Lafayette’s Remarkable Season Ends as North Half Champs, Runners-up for State
Published 7:57 pm Sunday, May 26, 2024
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By Ian Sparks
Lafayette High School’s season came to a close on Saturday following a defeat in game three of the Mississippi High School Activities Association’s Class 5A championship series against Vancleave.
Despite this not being the end the Commodores would have wanted; their 2024 season has been one to remember.
The Commodores racked up 30 wins over the year and had a district record of 9-2 with regular-season series wins over Pontotoc and New Hope and also with a win against local rivals Oxford, according to MaxPreps.
In the post-season, the Commodores rolled to a North Half state title by not losing a single game.
The Dores swept Holmes County Central, Pontotoc and New Hope in the first three rounds by a combined score of 61-13 over six games, according to MaxPreps.
The championship series against Vancleave started off as well as Lafayette, and their fans could want it.
The Commodores bested the Bulldogs in a 12-inning marathon by a score line of 8-7.
However, Vancleave would come back and win the following two games 2-1 and 6-1, respectively. A valiant effort on the heels of an impressive run, the Dores fell just short of their goal.
Lafayette will lose several key players to graduation, many of which garnered recent recognition for their achievements this season.
Aleck Farmer was recognized as Region 1-5A’s Pitcher of the Year. Farmer will continue his baseball career at Itawamba Community College. Swayze Rikard won Defensive Player of the Year for 1-5A.
Additionally, six Commodores were selected to all-region teams for 1 5A. Brody Breithaupt, Connor Counts, Tanner Harris, and Houston Morgan all garnered first-team honors for the region.
Balin Bishop and Jack Wyatt East were selected for second-team honors, with Foster Crockett and Caleb Guest as honorable mentions.
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