It’s the time of year that students have been looking forward to for many months. Only a few days of school are left, and it is almost time for the long awaited summer vacation.

It is a bit of a break for The Natchez Democrat sports department. Now, we will still strive to put out a great section, keeping you updated on the goings-on in the area, but the days of running from one high school sporting event to another take a break for three months.

But before we close the book on the 2008-09 school year, let us take one more look back at the year that was in high school sports in the Miss-Lou.

It was yet another successful season in the Miss-Lou in regards to athletics. Area teams had success in just about every sport, no matter the season.

It all started this past fall with football season. The only state championship of the school year came in football, when Centreville overcame a slow start to the season to blow away the field in the state playoffs and win its second consecutive state title.

Tigers coach Bill Hurst also set a career milestone with his 300th victory.

But the Tigers weren’t the only ones that had a great season. Natchez High School made the playoffs for the first time since 1997 and advanced to the second round. Trinity Episcopal had its customary great season and also advanced to the second round of the playoffs. Huntington, Franklin County and Jefferson County also made the playoffs on the gridiron.

Basketball season was just as successful for our area teams. The Vidalia boys led the way, rolling through the regular season with just one loss and advancing all the way to the state championship game before falling to Richwood.

The Natchez High Lady Bulldogs also enjoyed a historic year, advancing to the state tournament in Jackson for the first time in over a decade.

Trinity’s boys and girls, the Adams County Christian girls and Huntington’s boys were also teams that advanced to the state playoffs.

The success transferred to baseball, at least in the regular season. Cathedral ran through the regular season with a 21-0 record but got a tough draw in the playoffs, running into St. Aloysius in the second round.

The Green Wave put up a tough fight but fell to the eventual state champions in two games.

Trinity, ACCS, Natchez High and Vidalia also advanced to the postseason in baseball.

But it wasn’t just the big sports that featured great successes. Local schools enjoyed success in smaller sports as well.

Cathedral advanced to the state playoffs in fast-pitch softball and also finished runner-up in the state in tennis. The Green Wave had three different teams win individual state titles. Natchez High also advanced four teams to the tennis state finals, although they all finished in runner-up positions.

Cathedral also advanced to the state tournament in golf and would have finished in second place if not for an unfortunate break and disqualification.

Track and field also brought success as Natchez High, Trinity, Cathedral, Wilkinson County Christian and Huntington teams performed well at the state level.

So, as the schools take a well-deserved break for the summer, let’s not forget their accomplishments this past year. And guess what? The 2009 high school football season will be here before you know it.

Jeff Edwards is the sports editor for The Democrat. He can be reached at sports@natchezdemocrat.com.