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Volume 2 | Issue 84
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U.S. POSTAGE PAID OXFORD MS PERMIT # 30 EDITION Sunday, February 7, 2016
Inside 3 News
Reality Fair a fun learning experience at Lafayette High School.
4 Business
CHRIS TODD
The Oxford Lady Chargers celebrate with the trophy after beating West Harrison in the Class 5A game on Saturday at the MHSAA Soccer Championships at Madison Central High School in Madison.
History made
Local business owner also has successful vodka line.
13 Sports
Lady Chargers win first 5A girls soccer title BY JOHN DAVIS SPORTS EDITOR
MADISON – History was made in Saturday’s MHSAA Class 5A girls soccer state title match, and fortunately it was made in favor of the Oxford Lady Chargers. All season long, the Lady Chargers had to prove naysayers wrong, and overcome their own hurdles. The hard work, and bonding, of the summer paid off in the biggest match of the year as the Lady Chargers defeated the West Harrison Lady Hurricanes 21 at Madison Central High. A love for each other was the difference in the win.
Even when the Lady Chargers fell behind 1-0 early, the kept believing. And when Morgan O’Connor scored with just under five minutes left in the contest, all the bonding poured out. “I don’t know what to feel right now. I’m just excited, excited for my team. They just worked all season long and they have done nothing but expect to win,” said firstyear OHS coach Hunter Crane. “It’s my first time here and we were able to come away with it. What a game. You have to give West Harrison all the credit for making TURN TO HISTORY PAGE 5
Oxford’s Morgan O’Connor (11) shoots past West Harrison’s Mikayla Martin (13).
Lady Knights prevent Lafayette from back-to-back soccer titles.
OXFORD CITIZEN
PAGE 2
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2016
Important training Law enforcement shooting range makes officers better BY JOHN DAVIS OXFORD CITIZEN
It was a quiet Thursday at the F.D. “Buddy” East Law Enforcement Training facility. There were empty shell cases on the ground and holes in targets that showed recent activitiy. Ever since the complex was completed just over a decade ago, local law enforcement agents have been able to improve their skills and the tactics used everyday on the job. Scott Mills, the chief deputy of the Lafayette County Sheriff's Department, has spent a lot of time at the range over the last 10 plus years. Training is important part of law enforcement, and better trained officer is good for everyone involved, even those that are in the process of not abiding by the laws. “It's something we hope never happens but when you're faced with taking someone's life, or not take someone's life, that's what we train for,” Mills said. “I think sometimes it's more about restraint than the actually shooting. We try and teach about restraint and when it's necessary to do this and when you're able to divert and things like that. The training is invaluable and the county has built this over many years and the taxpayers and the community have been great to us with the whole project.” All of the local agencies train at the facility. That includes members of the Oxford Police Department, the UPD and then members of the federal branches. “Our hope was to bring those other agencies in because we have so many law enforcement that are stationed in Oxford or around Oxford,” Mills said. “We have state and federal agencies and the all participate and use it. That's making them better officers or agents, whatever the case may be. We have events out here. We are extremely proud of our ladies handgun course. We enjoy that so much. It gives something back to community. That
A plague honoring F.D. "Buddy" East hangs next to the kitchen in the main building located on the property.
JOHN DAVIS | OXFORD CITIZEN
Big cutline: Scott Mills, the chief deputy at the Lafayette County Sheriff's Department, has seen officers use the F.D. "Buddy" East training facility to their advantage over the last decade.
A steel target shows the holes that have been put through it during various training exercises. was also one of our big goals to involve the community and give back.” There is a rifle range and one for pistols. Deputies qualify twice a year, Mills said. Snipers have the ability for longer shots as well. There is an area that officers use like a maze, and a shooting house that simulates a dwelling. That's the training that Mills said is the most valuable from a training standpoint. “Especially for officers that have never been faced with an enclosed situation,” Mills said. “Everything is different. The muzzle blast is different and it affects your hearing differently. The adrenaline involved in it. The room is laid out just like a house. Moving from room to room with furniture and objects in the way. We simulate people being in the way when we have search warrant situations. You have to learn how to deal with people who are not armed and may be in the way. It provides shoot and don't shoot situations.
It's a great tool.” For young officers just starting out, the training provides examples for them moving forward. “It gives them ideas when it is necessary and when it may not be necessary. It teaches them how to control your weapon and how you move through a house,” Mills said. “Some people may be combative but not armed. Some are not combative and not armed. You have all these different types of things going on in the same situation. I think that's what has helped me develop as an officer as I try to help develop other officers.” Outside of the qualification times, the department sets up training sessions, and nine times out of 10, Mills said, the shooting house is used. where our “That's deputies prefer to be because they get so much out of that training,” he said. An annual pistol competition is held during the year. This past year, it was
A picture collage is on display inside the building that holds training classes for officers. opened up to emergency service personnel which include firefighters and ambulance workers. “It was a big success and a lot of fun and those guys got to come out and see some of the ways we train,” Mills said. “It just makes people more familiar with each entity has to do.” Safety courses for hunters have been held on the grounds and the thing Mills gets asked most about is the women's handgun/self defense course. “Just familiarizing our female population with firearms so that they're not
afraid of them and they know how to use it and pick it up and handle it safely is a big thing,” Mills said. “In a worse case scenario, they know how to use it safely and protect their families. That's a great feeling. I think people are amazed at what is offered out there and how far things have come with the shoot house and the static range to the steel plate range. I think they are as proud as we are that we have that in our county and that law enforcement here can train them better.” All of the upkeep is taken care of through the law en-
forcement agency. “We take the membership dues to keep it going and maintained,” Mills said. “We pay the power bill, the building and grounds maintained. The land was donated by Mr. Will Lewis from Neilson's Department Store. As far the items built out there, the county did, the taxpayers, over phases. The road built in to it, the ranges. Our agreement was to keep it going and try to maintain. It's been a great partnership.” john.davis@journalinc.com Twitter: @oxfordcitizenjd
OXFORD CITIZEN
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2016
PAGE 3
Reality Fair a fun learning experience at LHS BY JOHN DAVIS OXFORD CITIZEN
Freshmen at Lafayette High School got a big dose of what being an adult is like Friday when they took part in the annual Reality Fair in the LHS gym. Businesses from around the area helped take part in the event. Local banks, real estate and insurance agents and representatives from companies like Northeast Power took part in the event that is designed to educate youngsters on paying bills, and budgeting money. Tammy Quarles, a counselor at the high school, said the fair is focuses on spending, but more so on their grades. The better grades a student has, the more money they have. Quarles said if she held the event for seniors, it would be much more on the actual bills or how to spend the money. For freshmen, the goal is to mix both together, with an emphasis on good grades right at the start of high school. “All the money they get is from grades they had the first semester. I do it this time of year because when I go in, I talk to them about how important it is starting now that their gpa is a good range,” Quarles said. “That follows them. They have never seen a transcript before. They didn't know that the grades they make in ninth grade, if they go to college or go to get a job that they will see those grades. Some do, but some don't. If they get As and Bs, then they have plenty of
money to make it through the month and most can be savers. If they have Cs, Ds and Fs, they're going to struggle.” Quarles added that students with Cs can make it, but grades lower really put things in a hole because every student has to visit each of the booths. Too many bad grades will put them into the negative from a balance standpoint. “The Ds and Fs, they have $800 a month. They get a debit card and it registers on the back of it” Quarles said. “They have their check based on the grades and even if they run out of money, they have to go every booth. If they have gone to booth four and they are broke and in the negative, they still have to make it to every booth. These are bills they're going to have every single month. This is your housing, utilities, your insurance, cell phone, groceries, car. They even have to pay for health insurance.” The last stop on the fair around the gym is at the banks. Those professionals are in place to look at the deposit slip. “They will talk with them about a register, keeping up with what they spend and they will verify it and make sure they calculated it correctly,” Quarles said. “They will talk to them a little bit about saving and spending and what's important about that. They're either a saver or a spender at the end and they will get a stamp. Once they get a stamp, they will come to the check out booth.”
“Every single freshman, if they are in the building today, they will come to the reality fair instead of going to one of their classes. They have one hour to go to everything and I do a few classes at a time.” Quarles added that she gets a lot of help from the community and she likes to involve them, along with others in the school building, in the fair. “The kids seem to enjoy it and it's my favorite day of the year,” she said. “It used to be a little later in February, but we have such a great basketball team that we have championships and tournaments now that we've moved it to where we're not interfering with JOEY BRENT that so we're not taking away from their gym pracLafayette ninth graders look at the housing options as they take part in the Reality Fair. tice. I've had so much supThe savers received a Pay talking about grades to stu- fun environment, Quarles port with it. It's also a time Day candy bar for their ef- dents that aren't doing said the students do a where I can just talk with forts as a reward. They also well, they're just going to much better job about the kids about life and not just counselor stuff.” get a certificate for a 100 on zone out. They think all is picking up the message. “They realize that they a homework assignment in lost.” Once the students can can turn it around and this any class. If they are a john.davis@journalinc.com spender, the student will get into the gym, in a more helps it stick,” she added. Twitter: @oxfordcitizenjd get a Zero candy bar. “They still get a 100 on any homework assignment because the main thing is I want it to be fun learning activity and focus more on grades as opposed to the money aspect and the monthly living aspect,” she said. “That's just an activity that we chose so they could remember their grades better. A lot of times when I go into the classes, I talk to them about all sorts of things. Grades, character education and things like that. I might have their attention for about five or 10 minutes. When you start
OXFORD CITIZEN
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OBITUARIES MARGARET COLLUMS STURDIVANT
Margaret Collums Sturdivant, 85, passed away Friday, Feb. 5, 2016, at her home. The funeral service will be Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016, at Yellow Leaf Baptist Church at 11 a.m. with Rev. Jerry East officiating. Burial will follow in Yellow Leaf Cemetery. Visitation will be Monday, Feb. 8, 2016, from 4 until 7 p.m. at Yellow Leaf Baptist and again prior to the service beginning at 10 at the church. Waller Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. Memorial contributions in Mrs. Sturdivant’s memory may be made to Yellow Leaf Cemetery Fund, c/o Martha May, 221 Highway 334, Oxford, MS 38655.
HETTIE CHRISTINE VARNER CARPENTER
Hettie Christine Varner Carpenter, 90, passed away Thursday, Feb. 4, 2016, at Baptist Memorial Hospital-North Mississippi. The funeral service was held Saturday, Feb. 6, 2016 in the Chapel of Waller Funeral Home with Rev. Fish Robinson officiating. Burial followed in Church Grove Cemetery in Oxford.
NOEL EDWARD WATTS
Noel Edward Watts, 83, passesd away Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2016, at his home. A funeral service was held Saturday, Feb. 6, 2016 at Liberty Baptist Church in Pontotoc County. Memorial contributions in Mr. Watts’ memory may be made to the Lewy Body Dementia Association, 912 Killian Hill Road, S.W. Lilburn, GA 30047 or the Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America, 355 Lexington Avenue, 15th Floor, New York, NY 10017. In honor of Mr. Watts’ service to our country, the flag of the United States Army will be flown at Waller Funeral Home.
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2016
Local business owner also has successful vodka line Jim Bulian is the owner and operator of Old Venice, the Burgundy Room and a hidden bar in Oxford known for its grilled cheese. In 2014, Bulian launched Artist Vodka, an organic vodka that is brewed in small batches in a distillery in Washington. Originally from St. Louis, Bulian moved to Oxford and attended middle school through college in Oxford. He recently spoke with Oxford Citizen news writer Chaning Green about his business. CHANNING GREEN: Why did you decide to make your own vodka? JIM BULIAN: The inception of it was around July or August of 2012. It took a lot of factors; a lot of dominoes fell in place. First and foremost, I produce films. I had dinner with an actor who let me try some vodka and claimed that it was the best vodka in the world. I did some research and looked into the guy that started the company and I thought, “if he can do it, I can do it.” Plus, I could even pump the vodka through my restaurants and bars. It was also a gateway for me to be more involved in the film community. I could produce films through the sale of the vodka, and then sell more vodka through product placement in those films, which would allow us to produce more films. Plus it’s fun. It’s fun to go to New Orleans or LA for the weekend, meeting with different hotel and bar owners. Promoting your own vodka is fun work.
CHANING GREEN | OXFORD CITIZEN
Jim Bulian's vodka brand, Artist Vodka sits on the bar of the Burgundy Room. research. Vodka is the number one selling spirit in North America. I felt like, coming out of the gate, selling vodka would give me better chance than selling something like tequila, for instance. Or whiskey. Whiskeys are great, I’d like to one day make my own, but there’s already so many out there. Another reason why I didn’t do another spirit like whiskey is because it’s gonna be at least four years for you can get it out on the market because you have to age it. Then you have your eight-year whiskey and your twelveyear whiskey and so on. So, coming right out of the gate, vodka was the best choice.
GREEN: Where is it made? BULIAN: It’s distilled in GREEN: Where is Artist Washington State. We partVodka currently distrib- nered with a distillery just north of Seattle in Everett, uted? BULIAN: We are currently Washington. carried in six states: California, Nevada, Louisiana, GREEN: How long did Mississippi Tennessee, and the process take? How long New York. We’re at all the did take you to get from liquor stores here in Ox- idea to vodka on shelves? ford. BULIAN: Oh, it was definitely a process. It didn’t happen overnight. From GREEN: Why vodka? BULIAN: Well, I did my genesis to when it was on
shelves, it was about a twoyear process. After we settled on the recipe, we had to find a designer that could get the logo out of my head and onto a bottle. Then we had to go through federal regulations. We had to finalize all designs, get it exactly how we wanted it. Then submit it to the federal government to get all these approvals. Next we needed to get our USDA certification, which took 90 days. We also had to find a bottle designer, and it took 90 days for the prototypes on those to come back. Then you have to find distributors, which can be very difficult. Fortunately, we lucked out and are working with some great people we found right away. Then there’s selling and promoting and, eventually, it gets on shelves. There’s really a lot that goes in to it. So yeah, that took about two years, and it was a long wait. GREEN: What makes it organic? BULIAN: It’s made with organic, Italian farro wheat. We import that from Italy and distill it in Washington with waters from the Northern Cas-
cades. Specifically, we get the water form Lake Spada. The lake gets over 200 inches of rain and snowfall a year, so it is a constant source of fresh, clean water. It has the perfect PH balance. It doesn’t have a mineral taste to it so it’s not very heavy in taste like water from rivers. There’s no reverse osmosis process involved with this so, instead of just a flat taste, it has a much more crisp edge to it. I went through at least 75 different vodka profiles before I settled on this one. Besides the water, I had to decide I wanted to use wheat. Then I had to decide on organic wheat and what kind of wheat and where I would get it from. There’s so much out there to chose from. I settled on the farro because it is just the slightest bit sweeter than the others. That sweetness combined with this crisp, clean water from Spada Lake was just the perfect marriage. We have yet to lose a taste test. We’ve gone up against all the top names in the vodka industry and I’m not gonna name names, but if you name the first 23 that come to the top of your head, chances are, we’ve
gone head to head with them.
GREEN: You mentioned working with films. How so? BULIAN: Like I said, producing them, or helping them out by providing a location or some funds, things like that. Phillip Mercadante, a young, local filmmaker, was working on a short film and he had a scene that took place in a coffee shop. That’s when a mutual friend suggested he shoot it in one of my bars. I let him do that and instead of a barista making coffee, it was a bartender pouring Artist Vodka. He was able to shoot his scene and we got the product placement, and everyone benefited. We also did one with Quinton Oliver Smith. Great guy and great filmmaker. A couple years ago, we gave him some funds towards the completion of his film that he shot in Alaska. We also did some product placement with Alison Eastwood, with her movie she shot in Mississippi, Battlecreek. chaning.green@journalinc.com Twitter: chaningthegreen
OXFORD CITIZEN
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2016
PAGE 5
History FROM PAGE 1
it a battle for 80 minutes. I love them girls to death. I couldn’t imagine anywhere else I would rather be.” Following the victory and trophy presentation, the Lady Chargers went into the stands. Smothered by Oxford students, and their parents, the team hugged long and hard. It was a special moment for the seniors, who have always known they had the talent but were unable to find a way to pull it all together until this season. Addison Mills, a sophomore, scored the first goal of the night for the Lady Chargers, who finished the year with 20 wins in 25 matches. “It was a big momentum change. We started picking up the pace and started settling down and passing. I think that goal really helped us,” Mills said before talking about her teammates. “It all changed this year. We’re all together, better together.” Mills added that the team always expect O’Connor to get the ball in the back of the net. “We work on it every day through the year. Mo has been our No. 1 scorer,” Mills said of the talented eighth grader who set
CHRIS TODD
Oxford’s Addison Mills (29) celebrates her goal against West Harrison. the single season goal record at OHS this year. “Coach told us at the half that we needed to settle down and to keep possessing. He said we were dominating, we just had to keep going. This feels amazing. We made history and I can’t wait to see our rings. We’re going to get a lot more perks with winning, more respect.” Ally Shinall, also a sophomore, was sent to the field hard at the end of the match. She limped to the trophy ceremony but her
tears were joyful in nature. And any pain she had had disappeared, or at least dissipated, following the victory. “It’s great. I’ve never had this feeling,” she said with a huge smile. “I’ve got to two state cross country meets before this and we’ve lost two close ones. This is great. We went through a rough start at the beginning of the season. Our main problem last year was chemistry between the team and it’s gotten a lot better this
Oxford goal keeper Bailey O’Connor makes a save. year. We’re a lot closer and I really think that’s what helped us this year. We had all the talent in the world last year and we just didn’t get along. (Crane) brought that to our team. It’s great.” O’Connor said following the impressive win over Germantown last weekend that she was so happy for the seniors. That feeling hadn’t changed as she was mobbed by fans on the track surrounding Jaguar Field. “I’m just so happy for them,”
she said. “I was not scoring very much tonight and I was having a bad day. I’m just glad I made it in the back of the net and it was late in the match. I wasn’t going to give in.” Oxford’s tough-as-nails approach made the difference against one of the state’s best defenses. Possession was at a premium in the contest, and it was the Lady Chargers who controlled the ball better in the first half, and put more pressure on the Lady Hurricanes. Still, they only managed the one goal from Mills. Gabby Vincent scored the lone goal in first half for West Harrison, who finished the year 17-42. A late flick from Zoe Scruggs, a senior, to O’Connor was the difference in a goal and overtime, Crane said. “When the ball went the air, Zoe is my best header, and when she got a head on it, I knew Morgan was going to get free right there,” he said. “I couldn’t be more excited about it. I thought for 80 minutes we were dominating. We had opportunity after opportunity and we just knew we would get one into the net eventually. It was just a matter of time.” john.davis@journalinc.com Twitter: @oxfordcitizenjd
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SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2016
Mike Slaughter ready to tackle comprehensive plan for county
Editor’s Note: This is the first of a twopart series highlighting the county’s hiring of Mike Slaughter of Slaughter & Associates to help construct a new comprehensive plan. BY JOHN DAVIS OXFORD CITIZEN
PETRE THOMAS
Mike Slaughter of Slaughter & Associates was hired by the board of supervisors to come up with a new comprehensive plan for Lafayette County.
“
I really made my decision on where to live on quality of life. … As a planner, I recognize that there is so much more potential here as well.
“
If Mike Slaughter had to pick a place to live in relation to where he works, the metro Jackson area would be where he hung his hat. Because Slaughter goes all over the state with work, being right in the middle makes a lot of sense. Despite that fact, he resides in Oxford, and he has since 1990. There are several reasons for that, but the biggest revolve around the quality of life. People have moved in by the truck load to Lafayette County over the past decade. A population increase has been fueled by a lot of things. From the University of Mississippi adding more and more students to additional people finding Oxford a desirable place to retire, the area has added everything that involves population. “I really made my decision on where to live on quality of life. I’m a huge Ole Miss fan and Oxford is a great is a great town, the center of the state and the secret is out,” said Slaughter who was born and raised in Batesville. “As a planner, I recognize that there is so much more potential here as well. There is no denying what we have, the gem we have and to have the city, county and the university working together. All the things that the university brings in, the Square being so unique, that’s why office is here.” The main thing that Slaughter looks at in relation to a comprehensive plan is to protect and enhance our overall quality of life. “And when we say quality of life we want decent jobs and for our children to have a quality educa-
Mike Slaughter, about his decision to live in Oxford and the potential for the county tion. You would like to be able to shop, go eat and if we keep property values stable and growing, as opposed to declining, we keep taxes down,” Slaughter said. “Good growth spurs more good growth. Cities and counties are dynamic creatures. They are either moving forward or they are moving backward. You can go through this state and see both. I love Mississippi, but it can be de-
pressing. Parks and recreation are also an important part of qualify of life. Whether you are participating or a spectator.” Slaughter said he commended the new board of supervisors for having the vision and the foresight of knowing that the comprehensive plan had to be updated. “We need to have a good guid in place because there are things that
are going to happen here in Lafayette County and we want them to happen in the proper way,” he said. “Second, I’m very humbled and pleased that they chose me. I take it as a professional endeavor to do this work, but I’m also going to take it personally. I live here, I have vested interest because I have been here so long.” It’s early in the comprehensive planning part, and Slaughter is just in the beginning phases of a project that is expected to be at least six months long. “Whether it’s Lafayette County or Oktibbeha County, which I have prepared a plan for, or other counties, there are certain things that the citizens of those counties want and certain things they don’t want,” Slaughter said. “There are certain things that the board of supervisors want and
some things that they don’t want. The way I’m going to proceed is as the county’s planner, to prepare this plan, which is not a zoning ordinance or a subdivision regulation. It has zero teeth when it comes to land use controls. This is going to be a guide and a guide that must be in place if you are going to adopt zoning ordinance.” Recommendations will be made by Slaughter, as a professional, to the board and then he said it will be up to them if they want to act on it or in five years for example. “I’m drawing an overall plan. You could simplify it and say a road map for the next 20 to 25 years,” he said. “What this comprehensive plan, and the most important part of it, is getting community input. We’re going to do that and we’re going to break it down to two major phases. We will start with county officials and all the department heads. Any of the people that are sort of indirectly linked to the county, school superintendents, directors of the chamber of commerce or the development foundation, we want to get their input. The medical, business community, we want to get that initial input. Once we get that, we will start assembling the plan, maps, documents and once we get to a certain point, then we will schedule public meetings. Not to be confused with a public hearing, which is required prior to adopting, but public meetings where we have a methodical power point presentation which sort of promotes dialogue. We want to hear the good, the bad, the ugly and get that input. It’s so important. If we don’t have that community input, and make it the community’s plan, it will never been implemented.” john.davis@journalinc.com Twitter: @oxfordcitizenjd
OXFORD CITIZEN
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2016
PAGE 7
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Team Thirty-Six is a special project of the CREATE foundation that is working to give ACT prep courses to students in rural Mississippi. The project began this past fall by going into three different high schools in North Mississippi and providing 11th graders with tutoring for the ACT. Team Thirty-Six is under the direction of Louise Vigeant, a visiting assistant professor of philosophy in the Department of Public Policy Leadership at the University of Mississippi, though Team Thirty-Six as an organization is in no way affiliated with Ole Miss. Vigeant said that, in addition to preparing students for the ACT, Team Thirty-Six wants to help these 11th graders understand how to study in order to prepare them for their final year of high school as well as college. “What makes our curriculum different, is that, not only are we preparing students for the ACT, we want to teach them how to study,” Vigeant said. “What the ACT affords us is a test that everyone is going to
take seriously. It gives us something to work toward. We want to show students how to manage their time, how to diagnose weakness and strength and how to develop a study plan.” There were about 100 students enrolled in the ACT prep course last semester. The schools provided class time once a week that allowed these students to attend the courses. Students were taught the basics during that time; this is what will be on the ACT, this is how to prepare for it, this is where you can find study materials, etc. This semester, however, the course is a bit more rigorous. Students are building off of what they learned last semester by getting an ACT prep book and actually working through the lessons. Each week, students have two lessons to do out of their book. They then come back the next week and discuss the lessons in class. This allows the tutors to assess where the students are in their progress and how to proceed with the next lesson in a way that benefits everyone. The organization operates solely by volunteers,
all of which happen to be students from the University of Mississippi. Many of the volunteers are education students that did very well on the ACT and are using this opportunity to accumulate more invaluable classroom teaching experience. Some of the volunteers also come form the Department of Public Policy Leadership, as is the case with senior Maggie Conerly. She has been working as a tutor with Team Thirty-Six from the beginning. Conerly plans to pursue a career working with education policy and saw this organization as an opportunity to work with students in a classroom setting. “I wanted to work on something that would put me in the classroom,” Conerly said when asked why she chose to work with Team Thirty-Six. “It’s also just something that I genuinely enjoy. I love working with people and working one on one to help people improve. I also really like Dr. Vigeant. Anything I can do to help her out, I’m gonna do.” chaning.green@journalinc.com Twitter: chaningthegreen
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SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2016
Oxford Food Pantry presented with check for $2,000 BY CHANING GREEN NEWS WRITER
Thursday morning, Visit Oxford and Mayor Pat Patterson presented the Oxford Food Pantry with a check for $2,000. The money was raised the last week of January during the annual Oxford Restaurant Week. Twenty-two local restaurants participated in the event, which is now in its third year. Participating restaurants paid a fee and agreed to offer a menu special available only for that week. People can then get a special coupon card that will allow them to cash in on any of the deals that those restaurants are offering. Money raised from the event goes as a donation to one of five local programs on a rotating schedule. Those programs are Good Food for Oxford Schools, The Oxford Food Pantry, More than a Meal, Love Packs and Meals on Wheels. Amanda Gholson is the
CHANING GREEN | OXFORD CITIZEN
Mayor Pat Patterson and Visit Oxford present the Oxford Food Pantry with a check on Thursday morning. The money was raised during Oxford Restaurant Week. community enhancement coordinator for Visit Oxford, and played a large part in promoting Restau-
rant Week. She also at“It has been such a pleastended the check presenta- ure to see the Oxford comtion at the Pantry on munity support our local Thursday. restaurants in such a posi-
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tive way to help benefit a local charity,” Gholson said in a press release Thursday. John Cooney is the director of food distribution for the Oxford Food Pantry said the funds raised by Visit Oxford will enable the non-profit “organization to continue fulfilling the weekly needs of our clients, supplementing items provided by the MidSouth Food Bank and the Mississippi Food Network.” The Oxford Food Pantry is operated completely by volunteers and changes leadership every month. The alternating volunteers are almost always affiliated with different churches. This month, members of Toby Tubby Missionary Baptist Church are managing the Pantry. Bonnie Phillips is a comanager for the month of February and said that though things at the Pantry vary month to month, they are always in need of certain food items. “Canned goods and dry
foods, like rice and mac and cheese. Stuff like that,” Phillips said. “Corn mill, flour and sugar too. The staples.” Restuarnts that helped to raise money for the Pantry were • Boneheads • Boure • Buffalo Wild Wings • City Grocery • Domino’s Pizza • Graduate OxfordCabin 82 and The Coop • Gus’s Fried Chicken • High Point Coffee • McEwen’s • My Michelle’s • Newks • Oby’s • Old Venice Pizza Co. • Oxford Canteen • Oxford University Club • Proud Larry’s • Ravine • Salsarita’s • Second Line • Soulshine Pizza • The Country Club of Oxford • Twisters Yogurt chaning.green@journalinc.com Twitter: chaningthegreen
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PAGE 13
AND THE
AROUND SQUARE BEYOND JOHN DAVIS OXFORD CITIZEN
Wright pleased with his latest class at NWCC
A
national championship in the junior college ranks paid off for Northwest Mississippi on signing day. Head coach Jack Wright was catching up on some things he may have neglected a little, like his family, due to the crazy finish. When you coach, and you recruit, it's a full time job. No matter what level of college you're at. The Rangers signed 29 players overall for the 2016 season. There are likely going to be more, but those will come from out of state once all the dust settles. That's another part of JUCO recruiting that makes things different. Wright likes his class, adding that in a couple of positions, they were very strong. On the offensive line, NWCC signed eight, the number he felt had to be garnered. “And then at receiver and on the defensive line, we did very well, very well,” Wright said. “We brought in numbers and filled needs at those spots. Those are some of the pieces of the puzzle that you can't find sometimes. We signed eight really good offensive linemen. That's a credit to (offensive line coach) Jim Jones really getting involved in the recruiting process with everyone of those guys. He does a good job after the coaches go out and bring names back. He steps in there and makes sure he gets involved with the guys at his position. He really closed the deal on some really good guys. Some that are ready right now and then also a group that we feel have a high ceiling.” There is no substitute for great offensive linemen, meaning you can't have enough good ones. The Rangers had one of the most prolific and dependable offenses this past season because they protected for quarterback Gardner Minshew up front, as well as opened holes for the record setting Justin Crawford in the ground game. TURN TO WRIGHT PAGE 17
CHRIS TODD
Lafayette’s Alley Houghton, right, moves the ball against West Lauderdale on Saturday at the MHSAA Soccer Championships at Madison Central High School in Madison.
Lady Knights prevent Lafayette from back-to-back soccer titles BY JOHN DAVIS SPORTS EDITOR
MADISON – Every time the Lafayette’s Alley Houghton touched the ball, there was a West Lauderdale Lady Knight in her way. The couple of times she was able to get off a clear shot in Saturday’s MHSAA Class 4A state title match, West Lauderdale made a stop. Even the goal that Houghton was able to score in her final high school match came off a rebound. It was just that type of day for her, and the Lady Commodores. West Lauderdale defended Houghton like no other team this season, and then found a way to score against Lafayette’s strong defense to the tune of three goals. The 3-1 victory for West Lauderdale prevented the Lady Commodores from claiming a second straight title. A year after controlling the title match against Northeast Jones at Madison Central, it was a total reversal for the
Lafayette goal keeper Anna Branch makes a save against West Lauderdale on Saturday. Lady Commodores, who finished the year 20-3 overall. “They’re a phenomenal team. You can tell that almost all those kids play club ball. They have such depth, background and they made tons of subs,” LHS coach Melinda Scruggs said after consoling her team and praising their effort. “They are very talented team and I think the sky is the limit for them in the future. We matched up, we just didn’t
have it on our side today.” A second straight championship was not in the cards for the Lafayette Lady Commodores, who lost to a team without a senior on its roster. Riley Thompson, Caroline Green and Erica Gaddine each scored a goal for West Lauderdale, which finished the season 21-2. Lafayette fell behind 1-0 in the first half was held without a goal until Houghton was able to score at the 78
minute mark. By then, the Lady Knights had established control of the match with a 3-0 lead. It was clear that Houghton, an Ole Miss signee, was the focus of the Lady Knights on defense. Coach Alex George confirmed that strategy following the match, and then praised his junior goalie, Clair Campbell, for the saves she made on Houghton during the match. “We knew that defensively that we had to stay close to (Houghton) and not let her turn. There were still times that she did get loose. It’s virtually impossible to keep her contained, but we just kept forcing her wide,” George said. “I thought it would be a 2-1 game to be honest with. I told our girls at the half that one wasn’t going to be enough to beat this team. I just felt like (Houghton) would get loose eventually and she could tie it up at any time. That second goal really TURN TO LAFAYETTE PAGE 18
OXFORD CITIZEN
PAGE 14
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2016
SPORTS IN DEPTH THIS WEEK AT OXFORD Tuesday, Feb. 9 Varsity girls basketball vs. Walnut, 6 p.m. Varsity boys basketball at Saltillo, 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 11 Varsity girls basketball vs. Coldwater, 6 p.m. Varsity boys basketball vs. Coldwater, 7:30 p.m.
THIS WEEK AT LAFAYETTE Monday, Feb. 8 Varsity girls basketball vs. New Albany, 6 p.m. Varsity boys basketball at North Pontotoc, 7:30 p.m.
THIS WEEK AT OLE MISS Sunday, Feb. 7 Women’s basketball at Georgia, 1 p.m. (SEC Plus) Tuesday, Feb. 9 Men’s basketball at Florida, 8 p.m. (ESPNU) Thursday, Feb. 11 Women’s basketball vs. Auburn, 6 p.m. (SEC Plus) Softball vs. UMKC in Honolulu, Hawaii, 7:30 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 12 Softball vs. St. Mary’s in Honolulu, Hawaii 4 p.m. Softball at Hawaii, 9 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 13 Men’s basketball vs. Arkansas, 1 p.m. (ESPNU)
PREP SOCCER
SATURDAY’S RESULT West Lauderdale 3, Lafayette 1 0 1 Lafaeyette 1 West Lauderdale 1 2 3 Goals: West Lauderdale – Riley Thompson, Caroline Green, Erica Gaddie. Lafayette – Alley Houghton Records: West Lauderdale 21-2; Lafayette 20-3. Note: MHSAA Girls Class 4A state soccer match
PREP BASKETBALL
FRIDAY’S RESULTS Oxford (G) 54, New Hope 33 8 16 14 16 54 Oxford 5 9 7 12 33 New Hope
Leading scorers: Oxford – Aliyah Herod 13, Maggee Hobson 10 New Hope – Victoria Bradley 10 Records: Oxford 20-4; 6-0, New Hope 7-13; 2-3 New Hope (B) 72, Oxford 65 14 13 11 27 65 Oxford 10 16 18 28 72 New Hope Leading scorers: New Hope – Heratio Jackson 19, Toddy Jennings 17, Terryonte Thomas 13, Carlos Brooks 13. Oxford – Jarkel Joiner 32, Terry Williams 16, DK Metcalf 10 Records: New Hope 13-9; 2-3, Oxford 15-9; 2-4. THURSDAY’S RESULT Lafayette 45, Grenada 37 Leading scorers: Lafayette – Shaniyah Buford 19, Xhiir Burgess 13 points. Record: Lafayette 15-6. Note: Burgess had 11 rebounds, Buford had four steals. Next game at home Monday vs. New Albany.
2016 LAFAYETTE TENNIS SCHEDULE Date Opponent Time Feb. 27 Heritage Academy 10 a.m. Feb. 29 Ripley 4 p.m. March 3 East Webster 4 p.m. March 7 Tupelo Christian 4 p.m. March 10 Mooreville 4 p.m. March 22 Senatobia 4 p.m. March 24 New Albany 4 p.m. March 25 Oxford TBA March 28 Rosa Fort 4:30 p.m. March 29 at Grenada 4 p.m. March 31 Saltillo 4 p.m. April 1 Northwest Rankin 3:30 p.m. April 2 Meridian Tournament TBA April 5 Cleveland 4 p.m. April 6 South Panola 3 p.m. April 7 Pontotoc 4 p.m. April 8 Newton County 7 p.m. April 12 Individual 2-4A tournament 8:30 a.m.
OLE MISS QUARTERBACK CLUB Photos by Joey Brent
April 18 First round 4A playoffs All home matches played at John Leslie Tennis Center
SEC MEN’S BASKETBALL STADINGS Team Texas A&M LSU South Carolina Kentucky Florida Georgia Vanderbilt Ole Miss Arkansas Tennessee Alabama Auburn Missouri Miss. State
Overall 7-2 18-4 7-2 14-8 6-3 19-3 6-3 16-6 6-3 15-7 5-4 12-8 5-4 13-9 4-5 14-8 4-5 9-11 4-5 11-11 3-6 12-9 3-6 9-12 1-8 8-14 2-7 9-12
OXFORD CITIZEN
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2016
PAGE 15
JOHN DAVIS
Slot wide receiver will be the position for Lafayette's Rashaun Rockette at Northeast Community College.
Lafayette linebacker Zeke Liggins will play a new position, safety, as a member of the NECC Tigers.
Rockette, Liggins headed to play for NECC Tigers BY JOHN DAVIS SPORTS EDITOR
Rashaun Rockette had an offer to attend Co-Lin. In the end, playing in Booneville for the Northeast Mississippi Community College Tigers was the better overall fit for the speedster. Rockette will be
a slot wide receiver, and play with his teammate, Zeke Liggins, in the process. He enjoyed being around the coaches on the staff, and the campus stood out as a good place to be. “It has a better offense and I feel like I can come in and fit in better than I could at Co-Lin,” Rockette said
just before he signed his scholarship. “I think Zeke was already exctied and I was the late one. It's good to have someone there that works as hard as me and that I'm familiar with.” Rockette showed a great ability to make plays this year as a senior, and being on offense fits him best, he
said. “I made more plays at that position,” Rockette said. “I'm going to play hard at any position that I go.” Liggins, who played linebacker for the Commodores, said he likes defensive coordiantor Ryan Trevathan, who directly re-
cruited him to Booneville. “He's a nice guy and I like what he wants to play me at,” said Liggins, who will be a safety for the Tigers. “He said sometimes I might be able to play strong safety. It works out good for me.” Liggins said he made his mind up on Sunday after
some prayer. “It just came to me that I should go to Northeast,” he added. “If you just stop playing, it's going to hurt you. I had to go on and play. I want to see where I end up at.” john.davis@journalinc.com Twitter: @oxfordcitizenjd
Lewis gets offer to play for PRCC Wildcats BY JOHN DAVIS SPORTS EDITOR
All the hard work that Vincent Lewis put in over the summer paid off for the Lafayette defensive end Friday morning. That's when he signed his scholarship paper work from Pearl River Community College. The 5-foot-10, 230-pound Lewis got the offer on Thursday afternoon, a day after watching his teammates sign on with other junior colleges across the state. “It was mind blowing, a surprise really,” said Lewis, who felt he would play but at a school that fit right. “There is something I feel down there.” Lewis was unsure where he would play. There is a chance he is a middle linebacker when it's all said and done. In the end, Lewis just wants to see action and he is willing to do anything,
including special teams. This past season, Lewis led the team in sacks and ended up earning a spot on the Bernard Blackwell AllStar game. A year ago, he tied for the team lead in sacks. “I had to work very hard this summer just to get where I was at. That was really an accomplishment for me,” he said. “I think it was a great year, it just flew by so fast.” Almost two handful of Commodores signed to play football at the next level this past week. Lewis will be playing against some of them in the future. “I feel proud for all of us,” Lewis said. “I'm glad that I'm going where I need to.” Lafayette coach Eric Robertson saw Lewis get excited about the offer to keep playing for the Wildcats. “He's a good football player and I'm sure he
wanted to be a part of that. I kind of felt like here is one of our best defensive players and he's not signing,” Robertson said about Lewis getting the late offer. “I think it worked out perfect for him. I think it's a good fit at Pearl River. I know they're looking at doing some different things with him possibly. They may leave his hand on the ground. Vincent has a quick first step. He's explosive and he could play a Mike backer and play downhill from tackle to tackle. We almost moved him there this year but we chose to move Keontre just because Vincent was so disruptive on our defensive front. We just couldn't afford to take him off the dline. He anchored us there and he made as many big plays as anyone else.” john.davis@journalinc.com Twitter: @oxfordcitizenjd
JOHN DAVIS
Lafayette's Vincent Lewis is headed to play defense at Pearl River Community College.
OXFORD CITIZEN
PAGE 16
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2016
PETRE THOMAS | BUY AT PHOTO.DJOURNAL.COM OXFORD’S
Oxford defensive end Korbin Harmon bypassed scholarship offers to walk-on at Ole Miss. JOHN DAVIS
Chargers’ Korbin Harmon staying close at Ole Miss Toles, Kinds set to
Keontre Toles decided he would play for Coahoma Community College with teammate Juwan Kinds instead of joining Jordan Jamison at UAB.
BY JOHN DAVIS SPORTS EDITOR
On the final weekend before National Signing Day, Oxford defensive end Korbin Harmon found himself hanging out with some of the nation's top high school football players. When he got an opportunity to join them at Ole Miss as a preferred walk-on, Harmon decided to stay home. Instead of playing on a full ride at Ohio or Middle Tennessee, Harmon wanted the challenge of playing with the best. “It was a tough decision. I had six, seven offers but after going over it with my parents and the coaches going back and forth and
talking, I felt walking on to Ole Miss was the best decision for me,” said the 6foot-3, 250 pounder. “I went to talk with Coach (Hugh) Freeze and the other coaches and they think I have the chance to come in see if I do well in practice. If not, they will redshirt me. My mindset is to go in and do my job and get some playing time.” Harmon said he is going to have to raise his competitive drive with all the talent at Ole Miss. Harmon added that his parents made sure he looked at all the options. Harmon's father played for the Rebels and then went on to play in the NFL. Rushing the passer is what the Rebels are looking for Har-
mon to do when he joins the roster. They have told him they would like him to get up to 265 pounds. Ole Miss finished with a signing class for 2016 that was ranked as high as No. 4 in the nation by ESPN. “It's going to be fun because the players that were committed and down here this past weekend, I know them and became friends,” Harmon said. “I got to be friends with Jaylen Jones, Deontae Anderson, Greg Little.” This past season, Harmon finished with 95 tackles for the Chargers, who were 12-3 overall. John.davis@journalinc.com Twitter: @oxfordcitizenjd
play for Coahoma CC BY JOHN DAVIS SPORTS EDITOR
Keontre Toles had an invitation to join Lafayette teammate Jordan Jamison at UAB. He ultimately chose to play with Juwan Kinds at Coahoma Community College. The Commodores' middle linebacker could have been a preferred walk-on with the Blazers, but a late scholarship from Coahoma sent him to Clarksdale. Toles is a full qualifier which means if he plays well enough as a freshman, he could leave for a four-year school.
70,000 662-801-9607.
“They have a brand new staff at Coahoma and those guys are trying to get a shot and step up to the next level so they're excited about that and we're excited for them to have that opportunity,” LHS coach Eric Robertson said. “Keontre was one of our leading tacklers and he did a really good job. He is a really good football player who will do well for them.” Kinds committed to Coahoma on Monday. He stands 6-2, giving whoever plays quarterback a real target. “He is a big body, possesion type guy that has
some upside,” Robertson said. “I think it's two really good pick ups for Coahoma.” The facility stood out to Kinds and when Toles committed, it made things easier to head over. “I like the coaching staff down there and they told me that I was going to come in and start for them and try to make the program better,” he said. “They spread it out and throw it. A lot of deep balls. I'm just glad for the opportunity.” john.davis@journalinc.com Twitter: @oxfordcitizenjd
OXFORD CITIZEN
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2016
PAGE 17
Wright FROM PAGE 13
JOSHUA MCCOY | OLE MISS ATHLETICS
Ole Miss softball is set to start this next week with a trip to play in a tournament out in Hawaii.
Smith feels like his Rebels have taken steps BY JOHN DAVIS SPORTS EDITOR
Steps in the right direction is what Mike Smith feels his Ole Miss softball team was able to accomplish last season in his first season. Now, with more bullets in the gun, he is looking for his Rebels to make an appearance in an NCAA regional. A team that can start to create a legacy is something Smith talked about heading into the season. Ole Miss travels to play in Hawaii, leaving Monday from Memphis. “I think its realistic to get to a regional. I think this team has all the working parts to be a regional team,” Smith said. “We have to win the games we are supposed to win. We have to win some big games in the SEC or win some games in the SEC to help with the RPI. And then maybe upset some people. I think with the RPI that SEC has, which is probably No. 1, with our schedule in the preseason and who we’re going to play, I think we have a legitimate shot at being a regional team. We’ll kind of see where it goes from there.” The Rebels may not be ready to win the SEC, but Smith didn’t think his team was the No. 12 team in the preseason either. There are several players
that Smith is looking to lead the team, including junior Miranda Strother, senior pitcher Madi Osias and then junior catcher Courtney Syrett, who is coming off an injury. Another important player is senior designated player Natalie Martinez, who is arguably the most vocal of the group. “I think Miranda is really our quiet leader. She does her business out on the field. Maddy and Natalie are two vocal leaders. They’ve been in the program for a while and going to be impact players for us,” Smith said. “Natalie is our emotional leader. She gets the team up when they’re down. Courtney behind the plate plays a part and then we’ve got Alex Schneider who leads by example and is becoming a vocal leader.” There are a couple of transfer players from McNeese State that Smith is also counting on to help. Junior Dakota Matiko played for Smith when he was at McNeese, while Bry Castro is a third baseman that is coming in this year. One thing that Smith has done a good job with is increasing the number of Mississippi players on the roster. He added three from the state ranks, and now has four on the roster overall. “When I came into the job last year, the first thing is recruiting and getting
better, getting better, getting better. I knew when I came in, I wanted to try and keep some of the good, talented, homegrown kids in the state of Mississippi,” Smith said. “A lot of the better players were leaving and Mississippi State or Southern Miss weren’t getting those kids. They were going to LSU and they were going to different places across the country. With me being late in the recruiting process for the 2016 class, I went to a couple of people here in town that have backgrounds that are in the high school/travel ball realm. I said I wanted a list of who was left of the top Mississippi kids. I said give me the top high school/travel ball kids that are uncommitted. So I got that list and basically followed up with it.” Hailey Lunderman from Neshoba Central helped lead her team to several state championships, and Smith said she is a great overall athlete. “She was being recruited by Ole Miss but nothing was set in stone yet. When I came in and got the job, I was able to seal the deal,” he said. “She was probably the best Ole Miss kid that everyone would look at. Ashton Lampton who is down in Decatur. She was playing with a travel ball TURN TO REBELS PAGE 18
“We lost three starters and another guy in Anderson Gunn, They really created the momentum we had on offense and created the balance for Justin and Garnder to be able to do what they did this year,” said Wright, who also coordinates the offense for the Rangers. “All four of those guys are going to sign a Division I scholarship. At the junior college level, that's a big hit. You're proud for them, but it's a big-time hit for us. So we signed eight this year and that was kind of the magic number. It just worked out perfect and it's not easy. For in state offensive linemen, it's extremely competitive. When you got a big guy that can move a little bit, he's going to have a lot of offers. It was a good job by our coaches for separating ourselves and getting those guys at that position.” As key as Minshew was in his first season with the Rangers, the defense was impressive every single week for Wright. Hal Northern, a defensive tackle from Tunica-Rosa
Fort, leads the list on that side of the ball. Northern played in the annual Mississippi-Alabama All-Star Classic and he is force at 6-foot-2, 285 pounds. “He is a kid that had a lot of offers. We're really tickled to death that he chose us,” Wright said. “Defensive linemen are just like offensive linemen, big guys that can move around, are tough to find. He's got a great combination of size and quickness. He's got kind of a natural ability to use his hands. I'm sure his presence will be felt here for the next two years. I think we signed a lot of speed on defense. We got some corners that are really fast. One is from Corinth in Antares Gwyn and one from Hamilton in Keshon Heard.” On the outside, Aberdeen's Jerrick Orr, who also signed with Memphis, could be a difference maker. Of course the Rangers have some good receivers coming back that are familiar with Minshew like Marquisian Chapman. Dee White, from Harrison Central, is another wide receiver signee, and the player that is from the furthest away, Wright said. Jamario Dixon from Murrah was just one of the
latest metro Jackson players picked up by the staff. “Recruiting in the metro area seemed to go really well this year and I think a lot of that is the name recognition with a guy like Gardner and Chapman and a guy like Titus Ivory coming here and having the type of success they did,” Wright said. “There names were in papers all across the state and the type of success that we had this year as a team made an impact in that area. We signed four guys from Madison Central, one from Northwest Rankin, one from Pearl, one from Brandon. That bubble all around Jackson, we seemed to do pretty well in.” And the tailback that was signed to help offset the loss of Crawford was Grenada's Davarius Bridges. “He played in the Bernard Blackwell game. And then we have Tywun Walters coming back who finished the year with an injury,” Wright said. “We also may have an out of state option or two there.” John Davis is the Oxford Citizen sports editor. He can be reached at john.davis@journalinc.com. Follow him on Twitter at @oxfordcitizenjd.
How to announce your wedding in the 2016 issue of the
Submit your announcement at our website: bridaljournal.ms. If you prefer to submit your announcement by mail or drop off, a $25 fee will be applied.
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OXFORD CITIZEN
PAGE 18
Rebels team not in the state but out of the state of Florida. She was a good, talented kid and a great addition to our team. She’s a great personality and comes from a great family. She is a huge recruiter. When we bring kids on, she has a bubbly personality, fun loving. And she is a pretty darn good good softball player. Having a kid like that in your softball program is huge because she can sell the state and she is a long-time Ole Miss fan.” Sarah Van Schaik, from Petal, has a chance to be the team’s starting catcher with Syrett still coming off her injury. Sarah played one of top teams Birmingham Bolts out of Alabama. She was a catcher that we really needed to fill that spot. She has been a very pleasant surprise. In fact, she could potentially be our opening day starter behind the plate because Surett has some knee issues and had surgery,” Smith said. “She just got cleared a week and a
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FROM PAGE 13
gave us the momentum we needed.” Scoring goals is nothing new for the Lady Knights who were the top offensive team in the state of Mississippi, regardless of classification. They had scored 125 goals coming into the meeting, with 18 of those coming in the playoffs. Lafayette had played teams like Oxford, Brandon and Tupelo that also like to possess the ball just like West Lauderdale. “I really wanted us to keep our foot on the gas. I thought there were moments where Lafayette would feel the need, that they had to step it up a notch,” George said. “While I think we got lucky a time or two, I think the girls did a fantastic job of defending in the back.” Lafayette had the experience coming into the match, and George thought that would be a factor. “Experience is worth a lot and Lafayette had that experience. We came in 2013 and our juniors were just eighth
john.davis@journalinc.com Twitter: @oxfordcitizenjd
2009 CADILLAC CTS
$
Lafayette
half ago. Those two are really battling. Courtney is back now, but she can only catch a few innings here and there just to get her knee and conditioning back. Sarah brings us power. She can elevate the ball. She hit some tape measure shots in practice. She hits for average and she has a plus arm behind the plate. She is softball smart and sometimes a little too much because she over thinks things. She’s a good kid who asks questions everyday. She wants to get better and when she doesn’t do well, she is hard on herself. She wants to learn. A kid like that has been huge for us.” The other Mississippi player on the roster is Paige McKinney back from DeSoto Central. Smith was hoping that they all contributed and continued to help garner attention across the state from a publicity standpoint. Ole Miss opens the season in Hawaii on Thursday against the University of Missouri-Kansas City.
FROM PAGE 17
CHRIS TODD
Lafayette’s Maddy Houghton (20) wins a 50-50 ball against West Lauderdale on Saturday at the MHSAA Soccer Championships. graders then,” George said. “We didn’t know what to expect, but I think scoring that first goal really settled us in. It helped us.” Thompson scored the game’s first goal, just seven
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john.davis@journalinc.com Twitter: @oxfordcitizenjd
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minutes into the contest. Scruggs was aware of her talent heading into the match. “Both teams had players that were outstanding. I think all around, I couldn’t
have ask my girls to do a better job of pressuring and giving everything they could have,” Scruggs said. “I don’t know if we couldn’t have made some other adjustments, but I know they left it all on the field, and that’s all I can ask of them.” Despite coming up short, Scruggs said she couldn’t have asked for any more from the girls to get into the position they did. “Unfortunately we didn’t come out on top, but to get to this position again, that’s all I can ask,” Scruggs said. “They have done so much to improve and to continue to grow as a team. We’ve seen results to get here. There always has to be a winner and a loser and we’re on the losing end today. We’re going to look to next year and if we have the same heart and desire, we can be back here today again. It is hard for me to tell them to keep their head up, especially at this age. But we will learn from this, grow from this and we’ll go back and look at film to see what things we can do different.”
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Citizen
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OXFORD CITIZEN
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YARD SALE
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REAL ESTATE All Real Estate advertising herein is subject to the Federal Fair Housing Act, which makes it illegal to advertise any preference, limitation or discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status or national origin, or an intention to make any such preferences, limitations or discrimination. We will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate which is in violation of the law. All persons are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised are available on an equal opportunity basis. If you believe that you may have been discriminated against in connection with the sale, rental or financing of housing, call The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) at 1-800-669-9777.
Manufactured Housing For Sale
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STUFF
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For sale: Gretsch 6120 pro series guitar Brian Setzer model. Serious inquiries only. Guitar is in like new condition with Grets. Call Tim or text at 662-401-3050.
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Recreational Vehicles
PAGE 19
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Sales/Marketing
OXFORD, MS MULTIMEDIA SALES CONSULTANT
Journal Inc., is seeking a sales professional with the energy, positive attitude, and print and digital marketing skills to thrive in a media company that is on a fast growth track in Oxford, MS. If you have a passion for helping customers with their advertising campaigns, marketing, and branding efforts we have the perfect career position for you!
We are an independently-owned multimedia company with numerous community newspapers, websites, regional magazines, and a digital services agency. We are looking for the right candidate to join our team of multimedia and digital sales consultants in educating and assisting businesses with their marketing and advertising strategies through the company’s print and digital products and services. Responsibilities include:
Educating and selling multimedia products and services to an established business client base and developing new customers Conducting customer needs-analyses and creating presentations and proposals to provide customers with customized solutions Utilizing traditional methods and social media to prospect for new business
Applicants must possess:
The energy, motivation and drive to make numerous professional sales presentations each day The skills to communicate effectively through written and verbal correspondence The ability to thrive in a competitive environment The willingness to be a team player
If you desire a challenge and have the above mentioned abilities, then we want to talk to you. We are looking to hire full and part-time sales consultants. Please send a cover letter and resume with references to: humanresources@journalinc.com Journal, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer.
OXFORD CITIZEN
PAGE 20
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2016
BELK FORD HWY 6 WEST • OXFORD • 662.234.4661 • BELKFORD.COM 2013 NISSAN SENTRA
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