Ethel football, baseball, boys’ basketball, girls’ basketball, softball and volleyball all qualified for the MHSAA 1A playoffs during 2021.
“2021 has been a great year for Ethel High School and Ethel athletics,” said Athletic Director Corey Parish. “We have a wonderful administration in our principal Mr. (Culley) Newman, a wonderful coaching staff that works extremely hard, and a great group of teachers who push our student-athletes daily. Mr. Newman has done a wonderful job of helping us plan and navigate our way through Covid and its protocol this year and last.”
Two years ago, the football team hit rock bottom – 0-12. Then Adam Smith took over as head coach and changed the culture. The Tigers won twice in the Covid-shortened 2020 season, then broke out in 2021 with seven victories.
Senior Cyrus Rone, one of the team's gridiron stars, gave credit to Smith.
“He came to Ethel and really turned the program around,” said Rone.
Parish was no less impressed.
“I think Coach Smith is doing an awesome job with the guys and we are looking forward to more good football in the future,” he said.
The Tigers had the misfortune of running into state champion Bay Springs in the opening round of the playoffs.
Boys basketball pulled off a major upset in the playoffs. As a number four seed from Region 5-1A, the Tigers went on the road and knocked off Lumberton, the top seed from 8-1A.
The Lady Tigers were eliminated in the opening round.
The baseball team dominated Region 5-1A with an 8-0 record, then swept Lumberton and Sebastopol in a best-of-three playoff series. The season ended with 6-4 and 6-5 losses to South State champion Resurrection.
Three seniors, Hayden Graves, Alex Schuster and Reeves Threadgill, were chosen for the 1A/2A/3A All Star Game and helped the South to a victory.
Softball had a banner season, winning 5-1A and reaching the third round of the playoffs. In sweeps of Sacred Heart and McEvans, the Lady Tigers outscored the opponents 67-6.
Ethel was swept by state runner-up Stringer in the third round.
Volleyball made major strides in the second year for the program. The Lady Tigers qualified for the playoffs in dramatic fashion, defeating West Lowndes 3-1 in the match that decided second place in 5-1A.
Ethel went on the road to open the playoffs against 7-1A champion Bay Springs. The Lady Tigers won the first two sets, but dropped the next three, ending the season.
Chris Schuster coaches both baseball and volleyball.
There were other strong individual performances during the year.
Three boys and three girls placed in their weight classes at the state powerlifting meet. For the boys, Ladarrius Hubbert was fourth, Anton Clark fifth and Devin Granger sixth in 1A. For girls at the Class I meet for 1A and 2A schools, Zakiya Doston was third, Jade Lambert fifth and Jessie Martin sixth.
Dotson was also a standout in track. She won the 200 at the state meet and anchored 400 and 800 relay teams that took second, leading Ethel to a seventh-place finish.
Jasmine Johnson was second in the shot put and Shelby Schuster finished sixth in the 100 and ran on both relay teams.
Two of Ethel’s three-man skeet shooting teams qualified for the state tournament but did not participate because it conflicted with baseball playoffs. All six were members of the baseball team, including Rone and Graves. The others are Tyler Weaver, Hayden Langford, Hunter Hutchinson and Colby Allen.
