Picayune Item Sports Editor Curtis Rockwell recently took four awards in the annual Mississippi Press Association Better Newspaper Contest

Rockwell won first place in the sports game story category for a piece on Picayune beating Pascagoula in football.

Rockwell wrote: “It seemed only fitting that Picayune’s marching band broke into a nifty rendition of the feel good song “Margaritaville” Friday night before Picayune took on homestanding Pascagoula.

After all, in the city where Jimmy Buffett was born, the Maroon Tide delivered their first win of the year.

Picayune’s Jarrod Jones ran for two scores and along with Wayne McMooain helped spearhead a hard hitting Maroon Tide defensive effort as Picayune shut out the Panthers 27-0 at War Memorial Stadium.”

The judges  said “One heckuva lead, great details throughout the report. Writes with authority.”

Rockwell also took third place in the same category, with a story on Picayune losing to Forrest County AHS in football.

Rockwell also took third place honors in sports column, for a commentary on the Picayune-Moss Point football series, as well as a third place award in the sport feature category on the trend of football passing camps during the summer.

Item Managing Editor Will Sullivan took second place in the commentary column category.

The Item competes in the Daiily C Division, for papers with a circulation below 9,000.

Poplarville Democrat Editor Butch Weir got honorable mention in the Editorial category. The Democrat competes in the Weekly C Division, for newspapers with a circulation below 2,500.

Item publisher Tom Andrews, a former President of the Mississippi Press Association, congratulated all of the contest winners.

“All three are certainly deserving of the recognition,” Andrews added. “I am proud to have them on our staff and of their accomplishments.”