Through its first three years, the Vicksburg Warren School District Athletic Hall of Fame has done a good job of honoring the athletes and coaches that contributed to the history of high school sports in Warren County.

The Hall’s membership is now up to 17 members, and it’s time to add a few more.
The VWSD is accepting nominations for its Hall of Fame Class of 2019 until June 1. Anyone can make a nomination, although nominees must meet certain criteria that go beyond excellence in their sport. Athletes must have been out of high school for at least 15 years. Coaches and administrators must be five years past their last job, and must have spent at least 10 years coaching.

A selection committee will narrow the field to about a half-dozen this summer, and the Class of 2019 will be inducted at a banquet in August.

With those guidelines in mind, here are a few suggestions of my own from among the dozens of worthy candidates:

• Catrina Frierson: I’ll never forget seeing the former Vicksburg High basketball star warming up before a game. While her teammates shot free throws with mixed results, Frierson worked her way around the 3-point arc from one corner to the other and back again. She took about a dozen shots and did not miss a single one.

Frierson went on to play at Louisiana Tech in the late days of its dynasty, as well as in the WNBA.

• Justin Henry: Henry was not only one of the best baseball players ever at Vicksburg High, he set several records at Ole Miss and played professionally for nearly 10 years.

• Brian Pettway: Pettway was part of Warren Central’s 2001 baseball state championship team and went on to win the 2005 Ferriss Trophy as Mississippi’s best college baseball player while at Ole Miss.

• Brian Darden and Rob Morgan: There is no shortage of worthy candidates from Warren Central’s 1994 football state championship team, and these two are at the top of the list.

The running back Darden was an All-American, holds every Warren County rushing record by a wide margin, and is often considered the best to ever play the position around here. Morgan, the quarterback — as well as WC’s current offensive coordinator — still holds the school’s career records for passing yards (3,373) and touchdowns (35).

That’s a starting point. There are certainly enough candidates to fill hall of fame classes for years. Who ya got?

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Ernest Bowker is the sports editor at The Vicksburg Post. He can be reached at ernest.bowker@vicksburgpost.com