MELANIE BLACK Girls Track Head Coach
Coach Melanie Black returns to MRA for her 7th year as the Varsity and Junior High Girls’ track coach. She is a graduate of Belhaven College and Mississippi College and is a veteran coach with over 40 years of coaching experience, including stints at Northwest Rankin High, Brandon High, George County High and McLaurin High. She began her coaching career in the MAIS where she coached basketball and track for 10 years before moving to the public school league. During her coaching tenure, Coach Black has led her track teams to 8 state championships (2 at MRA, 5 at George County, and 1 at McLaurin). Her teams have been Conference, Division, Regional, North/South State and Overall State Champions, and she has been named
Mississippi Girls’ Track Coach of the Year. Since arriving at MRA, her Junior High teams have won their state championship every year -5 straight years- and her varsity teams have finished in the top 3 in the state each year, capped off with back to back State Championships in 2018 and 2019. JOHN WEAVER Boys Track Head Coach
A native of Vicksburg, John enters his 16th year in the coaching profession. Weaver played football at Delta State University (DSU) where he earned his B.S. in Physical Education, and a Master’s in Education. Before transferring to DSU he played at Hinds Community College and was a member on the 2000 State Championship football team, as well as pole-vaulted for the track team. Weaver is going into his 10th year at MRA and is responsible for coaching wide receivers and serves as the Director of Football Operations. He also serves as
the head boys track coach, where his 2015 team won the state championship for the first time in school history and won the state title again in 2017 and in 2019 as well. John and his wife Kristen have one daughter, Emory who is 7 and is in the second grade at MRA and a son, Luke who is 3 and is in K3 at MRA. They reside in Madison.
PAT LOVITT Cross Country Head Coach
Pat is beginning his 6th season as the boy’s and girl’s cross country coach at MRA. He also coaches distance in track for both the girls and boys in Jr High and High School, is the head coach of the 7th, 8th, and 9th grade girls basketball teams, and assistant basketball coach for the varsity girls team. His cross country teams have won two North State championships in each the boys and girls divisions, and the girls team has captured three Overall championships and finished state runner-up three times.
Pat is married to Jennifer Lovitt and they have two daughters, Tavyn and Kayla, that both graduated from MRA. Tavyn is now teaching and coaching cross country in San Jose, California. Kayla is a past Don Souder award winner for MRA and MAIS all-star in basketball. She is entering medical school at UMMC in the fall.
DANNY WHITE
Danny White enters his 21st season coaching football with this being his fifth year at Madison Ridgeland Academy. Coach White also serves as the Middle School Dean of Students. In 2019 MRA’s state championship defense created 23 turnovers, 39 sacks, 8 blocked kicks with a 12-2 record. Danny previously coached at Belhaven University from 2003-2014. Beginning in 2009, White was named the Defensive Coordinator of the Blazers and carried that role at Belhaven through the 2013 season. In 2012, White’s defense led the nation in pass defense efficiency (84.2) while ranking second in pass defense per game. The Blazers held opponents to 137.1 yards per game through the air. The defense
was also 6th in the NAIA in total defense at 271.5 ypg while holding opponents to 17.1 ppg, 10th best in the country. Prior to arriving at Belhaven, Coach White spent four years on the coaching staff at his alma mater, Southwest Baptist University in Missouri. White completed his Masters of Arts in Education at SBU in 2001. Danny White and his wife, Tamah, have two daughters, Abigail and Amelia, and reside in Jackson MS.
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