Thursday, November 11, 2021
Epps’ high standards allowing him to excel on and off the field
via Twitter (@cameronepps7)
Cameron Epps (above) during his recruiting visit to Oklahoma State.
Daniel Allen Staff Reporter
Cameron Epps has always had high aspirations. From making the school honor roll to playing college football at the power 5 level, Epps has set the tone by always wanting more. “I feel like if I am able to set the standard high enough,” Epps said. “For whatever it may be, I will be able to reach my goals easily, especially with the grit I have for the things I set my mind to.” The high standard Epps has set
for himself has resulted in accomplishments, both on and off the field. “Cameron has always regarded himself very highly,” Chaminade head coach Antoine Torrey said. “Not like in a stuck up manner. Of course not, he’s a great kid. But he’s always thought he was too good to fail, in a sense that failure was not an option— and it never was for him.” Chaminade High School, located in Creve Coeur, Missouri, is a prestigious college preparatory school. “You know it was a bit of an adjustment, especially to a private school like (Chaminade),” Epps said. “But then again, because I set my bar that high, it
made it easier to go out there and meet my expectations and succeed.” Epps was not only successful academically since day one, but on the football field as well. “Right away, the first minute he stepped foot on campus here at Chaminade, (Epps) had dreams of playing college football,” Torrey said. “You could tell too. That was just his overall goal in choosing to attend a college preparatory school. So, he worked (hard) and immediately was a starter as a freshman.” During his freshman season, Epps gained attention from many different schools, such as Missouri, Arkansas
and Arkansas State. Over time, Epps saw the drastic increase in phone calls and mail he was receiving from Division I football programs. Eventually those phone calls, emails and letters turned into offers. Epps received his first offer from Vanderbilt in June of 2019, after attending a prospect showcase that was being held on campus. Epps stood out to then head coach Derek Mason, resulting in him earning an offer from the Commodores that day.
Stillwater’s Holidays 2021 Daniel Mutai Staff Reporter
See Epps on 2
year.
Carriage rides, entertainment and other festivities are planned and are on their website www.visitstillwater.org/ stillwater-holidays/. Over 150,000 lights will be hung from 4th Street, beyond the roundabout, until about 14th Street. The lights will eventually be set up to a radio station in sync with the music. Holidays 2021 will be packed with 50 to 80 businesses that will have some part to play in the events through the holidays. Any local business can sign up on and participate in this event on their website. Visit Stillwater will continue to update their calendar as businesses roll in closer to the holiday season. Businesses are able to show off what they can do as the holidays begin in to Stillwater. “It’s as important for us to bring visitors into Stillwater and as equally important for us to be able to communicate with our residents and for them to be able to stay and keep those dollars in Stillwater instead of outside the community, those dollars could go to infrastructure here,” said Nicole Horn, the director of sales for Visit Stillwater.
Visit Stillwater will be hosting an event, Holidays 2021, from Nov. 21 - Jan. 1. This event is to emphasizes shopping locally to support the Stillwater economy. Holidays 2021 is an all-encompassing brand of events occurring in Stillwater during the holidays. Visit Stillwater has taken a new approach to attract people. The hashtag #DineSwo, #ShopSWO and other hashtags are being used in in coordination with the City of Stillwater and Visit Stillwater to push residents to shop local and be able to help keep Stillwater growing. “We wanted to show our customer service instead of having your fingers crossed something will show up in time for the holidays,” said CEO, Cristy Morrison, “People from out of town will be able to say ‘Yeah let’s go to our website’ and see all the businesses.” Visit Stillwater created a website with details about each event throughout the holidays. The signature event Merry Mainstreet will have vendors take turns showcasing their goods in the returning geodesic domes from the previous news.ed@ocolly.com
Holidays 2021 is an event to emphasize a shopping locally in Stillwater.
Anna Pope