ATHLETES HONORED
Mississippi Sports Awards recognizes 36 as Houston Texans’ Deshaun Watson encourages attendees
High school athletes from across the state came together May 14 at Thalia Mara Hall to celebrate the best and brightest among them at the fifth annual Mississippi Sports Awards.
Pro Bowl quarterback Deshaun Watson of the Houston Texans was the honored guest. During an on-stage interview, he talked about overcoming obstacles throughout life and continually pushing toward success — including injuries that sidelined him for part of his rookie year.
The Georgia native also talked about what it was like to win a national championship with Clemson and joked with interviewers about his likes and dislikes.
But the main reason behind the Mississippi Sports Awards, presented by the Clarion Ledger and sponsored by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Mississippi, was to honor thousands of athletes in 24 sports.
“This was another fantastic night,” said executive editor Sam R. Hall. “It’s such a great feeling to see all of these students decked out and having fun on a night that is completely dedicated to them and all the hard work they have put in over the past year. It never ceases to amaze me what kind of talent and character we have in this state.”
Overall award winners
Here is a rundown of the top overall award-winners for the night:
❚ Female Athlete of the Year: Callie Minshew, Brandon
❚ Male Athlete of the Year: Jerrion Ealy, Jackson Prep
❚ Team of the Year: Horn Lake Football
❚ Coach(es) of the Year: Jason and Lacey Kennedy, Pearl girls basketball
❚ Courage Award: Nathan Pickering, Seminary
❚ No Limits Award: Taylor Hughes, Pontotoc
❚ I AM SPORT: Ella Touchstone, Long Beach High School
❚ Top Team (fan vote): Petal Girls Soccer
❚ Girls Special Olympics Athlete of the Year: Kelly Arnold of Bay St. Louis
❚ Boys Special Olympics Athlete of the Year: Jasper Mcknight of Pontotoc
❚ Orley Hood Sports Journalism Award: Joe Pearson, Saint Joseph’s Catholic School