Natchez — Dozens of Bulldog athletes were honored Thursday night at the Natchez High School Sports wards Banquet at the David Steckler Multipurpose Center.

The event featured awards to honor participants in basketball, power lifting, cheerleading and soccer.

“I think (the banquet) gives recognition to the students and the parents both who work real hard during the school year,” Natchez athletic directory Fred Butcher said.

Big news came during the awards for girls’ varsity basketball when head coach Sue Johnson announced that she was retiring at the end of next season, after thirty years of coaching at Natchez High.

“I may not have won a state championship, but I know I’ve touched some lives,” Johnson said.

“It may not be our mission or fate in life to win a state title, but (the real mission may be) to help put young lives on the right track.”

Butcher said he was aware that Johnson was hanging up her whistle, but did not know she was going to announce at the banquet, he said.

The event featured guest speaker Tonya Edwards. Edwards is the head women’s basketball coach at Alcorn State and was named the 2010-2011 SWAC women’s coach of the year. She was also a two-time national champion player at the University of Tennessee.

Edwards said it was an honor to be able to speak at the banquet, and also wanted to send a message to athletes who were not receiving awards.

“(Even if you don’t win an award), if you ask yourself, ‘did I do the best I could?” And if you answer that question, ‘yes,’ then you don’t need that award.”

Edwards speaks from experience on that subject, she missed out on being named Miss Basketball in the state of Michigan her senior year of high school, she said.

Edwards also told the Natchez High student athletes that they should always have dreams, be disciplined, be dedicated and be devoted.

Natchez-Adams School District Superintedent, Dr. Anthony Morris, kicked off the awards ceremony with what he believed to be the most important awards of the evening, he said.

One student athlete from each sport was awarded with the Academic Award, for excellence in the classroom.

Butcher was pleased with the athletic performances of the honorees.

“Overall I thought that we did better than average (this past season in these sports),” Butcher said.

“I’m thrilled about some of the improvement we’ve seen (in these sports) but it’s quite obvious that there’s still some work we have to do, because it’s my hope and dream that Natchez High School will be elite in all of our sports,”

Butcher said events like this are good for the Natchez High community, as well.

“I think it serves as a melting pot almost because parents can come and socialize with each other, and sometimes we have more contact with parents at the athletic events than we do through other events. So, I think it’s a time when everybody can sit down and kind of reminisce over the season, whether it was a good season or a bad season,” Butcher said.