State Games of Mississippi Saturday Recap

MERIDIAN, Miss. (WTOK) - The State Games of Mississippi kicked off Friday night, and that momentum carried right into a full slate of Saturday events.

We start at the Northeast Tennis Center, which saw its largest group of participants ever, with 67 athletes competing in the Junior Tennis Event.

Throughout the day, players battled in both singles and doubles matches, all playing to take home a medal. Tournament Director Pete Mazzella shared his thoughts on the importance of the event:

“The State Games—we’ve had them here for, gosh, I guess 20-something years, maybe even longer. It’s one of our biggest events of the year. We’ve got kids from all over the state and even some from out of state—Louisiana, maybe Arkansas. It’s a great way to keep them playing tennis after the regular season. I always tell my high school team that championships are won in the summer. This is a great event with strong competition—it helps sharpen your game.”

“This is our second year. We played doubles together last year and did pretty well. We just love getting ready for the upcoming season and improving our game,” said Landry Parks and Jamie Stanber.

Over at Bonita Lakes, the State Games 5K Road Race got off to an early start with dozens of runners participating. A big congratulations to Meridian native Diego Suarez, who won the male overall division with a time of 20:43.47. Kennedy Chitwood of Pass Christian took the top spot for the female division with a time of 24:30.31.

At the Lauderdale County Agriculture Center, youth archery was in full swing. Did you know archery is the fastest-growing school sport in Mississippi—and one of the fastest-growing nationwide?

State Games volunteer and Oak Grove archery coach Alana Donohue described what makes this event special.

“Today’s event is unique in that it’s entirely run by volunteer coaches from across Mississippi. It also gives these archers a chance to compete individually, which is different for them. It’s an opportunity to show off the skills they’ve been working on all year—and maybe go home with some bling.”

Donohue hopes the event will build confidence and keep young archers motivated to hone their craft.

Soccer, perhaps the State Games’ biggest event, saw an overwhelming response with 61 teams from across the Magnolia State. Matches were held across Meridian, including MCC, Q.V. Sykes, and the Jaycee Soccer Complex.

Tournament Director Tristain Rowell shared a personal reflection on the event:

“We’ve got 61 teams across five or six different age groups—boys and girls—playing on three different fields. A lot of kids, a lot of competition, and a lot of love for soccer out here. I’ve been part of this for a long time. I actually played in this tournament when I was 8. Now my kids and others I grew up with have children playing. It’s come full circle, and that’s what I love about it.”

The final stop of the day was the swimming events at Meridian Community College. Several swimmers hit the pool, including our very own General Manager, Alison Davis. She won multiple gold medals and even set a State Games record in one of her events. Congratulations to Alison and all of the State Games competitors!

WTOK will continue to have you covered on all the State Games action!

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