason Morgan had already interviewed for several head coaching basketball jobs around the Mid-South.
The two eventually came together.
“I’m a man of faith,” said Morgan. “God does amazing things. I had interviewed at almost a dozen schools. Some good situations. Some bad. I was in Memphis for an interview and Chic called. I met a bunch of the people there and one thing led to another. The Lord opened up some doors for more for sure.”
Morgan comes to Brighton with plenty of head coaching experience.
He spent the last three seasons at Greenville (Ms.) Christian, leading them to the Mississippi Private School Association state title. From 2001 to 2007 he was the head man at Grace Christian in Louisville, Ms.
Morgan brings a 311-104 career record that includes seven district titles. It’s been a while since Brighton has won a league title.
“I’ve always had success wherever I’ve gone,” said Morgan. “The number one reason is that I always have kids give their best.”
The team will have quite a different look in several different ways.
The roster will be quite different, for one. A couple of players have transferred and, as of earlier this week, there were at least a couple of players from last season who were not on the team.
“I know for a fact we won’t be as talented as we were last year,” said Morgan. “But I’ve got some guys committed to this program.”
Last year’s team played a run and gun style that resulted in some high-scoring games. While Morgan said he likes to get up and down the court, defense will be a priority this season.
“Last year they gave up almost 80 points a game,” said Morgan, “and allowed 100 about half a dozen times. That’s a lot of pressure to put on your offense. If you look at our team this year, you’re going to see us play tough half court offense. Force the other team to take bad shots and rebound.”
Morgan said his current players have told him that there were players last season who did not give maximum effort all the time. He has vowed to correct that this season as Brighton begins a new era.
He’s not promising any titles this season, or any season. Instead, he said he will focus on effort and character.
“My thing is getting guys to give 100 percent, in everything,” said Morgan. “Of course I care about basketball. But I care more about the people they become. They will be people a lot longer than they’ll be basketball players. What they learn here they can carry over to the rest of their lives.”

Munford standout promoted to Phillies AA squad

By Jeff Ireland

Donnie Overbeck fields questions about his son on a daily basis.
Though the questions are usually the same, as any proud father would be, he never really tires of talking about his talented offspring.
“With access to the Internet, a lot of people know what he’s doing,” said Overbeck, whose son, Cody, is playing his third season in the Philadelphia Phillies’ minor league system. “Sometimes it seems like the whole town is following him. I tell him the whole town is behind him … try to boost his confidence.”
Here lately there have been plenty of good things for Munford and Tipton County residents to discuss concerning Cody.
Late last week Cody was informed that he was being promoted from the Class A Clearwater (Fla.) Threshers to the Class AA Reading (Pa.) Phillies, meaning he is just two steps away from playing in the big leagues.
After a 2009 season in which Cody struggled with injuries and hit .230 with 12 homeruns, he set the Florida State League on fire the first half of 2010. Before being promoted to Reading he hit .302 with 11 homeruns, 41 RBI’s, 19 doubles and a .553 slugging percentage. He was among the league leaders in the all the aforementioned categories and made the All-Star team. He was named the Florida State League Player of the Week in early May.
At 23, Overbeck is considered one of the Phillies’ better prospects at third base.
Overbeck, soft-spoken and modest in interviews, doesn’t like to brag. But with the numbers he has been putting up he knew a call-up was coming.
“I got the call yesterday,” Overbeck said last Friday. “I expected it. I just wasn’t sure when it would be.”
Overbeck played on some very talented teams at Munford High School. His junior year the Cougars finished second in the Class AAA State Tournament and he led the team back to state his senior season.
When he signed with Ole Miss and became the team’s best hitter by his sophomore season, scouts began to take notice. He was drafted in the ninth round of the 2008 draft and decided to begin his professional career.
The idea of playing professionally had been in the back of the mind of Cody and his father, but it began to look much more possible when Cody began to excel at the college level.
“Once he got to Ole Miss and began playing right with those guys, I began to think he was good enough to draft,” said Donnie. “It got in the back of your head, ‘Hey, he can play with these guys.’”
Cody knows the transition to Class AA won’t be easy. Just like any jump in classification, the pitching gets much better. The Phillies’ top prospect, outfielder Dominic Brown, is Cody’s teammate in Reading.
“You’ve got middle infielders and centerfielders who are a lot better,” said Cody. “They take away hits that might have been hits (in Class A). And, obviously, the pitchers locate (their pitches) better.”
The way things look now, Overbeck couldn’t be in a better organization. The Phillies’ current third baseman, Placido Polanco, is a veteran who doesn’t figure to be with the team forever. It also has to be encouraging to play for a team that has been to two straight World Series and won three straight division titles.
Overbeck has met several current Phillies, including former NL MVP Jimmy Rollins, Brad Lidge and J.A. Happ.
“They’ve all been to Clearwater for rehab,” said Cody. “They’re all nice guys.”
Back home in Munford, there’s talk about when and how Cody will make it to the Philadelphia Phillies. His dad gets those questions all the time. On Facebook Cody has nearly 1,400 friends, many of whom follow his career closely.
As far as Cody’s outlook on his prospects for further advancement, he’s realistic, but hopeful..
“Oh yeah,” Cody said with a chuckle when asked if people ask him when he’s going to make it to the big leagues. “All the time. I try not to get too far ahead of myself. I haven’t set a timeframe or anything. I take it one year at a time and see what happens.”