The much-anticipated opening of Beau Pre Country Club to milestones reached by Lum Wright, Davey Whitney and Billy Shaw highlighted the 1999 sports year.

JANUARY — The Natchez High boys and girls track teams win the Class 5A indoor track titles. Greg Carter captures the 400-meter dash, the 300-meter dash and the 55-meter dash. Keyon Mearday captures the 1600-meter relay. Janice Davis captures the 400-meter dash and the 300-meter dash. Kim Washington captures the long jump … Vidalia High’s basketball teams get first-ever sweep of Natchez High’s basketball teams.

FEBRUARY — Ray Moore bowls a 300 game, the second perfect game bowled in Rivergate Bowl history … The Trinity Lady Saints defeat Tallulah 54-38, Ben’s Ford 53-26, and lose to Huntington 60-52 in the MPSA District 6A Tournament. The win over Ben’s Ford clinched a spot in the South State Tournament … The Trinity Saints defeat the Huntington Hounds 64-46 while the Tensas Lady Chiefs defeat the Huntington Lady Hounds 59-42 in the finals of the MPSA Dist. 6A Tournament … Cathedral’s soccer team makes the Class II playoffs for the first time since its program started in 1995 … The Trinity Saints win the MPSA South State title with a 74-69 win over Claiborne Christian … The Natchez Lady Bulldogs defeat Forest Hill 53-40 to capture the Division 6-5A title … James McFarland is named the new Ferriday High head football coach … The Trinity Saints’ boys basketball team loses to Magnolia Heights 80-79 at the MPSA Overall State Tournament to finish its season with a 31-9 record … The Vidalia Vikings advance to the second round of the Class 2A State Tournament with a 67-54 win over Oakdale … Jefferson County’s girls basketball team defeat McComb 44-35 to win the Class 4A South State title … Alcorn State finishes its season with a 81-63 win over Prairie View to go 20-6 overall and 14-2 in the SWAC.

MARCH — Vidalia High’s basketball season comes to an end with a 60-49 loss to McCall in the Class 2A regional playoffs … Alcorn State wins its first SWAC tournament championship since 1984 with a 89-83 win over Southern University, but lose to Stanford 69-57 in the first round of the NCAA West Regional … Cathedral’s Richard Edgin and Christopher Martin combine to pitch a no-hitter in a 10-0 win over Bogue Chitto … Natchez High’s powerlifting team finishes fourth at the South State meet … Trinity’s Marcus Calcote and Natchez’s Erica Bennett are the All-Metro Basketball Players of the Year, while coach David King of Trinity and Flora McKnight of Jefferson County are the top coaches.

APRIL — The ACCS Rebel golf wins its own ACCS Invitational Golf Tournament … The ACCS Rebels’ baseball upsets MPSA No. 2 Hillcrest Academy 13-2 and 14-1 in a doubleheader … Natchez High’s baseball team wins the Division 6-5A with a 9-1 win over Jackson Provine and finishes unbeaten in district with a 16-4 win over Jackson Jim Hill … Trinity’s boys track team finishes second at the District 6A Varsity Track Meet … Huntington High’s girls track team wins the MPSA 6A Meet … Natchez High’s golf team wins its first-ever division title and Cathedral High’s golf team wins its fourth straight division title … Natchez High’s tennis team wins the Division 6-5A Tournament … Trinity’s baseball team wins the Division 6-A district championship with a 13-3 win over Franklin Academy … Natchez High’s baseball loses to Brandon 6-4 and 9-4 in the first round of the Class 5A playoffs … Vidalia’s baseball team win its fourth straight District 3-2A title with a 11-1 win over Rapides … Cathedral’s tennis team wins the District 7-1A championship … Natchez High’s boys and girls track teams finish second at the Region 3-5A Track Meet. Greg Carter and Janice Davis took individual honors … Huntington High’s tennis team wins three South A State doubles titles … Trinity’s baseball team loses 13-6 in the final game of a best-of-three series against Plain Dealing in the MPSA A Championship … ACCS sweeps Parklane 5-3 and 6-3 to win the District 2AAAA title.

MAY — ACCS’s Hayden Wadsworth wins the MPSA State AAAA championshp in the shot put … Cathedral’s baseball team is eliminated from the Class 1A playoffs by Noxapeter for the fourth time in five years … Cathedral’s golf and tennis teams win the Class 1A state titles … Vidalia’s baseball team loses to Loyola College Prep of Shreveport 13-0 in the Class 2A quarterfinals … Huntington’s softball team wins the MPSA South A State title for the second straight year … ACCS’s baseball team is eliminated from the playoffs by Hillcrest after a 6-5 loss in the third game of a best-of-three MPSA Class AAAA South State semifinals series … Natchez’s Tyler Walker is the All-Metro Baseball Player of the Year, while ACCS’ Ryan Porter is the top coach. AC’s Holli Hankins and Bruce Pickle are named top softball player and coach, respectively … Betty Davis of Natchez finishes fifth in her division at the Women’s International Bowling Congress National Senior Championships in Syracuse, New York.

JUNE — Rick Covington and Mark Thompson of Madison win their third straight Men’s 9.5 Round-Robin Tournament at the Deposit Guaranty Natchez Cancer Tennis Tournament … Natchez High School names Gill Morris Director of Athletics … Natchez’s USA track team hosts the Southern Association Meet, in which two members of the Natchez USA track team, Carl Butler and Lucius Jackson, each win two gold medals … Clarence Bowlin steps down after serving 40 years as commissioner of the Natchez Dixie Youth Baseball League.

JULY – The Independence Breakfast Scramble on July 5 is the last tournament ever to be played at Belwood Country Club, which closes down on July 11. Beau Pre Country Club opens on July 17 … Trinity’s baseball field is damaged by vandalism … Natchez’s 13-year-old Dixie Boys team is eliminated from the 13-year-old District Tournament in a 10-6 loss to Summit … Pete Powell wins his 10th Bill McKenney City Golf Championship.

AUGUST — Natchez’s P. Z. Brewer finishes ninth and C. C. Barnes finishes 33rd at the Mississippi Golf Association’s Mid Amateur Championship … Janice Davis of Natchez finishes fourth in the 400-meter dash at the National Junior Olympics in Omaha, Nebraska. Teammate Carl Butler also advanced to the nationals … Long-time Ferriday High head basketball coach Robert Cade leaves Ferriday High and becomes an assistant basketball and football coach at Natchez High … Natchez native Billy Shaw is inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame … The Natchez Braves semipro baseball team defeats the Baton Rouge Red Sox 20-6 and 6-3 to win the semipro state title … Trinity and Huntington’s football teams open the season with one-point losses – Trinity loses to Tensas 8-7 and River Oaks beats Huntington 14-13 … Defending MPSA Class 3A state champion Centreville is upset by Bowling Green 15-10 … The Natchez Bulldogs football wins its season-opener over Jefferson County 13-6.

SEPTEMBER –&160;P.Z. Brewer wins the first Beau Pre Club Championship … Sally Durkin wins the Duncan Park Ladies Championship, while Herman Merritt takes the Senior Golf title … Natchez High’s softball girls wins their third straight district championship.

OCTOBER –&160;Natchez and Cathedral softball teams both lose out in the first round of the state playoffs … Bill Cameron is named head boys basketball coach at Cathedral … Ole Miss head football coach David Cutcliffe holds his radio show from the Radisson Eola … Alex Sandel, Claude Porter and Iris Poole Eddy are inducted into the Co-Lin Hall of Fame … James M. Davis is named head boys basketball coach at Ferriday High …

NOVERMBER — Vidalia defeats Ferriday 16-0 for the District 3-2A championship … Timmy Foster wins a Punt, Pass & Kick competition before a New Orleans Saints game in the Louisiana Superdome … Vidalia and Ferriday win their first round playoff games before falling in the second round … Centreville Academy wins its second straight MPSA 3A state championship … Natchez High falls to Franklin County in its first ever soccer game …J.O. &uot;Obie&uot;&160;Brown of Natchez is inducted into Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College Hall of Fame .

DECEMBER –&160;ACCS’ Hayden Wadsworth and Lee Watts are named All-State … Vidalia High running back Dariel Mays is named Class 2A Offensive Player of the Year … Marco Minor and Clarence Parker of Natchez sign with Mississippi State … Vidalia boys and Jefferson County’s girls win the Natchez High Hoops Classic … Alcorn coach Davey Whitney picks up his 500th win … Mays and Vidalia High coach Dee Faircloth are named All-Metro Player and Coach of the Year … Pine Hills head coach Tony Johnson and Centreville Academy running back Matthew Tolbert are the All-Area Coach and Player of the Year …The Natchez 7.5 Combo Senior men’s tennis team wins the state championship in Jackson.