Nov. 22, 2015

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Sunday EDITION

oxfordcitizen.com

Volume 2 | Issue 62

Sunday, November 22, 2015

Inside 2 News

The Wesley Center will be collecting Operation Christmas Child boxes until Monday.

4 News

LAUREN WOOD | BUY AT PHOTOS.DJOURNAL.COM

Ole Miss wide receiver Laquon Treadwell jumps to miss LSU safety Jalen Mills during Saturday’s game against LSU. Ole Miss won 38-17.

Return to Form

Christ Presbyterian Church hosted its annual International Thanksgiving dinner Thursday night.

13 Sports

Kelly, Rebels roll past LSU Tigers

BY JOHN DAVIS SPORTS EDITOR

Two weeks after suffering a heartbreaking loss to Arkansas at home, the No. 22 Ole Miss Rebels returned to form against No. 15 LSU Tigers. A week away from football proved beneficial for the Rebels, who defeated LSU 38-17 at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium Saturday afternoon.

Ole Miss (8-3 overall, 5-2 in the SEC)

never trailed in the contest, jumping out to a 24-0 lead in the first half and never looking back. After a listless first half, the Tigers found their groove early in the third quarter. That’s when Ole Miss quarterback Chad Kelly really showed his importance, and talent, driving the Rebels for some much needed points, quelling the Tigers’ flurry.

The Landshark Defense of Ole Miss did a good job of keeping LSU’s standout run-

ning Leonard Fournette in check. Fournette had his moments, but it wasn’t near enough to prevent the Tigers from losing for the third straight game under coach Les Miles, who finds himself further on the hot seat with the LSU faithful.

Kelly had another impressive outing as he threw for 280 yards and two touchdowns in the victory. He threw for 188 TURN TO REBELS PAGE 8

Oxford quarterback Jack Abraham hands the ball to Hiram Wadlington during Friday’s victory against Germantown.

OXFORD CITIZEN

PAGE 2

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2015

Oxford supports Operation Christmas Child

BY ERROL CASTENS OXFORD CITIZEN

Cheerful volunteers carrying green-and-red boxes and the occasional clear plastic container made for a near-steady parade last week as Operation Christmas Child’s Shoebox Collection Week was in full swing in Oxford, across the state and around the country.

Operation Christmas Child is a ministry of Samaritan’s Purse, a Christian organization headed by Franklin Graham, designed “to follow Christ’s command by going to the aid of the world’s poor, sick, and suffering. We are an effective means of reaching hurting people in countries around the world with food, medicine, and other assistance in the Name of Jesus Christ.”

Samaritan’s Purse offers crisis and disaster response in areas impacted by war and natural disaster, including water, sanitation and hygiene programs; construction projects; children’s ministries; and even agricultural and micro-enterprise startups that help

families move toward economic stability.

Operation Christmas Child is one prominent part of that outreach. Each year, participants in developed countries pack suitable gifts – toys, school supplies, clothing and hygiene items – into a shoebox-sized container for a boy or a girl in one of three age ranges. Operation Christmas Child receives the boxes at local collection centers, then ships millions of them to regional centers from where they are flown to scores of countries and distributed through cooperating churches and missions.

“There are children all over the world who, if it weren’t for Operation Christmas Child, would never get a Christmas gift, and they’d never hear about Jesus.

That’s the reason we do it,” said Carol Wilson, a member of Spring Hill Baptist Church in Marshall County. On Friday she helped deliver 150 shoebox gifts assembled by the church’s Awana children’s group.

“The church supports it.

In January through August,

Tyler Johnson, 4, and his sister Kaitlyn, 6, bring Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes packed with gifts to the collection point at the Wesley Center on Friday. The collection point will be open today from noon to 2 p.m. and Monday from 9 a.m. to noon. every month I put some item in the bulletin to collect from the church membership to put in shoeboxes, and the kids pack them,” Wilson said. “This year we had enough to do 100 boxes, and then the kids go and buy stuff to fill more shoeboxes.”

Ashlee Smith, who attends Community Church Oxford, said the church distributes shoeboxes to individuals and families, who

then take responsibility for purchasing gifts to fill them.

“They pick a girl or a boy and whatever age range they want, and they go to the store and get little things – toothbrushes, toothpaste, little toys, just things kids would like,” Smith said.

“They pack them themselves and bring them to church.”

Givers are encouraged to include one “wow” gift. For older boys, that might be a

deflated soccer ball with an air pump.

“The one I packed?”

Smith said. “I put a cute little tiara in my box. I’d love to get that if I were a little girl.”

Wilson said one of the most gratifying aspects of participating in Operation Christmas Child is hearing the stories she says are downright miraculous.

“There were two kids in one of the war-torn countries in the Middle East,” she said. “One child had his left leg but not his right. One child had his right leg but not his left.

“They were sitting side by side, and when they got their shoeboxes, the one boy opened his and had a pair of shoes. The other opened his shoebox, and there was a pair of socks.They swapped, and they each a sock and a shoe,” Wilson said. “That’s God: There’s no way that happens without God arranging it.”

Volunteer Libby McIntosh offered another such incident.

“There was a story shared this year about one of the (American) girls that went to

help deliver some shoeboxes overseas,” she said.

“There was a child there who had gotten a shoebox in that country – don’t ask me where – and when the girl walked up, there was a picture of that girl that she had put inside that shoebox.”

Todd Johnson brought his 4-year-old son, Tyler, and 6year-old daughter, Kaitlyn, to deliver shoesboxes at the Wesley Center. Tyler needed a bit of coaching to remember how else they had contributed through Samaritan’s Purse.

“You did this last year, right? And you sent goats and chickens to another country last year as well,” Todd Johnson said, referring to the ministry’s program to buy animals that provide food, fiber, labor or a combination thereof for poor families to raise.

Mae Stone, who directs the collection site at the Wesley Foundation, said Friday morning some 3,040 boxes had already been brought in, with many more expected before the final TURN TO CHRISTMAS PAGE 4

OXFORD CITIZEN

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2015

PAGE 3

PETRE THOMAS | BUY AT PHOTO.DJOURNAL.COM

Joe Swingle, left, talks about several of the amenities of The Pavilion at Ole Miss. Work continues, above, with an expected opening date of Jan. 6, 2016.

Inside Look: The Pavilion at Ole Miss nearing completion and happy to say that we something we can be proud of for basketball.”

Every time a recruit has come on campus, the basketball programs have brought those players through for a tour. Bjork said Andy Kennedy, the Rebels’ head coach, didn’t come by until the building was further along in the summer. Bjork said the current teams have each been in the faJOHN DAVIS cility once, and they will get OXFORD CITIZEN more time in the arena in time.

“The momentum continues.

Our fans and our donors have responded,” Bjork said adding you will for athletics. It had to the North End Zone project at Work continues in the locker rooms. have a student component Vaught-Hemingway Stadium Monday through Friday like our begins once the LSU game ends. those big things happened, we pet, we didn’t have lockers or a food court area. To me, football “Track is happening now and knew we could make the date,” lot of the tile. There really has had to be a piece of it and how we’ll start on the Gillom Center Bjork said. “You can have some been a lot of progress made in do we utilize a facility like this paint that’s not completed, some in the spring. There is tons of the last couple of weeks.” on football game days. All that momentum around out camfinishings that aren’t completed, The retractable seats need to helped build basketball. Get paign and we can’t stop raising but you have to have those big be installed so that the arena people used to this building, money. We also have a lot of things in order to play a game. It can start to get cleaned. make it multi-purpose, have other gifts in the pipeline.” obviously has to be safe. We’ve “A lot of the finishing touches concerts. We don’t have any conThere is no name for the had fire marshals and inspectors cert venue like this in our town.” will be done by mid December Every three weeks or so, Bjork and then it’s making sure every- in here every step of the way. A lot building, but Bjork said he is in talks with at least two compahas gone through the Pavilion to thing works before that game on of the big stuff has been checked nies for that, in the pipeline. No off in order to open on time.”

January 7,” Bjork said. “There is check the progress. The new sponsor name or not, the comEven with the amount of exa lot of prep time. We move furmulti-purpose arena is the primitment to athletics at the highperience Bjork has in athletics niture in on December 28. The mary home for the Ole Miss est level is evident, Bjork said. and management, he’s not sure building really has to be ready Rebels and Lady Rebels, even “I think this shows how imon December 28 to put that fur- what to expect when the buildthough it will be used for much portant athletics is on our caming opens. niture in.” more than just basketball. A “We’ve never done something pus. Our facilities, we had to Both teams will start to praclarge portion of the construction tice for games a week before the like this and this is once in a life- play some catch up and us needs to be completed by mid time,” he added. “I just can’t wait spending $200 million is hapDecember, and Bjork said every- first game, Bjork said, adding pening right now,” Bjork said. to see the expressions on peothat the arena is actual under thing is ahead of schedule. ple’s faces. When our players budget from a cost standpoint.

“I’m in here to notice if we’re walk out for the first time on to John Davis is the Oxford Citizen sports “Once we hit milestones, like on track and there is a huge difthe court, when our fans walk in editor. He can be reached at having the center hung scoreference every time,” Bjork said. on the concourse, I just think john.davis@journalinc.com. Follow him “The last time through, we didn’t board in, the wood floor laid, the people are going to be so excited on Twitter at @oxfordcitizenjd. retractable seats on site, once have paint, we didn’t have car-

AROUND SQUARE BEYOND

AND THE

R

oss Bjork couldn’t stop smiling. And looking up. His head always seemed to be raised, and focused on the next point to showcase inside the Pavilion. It was a banner week for the head of Ole Miss athletics. The Forward Together campaign, the main reason the new multi-purpose arena is around, reached its goal. And then some. The largest single donation – $25 million – for athletics was also officially announced this week.

Friday afternoon seemed like a perfect time to let the media that cover the Ole Miss men’s and women’s basketball teams to have a look at their new homes. And what a home it is.

The $95 million venue will seat up to 9,500 fans. And do so comfortably, or at least more comfortably than the Tad Pad. The chairs are four inches wider. The sight lines are so much better.

Even with an inch or two of dust everywhere, the arena even smelled better. Ok, that may be a stretch, but you get the point.

Ole Miss fans will have a lot to be proud of when the Pavilion finally opens in January.

“The big thing for us was that this could not just be a basketball facility and tucked away to where we only play basketball games,” Bjork said. “It had be a center piece on campus. In my mind, and also in the administration of the university’s mind.

It had to be have a front door if

OXFORD CITIZEN

PAGE 4

An international Thanksgiving

OBITUARIES J.R. OWEN J.R. “Bob” Owen, Jr., 92, passed away Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2015, at Baptist Memorial Hospital North Mississippi. The funeral service will be held Monday, Nov. 23, at 11 a.m., at St. Andrew’s United Methodist Church with Rev. Bill Barksdale and Rev. Bob Whiteside officiating. Visitation will be held prior to the service beginning at 10 until service time at the church. A graveside service will take place at the New Albany City Cemetery at 2 p.m. Memorial contributions in Mr. Owen’s memory may be made to St. Andrew’s United Methodist Church, P.O. Box 6, Oxford, MS 38655. In honor of Mr. Owen’s service to our country, the flag of the United States Navy will be flown at Waller Funeral Home.

EMMIE ELLEN WADE

Emmie Ellen (Dem) Wade, passed away of her niece Sara Bounds Phillips on Sunday, Nov. 15, 2015. A graveside service at Saint Peter’s Cemetery will be held Monday, Nov. 23 at 2 P.M. During WWII she was commissioned in the Coast Guard, which became a part of the Naval Service, and served in Washington, DC and London, England. She was promoted to the rank of Lt J.G. prior to transfer to the Inactive Reserve and Honorable Discharge.

JEFF EVANS Jeff Evans, 83, passed away Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2015, at Golden Living Center in Tupelo. Services will be held on Sunday, Nov. 22, at 2p.m. at St. Matthews M.B. Church in Fulton with Pastor Bettye Clifton delivering the eulogy. Burial will take place at Shiloh C.M.E. Community Center in Fulton. Serenity-Autry Funeral Home Chapel in Pontotoc is in charge of arrangements.

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2015

BY ERROL CASTENS OXFORD CITIZEN

People from almost every inhabited continent experienced American tradition and Southern hospitality Thursday night when Christ Presbyterian Church hosted its annual International Thanksgiving dinner.

The crowd of more than 70 internationals and roughly equal numbers of church members got to know each other a bit over a typical Thanksgiving dinner of turkey and dressing, ham, salads, green beans and a host of other side dishes.

A large majority of the international guests were either students, researchers or faculty members at the University of Mississippi. A sampling of the native countries represented included Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, China, Egypt, Japan, Korea, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Rwanda and Vietnam.

Li Xiaobing and his wife, Hou Yipim, are natives of China who have been in Oxford for five years while he conducts civil engineering research. This year they brought their baby daughter, Jessie, to the dinner.

“It’s her first Thanksgiving,” Li Xiaobing said.

Zulfiqar Ali and his wife, Faila Zulfiqar, natives of Pakistan, are both researchers in Ole Miss’s National Center for the

ERROL CASTENS

ERROL CASTENS

Christine Hom, coordinator of international women's ministries, and Luong Huong, who is from Vietnam, share a laugh during the church's International Thanksgiving dinner about Luong's recent driving lesson

Elder Doug Sanford helps Hou Yipim, a citizen of China, to get Hou's daughter, Jessie, adjusted in a high chair at Christ Presbyterian Church's International Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday.

Research of Natural Products.

“We have been to this Thanksgiving dinner before,” Zulfiqar Ali said.

“We enjoyed it and wanted to come back.”

Pastor Curt Presley III has often noted that Oxford offers the opportunity, instead of only sending missionaries to people around the world, of fulfilling the role of missionaries as people from around the world come here. In his introductions at the dinner, he told guests, “One of the things we’re thankful for is that you’re here with us.”

Church member Gregg Davidson reflected on the history of the holiday.

“Most Americans have the general sense that Thanksgiving has something to do with those first settlers from Europe coming to the new country

and that it has something to do with Indians and turkey,” he said.

He traced the story of the Puritans and the role that pursuit of religious freedom had in their decision to leave Europe. He noted that only 44 of the original 102 had survived past the two-month ocean voyage and that first brutal winter in the New World.

Davidson related the providential presence of Squanto, a Native American who had, years before, been kidnapped and transported to England before being returned to North America. Squanto’s befriending of the Puritans, he said, was integral to their survival, as he not only fostered friendly relations with local tribes but also taught the new European settlers how to raise the crops that would

sustain them.

The Pilgrims’ three-day celebration with their native neighbors after their first good harvest – an intentional expression of gratitude to God – led some 250 years later to the national holiday we now call Thanksgiving, he added.

Manickavasagam, a native of Malaysia who stems from Indian ancestry, told the guests, “We want to share with you what we are thankful for.

Christians, more than anyone else, have a story to tell.”

The two questions most often asked of international visitors and even other Americans – “Where are you from?” and “Why are you here?” – are also integral to the Christian story, he said. Quoting Acts 17:24-27, he noted that the Apostle Paul an-

Law enforcement holds successful shooting competition

swers both questions.

“If you understand the question there – ‘Where are you from?’ – Christians would say God is the one who determined that.

Christians would also say that it’s not an accident that you’re here tonight,” Manickavasagam said.

“The second question – ‘Why are you here?’ – Paul says that it’s that we ‘should seek God, and perhaps feel (our) way toward him and find him’ even though ‘he is actually not far from each one of us.’

“Christians are those who would say they have been in a place where they have found God – or God has found them, and we want that for each and every one of you as well,” he said.

Christmas FROM PAGE 2

BY JOHN DAVIS OXFORD CITIZEN

Law enforcement agents weren’t the only ones to benefit from a recent pistol/rifle shooting competition held at the Buddy East Training Facility Nov. 14. First responders, personnel who deal with fires, emergency calls and members of the Wings department, joined other fellow officers in the competition.

Scott Mills, the chief deputy of the Lafayette County Sheriff’s Department, said the turnout was even better than he expected.

“We’ve had the competition for years, but the past two or

three, we’ve haven’t had one until we decided to start one back this year,” Mills said.

“This time we decided to open it up to first responders, not just law enforcement. I think those non law enforcement agents had a great time.

They don’t have an opportunity to shoot very much, so I think they really enjoyed that.”

It was a very social event, Mills said. Some just watched the competition without taking part. And there was a meal that night.

Cannon Motors donated the main prize, an AR-15 rifle from DPMS. Sentinel Security donated the food for the meal for dinner. Little Caesars pro-

vided lunch, while Andy Waller and Candy Williams also took part in the donations, and Mills thanked them for all the support.

The individual competition was held in the shooting house located on the property. Competitors were judged in handgun and in rifle.

Tabatha Denton took first place, while Cody Pruitt and Chase Camp were second and third respectively.

In the three-man team event, Oxford Police Department Chief Joey East, Alan Wilburn, who is an investigator for the sheriff’s department, and Mills were first.

Arliss Swindoll, Camp and

Summer Rowland took second. Sheldon Lowe, Joe Bishop and Wess Denton were third in the team competition.

With hunting starting this weekend, Mills said deputies, and others, took time to sight in rifles for youth or hunters in general. Approximately 15 sighted in their scopes.

“It was great weather, a great day, good fraternization.

It was good to bring all these folks together,” Mills said. “We had a lot of people that just came out to eat. It was just a lot of fun.”

John.davis@journalinc.com Twitter: @oxfordcitizenjd

shipping at noon on Monday.

“That’s more than we usually have at this time (during Collection Week). And we’ve just had two more groups bring in 150 each,” Stone said. “We’ll be open Sunday from 12 to 2 p.m. and 9 to 11:30 a.m.”

While a great deal of work and expense goes into the packing, collection, and distribution of Operation Christmas Child gifts, perhaps the most important part of the process is prayer.

errol.castens@journalinc.com Twitter: @oxfordcitizenec

“Of all these boxes, every one of them is intended for a certain child. We pray as a group over those shoeboxes. As they pack them, they pray over them,” Wilson said.

“God gets the glory for it and the kids that are supposed to get those individual boxes get exactly the right one.

People all across the United States, England and wherever else they collect them are doing the same thing. We have a mighty God, and he answers those prayers.” errol.castens@journalinc.com Twitter: @oxfordcitizenec

OXFORD CITIZEN

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2015

PAGE 5

OUT to add routes

BY ERROL CASTENS OXFORD CITIZEN

Oxford-University Transit (OUT) will likely add two routes in January to address immediate needs and two more next fall.

The new routes were approved Wednesday by the Transit Commission, but because three of the routes will require new funding, they require final approvals – expected to be easily won – by the Oxford Board of Aldermen and the University of Mississippi administration.

The first near-future addition will be a split of the existing Yellow Route, by far the busiest route on the system. It currently primarily serves student-dominated apartment complexes on Hathorn and Anderson Roads.

“On the Yellow Route, the buses go out Hathorn, and a lot of students get on outbound so they can have a seat,” said OUT Manager Ron Biggs. “By the time it gets to Lafayette Place, The Hub and The Retreat and gets back to Campus Walk, a lot of times the buses are loaded, so we’re passing people, leaving people. This new route eliminates a lot of the overloading of buses, and also eliminates running buses back to back.”

Under the split, which is not expected to add any appreciable operating costs, Yellow Route would be split, with one bus servicing the Anderson Road complexes and another those on servicing Hathorn.

“We don’t have a color for this route yet, but it’s only going from Kennon Observatory (one of two bus hubs on the University of Mississippi campus) to Campus Creek and Campus Walk (both studentdominated complexes on Hathorn Road) and back in.”

OUT consultant Tim Akers said the split would be within all rules imposed by the system’s grant agreement with the Mississippi Department of Transportation.

“This is something we should be able to do in January,” he said.

Another January addition will likely be a latenight route primarily

aimed at getting passengers from the Square back to student residences on the Ole Miss campus.

Late-night ride options in Oxford currently include more than 20 taxi companies and at least one church-run free van shuttle, and various privately funded shuttles with names such as Rebel Ride and Safe Ride have had a mixed record of service.

Akers said the cost of the proposed late-night route – for buses, drivers and security personnel – is $29,376.

“That is an annual cost – four hours per night, Thursday and Friday 10 to 2 and Saturday from 9 to 1 when school is in session,” he said.

Oxford’s bars close at 1 a.m. on Monday-Friday nights and at midnight on Saturday, and Sunday alcohol service is only from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., with far fewer bars opening that day.

Because the late-night shuttle was not included in the current year’s grant application, the City of Oxford and the University of Mississippi would split the entire cost until next October.

“Once it becomes within next year’s budget, 50 percent of that cost would be paid with the grant, and the match would be split between the city and the university,” Akers said.

Oxford Mayor George “Pat” Patterson said he had assurances that the university administration would support the shuttle to provide as safe a way back to dorms as possible for latenight revelers.

“We’ve had fits and starts of this, managed by the students, by the kids, and they’ve done a good job, and then we had a service where the federal folks came in and shut them down,” he said. “We need to get this into some professional hands for safety.”

While a similar service at Mississippi State University was quickly dubbed the “drunk bus,” Patterson denied that the availability of such a service in Oxford would encourage even more drinking.

“This is a safety issue, and we’re going to support it,” he said. “If it’s an issue of $15,000, we’ve just had enough of it. We’re going to fix it.”

The Board of Aldermen will likely consider the issue at its Dec. 1 meeting.

FALL ROUTES OUT Commission members also endorsed two new routes serving eastern parts of the city. One, deemed the Pink Route, would serve new apartment complexes along South Lamar Boulevard. It would cover a bit of the same area as the Red Route, but instead of coming to the Square and parts north, it would veer west off South Lamar to Belk Boulevard and Old Taylor Road before discharging passengers at UM’s Kennon Observatory bus hub.

The Gray Route is proposed to serve Oxford High School and other parts of the Oxford Commons development, which currently includes Oxford Conference Center, two hotels, an entertainment complex, Della Davidson Elementary School and residential subdivisions.

OHS Assistant Principal Duncan Gray said when the high school was at its old location on Bramlett Boulevard, students could stay late at school for tutoring and extracurricular activities, then walk the one long block to the bus stop at Bramlett and University Avenue.

“We still have some stay after school, but those who rely on the school buses don’t have another way of getting home, so we’ve been thinking, how can we allow these students access to extracurricular organizations, to tutoring, when their sole source of transportation in the afternoon is that school bus that departs at 3:50?” Gray said.

“That eliminates all their opportunities, especially when Mom and Dad are working second shift.”

Gray’s proposal was an 8to-5 route, Aug. 1 to May 31, to be subsidized by doubling the current park-andride fees for Ole Miss football games.

The first year essentially it would cost about $24,800, but every subsequent year, you’re talking less than $12,000 for an entire school year” (after grants are applied). errol.castens@journalinc.com Twitter: @oxfordcitizenec

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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2015

Mayor asks for garage decision deadline

BY ERROL CASTENS OXFORD CITIZEN

It’s getting time to decide – a parking garage needs to be built, or it doesn’t.

That was the message Mayor George “Pat” Patterson delivered Friday when he asked the Downtown Parking Commission to deliver a recommendation soon to the Oxford Board of Aldermen on whether to invest in a structure that could accommodate an additional 300 or more cars.

“Could we set a date when we could take a recommendation of this committee? Say, March 1 or Feb. 1,” Patterson said. “I hate to press, but … we kind of need to move. I need to hang my hat on something that I can take to our board. It’s possible it may be nothing: It may be that the need just isn’t there right now. I don’t agree with that, but I would hope by the March meeting I could go to my board with a recommendation.”

The Commission and its earlier versions have been considering Oxford’s

downtown parking needs for several years. Among the progressions were a year when storefront parking remained free but a time limit was enforced by Standard Parking, which had promised that fines for overtime parking would make their services revenue-neutral.

Fines turned out to be a small fraction of the cost of Standard’s contract, though, with collections even lower yet. The city resume its own management of the free parking to encourage turnover of storefront spaces before meters were adopted in early September 2014.

Commission Chairman Tom Sharpe agreed a March 1 recommendation deadline was reasonable, adding that the Committee and the Board of Aldermen might need to have a work session first.

Commissioner David Sparks added, “I agree with that; we need to set a date to get something out there.”

Patterson said the revenue stream from metered parking, which is early in its second year of operation, has been surprisingly steady.

“(We’re) going to average $12,000” per week, he said. “When the university closes it drops to $10,000, and when there’s an event of some type it tops $14,000, even $15,000. I think we’re as certain as we can be on the revenue side.”

The least predictable variable, Patterson said, is how much of the metered parking would be cannibalized by the addition of several hundred new free spaces in a garage.

“That’s just speculation, but I don’t know a better group than this one to do that,” he said, assuring commissioners that the Board of Aldermen would almost certainly follow the Commission’s urging.

“That board’s going to do what you tell them to do,” Patterson said. Unless the recommendation includes the eminent domain of some dark-horse site, he added, “They’re not going to poke their nose four inches away from that recommendation.”

Patterson said he’s still convinced of the need – if not immediately, at least by the time one could be

completed – for such an addition.

One of the reasons in favor of the City Hall garage, Patterson said, is that if the city ever comes up with both the plan and the means to make the Square more of a pedestrian-centric public space, the area between City Hall and Square Books Jr. could be a focal point to bridge between the garage and the Square.

“This is a more convenient garage location and might serve us better if we ever get the war chest to do the Square,” Patterson said. “We ought to build what’s within our financial constraints, whether that’s back here (behind City Hall), which is my first choice, or over there (behind the Oxford-University Club), which is a couple of y’all’s first choice. Let’s move down the road. I’d love to have the breezeway (onto the Square from a garage built behind City Hall) but it just might not be feasible.”

Commissioner Kevin Frye, who will take office as a Lafayette County Supervisor at year’s end, said he’s also eager to reach a

conclusion about a garage, but he said one group most impacted by downtown parking squeezes has had precious little input in the ongoing conversation.

“I’m sick of having meetings and not getting anywhere, but I think it’s important to bring the churches in and hear from them before I’m comfortable saying let’s stick it back here,” Frye said. St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, First Baptist Church, First Presbyterian Church and Oxford-University United Methodist Church all have experienced the cannibalization of their parking by people unrelated to the congregations, including cars left in their lots on Saturday nights.

“In six weeks I’ll have the ability to speak a little bit for what the supervisors think,” Frye said. “I just don’t want to build a garage that’s going to sit empty three days a week because it’s on the side of the Square that nobody wants to go to. … Nobody’s going to park over here (behind City Hall) to go to church.”

Patterson responded, “And you can’t afford to

build it anywhere else. If it sits empty, we shouldn’t build it. … It’s my opinion that when you buy land for this, it’s an absolute waste of taxpayer money when you’ve got two – maybe three – sites that won’t cost us anything.”

Two other locations have been suggested as well. One would put the garage west of the existing lot behind the O-U Club, which could be particularly enticing to federal and county employees.

Another might conceivably replace the existing lot bordered by Jackson and Monroe Avenues and 13th and 14th Streets as well as the obsolete county office building immediately to its north.

Frye urged a more deliberate discovery process before issuing a recommendation.

“I’m in fear of waking up 10 years from now and not having any city or county government or any churches still on the Square. We’ll have lost much of what is unique about the Square.”

served as kitchen manager at the Lafayette County Jail for several years, during which time he encouraged inmates who could draw and paint, amassing a collection of works during that time.

Mistilis asked that the proceeds of the sale benefit both the church and an inmate-focused ministry, so North Mississippi Kairos Prison Ministry’s Parchman mission was chosen as the partner recipient.

The public is invited to the reception and the art sale. The Orchard Oxford, with its North Light Gallery, is at 295 Highway 7 North.

fluenza-like illnesses remains very low in Mississippi and nationwide as of a Nov. 7 survey. While no flu cases have been confirmed in Mississippi, nationally 18 flu-related deaths have been reported.

Health authorities warn against complacency regarding this year’s flu virus, however.

“Flu and flu-like illnesses typically rise quickly at the end of November, and flu vaccinations can take up to two weeks to produce maximum immunity,” MSDH reports. “Now is the best time to be protected with a flu shot or flu nasal spray.”

Those with the most urgent need for flu vaccination are children over six months of age, adults age 50 and older, women who will be pregnant during the flu season, and chronically ill people regardless of age.

errol.castens@journalinc.com Twitter: @oxfordcitizenec

BRIEFING Monday deadline for 'Shop Oxford' The Oxford-Lafayette County Chamber of Commerce has launched its 15th annual “Shop Oxford” holiday campaign.

This program aims to reintroduce those shoppers who may have gone elsewhere, as well as attract new shoppers, to the large variety of local merchants in our hometown. Not only will the customers learn more about the impressive array of items offered locally, but the merchants will benefit from increased sales.

In conjunction with this effort, the Chamber plans to once again publish its annual “List of Holiday Gift Ideas for Under $50” for local consumers to use as a reference guide this holiday season. This time we want your gift ideas in different price categories,

which will allow you to list even more items!

If you are a retailer, local restaurant or local service provider, you can take advantage of this great FREE publicity.

Send one gift name and image from each price point category - $0 to $10, $10 to $20, $20 to $30, and $30 to $50 - that you would like highlighted, along with your company logo.

The gift ideas list will be featured in a variety of online and print media.

All gift ideas should be sent to pam@oxfordms.com no later than noon on Monday.

Community Thanksgiving Dinner Oxford-University United Methodist Church will host a communitywide Thanksgiving Din-

ner from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day at its fellowship hall. The church’s campus is on the corner of University Avenue and 9th Street.

All are welcome, and no price is involved. A traditional menu is followed.

Christmas Parade set for Dec. 7 The Oxford Lions Club Christmas Parade will be Monday night, Dec. 7.

Taking its traditional route, the parade will start at 6:30 p.m. at MidTown Shopping Center, moving down North Lamar to the Square and down South Lamar to Four Corners before turning west toward the Ole Miss campus on University Avenue. The parade will end at the Gertrude C. Ford Center parking lot.

This year’s theme is a particularly Southern

one: “Merry Christmas, Y’all!” Entries are invited in any of five categories pedestrian, band, float, vehicle and equestrian.

The top five floats will be awarded trophies. Applications can be found at http://lionsofms.org/doc s/2015%20City%20of%20 Oxford%20Christmas%20Parade.pdf Oxford’s Board of Aldermen voted to provide $1,750 in support for the parade, which brings visitors and residents alike to downtown Oxford to view the event.

Jail Art reception and sale to honor Angelo Mistilis North Light Gallery and the Orchard Oxford will host a reception for Angelo Mistilis and a sale of his Jail Art collection at 6 p.m. on Dec. 1.

Mistilis, a longtime Oxford restaurateur, also

State Health Dept. urges flu shots According to the Mississippi State Department of Health, the rate of in-

OXFORD CITIZEN

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2015

PAGE 7

DUCKS UNLIMITED

PETRE THOMAS | OXFORD CITIZEN

Morgan Taylor, Cody Wray, Braden Wray and Brittany Putt

Sherry and Rudy Ferguson

Rodney, Jillian and Caleb Johnson

Terry White, April White, Brian White and Graham Davis

DECORATING THE SQUARE FOR CHRISTMAS

ERROL CASTENS

Desmond Mayes, left, helps Vickie Robison string lights onto Oxford’s municipal Christmas tree while Greg Pinion controls the bucket-truck platform on Friday. All three are employees of the city's Buildings & Grounds Department. The tree will be lit this upcoming Friday night.

Will, Christy, Sam and Brent Larson

Allen Baker and Lynda Ramsey

OXFORD CITIZEN

PAGE 8

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2015

LAUREN WOOD | BUY AT PHOTOS.DJOURNAL.COM

Ole Miss linebacker C.J. Johnson celLAUREN WOOD | BUY AT PHOTOS.DJOURNAL.COM ebrates a defensive play made by A host of Ole Miss defenders including linebacker Christian Russell tackle defensive back Mike Hilton during LSU running back Leonard Fournette during Saturday’s game against LSU. Saturday’s game against LSU.

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Ole Miss offensive lineman Justin Bell lifts running back Jaylen Walton after Walton scored a touchdown during Saturday’s game against LSU.

Rebels FROM PAGE 1

yards in the first half, and then came back to account for two touchdowns in the final 30 minutes. Kelly also led the Rebels in rushing, carrying the ball 12 times for 81 yards. He finished with two touchdowns on the ground, with his second, an 11-yard run, being the most impactful after the Tigers had cut the lead to 24-17 midway through the third. Then, facing a third-and-long situation, Kelly ex-

of long gains from Fournette were wiped away by the miscues, aiding the Rebels’ feeding frenzy on defense.

Up 3-0 after the first quarter, the Rebels and Kelly kicked things up a notch on offense. He engineered an impressive eight play, 80-yard drive early in the second quarter to give the Rebels some breathing room. Jaylen Walton capped the drive with a 2-yard run, the Rebels’ first touchdown of the contest.

Kelly kept the pressure on the Tigers as he engineered a 10-play, 70-yard drive later in the second.

ecuted a well designed throw back to tight end Evan Engram, who then weaved his way into the end zone to complete the 36-yard play.

Kelly’s 57-yard pass to Quincy Adeboyejo on the first play from scrimmage set up the first points of the game for the Rebels, a field goal from Gary Wunderlich. It also set the tone for several other successful possession for the Rebels, who had little trouble picking up yards in bunches against the mistake-prone Tigers (7-3, 4-3). LSU made penalty after penalty in the first half. First downs and a couple

His 5-yard run with 7:13 left before the half put the Rebels up three scores at 17-0.

Ole Miss kept the pedal down on offense following an interception of LSU quarterback Brandon Harris by linebacker Christian Russell. Not wanting to take time off the clock, Kelly went up top to Laquon Treadwell for an 11-yard touchdown with 3:24 left in the first half.

Both times have come at home … The Rebels remain in the hunt to win the SEC West. They are currently a game in the SEC standings behind Alabama heading to play at Mississippi State … The Rebels broke the school’s single-season point total previously set in 2003 when Eli Manning was the quarterback … Kelly also set a new school record for touchdowns accounted for in a single season.

EXTRA POINTS Ole Miss defeated LSU for the second time in three seasons.

John.davis@journalinc.com Twitter: @oxfordcitizenjd

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OXFORD CITIZEN

PAGE 10

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2015

Heather Richardson

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Blake Thompson Oxford Cell: 662.801.7014 Office: 662.234.5344

Email: blake@tmhomes.com 1100 Tyler Ave, Unit 305 MLS#134050 Oxford - Luxury living with private garage and views of the square. Walk with ease to dinner, concerts or book signings, the Grove! The farmers market and HWY 6 Access all within a mile.

This condo features heart pine floors, 10' ceilings, granite throughout and stainless Viking appliances. Freshly painted and move in ready! $430,000. Call Heather Richardson - 662-5887312 or Andrew Richardson – 662-801-2718

120 Oxford Creek Drive MLS#134205 Oxford - You gotta see 120 Oxford Creek Dr – You will love this gorgeous two level home very close to Oxford Public Schools, The Oxford Square, and Ole Miss located in beautiful Oxford Creek Subdivision. This 2850 sq ft home has four bedrooms and three bathrooms. A marvelous study upstairs with two of the bedrooms, and the other two bedrooms are downstairs in the walkout basement with a living room and small kitchenette. You must take a look. Why are you still reading this? $350,000. Call Blake Thompson now – 662-801-7014

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OXFORD CITIZEN

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Oxford - Over 22 acres of Prime Development Property on south side of Hwy 6, where University Ave ends. Ideal for commercial development of hotel/resort, retail, or office complex. Does not include the 3.8 acre homesite tract on North side of Hwy 6 that is part of this tax parcel. $3,200,000. Call Mark Prince-662-871-1971.

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OXFORD CITIZEN

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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2015

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PAGE 13

PETRE THOMAS | OXFORD CITIZEN

Oxford players and coaches celebrate after their 40-33 win over Germantown. Oxford will host West Point in the MHSAA Class 5A north state title game this week.

Chargers top Mavericks behind Abraham, Metcalf

BY JOHN DAVIS SPORTS EDITOR

Oxford quarterback Jack Abraham signed an autograph on the back of a fan with a big smile on his face. Only a few minutes had passed since the Chargers’ dramatic 40-33 win over Germantown in the MHSAA Class 5A playoffs. By then, all the nervous tension had disappeared, and the Oxford faithful were ready to celebrate one of the most memorable victories in some time at Bobby Holcomb Field.

For Abraham, it was just another night at the ballpark. Well, maybe not just another routine game, but leading the Chargers (11-2 overall) for a touchdown with a little over two minutes left really isn’t that big of a stretch. Not for the state’s best quarterback and one of the best of-

fenses in the state.

Down 33-32 with 2:48 left to play, Abraham showed why he has been so valuable to coach Johnny Hill and the program that past three seasons by marching the Chargers 80 yards in 10 plays. His 11-yard touchdown toss to DK Metcalf was perfect. Metcalf, who caught four of Abraham’s five touchdowns, caught the ball in stride, and he made sure to get both feet in bounds. Both players did what they have been coached to do, and Metcalf made sure to do it against Germantown’s best cover corner, Nigel Knott. Abraham said he knew that Metcalf was going to be his receiver at the end. There wasn’t any other way to play it.

“Unless one of our guys broke a tackle, when we got down there, TURN TO CHARGERS PAGE 18

Oxford wide receiver DK Metcalf catches a pass for a big gain setting up Oxford’s second touchdown of the night.

OXFORD CITIZEN

PAGE 14

PLAYER OF THE WEEK

SPORTS IN DEPTH Oxford 40, Germantown 33 0 20 0 13 Germantown 21 13 12 7 8 Oxford 40 First Quarter OXF – Hiram Wadlington 3 run (2-point failed), 9:57.

OXF – DK Metcalf 26 pass from Jack Abraham (Connell Yoste kick), 2:09.

Second Quarter GER – Nic Patterson 5 run (Connor McKay kick), 11:18.

OXF – Ken Presley 8 pass from Abraham (kick failed), 10:15.

GER – Chander Dillard 65 pass from Michael Allen (McKay kick), 10:04.

GER – McKay 43 field goal, 4:59.

OXF – Metcalf 14 pass from Abraham (2point conversion fail), 2:35.

GER – McKay 34 field goal, 0:37.

Third Quarter OXF – Metcalf 14 pass from Abraham (Liam Cooper kick), 4:42.

Fourth Quarter GER – Dalton Bradfield 3 run (McKay kick), 11:21.

GER – Nigel Knott 92 intercetpion return (2 pt failed), 2:48.

OXF – Metcalf 11 pass from Abraham (Abraham 2 point run), 31.4 Records: Oxford 11-2; Germantown 9-4.

HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL MHSAA QUARTERFINALS

Friday's Results Class 1A Lumberton 34, Nanih Waiya 27 Resurrection Catholic 31, Stringer 0 Simmons 75, West Lowndes 12 Smithville 14, Shaw 13 Class 2A Baldwyn 30, Calhoun City 16 Bassfield 42, Taylorsville 13 Bay Springs 13, Lake 12 East Webster 37, O’Bannon 12 Class 3A Aberdeen 28, East Side 6 Charleston 28, Yazoo County 0 Collins 41, Kemper County 14 West Marion 12, Hazlehurst 8 Class 4A Greenwood 23, Kosciusko 22 Lawrence County 35, Vancleave 21 Noxubee County 56, Houston 26

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2015

St. Stanislaus 44, Moss Point 20 Class 5A Laurel 35, Pascagoula 0 Oxford 40, Germantown 33 Wayne Co. 37, P. River Central 13 West Point 16, Grenada 9 Class 6A Madison Central 21, Warren Central 14 Meridian 35, Oak Grove 29 Petal 35, Brandon 30 Starkville 45, Clinton 27

HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL MHSAA SEMIFINALS Class 5A NORTH West Point (11-2) at Oxford (11-2), 7 p.m.

(95.5 FM) Wayne County (10-3) at Laurel (10-3)SOUTH CLASS 6A NORTH Madison Central (9-5) at Starkville (12-1) SOUTH Meridian (8-5) at Petal (9-4) CLASS 4A NORTH Noxubee County (10-4) at Greenwood (121) SOUTH St. Stanislaus (10-3) at Lawrence County (13-1) CLASS 3A NORTH Aberdeen (11-3) at Charleston (12-2) SOUTH West Marion (13-1) at Collins (13-1) CLASS 2A NORTH East Webster (13-1) at Baldwyn (12-2) SOUTH Bassfield (12-2) at Bay Springs (12-2) CLASS 1A NORTH Simmons (10-0) at Smithville (12-1) SOUTH Lumberton (8-5) at Resurrection (12-0)

MAIS CHAMPIONSHIPS AAAA Div I Jackson Prep 51, MRA 13 MAIS AAAA Div II Washington 37, Oak Forest, La. 20

follow us @oxfordcitizen

Wadlington steps up for Chargers when needed

BY JOHN DAVIS SPORTS EDITOR

For a moment in the first half of Friday night’s Class 5A playoff game at Bobby Holcomb Field, it looked like Oxford’s Hiram Wadlington may be done early. The sophomore running back was banged up on a kickoff return and clearly in pain. He sucked it up, and get back out on the field.

His guts were displayed in the way he played, and his overall performance made a huge difference for the Chargers in their 40-33 win over Germantown.

Oxford is moving on to face West Point in the north state title game because of Wadlington, who finished the game with 120 yards on 19 carries.

Wadlington also added a touchdown, and finished with seven catches for 77 yards.

“We got a lot of weapons out there and Hiram played his tail off,” Oxford coach Johnny Hill said.

Wadlington started the season as the third tailback on the roster. He’s No. 1 on the totem pole now after Drew Bianco went down midway through the season. Wadlington has improved each and every game and the showing against the Mavericks was his best all-around performance.

“When I got him, I thought I was going to be out, but I just couldn’t let this be Coach Hill or our

PETRE THOMAS | OXFORD CITIZEN

Oxford running back Hiram Wadlington rushed for 120 yards and a touchdown and totaled over 200 all-purpose yards in the Chargers’ 40-33 win over Germantown. seniors’ last game,” Wadlington said. “I knew we were going to have to fight to the end. (Germantown) came ready to play.”

Wide receiver DK Metcalf praised Wadlington for his efforts, calling him a “beast.”

“He’s a ball player. Teams try to focus on me, Jimmy (Greaser), Ken (Presley) and (Zack) Cousar and him just coming in toting the rock, and replacing Kenzie (Phillips) and Drew, he’s a real good player,” Metcalf said.

Over 200 total yards,

with returns factored in, wasn’t something Wadlington was planning. He said the Mavericks had a good defensive line, followed by some pretty good linebackers.

“As the game went on, I progressed and when the ball came my way, I tried to make as many plays as I could,” Wadlington said. “I kept thinking that we can’t lose, we’re not going to lose. I had to go out and give it my all on every play.

Every snap.”

Oxford ended up falling behind and then having to

High School football players of the week are sponsored by:

go win the game on the last drive. Wadlington said quarterback Jack Abraham kept everyone calm in the huddle.

“He kept telling us that we had to fight adversity.

He kept us calm and we overcame it,” he added.

“We practice going two minutes everyday, so that was a lot of time. We just kept it rolling.”

Abraham, meanwhile, liked how much toughness Wadlington showed in coming back from his injury.

“He’s a good player. If he would have been out, that would have definitely hurt our offense,” Abraham said. “He’s vital to our offense, and without him, we’re not the same. There is no doubt about it. We knew he was going to get some playing time, but we didn’t know he was going to have this type of a role.

He’s also a freak of nature.

He’s going to start getting noticed by some D-1 schools. He belongs in an NCAA program for sure.”

Up next for the Chargers is a second meeting with West Point. The game will be played at home, with the winner advancing to play in the state title game the first weekend in December.

“We have to come into that game ready to fight,” Wadlington said. “We can not lay down. We have to come out rolling.” john.davis@journalinc.com Twitter: @oxfordcitizenjd

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2015

OXFORD CITIZEN

PAGE 15

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Denzel Nkemdiche unable to play against LSU

BY PARRISH ALFORD DAILY JOURNAL

The physical condition of Ole Miss football player Denzel Nkemdiche has improved and is not lifethreatening.

That information came Thursday afternoon in the form of a university news release attributed to Nkemdiche’s parents, Sunday and Beverly Nkemdiche, and Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze – less than 24 hours after Freeze listed his senior linebacker as “questionable” for Saturday’s game against No. 17 LSU. “Denzel’s condition has improved as of today, and he will remain in the hospital,” the release said. “His well-being is all that matters right now, and we are making sure he receives the highest level of medical care. While his condition is not life-threatening, he will not play this weekend. We thank the Ole Miss family for their concern and encouragement, and we appreciate everyone respecting the family’s privacy during this time.”

RebelGrove.com first reported Wednesday evening that Nkemdiche had previously been admitted to the intensive care unit at Baptist Memorial HospitalNorth Mississippi.

Sources say Nkemdiche failed to report for a team meeting on Sunday when the Rebels were due back from time off during last week’s open date.

After concerned parties found Nkemdiche, he was

LAUREN WOOD | OXFORD CITIZEN

Ole Miss linebacker Denzel Nkemdiche missed Saturday's game with LSU after being hospitalized during the week for an undisclosed reason. His condition had improved enough to be released from intensive care. His playing status is unknown moving forward. taken to the hospital on Monday.

Nkemdiche leads the Rebels with 53 tackles and has 61⁄2 tackles for loss. He has been withheld from media interviews most of this season.

Following Wednesday’s practice, Freeze said it was possible Nkemdiche would play this weekend.

“Denzel is questionable.

He’s dealing with a personal matter that he and his family are kind of going through, and we’re going to walk through it with him.

It’s kind of day to day on that.”

The Rebels close the regular season at rival Mississippi State on Saturday. parrish.alford@journalinc.com Twitter: @parrishalford

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2015

OLE MISS SPORTS ROUNDUP Ole Miss women fall to Missouri State A big offensive night from former Oxford High standout Erika Sisk wasn’t enough to lift the Ole Miss women’s basketball team to a win. Missouri State defeated the Rebels 9178. Ole Miss is now 1-2 on the season. Sisk had a team-best 18 points, while teammate Shequila Joseph tallied a career-high 10 rebounds.

Ole Miss went on a 18-2 run over the final 4:18 to close the game highlighted by buckets from Joseph and freshmen Cecilia Muhate Pena and Madinah Muhammad. It was the second consecutive game the Rebels couldn’t overcome a large late-game deficit.

Sisk started her 65th consecutive game and reached double figures for the 37th time in her career and for the second time this season. She was also a perfect 7 of 7 from the free-throw line. Joseph tallied her first career doubledouble with 14 points.

Ole Miss struggled from the floor all night and couldn’t get into a rhythm, shooting just 29 of 92 from the floor for 31.5 percent. While the Rebels struggled, the Lady Bears shot at a .462 clip, which included 13 3-pointers, which was just three shy of the Tad Smith Coliseum record.

Ole Miss’ defense forced the Lady Bears into 14 miscues in which turned into 10 points for Ole Miss, but the visitors were able to take advantage of second chance points, scoring 20 points on second opportunities.

The visitors jumped out to an early lead, but Ole Miss battled back behind the play of Kelsey Briggs. Coming off the bench for the first time this season, Briggs went 3 of 3 and nailed a key triple as the Rebels trailed 32-24 after one quarter of action.

Ole Miss started the second quarter with a bucket on their first possession, which sparked the team and led to a 6-1 burst which got the score as close as three-points, but the Lady Bears capitalized from the 3-point line nailing two critical triples which gave the Bears a 10-point, 51-41, halftime lead.

“I saw a very inexperienced and immature basketball team, playing against a team that wanted it more than them,” Ole Miss coach Matt Insell said. “There comes a time in a game where you have to come up with loose balls and come up with re-

bounds. In the first half (Missouri State) made six 3s on second chance effort shots.

We were down at the half by ten and those plays have to stop. We shoot the ball 92 times, that’s a staggering number, we just need to make shots at the rim.”

Ole Miss heads to Murfreesboro, Tenn., to take on Middle Tennessee in the third and final installment of Insell vs. Insell today. The Rebels and Blue Raiders tipoff at 1 in a game that will be televised nationally on Fox Sports.

Auburn takes down Ole Miss in five sets AUBURN, Ala. – For the sixth time this year and the second time on the road, the Ole Miss volleyball team went to five sets, this time against an Auburn team who had recently knocked off Florida in five at home. The Tigers outlasted the Rebels 3-2 (17-25, 25-16, 2125, 25-19, 8-15) Friday night at Auburn Arena.

After Ole Miss won set four to tie the match at 2-2, Auburn delivered the early blow in the final set, taking a 5-2 lead. Ole Miss never got closer than three and Auburn went on to win it 15-8 for the match.

Both teams battled back and forth in set one and it was tied 11-11, before Auburn went on a 14-6 run to close out the Rebels 25-17. Ole Miss hit just .030 in the first set to Auburn’s .290.

The Rebels hit .500 in set two to power their way to a 25-16 win and even the match at 1 heading into intermission.

Ole Miss led 10-9, but used a 5-2 run to take a 15-11 lead midway through the set, forcing Auburn to call timeout. The Tigers never got closer than three. The Rebels increased their lead to six and Auburn used its final timeout, trailing 18-12. Ole Miss closed on a 74 run to finish off the Tigers.

With set three tied at 10, Ole Miss went on a 6-2 run to lead 16-12. The Tigers answered with a 4-0 run to tie it at 16. Auburn finished off the set outscoring the Rebels 9-5 to win it 25-21 and take a 2-1 lead in the match.

Set four continued much like set three with neither team taking control until the Rebels won three straight points to go up 20-17 and force Auburn to call timeout.

Two points later Kathryn Cather put one down to give the Rebels a five point lead, 22-17, and Auburn used its final timeout. The Tigers never got any closer, as the Rebels

close out the set 25-19 to send it to five.

The Rebels return home today to host Missouri for Senior Day at the Gillom Sports Center. First serve is set for 1:30 p.m. Fans are encouraged to arrive early as the team will honor its seniors before starting at 1:24.

Rebels make history with win CLEMSON, S.C. - For the first time in school history, the Ole Miss soccer team has advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Championships Friday night. The No. 24 Rebels defeated No. 7 Clemson in penalty kicks. After the game remained in a 1-1 standstill through 110 minutes, Ole Miss claimed a 5-4 advantage in penalty kicks. Ole Miss will now meet Texas A&M in the next round today.

For 74 minutes, the two teams played to a 0-0 draw.

But, at the 74:40 mark, senior Olivia Harrison punched one in off a cross from Bethany Bunker to give the visiting Rebels (14-5-3 overall) a 1-0 advantage.

That score held all the way up until the final minute, when Clemson pressured and tied it up as the final seconds ticket off the clock. Following two uneventful overtime periods, the two teams headed for a penalty shootout that offered even more drama.

Addie Forbus was successful on her PK attempt, as was Gretchen Harknett to put the Rebels up 2-0 after a clear Clemson miss on the Tigers’ first attempt. Eventually, Jessica Hiskey and goalkeeper Marnie Merritt were both successful, before Liza Harbin was credited with the gamewinner.

Merritt, who had already played an outstanding 110 minutes against a physical Clemson side, made stops at the right time in the shootout, and even provided a score of her own to help lead the Rebels past the ACC club.

The victory marked the third this season for Ole Miss against a top-10 team (Oct. 11 vs. No. 10 South Carolina, Oct. 16 vs. No. 10 Auburn).

Harrison’s goal in the second half was the 22nd of her career and second of the season.

Today’s match with the Aggies is set for 1. The match will be the third this season between the Aggies and Rebels, as the two teams split the previous two meetings (4-3 win Oct. 25, 2-0 loss Nov. 4).

OXFORD CITIZEN

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2015

PAGE 17

No. 1 Rangers using down time to prepare for NJCAA title

BY JOHN DAVIS SPORTS EDITOR

Jack Wright took some much needed time time to see his family last week.

Days after leading the Northwest Mississippi Community College Rangers to their first MACJC state title since 1998, Wright made sure to take a little break from football.

“That’s been the best part of it. We’re not on that daily grind like you get on when you’re a coach. You’re not up as early to make sure kids are going to class and then have to prepare practice,” Wright said. “You’re always having to put out fires as the day progresses during the season, and then you have practices until late in the evening.

We’ve been off that routine a little, which has been helpful. It’s kind of a mental break. Even though we have been doing stuff with our kids, it’s not the same when you have a game staring at you in a couple of days.”

Little was the operative word as the Rangers’ head man is already back in the grind, working to find a weakness in No. 2 Rochester.

NWCC (10-1 overall) will play the 11-0 Yellowjackets on Dec. 6 in Biloxi in the annual Mississippi Bowl. It will be for the NJCAA national championship. The Rangers last won the top title in the NJCAA ranks in 1992.

Wright said that he has sent his team through three practices and two workouts since the MACJC title game on Nov. 7. The plan is for a few more practices before Thanksgiving, and then a full week of work right after the holiday.

“The NJCAA has a rule that says if the top two opponents meet, then it becomes the pseudo national championship game,” Wright said. “So by rule, black and white, this is the national championship game for the NJCAA. I think that’s what the Mississippi Bowl wanted. The goal was to create No. 1 versus No. 2 and they did a good job.”

Ever since the start of the season in August, Wright said he and his staff have been focused on each opponent, each week and

JOHN DAVIS

Defense has defined the Northwest Mississippi Community College Rangers this season and a big reason the No. 1 Rangers are playing for the NJCAA title on Dec. 6. then hoping to be in the playoff mix with a chance to win the state title. An event like playing in the national title game was something he hadn’t thought much about. Until now.

“You’re in such a fight week to week that you’re just trying to win the next game. Our kids did that.

They never lost focus, so it’s kind of hard to take a step back and see the big picture,” Wright said. “It’s hard to look at standings from around the country and to see who is where because usually all we are worried about is winning the next division game. If you get into the playoffs, you just worry about winning that one. It’s not until the deal is completely over that you look back and say ‘Who is doing good in Kansas?

Who is doing well up North or on the East Coast? Who is that you may play if you’re fortunate enough to get to that point.’ It worked out kind of like we thought it would.”

Building for the future never stops, and that

NWCC coach Jack Wright has already started to prepare for a meeting with Rochester (Minn.) in the Mississippi Bowl. means Wright did go out to recruit even if he didn’t have a lot of actual practice the week before.

“Our staff has hit the recruiting trail the last couple of weeks to make sure that we got caught up there,” Wright said. “Of course, you hate to say you’re falling behind because winning always helps recruiting, so it’s always a priority. You owe that to the kids on campus that you recruited here already to give them your best effort as a coach and prepare

them for a national championship. Recruiting is something that needs to be done on a daily basis. We have also been able to squeeze in some practices in the afternoon.”

There won’t be any wholesale changes made

by Wright and his staff in preparation for the Mississippi Bowl. The plays are the plays from a NWCC standpoint. He and the staff have already started watching film on Rochester, and Wright said the Yellowjackets have a

great quarterback in sophomore Nick Rooney.

“Their coach, Bill Quistorff, was very gracious about swapping film. We both have doing this a long time and we both know how it works,” Wright said.

“I’ve been watching them a lot the last couple of days. I kind of had an idea about them, but we have really been able to lock in those guys the last day or two.”

It is harder for Wright to compare the Yellowjackets to another team because he is so used to scouting teams through others in the state of Mississippi.

“When we watch Rochester, it’s kind of funny since we say ‘Do we want to watch them against the red team or the black team?’

We don’t know we are really comparing them to,” Wright said. “We do have plenty of time to prepare.

We’re going to kind of spoon feed ourselves some information and try to find out as much as we can on them.”

Rooney has passed for over 4,000 yards this sea-

son, while the Yellowjackets average almost 54 points per game.

“The kid owns the touchdowns record in the NJCAA as of this year and he is just a dynamic football player,” Wright said. “You can tell he is very intelligent. You can tell he knows what to do with the ball. You can tell he has command of the offense. He is kind of a Payton Manning type, a very cerebral kid. But he runs around pretty well, too. He makes plays with his feet.

He avoids the rush. He’s not going to kill with just blinding speed, but he’s got escapability. He also has a really talented arm. He really makes them go.”

On defense, Wright said the Yellowjackets take a lot of chances out of a threeman front base.

“They’re very aggressive and you don’t get to 11-0 without having a good defense and a quarterback and that’s kind of their formula,” Wright said. john.davis@journalinc.com Twitter: @oxfordcitizenjd

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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2015

Oxford running back Hiram Wadlington rushes for a big gain during the fourth quarter.

PETRE THOMAS | OXFORD CITIZEN

Oxford center Colton Skidmore lifts quarterback Jack Abraham after Abraham completed the Wide receiver Jimmy Greaser catches a pass for 46 yards during the first half of Friday’s game. game winning pass to DK Metcalf with under a minute to play in the game.

Chargers FROM PAGE 13

the way Nigel was playing, we knew we could pick on him,” Abraham said. “(Metcalf) is a freak of nature. He makes my job a lot easier. He’s awesome. It’s crazy. We’re only promised one more game. We were almost promised just one more quarter there at the end of the game.

We’re going to move on, enjoy the win and focus back on Monday.”

Metcalf, who finished the evening with 10 catches overall for 124 yards, said he felt good about getting the last pass because of the way Knott was covering.

“We saw how he was playing me earlier in the game. He was cocked, with his back to the side, looking at me,” Metcalf said adding that Knott was a good friend of his. “I kept hearing him the whole game saying watch the slant, watch the slant. I widened my split so I made it look like I was running a slant.”

The Chargers are moving on in the playoffs thanks to another great offensive night, and some key stops on defense. For Hill, he will coach against West Point for the final time in his career, without his signature mustache.

“I told them if they got a stopped them, three and out, on that last drive they could shave my mustache so they’re fixing to go get it,” Hill said with a big smile. “I’m very proud for the way they battled. They didn’t give up. I guess they want to see my ugly face for one more week.”

Hill gave credit to the entire offensive line for the way they blocked. He also had praise for the way the other offensive weapons like Jimmy Greaser, Ken Presley and Zack Cousar performed.

“It’s a team game, but it is such a big weapon for us to have both (Abraham and Metcalf ) out there,” Hill said. “They can take it deep anytime. I’m proud because we had a lot of banged up guys out there and they sucked

CJ Terrell celerbrates with Tias Hilliard after a third down stop, forcing a Maverick punt during the first half of Friday’s game against Germantown. it up got it down. I’m real tickled with them.”

Germantown (9-4) gave the they everything Chargers wanted, and then some. Hill warned his team coming in that the Mavericks were not to be taken lightly.

“They are a really good football team. They’re well coached and they play hard and they’re going to play for four quarters,” Hill said. “Our guys answered the bell. We started off strong. Then we let them get behind us on some passes. It was a battle. I

about messed up on some 2point plays and that kind of stuff, but it will make those other teams have to work on that. I’m glad that we came back and won and didn’t get beat by one point.”

Abraham finished the night 26 of 41 passing for 402 yards.

Hiram Wadlington paced the Chargers on the ground with 120 yards on 19 carries. He also caught seven passes for 77 yards.

Up next for the Chargers is a second meeting with West Point.

The Green Wave advanced to the 5A north state title game with a 16-9 win over Grenada. That game will be played at Oxford.

The Chargers have won four straight over their 1-5 rival.

“All that stuff don’t matter. It’s about Friday night,” Hill said.

“They’re going to be sky high, but our kids will be, too. We’ll swap out film, but we know what they’re going to do and they know what we’re going to do.” john.davis@journalinc.com Twitter: @oxfordcitizenjd

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2015

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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2015