Writing

See some of my work below!

One Last Ride

Hannah Hoang, The Prowl News

October 23rd, 2019

Senior year can bring many emotions for all athletes ending their high school sports career. This week, the senior football players here at Amory High School will compete in their last regular season home game under the stadium lights at Longenecker Field. And so, in honor of this sentimental time for the boys, I asked them a few questions to reflect on their time playing in the black and gold on Friday nights.

Their 3 years of long summer workouts and endless hours watching film finally paid off when, during the 2018-2019 season, the Panthers came out victorious in the “A-Game,” ending the school’s 10-year losing streak. The game was filled with adrenaline and fierce competition, and they were able to walk away with the infamous “A-Game” trophy afterwards. Also, the nail biter Caledonia game was a favorite of the senior’s, with many of them playing well and battling it out to the end to secure a spot in the first round of playoffs.

Of course, talent is needed to win a football game, but I was wondering...are there any specific rituals that these players do before games to secure a win? If you were to ask Tobias Williams, he would let you in on the secret that he listens to at least one gospel song before every game, and Alex Chilcoat never forgets to put on his left knee brace before his right one.

The majority of us will never get to be on the sideline during an intense game or get to hear the motivating speeches from coaches in the locker room. So, I gathered a few favorite quotes said by their coaches from the seniors.

Chris Satterwhite : “We are in a dog fight”-Coach Glenn

Pete Moore : “What’s easy isn’t always right, but it’s always right.” Coach Kendrick

While they’re wrapping up their time here at Amory High School, some players are just getting started. The seniors gave a few words of advice for their successors…

Will Buskirk : “Have fun with football everyday because it will pass by faster than you can imagine.”

Easton Higginbotham : “Enjoy it while it lasts.”

It’s a bittersweet time for these seniors, and looking back on their 4 years of playing for the Panthers, they got to reflect on the things they’ll miss most about playing football at Amory High School.

Jacob Cox : “...the friendship and brotherhood...fighting side by side in the trenches with my boys”

Drew Lockhart : “...coming out of the tunnel and getting that feeling that you cannot explain”

Jazavion Ezell : “...going to miss playing with my boys”

Make sure to come support these seniors and the rest of the Amory Panthers this Thursday, October 24th, as they play in a home division game against Booneville with kickoff at 7 PM.

Beauties and Beaus Showcased In Amory High School’s

“A Night of Magic” Beauty Revue

Hannah Hoang, The Prowl News

November 11, 2019

What girl has never dreamed of wearing a shiny dress and walking across a stage in the highest heels, or what boy has never dreamed of wearing a fancy tux and strutting his stuff with a pretty lady on his arm? Unfortunately, not everyone can be a beauty pageant queen or a supermodel, but here at Amory High School, every student is given the opportunity to shine in the annual beauty revue.

Preparations for the beauty revue take place a long time before the week of the show. The program is a fundraiser for the Journalism students at AHS, and their hard work and dedication to the event do not go unnoticed. Applications to participate were due on October 3, and they included information about the students with everything from their hobbies to their favorite food. All girl contestants will participate in an interview session with the judges so that they may get a deeper look at their passions and their panther pride. The boy contestants will have the opportunity to introduce themselves and give a few fun facts about their interests and activities. The girls will have an evening gown section of the show where they get to show off their beautiful dresses while the boys will escort them across the stage. Along with the competition, plenty of Amory High School talent will be showcased during this year’s beauty revue. Members from the student body will provide entertainment which includes, but is not limited to, dancing, singing, and colorguard expositions.

If you would like to watch a night filled with beautiful girls, handsome boys, and talented students, make sure you get your tickets for Amory High School’s “A Night of Magic” Beauty Revue. The new Amory High School’s Most Beautiful and Most Handsome will be crowned-who do you think they will be?

Tickets are now on sale in the office to the general public for $12. All seats are reserved. The show takes place Saturday, November 16th at 7:00 PM.

Rounding Up Their Rituals

A Look Into Amory High School’s Coaching Staff and Their Pre-Game Traditions

Hannah Hoang, The Prowl News

January 10, 2020

You might wonder, how do coaches prepare for a game? Obviously there is a pre-game pep talk filled with words of encouragement for their players, but some coaches at Amory High School have some pretty interesting rituals that they practice before they take the field or court.

These coaches can have an everlasting effect on the players that they mentor. They can teach them valuable life lessons, shape their morals, and possibly even train them to go on to the next level of playing. So, while players are often the center of sports articles, I wanted to dig deeper into what the coaches of AHS do behind the scenes to make our athletic program what it is today.

Head soccer coach Nathan Clayton and head football coach Allen Glenn both like to take care of last minute preparations to stay busy before their games. Coach Glenn gets the water coolers ready, passes out jerseys and pants, and gets the field set up. Similarly, Coach Clayton paints his field in the same sequence every time. He also goes over plays with his team to make sure that everyone is on the same page for the game.

Slow and fast pitch softball coaches, Chris Pace and Jessica Seger, both have similar traditions before games. If the girls win a game, they both wear the same clothes that they wore on the day that they won, even if it’s the next day. Coach Seger added that she didn’t always eat before games, but if she did, it would have to be sunflower seeds. The teams are either rewarded or punished after they win an away game. They’ll get to eat Chick-Fi-La or Mcdonald’s on the way home.

“Pull your mask up please” - What It’s Like Going to a Public High School During a Pandemic

Hannah Hoang, The Prowl News

August 12, 2020

As I sat in my car blasting the AC and “Perfect Day” (yes the theme song from Legally Blonde...it’s a great motivational song), I crossed items off of my mental checklist. Backpack, at least one pencil, schedule, coffee...mask. I stepped out into the blazing Mississippi sun sporting my leopard print fabric mask and joined my peers in a line outside of the main entrance. The last time that the majority of us were in this building, there wasn’t a raging virus that had cancelled sports, weddings, graduations, summer camps, you name it. We were eager high school students ready to enjoy our much needed spring break. The coronavirus was a foreign disease that wasn’t going to affect us at all.

“Next.” I stepped up to get my temperature taken and wondered if anyone had been sent home yet because theirs was too high. “You’re good.” I proceeded to get a stamp on my hand indicating that I was fever free and entered the school building. At first, it didn’t look any different than it had when I left in March. Large banners that welcomed visitors and students to Amory High School hung in the main hallway. Famous alumni jersey cases had been dusted and cleaned. It wasn’t until I turned the corner that I realized that this first day of school was going to be unlike any other. Teachers lined the hallways donning masks and encouraging students to spread at least six feet apart. Unlike in the past, students were not allowed to mingle and congregate with each other before the first bell rang. I made my way down the hallway and spoke to my former teachers and caught up with friends that I hadn’t seen in over five months. I anxiously sat down in my first period class and braced myself for what was going to be an eight hour long learning experience.

“Okay everyone stop what you’re doing and go get a wipe.” Everyone in my class collectively groaned as we got up one by one to get a disinfectant wipe to clean our desks. It was seventh period, meaning that we had ended all six of our other classes four minutes early to make sure that our areas were disinfected before the next class came in. Along with disinfecting our desks, we regularly used hand sanitizer, had our temperatures taken again before lunch, ate lunch in our classrooms six feet apart, and wore a mask at all times unless we were told otherwise.

This first day of school might be the longest day of school that I have ever been through (and as a junior in high school, I’ve been through a lot of days of school.) However, I’m grateful that we got to have a first day of school. I’m grateful that I got to see all of my friends even if we were constantly forgetting that we can no longer mouth things to each other in class. I’m grateful for my teachers and administrators that make sure our school days are as safe and effective as possible. So although school will very likely never look the same as it did in March, I think it’s going to bring us closer together and strengthen not only my school district, but public education as a whole as we navigate through the unknown waters of going to school during a pandemic.

A Gift From the Past

Hannah Hoang, The Prowl News

October 22, 2020

Amory High School Journalism received a gift from a familiar face in late September that will be a key factor in covering their athletic and academic events.

Luke Flippo graduated from Amory in 2019, but his influence on the journalism class and photography club still reigns on. After graduating, Flippo moved to Connecticut to attend Yale University. While at Yale, he wrote stories and photographed their school and athletic events. In March, Luke got sent home along with every college student in the country due to the novel coronavirus. While at home, he was able to photograph his small hometown during a pandemic. In May, Flippo accepted an internship at the Sun Herald Biloxi, the third largest newspaper in Mississippi. “A lot of people asked me why I would come back to Mississippi and want to report here after living at an Ivy League school for a year, but I think it’s a cool opportunity that not everyone gets to do. It’s been great to bring my fancy college perspective back home to where it all started.” His internship got extended when Luke decided to take a gap semester from Yale. “The school announced that sophomores would not be able to return to campus in the fall. Several of my friends and I all decided to take a gap semester and go back to Yale in January.” During the summer and fall semester, Flippo has been photographing and writing stories about the Gulf Coast of Mississippi. “It’s been very interesting to come back here and be able to tell the stories of protests and other major events in my home state.”

While working at the Sun Herald, Luke entered the Fujifilm Students of Storytelling contest. The contest was open to all college students who had a passion for photojournalism and storytelling. “I chose to write about veterans readjusting back to civilian life. I learned a lot in the process, and I definitely think it was a story that needed to be told.” Luke was one of 30 students that won the contest out of the 1000 applicants. After winning, Fujifilm contacted him with exciting news. “They basically told me, ‘We have a Fujiflim XT-3 camera we want you to give away...we trust you to give it to people that deserve it.’ Of course, I had to choose AHS Journalism. It was an easy choice.’”

As a sophomore in high school, Flippo had no interest in journalism. “I was the quiet kid who kept to himself. I wasn’t really involved until I started taking pictures at basketball games to impress a girl.” After publishing his first round of pictures, Luke started to gain traction around the school as the photographer for sports events. “I started traveling with all the teams and going to all the games that I could.” Eventually, he was approached by the journalism staff and asked if his pictures could be used in the yearbook. “Of course, I said yes. It was really the first time that my pictures were being used somewhere; Amory High School Journalism is really where it all started for me.”

To keep up with Luke and read his work visit www.lukasflippophoto.com for more information.

Third Round Bound

The AHS Football Team Tackles Their First Playoff Appearance

Hannah Hoang, The Prowl News

November 18, 2020

The subtle anticipation of Friday Night Lights could be felt throughout the hallways of Amory High School last week as the band, cheerleaders, dancers, and football players all prepared for the first playoff game of the season against the Choctaw County Chargers. Due to COVID-19, Amory had a bye week the first week of playoffs, giving them an extra week to work towards a state championship. The Chargers were fresh off of a win against Water Valley in the first round (31-14.) AHS entered post-season play as division champions, having beat key teams such as Nettleton and Booneville.

Last year, the Panthers lost their first playoff game due to a last minute touchdown scored by Independence High School. Deja vu kicked in for fans at Longenecker field Friday night when Choctaw County scored a touchdown in the last minutes of the game putting them up 26-20. As the stands began to clear out in anticipation of a loss, the Panthers made a fast drive to the endzone, and a touchdown pass from quarterback Hunter Jones (SR) to Braxton Griffin (SR) tied the game with seconds left on the clock. As special teams took the field, the remaining fans took to their feet with clasped hands of anticipation. After several flags were thrown against the team to push them back, punter Bryn Camp (SR) kicked the ball through the field posts, sealing an Amory win.

Amory will play at Winona this Friday for the third round of playoffs. A win there means a North Half appearance for the Panthers.

The Bittersweet “Last Firsts”

Hannah Hoang, The Prowl News

September 28th, 2021

As a senior, one of the main phrases that you will hear is “This is your first last INSERT ACTIVITY HERE.” After almost a full month of being a senior, I’ve experienced a few of my own “last firsts” : the last first day of school, football game, and picture day are all just a few examples of what seniors get to experience during their last days at Amory High School. All of these are bittersweet moments and memories that are meant to be cherished and held onto. All four years of my high school career have been filled with lasting friendships, influential teachers, and countless moments that have made me laugh until I’ve cried.

Unfortunately, as the school year continues at a faster pace than I want, I’ve reflected on the question “Are you going to miss this place?” It’s one that I hear often, and it’s asked by students and adults alike. My response to this question has changed though as I’ve matured in my thinking. I’ve “done all the things” at Amory High School. I’ve been able to join clubs and activities, meet people that I will never forget, and most importantly prepare myself for my future careers and aspirations. I’m excited for my future and cannot wait to get out into the “real world.” So although I’m holding onto my friends a little closer during these last months as a high schooler, I am beyond excited for what my future holds. As one of my favorite Lady Antebellum songs “American Honey” sums it up, “She couldn’t wait to get going, but wasn’t quite ready to leave.”

All on the Line:

Amory Panthers to face Noxubee County in the Division Championship

Hannah Hoang, The Prowl News

October 13, 2021

Coming fresh off a win against Hatley (0-6), the Panther Football team will travel to Macon, Mississippi, to face the Noxubee County High School Tigers this Friday, November 15th.

NCHS (4-2) won their game last Friday against Kemper County 22-14. The Tigers have also racked up a non-conference win against Shannon. Both Amory and Noxubee beat Hatley, with Amory putting up 49 and Noxubee scoring 52 points.

Junior running back Charleston French spoke of the mindset that the team has going into this week’s game.

“(Our goal) is to play the best game we’ve played all season, execute from all standpoints of the game, and play with our best effort.” French had 13 carries for 196 yards last week against Hatley. The game begins at 7 P.M. at Noxubee County High School.

Tale as Old as Time-Amory Faces Independence in the Second Round of Playoffs Once Again

Hannah Hoang, Prowl News

November 11th, 2021

As October comes to a close, the nights get colder and the days get longer. Amory Football prepares for the peak of their season: regional playoffs.

For the past four years, the Panthers have had a playoff appearance, with the longest run lasting through the 2020-2021 season ending in the third round during the game against Winona. Coming fresh off a win against Mantachie last week during the first round, the Panthers will travel to Independence for the second time in AHS Football history.

Current defensive back coach, Steve Griffin, attended Amory High School in the 90’s and was in the eighth grade when Amory faced Independence in the playoffs last. “I went with my dad and uncle to every game that year-home and away. The atmosphere at the game was intense...you don’t get many opportunities to face the team that put you out in the playoffs the year before on their turf. There was definitely a feeling of revenge in the air.”

Amory is in a similar situation this year, facing Independence for the first time since 2019, when Independence scored a last minute touchdown securing their spot in the next week of playoffs.

“There’s definitely a rich history between these two teams. The seniors now remember the loss their sophomore year and have already been talking about their anticipation for the game this week.” In terms of preparation, the team has tweaked their practices for the playoffs.

The Amory Panthers will travel to Independence on Friday, November 12th for the second round of playoffs. The game starts at 7 PM.

State Championship Bound

Hannah Hoang, The Prowl News

December 2nd, 2021

For the first time in over fifteen years, the Amory Panther Football team is headed to the 3A State Championship to face the Jefferson Davis County Jaguars. The Panthers (10-3) were recently crowned North Half Champs after defeating North Panola over Thanksgiving break 29-16. They received this accolade along with the Division Champion title which was awarded to them after dethroning the previous title holder, Noxubee County High School.

The last time black and gold jerseys were worn at the championship was in 2002-a time in which everyone on the team wasn't even born. Amory lost that year, unlike 1994,1995,and 1998 when they brought home the golden football trophy.

The team has been treated to a plethora of VIP treatments, including dinners, breakfasts, and a special send off to Hattiesburg. A very special event that took place was the community wide pep rally held at Longenecker field on Thursday morning. The band, dance, and cheerleaders all pumped up the crowd and student body in the stands to support and rally behind the football team. The team was even awarded the coveted spirit stick, cheering with the cheerleaders the loudest out of everyone at the field. Senior Ja´Tavious Ward and Head Coach Brooks Damper both were given the microphone during the pep rally and gave a speech thanking the fans and student body for their continued support throughout the season.

The Panthers will play in Hattiesburg at the University of Southern Mississippi (The Rock) at 11 AM on Friday, December 3rd.