Back in my hometown of New Orleans, there was a popular sports column that predicted all that would happen in the coming sports year.
I had forgotten about it, but during my holiday break, my mom handed me this year’s column, which has since moved from the Times-Picayune to the Clarion Herald.
And so, as I read this year’s column, I immediately thought that would be a fun concept to apply to the Pine Belt area. Now, let me be the first to admit that my predictions are usually wrong, so maybe prepare for the opposite to happen.
JANUARY: For the first time since the inaugural year of the beginning of the College Football Playoff, each semifinal game and the national championship are all equally exciting. Michigan, not needing to know the other team’s signs, finds another way to defeat Washington. As Jim Harbaugh says on national television, his team is “the most prepared team in the country.”
In this same month, this young sportswriter ages heavily as he fights to get this year’s Pine Belt Sports Baseball Preview magazine done by the deadline. Southern Miss fans continue to eagerly wait for the start of baseball season as the Golden Eagle men’s basketball team struggles to get back to .500 as they go 3-7 in conference play for the month. The Lady Eagles have a better month as they end their four-game skid and sit in third place in the conference standings.
FEBRUARY: The Super Bowl leads to the Ravens beating the 49ers, leading to former Southern Miss head coach Todd Monken getting his first NFL head coaching job. On the soccer field, the Sumrall girls finally breakthrough to the state championship game but painfully lose in overtime, leaving head coach Todd Siders to wonder if there is an actual postseason curse on his team. The Golden Eagle baseball team gets off to a 9-0 start, but fans on Eaglepost are still angry about the lineup’s hitting despite the team having six new faces. The Eaglepost fans get even rowdier as the men’s basketball team goes 4-3 in February. The Lady Eagles find a way to defeat first-place Georgia Southern but fall victim to another hangover win, dropping three straight. Despite the rollercoaster, the Sun Belt teams continue to beat up on each other, somehow leaving USM in third place. The high school scene is even more hectic with rivals Sumrall and Purvis in unfamiliar basketball territory as the two teams battle in the region tournament championship game. Sumrall walks away with the victory, leaving Purvis fans anxiously counting down the days for the baseball series. The PCS girls basketball team redeem themselves from last season as the Lady Bobcats win the MAIS Overall Tournament title. The Hattiesburg boys continue to play like a well-oiled machine, cruising through the playoffs and punching their ticket back to the state title game. The Lumberton girls also get back to the Final Four, but somehow, history repeats itself with the Panthers losing to eventual state champion Biggersville.
MARCH: Hattiesburg rematches Pascagoula in the Class 6A state championship. The Tigers avenge their loss from earlier in the season by successfully executing a game-winning alley-oop. The program now experiences a basketball euphoria after previously experiencing a 49-year title drought to winning championships in back-to-back seasons. As for the two Southern Miss squads, there is not much madness in March. The Golden Eagles win their first-round game but exit early from the conference tournament, while the Lady Eagles fall in the semifinals for a second straight season. Pearl River and Jones College men’s basketball teams duke it out in the Region 23 tournament, with the Bobcats finally breaking through to the national tournament. William Carey’s men’s team also gets hot in the SSAC tournament but comes up short in the title game.
APRIL: Purvis and Sumrall finally meet in the long-awaited rematch of last year’s South State championship game, and in typical fashion, the two teams split the series. As for Southern Miss, the Golden Eagles go up against Louisiana, but without the aid of Danny Lynch, USM finally drops a weekend series to the Cajuns.
MAY: Another productive high school baseball postseason unfolds. Sumrall and Purvis go at it again for a second straight year in South State, with Purvis again emerging as the winner and eventually defending the state title. Petal finally breaks through to the South State championship series but ends up one win short of the state championship series. Southern Miss fans quickly get over their anger from losing the UL series as the Golden Eagles clinch the regular season conference title. However, USM falls short in the conference tournament championship game to Coastal Carolina as head coach Gary Gilmore gets to enjoy his Swan Song. The NCAA committee gives Southern Miss an at-large bid, with the Eagles traveling to Nashville to play Vanderbilt. Eaglepost again erupts with some understandable anger over USM being passed over the chance to host a regional. William Carey baseball also does its thing again and punches its ticket back to the NAIA World Series. William Carey softball loses in the SSAC championship game, while the Golden Eagle softball team wins a game in the conference tournament for the first time since 2016.
JUNE: Southern Miss baseball sticks to its trend and, for a third straight year, heads back to a Super Regional where the Golden Eagles meet a familiar foe. This time, the Eagles travel to Knoxville, and arguments over Applebee’s again erupt on Twitter. The series between Tennessee and Southern Miss drags out to Tuesday after multiple rain delays. Unfortunately, the Golden Eagles fail to get to Omaha, putting an end to a remarkable season by first-year head coach Christian Ostrander.
JULY: This sportswriter takes a needed two-week vacation.
AUGUST: The Pine Belt Sports Football Preview Magazine goes into production, signaling the onset of football season. Despite discovering my first grey hairs, against all odds, the magazine goes to press on time. Southern Miss fall camp gets started, leading to coaches, players, and reporters losing 10 pounds in water weight by the end of the month.
SEPTEMBER: The Golden Eagles get off to a 1-3 start, prompting the Southern Miss faithful to call for Will Hall’s head once again. “it’s on me to get this thing right,” Hall says. The high school football scene kicks off with the most notable game of the early season resulting in Hattiesburg holding onto the Lil’ Brown Jug for another year.
OCTOBER: After almost a year and a half, Southern Miss Director of Athletics Jeremy McClain finally releases the renderings of Reed Green Coliseum. The Golden Eagles go perfect in the month as Hall and company try to close in on bowl eligibility.
NOVEMBER: After the presidential election, Southern Miss fans accuse Russian hackers of cheating the football team of two potential wins and a chance for the Sun Belt West title. Oak Grove and Petal meet for the playoffs, with Marcus Boyles finally defeating the Warriors in the postseason. Boyles and the Panthers travel to face Brandon in South State, but the Bulldogs’ run game overwhelms them. Hattiesburg also reaches the South State, but like Petal, can’t stop West Jones’ run game.
DECEMBER: Southern Miss gets back to bowl eligibility with a 6-6 record, but the Golden Eagles lose their bowl game down in Mobile (there’s no telling what that bowl game will be named next season). It’s enough for Will Hall to keep his job and reach the final year of his contract. As I look back on these predictions, my New Year’s resolution for 2025 is to never make predictions again.
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