Mississippi
Braylon Burnside commits to Mississippi State
Starkville High School wide receiver Braylon “Stonka” Burnside announced his commitment to play football at Mississippi State on Wednesday afternoon at halftime of the Under Armour Next All-America Football Game at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Fla.
The announcement, which was carried live on ESPN, featured Burnside, alongside his family and ESPN reporter Matt Schick, revealing his choice by opening a road case and pulling out a Mississippi State hat
During the broadcast, Burnside said he was “staying home.”
A two-way star for the Yellow Jackets at wide receiver and defensive back, Burnside, who received offers from 20 FBS programs and originally committed to Mississippi State in June, decommitted in November before helping Starkville to the inaugural MHSAA 7A state title game, a 33-28 loss to Oak Grove at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford.
An All-State selection, Burnside finished 2023 with 61 catches for 1,067 yards and 17 touchdowns. In 2022, he helped lead the Yellow Jackets to the MHSAA 6A title, catching 75 passes for 1,158 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Burnside, a four-star recruit, is the eighth-ranked player in Mississippi for the class of 2024, according to 247Sports composite rankings. He joins a bolstered Bulldog wide receiver group under new head coach Jeff Lebby, which includes four-stars JJ Harrell from North Panola High and Alabama native Mario Craver. Two other class of 2024 wide receivers, Sanfrisco Magee and Matt Mayfield, have not yet signed but remain verbally committed to MSU.
In a statement, Lebby said he is excited about adding Burnside to the Mississippi State family.
“It’s a huge win for us to keep him home,” Lebby said. “He’s a hometown hero, and we look forward to getting him to campus and having a great career as a Bulldog.”
Burnside told The Dispatch in May that he planned to stay true to himself and focus on football during the high school season before making a college decision.
“It can be hard with a lot of coaches texting everyday, but I just do me,” Burnside said during Starkville’s spring jamboree. “I just show everybody what I can do, show them my game, and I think that’s what makes me stick out.”
Philip Poe is interim sports editor.
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Mississippi
Renowned New York dance instructor visits Mississippi to recruit for summer program
LAUREL, Miss. (WDAM) – A world-renowned dance instructor from New York visited Laurel Thursday to conduct a special class and do some recruiting for a prestigious summer dance program in the Big Apple.
Melanie Person, who is co-director of the Ailey School in New York, taught a master ballet class Thursday morning at Laurel Middle School.
It’s part of a three-day residency in the Magnolia State, organized by the Mississippi Arts + Entertainment Experience in Meridian.
She’ll teach two other classes Friday in Meridian before hosting an audition Saturday for a prestigious summer dance program at the Ailey School.
“I typically tour in about six to eight cities in the U.S., and I recruit dancers to come to our summer intensive, so part of this weekend, in one of the classes, I will be accepting students to come to New York for our five-week summer intensive,” Person said.
“We accept the dancers we like, and we see if they are able to come. The decision to come to New York for the summer is a big undertaking for families, so we just hope that they can do it.”
Registration is required for that audition, which will be held at the Mississippi Arts + Entertainment Experience.
To do that, click HERE.
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Copyright 2026 WDAM. All rights reserved.
Mississippi
No. 12 Mississippi State’s Balance Shows Again in Road Win at Georgia Tech
Mississippi State has won plenty of different ways during this 15-1 start, but Wednesday night in Atlanta felt like one of those games where the Bulldogs reminded everyone why they’ve looked so steady all month.
It wasn’t perfect, and it wasn’t stress‑free, but the 8-3 win over Georgia Tech was the kind of road win that shows a team knows exactly who it is and what buttons to push when things get a little weird.
Alyssa Faircloth set the tone again, even on a night when she didn’t have her cleanest beginning. She gave up a game‑tying homer in the second, shrugged, and then basically disappeared Georgia Tech’s lineup for the next three innings.
Eight strikeouts in nine batters the second time through the order, back‑to‑back innings striking out the side. The only real hiccup came on another leadoff homer in the sixth, and by then she’d already done the heavy lifting.
And while Faircloth was settling in, the lineup did what it’s been doing all year: spreading the damage around.
Des Rivera wasted no time, jumping on the first pitch of the second inning and sending it out. When Georgia Tech tied it, Nadia Barbary answered immediately with a solo shot of her own. It wasn’t loud or flashy, but it was the kind of response good teams make without thinking.
The middle innings were more about pressure than power. Barbary worked a walk, Kiarra Sells split the gap for an RBI double, and Anna Carder did her job with a sac fly. Suddenly it was 4-1, and Mississippi State had the game exactly where it wanted it with Faircloth cruising, the lineup stacking quality at‑bats, and the defense staying clean.
The seventh inning, though, is where the Bulldogs turned a solid win into a comfortable one. Sells homered again, and then Rivera and Tatum Silva kept the inning alive long enough for Morgan Bernardini to drop the hammer. Her three‑run shot to center didn’t just put the game away; it capped off the kind of night she’s been stringing together for a week now. She’s 7‑for‑11 during her four‑game hitting streak and looks like a hitter who’s seeing everything in slow motion.
Peja Goold handled the final outs, picking up her second save and slamming the door on a Georgia Tech team that kept trying to make things interesting late.
What stands out most about this win isn’t the four homers or the 11 strikeouts or even the 15-1 record. It’s how routine it all felt.
Mississippi State went on the road, took a couple of punches, and never looked rattled. Rivera homered. Barbary homered. Sells homered. Bernardini homered. Faircloth dominated. Goold closed. It was the same formula, just in a different ballpark.
Now the Bulldogs head to Clemson for a weekend that should tell us even more about who they are. But if Wednesday night is any indication, they’re traveling with a lineup that can hurt you anywhere and a pitching staff that doesn’t mind carrying the load when needed.
DAWG FEED:
Mississippi
Mississippi Lottery Mississippi Match 5, Cash 3 results for Feb. 25, 2026
Odds of winning the Powerball and Mega Millions are NOT in your favor
Odds of hitting the jackpot in Mega Millions or Powerball are around 1-in-292 million. Here are things that you’re more likely to land than big bucks.
The Mississippi Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at Feb. 25, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Mississippi Match 5 numbers from Feb. 25 drawing
02-06-09-16-17
Check Mississippi Match 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Cash 3 numbers from Feb. 25 drawing
Midday: 4-6-6, FB: 6
Evening: 4-3-5, FB: 9
Check Cash 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Cash 4 numbers from Feb. 25 drawing
Midday: 0-7-2-8, FB: 6
Evening: 6-3-6-1, FB: 9
Check Cash 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Cash Pop numbers from Feb. 25 drawing
Midday: 10
Evening: 12
Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Story continues below gallery.
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize
Winnings of $599 or less can be claimed at any authorized Mississippi Lottery retailer.
Prizes between $600 and $99,999, may be claimed at the Mississippi Lottery Headquarters or by mail. Mississippi Lottery Winner Claim form, proper identification (ID) and the original ticket must be provided for all claims of $600 or more. If mailing, send required documentation to:
Mississippi Lottery Corporation
P.O. Box 321462
Flowood, MS
39232
If your prize is $100,000 or more, the claim must be made in person at the Mississippi Lottery headquarters. Please bring identification, such as a government-issued photo ID and a Social Security card to verify your identity. Winners of large prizes may also have the option of setting up electronic funds transfer (EFT) for direct deposits into a bank account.
Mississippi Lottery Headquarters
1080 River Oaks Drive, Bldg. B-100
Flowood, MS
39232
Mississippi Lottery prizes must be claimed within 180 days of the drawing date. For detailed instructions and necessary forms, please visit the Mississippi Lottery claim page.
When are the Mississippi Lottery drawings held?
- Cash 3: Daily at 2:30 p.m. (Midday) and 9:30 p.m. (Evening).
- Cash 4: Daily at 2:30 p.m. (Midday) and 9:30 p.m. (Evening).
- Match 5: Daily at 9:30 p.m. CT.
- Cash Pop: Daily at 2:30 p.m. (Midday) and 9:30 p.m. (Evening).
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Mississippi editor. You can send feedback using this form.
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