Oxford 10.6

Pick up your Sunday Oxford Citizen at locations throughout Lafayette County Volume 3 | Issue 49

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Thursday, October 6, 2016

Inside 4 News

Los Angeles String Quartet to perform at Ford Center

8

Lifestyle

CHANING GREEN

The pumpkin patch at Wise Family Farms in Pontotoc has become a hot spot for local families looking to learn more about agriculture and enjoy the fall season. The farm also offers a corn maze that takes up 6.5 acres.

Wise Family Farm offers unique family entertainment

BY CHANING GREEN NEWS WRITER

With Ole Miss having their off week and the Oxford School District being on fall break, there will be fewer family-friendly activities happening in town this weekend. Just 30 miles outside of Oxford in Pontotoc is Wise Family Farms that promises a pumpkin patch, corn maze and

much more for the whole family at a low price.

In 1926, Monroe Wise purchased the land that now makes up the Wise Family Farm. He purchased a full 80 acres of land and was told by everyone who came across it that he ended up with sorriest plot of land in Pontotoc County. Monroe proved them wrong and spent the next few decades making a life for himself and

21 United to hold third annual Buddy Walk Sunday

17 Sports

his family by working the land. His son would eventually take over the farm and continued his father’s agricultural endeavors when he was not busy with his day job as postal worker.

Monroe’s great granddaughter Katherine Wise and her old brother spent three of their teenaged summers helping their TURN TO WISE PAGE 5

Williams has shown his special skills on the field, in the classroom

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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2016

Palmer House for Children holding special fundraiser Saturday

BY KATHRYN WINTER STAFF WRITER

Palmer Home for Children is hosting a fundraiser this Saturday in the new Field Level Club inside Vaught Hemingway Stadium. Tickets are $50 per person and can be purchased online or at the door the night of the event.

Palmer Home for Children is a Christ-centered nonprofit that has provided children long term care to children in need since 1895.

Sarah Hollis, Director of Development for Palmer Home for Children, said that the organization has more than 120 years of experience in providing care for vulnerable children.

“We began as a true orphanage in Columbus, Mississippi in 1895, and have grown to add a second residential campus in Hernando and a flourishing foster care network of caregiver homes in Mississippi, Tennessee and Alabama,” she said. “We currently have more than

100 children in our care and have plans to grow that number to 200 by the end of 2017. We are one hundred percent privately funded, so we are able to maintain and share our

Christian beliefs with our children, staff, volunteers and donors.”

Since Palmer Home is privately funded, the organization hosts multiple fundraising events in vari-

ous locations each year.

The tailgate party approach is the first for Palmer Home. There will be live SEC action playing on the jumbotron and dozens of televisions within the club. Kelly and Jesse Pinion are providing acoustic entertainment, and Elizabeth Heiskell Catering will serve an array of tailgate treats.

Beverages will be available for purchase.

“We wanted to build a great relationship with Ole Miss, showcase the work that Palmer Home is doing in the lives of today’s modern orphan and capitalize what Oxford enjoys most in the fall, tailgating and SEC football,” Hollis said. “This event will be like none other they will have ever attended. We will have full access to the new Field Club Level inside Vaught Hemingway, as well as sideline access on Hollingsworth Field. You

wont have to pack a thing to enjoy this amazing tailgate.”

Palmer Home has a variety of programs that work to fit a child’s needs. According to the website, children receive care through a residential model on one of Palmer Home for Children’s two campuses. Children on each campus are placed in a home, typically with seven other Palmer Home children, and a caregiver couple, who provide the daily guidance and love the children need. At the Palmer School, students work through different grade levels across subject areas — a necessity considering the diverse backgrounds of Palmer Home’s children. Palmer School hosts physical education periods and after-school horseback riding. Students are also in out-of-school extracurricular activities

like athletic leagues and dance classes. The school has seen students with learning disabilities begin to excel, and even be accepted in to great colleges.

“We knew we had to do something special for Oxford so the planning took about a year to reach where we are today,” Hollis said.

“Initially we thought we’d do a half marathon but then learned that Run Oxford was already planning the Great 38 race on the same weekend. We met with the Run Oxford leadership and quickly realized that the synergies between their honoring Chucky Mullins- an orphan, foster child and adopted son- fell right in line with the care Palmer Home provides for children. We’ve had so much support from day one when The Great 38 said they would partner to promote our event, then Ole Miss Athletics Director, Ross Bjork, generously offered access to Vaught Hemingway, and dozens of hosts and corporate sponsors have backed the fundraising effort. It has been amazing.”

Palmer Home hosts events in their primary markets of the Golden Triangle, Hernando, Jackson, Memphis and Nashville.

According to Hollis, Oxford is a great location because of its proximity between our two residential campuses. Hollis said that the organization sees Oxford as the future hub of their foster care network for North Mississippi, and that they are here to stay.

“Even if you aren’t familiar with Palmer Home, come on out on Saturday and enjoy a fun time in a relaxing atmosphere We guarantee you won’t be disappointed,” Hollis said.

www.oxfordcitizen.com CONTACT US • Sports Editor, John Davis, john.davis@journalinc.com • News reporter, Chaning Green, chaning.green@journalinc.com • Advertising, Sarah Brooke Bishop, sarahbrooke.bishop @journalinc.com, (662) 801-9607 CORRECTIONS The Oxford Citizen will correct any error found in the newspaper. To request a correction or clarification, call (662) 816-1282. A correction or clarification will appear in the next issue.

OXFORD CITIZEN

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2016

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Barber enjoys serving Oxford as Building Official

BY CHANING GREEN NEWS WRITER

Randy Barber has served as the Building Official for the city of Oxford since the position was created in 2005.

Barber is an Oxford native who spends his spare time on a Harley and his office hours working with architects to make sure every building in town is safe and functional. His office is on the bottom floor of City Hall and full of dozens of large rolls of paper. The papers are building plans and some stand three feet tall and dozens of fat pages thick. His office is in charge of making sure those plans are up to city code. Barber took some time out of his busy schedule of site visits and plan reviewing Tuesday morning to sit down with Oxford Citizen reporter Chaning Green and discuss the job.

Chaning Green: So what do you do here?

Randy Barber: Well, I’ve been with the city for 23 years. I started out as a building inspector. In 2005, Richard Howorth split the Planning Department and added the building department as a separate entity.

This position was created and I was placed here. The Building Department is in charge of all construction within the city limits. We also have a floodplain manager and we review all of the commercial signs that go up around town.

Green: How does a typical day go for you?

Barber: Well, you can see all the plans that we have going right now. When we review plans, they come in for us to look at and we try to get those back out in 10 days.

Nearly all of these plans in this room are for things that are going on in the city right now, some are plans for projects that haven’t started just yet. I take care of all the commercial plans while Chris Carter is the senior building inspector and he handles all of the residential plans. We review them to check primarily for code compliance.

CHANING GREEN

Oxford Building Official Randy Barber sits in his office on the bottom floor of City Hall where he works with architects to make sure all buildings in the city limits are up to code.The poker chips to the left of Barber come from his travels riding his HarleyDavidson, and he picks one up at each new shop he visits. quite work like that. What we do is that we review the plan and if there is something in there that won’t work, we send it back to the architect for corrections. If there is something that is seen as a problem, we’ll sit down and discuss it and hear what they have to say about it. We usually come to a happy agreement when that happens.

Green: What are a couple of the biggest projects you guys are working on right now?

Barber: Well, the new Kroger is a big one. The hospital is huge for us right now. We go out there probably twice a week and spend the morning. We send Chris out there for that. He looks at the mechanical, electric and what’s inside. They have a lot of walls going up and we need to make sure we’re looking at plumbing, electrical and mechanical.

The people we’re working with for this have done hospitals before, so this isn’t their first time out. They’ve got it pretty much down to an art. When they’re ready for inspections, we almost never have to go back for corrections.

Green: With the current rate at which the city is expanding, has your job gotten increasingly busy over the past few years?

Barber: Oh yeah. We hit a lull in 2008 during the recession when everything Green: Do you turn down crashed. The university here kind of insulates us from the a lot of projects?

Barber: We don’t really rest of the economy. We turn people down. It doesn’t managed to stay pretty

steady when other towns in Mississippi came to a total standstill. Keep in mind though that we do not do any inspections on the university’s campus. They do all that themselves.

come back five times.

Green: What did you do in the military?

Barber : I was in military intelligence with the Army Security Agency. I did three years over in GerGreen: When Howorth di- many. We intercepted vided the Planning Depart- Russian Teletype. We had ment and created your office, do you think he did that because he recognized that Oxford was on the upswing?

Barber: Probably that and, with the way it was before, the job was just so much on one person. There was plenty to do. The planner had to be over the building of a structure and many times, your planner won’t have a building background so it was putting them out of their element.

He divided us up and made us separate in order for us to focus on the actual building while they handled the planning.

Green: Do you like your job?

Barber: Oh yeah, I like working for the city. It's a good, stable job. I can get outside to check the job, I can stay inside; I’m not just stuck in one office all day. I can get out and about when taking care of everything.

Plus, I work with some really great people.

Green: Are you originally from Oxford?

Barber: Yeah, born and raised. I did a little military time and moved to New Orleans for a while. I think I’ve left Oxford five times, but I’ve

this massive satellite field called the Wullenweber.

You can look it up under “The Elephant Cage.” At this time, you still had your Eastern Block countries. We did Russia, East Germany, Czechoslovakia and Poland, the whole nine yards. This was back

in the Cold War. Green: What do you like to do when you’re not at work?

Barber : Well, I enjoy riding motorcycles. I started riding again about 2010. I pretty much grew up on one, but I started getting back in to Harley’s in 2010.

Some friends and I try to do a good ride every summer. We’ve done Colorado a few times. We did California this year and went through Oregon, Washington, Idaho Montana and Wyoming. We try to do it in July and go out to the mountains where everything is melted and you can get on all the passes.

This summer we did about 3,200 miles in two weeks. I knocked a whole bunch off the bucket list. For national parks we saw Yellow Stone, Glacier, the Grand Teton.

We rode down the California coast and down Highway 1 and 101. It was really great. chaning.green@journalinc.com Twitter: chaningthegreen

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OBITUARIES

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2016

Los Angeles String Quartet to perform at Ford Center

HENRY JENKINS Henry Chandler Jenkins, 39, passed away Saturday, Oct. 1, 2016 in Oxford. Visitation was held Wednesday, Oct. 5 at Coleman Funeral Home with funeral services following in the Coleman Funeral Home Chapel. Pat Ward officiated. Coleman Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Donations may be mailed to Bancorp South, 517 South Lamar, Oxford, MS 38655 payable to Sydney Lane Jenkins. All funds collected will go to a scholarship fund for Sydney.

Online condolences may be left on the Tribute Wall at www.colemanfuneralhome.c om

RONALD KING Ronald L. King, 66, passed away Sunday morning, Oct. 2, 2016 at his home in Banner.

Funeral services were held Tuesday morning, Oct. 4, 2016 in the Henry Chapel of Seven Oaks with Dr. Gene Cobb, Jr. officiating. Burial followed in Pine Flat cemetery in Lafayette County.

The family requests that memorial contributions may be made to the Pine Flat Cemetery Fund, 658 Highway 7 South, Oxford, Mississippi 38655.

BRIEFING One dead, another injured Saturday Members of the Oxford Police Department are still investigating a death and a disturbance that occurted at the Ole Miss Motel Saturday night. A 911 call about a welfare concern resulted in the OPD finding an active crime scene to investigate. Two white males were indetified at the scene, one was deceseasd while the other sustained serious injuries.

The one with serious injuries was transported to Baptist-Memoiral Hospital-North Missisisppi. Henry Chandler Jenkins, 39, a resident of Lafayette County, was the man who died at the scene. Donald Ludie Lassiter, 52, of Pennington, AL was the man who sustained major injuries.

BY CHANING GREEN NEWS WRITER

The Los Angeles Guitar Quartet will be gracing the stage of the Gertrude C. Ford Center Friday night and bringing a eclectic mix of classical and contemporary guitar compositions to the Oxford community.

The ensemble is composed of four accomplished instrumentalists that bring a diverse background of musical ability and experience to the stage.

John Dearman of the group is a native of Minneapolis, whose experience ranges from classical to bluegrass to flamenco and samba. The musician plays a seven-stringed guitar with extended upper and lower registers for a wider range of sound and unique effect on the musical compositions performed by the group.

William Kanegiser serves as a professor of music at the University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music when he is not on stage with the quartet. The performer is an acclaimed soloist, recording artist and one of the few guitarists to ever win the prestigious Concert Artists Guild New York Competition. His solo work displays his wide range of musical ability, covering the music of the Old World to Caribbean. His new album “Classical Cool” explores jazz for classical guitar.

Scott Tennant also performs with the group. The Detroit native is an author, teacher and recording artist. Tennant has published a collection of method books, including the five-part series entitled “Scott Tennant’s Basic Classical Guitar Method.”

His other works include the best-selling book and video “Pumping Nylon,” a technical handbook for classical guitarists. Tennant is also on faculty at the Thorton School of Music, having previously taught at the San Francisco Conservator of Music.

The newest member of the group is Matthew Greif. The musician has studied under both Tennant and Kanengiser at the

University of Southern California. He was named Outstanding Graduate of the school’s guitar program. His style range includes rock, classical, jazz, flamenco and much more.

Grief currently teaches classical and jazz guitar at Cal State University, Dominquez Hills.

Marketing Director for the Ford Center Kate Meacham said that she excited to have the group come and perform as a part of this season’s lineup.

Meacham said that the wide range of musical styles the quartet will be performing ensures that there is a little something

for every music lover.

“We are thrilled to welcome the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet to the Ford Center,” Meacham said.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for our community to see such a highly acclaimed guitar quartet.

Their program will included classics from Bach

and Debussy as well as contemporary more pieces by Aaron Copeland and even two pieces specifically composed for the quartet. It promises to be a truly enjoyable performance.” chaning.green@journalinc.com Twitter: chaningthegreen

OXFORD CITIZEN

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2016

FROM 1

aging grandfather maintain the farm. Katherine hated the work at the time and never knew how much she would one day come to love farm work.

In 2003, Katherine’s father moved from Corinth back to the farm and worked for the Mississippi State Extension Service as the county agent for Union County. He began working with his siblings to revive the farm and start growing produce again, like his father and grandfather had.

Pretty soon he had the idea for the corn maze, but he was going to need help.

“Agritourism was still a new thing 13 years ago, especially in these parts,” said Katherine Wise. “My granddaddy told my dad, ‘Son, no one is going to pay $5 to walk around in some corn.

That’s ridiculous.’ My dad ended up getting 500 people to come and participate in the corn maze that first year.”

During this time, the farm’s only attraction was the maze, but that changed

about three years ago.

Katherine’s aunts and uncles were getting older and tired of the demanding labor of farming. Katherine’s father called her and asked if she would consider coming back to help run the farm. She moved back to the farm that year and has been there ever since.

Just past the entrance of the farm is a small bunny enclosure where children and pick up and pet different kinds of rabbits the farm has. In the back, lies several spots for bonfires, two pumpkin patches and a corn maze that takes up a full 6.5 acres. There is also plenty of equipment toward the front part of the farm for kids to play on including an old single engine airplane and an outdated fire truck that was used by the Hurricane Volunteer Fire Department decades ago. This area at the front of the farm is a wide, open space with plenty of stuff to climb on and make noise with.

This year the farm partnered with St. Jude’s in order to host a fundraiser called the Cotton Picking Pumpkin Festival. The farm

“

I really enjoy the work we do here, I’ve really enjoyed seeing the community come out and hearing about how much they love it. In the fall, I love the families that come out. I love seeing the kids run around with smiles that are so big, and they’re having so much fun…

“

Wise

PAGE 5

Katherine Wise, Wise Farm has grown cotton for several years to include in the educational aspect of their tours, but they wanted to put that cotton to good use.

The Wise family has connections with local community members, including farmers, whose children have been treated at St. Jude’s and wanted to give back.

Ten local businesses contributed to create five teams of three cotton pickers. Each team paid a $25 entry fee. The teams were required to see who could

pick the most cotton of in 20 minutes and the winning team would receive a giant green trophy. For the remainder of the year, the farm is selling tickets for $1 for people to come out and pick as much cotton as they want and add it to the wagon. All of the cotton that is collected by the end of October will be formed into a baled and set for auction. Handpicked cotton will fetch a much higher price than machine picked because of its purity. All of the proceeds from the sale

of the bale go to benefit St. Jude’s.

Some parts of the farm, like the sunflowers, are not as robust as they normally are at this point during the season due to a drought that has been affecting the farm for over two months now. Katherine said that the drought one of the worst they have ever had and that the parts of the farm that do not receive irrigation have been severely affected. Much of the grass at the farm is dry and brittle and the corn maze is

slightly shorter than it has been in years past, but that has not slowed the farm down.

The school field trips that visit the farm get a tour of the dry parts to learn how important a constant water supply is in the process of sustaining crops.

The education component is one of Katherine Wise’s favorite part of her job.

“I really enjoy the work we do here,” she said. “I’ve really enjoyed seeing the community come out and hearing about how much they love it. In the fall, I love the families that come out.

I love seeing the kids run around with smiles that are so big, and they’re having so much fun. This is the same as going to movie, but rather than staring at a screen, you’re running around, you’re interacting and learning. I really think it’s important to educate the younger generation on agriculture, because they will be voting and making decisions on things that affect farmers.” chaning.green@journalinc.com Twitter: chaningthegreen

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OXFORD CITIZEN

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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2016

CHANING GREEN

Liz Young of the American Heart Association and a helper from the audience show students Director of Good Food for Oxford Schools Eleanor Green presents to parents and community how many laps around a running track it would take to burn off the calories and carbs in members gathered for the school district’s second annual Lunch Tray Town Hall. some common food items.

CHANING GREEN

OSD hold second annual Lunch Tray Town Hall

BY CHANING GREEN NEWS WRITER

Last Wednesday night, the Oxford School District held their second annual Lunch Tray Town Hall where they shared facts, figures and insight into the district’s lunch program.

The event was open to parents and any members of the community. Guests were prepared baked Cajun catfish, mashed sweet potatoes, roasted cinnamon apples and were given access to a fully stocked salad bar. The catfish were from America’s Catch Farm from the Delta's own Itta Bena.

The sweet potatoes were grown in the state and purchased through a statewide

buying cooperative that the school district participates in. The cucumbers and cherry tomatoes on the salad bar came from farmer Steve Hale of St. Bethany Fresh in Pontotoc.

The purpose of the Lunch Tray Town Hall was to give parents and community members a better idea of exactly what is going into student’s lunches and where that food is coming from. Director of Good Food for Oxford Schools Eleanor Green said that the event also gave the parents the opportunity to experience the food firsthand while engaging with district officials and parents.

Director of Child Nutri-

tion for the district Tim Howington was there with a presentation that provided a closer look at the technical side of what goes into each meal the district prepares.

Howington outlined the districts plan to emphasize more meals made from scratch with locally sourced ingredients. This includes more spices and sauces to add flavor, more fresh and raw fruits and vegetables and fewer processed items on the menu. There will also continue to be absolutely no fried foods provided by the cafeteria as the school board voted to remove all fryers from district kitchens. All recipes are approved by the Mississippi

Department of Education and meet the most recent standards set by the United Stated Department of Agriculture’s “Dietary Guidelines for Americans.”

A calendar of meals planned so far can be found on each school’s website and through www.nutri-cafe.com or through the Nutri-Cafe app. Howington also stressed that parents ultimately have the most control as to what their child eats. If there is anything on the menu a parent does not want their child eating or if a child is not allowed to purchase a desert, parents can notify the school and they can make sure those requests are followed.

Howington also explained the formula for components the district follows when incorporating different things into a week’s worth of meals for students. For students in Pre-K to eighth grade receive 9 ounces of meat, 8 oz of grains, 3.75 cups of vegetables and 2.5 cups of fruit in a week. For grades nine through 12, those numbers are 10oz of meat, 10 oz of grains, 5 cups of vegetables and 5 cups of fruit a week.

Every student is encouraged to drink 8oz of milk daily.

Also presenting that night was Liz Young of the American Heart Associa-

tion. Young travels up and down the state speaking in schools and at gathering like the Lunch Tray Town Hall last week. She works to promote healthy eating and encourage people to become more aware about what they’re putting into their bodies.

During her speech, Young and a helper showed different pictures of junk food and had members of the audience guess how many laps around a high school running track it would take to burn off the calories and carbs in each food item. She also walked the crowd through how much added sugar the average person is recommended to consume and how that compares with what is in popular drinks and foods.

“I think what Oxford’s doing in terms of getting information out to the parents is what we try to do, meet people where they are,” Young said after her presentation.

“Serving them a healthy, good meal is brilliant. You get em out, serve them a meal and share the information. I think most people want this information; they just have to take time out of your busy day to get it. You gotta eat somewhere, so why not somewhere like this? I’m all for it.”

One of the parents in at-

tendance at the event was Anne McCauley who serves as the assistant director for the University of Mississippi’s Office of Sustainability. McCauley said that both her professional life and her role as a mother give her an extremely vested interest as to what local schools are feeding students and from where that food is sourced.

“My son just started in the school district, and he eats breakfast and lunch there because I feel pretty good about the food they are preparing and serving,” McCauley said when asked why she attended Lunch Tray Town Hall Wednesday night. “I wanted know more about what their plans are and what other parents are thinking.”

McCauley went on to say that she has eaten lunch with her son at his school before and was impressed with quality of the food that was being served. After attending the event last Wednesday and hearing Howington discuss what nutritional guidelines the district adheres to when planning the menu for students, she said that she feels more even confident about the food her son will be eating during the school day. chaning.green@journalinc.com Twitter: chaningthegreen

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2016

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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2016

21 United to hold third annual Buddy Walk Sunday

BY JOHN DAVIS OXFORD CITIZEN

No Ole Miss football, no problem. There are plenty of things to do this weekend in Oxford, including the third annual Buddy Walk that will be held this Sunday afternoon at the city's old Armory, new Pavilion located off Bramlett Boulevard. Jenny Rayner is the president of 21 United, the non-profit organization in charge of the event that is geared towards creating awareness and support for Down Syndrome in North Mississippi.

October is national Down Syndrome Awareness month, and Buddy Walks are held all over the country during the month.

Rayner and her husband, along with two other families from Oxford, formed 21 United a little over two years ago. Their son James, who just turned 7 last week, has Down Syndrome.

“We just felt a need in our community for a group so that we could have social gatherings. We had a camp this past summer that we hosted for families with children Down Syndrome and that was wonderful,” Rayner said.

“Our biggest fundraiser of the year is the Buddy Walk. It's a family event and it starts at 1 and runs until 4. We will have two different people playing live music.

We will have a bounce house for the kids and face painting and we

JENNY RAYNER

The third annual Buddy Walk sponsored by 21 United will be held Sunday afternoon from 1 until 4 at the city pavilion. will be giving out balloons. I think the fire department is also going to bring in fire trucks. And we will be giving away some ice cream and other food.”

With the Rebels off this Saturday, Ole Miss Athletics Director Ross Bjork was able to carve out some time to speak at the event.

He will be there to talk at 2:30 Sunday afternoon. Medals will be awarded for those children with Down Syndrome. The walk will take place midway through the event, and the route is from the Pavilion up to Oxford Middle School and back.

“It's really just a fun day for the

community to come out and celebrate individuals with Down Syndrome. It brings about awareness,” Rayner said. “The first year we had this event was at Bailey Branch Park and I thought it was going to be a small event and it ended up being bigger than I thought. Last year we were at the

Grove and more people became involved. My son is in kindergarten this year and one of his teachers is also the assistant hockey coach at Ole Miss and this year he is brining all of his hockey players to be involved and they're going to set up a hockey net.

“People come out and see all these children out here and a lot of people don't understand exactly what Down Syndrome is and there aren't many of us in Oxford,” Rayner added. “We probably have eight or nine families and we do bring in others from surrounding areas like New Albany and Clarksdale. I think people are able to see that individuals with Down Syndrome can get out and play and be active members of their community. It's just helpful for people who might now know what Down Syndrome is. This is a great family, community event for people who can learn more about people with Down Syndrome.”

Sponsorships are accepted and people can register for the Buddy Walk through www.21united.org.

The cost to enter Sunday's event is $10 for adults and $5 for children and those with special needs do not have to pay.

John.davis@journalinc.com Twitter: @oxfordcitizenjd

OPD has busy start to week with burglary, assault arrests

LMS Homecoming

BY JOHN DAVIS OXFORD CITIZEN

JOHN DAVIS

Zya Kelly was named the Homecoming Queen for Lafayette Middle School Tuesday night.

Kelly is an eighth grader at the school.The Commodores hosted Water Valley at William L. Buford Stadium.

Oxford Police officers had a busy week with felony arrests. Creighton Serrette, 23 of Olive Branch, was charged with aggravated domestic violence Tuesday for assaulting his girlfriend. According to information provided by the OPD, Serrette choked the woman until she was unconscious.

His bond was set at $5,000.

Two other men, Adrian J. Miller, 22, and Christopher Parker, 22, both of Memphis, were charged with breaking and entering a dwelling or inner door of a dwelling and house. The OPD responded to a burglary call on Sunday.

After a report, officers walked through the area and located two men hanging around outside. Officers were able to determine that Miller and Parker were the two suspects they were looking for.

The stolen property was recovered, hidden, in a nearby apartment. Miller

and Parker were arrested and transported to the Lafayette County Detention Center. They were taken before Judge Carolyn Bell for their initial appearance and their bond was set at $3,000.

On Monday, the OPD arrested John Borges, 21, for aggravated assault. The OPD received a call about a fight on Bramlett Boulevard. When they arrived, officers found a person cut with a knife.

There was also information received that someone pulled a gun during the altercation. The knife used in the incident was found on scene as well as a gun. Both items were placed in evidence at the OPD. The victim was treated by EMS on the scene for non life-threatening wounds. The victim identified Borges as the man that assaulted him. Borges was arrested on scene and later given a bond of $15,000. john.davis@journalinc.com Twitter: @oxfordcitizenjd

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2016

OXFORD CITIZEN

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Randi Jumper stayed positive to beat breast cancer

BY JOHN DAVIS OXFORD CITIZEN

Ole Miss football has always been a big part of Randi Jumper's life. She was back in town from St. Louis over the weekend to watch the Rebels host the Memphis Tigers for Homecoming. At the end of Hugh Freeze's first season in 2012, Jumper planned her first chemotherapy treatment around the BBVA Compass Bowl because well, at the time, going to bowls didn't just happen after every season.

“I started chemo in January and went through to April and then I did radiation through the summer and I was in clinical remission that November in 2013,” Jumper said. “I did chemo everyday for 33 days. I was one of the lucky ones. I didn't get sick.

I did lose my hair and that was the worst experience of my life. But it wasn't bad for me.”

Jumper's bought with breast cancer started when she felt a lump herself and then she talked with one of the nurses in the operating room. The original thought was too much caffeine and the lump was dismissed until she went for her regular check up with her obstetrician. A biopsy was ordered, but Jumper was was reassured that she was just too young, at 22, to have cancer.

“I got a call from the doctor the next day

and he said that I needed to bring in my family to discuss my pathology. At that point, I knew it was bad. The next day, he said I had breast cancer and he said we needed to do something about this immediately,” Jumper said. “It went from nothing to we have to get rid of it immediately.

The first thing that the doctor wanted me to do was a mastectomy and he had the consent form from the surgeon ready to go in his office. At that point, we decided to get a second opinion and that's when I went to the West Clinic in Memphis. They said there was no need to do the mastectomy. Again, the age came up and they said we could get rid of it with chemo and radiation. All of that happened within a week of a half.”

Jumper's Stage 2 cancer was in remission

by November of 2013. She had been going to the doctor every six months, and now she goes every year. Her experience was a scare and she tells women that if there is any question, go get a mammogram.

“They don't hurt as bad as people say they do. I had several. It feels like a lot of pressure. It hurts, but it's not scary,” she said. “Be proactive.”

There hasn't been a big opportunity for Jumper to share her story to the public. She said that a lot of the bigger companies get so involved with pink that she isn't sure how much money actually goes towards the breast cancer research.

“I think they have a lot more experience.

It seems like they can pick up cancer a lot sooner now and get rid of it with chemo, radiation or surgery,” she said. “I would go through cancer again. The people that you meet, it's been a very humbling experience.

Losing my hair was traumatic for me and having to wear a wig. I guess going through it at a younger age, I would see people come in walkers and wheelchairs and I would come in with a hamburger from Wendy's because I was starving. It's very eye opening, humbling.”

One day, Jumper, who attended Lafayette High and graduated in 2008, would like to have children with her husband, who she married at 24, after cancer.

She hasn't talked much about cancer because she didn't want people to feel sorry for her.

“I would talk with somebody specifically who was going through it to tell them that it's a God thing. You do it, you get over it and move on,” Jumper said. “I'm a religious person and more aware now. I couldn't have done this without the help of my friends and family. I had a friend who would take me to Taylor every Thursday after chemo for dinner. Just like things like that kept me going.”

COURTESY RANDI JUMPER

John.davis@journalinc.com Twitter: @oxfordcitizenjd

Randi Jumper gives her thumbs up sign before one her chemotherapy treatments in 2013.

OXFORD CITIZEN

PAGE 10

Lafayette School Board amends cell phone policy

BY CHANING GREEN NEWS WRITER

The October meeting of the Lafayette County School District’s School Board had a short agenda and did not last very long Monday evening.

The biggest thing that came out of the meeting that directly impacts students was the board’s vote to revise a policy in the district’s handbook regarding cell phones and other electronic devices.

Section J, Policy Code JE of the handbook formerly read: “The Lafayette County School District Board of Trustees has determined that student use of cell phones or other electronic/communication devices is disruptive to the educational process limiting disruptive behavior, including disruptions caused by students’

cell phones/electronic devices, maximizes the ability of the District to follow curriculum educational objectives and to maintain an environment conducive to learning.”

All but one of the board members agreed that this was an outdated sentiment. Those in favor of updating the policy said that a lot of the schoolwork required of students can be accomplished on their smart phones.

Members of the board talked amongst themselves, and said that rather than hindering the learning environment, a lot of the electronic devices students use every day can be used in a way that not only contributes to but also widely expands their learning environment.

The updated policy allows for students to bring their cell phones with

them into the classroom, but they are not permitted to use them unless specifically requested by a teacher to do so.

Patrick Robinson and Jeremy Stinson, both of who work in the district, sent the proposed change via email to Superintendent Adam Pugh and the board. The email reads: “Policy JE is outdated based upon current trends in education whereby cell phones and other electronic devices can be used for productive, educational purposes when students use them properly under close teacher supervision.”

Attached to the email was the old policy and revisions and deletions for the board’s consideration. chaning.green@journalinc.com Twitter: chaningthegreen

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2016

Lafayette under a burn ban until November

BY JOHN DAVIS OXFORD CITIZEN

Lafayette County became one of the latest to be added to a state-wide burn ban list this week. Little to no rainfall over the last month led to the decision that was put in motion by the county supervisors during their meeting Monday night.

Wes Anderson, the fire coordinator for the county, appeared before the supervisors to talk about the ban going into affect for a month. The supervisors agreed with the request and by Tuesday at lunch, the Mississippi Forestry Commission had Lafayette County added to the list that now includes 20 different counties, including all the counties that touch Lafayette, with the exception being Yalobusha. The ban goes through Nov. 7. It could be extended depending on the amount of rain that does or doesn't fall in the area. According to Anderson, there were no significant amounts of rain expected in the extended forecast.

According to the Forestry website, any person who knowingly and willfully violates a burning ban is guilty of a misdemeanor and may be fined not less than $100 and not more than $500 under Section 49-19-351 of MS Code of 1972.

There is only exemption placed on the burn ban locally, and that's by the Mississippi Forestry Commission. That means that fire services or county burn agents are not able to use fire to accomplish a project.

New fire station (subhead) There will be a new fire station to serve residents located in the eastern part of the county in the future. JW McCurdy appeared

before the board Monday to donate an acre of land that will be used as the site of the new station. It will be located off Highway 6 East, near the Highlands and Tuscan Hills subdivisions.

“It's a great opportunity, especially when you have a developer step up like that and donate us a piece of property because it would be years before we could afford to buy a piece of property and construct a building,” said a thrilled Anderson. “It takes a lot of cost out of it for us. We want it be almost identical to station two. Not many tweaks at all.”

Station 2 is the newest one in the county service area and located off Hwy. 30. It cost approximately $400,000 to build. The county will fund the new station and discussions on how that is accomplished will be coming in time now that the land donation has been finalized. Anderson said it would be ideal to have the new station completed in a year, or in late 2017.

“The district that this station will cover are the Highlands and Tuscan Hills and the majority of The Lakes and the north side of 6 as well,” Anderson said. “We have a large gap there that's not there. They still have fire coverage, but they're just not in an insurance grading district.”

The new station has the potential to lower insurance rates for home owners that live in those specific subdivisions and area that the new station can serve. Response times to a fire should also be improved.

“We can't promise anything, but all of that should be improved, yes,” Anderson said.

John.davis@journalinc.com Twitter: @oxfordcitizenjd

Samson issues apology for remark, withdraws from UM

BY JOHN DAVIS OXFORD CITIZEN

A public apology from Jordan Samson, the University of Mississippi student at the center of last month's protest in front of the Lyceum, has been followed with his decision to leave school.

The university made the apology from Samson public Wednesday via social media. In the apology, Samson, who used racist language in a Facebook post about the upheval in Charlotte, North Carolina, said he had become a “broken man with much sadness in his heart.”

The letter, signed by Samson, goes on to say “recently, I made an offensive Facebook post. I give my most sincere apologies to each person and any group of people that I have offended. I am deeply sorry for my lapse of judgment. I hope that you can find forgiveness in your heart for me. I do not want this post to define who I am. I was raised in a great home where I was taught to love everyone.

Again, I am deeply sorry and I hope you can forgive me. I love this university and I am

going to use this moment to grow and better myself as well as well as the university.”

Samson had been studying risk management and was listed as a senior. In the same release from the university, Chancellor Jeffrey Vitter issued his thoughts on the matter.

“We as a university condemn the use of language that is threatening or racist, and we are committed to protecting our students and faculty. We also believe in the power of higher education to transform individuals,” Vitter said in the release.

“Even though the social media comment he made may have been protected expression, Jordan wanted to take responsibility for the impact of his post on our community,” said Brandi Hephner LaBanc, vice chancellor for student affairs.

“Therefore, he has willingly agreed to take the educational and reparative steps that the University of Mississippi believes are necessary to help restore a healthy and productive environment for all members of our community, including Jordan.”

John.davis@journalinc.com Twitter: @oxfordcitizenjd

OXFORD CITIZEN

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2016

PAGE 11

City board votes to approve raise for themselves, mayor

BY CHANING GREEN NEWS WRITER

The Board of Alderman voted to approve a raise in compensation for themselves, and for the office of mayor, during Tuesday evening’s city board meeting.

Alderman At-Large John Morgan was unable to attend the meeting Tuesday, but was able to connect and be present via speakerphone. Ward II Alderman Robyn Tannehill was in New York on personal business and was unable to attend the meeting.

The meeting was held as al-

ways on the top floor of City Hall in its courtroom, which is currently undergoing a new paint job. It was the first time the board has met since the end of the city’s fiscal year on September 30.

Mayor Pat Patterson began the meeting by addressing the recent controversy taking place over the Oxford School District’s consideration of an opt-in program for certain students. Patterson said that he has complete faith that the school district will continue to serve the community well and that he believes the community will come away

from this stronger than ever.

An independent committee of six people was commissioned by the city to evaluate compensation for the board and mayor based on cities of a similar size, and it was they who made the recommendation for a pay increase. The mayor gave the public an opportunity to weigh in and offer thought and comments on the pay increase. When no one spoke up, the board unanimously voted to accept the committee’s recommendation.

Currently, the mayor makes $72,800 a year and board mem-

bers are paid $14,000 for their work. This increase will take the mayor’s salary to $85,000 and the board’s to $18,500. The pay raise will be going into effect during the summer of 2017.

Director of the city’s tourism bureau Visit Oxford Mary Allyn Hedges presented before the board and outlined the basics of the 2017 marketing plan for the department. Hedges said that Visit Oxford primarily focuses on reaching different populations of cities that are all within five-hour drives of Oxford. She listed Nashville, Atlanta, Jackson and

Memphis as examples.

Hedges went on to thank the city for the increase in the budget for the 2017 fiscal year. Visit Oxford’s marketing budget rose from $100,000 to $165,000 this year. That money will be used toward more digital marketing as well as setting up a virtual pressroom to make it easier for visiting travel writers to get information required to write about the city.

The City Board will meet again on Oct. 13 at 12:30 p.m. in city hall. chaning.green@journalinc.com Twitter: chaningthegreen

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PAGE 12

Crimestoppers reward increased A reward of $1,000 has been issued through Crimestoppers for information leading to the disappearnce of a trailer over the Labor Day weekend. The Lafayette County Sheriff's Department is investigating how the 5x5x10 covered trailer was taken from its location on CR 380 near Paris. The trailer was reported missing on Sunday. It had contractor's equipment located inside.

Anyone with information that can lead to arrest can call Crimestoppers at 234-8799, the sheriff's department at 234-6421 or lead investigator Alan Wilburn directly.

Man arrested for aggravated assault Artemus Boyd, 22, of Fulton, was arrested Thursday night and charged with aggravated assault by the Oxford Police Department. Officers had been dispatched to Baptist Memorial HospitalNorth Mississippi for a welfare concern. When officers arrived, they found a male there that had been shot multiple times. The individual shot was conscious at the time, and officers were able to get a brief statement. Officers found out that the victim was driven to the emergency room by a friend. According to the OPD, the friend she

and the victim were together and they got into a verbal argument as they drove down the road.

She pulled into an apartment complex on Old Taylor Road where she called one of her friends to come help her. The friend that came was Boyd. When Boyd arrived, officers report he and the other man got into an argument and Boyd pulled a gun and fired multiple times striking the victim. Boyd fled on foot and the victim was driven to the ER by his female friend. As we interviewed the female, she confirmed that she called Boyd to the complex and Boyd shot the victim. Boyd was identi-

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2016

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PAGE 13

OXFORD CITIZEN

PAGE 14

Caroline Felker

Eileen Saunders

Cell: 662.801.0878 Office: 662.234.5344 Email: caroline@tmhomes.com www.youroxfordhome.com

Cell: 662.404.0816 Office: 662.234.5344 Email: eileen@tmhomes.com

317 Windsor Dr. N

Danny Flowers

$335,000

WINDSOR FALLS - Beautiful 4 bedroom/3 bath in popular neighborhood. Customized Indianola plan includes a slightly larger kitchen, 4th bedroom (full bath and closet) upstairs that could also be used as a bonus room, office or guest room. Built-in cabinets surrounding fireplace. Covered patio accessible to master bedroom and kitchen.

Fenced yard for privacy. Community pool access for an extra $300/year. Approx. 2 miles to Baptist Memorial, 3 miles to the Square.

MLS# 136673. Call Eileen Saunders- 662-404-0816.

Blake Thompson

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Polina Wheeler

Sam Smallwood

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316 Kelly Lane

$272,500

BATESVILLE - Two homes for the price of one. Cottage style home located on 27 acres between Oxford & Batesville. First home has a wide porch overlooking the large yard & woods. The second home is approx. 2300 sf & barn. Property also features a pond. Live in one house & rent the other. MLS# 135913. Call Blake Thompson - 662-801-7014.

Weesie Biedenharn

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GARNER HEIGHTS Charming, secluded 3BD/2BA home in the heart of Oxford! Peace & privacy in the middle of town.

The floors are a combination of hardwood & ceramic tile in the living/kitchen areas & carpeted bedrooms. Nice closets & storage space. Come take a look and make this yours! Less than a mile from Campus & 1.5 miles from the Square. MLS# 135551. Call Blake Thompson – 662-8017014.

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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2016

$165,000

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SOLD 149 Northpointe Dr.

$229,900

NORTHPOINTE 4BD/2.5BA brick home in one of Oxford’s finest areas. Meticulously cared for, with several sophisticated upgrades. Very private professionally landscaped backyard overlooking a pond. Great floor plan. Spacious

OXFORD CITIZEN

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2016

PAGE 15

Paula Crum

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3018 Highlands Circle $585,000

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THE HIGHLANDS - Professionally decorated, custom built home w/ open floorplan (City of Oxford Schools); every BR has a bath, 4BR, 4BA (2 down & 2 up), stainless appliance pkg, hardwood floors, 10’ smooth ceilings, 8’ solid wood doors, kitchen opens to the Keeping Room, builtin bookcases, stone fireplace, Wet Bar, breakfast area and large screened porch that includes a fireplace for those chilly nights for roasting marshmallows. House is encapsulated with foam insulation; backyard has an iron-type fence. Access to ~80-acre Trophy Lake & ~30-acre Park. MLS#136645. Call Paula Crum- 662-701-7789.

303 Downing

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COBBLESTONE PARK - Spacious home with a view of the large pond and very affordably priced! 4BR/3BA, huge kitchen, granite countertops, double walk-in pantries, eat in kitchen, dining room, family room completes the Main Floor. Upstairs, another BR and Bath with a huge finished bonus room utilized at the Home Theater complete with Cotton Candy and Popcorn Machine! Storage room galore! MLS# 136466. Call Paula Crum- 662-701-7789.

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BATESVILLE - Spacious custom built home sitting on 1.5 acres with beautiful pond views. 4BD/3BA, office and flex space. Large kitchen with cherry cabinets, granite countertops and Italian tile floors. Walk out balcony with French windows. Living room has a fireplace and great views. MLS# 136165. Call Merisa Baker- 662-488-5720.

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Proposed construction beginning soon! Open floor plan, 3 bedroom, 2.5 bathrooms. Lots of hardwood, tile and carpet. Hurry to choose finishing colors, flooring, etc. Seller/builder is a licensed Mississippi real estate agent. MLS# 136747. Call Stan Abel- 662-816-9363.

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PAGE 16

OXFORD CITIZEN

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2016

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2016

PAGE 17

John Davis Sports Editor

Rangers rise to No. 1 in latest NJCAA poll thanks to hard-nosed play

A

steady climb up the NJCAA rankings won't mean as much if the Northwest Mississippi Community College Rangers don't finish the season like they have started. Just over the halfway point of the 2016 season, the Rangers are No. 1 in the latest junior college football poll.

NWCC started the season No. 10 in the poll, and are one of five schools to occupy the top position. The Rangers won the NJCAA national title last season, and have won nine straight games dating back to last season. They've earned some big wins already this year, with the latest coming a week against then No. 15 Holmes. NWCC has won three games against ranked foes this year, and all have been by double digits, which has helped impress voters.

Benjy Parker is just the second first-year head coach at NWCC to open the year with five wins. The other was former Ole Miss legend Ray Poole, who won his first seven games in 1979. Parker was impressed with Holmes heading into that contest, and he was pleased with how his Rangers fared in that one.

“They're a really, really good football team, so to be able to get that win, that's TURN TO RANGERS PAGE 22

JOEY BRENT

Lafayette senior Tyler Williams is a standout in both football and baseball for the Commodores. He also has a grade point average of 3.7.

Williams has shown his special skills on the field, in the classroom

BY JOHN DAVIS SPORTS EDITOR

Tyler Williams made his decision to attend Mississippi State in the spring. He was in that position for a lot of different reasons. Not only does Williams posses great athletic ability as a football and baseball player, he has the grades worthy of a scholarship.

The 6-foot-2 two-way standout for the Commodores is a tremendous student to be even more exact. He has a grade point average of 3.7, and he is just as competitive in the classroom as he is on a Friday night.

“I've always been serious about school.

the part they have played in his career.

“I think Lafayette as a whole, all the teachers and everyone is just real tough on education,” Williams said. “I think that everyone here takes it seriously, including all the coaches in all our sports programs.

This is the fifth in an eight-part You kind of have to keep your grades up series featuring multi-sport athhere.” letes at both Lafayette and OxWith a college choice out of the way, ford who also perform at a high and no worry about grades preventing level in the classroom. him from being a full qualifier, Williams I do not like making bad grades and I was has been able to concentrate on a fantasalways hard on myself. My parents were, tic senior season on the gridiron.

“It's a relief and it makes everything too,” Williams said. “I give them all the easier on me to where I can just focus on credit. There was no other option.”

Williams also credited the teachers, and the administration, at Lafayette for TURN TO WILLIAMS PAGE 24

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OXFORD CITIZEN

PAGE 18

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2016

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GAME 2 Texas vs. Oklahoma

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PAGE 19

Outgoing spirit defines Oxford senior co-captain

BY JOHN DAVIS SPORTS EDITOR

When Brynnen Yoste first moved to Oxford, she got back involved on the cheerleading circuit. Yoste had stopped cheering when she lived in Jackson, but by the time she was wrapping up her freshmen year at OHS, she wanted to be back in the mix.

She made the team heading into her sophomore season, and this is now her third with the Lady Chargers.

“I love it and it's just so much fun. I've gotten so close to all the other cheerleaders and coaches,” Yoste said. “My favorite is cheering for football games. I think I like that a little more than the competition side of it.”

When Yoste has told people that she is a cheerleader, they aren't surprised by that at all.

“They tell me that I'm too peppy and loud or outgoing, that they could tell I was cheerleader,” she said. “I don't think I could do anything where you had to be quiet. I don't know if Oxford has a chess team, but I know I would not do that. Too quiet for me.”

The excitement that surrounds a football game, being down on the field and by all the action, is what Yoste likes the most about a Friday night. Yoste had to have been happy following the Chargers' win over Madison Central. That was one of the games she was looking forward to as much as any at the start of the year because she was going to see some other friendly faces from her time living down there.

Ansley Byars is a cheerleader that Yoste is close with now.

Yoste said that Byars is the “organized one” of the bunch.

MEET YOUR Cheerleader

Brynnen Yoste “She is definitely like the mom of our grade. She is always hands on deck for everything,” Yoste said.

Wide receiver Preston Perkins is the OHS player that Yoste garners snacks for before games.

Perkins has been one of Yoste's best friends since she moved to town.

“I got dibs on him a few months ago because we're good friends,” she said.

Yoste has helped with various routines and she feels like one of the more spirited members of the squad. When it was Blue and Gold day, she and Byars found some older cheer uniforms that had been worn by the men and put those on like they were men.

“I posted a picture of that on Instagram. It was fun,” said Yoste, who likes the dances the most about competition cheer.

“We're getting a lot better. We're all getting closer and growing the relationships with the younger girls, too. So that's fun about it.”

RICK ADDY PHOTOGRAPHY

john.davis@journalinc.com Twitter: @oxfordcitizenjd

Oxford senior cheerleader Brynnen Yoste is energetic and full of pep. She loves being down on the field Friday nights to support the Chargers.

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PAGE 20

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2016

Friday Night Previews: Week 8

Commodores host Lions for Homecoming

BY JOHN DAVIS SPORTS EDITOR

A short week to get ready for the Tunica-Rosa Fort Lions is what the Lafayette Commodores have to overcome in order to improve to 2-0 in Division 2-4A play.

Of course, the Lions' athletic ability is another big thing for head coach Michael Fair and his staff to prepare for.

“They're the same as always, athletic and big on the lines of scrimmage.

They have a defensive end that is 6-5, 200 pounds and some big offensive linemen who move well,” Fair said. “They've got speed on the perimeter and they snap it to two or three different quarterbacks depending on the play. It seems like they've done that for several years now.

They have a middle linebacker, No. 5, that is a college prospect and he also plays a lot of quarterback.

They've got some talent.”

Motivation should be in the favor of the Commodores in the contest.

The Lions are unable to advance to the Class 4A playoffs this year after starting practice with pads too early. Fair said it's hard to tell what the mindset of the players are watching film.

“I'm sure that they would like to go back and play a few of the early games over because they lost some close games to Marks and North Panola and some games like that,” Fair said. “Those two teams are having exceptional years as well. We'll see. I know they played well against Byhalia last week. It was their best game of the year, so you have to be a lit-

Tunica-Rosa Fort. vs.

Lafayette Kickoff: Tonight, 7 p.m.

Radio: FM 105.1

tle concerned about them turning it on right before we play.”

No matter if Tunica plays hard or not, Fair said his Commodores (4-2 overall) aren't good enough to not play well each and every week.

“We just can't walk out there and beat anyone.

We've got play with some intensity and to be honest, we have to come out with more intensity than we had last week,” Fair said. “I thought we played hard at times and really well at times last week, but we've got to start early and play with a lot of intensity early.”

Fair felt like the Commodores' offensive line played really well in the 2814 win over Ripley. And the defensive front also played well.

“It was just the lack of intensity on both sides of the ball in the first half allowed (Ripley) to make a couple of drives and stopped us on a couple of drives,” Fair said. “If you take that out, it could be a completely different ballgame. We were up three scores late in the game, and we feel real good about that. It's not like we played poorly and

JOEY BRENT

Lafayette tailback Jamarcus Quarles and the Commodores are back in action tonight against Tunica-Rosa Fort. Quarles has rushed for over 1,000 yards this season for the 4-2 Commodores. we did play against a good football team. We've just got to get better at what we do.”

Extra Points Lafayette running back Jamarcus Quarles eclipsed

1,000 yards last week against Ripley and he now has 1,145 on the season, as well as seven touchdowns … Tyler Williams leads Lafayette receivers with 18 grabs for 391 yards and five

touchdowns … Quarterback Will Ard has completed 58.5 percent of his passes for 787 yards and eight touchdowns … Brandon Curry leads the team with 82 tackles on the sea-

read more and find exclusive content at

oxfordcitizen.com

son. A total of seven players have at least 40 tackles for the Commodores on defense. john.davis@journalinc.com Twitter: @oxfordcitizenjd

OXFORD CITIZEN

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2016

PAGE 21

Friday Night Previews: Week 8

Chargers looking to keep momentum going

BY JOHN DAVIS SPORTS EDITOR

Oxford's most complete effort of the season came at just the right time. After losing back-to-back games against Lafayette and West Point, the Chargers won their first Division 1-5A contest 42-0 Friday night against Saltillo.

The defense held the Tigers to just 45 yards, while the offense totaled 404 yards, and was balanced both on the ground and through the air.

“After watching the film, I thought we played very well. Defensively, especially, we played well. I thought we were just very, very consistent defensively,” OHS coach Chris Cutcliffe said. “Offensively, we executed at a much higher level. I think it showed because we were able to move the ball and put some drives together.”

The offense did commit a turnover and had six penalties overall. Those are the things that Cutcliffe would like to get fixed or eliminated as the Chargers get ready to travel to Lewisburg Friday night.

“I think defensively, there really isn't a lot negative to say. We played a pretty complete game,” Cutcliffe added.

The Patriots are 2-5 overall heading into Friday night's matchup. They lost 55-6 to Lake Cormorant last week, and in the 1-5A opener, they lost 43-7 to Center Hill. Over the last four weeks, the Patriots have allowed 203 points.

No matter what the stats say, Cutcliffe said the most

Oxford at Lewisburg Kickoff: Friday, 7 p.m.

Radio: FM 95.5 important thing is for his team to play well.

“We're trying to position ourselves in the playoffs and now we have a .500 record in our district, so our goal is to have a winning record and this week, we have an opportunity to do that,” Cutcliffe said. “We're trying to prepare that way every day in practice.

Lewisburg has some very big guys. We saw them here in powerlifting season and they have some very strong guys. They are big on both lines of scrimmage and we always have to account for that. I think they are working hard and playing hard and we're going up there, so you always have to go play hard on the road.

“They graduated a really good player at quarterback and it takes a little time when you replace a lot of your moving parts on offense for things to start clicking and gel together.

We're still a work in progress in that regard and I think they have a little bit of the same scenario going on to replace their offensive leader from last year.”

The next few weeks are important for the Chargers as they host New Hope and then travel to Clarksdale.

JOEY BRENT

Oxford wide receiver Damarea Burt caught a touchdown pass in last week's 42-0 win over Saltillo.

By that fifth week, the race for the playoffs to could be determined.

“The playoff race in our district is going to really take shape and we have to take care of our business

We want to hear from you

each and every week to make sure where we want to be,” Cutcliffe said. “One thing I would like to see is to see us make more big plays in special teams. I felt like we had a big punt re-

turn last Friday night and we recovered an onside kick. I would like to see us continue to make plays in the kicking game because that can certainly be the difference in a close ball-

game at some point this season. So I would like to see us improve in that regard.” john.davis@journalinc.com Twitter: @oxfordcitizenjd

Let us know how we’re doing. Call us at (662) 801-9607, write to us at P.O. Box 1176, Oxford, MS 38655, email us at mail@oxfordcitizen.com or visit us online at oxfordcitizen.com.

OXFORD CITIZEN

PAGE 22

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2016

Alabama standout brings character, athleticism to Rebels

BY JOHN DAVIS SPORTS EDITOR

It didn't take AJ Harris very long to get some varsity action under his belt. The defensive back from Bob Jones High School in Madison, Alabama made an impression from an early age. His head coach, Kevin Rose, remembers the 6-foot, 186-pound Harris coming up to the varsity level his third week in the program.

“Our starting safety blew out his ACL in Week 2 of AJ's freshman year and we moved him up out of necessity. We needed another safety in the mix and he probably played 50 percent of the snaps as a freshman,” Rose said. “He's a really good kid.

We've never had any issues with him on or off the field. He's going to do what you coach him to do to the best of his ability.

That's all you can ask for.”

Harris is committed to play defensive back for the Ole Miss Rebels in the future. He is one of 13 verbal pledges for the 2017 signing class. Harris chose the Rebels over offers from Michigan, Florida State and Louisville, among others.

“I think he really enjoyed the coaching staff and the proximity to home and the opportunity to play in the SEC,” Rose said about Harris picking the Rebels.

“I think in this day in age, the first thing you want to know is what kind of character do they have and is it going to be somebody you're going to enjoy coaching over a four-year span.

Is he a good addition to your locker room? And is he someone who brings positive energy, and AJ is just a good person, a good kid. He always has a smile on his face and is always respectful,

Rangers FROM 17

huge because Holmes is really good,” Parker said.

“The plan going in was to try and win on first down, to force Holmes into third and long and get them out of their element a little bit.

Their coaches do an unbelievable job. Their players play hard. Our coaches did a good job, too. It was good to get that win over a very good team.”

There is still a lot of room to improve, Parker said before he shifted the conversation towards Coahoma. There were still mistakes to correct, and

KNOW YOUR RECRUIT

AJ Harris yes, sir, no, sir. Very humble. In that department, he's been a pleasure to coach.”

The Patriots are 5-2 on the season, and Rose said Harris had played well. Heading into last week's game, Harris was close to 60 tackles. Harris plays cornerback for Bob Jones, which runs a 3-3 stack on defense.

“He typically ends up in a lot of man coverage and we play a combination of man and zone based on what the call is,” Rose said. “I think his best assest is as a man cover guy. We feel like he best benefits our football team at corner because he is a really good cover guy. We can put him on the opposing team's best receiver and we feel like we're in good shape over there.”

Harris also returns kickoffs and punts for the Patriots, and he is playing a little on offense, Rose said.

“I know he has one reception on a deep ball and really only played four or five reps, if that many, but he does return kicks and punts. He had a punt return for a touchdown that was called back and he's had three kickoff

that's why there was practice each day.

“Right now, we're happy to be where we're at. Coahoma has a new coach and their guys are playing hard. We have to go over there and it's their Homecoming, so it will be tough,” Parker said. “They have an athletic quarterback and a defense that plays really hard and a running back who runs it very hard. They do a lot of things well, so we'll have to prepare hard this week.

We're not looking ahead.

We're focusing on Coahoma. I can tell you that.”

It's hard to believe that the Tigers aren't looking forward to Saturday's

COURTESY PHOTO

AJ Harris has been a steady performer at cornerback for Bob Jones and coach Kevin Rose.The Ole Miss Rebel commit also has the speed to return punts and kickoffs. returns past the 50,” Rose said.

On top of playing football, Harris runs track in the spring.

He is a member of the 4x100 meter team, and last year, that

matchup because of the fact that the Rangers are the new No. 1 team in the nation.

“I know for me personally, if we were playing a high ranked team, that's what I would tell my team, and we would do whatever we could to put together a good plan and execute it and try to win that game,” Parker said. “I bet you those guys are saying that. Our team needs to understand that also, and we have to prepare accordingly, too.

Maybe we're mature enough to handle that. I don't know. We'll see.”

It's human nature to know where your program

relay group produced the sec- now he's just football and ond-fastest time in the state of track,” Rose said.

Alabama.

“He's also played baseball and John.davis@journalinc.com basketball a year or so ago and Twitter: @oxfordcitizenjd

ranks in the polls when you play football at some of these elite level junior colleges. Northwest is the defending national champion, and the players that were on that team know where they rank. Parker said he doesn't get into rankings, but again, he's not a player.

“I certainly haven't said anything to them, but I'm sure they have known about it. Right now, it doesn't mean anything. It can be more of a distraction than anything because what matters is at the end of the season,” Parker said of the ranking.

“Hopefully our guys will prepare like everyone else

is No. 1. I think that may be a good way to approach it. We're going to go out there and coach like we have every other week, and hopefully that works out for us. If we don't prepare like you're supposed to prepare, you won't be that same team, you'll be worse. Everyday we go out there, we need to try and get better. We don't need to take a step backwards. We have to take a step forward.”

The thing that the Rangers have done to start the season is play hard each and every game.

“Our kids have been consistent with that and each week our coaches

have done a good job and that's a tribute to both of them,” Parker said. “Stan (Hill) and Jim (Jones) and Scott (Oakley) on offense, running the ball and controlling the clock, that's big for our defense. We've played good defense and then Scott, he's helped with our kicking game and I can't say enough about our kicking game. We've got a freshman kicker/punter who has been really good all year and a freshman deep snapper. Those guys have been consistent. Those guys deserve the credit.” john.davis@journalinc.com Twitter: @oxfordcitizenjd

OXFORD CITIZEN

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2016

PAGE 23

Lady Chargers challenged by Lafayette in victory

BY JOHN DAVIS SPORTS EDITOR

All Tara Ross wanted for her Oxford Lady Chargers Tuesday night was a competitive match. Lafayette's Lady Commodores were happy to oblige in the second meeting between the two schools this season in volleyball.

Oxford may have defeated Lafayette 3-0 in the LHS gym, but the Lady Chargers had to actually work for every point. It was a big change compared to the last three weeks in one-sided wins over the likes of Cleveland and Clarksdale and Holmes County. Just before one of the breaks in action, Ross looked at her team and told them “competition.”

“It was our first competitive game. Our game last Thursday, I was concerned about our lack of focus because it was wearing. Eight games like that in a row is wearing,” Ross said.

The second win over Lafayette was the 12th straight for the Lady Charg-

JOEY BRENT

Oxford Jordan Freeze sets a ball during Tuesday night's match with Lafayette in the LHS gym. Oxford won the match 3-0. ers, who are now 21-4 overall on the season. The last loss came in August to a team from Tennessee in a tournament. Oxford has already captured its division title and will be the No. 1 seed and hosting a team when the MHSAA playoffs

begin in just under two weeks. There is a chance that the Lady Chargers meet up with the Lady Commodores in that first meeting. It didn't matter to Ross who Oxford played in the first round. The other team the Lady Chargers could

match up with is Caledonia.

That won't be decided until next Tuesday when Caledonia plays Pontotoc.

Ross was able to play everyone against Lafayette as she tries to sharpen the sword before the start of the playoffs.

“We're rusty in some places. We've been working on covering a lot in practices and I thought we did a great job with that tonight,” Ross said. “We're going to be ready to go.”

Lafayette coach Clint Jordan also felt good about

where his team was heading into the final few matches of the season. The Lady Commodores will be the playoffs even if they don't know their seed just yet.

“If we do draw Oxford, it will be a great challenge because I do think they are the best team in the North,” said Jordan, who was much more pleased with the way his team competed in the second meeting with OHS. “We much better tonight than the first time we played them. We haven't played a team that hits the ball like them in a while.

They took it to us in Game 2, and they started to take it to us in Game 3, but we showed a little pride and a little fight and said we're not getting beat like this.

That's important, because in two weeks, if we have to play them again, we have to understand that we have to play near perfect volleyball to win that game.” john.davis@journalinc.com Twitter: @oxfordcitizenjd

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PAGE 24

Williams FROM 17

football and make plays,” said Williams, who really enjoys science and likes Spanish the least. “There were some classes that were hard, but it was all about getting my work done, paying attention in class and sitting at the front of class. Just small things. I was late a couple of times to first period, but I didn't miss school.”

The Commodores have used Williams on both sides of the ball in 2016. He leads the team with 18 catches for 391 yards and five touchdowns. He also had 29 tackles heading into the meeting with Tunica-Rosa Fort.

“I think I'm making a lot more plays at wide receiver. I've played well, but I definitely think that I can play better,” Williams said before talking about Division 2-4A play.

“We're all looking forward to it.

We've been preparing all summer for this. We broke the season down into three. Non district play and now we have district play and we're taking this just as seriously as we did our first season.”

Head coach Michael Fair knew early on when he took the job that Williams would be someone to count on. Now that half of the games have been played, Fair has been pleased on the production from both sides of the ball.

“It's nice to have a guy, a defensive back, that can almost take away half of the field. Not only does he make tremendous plays, a lot of folks don't even try to throw that way a whole lot because he's over there,” Fair said. “He's a great kid who has never once questioned anything we've asked him to do. He plays on both sides of the ball and he enjoys that role that he's in. When the ball is coming to him, you're going to have to go a long ways to find out somebody better than him.”

Lafayette lost its first two games of season, but Williams, and the other seniors, never panicked. The Commodores earned their first win over Oxford since 2011, and now it appears they are really starting to hit their stride.

“It's a great feeling. We definitely feel like we have something special going on here,” he sad. “Coach Fair told us the second half of the Grenada game that he felt something click and since that time, we've been firing on all cylinders.

I'm really loving the team and our chances.

Williams has earned a varsity letter in basketball, baseball and football and he felt like he really had to work the hardest at basketball.

“I've been playing baseball since I was 5 and that's always been a natural sport to me,” he said.

John.davis@journalinc.com Twitter: @oxfordcitizenjd

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2016

Kennedy likes how his Rebels have worked so far in practices

BY JOHN DAVIS SPORTS EDITOR

A group of hard workers that approaches basketball in a tough-minded way each day is a good way to describe this year's Ole Miss men's basketball team.

Or at least after the first month.

Coach Andy Kennedy gave his first public thoughts on his Rebels Tuesday afternoon. For the past month, Kennedy has been able to get a real feel for his 2016-2017 group. He has worked with the entire team since the time school started — something new this year — and Kennedy said he's taken advantage of the rule change.

“I really tried to do more team stuff to see what we're working with. We have 12 scholarship players and only six have been in the program before and only five actually been in a game for Ole Miss,” Kennedy said. “Half of our roster is brand new. Some of them are high school kids and some are post graduate transfers.

We also had a junior college transfer. We've got kids on our

team that represent five different countries. We've got all things going on to try and find out who we are.”

The common denominator has been the way each player has worked. Each has been super competitive in practices, Kennedy said, and that was the only way to get better.

“If you polled the guy in locker room to name the five starters for this season, there would only be one guy that would be on every ballot and that would Sebastian Saiz,” Kennedy said. “I think they all realize that Sebas is our guy. I think they all realize that the four other guys, I think they would think it would be funny about who the other guys would be because that's how competitive it is.”

There is now a little less than a month before the exhibition game is held, while the season opener is just a little over a month from starting up. Saiz is one of two seniors on the roster. The other is Rasheed Brooks, and both have practiced with a real sense of urgency. Ole Miss

missed playing in the NCAA and NIT Tournaments last season, and Kennedy said the goal is to make the NCAAs this year without ever putting that down as the goal.

“We don't sit around and talk about tangible and say we have to win a certain amount of games in order for this season to be successful. We just want to maximize who we are,” Kennedy said. “I do think with Sheed and with Sebas, they understand. You talk about it and talk about it and this year we have juniors that are playing hard, but when you become a senior, it really clicks and everything that coach has been saying is true. We have six or seven months left to, have this opportunity to play college basketball and we want to maximize it and both of those kids have been tremendous. Rasheed Brooks has probably been the most vocal leader that we've had to this point through camp. I've been really been proud with his approach.” john.davis@journalinc.com Twitter: @oxfordcitzenjd

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2016

OXFORD CITIZEN

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OXFORD CITIZEN

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2016

OXFORD CITIZEN

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2016

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Lafayette, Oxford claim sweeps Tuesday night Lafayette wins on Homecoming Lafayette earned a season sweep of Water Valley in middle school footall action Tuesday night at home. The Commodores remained unbeaten at 7-0 in seventh-grade action with a 28-8 win over the Blue Devils. The eighthgrade Commodores won the nightcap 34-8.

Kylen Vaughn scored the first touchdown of the game for the Commodores in the seventhgrade contest. He ran 30 yards for the score. Tyrus Williams threw for the 2-point conversion to Zay'lan Pitts.

Williams and Pitts hooked up for the second touchdown of the game. Pitts scored on a 20-yard reception from Williams.

Williams and Pitts also added the 2-point play following that touchdown. The final score was provided by Trikyus Woodall, who covered 70 yards en route to the end zone.

In the eighth-grade contest, Brendan Toles got the Commodores on the scoreboard first with a 35-yard run for a touchdown. Kylan Kinds added the second touchdown and the first 2-point conversion for Lafayette.

Kinds then hooked up with CJ Brassell for a 25-yard touchdown

pass for the third touchdown of the night. Toles added a 70-yard runs, while Kinds found Russell Cook for the 2-point conversion.

James Sanford added the final touchdown of the night for Commodores on a 40-yard run. The eighth-grade Commodores are now 3-2-1 on the season.

Both Lafayette teams will return to action for the final time against Oxford this coming week at Bobby Holcomb Field. The seventh-grade contest will begin at 5:30 p.m.

Mitchell in the first quarter on a 6-yard touchdown. Elliot had two touchdown passes in the second quarter. His first went to Mitchell and covered 32 yards, while Xavier Chapman caught a pass and covered 20 yards for a

touchdown. Keeton Phillips started the game for Oxford with a 70-yard run. He ended the scoring on the night with a 40yard run.

“I was very pleased with our play tonight with very little prac-

tice time designated to preparing for Tunica,” Hardwick said. “I am very proud of the way that our team has gotten better each week this year. We are a much better football team than we were earlier in the season.”

Chargers blank Tunica The Oxford seventh-grade Chargers defeated Tunica 34-0 Tuesday night. Coach Mike Hardwick created the play of his defense, saying it was a tremendous overall effort. D’monte Mitchell, Jalen Petty, Karl Hicks, and Omar Howell were credited with strong defensive games by Hardwick.

Offensively, the Chargers were successful thanks to a good outing from the offensive line that included Caleb Grey, Tyler Smith, Hunter Beard, Stratton Smith, Brice Mullen and Jack Crane. Both quarterbacks, Michael Harvey and Jonathon Elliot, each threw touchdown passes in the win. Harvey hooked up with D’monte

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OXFORD CITIZEN

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2016