Feb. 21, 2016

Sunday news s o d’s r o

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Sunday EDITION

oxfordcitizen.com

Volume 2 | Issue 88

Sunday, February 21, 2016

Inside 7 Lifestyle

Oxford Film Festival premieres community film ‘Once A Month’

8 News

CHANING GREEN

Valerie Storey, president-elect of MAPEL’s sister organization FAPEL of Florida, speaks to education professionals from all over the state of Mississippi in Lyceum room 200 Friday morning as a part of the first ever meeting of the Mississippi Association of Professors of Educational Leadership, MAPEL.

MAPEL holds its first ever meeting at the University of Mississippi

BY CHANING GREEN NEWS WRITER

The Mississippi Association of Professors of Educational Leadership, MAPEL, held its first conference at the University of Mississippi this Thursday and Friday.

The organization is in the very beginning stages, having formed over the last several months. Spearheading the effort is Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership at the Ole Miss School of Education Denver J. Fowler.

The point of MAPEL is to connect professors of educational leadership at all Mississippi institutions of higher learning that offer the course of study.With this newfound connectivity, the plan is to promote more open communication between professors in order to provide the

best education possible to college students pursing degrees in educational leadership. At the conference, all nine Mississippi universities with a program in educational leadership were represented, along with representatives of the Mississippi Department of Education, Americorps, the IHL Board and community colleges.

The conference was organized to be the “nuts and bolts” meeting of MAPEL, Fowler explained. Mississippi educators are gathering to discuss the bylaws of the organization and how it will function. Attendees were also given the opportunity to nominate themselves or colleagues for the executive board that will be formed.

Also discussed was the intention of setting up PAC funding for the group so that they can become an influential po-

litical entity. Fowler hopes the organization can serve as a collective voice for professionals in his line of work so that they get a say in issues that will be affecting them, their institutions, programs and students.

The conference was timed and organized so that attendees were able to fully experience the city of Oxford. Those coming into town stayed at the Inn at Ole Miss and had the option of going out to the rooftop bar at the Graduate Hotel on the Square Thursday night. The Oxford Film Festival was also taking place during the conference.

“I’ve tried make this experience fulfilling for everyone that’s coming to town,” Fowler said. “This is our kickoff. I want them to have a good time in oxford while also creating this organization. I believe that as educational leadership profes-

Lyles named Lafayette County School District’s Teacher of the Year

13 Sports

sors, we have one of the most important jobs in the state. We are preparing future school leaders. Those school leaders have an enormous effect on the teachers they lead and the students they lead, which, in turn, affects everything.”

Fowler was inspired to found MAPEL after he attended an annual conference in Washington D.C. for the National Council of Professors of Educational Administration, NCPEA, which is basically the national version of what MAPEL aspires to be for Mississippi. At the conference, he saw that there was a meeting for the state affiliates of NCPEA and went in search of the Mississippi representative of the program, only to discover there was not one.

Upon returning to Oxford, he asked graduate assistant TURN TO MAPEL PAGE 7

Oxford Chargers, Lady Chargers win 2-5A tournament titles

OXFORD CITIZEN

PAGE 2

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2016

Dynamic duo help city, area in several ways

BY JOHN DAVIS OXFORD CITIZEN

A whistle and a command brought Matt Samuels in close contact with his Oxford Police Department partner Monday morning. Samuels is one of the K-9 officers for the agency, and his partner is great at detecting explosives.

“He was actually a military dog,” Samuels said of his black german shepard.

“He went to Afghanistan for two different deployments. The military evaluated the dogs and if they could still work, they made it where law enforcement could come in and sign up to get a dog and give it to law enforcement so they could use him on the street.”

Samuels, who is a native of Water Valley, has been in law enforcement for almost 10 years. He started his career with the University Police Department in August of 2006. He was there for eight years and during that time, he got paired up with a Belgian Malinois, Truss, that specialized in searching for narcotics. Truss had previously worked with Robert Langley, who was killed in the line of service in October, 2006. Samuels and Truss worked together for four years before she retired.

The best part of law enforcement for Samuels is being attached and working with his dog.

“There is so much that they can do. You can always learn from them. You have to stay on top of your game because they are trying to get by and do stuff the easy way,” he said. “They will test you.

They don’t to work any harder than they have to work. That’s why you have to stay up on their training. We do training four hours per week. It’s every Monday and it’s basic obedience, tracking, working on their order and suspect apprehension.”

Lafayette High is where Samuels graduated from in 2001. Samuels still remembers when saw an opening on the UPD’s website, and how that essentially changed his life from an occupation standpoint.

JOHN DAVIS

Matt Samuels, and his dog Bak, form a unique duo for the Oxford Police Department.

ON THE BEAT

Matt Samuels “I didn’t know anything about law enforcement. My mother’s cousin is in law enforcement. That’s the only police officer in my family that I knew about,” Samuels said. “Once I started at UPD, there isn’t another job I would rather do. Even before you go to the academy, you ride for a little bit. You see what it’s about and then academy is what does it for you, I think.

It’s a different lifestyle. I wasn’t the pt (physical training) person growing up. I never did a bunch of push ups. When I got down there at the academy, fitness became one of the highlights of being in law enforcement.”

Staying in shape is a big thing for Samuels, who took part in the Law Fit competition which is geared specifically for members of law enforcement. Officers are measured in how many reps they can do in bench press, while other things like an agility run are used to determine a winner.

“It’s for the whole nation. People come from Virginia, other parts of Alabama, Mississippi, Florida, Tennessee, whoever wants to come to it,” Samuels said. “When I was at UPD, I did it three years in a row and this fourth year was my first at OPD. Basically you train all year

to go there and show out.”

Beat One is where Samuels patrols mainly, but he takes his dog all over town if needed. Back when Samuels worked for UPD, he was called to assist the OPD during a search for a suspect following a wreck that took place in front of Appelebee’s. Samuels said one suspect was taken into custody, but the second was on the loose, and believed to be hiding out somewhere. That’s when Samuels got the call to assist his fellow officers.

“We started tracking and the dog went off into some kudzu and I was thinking that there was no way that he was off in there,” Samuels said. “I was following him and when you work K-9, you have to trust your dog. Whether you think it happened or not, you have to trust your dog and go with the flow and see what happens.We were crawling, hands and knees going through the bushes. I

couldn’t get my flashlight out. My dog starts pulling on my lead. I was pulling him back trying to get the lead from being wrapped around a tree. I finally got my flashlight and there is a hispanic male laying in front of me and the dog was trying to get him. The other officers came in and get him. That was my first track where I found somebody.”

When you work with a dog, Samuels said ideal arrest involves no bite on the part of the animal. In the case of a tracking situation, Samuels added that unless the suspect has a way to escape, or a ride, they usually hunker down and avoid detection. Until he was called that night, OPD officers had been searching the area for 20 minutes.

Samuels said you can’t put a price tag on the importance of a dog.

“They do so much for you. It’s a lot training and a lot of money to take care of them and you do have vet

bills and dog food but the community loves the dog and what they can do,” Samuels said. “When I’m on day shift, I’m going to the schools or a church group and showing them what the dog can do. I don’t think you can put a price tag on them.”

To put in perspective how specialized Samuels’ dog is, he is the only animal that can detect explosives between Tupelo and the metro DeSoto County area.

When other agencies need help in such a situation, Samuels is there ready to help.

“Batesville called the other day. The state fire marshall also has a bomb dog, but he is all over the state so it may be an hour, two hours, three hours away,” Samuels said. “If someone at the university calls or someone in Ecru, or Water Valley needs it, we can be there to help.” john.davis@journalinc.com Twitter: @oxfordcitizenjd

OXFORD CITIZEN

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2016

PAGE 3

Old Dominion to perform at The Lyric on Friday

BY CHANING GREEN NEWS WRITER

Country rock band Old Dominion will be playing at The Lyric on Friday.

The band is composed of five people, four of which are from the state of Virginia, hence name of the group, which was derived from the nickname of the Commonwealth of Virginia. The member from outside the state , multi-instrumentalist Trevor Rosen, is from Detroit, but attended college in Virginia. Everyone in the band has known each other for years, some since middle school and some since college, but they are all a pretty tight-knit group of guys.

Critics have used a variety of adjectives to describe the musical style of Old Dominion, but everyone agrees that they are country with a heavy dash of something else.

“We are definitely country music, but the definition of country music is getting looser and looser,” said Geoff Sprung, bassist of the group. “We’re country songs with a rock influence, occasionally a hip-hop influence and definitely a pop influence, but all rooted in country song writing.”

Three of the five members of Old Dominion moved to Nashville in order to be songwriters. The other two soon followed for their own reasons and career goals. They all moved to Nashville separately, over a three or four-year period, and then later reconnected.

The band formed about nine years ago. Matthew Ramsey, Old Dominion’s lead singer, was looking for a publishing deal to keep writing songs. The five of them then started performing the songs Ramsey had written so that Ramsey could showcase his work in the hopes of landing a songwriting deal. People kept commenting on the quintet, telling them that they definitely sounded like a band. Eventually they realized they could do more than showcase songs they wanted to sell to other people. Soon the band began getting gigs playing around Nashville and then they were being booked to do shows out of town. A momentum was built and they

MICHAEL ELINS

Left to right, Geoff Sprung (bassist), Trevor Rosen (multi-instrumentalist), Matthew Ramsey (lead singer), Brad Tursi (lead guitarist), Whit Sellers (drummer). band has not stopped since.

Old Dominion has been gaining nationwide popularity since early last year.

Billboard, Rolling Stone Country, Huffington Post and Spotify listed Old Dominion as a 2015 band to watch.

In December, the band performed in-studio on the Today Show, making their national television debut.

They began 2015 traveling to shows in a van and ended it with a tour bus, two nominations from the Academy of Country Music, an RIAA gold-certified single and touring with Kenny Chesney. They performed on the Jimmy Kimmel Show at the beginning of February.

“It’s absolutely unreal,” Sprung said in reference to their recent success. “We’ve been at this for 9 years and 2015, and especially 2016, have been a big party in the sense that we’re getting a lot of support. It’s the like culmination of all the work we’ve been putting into this.

It was phenomenal.”

Their debut album, “Meat and Candy,” was released in November. The first single off of that album, “Break Up With Him,” has topped charts including sit-

ting at number one on the US Country Airplay chart by Billboard. The album was produced by Grammy-winner artist Shane McAnally and took about a year to come together. The group recorded the album at different studios across Nashville over the course of that year. The reason it took that long to put the album together was largely due to the fact that their touring schedule last year was so extensive; the band played over 180 shows last year.

They also had a limited budget and mostly just recorded when they had the time and could afford it.

Later this year, Old Dominion will rejoin Kenny Chesney on a tour that also includes Miranda Lambert and Sam Hunt.

Ole Miss freshman Caroline Lunn said she is excited about the concert.

“I first hear of them when I heard ‘Break Up With Him’ on the radio,” Lunn said. “I loved it. It was really catchy.

I’m so excited about them coming to Oxford and hope that I can score a ticket for it because I can’t wait to see them live.” chaning.green@journalinc.com

OXFORD CITIZEN

PAGE 4

OBITUARIES

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2016

Jim, Chad Kelly draw record crowd at FCA event

PAULINE LEWIS Pauline Lewis, 97, passed Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2016 at Yalobusha Nursing Home in Water Valley.

A memorial service will be held at a later date. Coleman Funeral Home was in charge of local arrangements. Online condolences may be left on the Tribute Wall at www.colemanfuneralhome.com

FRANKIE FAYE FERGUSON Frankie Faye Ferguson, 76, passed away Monday, Feb. 15, 2016, at her home. Visitation was held Wednesday, Feb. 17 at Coleman Funeral Home. Coleman Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Cambridge Cemetery Fund, 640 CR 202, Abbeville, MS 38601.

DONALD HARVEY O’DELL

Donald Harvey O’Dell, 59, passed Sunday, Feb. 14, 2016. A memorial service was held Feb. 20. Coleman Funeral Home is in charge of local arrangements.

Memorials may be made to the American Cancer Society, P.O. Box 8217, Jackson, MS 39284-8217.

MARVIE LEE HARRISON

Marvie Lee Harrison, 93, passed away Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2016 at his home in Coffeeville.

Harr is o n served in the United St a t e s Army as an Automatic Rifleman during WWII where he received many medals for his service in combat, including the Purple Heart and Bronze Star Medal.

Visitation was held Saturday, Feb. 20, 2016 at First Baptist Church of Coffeeville. Funeral services followed with Bro. Greg Baker, Bro. Truman Scarborough, Rev. Charles Lipe and Rev. Larry Kilgore officiating.

Burial followed in the Coffeeville City Cemetery.

BY JOHN DAVIS SPORTS EDITOR

For the first time since he arrived in Oxford, Chad Kelly actually wasn’t the best quarterback on campus Saturday. His uncle Jim, a member of the NFL Hall of Fame, joined his nephew and Godson on stage at the Fellowship of Christian Athlete Breakfast held at the Tad Smith Coliseum.

The two spoke in front of the largest crowd to ever attend the event, which was in its third year. Jim Kelly told the crowd how he grew up Catholic living near Pittsburgh and his early experiences with God. “I was an alter boy. I went to church every Sunday. I never missed mass. I grew up in a family with six boys, Irish-Catholic family.

Through college I went to church, all those things,” Jim Kelly said. “My senior year in college, when I threw my shoulder out and they told me I may never play football again and then being able to be drafted by Buffalo. All the ups and downs like going to four Super Bowls in a row and then not winning them. My faith in the Lord was coming from right in front of me.”

Jim Kelly also talked about the death of his son, Hunter, at the age of 8 and how that impacted him in regards to his walk with Jesus Christ.

“When my son passed away, that was the lowest point in my life. That’s when I started doubting God and started to ask ‘Why are all these things happening to me?’” Jim Kelly said. “It took me a good year and a half to get over that. On April 22, 2007, I knew that No. 1, I wanted to see my son again. And I knew where he was. No. 2, I wanted to walk through my front door and have my two daughters look at their daddy with respect and No. 3, I wanted to love my wife like wives are supposed to be loved. I was going to lose everything if I did not change my way. We all go through things in life, but it’s the attitude that you have. You need to do the right thing. So I changed my life. I’ve been through everything in life and it’s

JOEY BRENT

NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly and Ole Miss quarterback Chad Kelly were the guest speakers at Saturday's Fellowship of Christian Athletes Breakfast.

Over 800 people attended Saturday's FCA Breakfast held inside Tad Smith Coliseum. what you do with it all that counts. I’m proud to say, as I sit here today, that I am a Christian.”

Chad Kelly, who had a fantastic first season with the Rebels in 2015, talked highly about his uncle and the influence that he’s made on his life.

“I learned about playing football and about being the best that you can be every single day,” Chad Kelly said. “Seeing my family come together in such a short time and after such great events, it’s amazing to me. To see all that Uncle Jim has accomplished, it’s

surreal. I can’t believe I’m sitting here next to him and speaking. I can’t believe how God has taken control of my life and to be up here and being next to him, one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play the game, I look up to him and hope one day to come

close to what he’s accomplished.”

Jim Kelly told the crowd, which routinely gave him applause, that his nephew was the hardest worker he has ever been around.

“I never had the work ethic that this guy has. I worked hard, but I’ve seen what he does each and every day and how devoted he is,” Jim Kelly said. “He not only wants to be a great football player but he wants to be a great person. The kids that I have talked to and been around since I came here for a football game and even (Friday) night when we were going to dinner, to see the kids look up to him and to see how he reacts with them, it’s amazing to see how much he’s grown up in just a few years. I’m proud to say that this is my nephew and my Godson and a man who is making a difference in young kids’ lives. I am so proud.” john.davis@journalinc.com Twitter: @oxfordcitizenjd

OXFORD CITIZEN

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2016

Learn about criminal justice The Oxford Newcomers Club and the Oxford and Lafayette County Retiree Attraction Program present: Gain a better understanding of the U.S. criminal justice system. In sessions March 8 and March 15 commencing at 10 in the morning, in the Chamber of Commerce conference room, Don Mason, former prosecutor and retired faculty member at the University of Mississippi School of Law, will explain the stages in state or federal criminal procedure, from investigation through punishment, using examples from real-life cases. On March 16, the series will conclude with a tour of the Mississippi State Penitentiary in Parchman. The public is invited. To register, RSVP to talleyj1946@gmail.com no later than March 2.

OPD makes arrests

Officers with the Oxford Police Department netted two important felony arrests on Wednesday and Thursday.

On Wednesday, Nicholas Brown was taken into custody on the charge of burglary. The OPD served an arrest warrant with one count of Burglary of a Commercial Building (97-17-33).

Brown was Brown arrested after officers were able to identify him breaking into WingStop over the weekend. Brown’s bond was set at $5,000.

On Thursday, officers of the Oxford Police Department responded to BancorpSouth in reference to a subject on scene attempting to cash a fraudulent check.

Officers made contact with Jeremy Coleman and found that Coleman had cashed other fraudulent checks over the past several days. Coleman was arColeman rested for Uttering Forgery and was taken be-

DEXMEDIA RIBBON CUTTING CEREMONY

BRIEFING fore Judge Mickey Avent for his Initial Appearance.

Coleman’s bond was set at $5,000.

Leadership Lafayette celebrates 28 years The Oxford-Lafayette County Chamber of Commerce kicked off its 2016 class of the Leadership Lafayette program in January and will run through September. The program began in 1988 and celebrates 28 years of leadership with this year's class.

“I am very excited about this year’s program,” said Torie White, Leadership Lafayette chair. “They are a remarkable group, and we anticipate the work they will do through their projects will enrich our community. We are also eager to see them use their skills to get involved in different facets of the community beyond the program.”

The 2016 class includes: Cade Clanton, Hayden Fiduciary Management Firm; Reggie Clayton, Titanium Services, LLC; Lisa Coleman, The Salvation Army; Seth Gaines, City of Oxford Park Commission; Allison Garner, FNC, Inc.; Chris Glaze, KNS Medical, Inc.; Mike Gooch, Baptist Memorial Hospital NM; Amy Goodin, Boys and Girls Club of North MS; Alison Green, Oxford School District; Amy Hartley, BancorpSouth Mortgage; Campbell Helveston, FNB Oxford Bank; Caitlin Hopper, Yoknapatawpha Arts Council; Laura Martin, McLean Institute for Public Service and Community Engagement; Jason McCormick, University of Mississippi; Hardie Meeks, Oxford Police Department; Andy Miller, Trustmark National Bank; Emery Newsom, Baptist Memorial Hospital NM; Nikki Paine, The Oxford Eagle; Rebecca Phillips, The University of MS Mu-

PAGE 5

seum; Meredith Pittman, The Second Line; Cassidy Shoemake, TeleSouth Communications; Nathan Smith, Visit Oxford; Lee Ann Stubbs, Visit Oxford; Cory Swain, Dex Media; Ward Toler, CSpire; Corey Ussery, Lee Family Dental; Deetra Wiley, University of Mississippi.

This nine-month course is designed to ensure the continuity of leadership in the Lafayette-Oxford-University community. The class training builds community leaders through shared knowledge, skills and experience. The program emphasizes developing leadership skills through activities promoting community awareness, team building and project development.

Objectives of the Leadership Lafayette Program are to: (1) Identify potential community leaders; (2) Develop individual leadership potential; (3) Acquire knowledge about community and current issues in Lafayette County; (4) Create dialogue and rapport among participants and current community leaders; (5) Provide opportunities to network with alumni of prior Leadership Lafayette programs; and (6) Promote a sense of “community” through shared efforts benefiting the local community.

“The Leadership Lafayette steering committee has been diligently working on details of the program, planning the sessions, speakers and agendas,” said Pam Swain, Leadership Lafayette program administrator and Senior Vice President of the Chamber of Commerce.

“These volunteers have been through this program and similar programs and have spent countless hours ensuring that each session is of great value and interest to the class.”

We want to hear from you Let us know how we’re doing.

Call us at (662) 380-5409, write to us at P.O. Box 1176, Oxford, MS 38655, email us at mail@oxfordcitizen.com or visit us online at oxfordcitizen.com.

COURTESY

The Oxford Lafayette County Chamber held a ribbon cutting for one of its newest members DexMedia. They partner with small and medium-sized businesses to help one get more customers, create greater visibility on the internet and can help build a strong message so customers are more likely to choose you over your competition. Contact Cory Swain, Digital Marketing Consultant for more information (662) 816-2791.

ANYTIME FITNESS RIBBON CUTTING

COURTESY

The Oxford Lafayette County Chamber held a Ribbon Cutting for Anytime Fitness located at 2134 Jackson Avenue West. Anytime Fitness is a 24-hour health and fitness club. The company operates over 2,700 franchised locations in 19 countries. The gym facilities are open 24 hours a day, 365 days out of the year. For more information please contact them at (662) 259-2296.

PAGE 6

OXFORD CITIZEN

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2016

Annual Empty Bowls Fundraiser The annual Empty Bowls fundraiser was held this past Tuesday at Oxford-University Methodist Church. Several different restaurants donated soups for the event. All proceeds of the event went to The Pantry in Oxford. Photos by Joey Brent.

OXFORD CITIZEN

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2016

PAGE 7

Film Festival premieres community film ‘Once A Month’

BY CHANING GREEN NEWS WRITER

Thursday night, the Oxford Film Festival had its public kickoff ceremony in conjunction with Thacker Mountain Radio at The Lyric, where they premiered this year’s community film “Once A Month.”

The community film in the Oxford Film Festival is a 100 percent local production. It is always shot somewhere in Oxford and features a local director, cast and production team.

“Once A Month” is the screen adaptation of a play written by Kate Leslie, which is in turn loosely based off of a Tom Franklin short story. Franklin’s son, Thomas, makes an appearance in the film.

The film has been described as a dark comedy and begins with a husband, Tom, and wife, Tina, discussing whether or not their nice older neighbor will be joining them for their monthly dinner together since her husband died. Soon the doorbell rings and when Tom opens the door to greet his neighbor, he gets quite the surprise.

This is Walker’s film directorial

“Film is very different from theatre, but it is not something unfamiliar to me,” Walker said.

“So, taking on the task of directing was not that daunting. The main difference is that in theatre, you have more rehearsal time with weeks of trial and error and working out problems before showing to the public.

On the other hand, there is usually very little rehearsal in film, and the actual filming part of making a movie can go by fairly quickly depending on the length of the film. Only after filming does the editing process come in where problems are solved, and editing can and usually does take longer than the actual filming.”

Filming for “Once A Month” was completed in a day, but, as Walker suggested, the editing process took a bit longer. For the editing, musical scoring and the short, behind-the-scenes documentary that accompanies COURTESY OF THE OXFORD FILM FESTIVAL the film to be completed, it took The Oxford Film Festival’s 2016 community film “Once A Month” premiered Thursday night. about four and a half months. A lot of work went into making debut. She has long been an ac- has been an actor, director, proThough Walker can usually be the film the best that it could be. tive member of the Oxford arts ducer and singer. She also served found perfecting her craft on chaning.green@journalinc.com community. While working in as president of the Yoknapataw- stage, she is not a newbie when it Twitter: chaningthegreen Oxford’s theater community, she pha Arts Council. comes to film.

MAPEL FROM PAGE 1

Sarah Bailey, who is pursing her doctorate in educational leadership, to put together a list of all the professors of educational leadership in the state of Mississippi. She had the list to him the next day and Fowler then began the process of organizing the conference. He said the response was overwhelming.

He was expecting to get one person from each institution, but soon two or three were signing up until he had nearly 40 educational professionals ready to attend the conference and several others who were interested but had scheduling conflicts.

Speaking at the event in person were James Berry and Valerie Storey. Berry is the executive director of NCPEA, and Storey is president-elect of the Florida Association of Professors of Educational Leadership.

The pair gave speeches about how their respective organizations operate and the logistics of what it takes to keep them up and running.

CHANING GREEN

Attendees of the first ever MAPEL conference pose in front of the Lyceum steps.

“I’m so excited to be here because, right now, everything is so turbulent in the field of education,” Storey said. “It essential the that the profession have a voice at the table of the legislature. The fact that Mississippi didn’t have an association was critical. I came over as presidentelect from Florida to support and give operational advice as to what the members in Florida do and how we’ve got an increasing voice with the legislature.”

Berry said that his job forces him to examine the

big picture of what this meeting could implicate.

“As the NCPEA executive director, I take the big picture,” Berry said. “Every one of the persons in this room is in a situation where they can have impact on the education of kids in the state of Mississippi. For me personally, it’s not just about Mississippi, if we can do what they’re doing here in Vermont, New York, California, we’re gonna raise the level.” chaning.green@journalinc.com Twitter: chaningthegreen

OXFORD CITIZEN

PAGE 8

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2016

Lyles named Lafayette County School District’s Teacher of the Year medium sized dry erase board set into a side wall of the classroom that has a detailed schedule of how the class is to be run in case Ms. Marcie is to miss. It tells which groups should be at what table working on what for how long, among other details. It looks like a lot, but Ms. Marcie said that when you are doing it everyday and enjoying things, it is not so complicated.

Ms. Marcie took a nontraditional route to becoming a teacher. She earned a bachelor’s degree over the course of 14 years at the University of South Alabama. During that time, she raised a son and operated a daycare out of her home and worked at different daycares. She also spent several years working as a teaching assistant at different schools. She could usually be found working in the same school her son was attending. No matter the job she was holding down, she was working with kids and gaining invaluable experience.

Before completing her teaching certification and coming to the Lafayette

BY CHANING GREEN NEWS WRITER

Marcia Lyles has been named Lafayette County School District’s District Teacher of the Year. She has been with the school district for about six years. Her students know her simply as Ms. Marcie.

Ms. Marcie’s classroom is down the left hall of Lafayette Upper Elementary School. It is a large classroom with several tables at different points in the room with chairs around them. The tables are spread out far enough to give the students and teachers plenty of room to move around. The semi-open floor plan, bright colors and cubby-lined wall give the room a spread out feel that is not confining or restrictive. In this classroom, Ms. Marcie teaches third, fourth and fifth grade special education students.

The students congregate at the different tables working on a particular skill for a predetermined amount of time or until a certain criteria is met. There is a

County School District, Ms. Marcie briefly worked as a teaching assistant in DeSoto County. She worked in a classroom made up entirely of kids on different points of the Autism spectrum. She had originally intended to work with kindergartners, but after her experience working in DeSoto County, she knew that special education was where she wanted to be.

She said that working with special needs students is challenging but immediately rewarding in that she gets to help these kids better understand themselves and the world around them.

“I’ve been pulled to the behavior aspect,” Ms. Marcie said. “Students with disabilities struggle with being able to understand their behaviors. A lot of them don’t have that process of ‘okay, what am I doing wrong here?’ That’s what pulled me to it to begin with. I want to help them grow and help them figure out what the better choice is going to be.”

PHOTO BY CHANING GREEN

chaning.green@journalinc.com Twitter: chaningthegreen

Marcia Lyles, Lafayette County School District's District Teacher of the Year, stands outside of her classroom at Lafayette County Upper Elementary School.

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Skelton picks Parker to lead NWCC Rangers

B

JOEY BRENT

ubba Skelton, the athletics director at Northwest Mississippi Community College, had a tough decision to make this week. Or maybe better put, his decision had to be right, and the best one for more than just one reason.

Those are never easy.

Skelton was in charge of selecting the next football coach to lead the Rangers.

Yes, there were others involved in the process, but when you’re the AD, everything comes back on your choice. Skelton and NWCC could have opened up the process, but instead, decided that Benjy Parker was the right person for the job.

Parker was the assistant coach with the most experience on staff, serving as the Rangers’ defensive coordinator the past two years under the departed Jack Wright.

The Bruce native said he was interested in the job as soon as Jack Wright left to lead the offensive line at Southern Miss. Wright recommended NWCC elevate Parker, so it was up to Skelton to make that call, to listen to the advice and figure out what was the best course of action for the players.

“Keeping our staff cohesive and keeping our staff together was a major deal that we wanted to accomplish,” Skelton said. “And we think we’ve done that. Our players that are returning deserve that, and our coaching staff that was here deserve that. They are the ones that made this happen last year for us. They were major parts of it and we wanted, first of all, to try and keep our guys together that made the national championship run last year.”

The Rangers were the best team in the NJCAA ranks last year in large part because of the job Parker did with the defense. The unit was very reliable, very consistent, week in and week out. Parker has a lot of experience in the MACJC and he has been a coach at the next level, serving eight years at Troy University.

“We thought those two things were a TURN TO RANGERS PAGE 19

Oxford's Chargers won the Division 2-5A Tournament Friday night by defeating Saltillo 63-56 in the OHS gym.

Hanging tough Oxford clamps down on D to win 2-5A

BY JOHN DAVIS SPORTS EDITOR

Jarkel Joiner is this year’s Most Valuable Player in Division 2-5A. On Friday night, he and the rest of the Oxford Chargers, guarded their most valuable possession, the 25A trophy, with a great defensive effort.

Joiner led the Chargers on offense in a 63-56 win over Saltillo. He finished with 27 points, but it was defense that really decided the contest, and kept the trophy in town for another season.

Joiner, joined in a post-game interview with teammate DK Metcalf, felt experience made a difference.

“We know what this feels like. We’ve been here and we know how to play through crowds. Now we’re at home and they had to play through our crowd,” Joiner said. “Me and DK, we’re experienced, so we just led our troops. It was fun.”

Saltillo was the team that the Chargers (19-9 overall)

wanted a piece of in the title game. The Tigers (19-9) embarrassed Oxford late last month on the road, and in the first meeting, it took overtime for the Chargers to hold off the Tigers. Needless to say, Friday night’s win was very, very sweet.

TURN TO OXFORD PAGE 17

Lady Chargers hold off West Point to win 2-5A title

BY JOHN DAVIS SPORTS EDITOR

Oxford’s Lady Chargers won their second straight Division 2-5A Tournament by beating West Point 72-67.

Emma Schultz had sweat pouring off her headband all during Friday night’s Division 25A championship game with West Point in the OHS gym. If you played 32 straight minutes, you would be sweating as well.

Schultz and the Lady Chargers didn’t let a little perspiration get into their ways as they held on to defeat the Lady Green Wave 7267 to win the title.

The win was significant in so many ways for the Lady Chargers. It was their 16th straight TURN TO LADY CHARGERS PAGE 17

JOEY BRENT

OXFORD CITIZEN

PAGE 14

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2016

DONICA PHIFER

Lafayette's Lady Commodores defeated Byhalia to win the Division 2-4A title Friday night in Ripley. They will host Shannon in the Class 4A playoffs Monday night at 7.

Making headlines Lafayette rallies past Byhalia in 2-4A title game

BY JOHN DAVIS SPORTS EDITOR

It may have been Shaniyah Buford’s shot from half court.

It may have been the comefrom-behind win over Ripley on Tuesday. Whatever inspired the Lafayette Lady Commodores in the second half, it lead to a 48-36 win over Byhalia Friday night.

For the first time since 2011, the Lady Commodores are Division 2-4A Tournament champions. And for the first time since that team won 25 games overall, the Lady Commodores have 20 wins in a season.

Buford finished with 25 points in the victory. Her 3pointer from just about the center stripe was part of her explosive night for the Lady Commodores, who trailed 2518 at the break. Lafayette got stronger as the game went on, coach Shayne Linzy said.

Lafayette managed just three points in the first quarter, with

him saying the offense “struggled badly” on that side of the court.

“We picked things up in the second quarter, but we weren’t able to slow Byhalia down.

They actually outscored in the second as well,” Linzy said. “We actually told the girls that we were in this at the half, that we’re in good shape because we knew the ball just wasn’t falling in for us. We felt like once it started falling in for us, we would be in great shape.”

Linzy said in order for that to happen, some things had to change on both sides of the court. His defense changed, while different people were put in different spots on offense.

“The girls adjusted really well and things worked out the way we had hoped. We were better defensively and offensively in that second half,” Linzy said adding Buford hit another gear. “I think she has made that commit-

ment to win, and the other girls are buying in. Shaniyah has had some ups and downs in the games, but her energy and aggressiveness is really paying off. It’s spreading to the other girls. They’re being more patient when necessary and more aggressive when necessary. It seems like the vibe on the team is really upbeat right now.”

Even though the Lady Commodores knew they were in the MHSAA Class 4A playoffs and at home on Monday, Linzy stressed playing with urgency.

“I wanted them to play like this was going to be their last game. It took a little bit to get going, but once we did, it just continued to roll,” he added.

Shannon’s Lady Red Raiders are up next for Lafayette Monday night at home. Tipoff for that 4A playoff contest is set for 7 p.m. john.davis@journalinc.com Twitter: @oxfordcitizenjd

Lafayette's Orianna Shaw drives to the basket during Friday's game with Byhalia.

OXFORD CITIZEN

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2016

PAGE 15

Oxford’s Mighty Half & 5K praised by runners

BY JOHN DAVIS SPORTS EDITOR

Ever since Peter Kazery was age 10 or 11, he’s been on the streets or a course running for enjoyment. His love of running brought him to Oxford Saturday as he competed in the inaugural Run Oxford event, the Mighty Half and 5K. Kazery won the half marathon with a time of one hour, 15:13 minutes, good for a 5:44 per mile average.

The Jackson native, who ran four years at West Alabama, is using events like this around the state, and in other parts of the country, to train for the marathon in 2020 Olympic trials.

“It’s awesome. You look at how they’re starting it off.

The course was challenging. Rolling hills? Definitely not easy,” Kazery said. “I did a half marathon last week and I finished really strong in it. I didn’t really have the legs behind me.

This week, it just had a different flavor for each part of the path.”

JOHN DAVIS | OXFORD CITIZEN

Peter Kazery won the Mighty Half & 5K title Saturday by finishing with a time of one hour, 15:13 minutes.

Kazery ran solo the entire time meaning he wasn’t pushed by anyone late in order to make him finish just a little faster.

“I have to dig within myself if I’m feeling bad or

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ishing up at the Manning Center. Tidwell, who got his undergraduate degree and attended law school at Ole Miss, had no problem with anything.

“It was like getting a tour of campus and just how great things are going here,” Tidwell said. “The facility here, The Pavilion, it’s all just breathtaking to get to run through campus like that. I’ll be coming back.

There are so many good, health related events here around Ole Miss and Oxford, I think this will draw a lot of people from this part of the state.”

A total of 550 people took part in either the half marathon or the 5K. Russell Maloney was the top male finisher in the 5K with a time of 18 minutes, 8.5 seconds. Page Rowland was the top female finisher in the 5K with a 20:24. Jessica Clarke was the top female finisher in the half marathon with a 1:31.

thing here. You take three steps forward and one step back. You have to train within yourself.”

If Oxford offers other runs that Kazery can participate in, he will be back.

That’s how impressed he was with the entire event.

“I’m just out of grad school and I have different job positions to where I might be going to Iowa or New York, so if I’m here, I would love to come back, especially after they did such a phenomenal job,” he said. “They had people at every turn. And it’s only going to get better, especially since they set the bar so high on the first time.

The volunteers were great and Marvin King, Mr. King, is just an amazing guy.”

Kazery went on say that the racing community in Oxford is as good, or better, than any place in the state.

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PAGE 16

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2016

McEwen’s improvement has been key for Rangers

BY JOHN DAVIS SPORTS EDITOR

Shelby McEwen is still flying about the rim and dunking basketballs through for two points. The former Oxford High standout has been playing 45 miles away in Senatobia for the Northwest Mississippi Community College Rangers.

McEwen hasn’t started any games for head coach Bubba Skelton, but he’s played in every contest. He is averaging just under 5 points per game, and just over 2 rebounds per contest in 12 minutes of action. Not bad for a freshman on a team with 14 players on the roster.

“He’s a very athletic kid and he’s really bought into playing hard on both sides of the court,” Skelton said.

“As is typical of guys coming out of high school to this level, he’s trying to find his niche as far as where his strengths are and what he can do better. He works really hard at his game and he’s a major contributor for us. He’s helped us make the playoffs, and been a major part of it.”

The Rangers are 16-7 on the year, and 8-4 in the MACJC North Division standings. They are just coming off a 76-61 win over East Mississippi. To put the season in perspective, the Rangers are only returning two players from last season and have already won five

NORTHWEST MISSISSIPPI COMMUNITY COLLEGE ATHLETICS

Former Oxford High basketball standout Shelby McEwen has contributed to the success of the Rangers this season on both offense and defense. more games. The MACJC tournament is set to take place Monday through Thursday. Skelton said that McEwen has gotten a lot better shooting the ball as a whole.

“It is something he still has to work on as far as 3point line. That’s something

that we want him to be able to do,” Skelton said. “He has no problem about getting to the rim. I just think the biggest concentration for us is getting to be as good as he can on defense because his defense can turn into offense. He’s quick and long and athletic and he is doing

some things for us.”

McEwen currently plays the shooting guard or small forward role in games, and that means he is always going up against a good offensive player.

“You don’t get a night off at those spots defensively like you might at some oth-

ers. It is something that he has really locked on to and I can only see good things for Shelby moving forward,” Skelton said adding he felt like the range is the next big improvement to make. “He’s going to probably be playing this position at the next level, so I would say his ball handling. It’s a different deal when you’re playing every minute of every game in high school to when you’re rotating and switching minutes in and out. All of those kids that are really good high school players have to get adjusted to that at this level their freshman year.”

There have been some big games from an offensive standpoint for McEwen, who felt like his first year had progressed well overall. He finished with a season-high 19 points in a game with Faith Prep Academy this past November. He has garnered double-digit minutes the last three games of the regular season, which backs up his desire to give his all.

“I feel like I’m in my comfort zone now. I feel like I have gotten better with my free throws and my jump shot,” McEwen said. “I’ve been working hard and continuing to progress all the way up through the season as we head into the state tournament.”

McEwen said the Rangers have bonded, since the first day of practice, and as a whole, the team is one big

happy family.

“We have each others back, night in and night out,” said McEwen, who was very upbeat about what the Rangers could do going into the contest with EMCC. Everybody wanted to see McEwen dunk when they came to an Oxford game.

McEwen feels like better defensive play has made him a better player overall.

“I’m getting a lot of deflections on balls and in transition, when I get a break away dunk, the crowd, they already know to look for it,” McEwen said. “I slam it down with authority.”

In the offseason, McEwen wants to improve his skills as a ball handler. He also wants to get stronger and more explosive.

This past fall, McEwen recorded a grade point average of 3.4. He added that he is enjoying his classes and his teachers and working hard.

McEwen still keeps up with the Chargers and he was very excited about what they could do in the Class 5A playoffs.

“Based on what I know, I talked with (Jarkel Joiner) after that big win over West Point, and the other coaches, it seems like the team has come together in order to get on down the road,” McEwen said.

John.davis@journalinc.com Twitter: @oxfordcitizenjd

Chargers, Lady Chargers take second in recent action

BY JOHN DAVIS SPORTS EDITOR

Two second-place finishes is what the Oxford Chargers and Lady Chargers garnered in a recent powerlifting competition held in the OHS gym. The Chargers totaled 52 points in the Region 1-5A meet.

Lifters compete in bench press, deadlift and squat.

Tias Hilliard took first place in 148-pound division. Jacquez Neilson took home first in the super heavyweight division, while Alex Le was first in the 132. Hilliard total 1,115 pounds overall, while Le totaled 995. Neilson finished with a total of 1,460.

Brandon Hill was second

in the 275-pound division, while Nick Sisk was third in the same category. Hill finished with 1,385 pounds, while Sisk had a 1,350. DQ Thomas was second in the 198 class with a 1,225. Kent Hickinbottom was second in the 220-pound class with a 1,205.

Third-place finishers for the Chargers included Luis Morales (114), DT Thompson (198) and Xavier Herod (220). Morales totaled 515 pounds. Thompson totaled 1,220. Herod recorded a 1,200.

David Torrent finished fourth in the 132 division, while Peyton Schiller was fourth in the 242 class.

Lake Cormorant’s Gators won first place to capture

the title. They also had 52 team points like the Chargers, but they had four lifters finish in first.

LADY CHARGERS Vallerie Coleman took first in the Class 3, Region 1 meet in the 148-pound division. Kayla Wheeler, Anterria Hardaway and Quinn Harris also too first in the 105, show and 181 classes. Chiquita Sanders finished second in the 123 class, while Haley Clark was second behind Coleman in the 148 class. In the 181 class, Samaya Clayton was third overall with a 530.

JOHN DAVIS

john.davis@journalinc.com Twitter: @oxfordcitizenjd

Oxford's Nick Sisk finished third in the 275-pound division at last week's region meet. The Chargers took second with 52 points.

OXFORD CITIZEN

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2016

Oxford FROM PAGE 13

“We wanted to just rub it in their face. And they rubbed it in our face with their student section,” said Metcalf, who finished with 16 points and had three blocks on defense. “We had a rowdy student section come out and they did their job. They made a big difference in the game. They got the job done. It really gave Saltillo some problems.”

Metcalf said the Chargers played very well on defense from a man-to-man standpoint, adding it was the best he had seen all year.

“We weren’t fouling as much and still stayed aggressive,” said Joiner, who also thought Hiram Wadlington did a good job off the bench from a defensive standpoint.

Oxford coach Drew Tyler used just seven players to defeat Saltillo.

That was two nights after playing just six in the win over West Point.

The fewer numbers only seemed to make the Chargers more efficient on both ends of the court.

“We shrink our numbers on substitutions and the numbers of bodies that decrease through our rotation, it seems like we’re playing to our strengths better,” Tyler said. “We kind of know our identity. The reason we are subbing is we’re subbing defense for offense and we will do that all the way through to the Jackson Coliseum. Sometimes team play goes up be-

cause of who doesn’t play because as people come off the bench, they’re trying to get into that flow. Some aren’t just like a microwave and they’re warm.”

Wadlington was the microwave in this case, at least from a defensive standpoint, Friday night.

“And as we go through that six- and seven-man rotation, we know where the ball needs to be, we know our strengths and we’re staying away from low percentage play,” Tyler said.

“We’re keeping Metcalf and Cole Cromwell close to the goal and we’re letting Christopher Sandroni find his way on the wing and on the opposite side of the ball so that the opponent really has to pick and choose how they send a second body at Joiner. And if they do that, it allows Terry Williams to go rebound. And Terry hits the stat book in a way that is so beneficial to our team,” he said.

Oxford will now be off until Saturday and play the winner of LanierCanton at home. The rest will do the Chargers well, but only if they stay focused.

“We can’t go half speed at practice. We have to go full speed and now we have to prepare ourselves for next Saturday,” Metcalf said.

“We have stay cool and calm and collected,” Joiner said. “That’s the big thing. We’re going to let this momentum carry us into this Saturday. We have to stay mellow.” john.davis@journalinc.com Twitter: @oxfordcitizenjd

Lady Chargers FROM PAGE 13

victory, giving them 24 on the season out of 28 games. It was a second straight tournament title win, and a sixth straight win over West Point.

Schultz, who finished with 15 points in the win, was super happy just a few minutes after the victory. She said that she still had energy to do whatever was left that night.

“To win the district championship is just amazing in general.

We have now beaten them six in a row, and that’s very difficult,” Schultz said. “They busted their

PAGE 17

Lafayette’s Commodores showed improvement, looking to next season

BY JOHN DAVIS SPORTS EDITOR

Lafayette’s Commodores ended their season on the basketball court in the first round of the just concluded Division 2-4A Tournament. It was not the kind of finish coach John Sherman had in mind, and he certainly didn’t expect his team to react in the fashion they did.

He felt good about his team heading into the contest. Lafayette fell behind early and never recovered in a game that resulted in a 59-41 loss.

There were a lot of opportunities for the Commodores to jump out to a good start, but they just didn’t handle the slow start well.

“We didn’t play as a team, we didn’t react well as a team,” Sherman said following the loss. “We

Sherman said he felt good on the season as a whole. The ending, however, made it tougher to look at the positives, but the Commodores did win six of their 20 games after going 0-13 the year previously.

“We didn’t meet my expectations. We did do so some good things. We got more wins on the board this year than they did last year,” Sherman said. “I did have a little higher expectations and we just didn’t get there. A lot of things need to be changed as far as the way we play. I challenged them at halftime to show some heart, and I JOHN DAVIS | OXFORD CITIZEN think they did. They Lafayette's Jonah Matlock and the rest of the Commodores showed some character, made some progress as a team even if they had an early exit so that I was pleased with. in the Division 2-4A Tournament.

It’s a bad taste in your mouth and we look to get didn’t react together. Men- they weren’t prepared better next year.” tally, we just self destruc- mentally. I take all the john.davis@journalinc.com ted. I did a poor job of credit for that. We got beat Twitter: @oxfordcitizenjd preparing them because in every aspect.”

Everything works well for Rebels in 2016 opener FROM OXFORD CITIZEN REPORTS

Everything went according to plan for the No. 24 Ole Miss Rebels in their baseball season opener.

The perfect weather helped set a new opening day record crowd of 10,129. Brady Bramlett retired the first 11 Florida International batters he faced, and the Rebels garnered 10 hits, and some early runs en route to the

butts, but we worked harder.”

The hard work for the Lady Chargers the next week will involve practice, and scouting for coach Cliff Ormon. A week away from facing another opponent all made possible with the win. Oxford will not play again until Friday, at home, in the MHSAA Class 5A playoffs. If the Lady Chargers win that one, they’re on to Jackson to compete in the state tournament. Schultz said it was great to finally get a rest.

“We have some people that are injured that can come back,” she sai. “It will be good. We can get out and scout some teams. We’ve taken it one game at a time. I’ve been praying so hard for this, but

9-2 win at Oxford-University Stadium.

Ole Miss improved to 15-1 in season openers under coach Mike Bianco.

Friday’s attendance was the sixth best in the history of the program.

“When you play like we did today on opening day, you’re proud and you’re excited,” Bianco said.

“Bramlett really filled up the strike zone, and with a lot of good at bats and a lot

I know it’s God’s plan and I know he’s in charge of all of it. This is a major blessing, and just trying to take it one game at a time. I try not to get too far into the future.”

Ormon had nothing but praise for Schultz, and the Lady Chargers in general. Maggee Hobson had another fantastic night, scoring 24 points. Aliyah Herod was also very good, finishing with 15 points to round out the scoring ledger.

“It wasn’t just being on the floor. It was breaking the press. It was handling the ball, hitting free throws late,” Ormon said of Schultz. “She played a great game. It was a total team effort.”

West Point was down over 20 points in the first half, but a push

of aggressive at-bats from our offense, it looked good on day one.”

Sophomore Tate Blackman his first career home run in the win, while junior Errol Robinson collected his first career triple.

Blackman was a standout at the plate with two hits, two runs and two RBIs. Robinson finished with two hits, while JB Woodman also had two hits in the win.

in the third quarter made the ending a lot more interesting, and frantic for the OHS faithful.

Ormon’s team scored 40 points in the first half, and he felt the effort was as impressive any this year.

“I couldn’t have been prouder of our execution. It was good as we have looked and getting what we wanted,” Ormon said. “We talked though at the half that it’s playoffs, it’s runs. They became the aggressive team in the second half and we wanted that clock to run, and it wasn’t. We fouled and got them to the free-throw line. It made for a long game.”

Down the stretch, the Lady Chargers hit their free throws.

Schultz and Hobson alone were

Bramlett (1-0) struck out six FIU (0-1) batters and allowed just one hit in five innings. He didn’t allow a hit until the fourth inning.

Sophomore David Parkinson threw 2.2 scoreless innings and freshman Dallas Woolfolk closed the game tossing a scoreless inning in his first appearance on the mound for Ole Miss. Woolkfolk sent the Panthers down in order to close out the contest.

17 of 26 collectively.

“A lot of wins have been big, but knowing what was on the line, and having all the players that had to come in and step up, it was great seeing that,” Ormon said. “We had two freshmen come in late in the game and hit two baskets under pressure. So proud. This was one that tests you and gets you ready for what can happen during the year. It didn’t go our way, but our kids didn’t panic. They didn’t pout, they just continued to work hard and do their job. We found a way to win.” john.davis@journalinc.com Twitter: @oxfordcitizenjd

Citizen

PAGE 18

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SPORTS IN DEPTH

FROM PAGE 13

plus for him,” Skelton said. “This was a work in progress. We working on things, but before we complete everything, we had to have Jack’s resignation also.”

Making a final decision sooner than later was deemed the best way to go, Skelton said.

“You don’t want those other assistant coaches sitting and wondering whether they were going to be working here or who they were going to be working for,” Skelton added. “We wanted that cleared up right from the bat, that they were a main point of ours. There really wasn’t a timetable on it, but we wanted something quick for our players so they could have somebody in place that was over the top of them and know that the rest of the staff was going to be with them. We wanted to keep our offseason program in place for them. Then the last thing you throw in is you have the guys that you just signed. The guys that are here are the ones that were out on the road signing them. I just thought it was a plus all the way around.”

As for Parker, Skelton only had praise for his ability as a coach, and the kind of person he is.

“I think he was a very good defensive coordinator for us and very instrumental in our success this past year. We thought his defense continually got better as the year went along,” Skelton said. “Benjy has good people skills. He’s got a great personality. He’s easy to work with. I think at that junior college level you run into a deal as a head coach to where you are working with a lot of people on campus. You have to in order to have success. With the hats that you wear at this level, you’re dealing with a financial aid director.

You’re dealing with admissions. Just everything from the top to the bottom. At this level, you have to be able to get along with everyone and

PAGE 19

PREP BASKETBALL

FRIDAY’S RESULTS DIVISION 2-5A TOURNAMENT AT OXFORD HIGH SCHOOL Oxford (G) 72, West Point 67 West Point 11 8 25 23 — 67 Oxford 22 18 11 21 — 72 Leading scorers: Oxford — Maggee Hobson 24, Aliyah Herod 15, Emma Schultz 15. West Point – Qiayon Bailey 23.

Records: Oxford 24-4; West Point 20-9.

Note: Oxford wins Division 2-5A Tournament title for second straight season.

Oxford (B) 63, Saltillo 56 Oxford 11 18 16 18 — 63 Saltillo 19 9 11 17 — 56 Leading scorers: Oxford — Jarkel Joiner 27, DK Metcalf 16, Terry Williams 13.

Saltillo – Jawon Smith 16, Jason Smith 16.

Records: Oxford 19-9; Saltillo 19-9.

Note: Oxford wins Division 2-5A Tournament title for second straight season.

NORTHWEST MISSISSIPPI COMMUNITY COLLEGE ATHLETICS

Benjy Parker was promoted from defensive coordinator to head football coach at Northwest Mississippi Community College. work with them and I think he will do a great job of that.”

When Parker first found out that Wright was on his way to Hattiesburg, he had a lot of thoughts running through his mind. One of them was the desire to take over.

“There was no hesitation. I knew I wanted this job and I’m very, very grateful to have it,” Parker said. “I hoped and wished that they would consider me. I didn’t know how the process was going to work. I didn’t know what to expect. I’m just very thankful to the administration, and Dr. (Gary) Spears and Bubba. They have been great. I’m just really excited that they chose me.”

There is one position left to fill on the staff now. It will be on the offensive side of the ball. (Wright coached the quarterbacks and called the plays). Dates for spring practice have not been decided on due to the opening.

“We do want to make sure we get the right hire for us and Northwest and our players. We’re in the middle

of our winter workouts and we’re grinding and I love it,” Parker said.

“It’s just a fun time for everybody.

Working with these players, it’s awesome. It’s all about them. The staff that we got, I’m so fired up for them because they’re great coaches. They understand it’s all about the players.

I want to push them to make them the best they can be. We want to do that as coaches as well.”

The MACJC is an offensive league, so a good defense, that at least can make some stops, is a key. Parker knows that in order to deal with a team that can spread the ball out with dynamic athletes, defense is key.

“We’re going to stress as a team deal and in all three phases, offense, defense, special teams, we’re going to be the best that we can be,” Parker said.

John Davis is the Oxford Citizen sports editor.

He can be reached at john.davis@journalinc.com.

Follow him on Twitter at @oxfordcitizenjd.

DIVISION 2-4A TOURNAMENT AT RIPLEY HIGH SCHOOL Lafayette (G) 48, Shannon 36 Lafayette 3 15 10 20 — 48 Byhalia 9 16 5 6 — 36 Leading scorers: Lafayette — Shaniyah Buford 25. Record: Lafayette 20-6.

Note: Mariah Holland had 11 rebounds for Lafyette. Shelbi Buford had five assists.

Lafayette wins first 2-4A Tournament title since 2011.

PREP BASKETBALL PLAYOFFS

NORTH STATE BRACKET MONDAY’S GAMES Class 1A Girls • Blue Mountain at Biggersville • Tremont at Coldwater • Jumpertown at West Union • Hollandale Simmons at Hamilton • Houlka at Shaw • Ashland at Pine Grove • Ray Brooks at Vardaman • Tupelo Christian at Myrtle

TUESDAY’S GAMES Class 1A Boys • West Union at Jumpertown • Smithville at Hollandale Simmons • Pine Grove at Ashland • Mound Bayou JFK at Coffeeville • Tremont at Shaw • Hickory Flat at Biggersville • Ray Brooks at Houlka • Wheeler at Myrtle Class 2A Girls • Coahoma AHS at Ingomar • Winona at West Bolivar • Walnut at West Tallahatchie • Leflore County at East Webster • Bruce at Leland • J.Z. George at Baldwyn • Riverside at Calhoun City • East Union at Coahoma County Class 2A Boys • J.Z. George at Baldwyn

• Winona at West Bolivar • Potts Camp at West Tallahatchie • Riverside at Okolona • Eupora at South Delta • Coahoma AHS at Ingomar • Leland at Calhoun City • Walnut at Coahoma County Class 3A Girls • Charleston at Booneville • South Pontotoc at Humphreys County • Belmont at Independence • Yazoo County at Aberdeen • Mooreville at Velma Jackson • Water Valley at New Site • Amanda Elzy at North Pontotoc • Alcorn Central at Holly Springs Class 3A Boys • North Panola at Kossuth • North Pontotoc at Humphreys County • Alcorn Central at Holly Springs • East Side at Aberdeen • Nettleton at Velma Jackson • Marks Palmer at New Site • Amanda Elzy at Mooreville • Booneville at Independence Class 4A Girls • Senatobia at Corinth • Louisville at Cleveland • Shannon at Lafayette • Greenwood at Leake Central • Houston at Gentry • Ripley at Pontotoc • Raymond at Kosciusko • Itawamba AHS at Byhalia Class 4A Boys • Rosa Fort at Corinth • Louisville at Raymond • Itawamba AHS at Ripley • Yazoo City at Leake Central • Caledonia at Gentry • Byhalia at Pontotoc • Cleveland at Kosciusko • Shannon at New Albany Class 5A Girls • Ridgeland at Grenada • Germantown at Vicksburg • New Hope at Lake Cormorant • Lewisburg at West Point • First Round Bye: Center Hill, Oxford, Holmes Central, Lanier Class 5A Boys • Vicksburg at Holmes Central • Canton at Lanier • New Hope at Clarksdale • Lake Cormorant at Saltillo • First Round Bye: Center Hill, Oxford, Grenada, Ridgeland, Class 6A Girls • Warren Central at Callaway • Madison Central at Greenville • Tupelo at Olive Branch • DeSoto Central at South Panola • First Round Bye: Horn Lake, Columbus, Starkville, Murrah, Brandon Class 6A Boys • Clinton at Callaway • Madison Central at Greenville • Hernando at DeSoto Central • Olive Branch at Tupelo • First Round Bye: Southaven, Columbus, Starkville, Murrah

OXFORD CITIZEN

PAGE 20

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