In March, the Starkville High School Yellow Jacket Basketball teams visited the State Capitol in Jackson to be recognized by Oktibbeha County's local legislators. For just the fourteenth time since 1951, a school district captured both the boys and girls basketball state championships in the same year. Starkville High School Girls Basketball defeated Madison Central for the title on March 6, and Yellow Jacket Boys Basketball defeated Germantown for the championship. The 2026 MHSAA Championships were the first time in school history both teams brought home a coveted gold ball trophy.
Teams arrived at the Mississippi Capitol and were escorted to the Senate corridor to visit with Senator Bart Williams, who first made the invitation. Jacket student athletes and coaches were recognized on the floor of the Mississippi Senate Chamber as Williams, along with Senator Angela Turner, presented Senate Resolutions 64 and 65 to Girl's Head Coach, Matt Wilbanks, and Boy's Head Coach Anthony Carlyle. Both coaches addressed legislators and the team received a standing ovation before moving to the opposite end of the Capitol.
Representatives Rob Roberson, Cheikh Taylor and Joey Hood escorted the Yellow Jacket teams to the Mississippi House Galleries where they were recognized with the announcement of House Resolutions 115 and 116 in their honor.
The House and Senate resolutions also recognized individual athletes for their season honors, including Jerwan McCarter and Jada Gay as Championship Most Valuable Players, and Gay as Mississippi's 7A Miss Basketball. Students earning bids in the state's All-Star games and Starkville High's playoff scholar athletes were also honored.
Oktibbeha County legislators took time to speak with students and take photos in addition to presenting the teams with copies of the resolutions.
After a morning at the State Capitol to commemorate the twin championship honors, teams traveled back to Starkville for a community parade hosted in their honor. Fans gathers to hear from coaches and players, and to celebrate the historic wins. Mayor Lynn Spruill presented a Mayor's Proclamation honoring the teams during a ceremony at Greensboro Center following the parade. In addition, Mayor Spruill and SHS basketball and Portland Trailblazers alum, Travis Outlaw, represented by his mother Markeeta Outlaw, each presented the program with $10,000 to be used for 2026 senior scholarships and program enhancements.
The Jacket Basketball program earned a combined sixty wins during the 2026 historic championship season, and each team recorded only three losses. The girls' state title was the first earned by Coach Matt Wilbanks, and boys' Coach Anthony Carlyle earned his seventh, tying the number of championships won by his father, legendary Mississippi Association of Coaches Hall of Fame basketball coach, Archie Carlyle.
