Oct. 1, 2015

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oxfordcitizen.com

Volume 2 | Issue 47

Thursday, October 1, 2015

Inside 5 News

Oxford Commons coming to life.

4 Lifestyle

PETRE THOMAS | BUY AT PHOTOS.DJOURNAL.COM

Lee Jones of Third Coast Studios addresses an audience Tuesday at the Oxford Conference Center on the city's draft Vision 2037 long-range plan.

More meetings set before 2037 adoption

BY ERROL CASTENS OXFORD CITIZEN

Oxford-area developers could continue in a limbo of sorts for several months even if city officials adopt the updated long-range plan in November.

Adoption of the plan is likely only a few weeks away unless major revisions are called for, but Oxford City Planner Andrea Correll said turning it into code could take

another “four or five months.”

The plan, labeled “Vision 2037” for its intent to guide development through Oxford’s bicentennial year, Only a few dozen Oxfordarea residents attended Tuesday night’s public review of the city’s draft long-range plan, but city officials plan to give residents more opportunities to voice their opinion.

Bob Barber of the Orion Group and Lee Jones of Third

Coast Studios, both city planners on the team hired to lead the update process, outlined some of the effort’s aims, from mining data, gleaning community opinions about its needs and directions, putting those objectives into a draft plan and, finally, the implementation that still lies ahead.

“The plan is not a code. It has not effect on zoning,” Barber emphasized.

As currently drafted, the

long-range plan has four overarching themes: • Preservation of existing neighborhoods and the Courthouse Square • Greatly enhanced form and function of commercial areas • Frame the direction for expansion and align future development in those areas with Oxford's Guiding Principles • Align the few remaining deTURN TO VISION PAGE 15

Good-natured Twitter war rages on between Oxford Police Department and Gainesville Police Department.

16 Sports

Houston Nutt reflects on 2008 upset of Florida. Rebels will travel to face Gators Saturday.

OXFORD CITIZEN

PAGE 2

OHS students prep for ACT

BY ERROL CASTENS OXFORD CITIZEN

Most of Oxford High School’s upperclassmen are enrolled in a course this year aimed at boosting their performance on the region’s most common college entrance exam.

“We’ve got about 550 kids in the course,” said OHS Principal Bradley Roberson.

“If juniors were at 26 or higher, they could opt out of the class, but we encouraged all of them to stay in the class,” said Curriculum Coordinator Jeff Clay. “Seniors are taking it if they haven’t yet met all benchmarks of college readiness.”

The highest possible score on the ACT is 36, and the benchmarks are 18 in English, 22 in Math, 22 in Reading and 23 in Science.

School officials hope the course will not only increase scores among OHS students but will increase the number of students who take the test – perhaps encouraging more to pursue higher education.

“Being in the ACT prep course is not just about the content and the strategy,” Roberson said. “It’s about the importance of taking the ACT test.”

“Y’all are giving practice tests during the day,” added Oxford School District Superintendent Brian Harvey. “They’re not going into the ACT cold, without any practice.”

Oxford students consistently score higher than national and state averages. Of the 193 members of last spring’s graduating class who took the test, the average composite score was 22.1 compared to the nationwide average of 21.0 and the state average of 19.0.

Even so, there is abundant room for improvement.

Clay said 34 percent of last year’s 193 seniors who took the ACT scored at benchmarks for all four subject areas, and of the 247 juniors – this year’s seniors – 27.8 percent attained college-ready status.

One glaring issue in collegereadiness statistics as reflected by ACT scores is discrepancies between racial groups. Among last year’s seniors who took the test at least once, 67 percent of Asian students met all four benchmarks, as did 50 percent of white students.

Some 20 percent of Hispanic students and four percent of black students, however, scored at college-ready levels.

“I was wondering if anything

was being done to remedy that (gap),” said Oxford School Board member Gray Edmondson. “It wasn’t just a little different.”

Roberson said requiring the ACT prep class for most upperclassmen and making it available to nearly all should help.

“The course was designed to make sure as many are collegeand career-ready as possible,” he said.

While previous generations paid to take the ACT, the state now pays the fee for each high school junior to sit for the test in effort to boost the numbers who consider further education.

Only a student's highest score on the ACT is reported to colleges and universities, and many students raise their scores with repeated takings. One aspect of the OHS ACT prep course is to increase that factor by taking practice tests.

“Y’all are giving practice tests during the day,” said Oxford School District Superintendent Brian Harvey. “They’re not going into the ACT cold, without any practice.” errol.castens@journalinc.com Twitter: @oxfordcitizenec

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2015

BRIEFING Currence wins tourism award JACKSON - John Currence, the state’s only James Beard Foundation Award-winning chef, received the Tourism Investment Award at the Mississippi Governor’s Conference on Tourism on Tuesday.

Founder of City Grocery Restaurant Group, Currence placed Oxford on the map as a premier culinary destination.

Since he opened his first restaurant, City Grocery, over 20 years ago, Currence continues to gain high accolades by numerous publications such as Garden & Gun, Southern Living, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and Bon Appetit.

The City Grocery Restaurant Group opened Nacho Mama’s, Kalo’s, Ajax Diner, City Grocery Catering Company, Bouré, Big Bad Breakfast, Snackbar, and the most recently, Lamar Lounge – a not-for-profit restaurant benefiting various charities in the Oxford community.

Currence has appeared on Bravo’s Top Chef Masters and Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern and has received many awards, including the Southern Foodways Alliance Guard of Tra-

dition Award. He was also the winner of the 2008 Great American Seafood Cook-off in New Orleans.

His continued success in new and adventurous culinary endeavors keeps Oxford and Mississippi on the map for foodies across the region.

UM among growing flagship schools The University of Mississippi was the second fastest-growing among the 50 state flagship universities since the turn of the century.

According to analysis by the Washington Post published last week, the University of Alabama was the fastest-growing, with a 92-percent increase in undergraduate enrollment since 2000.

Ole Miss had a 74-percent growth rate, according to the Post.

While several other Southern flagship universities also were among those mushrooming in enrollment, Louisiana State University was dead last, with a five-percent loss from its 2000 student numbers - a figure attributed to the state’s population loss after Hurricane Katrina.

Oxford Citizen reports

OXFORD CITIZEN

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2015

PAGE 3

Going back to college went back to college last Wednesday. The Mississippi State Experiment station at Prairie had classes that they advertised as Cattlemen’s College. The classes focused on Forages, Animal Health, Ranch Management, Policy Updates and other issues that affect cattlemen. It was fun to mingle with the Big Boys none of which I bragged to that my entire Ponderosa could be carried off in a single sixteen-foot cattle trailer. Nobody asked and I did not tell. I wore my faded John Deere hat with the sweat marks on it (don’t EVER wear a John Deere hat that hadn’t been sweated into and expect to be taken seriously). The ensemble included Khaki pants that arguably puts a person a notch above jeans in status and what older farmers usually wear.

The experiment station was in pristine condition, was the model of efficiency, and looked all the world like my place - if I had a few employees helping. There were golf carts and hyped up sons of golf carts zipping around - doubtless on urgent errands. The Mazda van that carried me to the event looked forlorn parked in a field next to almost monster trucks of every make, model and color.

I did not go on the farm tour because I thought the tour would continue all day. It didn’t so the rest of the thousand or so acres did not get my perusal. The assumption is however, that the rest of the farm looked magnificent as well.

After looking at the sponsors tables, and picking up a ‘Beef its what’s for dinner plastic tag to console my

I

Dr. Mark Alley spoke for a company called Zoetis , the Harold largest global animal health Brummett company that made vaccines for cattle and other Country Roads such animal products. He was informative and spoke with authority and passion Mazda van, a conversation about vaccinations.

Philip Ellis is a fifth genwas struck up with a lady eration rancher who manwho as it turned out was ages a commercial cow-calf one of the Head Honchos operation in Bear Creek of the farm. I immediately Valley in southeast put her name with all the Wyoming. As with most others that I learn over a westerners, he was blunt, to lifetime and could not rethe point and practical in call on a bet. She came up his practice of beef as a from Louisiana for the job at Mississippi State and her business. I enjoyed his presentation and vowed husband and young sons never to visit such a cold run their own cattle farm near the University. Noting place except in the middle of summer and then with that most of the Sponsors arctic gear on hand. were geared toward the I followed this trip up large cattle operations; she with the Lafayette County put me straight and said that the average herd size in Cattlemen’s association’s meeting Monday night.

Mississippi was 30 head. If The speaker was Dr. Denthat was the average, then man who gave a short lecthat put at least half of the cattlemen there were in my ture on David and Goliath then launched in on what size situation and hadn’t we as Cattlemen needed said a thing. We were all to do to insure bovine ferwalking around thinking tility and good herd health the other guy was the big not only in the fall but for cattleman. They were all the rest of the year as well. driving Big Pickups. I deThe steak was big and cided then to wait until the even though a bit underlast monster truck was a speck in the distance before cooked for me, was delicious. Sherwin Haynie, mounting the old Green Mr. Robbins, Bill Plunk, Family Truckster.

Robert Jackson, Dr. HarThe speakers were informative and entertaining. land and Kevin Frye with Burke Teichert spoke on the his wife Ashley attended.

This is a very incomplete Five Essentials of Successlist of attendees just those ful Ranch Management. I I remember. A crew that noted that if I ever had a included James Redding ranch it would be run on cooked the steaks. Keith those principles. Since I Brown did an excellent only had a small farm I could use at best two prin- job of keeping everything ciples. If I acquired another going smoothly. The meeting was educational, 20 acres I possibly could tack on one more principle filling and it seemed everyone had a good but that would be stretchtime. ing it.

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OBITUARIES ELISE VARNER FRANKLIN Mrs. Elsie Varner Franklin, 95, passed away Monday, Sept.

28, 2015 at Baptist Memorial Hospital – North Mississippi.

The funeral service was held Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2015 in the Chapel of Waller Funeral Home with Dr. Gary Richardson officiating. Burial will follow in Shiloh Cemetery.

EVELYN LOUISE EVANS KNIGHTON Mrs. Evelyn Louise Evans Knighton, 58, passed away Sunday, Sept. 27, 2015, at North MS Medical Center in Tupelo. The funeral service will be Friday, Oct. 2, at 10 a.m. at Faith Baptist Church with Rev. Greg Davis officiating. Burial will follow in Pine Flat Cemetery. Visitation will be Thursday, Oct. 1, 2015, from 5 until 7 p.m., at Waller Funeral Home and again, prior to the service beginning at 9.

SAM KENDRICKS Mr. Sam “Sammy” G. Kendricks, 79, died Sunday, Sept. 27, 2015 at Baptist Memorial Hospital – North Mississippi. The funeral service was Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2015 in the chapel of Waller Funeral Home with Rev. Eric Hankins officiating. Burial followed in Oxford Memorial Cemetery.

VERGIE FERGUSON Vergie A. Ferguson, 90, died Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2015 at Baptist Memorial Hospital. Visitation will be held Saturday, Oct. 3, 2015 from 10 until 11 a.m. at Abbeville Cemetery in Abbeville with a graveside funeral service following. Bro. Ken Hanks will officiate. Coleman Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

MARY MARGARET JENKINS Mary Margaret Jenkins, 51, died Sunday, Sept. 27, 2015 at her home near Oxford. A memorial service will be held Sunday, Oct. 4, 2015 at 3 p.m. at The Orchard. Coleman Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

JEFFREY CLAY PERCELL Jeffery Clay Percell, 56, died Sunday, Sept. 27, 2015 at his home near Oxford. Funeral services were held Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2015 at New Prospect with Bro. Buster Wilson officiating. Interment followed at Yellow Leaf Cemetery. Coleman Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2015

Oxford PD and Gainesville PD twitter war rolls on all week JEFF ROBERSON OXFORD CITIZEN

Last Saturday, Ole Miss beat Vanderbilt for the 50th time, and Florida defeated Tennessee for the 11th consecutive time. Indeed tough times for the teams from the Volunteer state.

Meanwhile, two police departments seized an opportunity to have some fun, delve into some positive public relations, and market themselves.

The Gainesville, Fla., police department basically kicked things off without even knowing they were doing so. And in Mississippi, the Oxford Police Department was paying attention.

“The OPD twitter page follows all the SEC police departments in those cities,” said Lt. Hildon Sessums of the Oxford Police Department. “Gainesville PD tweeted out last Saturday that if they got a thousand retweets, they would stop the Tennessee buses on the highway or the interstate. I think they got some backlash on it from Tennessee fans.

“After the game here, I tweeted congratulations to the Ole Miss football team on its win, and said 'Now on to Florida. And we hear the Gainesville PD has jokes.' So they came back and said they were glad we understood it was a joke. Then myself and Benjamin Tobias of the Gainesville PD started messaging back and forth. We got it started that way.”

It’s been rolling ever since. The Gainesville Police Department was more than happy to play along.

“It’s all in fun, and what people may not realize is that we’re getting free marketing out of it," said Officer Ben Tobias, spokesperson for the Gainesville Police Department.

"We’re having a good time back and forth, but we’re also getting additional followers. When something bad happens, those followers will be engaged with our twitter just because of something fun like this.”

Tobias said Oxford has been the Gainesville Police Department’s most active twitter respondents ever as far as other Southeastern Conference towns.

“Hands down, Oxford is the most engagement we’ve had,” he said.

“We’ve been active on twitter really about the past three years or so. Oxford has been the first one that has really come at us with a little bit of cop humor and keeping us engaged, which is also keeping the viewers engaged. That’s what we’re all about, and making sure our communities are taken care of and they can trust us.”

For Oxford as well as Gainesville, the two departments have moved into the social media world in several areas. But twitter seems to have been the one that's taken off recently.

“We really had dabbled more on Facebook,” said Jeff McCutchen, Major of Operations for the Oxford Police Department. “So a year ago this July I went to the FBI National Academy, and one of the classes I wanted to take was media relations.

Lt. Sessums and I had talked about getting social media really going.

We felt like it was a really good way just to talk to people.”

McCutchen said the entire social media engagement with citizens was thought out and studied and didn’t just come about without planning.

“We want to touch base with our citizens. One of the things Chief (Joey) East said when he started was to say ‘community first.’ And we thought what better way than social media to engage our community. And we can respond so quickly when we see something on there. It’s really grown.”

Indeed it has. This week the OPD twitter account moved past 10,000 followers. Count Ole Miss football as a big reason for the new mark.

“People are listening. They want to know,” McCutchen said. “(Sessums) and I were talking a couple of weeks before the season started. We were like ‘Football’s a big deal in Oxford and in the South and in the SEC.’ So we decided to get some football out there and have a good time with it. We’ve tried to be balanced and have a good time with it and not have so much seriousness.

“We also want people to listen and to follow us, because the more people we have on there, the more people will know and the more contacts we’ll have out there for a big incident.”

Sessums said many other police departments are moving in the same direction as OPD. "About a year ago I talked to Chief East about how to make our social

media more active," he said. "I had read some studies that showed departments that were engaging on social media and who were active had a higher favorable rating with the citizens in their community.

That’s how we got started. We started off slow, but now I think we’re at a pretty good sprint.”

Sessums said when OPD truly got active on twitter, that's when the account took off.

“I think we had 47 or 48 (twitter followers)," he said when they kicked it into another gear more than a year ago.

Now it's more than 10,000, "and climbing," Sessums said.

“We want to show, that there’s much more to police work than writing tickets and making arrests," he said. "That’s part of our job, but there’s so much more that goes into our daily work that a lot of folks don’t see. That was one of the ideas behind twitter ride-along that we do.

“Ride with OPD. We’ve done three of them now. We’ll go out from the start of a shift to the end, and we’ll tweet out every call, every arrest, everything that happens on the shift, good, bad, ugly. The last one we did was a hit. I believe it was the weekend before school started. We have another one planned for Texas A&M weekend (in late October).”

So who tweets regularly for the Oxford Police Department?

“I’m the main one," Sessums, originally from Vicksburg, said, "and Major McCutcheon is the other one. Our head dispatcher, Bridgette Frierson, is another.”

Sessums said social media has been a positive for OPD. “Ten years ago, Facebook was just jumping off. There was no Twitter. You’ve seen the progression how communities want to interact.

From picking up the phone to call,

to emails and texts, and now to social media. Unfortunately people sometimes don’t want to get involved. But now with social media they can message you privately and give you the information. We’ve solved a lot of crimes that way. It’s been extremely positive.”

Football season has only increased that awareness and presence. After Ole Miss beat Alabama, some people were tweeting about Harvey Updyke and how he might come to Oxford and do something.

He is the person who admittedly poisoned the trees at Toomer's Corner in Auburn.

“Most sports fans know who he is,” Sessums said. “That was actually him that tweeted.”

Updyke tweeted he wasn't coming to Oxford.

“Then the next day he tweeted out he had gained a thousand new followers and didn’t know how he had done it,” Sessums said.

Tobias has extended an invitation to OPD to come down to Gainesville for the weekend.

“There was a tweet floating around somewhere to try to get ESPN to fly them down to hang out with us,” he said. “But I think that’s probably a little bit of a far reach.”

When asked if he had a prediction on the outcome of Saturday night’s contest, Tobias laughed loud and long.

“That will be a nice kicker to your story, that when you asked me about the outcome of the game, there was a big laugh,” Tobias said.

But wait. There’s more. Although Tobias has been in Gainesville for 15 years, he isn’t even from Florida.

As you recall, Ole Miss defeated Alabama 43-37 two weeks ago for its second consecutive win over the Crimson Tide.

“I grew up in Alabama,” Tobias said. “If you go over to my (personal) twitter page, you’ll see that my loyalties stand with the Alabama Crimson Tide, which makes this exchange even funnier.”

All in all the good fun is important, and so is the work both departments do. McCutchen, a New Albany native, said the Oxford Police Department believes in this community and its citizens.

“We want people to realize at OPD we’ve got a personality, we’re a part of your community, we like the things you like,” he said. “We do have a job to do, and it may be unfortunate at times for you. But at the end of the day, we’re just normal people, too. We love Ole Miss and we love being a part of this community. We want Oxford to be great.

“You can’t have a good relationship unless you communicate.

That’s one of the reasons we’re doing things like using twitter. We want Oxford to have a great relationship with the police department.”

OXFORD CITIZEN

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2015

PAGE 5

Blackburn Group helping bring Oxford Commons to life JEFF ROBERSON OXFORD CITIZEN

David Blackburn, President of the Blackburn Group, is excited about the future of the Oxford Commons area. Actually he is excited about the present of the massive development on Oxford’s east side.

“It seems like the place has been this big ball you’re trying to push uphill,” said Blackburn, a Vicksburg native who played tennis at Ole Miss for Coach Billy Chadwick. “Now we’re starting to get some momentum and it’s going to continue to happen out there.”

Blackburn is relatively new to the property, having been a part of it since 2012.

“We came on in the summer of 2012. It was not working out for the original developer. Julian (Allen, his late father in law) knew Murray Avent (the Avent’s owned the property originally). So we started seeing a possible opportunity there. It just didn’t make sense why it wasn’t working. It’s a great location, but it was just sitting there without any direction.”

Blackburn said he, his father-inlaw and their group went to work on developing the property. Allen died in a plane crash just a few months later in November, 2012.

In 2013, the work truly began on the current development of the area.

There are two housing subdivisions there with another one coming. One of them, The Heights, is up Sisk Avenue and across the street from Oxford High School.

OHS opened less than two years ago at its new location. And the other housing development, on the same side of Sisk Avenue as OHS, is called The Preserve.

Another subdivision has not been started and is on the far east side of the entire property. That is also where Sisk Avenue will intersect with a new road that will run north and south. To the south it

COURTESY

The Oxford Commons area hopes to soon become the home to many new businesses and homes. will connect with Highway 278/6 where University Avenue also ends and where the new road to Lafayette County High School is being completed.

This will make an entire loop of sorts from Highway 7, through the Oxford Commons on Sisk Avenue, turning south toward Highway 278/6 and on to Highway 334.

There is hope the Sisk Avenue/Highway 7 interchange will have some improvements, either for traffic or foot traffic, in the near future. MDOT is a major part of that.

There is also a new frontage road that extends from Sisk Avenue north to Highway 30 inside Oxford Commons.

The Oxford Conference Center was there early on. As far as businesses, Wendy’s is already on the property and has been there from the start.

“They believed, didn’t they?”

Blackburn said.

But it isn’t actually on Blackburn’s property. His group owns the majority of the entire Commons property, but not the front part where Wendy’s, the Malco theater, the bowling center, the two hotels, the new Shell convenience store, a new Mexican and proposed Restaurant Fuddruckers will be located. He basically has most of the remainder of the property.

There will be several more areas of commercial development,

mainly in the next block on the left past Wendy’s. Those could include a market and other businesses.

Also on the frontage road that connects Sisk with 30, there will be some smaller businesses as well as larger corporate “box” stores, as yet unnamed. But several situations are in the works.

There will be a mixed use development right across from the theater near the Preserve residential area.

“We’ve had some preliminary talks with a grocery,” Blackburn said.

There is some retail properties between Sisk and the Hampton/Marriott area that could see a bank and another hotel as well as

other commercial outlets. There are also some professional offices, such as law offices or medical offices, that are in place. Pinelake Church, which actually meets at the Oxford Conference Center, has its offices there.

Christ Presbyterian Church is planning to build on Sisk Avenue not too far from Oxford High School. The Blake retirement facility is nearing completion on the south side of the property past the hotels that are already open.

There are townhomes that are planned, and some buildings that will have retail space on the first floor and residential space above.

Also throughout the property there are several areas of green space, which can be used as parks or other natural opportunities.

“This has got a lot of area that is conservation,” Blackburn said.

“There are 70-plus acres that won’t be touched unless it is parks or trails. No clearing. The trees and the natural terrain will be in those areas.”

Blackburn said the Oxford Commons is a major area of the community whose time has come.

“I’m excited we are going to be able to do something nice, especially on the east side of town where you don’t feel you have to go to the west side of town to get some retail options. And we are planning it right,” he said.

Blackburn said the entire Oxford Commons has “gained momentum” and that he hopes to have more announcements of commercial businesses “after the first of the year.”

The Oxford Commons is truly beginning to come to life.

“It’s been unbelievable,” Blackburn, “and we feel blessed to be a part of it. We ‘re trying to do it right, and it is exciting. Hopefully in the years to come people will believe this entire area has had a real positive impact on the community.”

OXFORD CITIZEN

PAGE 6

Visit Oxford launches phone app

BY ERROL CASTENS OXFORD CITIZEN

The Visit Oxford iPhone application will launch any day now, offering a new way for Faulknerians, football fans, foodies and others to explore the town.

With a map and menus that feature what to eat, nightlife, parks & sports, historical tours, shopping, where to stay, medical and Visit Oxford’s visitor center, the app is expected to be released by the App Store sometime this weekend.

“We wanted to have that in place so that our visitors who want to use an app can know what’s close to them,” said Visit Oxford Assistant Director Kinney Ferris. “It’s another tool for us to get the word out on what people can enjoy in Oxford.”

Visit Oxford’s mobile website is already popular with tourists, Ferris said, but apps lend themselves to faster searches.

A community service team from this year’s Leadership Lafayette class originated the idea and helped shepherd its development.

“Others have done signs welcoming people into Lafayette County, signage around town,

cleanup and fixup projects,” said Allen Kurr, a member of “Team Widget.”

“We wanted to bring a different kind of audience into Oxford and to modernize the tourism opportunities around here,” he said.

“We liked the idea of the walking tours that Visit Oxford has, but we knew that a lot of towns have those available in a smartphone app, and we thought Oxford would be the perfect candidate for that.”

Team Widget raised funding from a variety of community entities including the University of Mississippi’s Division of Outreach and Continuing Education, Baptist Memorial Hospital, the Oxford-Lafayette County Chamber of Commerce, Trustmark National Bank and Visit Oxford, along with in-kind help from Invitation Oxford. After taking proposals from both national and local app developers, Visit Oxford and Team Widget chose Errol Sayre, a longtime Oxford resident as well as an IT staff member at Ole Miss.

“Originally it started with getting Visit Oxford tours in an app form so people could just listen to them as they go around town, but ultimately we’d like it to be flexible

enough to add things like the Yoknapatawpha arts trail, more locations and an actual guiding mechanism that would direct users to the next point of interest from wherever they are,” Sayre said. “Ultimately we’d also like to have sort of a one-stop shop for calendar items and hours for shops and restaurants.”

Stops on the historic tours have photos of the buildings, and several have vocal descriptions of their significance.

Already Sayre and a team of alpha testers have ideas for upgrades of the app, including map icons for each category of attraction. When Visit Oxford holds its open house for its new headquarters in the former Freeland Law Office today, any visiting iPhone owner can sign up to be a beta tester.

The app is “something we want to keep growing; it’s not a oneand-done,” Sayre said. “We want to keep adding features to it, because there are some features we just haven’t had a chance to get in yet, and we want to see what new ideas the community comes up with that we can put in.” errol.castens@journalinc.com

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2015

READING EMPHASIS

ERROL CASTENS

Fifth-graders in Lindsey Douglas's class choose books to keep during one of several reading-emphasis events held Tuesday at Oxford Intermediate School.

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THURSDAY OCTOBER 1, 2015

PAGE 7

Boneheads Fire Grilled offers something for everyone JEFF ROBERSON OXFORD CITIZEN

Boneheads Grill has certainly brought a unique concept to Oxford. But you can still get a burger and fries there if you so desire.

Mainly, though, Boneheads is a more healthy option than a lot of other places you can find.

“Fast casual,” is the way Benton Smith, the area developer for the business, described it.

Opened in late June on West Jackson Avenue in the new shopping complex where Cannon Motors once was located, Boneheads has plenty of options for the diner who chooses to visit.

“Our food is fast, fresh, healthy, delicious,” said Smith, who lives in Oxford.

“The majority of our food is grilled. Our price points are from $8 to $11 for an entrée. Some of our daily specials are actually less than that for an entrée.”

The menu is quite extensive, according to Smith.

“We do grilled fish, chicken, seafood, vegetables. We’ll do chicken skewers, steak skewers, shrimp skewers. We have a karma bowl that has a lot of protein in it that’s really low calorie, low carbohydrates, high protein. We do everything from grilled zucchini, asparagus, sweet potatoes.”

But for the kids or the diner who wants a more traditional local meal, there is that, too.

“We still do fries and burgers. We do chicken tenders and fries. We have fish and chips,” he said.

But if you want a fried fish, it’s catfish. All the other offerings of fish or seafood are, well, not fried.

“The only fish we fry is catfish,” Smith said. “We won’t fry somebody’s salmon for them. That’s not going to happen.”

It’s all about the concept of Boneheads, which has its roots in the South and is only a few years old.

“We’re based out of Atlanta,” Smith said. “We were originally part of a larger group. We were a new concept in 2006 for a new restaurant group that had some larger concepts.

In 2008 Boneheads sold to a local Atlanta franchisee who for three years did not

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franchise. He had multiple stores, but he didn’t know what he wanted to do with the brand.

“In 2011 they began franchising again. I actually met them the week they started franchising, and within six weeks I had an area development contract for six states. We got our first new store open in 2011.”

Oxford was a natural fit for Boneheads, all things considered. And Smith likes the location.

“We’d been looking for a location for over three years and in this particular location for a year and a half,” Smith said. “It finally got purchased and became a real deal. We’re in a good location on West Jackson. We have the right amount of parking, which is important, and it’s free.”

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Beyond the ease of parking and finding the place, it’s the food that’s the draw.

“The menu has more of a South African flare which also happens to be healthy,” Smith said.

“Our piri piri sauce means pepper pepper. It’s a bold flavor of our seasonings and our sauce that we put on the food, and that’s what really identifies us.”

The sauces, of which there are several varieties and levels of spice or heat, are important to the products they serve.

“Grilled fish and grilled chicken without flavor is pretty bland,” Smith said.

“Our food is very bold. Not always real spicy but very bold flavors. Flavorful and it just happens to be healthy. Like our lemon and herb piri sauce is very mild and very lean. Our hot piri sauce is very hot.”

The menu has lots of popular items, and cus-

tomers continue to choose from a variety of offerings, Smith said.

“We sell a lot of grilled fish. We sell a lot of tacos.

We saute’ our taco meat.

We have fish, chicken, and shrimp tacos. They go on a flour tortilla. The meat is neither grilled nor fried.

It’s sautéed in our medium piri sauce, so it has a little bite to it.

“Our slaw is not mayonnaise based. It’s a cilantro slaw that has a hint of Asian dressing that we make from scratch. We sell a lot of fish and chips here.

Grilled zucchini and grilled sweet potatoes are big sellers. Our half chicken is really popular.”

One item, which can be purchased as an appetizer or an entrée, stands out as well.

“Our bonehead shrimp is our signature appetizer,” Smith said. “It’s also one of signature entrees. We fry the shrimp and put bonehead sauce on it. It’s really

popular.

“And the half chicken is awesome. It’s literally half a chicken. It’s a meal.”

Boneheads is always looking to add new items to strengthen the menu as well as please customers’ requests.

“We’ve recently added marinated grilled steak skewers to our menu.

That’s the first beef entrée we’ve added other than our half-pound burger.

The steak is marinated for 12-24 hours. Polynesian chicken skewers is something new we’ve added.”

Smith said if you haven’t tried them already, to drop in and do so. Or you can take your food out. And you can also even have them cater for a group of people.

“Salmon, amberjack, tilapia, ahi tuna, catfish, mahi mahi. If you want fish, it’s all there,” he said, “as well as plenty of other items. We feel like we have something for everybody.”

PAGE 8

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2015

Dawson, Pi Phi helps lead cancer awareness locally

BY JOHN DAVIS OXFORD CITIZEN

When Erin Dawson needed help to raise awareness about ovarian cancer, her sisters at Pi Beta Phi sorority were there to lend a hand.

Dawson, a junior the University of Mississippi, led the charge, helping raise funds in support of those who have cancer.

And to raise awareness for those who can avoid the disease all together.

Dawson experienced cancer first hand as her mother Cindy passed away from ovarian cancer when she was 10.

“They didn't catch that she had a genetic mutation until she was in Stage 4,” said Dawson, who is 20. “If they would have known that she had the genetic mutation they could have prevented it from getting to Stage 4. It's good to let people know to get the testing when they're young. You can get checked periodically. With ovarian cancer, you don't start showing symptoms until you are in Stage 4 and Stage 5. Women rarely diagnosed in the first three stages. But if you have TURN TO CANCER PAGE 9

SARAH BROOKE BISHOP

Erin Dawson, left, and Grace Gardner, as well as other members of Pi Beta Phi sorority, helped raise funds, and awareness, for those suffering from cancer and a specific genetic mutation that affects some women.

OXFORD CITIZEN

PAGE 9

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2015

Lafayette, ZTA team up to host ‘Pink Out’ game

BY JOHN DAVIS OXFORD CITIZEN

Fans of the Lafayette Commodores should store their red and gold shirts and hats Friday night. Or at least be ready to add a string of pink beads around their necks. Friday night's home game with Ripley is the annual Pink Out game.

This will be the first time that the school has partnered with Zeta Tau Alpha sorority in order to promote awareness for breast cancer.

Cancer FROM PAGE 8

the genetic mutation, you can get tested earlier than when the symptoms start showing so you don't have to deal with the consequences of getting cancer.”

Testing for the genetic mutation is expensive, so Dawson felt like any money she could help raise would help. Members of the sorority were allowed to pay to dress down to attend a chapter meeting to help Dawson. A total of $450 was raised, and the goal is to keeping adding to that number.

“The cost for the test to get done is about $3,200 and right now what we're trying to do now is to cover half of it for anybody that

Marissa Atkinson, an English/Journalism teacher at the high school, is helping coordinate the event.

She was a member of ZTA while at Mississippi State from 1995 through 1998.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, and the date of the game worked out perfectly to get things started. Atkinson said that in big cities, the NFL partners with different civic groups to help raise awareness of breast cancer. Since there are no pro teams nearby, Atkinson felt like

the Commodores would be perfectly suited to help.

Two cancer survivors, Kay Lowe and Debbie Taylor, will take part in the coin toss. Lowe is a ZTA alumna, while Taylor's daughter, Emilee, is married to Lafayette offensive line coach Cody Stubblefield.

Atkinson's own mother, Susanne Campbell, who is from Oxford and living in Holly Springs, is also a survivor of breast cancer.

As a group, ZTA chapters, including alumnae chapters, hold over 500 events to

raise funds and increase awareness for breast cancer. As the National Survivor Ambassadors of Making Strides Against Breast Cancer, in October ZTA volunteers will man nearly 300 walks in communities nationwide.

“We hope to one day have a Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk with the American Cancer Society here in Oxford,” Atkinson said.

Lafayette has hosted other Pink Out games before, and head coach Eric

Robertson said his players will be wearing some pink, somewhere, on their uniforms. Robertson, and his wife Tanya, have had family members who have dealt with cancer, with the results of the fight not ending in an ideal manner.

“I think anything we can do to bring awareness to it is a good thing and we want to do that,” Robertson said.

“It hits home with everyone, one way or another.

We may not be raising a lot of money, but we are bringing awareness to it. And

maybe through that, people will be generous and donate. Cancer is a tough deal that seems to be affecting more and more people. We put so much money and energy into things, for a lack of better words, that are not important, our country does. I think this is something that if we could just put all of our energy into it would make a bigger impact.”

needs help to get the test done,” Dawson said. “Any amount of money can help.

Even $100 for somebody who can't afford $100 to get this test and to keep from getting the cancer is beneficial.”

Pens and bracelets have been made and sold in the past to raise funds. Dawson said the daughters of mothers who undergo the test only cost $500. That means this latest round of funding would go towards funding a child to have the test performed. Insurance can cover the cost of the test, Dawson said, but it all depends on the coverage.

“When I got it done, I think we paid $300 out of pocket on the $500 test. A lot of insurance companies don't really see the need for this test because they think you can go in and get your-

self checked out every year,” Dawson said. “Of the 16 people that we have seen get the test done, two had the genetic mutation, so it's about one in every eight based on our research. It is a very rare mutation. It's an area that a lot of people don't know about. They don't know that this something they have or their family has.

They're not really sure about a statistic.”

Grace Garner, the chapter president, said the fundraiser came at a great time because the chapter just completed C.A.R.E Walk which helps raise awareness about breast cancer.

“I think all the girls really wanted to help out, especially when it affects someone who is close to us and in our chapter,” Garner

said. “It makes it more personal. I know there are a few girls in our chapter that have personally been affected through family members, parents, so it kind of hits home with everyone. I think all of us have been affected by it at some point in our life and not just breast cancer or ovarian cancer, but some sort of cancer.”

Garner said it's her desire to keep the fundraiser, and the message, going through the semester.

Dawson said she thinks about her mother daily. As the years have gone on, things have gotten easier knowing her mother wasn't around.

“When I found out that she had the genetic mutation, it brought me closer to her and what she went through,” Dawson said. “I

understood what happened to her and it gave me more closure instead of when I was 10 and she passed away. I gave a talk for Relay for Life a couple of years ago. That's something I try to do talk about it. I try to put the word out there as much as I can. It's a very new and unheard of area. It's not something a lot of people are looking to come educate people on. I didn't know my mom had until I was 18 and it was time for me to get the test.

Then when I got it and I was talking to my friends, not a single one knew what I was talking about. I think I met one or two people my age that know what this mutation does.”

Lafayette is hosting Ripley Friday night and it will be Pink Out at William L. Buford Stadium. Garner

felt events like that are great to get the word out.

“It just raise awareness because so many people have been affected by it at some point in their life by it,” Garner said. “I think it can bring people together who have gone through this sort of thing. My aunt had breast cancer when she was in her 30s and my grandmother had breast cancer when I was a senior in high school and passed away from it. I give back through C.A.R. E. Walk and some proceeds go towards donating. It's great because everyone can come together and they can walk in memory of someone. It's the 12th year that we've had it and all the chapters participate and it's always been a great turnout.”

john.davis@journalinc.com Twitter: @oxfordcitizenjd

john.davis@journalinc.com

662.234.5742 1903 University Ave., Suite 10 • Oxford, MS 38655

OXFORD CITIZEN

PAGE 10

Ferrara

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2015

MAYO SPEAKS TO ROTARY CLUB

UPCOMING EVENTS

FROM PAGE 3

OXFORD MAKERS MARKET • When: Saturday - 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. political thesis than a dramatic • Where: The Courthouse Lawn work.

• What: The Oxford Maker's Market is a local art and crafts market based The play centers on Gabe in Oxford, Mississippi. It occurs every 1st Saturday from 10:00a.m. till (the engaging Max Mattox), the 4:00p.m. on the courthouse lawn of the historic Oxford Square. The Maker's president of the school’s Queer Market is committed to underexposed and unrepresented talent and handStudents Group. Gabe, his best made goods of any and all styles. We provide an outlet for vendors of a wide friend Tim (Chase Gladden) variety of mediums and a live performance area for performing artists at and Tim’s girlfriend Jenny (Alex each event. The market provides a children's market area for budding entreCalhoon) plan on smooth sail- preneurs as well, and there will be live music from 12 to 4 p.m. this Saturing through their senior year. day.

Gabe has just started dating THE POLLIES AND FLY GOLDEN EAGLE Drew (Atarius Armstrong), the • 9 p.m. Thursday ambitious editor of the student • Proud Larry’s newspaper, who encourages THE WATER LIARS WITH HOLY GHOST ELECTRIC SHOW Gabe to run for president of the • 9 p.m. Friday student assembly – but Drew, a • Proud Larry’s manipulative young man who isn’t meant to be taken lightly. bullying.” uses abandonment issues to The only semblance of comic Gabe, who’d had multiple excuse a controlling cruel relief is found in the blunderbrushes with the awkward streak, may have his own moings of the borderline bigot young man, resists this easy tives. president. At one point, Gabe hagiography, insisting that we Gabe also serves on a workcan’t know what was in Teddy’s makes quite a powerful point ing group advising the univerto the president, saying “It heart and that he must also sity’s president (a perfectly bear responsibility for his deci- doesn’t matter if gay marriage blustery Greg Earnest) on isis legal everywhere, being gay sues of social justice for LGBTQ sion. Shinn’s points that marwill always be this terrible tyrdom is reductive and that students. When an openly gay sexuality in such discussions is thing. This thing that scares freshman named Teddy Ferpeople. A thing that will foster too often scrubbed free of sex rara (Stephen Wagner) comhate.” are well taken. Painting Teddy mits suicide, members of this "Teddy Ferrara" continues at Ferrara, or Tyler Clementi, as group view the tragedy as an Meek Hall on the UM campus opportunity to pressure the ad- helpless victims robs them of October 1-4 at 7:30 p.m. and on their agency. ministration on what they see October 3-4 at 2:00 p.m.

The play is rather deep, and as a “toxic campus culture of

ERROL CASTENS

State Representative Brad Mayo (R-Oxford) spoke to the Rotary Club of Oxford on Tuesday, offering a "bean counter" perspective on state government's expenditures. Mayo is running for re-election in the Nov. 3 general election.

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OXFORD CITIZEN

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PAGE 11

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PAGE 12

2092 Old Taylor Rd., Oxford Kaye Ladd, Managing Broker

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Tommy Morgan, Broker/Owner

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OXFORD CITIZEN

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2015

OXFORD CITIZEN

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2015

PAGE 13

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PAGE 14

OXFORD CITIZEN

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2015

OXFORD CITIZEN

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2015

PAGE 15

Vision FROM PAGE 1

velopable places with Oxford's Guiding Principles Several lesser but still important aims underlie those: • Facilitate workforce housing • Preserve and replicate Oxford’s historic development patterns • Combat sprawl • Preserve the environment • Multi-modal transportation (Complete Streets) • Improve and add city gateways Barber said the new plan will aim for both more detail and more flexibility than the city’s current planning – calling for more mixeduse development and adding intermediate zoning designations between duplex and multifamily, for instance.

“There is a bit of a shift in the way the city will approach its future,” he said. “It’s a little higher way of thought about how the city will consider its development. …

Oxford is very ambitious; it thinks quite highly of itself, as it should.”

Instead of focusing on the usebased districts, lot sizes, building placements and uniformity of traditional zoning, Barber said formbased codes emphasize mixed uses, fitting buildings to their use and surroundings, ability to trans-

PETRE THOMAS | BUY AT PHOTOS.DJOURNAL.COM

Bob Barber discusses the final phase – implementation – of the Vision 2037 plan with Oxford aldermen at Tuesday's public forum. form or preserve as needed and attention to streetscapes.

Some residents find the planning process and direction daunting.

“I’m ready to leave Oxford,” said native Oxonian Paula Shanks. “I understand we have to plan (but) I grew up in a small Southern town.

I don’t want to live in Nashville. I

want to live in Oxford. I want to maintain the small-town charm with a few more streets. This is way too complex for a simple-minded girl from Oxford.”

Barber said the examples used from Nashville were for illustrative purposes, not goals.

“This city is under tremendous growth pressure, and it will grow,”

he said. “The intention is not to turn Oxford into Nashville but to preserve the very best of Oxford.”

Jeff Williams, an engineer who represents several ongoing and potential developments, raised the issue of the current moratorium on rezoning land to RC, the multifamily designation used for both large apartment developments,

several of which are pending.

City Attorney Pope Mallette noted that landowners can still develop properties under existing development code but that the Planning Commission and the Board of Aldermen simply would be less inclined to approve the special exceptions and zoning changes that some developers seek.

“So the code is the code until it changes,” added Alderman Jay Hughes.

Mayor Pat Patterson added that the city would take its time through the process of turning the plan into city ordinances.

“We’ve spent a lot of money on this,” he said. “We’ve got to get it codified. Let’s move as fast as we can, but judiciously.”

Alderman Janice Antonow countered, “Those of us who live in neighborhoods, the sooner this is in place, the sooner we can feel comfortable that no one is going to be building something outrageous next door.”

Patterson re-emphasized his call for careful, deliberate codification.

“I heard someone say this morning, ‘The devil’s in the details,’ and we’re about to get into the details,” he said. “We’ll have more public meetings; it’s a complicated process.” errol.castens@journalinc.com

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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2015

Nutt recalls Rebels’ 2008 win over Florida here are days when Houston Nutt still thinks about the 31-30 win over Florida in 2008. It was his first season at Ole Miss and he was still trying to figure everything out about his players. Florida, meanwhile, was ranked No. 4 in the nation and led by Tim Tebow, the reigning Heisman Trophy candidate, at quarterback.

Nobody thought the Rebels would travel to the Swamp and defeat the Gators that day. As Nutt recalled, most people thought they would lose by 35 points.

“My wife and I were sitting here the other day (Sunday) after we had gotten back from John Davis New York and they Sports Editor do the SEC Rewind and it was the Ole Miss-Florida game. And we watched every play,” Nutt said. “What I remember mostly about that game was the meeting we had that Thursday. We had just gotten beat by Vanderbilt. We turned the ball over. I told the team as long as you keep doing the things you have been doing, the results are going to be the same. If you turn it over, hit somebody out of bounds, illegal procedures. I added up about 10 things that would give us no chance.”

Nutt went on to tell his players that if they listened to the outside noise, they would get beat by all those touchdowns.

“I told the team that the pressure is all on them, not on us, because we're not supposed to win,” Nutt said. “I said that I would like to go down to The Swamp — and I was looking at Dexter McCluster, Kendrick Lewis, Peria Jerry, John Jerry and Jamarca Sanford when I'm saying this — and I would like to play a game without a penalty and turnover and let's see what happens.

I told them we were going to put together a real nice game plan and that we were going to turn it loose and have fun.”

The week of practice leading up to the game with the Gators went well, Nutt said, especially considering the Rebels played so poorly against Vanderbilt.

“That could have been a devastating loss because we jumped out ahead of Vanderbilt. You just never know how they were going to respond.

Then you factor in the fact that Florida has Percy Harvin, (Aaron) Hernandez, Tebow, Louis Murphy. They had an All-Star group,” Nutt said. “We

T

TURN TO NUTT PAGE 23

LAUREN WOOD | BUY AT PHOTOS.DJOURNAL.COM

Ole Miss running back Jaylen Walton and the No. 3 Rebels face a tough challenge at No. 25 Florida this Saturday night. After a close call with Vanderbilt, a better start is needed against the Gators.

No. 3 Rebels can’t have a lackluster effort at No. 25 Florida

BY JOHN DAVIS SPORTS EDITOR

A lackluster week of preparation almost derailed the hopes and dreams of the No. 3 Ole Miss Rebels last Saturday.

Thankfully for Rebel Nation, running back Jaylen Walton and quarterback Chad Kelly engineered the best drive of the night when the Rebels needed it the most in order to secure the victory late.

Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze felt his team just wasn't as prepared as they needed to be against the Commodores. He took the blame.

His players did as well. As senior linebacker CJ Johnson moved his hand in an up and down motion to demonstrate the play, it's clear that the Rebels have to become more consistent.

They have to get things fixed, and maybe the biggest thing, they have to learn how to play with a target on their back.

“Coach Freeze said it best

VS.

Kickoff: 6 p.m.

Radio: WQLJ-FM 93.7 TV: ESPN Series: Ole Miss leads 12-10-2

LAUREN WOOD | BUY AT PHOTOS.DJOURNAL.COM tackles and two intercepHugh Freeze would love to be standing at the 50-yard line Sat- tions so far this season.

Ole Miss was a 7.5 point urday night at Florida like he was at Alabama two weeks ago. favorite over the Gators at when he came into the also thought we had the the start of the week. Being locker room after the game best Tuesday practice of the favored, even by a point, is the other night and that was year last week. We'll get it a new concept for the Rebels under Freeze. welcome to being the fixed. It just takes time.”

Jim McElwain, Freeze's Johnson, who grew up a hunted,” Johnson said.

“People are going to hunt us fan of former Florida quar- counterpart, said he didn't and we have to get used to terback Tim Tebow, said he think the Rebels had any reit. The challenge is do we was expecting a tight battle gard for the Gators, who are come back, figure out the with the No. 25 Gators Sat- 4-0 overall and 2-0 in the mistakes and start execut- urday night in The Swamp. SEC after defeating Ten“It's going to be a good nessee 28-27 last week. ing to become a better pro“He may use those words gram. I thought from the game. They're a good footAlabama game to the Van- ball team. We have to go in to motivate his players, but derbilt game the prepara- there ready to fight,” said tion wasn't as good. But I Johnson, who has made 13 TURN TO REBELS PAGE 18

OXFORD CITIZEN

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2015

PAGE 17

Friday Night Previews: Week 7 ’Dores playing well heading into 2-4A play

BY JOHN DAVIS SPORTS EDITOR

If Eric Robertson made some popcorn to re-watch the Charleston game, don't blame him. The Lafayette Commodores played that well in their 26-0 win over the Tigers in Week 6. It was more than a pleasing performance, Robertson said, a contest that drew very few unflattering comments.

“I thought we could have tackled a little bit better the first half.

Other than that, I thought we played really well,” Robertson said. “I thought (quarterback) Will Ard played exceptionally well after watching film. I thought he had a great game, I really did.”

The non-division slate is complete now, and Robertson felt like his Commodores (5-1 overall) were playing well overall.

“I think we have improved in all three phases of the game as the season has gone on,” Robertson said. “I think we're playing JOEY BRENT well, and I also think there is Lafayette sophomore Jamarcus Quarles has become a reliable runner beroom for improvement in all hind Tyrell Price. Up next for Quarles and the Commodores is a home three phases. I expect for us to game with 2-4A opponent Ripley. get better and for us to peak toFormer Ole Miss fullback Chad They've been bitten by the injury wards the end of the season.”

Cook is the head coach of the bug some this year, but they alTigers, who have always played ways have a chance because SCOUTING REPORT they have a really good quarterRipley enters the matchup well against Lafayette.

“They always play us hard. back,” Robertson said. “(Tucker) with the Commodores at 2-3.

MIDDLE SCHOOL FOOTBALL Commodores sweep Ripley

Lafayette earned two road wins at Ripley in middle school football Tuesday night. The seventh graders won 24-8, while the eighth graders won 30-12. Both teams are now 5-1 on the season.

CJ Brassell scored on a 21-yard run to get the seventh-grade Commodores on the scoreboard.

Tyler Kinds added the 2-point conversion.

Brassell also had a 32yard run for a touchdown. Creek Robertson added the 2-point conversion.

The final touchdown was run in by Robertson from 1 yard out. Kinds added the 2-point play.

In the nightcap, Randy Anderson started the game with a 70-yard run for a touchdown.

Nolan Smith had the 2-point run. Issac Vaughn scored on a 35yard run, with Anderson adding the 2-point play.

Hunter Coleman hooked up with Tavion Prather for a 35-yard touchdown pass later in the game, while Anderson added the final touchdown on a 10-yard run.

Smith scored the final 2-point conversion. Tobias Brown had an interception for the Commodores, while Sean Massengill had six solo tackles from his free safety spot.

The defensive line of Levi Lott, Austin Wilson and Prather were credited with pressuring Rip-

ley's quarterback all night long.

Up next for both Lafayette teams is a road encounter with Water Valley next Tuesday starting at 5:30 p.m.

Ripley at Lafayette Kickoff: 7 p.m.

Radio: WQLJ-FM 93.7 Childers is just a good, solid high school quarterback. He's physical. He runs the ball and he throws it well. I think this is going to be a good first region game for us.”

The test shouldn't be a huge shock to the Commodores since they have played the likes of Oxford, Grenada, Charleston and Louisville the past four weeks.

“We've played some really good football teams. They were good games for us, and prepared us for anything we might see from this point on,” Robertson said. “I think those games on our non-region schedule definitely got us ready to play region ball.”

Outside of a few bumps and bruises, Robertson said the Commodores were healthy heading into the game. Offensively, the Commodores have several plays installed, and

everything revolved around blocking the defense they were set to see.

“Ripley actually showed us three different fronts on film. So we have to prepare to block three different fronts,” Robertson said.

Moving forward (subhead) Sophomore kicker Robbie Langley made two field goals in the win over Charleston. It was his first week to be the full-time kicker after Bryce Hertl left the squad. Langley is now handling the punting, the kickoffs and the placed kicks for the Commodores.

“Those two field goals were big for us in the game, and we think they will be big for us down the road, just giving him confidence,” Robertson said. “I thought he did a good job of kicking off. I thought he placed the ball where we wanted him to most of the time. He was able to kick one out of the end zone and then he kicked one deep and we were able to tackle them inside the 20 which is nice. I think Robbie is progressing just fine and he will continue to improve.

There is a lot on him, but he's continuing to get better each week.” john.davis@journalinc.com Twitter: @oxfordcitizenjd

Lafayette’s Jones makes sure to balance his sports, grades

Oxford splits with Batesville The eight-grade Chargers defeated the Tigers 42-20 to remain unbeaten in 2015.

The seventh-grade Chargers rallied late in a 14-12 loss to the Tigers.

Locke Elliott threw two touchdown passes in the fourth quarter for Oxford in the seventh-grade contest.

The first went to Kywuan Phillips, while Alex Childers caught the secTURN TO MIDDLE PAGE 21

BY JOHN DAVIS SPORTS EDITOR

Quin Jones is used to hard work.

He makes plays on the football field each Friday night.

When the Commodores finally put up their pads for the winter, he then scores points for the basketball team, and pulls up TURN TO JONES PAGE 21

PETRE THOMAS | BUY AT PHOTO.DJOURNAL.COM

Lafayette's Quin Jones balances three sports, football, basketball and powerlifting, and a grade point average of 3.2.

OXFORD CITIZEN

PAGE 18

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2015

Oxford Citizen Pick ’Em JOHN DAVIS

JEFF ROBERSON

CHRIS KIEFFER

PATRICK OCHS

CHRIS BAUGHMAN

Oxford Citizen Sports Editor Record: 29-11

Oxford Citizen Managing Editor Record: 33-7

Daily Journal Multimedia Editor Record: 31-9

Sun Herald Sports Reporter Record: 25-15

Oxford High School baseball coach Record: 30-10

GAME 1 Ole Miss at Florida

GAME 2 Mississippi St. at Texas A&M

GAME 3 Alabama at Georgia

GAME 4 Arkansas at Tennessee

GAME 5 South Carolina at Missouri

GAME 6 Notre Dame at Clemson

GAME 7 Arizona at Stanford

GAME 8 Minnesota at Northwestern

GAME 9 Iowa at Wisconsin

GAME 10 Louisiana-Lafayette at La. Tech

Rebels FROM PAGE 16

we certainly have a lot of regard for Florida. They are playing extremely well. They are a very confident team and really well coached. They have well-run schemes,” Freeze said.

“I’m not sure why Coach McElwain said that our team has no regard for their team. I’m sure he has a reason. But, we have a lot of regard and respect for those guys.”

Several of the Rebels stood up

and talked following Sunday's practice. The focus was to play better against Florida than they had against Vanderbilt.

“It actually changed during the game the other night. We knew we had to wake up. We've been talking about it and making sure everyone is handling their business,” wide receiver Damore'ea Stringfellow said adding that the Florida name would get the team up. “You want to go down there and see what they have to offer. It's just different. In the two games I have played, (the SEC) has been up to my expectations.”

SCOUTING REPORT The Gators are strongest on defense where they ranked fourth in the SEC (298.2 yards per game allowed). They have allowed 73 points in four games, four less points than the Rebels.

Offensively, the Gators rank sixth in scoring (33.5) and 10th in total yards per game (404).

“They have one of the nation’s best defenses. They are only giving up 17-18 points per game.

They have tremendous get-off on the defensive line,” Freeze said.

“Jonathan Bullard has eight tackles for loss and multiple sacks. I think playing in front of

their crowd, on their field, when you have to communicate there, it is very advantageous for their defensive line. Their linebackers are extremely athletic and everyone knows about their back end. They are definitely one of the best defenses in the country and they are going to test us for sure.”

have really done a good job of protecting, and getting the ball out quickly, to reduce the Rebels' pass rush.

“The ball is coming out in about two seconds. That is tough to get to. We are getting a lot pass protection when the ball is coming out really fast,” Freeze said. “The effort from our guys is there. There are collapses in the pocket quite a bit, but the BETTER RUSH While Florida ranks second in teams we have played have rethe SEC with 14 sacks, Ole Miss ally had a plan to get it out quick is tied with Arkansas for last in for the most part.” the SEC in sacks (3) through the first month of the season. john.davis@journalinc.com Freeze felt like opponents Twitter: @oxfordcitizenjd

OXFORD CITIZEN

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2015

Oxford’s Raines has spirit running through her blood

BY JOHN DAVIS SPORTS EDITOR

Football has been in the life of Sara Raines for years. Really ever since she could remember. Her father, Danny Raines, is the head coach of Berry High School in Berry, Alabama.

And where there are football players, there are cheerleaders.

Raines, a senior at Oxford High, has been a part of the program since she was in middle school. Before that, Raines wore a little uniform and pranced around when she was in elementary school.

“My favorite part is stunting and running out in front of everyone,” Raines said.

Any of the members of the OHS team can hold the flag and carry it all over the stadium. Raines has done that before it, adding that she “loved” the flag.

“I also love the pom poms,” Raines said with a laugh.

The best part of a Friday night, for Raines, is watching the team win games.

The Chargers have now won back-to-back games and are 3-2 heading to Saltillo.

“I don't like to lose, I like to win,” she said. “That's really all. The most difficult moment for me was definitely the state championship my sophomore year when lost the last seven minutes, when we

were up by 14. I still think about it. All the time. It really hurts.”

Wide receiver Ken Presley, who is the reigning Player of the Week from the Citizen, is the Charger that Raines bakes treats for. To be clear, Presley and Raines are good friends, but not a couple.

“We've known each other since we were little,” said Raines, who attends Christ Presbyterian, the church Presley's father, Curt, is the senior pastor.

“He's my football brother.

We don't have any classes together, but we talk a lot at church. And at youth group, and over the phone sometimes. He appreciates the brownies and the Oreo balls.”

When Raines, and the other cheerleaders, can RICK ADDY get the crowd involved, Oxford's Sara Raines has been a cheerleader for as long as that's when the excite- she can remember. Her favorite part about a Friday night is ment level goes to a new seeing the Chargers win. high.

Raines likes when the weather starts to cool, and she can wear the team jacket, but doesn't have to wear the matching pants.

The weather is cool, or even cold, in early December, the time the championship games are played.

“Hopefully we make it back to state at the Vaught,” Raines said.

“That would be pretty awesome to have a home game state championship my senior year.”

MEET

YOUR

Cheerleader

john.davis@journalinc.com Twitter: @oxfordcitizenjd

Sara Raines

PAGE 19

SPORTS IN DEPTH LAST FRIDAY'S RESULTS Lafayette 26, Charleston 0 7 3 10 6 — 26 Lafayette Charleston 00 0 0—0 First Quarter LAF — Tyler Williams 60 pass from Will Ard (Robbie Langley kick), 7:55.

Second Quarter LAF — Langley 20 field goal, 7:07.

Third Quarter LAF — Langley 32 field goal, 3:26 LAF — Tyrell Price 75 run (Langley kick), 0:40 Fourth Quarter LAF — Jamarcus Quarles 17 run (kick failed), 3:26 Records: Lafayette 5-1; Charleston 4-2.

Oxford 50, West Point 28 0 14 7 7 - 28 West Point 22 21 0 7 - 50 Oxford First Quarter OXF - DK Metcalf 66 pass from Jack Abraham (Liam Cooper kick) 10:50 OXF - Drew Bianco 2 run (Connell Yoste kick) 8:29 OXF - Ken Presley 79 pass from Abraham (Cooper kick) 4:16 Second Quarter WP - Chris Calvert 6 run (Jose Garcia kick) 11:29 WP - Calvert 24 run (Garcia kick) 10:35 OXF - Devin Rockette 21 fumble return (Cooper kick) 7:47 OXF - Hiram Wadlington 38 pass from Abraham (Yoste kick) 1:32 OXF - Metcalf 38 pass from Abraham (Cooper kick) 1:15 Third Quarter WP - Marcus Murphy 3 run (Garcia kick) 6:19 Fourth Quarter OXF - Jimmy Greaser 75 pass from Abraham (Gray Jenkins kick) 10:03 WP - Demarrio Edwards 12 pass from Murphy (Garcia kick) 1:30 Records: Oxford 3-2, 1-0 Division 1-5A.West Point 3-2, 0-1.

REGION 1-5A

STANDINGS Overall Region W L W L Clarksdale 4 2 1 0 Lake Cormorant 4 2 1 0 Oxford 3 2 1 0 Center Hill 3 2 1 0 West Point 3 2 0 1 Lewisburg 2 4 0 1 New Hope 1 4 0 1 Saltillo 0 6 0 1 Week 7 Games Oxford at Saltillo, 7 p.m. (95.5 FM) Lake Cormorant at Lewisburg Center Hill at New Hope Clarksdale at West Point Week 6 Results Oxford 50, West Point 28 Lewisburg 33, Center Hill 30 Lake Cormorant 34, Saltillo 10 Clarksdale 20, New Hope 14

REGION 2-4A Rosa Fort Lafayette

Overall W L 5 0 5 1

Region W L 0 0 0 0

4 1 0 Senatobia 4 2 0 New Albany 2 3 0 Byhalia 2 3 0 Ripley Week 7 Games Ripley at Lafayette, 7 p.m. (93.7 FM) New Albany at Senatobia Tunica-Rosa Fort at Byhalia Week 6 Results Lafayette 26, Charleston 0 New Albany 31, North Pontotoc 30 Pontotoc 17, Ripley 14 Fayette Ware 40, Byhalia 0

0 0 0 0

THIS WEEK AT OXFORD Thursday, Oct. 1 Junior varsity volleyball at Senatobia, 5 p.m.

Varsity volleyball at Senatobia, 6 p.m.

Friday, Oct. 2 Varsity football at Saltillo, 7 p.m. (95.5 FM)

THIS WEEK AT LAFAYETTE Thursday, Oct. 1 Varsity volleyball vs. New Hope, 6:30 p.m.

Friday, Oct. 2 Football vs. Ripley, 7 p.m. (93.7 FM) Saturday, Sept. 26 Volleyball at Cleveland, Madison St. Joe SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE Overall SEC East W L PF PA W L PF PA Florida 2 0 42 36 4 0 134 73 Georgia 2 0 83 34 4 0 182 54 Kentucky 2 1 56 49 3 1 96 82 Missouri 0 1 13 21 3 1 83 50 Tennessee 0 1 27 28 2 2 165 99 S. Carolina 0 2 42 78 2 2 90 105 Vanderbilt 0 2 30 58 1 3 89 79 West W L PF PA W L PF PA Ole Miss 2 0 70 53 4 0 219 77 LSU 2 0 66 40 3 0 100 64 Texas A&M 1 0 28 21 4 0 166 88 Miss. State 1 1 36 30 3 1 132 59 Alabama 0 1 37 43 3 1 143 70 Arkansas 0 1 21 28 1 3 105 92 Auburn 0 2 30 62 2 2 88 106 Week 5 Games Ole Miss at Florida, 6 p.m. (ESPN) South Carolina at Missouri, 11 a.m. (SEC) Alabama at Georgia, 2:30 p.m. (CBS) San Jose State at Auburn, 3 p.m. (SEC) Eastern Michigan at LSU, 6 p.m. (ESPNU) Vanderbilt at Middle Tennessee, 6 p.m. (CBS Network) Arkansas at Tennessee, 6 p.m. (ESPN2) Mississippi State at Texas A&M,6:30 p.m.(SEC) Eastern Kentucky at Kentucky, 6:30 p.m. (SEC Alternate)

OLE MISS WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

Date Opponent Nov. 5 Clayton State (Exhibition) Nov. 13 Northwestern State Nov. 16 Georgia Southern Nov. 19 George Mason (Gildan Charleston Classic, Charleston, S.C.) Oklahoma State or Towson Nov. 20 (Gildan Charleston Classic, Charleston, S.C.) Nov. 22 Gildan Charleston Classic (Charleston, S.C.)

Meet your cheerleader presented by:

Proudly Serving Oxford & Lafayette County Since 1938

OXFORD CITIZEN

PAGE 20

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2015

Friday Night Previews: Week 7 Chargers gain early advantage in 1-5A play

BY JOHN DAVIS SPORTS EDITOR

Oxford's first test in 1-5A play produced a 50-28 win over West Point for the Chargers. If coach Johnny Hill was awarding grades following the win, the offense would get an A for its performance.

“We only had the ball 34 plays and you score 43 points, that's pretty impressive,” Hill said. “I thought we played well. We probably played one of our best games offensively.”

The defense also scored points as cornerback Devin Rockette returned a fumble for a touchdown.

Hill said the unit would get a B minus for its play overall.

“We had some chances to make plays and we didn't. They have a good scheme, but we should have done a better job of getting off the field,” Hill said. “They went on fourth down a good bit and they got it. We had them convert on some plays that they really shouldn't have converted on. We did do a good job of bending and not breaking, but we have to do a better job of tackling than we did.”

As for the special teams, Hill felt PETRE THOMAS | BUY AT PHOTO.DJOURNAL.COM the unit deserved an A minus. Oxford defeated West Point in its first 1-5A contest. Up next is a meeting with Saltillo on the road Friday night.

Overall, it was a good start to winning a third straight title, and earn- prepared for us where we had six banged up that need to get SCOUTING REPORT ing the top spot for the playoffs. days and a walk through to get healthy in order for the Chargers Up next for the Chargers is a prepared for them,” Hill said. “All to have a full complement to road trip to Saltillo, a team that in all, I think it helped us. That's work with on defense. has struggled and yet to win a OFF WEEK Hill felt like being off the week the reason we do it like that.”

“We had some kids playing game. prior to West Point helped his Oxford (3-2 overall) is still look- through some injuries, but hope“Pat Byrd is the coach over Chargers a good bit. ing to play at a certain level, or fully we'll get them rested this there and him and his assistants “They basically had three days, with an identity, Hill felt. There week and healed up and then will do a great job of scheming and getting them ready to play,” four being a walk through, to get are still some players that are we'll be full strength,” Hill said.

Oxford at Saltillo Kickoff: 7 p.m.

Radio: WOXD-FM 95.5

Hill said. “They're just very young and not near as talented as a lot of the Saltillo teams of the past. I think it's critical that we play up to our level and not go through the motions. If we do that, we could get disappointed. I don't think our kids are those type. Athletically, we're better than they are and we have to prove it out there on the football field.”

Kicker Drake McCarter is the main weapon for the Tigers. Hill said he is a good punter and someone who can put the ball in the end zone. He also made a 53yard field goal and is 4-for-4 in that department this season. Sirmarcus Evans is the top skill player for the Tigers. He enters Friday's game with 33 catches for 607 yards and five touchdowns.

“We'll have to pay attention to him in passing situations,” Hill said. “They're young on the line and just don't have the experience that our guys have. That should play in our favor.” john.davis@journalinc.com

Oxford’s Metcalf shines as U.S. Army All-American

BY JOHN DAVIS SPORTS EDITOR

A few students entering the Oxford High gym Tuesday afternoon turned into a steady stream not long after the bell signaled.

Charger wide receiver DK Metcalf kept his focused. Packed gyms are nothing new to him.

In a sports career that has been memorable, to say the least, Metcalf continued to impress during his U.S. Army All-American Bowl ceremony.

For the first time in school history,

Metcalf, an Ole Miss commit for the 2016 class, will play with some of the nation's best in San Antonio in the prestigious annual game.

Flanked on his right by OHS coach Johnny Hill and his family, Metcalf made sure to thank everyone for their support.

He also put on his black jersey, with hints of yellow, for good measure, and for pictures.

“The ceremony, it just put an exclamation point on what it really meant to play in this game,” said Metcalf, who officially accepted the

invitation from the Army to play in the Jan. 9, 2016 game during the summer.

“Just sitting here and listening to the officers explain what it really meant to be in the Army, it hit home.

It's an honor, and I thank God for this opportunity. Just the name spoke for itself. Just the people that have played in the game before me, I was like 'This is where I want to go.'”

Some of the nation's best high school players take part in the game.

TURN TO METCALF PAGE 23

PETRE THOMAS | BUY AT PHOTO.DJOURNAL.COM

DK Metcalf waits to receives his US Army All American jersey on Tuesday.

OXFORD CITIZEN

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2015

Middle

Jones

FROM PAGE 17

FROM PAGE 17

ond, with three seconds left on the clock.

Childers' touchdown capped a 70-yard scoring drive that started with just 1:11 left in the game.

Unfortunately for Oxford, the 2-point conversion failed. Both of the Chargers' losses in seventh grade have come to the Tigers. Coach Mike Hardwick credited the leadership of Locke, and the running of Phillips, who gained a critical first down on a 20-yard run on the drive.

“Even though we missed the 2-point conversion, I was extremely proud of our team for believing they could come back,” Hardwick said.

“They never quit. I have a lot of confidence in these guys that they will finish the season strong.”

Both teams are off this coming, but will return to play at Lafayette on Oct. 13 in the final two games of the season.

weights on the powerlifting team.

Jones doesn't stop with athletics. He's also a strong student in the classroom.

There are times when it's hard to balance two sports and a grade point average of 3.2, but Jones always finds a way.

“It's tough sometimes to go to practices and then come home and do more work. But if you love what you're doing, playing sports, you can make it work,” Jones said. “I've been making it work all the way since my seventh grade.”

Last winter, Jones hurt his shoulder and couldn't actually powerlift.

He has plans to come back to the team later this year.

“I want to do it for my senior. I like lifting weights and all the adrenaline that comes with picking up as much weight as you can,” Jones said. “That's what I like about powerlifting.”

Jones gets help, or encouragement, from his parents to succeed.

He also has the goal to always do things 100 percent.

“I have the idea to not coast

back. If I'm trying to do that sport, I'm going to give it my all,” Jones said. “I love school, being around the teachers and learning. I love being around my friends.”

History is Jones' top subject in school, and he said that he appreciates all of his history teachers.

“My favorite teachers that I've had in all of high school have to be Mr. and Mrs. Quong. Mr. Quong is my English teacher. I like them a whole lot,” Jones said.

“It's not hard to stay out of trouble in school. All you have to do is listen to what the teacher says and do your work.”

Lafayette football coach Eric Robertson has never had an issue with Jones from a punctuality standpoint.

He's also never gotten an email or note from any teachers about Jones being a problem in the classroom from an academic, or discipline, standpoint.

“On top of that, he's a really good football player,” Robertson said.

“Quin is rangy and he is everything we expect him to be. We're still trying to get him more involved on offense. When he comes to practice, he works hard.

Quin is on all the special teams for us, so he plays a big role. He

PAGE 21

goes hard in practice, and that's important for the other players to see. When you have kids that are good in the classroom and they're respected around the school and the teachers, then they're going to be respected by their teammates down here.”

There are times when Jones gets an earful from his fellow football players about doing well in school, but it's all in good fun.

“I don't hold it as a big deal. I just try to get my work done and do everything I can do to graduate,” Jones said.

So far through six games, the Commodores are 5-1 overall, while the defense just recorded a shutout of Charleston.

“I haven't been able to make as many plays as I know I can because we have players all around our defense,” Jones said.

“They're making plays, too.

The hard work I put in during the summer is paying off. I'm feeling good about myself and the team.”

John Sherman is set to coach the Commodores on the basketball court for the first time this year, and he said that Jones will be a focal point from a leadership standpoint.

In short, Sherman was relying on Jones to help turn the program around.

“He's a senior and he's played from seventh grade on. I have a special connection with Quin. I coached his father Quincy, who was the first sophomore that ever started for me at Oxford High School,” Sherman said.

“He came and spent some time with us from Hawaii this summer. We bonded and re-connected so it was neat for the three of us. I'm expecting big things from him, and with that comes great responsibility. It's fun coaching that kind of a kid, especially now that I'm old enough to be coaching former player's kids.

That's a special deal.”

Cody Stubblefield said Jones was an important part of the powerlifting team because of his work ethic, leadership and natural strength.

“Quin is a good athlete who can bring a lot to the table in any sport,” Stubblefield said. “After football season, he does an outstanding job balancing basketball and powerlifting. We're looking forward to what he and the rest of our lifters can accomplish this spring.” john.davis@journalinc.com Twitter: @oxfordcitizenjd

Citizen

PAGE 22

OXFORD CITIZEN

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2015

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Advertisements in this classification usually offer informational service or products designed to help FIND employment. Before you send money to any advertiser, it is your responsibility to verify the validity of the offer. Some ads may require a toll call or a directory purchase. Inquiries can be made by contacting the Better Business Bureau at 1800-987-8280

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Home Furnishings

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PAGE 23

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times I had gone up against him. Where the ball was loget within a point. Of course cated, I thought it was a little far for a field goal,” Nutt FROM PAGE 16 every Ole Miss fan knows said. “I think with Tebow sitwhat happened next. ting there in the backfield, go down there and we're “They didn't tie it up beand how many times he's hanging around, hanging cause Kentrell Lockett made 2 yards, or less, there around. They tie us up, we breaks through and blocks jump out, they tie us up. the extra point. If he rests on was no doubt in my mind they were going for it. The And really, by the third that play and just assumes only thing I was worried quarter, I could feel our they're going to make an sideline. I could really feel extra point, it doesn't go our about, and I told (defensive coordinator) Tyrone (Nix) our sideline. We had The way. It just goes back to us Swamp quiet.” playing our best because we this, was that Tebow was going to look like he was It was so quiet inside the had been the ones, the running a quarterback stadium that Nutt rememgivers, of giving the ball bers cornerback Marshay away,” Nutt said. “That day, sneak and he was going to do a little jump pass. I Green coming up to him we got turnovers. We dewanted somebody back beand saying they were going flected some passes and cause he may try to trick us to win. then our offense really exethere. They didn't do that.

“I said 'Do what?' He said cuted. We ran the ball and They put the ball in the 'We are going to win today, the Wild Rebel really hit hands of their best guy and coach.' I said 'Good, good, good Dexter. It all seemed get on back out there and that everything was just hit- let him try and go get it. And everybody did their job.” cover Percy Harvin,'” Nutt ting on all cylinders.”

The roles are reversed said with a laugh. “That was Ole Miss ultimately had to seven years later as the our sideline, though. When make one more stop in Rebels head to play the Shay Hodge caught that ball order to secure the win. It Gators. Ole Miss is No. 3 and from Jevan Snead … they came on fourth down, and well established as a prohad just scored and we anthe Gators driving. Instead gram under Freeze, just like swered with this long throw of kicking a long field goal, right down the sideline. He Florida coach Urban Meyer the Gators were under Meyer, who was also in his hit it right in the window be- wanted to get a little closer, fourth season in 2008. or maybe even close it out tween the corner and the safety with that play-action with a touchdown. Nutt said Florida, meanwhile, is just getting into the top 25 for he wasn't surprised by the pass. Shay took it 70 or the first time under Jim decision to go for the first whatever yards it was. The McElwain. down. whole sideline ignited and “It's hard to believe how “There was no doubt in just said it was our day.” things can change so my mind, knowing Urban The Gators didn't go quickly. It's amazing how Meyer and the number of down without a fight. They

things are reversed,” Nutt said. “One of the things I said at my last press conference was the last couple of groups that we signed that it wasn't going to take long. It was such a good group of young players and then of course Hugh has added on to that with some really good players as well. And he got the quarterback position straight.”

Nutt is still on the radio, talking about college football, each week. He keeps up with the Rebels, and he will be watching this Saturday night.

“I think any time you go on the road in the SEC, you have to play well.

There has to be a road focus that is so intense,” Nutt said. “Ole Miss has the better players. Ole Miss, to me, athletically, is better. Florida's defense is good, but so is Ole Miss's.

And Ole Miss has tremendous playmakers, much more on offense, than Florida. But anytime you go into somebody else's backyard in the SEC, you have to play at a high level and do the things that they have been doing. Just like the did to beat Alabama. It has to be the same kind of road focus.”

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662-842-2622 Metcalf FROM PAGE 20

There are several former players that are now in the NFL like Andrew Luck, the quarterback of the Indianapolis Colts.

Terrence Metcalf, who was a Parade All-American coming out of Clarksdale, said if he didn't have football in his life, he would have picked the Army for a career.

“When the Army sent him that opportunity, I automatically told him that's the one you need to go to,” said the former Ole Miss Rebel, who was unable to play in the game since he graduated four years before it started.

“A lot of kids always wait for multiple opportunities, but as soon as this one came in, because of what it represented and what it stands for, it was the one. I was going to pick the Army, but I was fortunate enough that football played a bigger role in my life and I took a different direction.”

Hill, who will be at the game, has called Metcalf the best receiver he's ever been coached, and one of the top two or three players he's been around in a career that has spanned more than 30 years.

“The biggest thing about DK is he's a really good athlete. His future is still in front of him,” Hill told the crowd.

“What makes DK special is his genuine attitude towards his teammates.

He is such a great guy to be around, both on and off the field. He's always the same, always got that grin on his face. I don't know if I've ever seen a young man that went as hard at practice.

Even when he's better than most people out there, he's still practicing hard.”

Through the first five games of the season, Metcalf has 24 catches for 354 yards and three touchdowns.

He and the Chargers return to action Friday night at Saltillo. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. john.davis@journalin.com Twitter: @oxfordcitizenjd

PAGE 24

OXFORD CITIZEN

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2015