SENATOBIA - Northwest Mississippi Community College will enshrine five additional members to the 2022 Northwest Sports Hall of Fame class on Thursday, October 20, as part of the college's Homecoming ceremonies.
This year's inductees are senior inductee and former football standout Charles Barton (1964-65), baseball star Paul Bakke (1984-86), legendary men's and women's soccer coach Peter Jarjoura (2002-12), former women's basketball All-American Sara Lytle (2014-16) and all-time leading women's soccer scorer Jessica Yelvington Old (2004-05).
Additionally, Northwest will recognize its Alumnus of the Year Fred Carlisle (1974-76) during the ceremony, as well as the Golden Circle Recognition for the Class of 1972. The event will take place at the David M. Haraway Center on the Senatobia campus at 4 P.M., preceded by a reception at 3 P.M.
CHARLES BARTON, FOOTBALL/TRACK (1964-65)
Oakland native Charles Barton played end and ran track for Northwest during the 1964-65 seasons.
Barton was chosen team captain ahead of the 1965 campaign and played both tight end and defensive end throughout the season for Coach Bob Peterson's squad. That squad rallied from an 0-2-1 start to finish the regular season 7-2-1 and bring home a Mississippi Junior College title, the second won by Northwest. The Rangers were selected to play in the Shrine Hospital Bowl, dropping a narrow 21-20 loss to Kilgore Texas in the final minutes. Barton was named All-State for his efforts as a defensive end that season.
Following his time at Northwest, Barton went on to play defensive end at Delta State during the 1966-67 seasons. He returned to Northwest from 1974-80 as the offensive line coach under A.J. Kilpatrick and Ray Poole, Sr., for teams that made the playoffs three times and won the north division in 1976. Barton also guided the track team to four division championships, a MACJC runner-up finish in 1979, and the school's second MACJC championship in 1978. His 1978 team competed in the NJCAA championship meet. He also served the college as Dean of Students during this time.
After his playing days were over, Barton embarked on a long career of educational leadership, first as a track coach at Eudora, Ark., where he won two state championships, then later as principal of Independence High School, Mantachie High School and South Panola High School. After a second career in real estate, Barton returned to education as Headmaster at Tunica Academy, where he served until his retirement in 2020. After retirement, Barton was elected to serve as board member for District 5 of the DeSoto County School District, a position he still holds at the time of his induction. A self-proclaimed poor student in his early years, Barton championed the role that athletics and extracurricular activities can play as a motivating factor in the academic success of students throughout his career.
Barton is married to Janice, a former teacher, counselor and administrator for DeSoto County Schools. They have three daughters; Jana, who is Assistant Principal at Hernando Elementary School; Kandi, who is an accountant in Victoria, Texas; and Kellie, who is a psychometrist with Marshall County Schools. The Bartons' also have five grandchildren.
PAUL BAKKE, BASEBALL (1984-86)
Memphis native Paul Bakke hit and ran his way into the Northwest record books during the 1985-86 seasons.
During his time in Senatobia, Bakke hit .379 (113-of-298) with 14 doubles, three triples, eight home runs and 40 stolen bases. He struck out only 13 times during the two-year stretch that saw the Rangers go 80-15 overall, win the MACJC north division twice and win the 1986 MACJC conference championship under the leadership of Jim Miles. Bakke was named MVP of the 1986 team and was twice named an All-MACJC and All-Region XXIII selection as a result of his play.
At the time of his induction, Bakke still sits high atop several top-ten categories at Northwest including 10th in single-season stolen bases (24; 1985), 10th in career hits (113), eighth in career batting average (.379) and sixth in career stolen bases (40-40).
Bakke left Northwest to play at Memphis State, where he hit .315 as a freshman with 14 multiple hit games and was 11-of-12 in stolen bases. He really made his mark in 1988 when he led the team in at bats (200), runs (37), hits (71), triples (6) and was second on the squad in average (.355) and total bases (99). He was named to the Metro Conference first team and the South All-Region second team for his efforts.
Bakke worked in baseball for several years after graduation, beginning as a player for the Boise Hawks of the Northwest League in 1988. He then transitioned to coaching roles, first as a graduate assistant at Ohio University from 1989-91, where he received his Master's Degree in Athletic Administration during that time. His team also won the Mid-America Conference championship in 1991 and a bid to the NCAA regional tournament at the University of Florida. He continued coaching for the next two years at Wittenberg University and Morehead State University. Morehead State won the Ohio Valley Conference tournament during his final season as a coach in 1993.
Bakke married the former Carolyn Bomar in 1993 and earned a Master's Degree in Counseling Psychology in 1998. He is currently a Licensed Professional Counselor in private practice and resides in Huntsville, Alabama. Bakke has two children, Lauren and John. His son, John, is an Ohio Valley All-Conference pitcher at Morehead State who earned NCAA Academic All-America honors during the 2021 season.
COACH PETER JARJOURA, M/W SOCCER (2002-12)
For 20 years, Northwest soccer has remained a competitive force in the MACCC and it's all thanks to coach Peter Jarjoura.
Jarjoura left his home in Lebanon in 1976 to attend college in the United States. He attended both Northwest and the University of Mississippi and later became a U.S. citizen in 1984. He began his career at the college as a student worker at Northwest Farms and concluded it as the "Father of Northwest Soccer".
Jarjoura was working at the physical plant, when Dr. David Haraway and athletic director Donny Castle tasked him with building the program from the ground up. Jarjoura assumed the role as coach of the newly formed men's and women's teams in 2002 and promptly made Northwest soccer into a contender in the MACJC. His first squads each finished as the north division runner-up, the men finishing with a 12-6-1 record and the women at 7-4-2.
Jarjoura went on to win a North Division championship with the women in 2006, finishing with a 14-5 record that stood as a school record for wins until 2021. His teams also claimed two MACJC and Region XXIII runner-up finishes, as well as six North Division runner-up finishes between the two programs. Jarjoura's teams won 139 matches during his 11 seasons, finishing with a 77-67-7 record in division play.
Throughout his tenure, Jarjoura coached 49 All-Conference performers, 17 All-Region XXIII selections and five All-Americans. His teams also excelled in the classroom, boasting 19 players who earned NJCAA Academic awards. Sportsmanship was also a key value of Jarjoura's teams, as Northwest was awarded the Tom Shepherd Sportsmanship Award four times on the women's side and three times for the men. Additionally, he was named the MACJC Women's Soccer Coach of the Year in 2006.
Jarjoura and his wife Jody, moved to Austin, Texas, upon his retirement in 2013. He has three children: Zachary, a former Northwest soccer player, and twin daughters Marlena and Lydia, who also reside in Austin. The family has an endowed scholarship at Northwest in memory of their son Jordan, who died in 1988 at age seven.
SARA LYTLE, WOMEN'S BASKETBALL (2014-16)
The Lytle name is a common one that can be found throughout the Northwest women's basketball record books, thanks in part to the efforts of former Lady Ranger Sara Lytle.
As the youngest of three sisters who all played at Northwest, Sara Lytle left the Lady Rangers as only the second WBCA Coaches' All-America selection in program history. At the time of her induction, Lytle ranks 10th in career scoring average (13.9), fourth in free throws made (192), free throws attempted (281), and blocked shots (74), ninth in free throw percentage (.683) and third in blocked shots average (1.6). She is still the last Ranger to register more than 50 blocked shots in a season, earning 52 during the 2015-16 sophomore campaign.
Lytle played in 25 games as a freshman in 2014-15, earning 20 starts. She averaged 11.1 points and 5.3 rebounds that season, good enough for second on the team in both categories. Lytle finished fourth on the team in assists (55) and second in steals (48), while scoring in double figures in 13 games and blocking 22 shots.
During her sophomore season, Lytle averaged 17.2 points, 8.4 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game, leading the team in each category. She was a first-team All-MACJC and All-Region 23 selection, and was also named to the NJCAA Region 23 All-Tournament team to end the season. During one stretch in early February, she was named the MACJC and NJCAA Division I National Co-Player of the Week. Lytle was the only player from an MACJC-member school who was named to the WBCA All-America team following that season.
Following her time at Northwest, Lytle continued her playing career at Union University in Jackson, Tenn. She started 56 of the 63 games she played at Union, averaging 12.0 points and 4.7 rebounds per game. The Lady Bulldogs won the school's first ever NCAA South Region title, defeating Valdosta State 74-73, during Lytle's senior season. In the milestone victory, she finished with 20 points on 60% shooting in that contest. Lytle's squad made it all the way to the NCAA Division II semifinals that season, losing to eventual champion Central Missouri.
JESSICA YELVINGTON OLD, WOMEN'S SOCCER (2004-05)
From the moment she arrived on campus, former Northwest women's soccer star Jessica Yelvington Old set the MACJC on fire.
A native of Cordova, Tenn., Yelvington finished second in the conference and was tied for fourth in the NJCAA with 32 goals scored, a mark that still stands as the program's single-season record. Her eight assists that season also helped place her in a tie for seventh in the country in total points that year with 72. That season, the Lady Rangers posted a 13-5 overall record and runner-up finishes in the North Division, MACJC and Region XXIII under fellow Hall of Fame inductee Peter Jarjoura, outscoring opponents 84-18. As a result, Yelvington was chosen to the All-MACJC and All-Region XXIII teams.
Yelvington was equally effective in the 2005 season, which was shortened by Hurricane Katrina. She led the team with 10 goals and 23 points, topping the Lady Rangers' career scoring record. At the time of her induction, Yelvington remains atop numerous single-season and career lists. She is currently second in single-season points (72; 2004), second in single-season goals (32, 2004), 10th in goals in a season (10; 2005) and tied for third in assists in a season (8; 2004). Her most impactful marks are on the career list where she sits first in points (95) and goals (42), while also remaining tied for fourth in assists (11).
Yelvington continued her playing days after Northwest at Crichton College, leading the squad in scoring during the 2008 season. She graduated from Crichton with a degree in Humanities in 2009. Following graduation, Yelvington began a career working for FedEx Logistics, where she is currently an account manager. She is married to Shad Old III, and they reside in Collierville, Tennessee, where you are most likely to find her at a ball field or wrestling arena, cheering on their son, Hudson.
