The coaches of the year across the state on both the prep and junior college level have been released by the Mississippi Association of Coaches, and several of the honorees have local ties.

Picayune’s Ray Lossett has been named the swimming coach of the year. The longtime mentor has enjoyed quite a bit of sucees at the helm of the Picayune boys and girls swim team over the past decade or so.

Pearl River County native Lance Mancuso, the head coach at Bassfield High, has been named the prep football coach of the year after leading his Yellow Jackets to back-to-back Class 2A state titles. Mancuso is a graduate of Pearl River Central High and also was the head coach at Poplarville before moving on to Bassfield.

Pearl River Community College men’s soccer coach Paul Martin of Picayune has been named the juco men’s soccer coach of the year after leading the Wildcats to the NJCAA National Tournament tis past season.

Former PRCC assistant coach and Wildcat player Buddy Stephens, now the head coach at East Mississippi Community College has been named the juco football co-coach of the year after leading his Lions to the 2013 national championship. He shared the award with Ray Perkins of Jones JC.

The complete list of honorees on the prep level follows; Athletic Director, Shane Sanderson, New Albany.

Baseball Lee Boyd, New Hope

Girls Basketball Linda Allen, John F. Kennedy Memorial

Boys Basketball Hilton Harrell, McComb

Girls Bowling Barbara White, West Union

Boys Bowling Brian Browning, East Union

Girls Cross Country Byron Sparks, New Site

Boys Cross Country Michael Seger, Hickory Flat

Football Lance Mancuso, Bassfield

Girls Golf Joe Ray, St. Andrews

Boys Golf Steve Herring, Oxford

Girls Powerlifting Casey Meeks, Velma Jackson

Boys Powerlifting Chad Norton, Bogue Chitto

Girls Soccer Craig Winship, West Jones

Boys Soccer Cecil Hinds, Madison Central

Fast Pitch Softball Trae Embry, Neshoba Central

Slow Pitch Softball Aaron Terrell, Choctaw Central

Swimming Ray Lossett, Picayune

Tennis Emillia Viljoen, St. Andrews

Girls Track Johnathan Perkins, Clinton

Boys Track Michael Fields, Hinds AHS

Volleyball Mike Meyers, Our Lady Academy

The complete list of honorees on the juco level follows;

Men’s Basketball Grant Pate, Itawamba CC

Women’s Basketball Jocelyn McGilberry, Meridian CC and Sandra Sumrall, Jones County Junior College.

Baseball Christian Ostrander, Jones County Junior College

Football Ray Perkins, Jones County Junior College and Buddy Stephens East Mississippi Community College.

Golf Ronnie Key, Meridian CC

Men’s Soccer Paul Martin, Pearl River CC

Women’s Soccer Dolores Deasley, Jones County Junior College

Softball Chris Robinson, Jones County Junior College

Men’s Tennis Paul Johnson, Itawamba CC

Women’s Tennis Gary Bourgeois, Gulf Coast CC