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Volume 3 | Issue 45

Thursday, September 22, 2016

Inside 2 News

Summit Lodge offers new look to a familiar place

10 News

JOSH MCCOY | OLE MISS ATHLETICS

The Ole Miss cheerleaders and Rebelettes spend hours before a home football game kicks off by meeting with the fans and leading them in cheers in places like The Grove.

We got spirit

Sarafest returns to Oxford Sunday

17 Sports

Cheerleaders, Rebelettes add life to OM football games

BY JOHN DAVIS OXFORD CITIZEN

Not long after the sun rises above the Grove and the University of Mississippi campus this Saturday morning, the Ole Miss cheerleaders and Rebelettes will be there to greet

fans filing in for the game.

Hours before the No. 23 Rebels kickoff with No. 11 Georgia, the two spirit squads will have visited with countless fans, and started the process of getting them ready to cheer on Chad Kelly and Company to a win.

Arikka Harakal is the cheer

coordinator at Ole Miss, while Carley Cryer is the coordinator for the Rebelettes. Each have been in their position for the past four seasons. Cryer is a former Rebelette, serving in that role when she was a student from 2004-2008. Both knew each other from the same spirit

squad circles, and both said they are like “two peas in the same pod.�

Harakal, who came to Oxford from Dallas, Texas, said her cheerleaders practice three times a week for two hours TURN TO CHEERLEADER PAGE 6

Rebels looking to correct mistakes against No. 11 Georgia

OXFORD CITIZEN

PAGE 2

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2016

Summit Lodge offers new look to a familiar place

BY KATHRYN WINTER STAFF WRITER

One of Oxford’s classic staples – the Burgundy Room bar on the Square has gotten a facelift. Located above Old Venice, the new bar is now known as The Summit Lodge, and it officially opened earlier this month on Labor Day. Jim Bulian, owner of Old Venice and the former Burgundy Room, said after 18 years it was time for a change.

The Summit Lodge Bar’s design was inspired by Bulian’s travels out West, specifically the Sierra Mountains.

“I definitely wanted a mountain theme,” Bulian said. “We’re bringing the mountains to Oxford. I wanted the feel to be like you’re at an upscale resort in Aspen.”

The Summit Lodge Bar will feature Artist Vodka, an organic vodka made from imported organic farrowheat from Italy and pure water from the Northern Cascades. Artist Vodka can be found at all local liquor stores in Oxford. Bulian is adding more whiskeys to the bar menu as well as offering food from Old Venice.

“People were freaking out about Whiskey Wednesday’s being gone,

but don’t worry we’re still doing that,” Bulian said. The bar will still feature the infamous “Horn of Enchantment” that Burgundy Room was known for. The Horn of Enchantment shot has been featured on many Ole Miss’ student’s list of things to do before graduating. Included with the remodel is adding a “shot ski” known as a ski with four slots on it that hold shots so that four people take it at the same time.

“With Burgundy Room it was created to be a cigar and martini bar,” he said. “Then smoking was outlawed inside, and the martini fad kind of faded out, so it was just time for a change. My business partner David Buescher and I brought on Beth McKey as designer and it’s being built out by Bruce Massey.”

Bulian wants the space to have

COURTESY

A lot of work was completed to give the Summitt Lodge. the same feel as Burgundy Room, but with a clean and more contemporary design. The entrance to the bar and bathrooms have also been redesigned and remodeled.

Other features include exposed walls and rafters, an entryway with Aspen trees, a massive white oak bar top, faux taxidermy, faux fire-

place, and the balcony will be transformed to make it seem like a backyard party.

The announcement of the change shocked many locals, but it will be open in time for Ole Miss football season.

“We’re expecting large crowds,” Bulian said. “Burgundy Room was

always packed during game weekends, so we’re anticipating a large crowd especially with it being new and people wanting to come see it.”

The Summit Lodge Bar is on Facebook and Instagram. To keep up with the grand opening follow them @thesummitoxford.

OXFORD CITIZEN

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2016

PAGE 3

Weaver passionate about service as LHS drum major

BY CHANING GREEN NEWS WRITER

Lafayette County High School senior Tyler Weaver is in his first year of serving the band as their drum major. He has been in band at Lafayette since he was in the sixth grade and loves being in a position to help the band and serve under his band directors, Kelly and Lauren Duncan.

Weaver took some time after school Thursday to sit down with Oxford Citizen Reporter Chaning Green in the LHS band hall to discuss the drum major’s role in the band and what the future has in store.

CHANNING GREEN: How long have you been in band?

TYLER WEAVER: I first joined in sixth grade. I remember in fifth grade, they put all of us in a place where we could see all the TURN TO WEAVER PAGE 5

COURTESY OF LDH BAND

Senior Tyler Weaver is currently serving as the Lafayette County High School drum major. It is Weaver’s first and last year in the position, and he loves using his role to build relationships and make the band stronger.

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PAGE 4

OBITUARIES

‘Fame, the Musical’ coming to the Ford Center

DORTHY LEAMOND Dorothy Faye Scrivner Leamond, 90, passed away Monday, Sept. 19, 2016, at Sanctuary Hospice House in Tupelo. The funeral service was Wednesday, Sept. 21 in the Chapel of Waller Funeral Home with Rev. Sammy Gossett officiating. Burial followed in Forest Memorial Park Cemetery in Batesville.

Memorial contributions in Mrs. Leamond’s memory may be made to Sanctuary Hospice House, 5159 Main Street, Tupelo, MS 38801.

MARK HAYS Mark Laver Hays, 39, passed away Monday, Sept. 19, 2016, at Baptist Memorial Hospital-Memphis. Visitation was held Wednesday, Sept 21 at Coleman Funeral Home. Funeral services will be held Thursday, Sept. 22 at 2 p.m. at Yellow Leaf Baptist Church near Oxford, with burial to follow at Yellow Leaf Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to a www.gofundme.com account titled “Mark Hays - A Rare Gem” or to LeBonheur Children’s Hospital, 848 Adams Avenue, Memphis, TN 38103 or at www.lebonheur.org

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2016

BY CHANING GREEN NEWS WRITER

In May of 1980, drama film “Fame” was released to American audiences and forever changed the way cinema produced musical entertainment.

Next Thursday night, the Gertrude C. Ford Center will be showing a production of the hit stage musical that came after the Oscar-winning film.

The story follows characters who in 1980 were among 400 teenagers who tried out for the New York High School of Performing Arts. Only 97 of those were admitted, and they will do anything to be on top.

The musical first premiered in 1988 in Miami and followed the commercial and critical success of the Emmy Awardwinning, six-season television series. The theatre production eventually went on tour around the country with a company. In 1993 the musical appeared in Stockholm, Sweden. The play went on to be produced all over the world in several other languages. Italy, Japan, China, Mexico, Den-

mark, Korea, Thailand, France and many other countries soon had their own version “Fame, the Musical” on their stage.

David De Silva developed the original concept from which every incarnation of the storyline was taken. When De Silva sold the rights to MGM for them to produce a movie, he took special care to hold on to the stage rights. He was not willing give that up to just any company.

“My first love is the theatre,” De Silva said in an exclusive interview with the Citizen Tuesday afternoon. “For me, having the rights to do the show in the theatre was the most important thing. The creative process for the movie is over, when the movie is over. You have a print, and it’s a good print and you’re done. It’s a very technical experience.”

De Silva said that the draw of theatre as a way to tell this story is the show’s capability for immortality, that every single time the show is performed, it is reborn and relived in a brand new way.

“I always knew that I wanted

it done in theatre where it could live forever in live performance,” he said. “The story is a natural for live performance because it is organically musical. The most valuable thing, to me, would be to have created it in the theatre.”

After going to school to be a teacher, De Silva worked for a short time as an actor before becoming talent agent. He never worked as a playwright or concept artist before coming up with the idea for “Fame.”

“This was the first,” De Silva said when asked what other concepts he had put together before his big success. “I worked with a writer to do it, but this is was the first screenplay. It's the only one I think was fated to do. In terms of other high school musicals, I never would have done “Grease” or one of those popular stories. What makes this show different is that there is a social consciousness to the story telling.”

One of the biggest things that makes “Fame” different from its predecessors and most of its successors, was its inclu-

sion of such a diverse cast of characters dealing with very real problems. De Silva said that the diversity of the shows characters is a big part of what gives the play its social consciousness.

He said that there will always be kids that grow up who are extremely talented, but do not have access to proper training through piano lessons or singing lessons. That was what this fictional school offered these kids, a chance to get out of their neighborhood and be the best that they can be.

Since 2002, De Silva has worked through his charitable organization the Father Fame Foundation to give kids in the real world the opportunity to follow their dreams by giving out scholarships. The foundation works to promote the value of theatre arts in education and in life.

“Fame, the Musical” will be showing for one night only at the Ford Center Thursday, Sept. 29 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets start at $57. chaning.green@journalinc.com Twitter: chaningthegreen

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OXFORD CITIZEN

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2016

Weaver FROM 5

different instruments being played. The band director was Mr. Cole at the time, and I can remember him playing the different instruments. I think that was his last year with the band.

When sixth grade rolled around, I remember being nervous on the first day of school and making up my mind that I wasn’t going to do it. But I went through with it and from the first day, I was hooked. I loved being in it. All the music, everything about it got me hooked. I loved it from the start.

GREEN: When did you audition to be drum major?

WEAVER: My audition was held in May. My main instrument is trumpet, which I began playing in middle school. I switched to mellophone for the marching season last year, and then when concert season rolled around, I took up French horn. I figured that during my senior year, I wanted to something more productive, something a little more. I wanted to flip it around and see it from the other side, so rather than play-

ing the music, I would be conducting it. It seemed like something I wanted to do, so I went for it.

My sophomore year, I remember seeing Wes Brown and, last year, Drew as drum majors and they were fun. They had fun with the band and got to connect with everybody in a way that went beyond the normal thing of only connecting with the other people in your section.

They were ahead of a lot of things and they helped a lot of people. I liked that. They would reach out to those band members that were struggling, and I liked that and the way they went about those types of things. I wanted to try it. I thought it would be fitting for me to come and, not necessarily fill their shoes, but be the next person in line.

GREEN: Do you like being drum major?

WEAVER: I really do. Ever since I saw Wes, I wanted to be drum major. When I found that I made it, it was a bit of a dream come true for me. It’s just been great.

Every day that I get to come and do this, I do it with a smile on my face. I love it.

GREEN: What do you like about it?

WEAVER: You get to interact with a lot of people. I’m a friendly guy. I like to talk to people. I also get to do so many different things. The musical and conducting side are just a part of it. It’s not the whole thing. It may be what people see, but they don’t see behind the scenes when you’re helping with music or coordinating certain things off of the field. Being able to help the Duncans and help the band, just to be that person that people look to is something that’s always seemed cool to me.

PAGE 5

that.

GREEN: Are you involved in any other extracurriculars besides band?

WEAVER: I was on the archery team last year. This year, I’m in student council and Beta Club.

In student council, I’m not in an officer position, but there are four seniors on the council.

Every class gets three or four members on the council, depending on elections. With Beta, you have to maintain a 90 or above average, and I’ve been involved there since my sophomore year. Later on this year, I plan to become involved with our indoor percussion group.

I’m not a percussionist, so that should be fun.

Indoor is really awesome. We did it back a few years ago and it was a ton of fun. We did a standstill show and we just had the marimbas and all the other instruments set up. My sophomore year we did a Muppet themed show and I played bass drum for that. I also had trumpet solo at the end, and I really enjoyed it. It was awesome.

GREEN: Do you like your band directors?

WEAVER: I do. Their first year here was my freshman year. It was my first time to march when they got here, and they’ve just been great. We were in and out of band directors before they stepped up. When they got here, they set out a schedule, in a way.

They do what they say they’re gonna do. If they say we’re going to get a show on, we’re going to get that show on. If they want us to learn a cool piece of music, GREEN: What do you want to we do it. What they want to do, do after you graduate in May? they do. It’s flat out, and I like WEAVER: My plan is to go

straight to Ole Miss. I am going to be in the band there. I haven’t decided my major yet. I thought about majoring in music, but I’m still not 100 percent sure on that. I’ve also thought about majoring in engineering and that’s where I’m leaning right now. I want to be in the band, move out, go through college and start life.

GREEN: What type of engineering are you considering?

WEAVER: Either mechanical or electrical. My dad and I work with a lot of different things. He’s an air conditioner guy. He works at Ole Miss. He does a lot of stuff and has always had that mechanical mind. With the different projects we’ve worked on together, he’s tried to teach me stuff. It’s always interested me.

It’s neat how so many different parts can work together to make a big machine work. As far as the electrical side, it’s cool to look at how all the boards and wires and everything else works together to power those machines.

Everything working together has always interested me. chaning.green@journalinc.com Twitter: chaningthegreen

OXFORD CITIZEN

PAGE 6

Cheerleaders FROM 1

leading up to a football game. There are also workouts, lifting and conditioning, that last an hour on the days they don't practice.

On Saturdays, the cheerleaders show up between three and four hours prior to the start of the game. They meet and warm up and there a number of pre-game assignments like Fan Fare or meeting people in the Union Plaza and the Grove. Of course the cheerleaders are there to see the team go through the Walk of Champions.

“We're there during the walk, greeting fans coming in and greeting the football team coming in and then from there we will go to the Grove stage where we will do our Grove cheer to get the fans ready,” Harakal said.

“That will lead into when the band starts and the actual Grove show where we participate with the Rebelettes.”

Cryer said that her group does about the exact same thing on a Saturday. They meet four hours before the game and go through the different routines for the day.

They freshen up and get dressed to meet for pregame appearances.

“There are about four or five spots on game day. We split our groups up,” said Cryer, who has 30 on her team while the cheerleaders have close to 50.

“We split them up into all these different stations so we're hitting everyone at the same time,” Harakal added.

“It's always a good response when we show up, whether it's cheer or dance. The fans love us. We're actually the people you get to talk to on a game day. You never really

get to have that type of contact with a football or basketball player. We're the closest thing you're going to get to an athlete on a game day outside of Walk of Champions. I feel like that's why fans are drawn to us. We're more open to talk with people about what is going on in the Grove and that kind of stuff.”

The Rebelettes do cheer at times beyond just dance in conjunction with the Pride of the South. They practice with the band for two hours “four or five times” during the week, Cryer said.

“Depending on what song the band plays or the song they play over the speakers, we call the routine from there,” Cryer said. “We do communicate, but whatever the band calls, we go with it.

We know on specific downs they have specific songs they play, especially on defense, so we know those routines are coming up. There are also some songs they play just on offense.”

For all of the newcomers to the cheerleading squad, Harakal said the Alabama game last week was an “eye opener” from a crowd standpoint.

“Going from Wofford to going to that, it was a huge change for them,” she said. “I think it's what they expected, but I don't think you can really prep someone and explain to them what it's like.

Words do not describe it all.”

“We tried to prepare our teams based on what we knew of previous years, the major games, the huge crowds,” Cryer said about the Alabama game. “We have to change this because of this or this is going to be really packed so allow for extra time, those kind of things. Then we also had Wofford and we could prepare for the heat. Those were

JOSH MCCOY | OLE MISS ATHLETICS

Ole Miss cheerleaders cheer in front of the SEC Nation set before last weekend's game with No. 1 Alabama. the two big things, the heat and staying hydrated and the huge amount of people.

For the past two games, I've been their water girl.”

Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze urged fans to show up early and be ready to cheer on the Rebels against the Bulldogs. There is always a fear that early starts will translate to fewer fans showing up for pre-game activities.

“And if they show up, they're going to show up later. That's the fear with the early games just because the fans may not really be awake yet,” Harakal said. “We already know that Fan Fare is going to be light because nobody is going to wake up that early. They will probably just wake up to go to the game.

We don't know what the Grove is going to look like. I would tell fans that if they can come early enough to come to the Grove show, which is an hour and a half before the game starts, I would say that's probably a good way to get them kicked in.”

“And if they can't make it for that, try and make it for the pre-game show for the Rebelettes especially,” Cryer added. “We are a part of the band as well and pre game is the best part and that's when everyone is really getting excited. The band is playing the Hey song and there are the intro videos and then Hotty Toddy. You have to be there for that.”

Cryer, who coached two years right after graduating, said it was incredibly different now at Ole Miss compared to when she was in school.

“We felt supported back when I was on the team, but now that I see everything that the girls get and just the way they are supported by the band and in huge part by athletics, it's crazy,” Cryer said. “They understand how important spirit squads are because they can speak well and represent our university.

They're more accessible than the football players or the basketball players.”

For Harakal, all the games slur together into one big

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2016

day. She said each game has an issue and there is always a highlight of the game.

“For me, what it is, every time they get to put on the uniform and get to walk out those doors as Ole Miss cheerleading, that's always the best for me, no matter what they're doing,” Harakal said.

Cryer said that three seasons ago, a lot of great things started to happen in sports like the Rebels making it to the NCAA Tournament in basketball or the win over Alabama at home in 2014.

“It's continuing to build and you think how can it get any better and then the next year it gets better and the next year gets better,” Cryer said. “Beating Alabama was huge at home. And then the Sugar Bowl last year was awesome. Then this past weekend was great. You hope for a different outcome, but it was an exciting game. When I was on the team, we never had College Game Day. SEC Nation wasn't here yet and now they've started to come on campus.

Katy Perry coming was huge because we got to meet her.”

This past summer, the cheer squad attended camp in Johnson City,Tennessee at East Tennessee University.

Harakal said a lot of Big Ten schools were there.

“We used to go to Alabama in Tuscaloosa but that camp got way too large and we felt like we wanted a different atmosphere and not with the people that we are going to consistently see in the SEC all year long,” Harakal said. “We wanted to see something different, especially from a competitive standpoint. East Tenn was a great experience. The only SEC team we got to see was Kentucky, which we don't get to see very often. It was

nice to hang out with a new crew.”

Harakal added that this year's cheer squad was the most talented one that has come through in a long time.

At last year's national competition, another aspect the team takes part in, the squad finished fourth.

“Us staying in the top five is kind of a new trend for us, which is abnormal for where Ole Miss has come from,” Harakal said. “We feel really good about our team this season and we feel like we're going to stay in the top five.”

The nationals for dance are hit hard in December and January, Cryer said because they are also coming up with new routines for each basketball game. This past year, they made it to the finals and placed seventh in the hip hop category, which was “huge” Cryer said. Some of the spirit squad teams that Ole Miss competes against at these national events are just geared to the specific competitions. And all of the schools are as large, or larger.

“We are game day and compete.We want to be successful, but we don't come in on Sundays and just have a nationals practice for five hours after a football game.

We kind of prioritize a little bit different,” she said. “Their quality of life is important.

We don't want them to get burned out as much as we possibly can.”

“We are definitely blessed in the sense that our spirit teams actually love each other,” Harakal said. “We get along so well. We support each other. We all inter mix and that makes it so much easier if we have to be at a place.They're all working together at events and games.” john.davis@journalinc.com Twitter: @oxfordcitizenjd

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OXFORD CITIZEN

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2016

PAGE 7

UM holds first walk for suicide prevention

BY CHANING GREEN NEWS WRITER

Every year, suicide claims the lives of more Americans than war, murder and natural disasters combined. Sunday, students and community members gathered at the University of Mississippi for the school’s first Out of the Darkness Walk to support the American Society for Suicide Prevention.

In the state of Mississippi in 2014, the suicide rate was 12.5 percent per 100,000 people, on par with the national average.

For Mississippians, suicide is the third leading cause of death for people aged 15 to 24, and fourth leading cause in people aged 10 to 14 years and 25 to 44 years. The American Society for Suicide Prevention is working to change that.

The fundraiser being held on campus was called an Out of the Darkness Walk and raised money for research and education initiatives. Over 200 people showed up to support the cause.

Beside the check in table was a table set up with seven small, red baskets that each contained necklaces of different colored beads. Participants wore the necklace that told their story and how suicide or suicidal thoughts have impacted their lives. White for the loss of a child, silver for the loss of a first responder or military service member, red for the loss of a spouse or partner, orange for the loss of a sibling, gold for the loss of a parent, green to signify one’s personal struggle and then teal to mark the continuing struggle of a loved one.

There were no teal beads left in the basket by the beginning of

CHANNING GREEN

Marsha Jensen shared her personal story of how suicide has affected her family Sunday afternoon just before the University of Mississippi’s first Out of the Darkness Walk to support the American Society for Suicide Prevention. Other speakers Father Joe Tonos (center) and Pastor Pat Ward listen as she speaks. the walk.

Pastor Pat Ward from the Orchard, a nondenominational church off of Hwy 7, was one of the speakers before the race.

Around his neck were draped gold-colored beads.

“This is really important for our church because this is something that a lot of families are struggling with,” Ward said.

“It’s something personal for me as well because I lost someone in my family to suicide. I know what that grief is like. It’s easy to feel like you’re grieving on your own, so it’s good to be together.”

Maddy UM sophomore

Gumpko was a co-chair of the fundraiser. She dealt with the logistics of the event, creating teams, putting out signs, getting a website set up, securing donations and more. Suicide awareness is something Gumpko is passionate about due to the loss of a close friend earlier this year.

She also had a family friend attempt suicide a few years ago.

“I have a lot of personal ties to it,” Gumpko said. “I’ve always wanted to get involved and help those who aren’t able to help themselves and be there for them and recognize those signs and bring awareness to this

issue. Even over the past couple months, I’ve known at least five other people who have lost someone because of this as well. This summer has just been so much, and it seems like a lot of this stuff has been happening.”

Organizers of the event decided to start relatively small and set their fundraising goal to $5,000. This is the first year the university has held an Out of Darkness Walk and they wanted to make sure they did not set an unachievable goal.

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Delta Phi and Alpha Omicron Phi put together teams for the walk. Several community members and university workers turned out to support, walk and donate. The event ended up raising well over $9,000, nearly double the original goal.

Of the money raised during the walk, 50 percent will go toward research and campaigns to better understand suicide and how to prevent it. The other half of the money stays in the local community and goes toward the More Than Sad program to establish resources in schools that allow students to get the mental health care they need.

Debbie Maddigan and Cammie Champion were walking in support of Scott, the teenaged son of their friend and coworker Smith. Smith’s son struggled with mental health issues, which led the young man to take his own life in May of 2015. Since then Smith has worked to have more mental health support for students in local and surrounding school systems.

Maddigan said that she feels like suicide awareness and prevention is something that people do not like to discuss. That lack of a dialog creates a stigma and that stigma makes it even more difficult for people to get help. This is a problem, according to Maddigan.

“I don’t think people are aware of it,” she said. “I think it’s in the back of people’s minds, but they don’t think it happens to people you know. When it comes close to home, you realize it’s a huge issue and people need to be aware of it.” chaning.green@journalinc.com Twitter: chaningthegreen

OXFORD CITIZEN

PAGE 8

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2016

Go Jim Go rides through Oxford School District

BY CHANING GREEN NEWS WRITER

Once a year for the past decade, Meteorologist Jim Jaggers of Channel 3 News in Memphis has been riding his bicycle 333 miles across the Mid-South to raise money for Le Bonheur’s Children’s Hospital.

This was Jagger’s 11th year to hold the fundraiser known as Go Jim Go. Since it began, Go Jim Go has raised more than $1 million that goes directly to the benefit of patients and their families at Le Bonheur. Jagger’s 333 miles are spent riding around to different schools and community organizations in the region who are participating in the fundraiser, collecting the money and giving pep talks to the students at participating schools.

Intermediate Oxford School, Della Davidson ElTURN TO JIM PAGE 9

CHANNING GREEN

News Channel 3 Meteorologist Jim Jaggers greets a line of Oxford Intermediate School students with high-fives Tuesday morning. Jagger’s Go Jim Go fundraiser works with Mid-South schools and organizations to raise money for Le Bonheur’s Children Hospital.

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Jim FROM 8

ementary School and Oxford Middle School participated in the fundraiser.

Jagger rode to each school with a crew of other cyclists, an RV and a van blasting upbeat music.

Due to a significant knee injury Jagger incurred while preparing for this year’s fundraiser, he will not be biking the full 333 miles. Instead, the meteorologist will be using the RV to get from location to location, and then he will mount his bike, ride up to the school or organizing and dole out high-fives to everyone gathered.

The first stop on Jagger’s trip through the Oxford School District Tuesday morning was Oxford Intermediate School. The school, comprised entirely of fifth and sixth graders, raised a total of $1,544.50 for the cause. Students were lined up down the sidewalk in front of the school with hands out as Jagger drove by and aave a seemingly endless line of high-fives.

Jagger grabbed a mic and got the kids to cheer as loud as they could.

Some of the students standing on the sidewalk were holding signs that cheered on the cyclist. Jaggers ask if any of the students have ever been patients at Le Bonheur.

Several children raised their hands. He then told the story of a patient he met at the hospital who was born with spina bifida and required over two dozen surgeries. He was then met with cheers as he enthusiastically informed the crowd that donations like theirs go toward making sure surgeries like those are adequately funded.

Carol Trott is chair of the Renaissance Committee, which oversaw the fundraiser for OIS. This was the second year that the school has been involved with the Go Jim Go fundraiser. Trott said that she was more than happy to work with students to raise money for not only because several OIS students have been treated at La Boehner, but also to teach students about giv-

OXFORD CITIZEN

PAGE 9

CHANNING GREEN

At each school he stops at, Jaggers gives a pep talk and thanks students for their hard work in raising money for the hospital. Three schools in the OSD participated, raising a grand total of $4,844.50. ing back to the community. OIS Principal Steve Hurdle echoed her sentiments.

“Mrs. Trott has really done a fantastic job here and the kids have gotten so excited about participating, and that’s good to

see, especially about for something that’s such an important cause,” Hurdle said. “A lot of our kids have been patients at Le Bonheur. A big thing we’re working on here at Oxford Intermediate is teaching these kids to think outside

themselves and think a little more globally about helping others and building character.”

Jagger accepted the check from the Trott and students and broadcasted the presentation on Facebook Live. The meteorologist asked Trott a few questions about how they went bout raising the money and student participation. Before he left, he reminded every student to always wear his or her helmet. Once he rolled out of OIS, Jagger and his team headed to Della Davidson Elementary School.

Students, faculty and staff at Della collected donations on behalf of the fundraiser for 10 days, collecting a total of $2,300, more than both of the other schools in the district.

Fourth Grade Teacher Sally Williams chaired the fundraiser for Della. She said that she was happy to be a part of the fundraiser for the school and work with students to support a charitable cause. Williams said that she was surprised at how excited the

kids were to give raise money and how much they were able to contribute.

“I was surprised how many coins were brought in; we’re talking bags with $100 in coins,” she said.

“We’re a school, and we are in the business of taking care of children. Le Bonheur is a hospital that specializes in pediatric care.”

Della Principal LaTonya Robinson has a personal connection to Le Bonheur.

Her own children have spent time at the hospital being treated for a congenital heart condition.

“Le Bonheur is an awesome hospital,” Robinson said. “I support anything that is such a crucial part of having and caring for children. I think Le Bonheur is one of those crucial pieces. You have that comfort in knowing that if your child gets sick, Le Bonheur is there.”

Oxford Middle School raised $1,000 for the fundraiser. chaning.green@journalinc.com Twitter: chaningthegreen

OXFORD CITIZEN

PAGE 10

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2016

Sarafest returns to Oxford Sunday

BY CHANING GREEN NEWS WRITER

This Sunday, the University of Mississippi’s Sarah Isom Center for Women and Gender Studies will be launching the return of their music and arts festival known as Sarahfest.

Sarahfest was first held about 8 years ago as a student-led effort to bring awareness to the services and programs that the Isom Center offers to support the community. After the first festival, the momentum kind of fizzled out until last year when students worked with faculty members to revive the event. They formed partnerships with Proud Larry’s, the Yoknapatawpha Arts Council and more. The last festival was a success and a few of the artists and partners the Isom Center worked with last year reached out and wanted to be involved in making this year’s festival even more memorable.

This year’s festival will begin on Sunday, September 25, and run through Thursday, September 29. The launch party Sunday will be held at Rowan Oak where

a special edition of Thacker Mountain Radio will be broadcasted live. Self-described swamp soul songstress Marcella Simien of Marcella and Her Lovers will be performing at the event alongside Maggie Koerner and poet Raquel Rivera. This even is free and open to the public. Attendees are encouraged to bring blankets and lawn chairs to set up in the grass.

On Monday a special round table discussion featuring Jacqueline Lee, Editor-in-Chief of Dime Magazine, will be held in the Overby Center 4 p.m. Assistant Professor of Journalism Cynthia Joyce will be moderating the discussion. At 4:30, Happy Hour begins at Proud Larry’s featuring entertainment by Kit Thorn, Gina Sexton and Anne Freeman.

Tuesday, the Oxford Art Crawl will feature the work of New Yorkbased artist Claudia DeMonte at the Powerhouse. DeMonte is a sculptor and mixed media artist who uses her work to explore themes of femininity and perceptions of women. Her work has been displayed in art galleries around the world.

The festival has partnered with the Oxford Film Festival to hold a screening of “Endo What?” which explores the struggle of women living with endometriosis. Oxford resident and award-winning filmmaker Shannon Cohn directed the film. The New York Times, The Guardian and Newsweek have praised “Endo What?” for its storytelling prowess and ability to raise awareness about this preva-

lent disease that affects 1 out of 10 women globally. Shelter on Van Buren will hold the free screening at 7 p.m Wednesday. The screening is sponsored by student group FEMISS. Later that night beginning at 9, Proud Larry’s will have a show featuring Catfish Pie, Amy LaVere and will Sexton.

The last day of the festival will feature a special exhibit and performance by artist Libby Rowe at the Meek Gallery on the University of Mississippi Campus. Rowe uses photography, sculpture, interactive instillation and performance to explore identity as well as social and domestic constructs.

The festival comes to a close that night at Larry’s with Kate Teague opening for the festival’s headliner Jessica Lea Mayfield at 9.

There will be a $15 cover for the show.

The theme for this year’s festival is In/Visible. Associate Director of the Isom Center Teresa Starkey said they hope to use the festival as way to explore different artistic avenues of highlighting different social issues that often go unnoticed.

“It is to showcase the work that

we at the Isom Center do in the community,” Starkey said when asked why they are putting on the festival again this year. “We want to have fun while we’re doing it.

It’s a way to introduce ourselves, educate and advocate.”

Starkey has worked on the festival as a coordinator, making sure all of the logistics are worked out in order for everything to run smoothly. She said that she feels the Isom Center is an important asset to the LOU community and that she is very excited to be working on a festival that celebrates and draws awareness to their work.

“I think we perform an important role in education and advocacy,” she said, speaking on behalf of the center. “We want to help empower our students, especially the women of the UM community and our LGBTQ+ students, and those in the community as well. In one way, this ties back into making the invisible visible while also celebrating these communities and individuals.” chaning.green@journalinc.com Twitter: chaningthegreen

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PAGE 11

Move from Chicago has paid off for UPD, UM students

BY JOHN DAVIS

ON THE BEAT

OXFORD CITIZEN

There was a time in the law enforcement career of Jesse Richards where danger entered the equation every day he went on shift.

Richards, a sergeant with the University Police Department, was born and raised in Chicago. He worked 12 years for Cook County, with seven of those spent as a member of the SWAT team.

Richards decided to move south to help out family. He bought some land and a house, and decided to stay.

“It was a difference. The environment that I worked at in Chicago was a lot more stressful. When I was on the tactical team, we focused a lot on the inner city and aided Chicago police and other out lying areas,” Richards said. “When I came here, it kind of felt like retirement. It's just a different element. It was constantly going up there. We had a task to accomplish and most likely it was some sort of a felony situation.”

Richards has been with UPD since 2008 and the thing he realized that he had to do was be a mentor as much as enforce laws.

“With the students, I had to adjust to education here.

When you're young, and you have that first taste of freedom from home, you're going to make mistakes,” Richards said. “Instead of making it so impactful of a mistake it's going to cost you your life going forward, as much as possible, we want to make it a learning experience. That was one of the main things, the adjustments.

JESSE RICHARDS I have children that are in college now. I have a 23year-old and one that is 19 and she is a sophomore now. Having younger kids is what I was doing with them,” he added. “I was educating them and telling them don't do this, don't do this. This is a consequence for your action and trying to educate them that way. It was an easy transition there.”

Football season dominates the fall for UPD officers. Richards said the games were “enjoyable” for him.

“It's a challenge with the long hours and managing the crowds, but the game atmosphere is exciting, to see everyone out there for that event,” said Richards, who is in the stadium acting as the field commander. “I make sure that those on the field have authorization.”

Richards works day shifts during the week as a supervisor. He is also the field training manager/coordinator for the new UPD officers.

“Right now we have four that are going through our field training officer program. They're probationary officers and they have to go through some weeks of getting trained and acclimated,” Richards said. “We have to see if they're a fit for here.The training officers re-

port to me and they have paper work they fill out. I look at it and see if they're excelling or not. We want to make sure they're the right fit and just because you're an officer or certified to be an officer, you need the right temperament to work in this environment.”

While working in Chicago, Richards went after felons and one of the most memorable moments happened when a person escaped from the Cook County Jail.

“He went to downtown Chicago and I believed he robbed two banks. They called in the U.S. Marshals and we worked with them on that in trying apprehend him,” Richards said. “It was a big deal and on America's Most Wanted. That was one that kind that kind of sticks out. The guy actually eluded us in Illinois and I think they caught him in Ohio. It was a nation-wide manhunt for this guy.”

There was also another time where Richards was faced with the possibility of shooting a women with a gun.

“It was a big deal for me. I didn't shoot this women. It's something you're confronted with and something I could have and decided not to,” Richards said. “It wound up that the woman didn't even have any bullets

JOHN DAIVS

Jesse Richards is one of the members of the University Police Department who helps work all the home football games. in the gun. It's one of those things where you look at it and say it would have been hard to process if I had shot her. Justified, yes. But it's something you have to live with. Fortunately I've never had to discharge my weapon and take somebody's life.”

The violence in Chicago, said, isn't Richards overblown. In fact, he thinks it's understated.

“There is a lot that goes on and it's just the environment. When you have that many people, the population and all these different activities,” Richards said.

“People say they are trying to survive, that's what they say, and I guess I can understand that. But what they're doing is still unlawful. And the activity they engage in is just so wide throughout spread Chicago. They definitely need more help because the gang population is in so

many different areas and the police are under manned when it comes trying to control things. A lot of it involves drug control and trying to stop bringing it in. That's hard to get under control. It's why the cycle continues. Law enforcement really has their hands full. I think sometimes they have to pick the worst of the worst and deal with that. It's rough up there.”

There are a lot of areas of Chicago, like downtown, that Richards said is beautiful.

“When you downtown and north, it's a pretty different area, but Chicago is so huge and the element can change by just going over two blocks.”

For Richards, the thing that sticks out to him about the UPD is the change in the culture.

“What I mean by that is the interaction that I would

have in Chicago was more negative. Here it's been a lot more positive,” Richards said. “If I can go out and help someone and stop someone and ask them if they need a ride. I remember talking with DT Shackelford who used to play football. I didn't even remember this but he said that he was on crutches one time and that I saw him and I stopped and asked did he need a ride somewhere.

He said his class was right here but that stuck with him.

He said that his take with law enforcement wasn't favorable. So when he saw me do that, it changed his perspective on law enforcement and that they're not all bad. Those type of things, those interactions, can become a big thing in their eyes. And to me, it's not big deal, it's what I'm supposed to do.” john.davis@journalinc.com Twitter: @oxfordcitizenjd

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2016

Send out the clowns

W

hen did clowns become scary? Recent news reports of men dressed as clowns loitering in wooded areas – even in nearby Water Valley – have surfaced nationwide. In each instance, people have given chase but as yet, no clowns caught. We’ve gone from Bozo to Oh No. The Summer of 2016 may be remembered as the Season of the Creepy Clown. Clown sightings of one sort of another have been reported in Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina. A super creepy night-time clown in Green Bay, Wis. this past August turned out to be an illconceived marketing stunt. The clown sighting in Winston Salem, N.C. on Sept. 5 crossed over from stunt to sinister.

Children playing outside around 8:30 pm reported a man dressed as a clown offering them candy to go off into the woods with him. The children’s grandmother quickly called police and according to USA Today, when the police arrived, the clown fled on foot and escaped. In Macon, Georgia clowns chased children at a bus stop. In Montgomery, Ala. a clown posted a Facebook page, Bingerman Clownferd (now deleted) which he used to threaten area schools.

As a school spokesman said, “This is the first time I remember being associated with clowns but it’s no laughing matter.” Indeed. Another news report referred to being “aware of the next clown threat.”

Am I missing something?

In the Water Valley case, according to local news reports, the Water Valley Police received a call around 9 p.m. last Saturday from a woman who said

Jim Dees Tales of the Town there was a “clown in her yard.”

Witnesses reportedly chased the clown who was gone when police arrived.

These clowns all appear to be fleet of foot. I’m not sure I could outrun anybody through the woods in my street clothes, let alone wearing clown shoes.

While I beg these clowns to stop their lurking and their creepiness, I also beg the question: why are clowns scary? I can see, just looking at a clown out of context, like say, in my backyard, that goes beyond just creepy, though it certainly is that, but over into trespassing.

Trespassing with creepiness.

But in general, all our lives, we have grown up with clowns as figures of fun, purveyors of mirth, squirting water from flowers and taking pratfalls.

When did clownhood (?) become a means to express evil?

Apparently, clowns have always had something of an edge. A recent article in Smithsonian magazine notes “Pygmy clowns” entertaining the Pharaohs in 2500 B.C. and centuries of “pranksters, jesters, jokers, harlequins, and mythologized tricksters” The article’s author, Linda Rodriguez McRobbie, also lists the 1892 Italian opera, Pagliacci, (Clowns) which features the murderous titular clown and Charles Dickens, who created a “dissipated, drunken clown theme” in his 1836, ‘The Pickwick Papers.’” The article also notes the murderous killing spree of John Wayne

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Gacy, a part-time clown, from the Chicago area in the late 1970s. He was executed in 1994.

Perhaps most striking of McRobbie’s prodigious research are the statistics she uncovered. “In 2008, a widely reported University of Sheffield, England, survey of 250 children between the ages of four and 16 found that most of the children disliked and even feared images of clowns.”

She also notes, “One “I Hate Clowns” Facebook page has just under 480,000 likes. Some circuses have held workshops

to help visitors get over their fear of clowns by letting them watch performers transform into their clown persona.”

And this: “In Sarasota, Florida, in 2006, communal loathing for clowns took a criminal turn when dozens of fiberglass clown statues—part of a public art exhibition called "Clowning Around Town" and a nod to the city’s history as a winter haven for traveling circuses—were defaced, their limbs broken, etc.”

When clowns turn on us, a backlash is to be expected.

Who could have dreamed

creepy clowns would become a thing. Whoever these culprits are, they certainly need a hobby. Several of these episodes seem to have occurred in the rural South.

Standing uninvited on people’s property in circus attire is a quick way to get shot, suicide by clown.

One shutters to contemplate this uptick in clown activity with Halloween still a month away. And even more creepily clownish, Election Day. We are cursed, as the ancients said, to live in interesting times. Be cool, not ghoul.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2016

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2016

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2016

PAGE 17

John Davis Sports Editor

Rebels’ 2016 season comes down to one game, Georgia

T

here are many more times than not that it would be wrong for the fourth game of the football season to be deemed a must win. This fourth game of the 2016 season for the Ole Miss Rebels doesn't fall into that category. A victory over No. 11 Georgia is, well, pretty important.

And in the eyes of some Ole Miss fans, and maybe enough now for them to be in the majority, it's very important.

However you want to modify important, there is no getting around that word. Ole Miss can not afford to be 1-3 and still be in the hunt for the college football championship. Things are already out of their hands with two losses. With three losses on the list, the Rebels can forget getting help from others. It will be a moot point to keep up with what other teams around the nation do. Discussion about the Rebels being able to compete for the college football playoff championship seemed realistic a half into the season.

There weren't many college football fans alive who couldn't help but be impressed with the way the Rebels looked against Florida State. A half TURN TO REBELS PAGE 22

JOSH MCCOY | OLE MISS ATHLETICS

Ole Miss football coach Hugh Freeze is focused on one game at a time, and correcting mistakes that have not allowed the Rebels to finish against Florida State and Alabama.

Need to finish Rebels looking to correct mistakes against No. 11 Georgia

BY JOHN DAVIS SPORTS EDITOR

Saturday's matchup between the No. 23 Ole Miss Rebels and No. 11 Georgia Bulldogs at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium boils down to a team that has found a way to win versus a team that hasn't done a good job of closing games out.

The Rebels (1-2 overall) hold the dubious distinction of being the first team from a Power 5 conference in a decade that has lost a 21point or bigger lead and lost.

Kickoff: 11 a.m. TV: ESPN. Radio: 93.7 FM Even if Florida State and AlThe Bulldogs, under the and a half. In all three of the abama are tougher oppodirection of first-year coach games this season, the Bull- nents than North Carolina Kirby Smart, snatched away dogs have either overcome a and Missouri, Ole Miss a victory from Missouri last deficit to win, or found a way week in the closing minute to hold on to a lead late.

TURN TO FINISH PAGE 22

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PAGE 18

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2016

Lafayette’s Shaw has added volleyball to her successful career

BY JOHN DAVIS SPORTS EDITOR

On the same court she has had success in basketball the past three years, Orianna Shaw has made huge strides in volleyball. The senior has excelled in basketball and track for what seems like years.

Same goes for the classroom where anything less than A makes Shaw not so happy.

Volleyball has become a real success for Shaw, who was selected to play in the most recent Mississippi Association of Coaches All-Star game. LHS volleyball coach Clint Jordan remembers when Shaw wasn't sure that she wanted to come back out for the team after her sophomore season. Now, Shaw is actually considering playing volleyball in college somewhere, and that she likes killing the ball as much or more than winning a race in track.

“By the end of that first year, she said she really enjoyed it. She has been playing basketball and running for a long time and this is just her third year in volleyball,” Jordan said. “I have no doubt in my mind that if she had played longer, volleyball would be an option. She is still learning and new to the game

This is the third in an eightpart series featuring mulitsport athletes at both Lafayette and Oxford who also perform at a high level in the classroom. and it's impressive to watch her learn it and lead by example. She's not very vocal, but she plays hard.

And she is very encouraging to her teammates, a pat on the back with a smile. It's important.”

A smile is something Shaw always seems to have on her face.

And when she gets blocks and kills, that smile only gets bigger.

“She is a great person. She works hard in school and in sports and she just wants to make herself better and her teammates better,” said fellow Elite 8 member Kirkland Pruitt, who plays volleyball with Shaw. “That's all she looks out for, to be a great person. She's a lifesaver on the court.”

There is some pressure on the shoulders of Shaw to be even better than she ever has. It's finally dawned on her that she is a senior,

JOEY BRENT

Lafayette senior Orianna Shaw is a three-sport standout in volleyball, basketball and track. She also excels in the classroom with a 4.2 grade point average. and she wants to leave a lasting impression. This winter, and in the spring, she will earn her fourth letter in both basketball and track.

“I think I've improved the most in volleyball. Track, it came natural to me. I like to work hard and track, it just takes hard work and dedication,” Shaw said. “Volleyball and basketball are more skilled based.

And it all depends on the season.

Right now, I don't want volleyball to end. I'm loving playing volleyball. I think the most fun is killing a ball or blocking. I guess it's that

anger. I want to get the point and it just makes me amped up.”

On the basketball court, Shaw is relied upon as a leader, along with Shaniyah Buford. In volleyball, Shaw doesn't say much and in track, she doesn't have as many people to tell what to do. Shaw really wants to help the Lady Commodores win the state title in basketball.

“I think we've worked so hard for so many years, that's really what we want to do,” Shaw said. “In track, I want to see myself beat a

state record. I want to be the best in the state in the 400.”

Lafayette track coach Ben Mikell has talked, or at least mentioned, to Shaw that he would like to see her compete in the 110 meter hurdles.

“I think it's something you have to do over time, practice for, but I might do it,” she said. “I might do jumping. I kind of get disappointed when I run the 100 and don't win.”

Shaw said she took all the hard classes when she was in ninth, 10th and 11th grades. Her senior year is all about preparing her for college, she said.

“I only have two real hard classes this year. I hate Bs. Anything less than a A makes me mad,” Shaw said.

Any of the three sports would be ideal for Shaw to play in college.

She doesn't really want to go too far from home.

“I don't want to go out of state.

Memphis is close enough,” Shaw said. “Southern Miss is really looking at me in track and Coach Mikell has been talking to the Ole Miss track coaches about me. If that happens, that would be great.” john.davis@journalinc.com Twitter: @oxfordcitizenjd

Rebels host Mississippi State in annual Magnolia Cup

BY JOHN DAVIS SPORTS EDITOR

A scoring drought that extended over two weeks may have finally come to a n Vs. Mississippi State, e n d Tonight, 6 p.m. f o r TV: (SEC Network) t h e O l e Miss soccer team. At least that's what coach Matt Mott his hoping after his Rebels defeated Tulsa 2-1 on Sunday night.

Since the start of the month, when the Rebels traveled to Michigan, they have scored just three goals.

Ole Miss was outscored 111 before beating Tulsa, and went 1-4 in the process. Ole Miss (5-5 overall) is 0-2 in the SEC due to the scoring drought, and the Mississippi State Bulldogs are up next tonight in a match that can be seen on the SEC Network.

The Rebels play four SEC matches at home the rest of the season, and five on the road. A win over the Bull-

JOSH MCCOY | OLE MISS ATHLETICS

Addie Forbus leads the Ole Miss Rebels with eight goals scored this season. She will be looking to add to that total tonight against Mississippi State in the Magnolia Cup. dogs, a team the Rebels are 6-2-2 against at home, is needed and Mott was hoping that the lid that covered the goal is officially gone. were creating “We chances, but the keeper was saving them or we were hitting it over and

wide and all those things that happen when you get into a little scoring slide,” Mott explained about the drought. “(Sunday) night Gretchen (Harknett) and Addie (Forbus) scored some great goals, but CeCe (Kizer) had two breakaways

that the goalie made some good saves on. Those three are getting really dangerous. Gabby Little is doing a great job for us out wide.

The girls felt really good about the performance.

They come back on the road on a Sunday night,

which is hard to do when you played on the road on Friday, and I'm proud of how they responded.”

Forbus and Harknett are the top two goal scorers for the Rebels. Forbus has eight, while Harknett has three. Only Kizer and Bella Fiorenzo have scored a goal this year. Kizer has remained aggressive this season, recording 33 shots.

Forbus also has 33 shots on goal, while Harknett has 43 coming into the weekend.

Goalie Marnie Merritt still ranks third in the SEC in shutouts with three.

The annual Magnolia Cup match is always one of the biggest of the season for the Rebels, who haven't lost to Mississippi State since 2001.

“They are having the best year they have had since I have been here. They are very dangerous. They have one of the best players in the league in Mallory Eubanks.

She is dangerous,” Mott said about MSU. “They have a center-back that can kick

the ball about 60 or 70 yards and can throw it just as far.

She is a big, strong player that we will need to be prepared for. They score a lot of goals. They are very well coached and I expect it to be a great game.

“When you get these rivalry games, you throw out the records and see who is up for the game. Our guys need to be ready for that game. And then it doesn't get any easier. We turn around and play the top team in our league in Arkansas, who knocked off No. 4 Florida on Friday,” Mott continued. “I believe they are 9-1 and beat Duke early in the year. They will be nationally ranked and a good team that is playing at a very high level. Two great opportunities for us at home that are nationally televised. We are looking forward to playing at home and getting back on track in the SEC.” john.davis@journalinc.com Twitter: oxforcitizenjd

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2016

OXFORD CITIZEN

PAGE 19

Elliott's skill on display each Friday night for Oxford

BY JOHN DAVIS

MEET YOUR

SPORTS EDITOR

RICK ADDY PHOTOGRAPHY

Senior Miller Elliott is one of the best bases for the Oxford High cheerleading team, and very coachable.

When it comes to execution as a cheerleader, Miller Elliott does everything just right for the Oxford Lady Chargers.

The senior worked hard in the summer to perfect her craft, and her skills have been evident on the sidelines this season.

“Miller has beautiful jumps and sharp, clean motions. She is also one of of our strongest bases,” OHS coach Allison Wally said. “She is very coachable and has a great attitude. Miller helped a lot with summer practices this year by teaching material to the younger girls. She has truly been a joy to coach for the past four years.”

Counting her eighth grade season, Elliott has been cheering on the Chargers the past five years overall. Elliott tried out for the squad in sixth grade, but she didn't make it. Instead of being deterred, she regrouped with the help of Oxford Cheer and refocused on her foundation and skills.

“All my friends were trying out for it, so I decided to try out. I never thought I was going to be a cheerleader when I was in fourth or fifth grade,” Elliott said. “My favorite part are Friday nights or just getting to know everybody. Some

Cheerleader Miller Elliott of my closest friends are the ones on the cheer squad. I know them really well since I've been cheering with them since the eighth grade.”

Elliott has also been a part of the competition cheer squad. She pulled back from that this year in order to enjoy her time on the sidelines a little more.

“I just love the student section on Friday nights.

I think it's a little bit better than what it's been,” Elliott said.

All the best stunt groups in past years have included Elliott in the lineup. Of course Elliott is helpful when it comes to paint spirit signs. The cheerleaders spend hours making them during the summer after practice.

“We have them all ready before the season so we can practice for pep rallys and during eighth period,” she said.

“People think it's not hard because we just cheer on Friday nights,

but our coach has really tried to get us into some more difficult things on the sidelines. We're doing a lot of stunts and cheers and stunts on the kickoffs so that people can see we're not just standing around and talking and screaming.

It's really fun to see the crowd get excited.”

All of the seniors are really close, Elliott said.

She is also still close with all the seniors who didn't make this year's team.

“It's kind of like a bond that doesn't ever go away,” she added.

Elliott was looking forward to the matchup with Lafayette heading into the season. That result didn't go as planned as Lafayette upset Oxford. Last year, Elliott recalled the north half title win as being a favorite because her boyfriend Josh McClurg asked her to winter formal.

John.davis@journalinc.com Twitter: @oxfordcitizenjd

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2016

Oxford Citizen Pick ’Em GAME 1 Georgia at Ole Miss

GAME 2 Florida at Tennessee

GAME 3 Wisconsin at Michigan State

GAME 4 LSU at Auburn

GAME 5 South Carolina at Kentucky

GAME 6 Arkansas vs.Texas A&M (Arlington)

GAME 7 Clemson at Georgia Tech (Thur.)

GAME 8 Ok State at Baylor

GAME 9 Washington at Arizona

GAME 10 Stanford at UCLA

BEN GARRETT

JOHN DAVIS

PARRISH ALFORD

GREG PEVEY

BEN MIKELL

Ole Miss Spirit Record: 20-10

Oxford Citizen Sports Editor Record: 19-11

Daily Journal OM Beat Reporter Record: 18-12

Rebel Nation Magazine Publisher Record: 18-12

Oxford Citizen Sports Writer Record:18-12

OXFORD CITIZEN

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2016

PAGE 21

Rebels in a good spot heading into start of SEC play

BY JOHN DAVIS SPORTS EDITOR

An 11-2 mark to end the nonSEC schedule had Ole Miss coach Steven McRoberts in a good mood to start the Vs. No. 6 Florida, week. Now he's Friday, 6:30 p.m. hoping that the experience gained the first few weeks of the season pay off with No. 6 Florida coming to town.

“Going into last weekend and being the favorite in all three matches, I thought we could have come away 3-0, but to be able to say we're 11-2, I'm really pleased with where we're at,” McRoberts said. “Before the season started, I was looking at the matches and I thought 9-4 would be a really good record with a lot of young players, a lot of unknowns, with some key players that we lost.”

There have been several Rebels who have played well in order for the Rebels to already have double digit wins this season. Taylor Alexander had an amazing tournament this past weekend as she won MVP honors after finishing with a career-high 17 kills against Tennessee-Chattanooga. She averaged 5.32 points per set, 3.91 kills

JOSH MCCOY | O LE MISS ATHLETICS

Aubrey Edie and the Ole Miss volleyball team will return to action Friday night at home against No. 6 Florida. per set, 1.73 blocks and hit .507.

“She had stats that could have made her National Player of the Week the way she played,” McRoberts said.

Another Rebel who has played well in the early going is Lexi Thompson, who has 10 double doubles on the season and Kate Gibson, who ranks eighth in the

SEC with 3.7 kills per set.

No. 6 Florida enters the matchup with the Rebels with a 10-1 mark. The Gators only loss came to No. 1 Nebraska at the start of the season.

“They're always good. They were predicted to win the conference again but watching a little bit on film so far, I think if we play

with confidence, it could be a really good match,” McRoberts said.

“We will have to have some things fall in line for us to do that. I'm probably the most confident that I've been in the three years I've been here that we have players that will go into that match and play well.”

The match with the Gators, as

well as three of the next four matches, will be played in The Pavilion. With the Gillom Center undergoing renovations, The Pavilion has served as an interesting and exciting new venue.

“It feels a lot better than I thought it would feel. I really thought it would be cavernous and we would be wondering where everybody is and how to we create more noise and an environment,” McRoberts said. “Because our event staff has made everybody sit in the same area, it has created a much better environment. I think we may get a few walk ins during the week that came to eat at Cane's or Steak and Shake and you see them all sitting up there and watching. When we practice during the day, I told the team there is a lot of people watching and looking down and saying 'Ole Miss has a volleyball team?' I said it's not to be offensive, it's just the way it is and I think it will be a good carry over year so that when we go back to Gillom next year, I think we'll have a better feeling. I think it's a blessing in disguise that we are in the Pavilion for a year.” john.davis@journalinc.com Twitter: @oxfordcitizenjd

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2016

are what they are and I think people get spoiled and people want you to be FROM 17 perfect every week and you're not going to be,” later, the Rebels were wonFreeze said. “Being and bedering what happened to coming relevant, I think it that 28-6 lead? creates an expectation and Fast forward two weekthat expectation results in ends, and it was the same winning celebrations and thing all over again against disappointing losses. The No. 1 Alabama. Great for a two things you're going to half, but a thud at the end. get and we've had our share So close, but no cigar. of both and this year in SepThe Rebels became the tember we have had the first team from a Power 5 disappointing loss. I will tell league in a decade to lose you this; I'll taking being leads of three touchdowns. relevant and being in the They also remained in the fight, every single time and rankings, along with Oklanot getting whitewashed by homa, with a 1-2 record. the nation's best. So I am That hadn't happened in glad we are in the fight. It's the AP Poll since 1999. Ole disappointing, yes. Our proMiss of 2016 may just end up being the ultimate sweet gram has definitely moved forward in the time that we and sour team experience. have been here and we have So good, so impressive, yet a chance to beat some of so biting right at the end. It was hard for some to be too the nation's best. We've got to find a way to grow up angry following the Aland finish games and coach abama game. There was a better in those situations. I time where it would have taken a miracle to even have think our kids will bounce back fine. Our goal is week a lead the Crimson Tide let to week, prepare to win.” alone lose one by 5 points.

Senior tight end Evan EnStill, when you're at home gram returned to school in against the No. 1 team and order to improve his draft up 21, it's a bitter pill to status with the NFL, but swallow at the same time. even more importantly, he Ole Miss coach Hugh came back to help the proFreeze was asked if there was a readjustment of goals. gram have another successOf course his response that ful season. This is what he said about goals following a the he or the players weren't big on setting goals, meeting with other players on Sunday: and instead of doing what “All off season we were they can each given day. talking about the SEC “I want to tell you, I am championship and winning not sure that expectations

Rebels

JOSH MCCOY | OLE MISS ATHLETICS

Ole Miss tight end Evan Engram leads the Rebels with 20 catches through three games. He is focused on getting the Rebels back on track, starting with No. 11 Georgia on Saturday.

Finish FROM 17

coach Hugh Freeze gave credit where credit was due.

“They're playing with a ton of energy, confidence and passion. They've obviously got great players.

It's one of the best recruiting grounds in the nation.

Heck, how many years in a row have they won nine or 10 games? This program just believes they're supposed to win,” Freeze said. “Of course, Kirby has done nothing to change that. Kirby has done a great job early on. They beat a really quality North Carolina and a Missouri team, and had a tough battle in week two that they found a way to win.

So they are believing that they can get that done so it is going to be another

great challenge for us. We knew September was going to be this way and it is time for us to get back out and find a way to finish a game.”

Ole Miss has shown it has the talent, the overall ability, to play with great teams, but finishing has been tough for the Rebels due to critical turnovers.

Two fumbles by quarterback Chad Kelly against Alabama led directly to two touchdowns. One changed the momentum completely to Alabama's favor, while the other made it that much tougher for the Rebels to overcome the Tide's momentum, and lead.

“Offensively, we can't turn the ball over that results in 14 points. For a great team like Alabama, they had 21 points in a matter of, my guess is, 20 seconds. I don't know how

long it took them to run the punt back and the fumble/interception back.

You can't do that against great teams like that,” Freeze said. “There are so many mistakes being made, particularly on the defensive side, that we have got to get fixed. There are a lot of good things at times, but we've got to get the third downs and explosive plays fixed.”

Freeze was asked if he was surprised that the Rebels are 1-2 after being up and playing so well the first half of each game against Florida State and Alabama.

“You are playing great teams; they can come back and beat you. You would hope that it wouldn't happen,” Freeze said.

“We gave both of those teams explosive plays and quick scores that whether it be special teams, offense

or defense, it resulted in those comebacks. It's not an excuse. They made plays and we didn't. We've got to coach better, make sure our kids understand better and don't do their own things at certain times. If you would of said that against some teams, I would have said, `Yeah, I am shocked we are 1-2', but when you mention Alabama and Florida State I would think you've been around football long enough to know that they have some of the best players in the nation and no lead is really safe.”

Alabama converted 7 of its 15 chances on third down, a number that needs to be better in order to stand a chance of winning against the likes of Georgia, a team that can control the contest on the ground with Nick Chubb and Sony Michel. Freeze

the national championship.

Right now that’s a far cry from where we’re sitting right now. The most important thing is first of all, that’s not out of the picture,” Engram said. “Anything can happen, but we have to focus on winning one week at a time. We have to focus on small things, attention to detail, staying sharp in practice, preparation and winning one week at a time. I said in the locker room after the game that we have to play for ourselves from now on. We play for ourselves and take care of ourselves, let everything else outside of our control see what happens, and at the end of the day we take care of our business and see what happens.”

One game at a time means all the focus should be on beating Georgia. And if that happens, the Rebels can be right back in the thick of the discussion. The pieces can continue to be picked up against Memphis and then during an off week. By the time the Rebels get to Arkansas, another team ranked in the Top 20, things may be completely different from an outlook standpoint. Again, it all starts, or ends, with Georgia. That's why Saturday is so important, no matter how you want to slice it.

felt like a little bit of everything, from coaching assignments to techniques, needed to improve in order for the third-down conversion rate to drop.

“Sometimes you have to give them credit. Scrambling quarterbacks have given us problems, but we've got to find a way to get off the field,” Freeze said. “It's a combination: coaching, assignment, technique, we just have to keep improving. We've played a lot of young kids and they have to grow up and understand the value that each play over the course of the game, its weight is equal. The value on those plays is of equal amount in the course of the game.”

John.davis@journalinc.com Twitter: @oxfordcitizenjd

EXTRA POINTS

while allowing 35.3 to opponents … Kelly has thrown for 10 touchdowns and 953 yards and he is just 11 completions from passing Jevan Snead and 31 from passing Archie Manning on the career list in that department …

Freshman Jacob Eason will oppose Kelly at quarterback. He led the Bulldogs from behind in the win over Missouri, and has 643 yards and five touchdowns this season. Isaiah McKenzie is the top receiver for Eason. He caught the game winner last week and has 18 grabs for 305 yards and four touchdowns. Ole Miss' top receiver is tight end Evan Engram, who has 20 catches for 302 yards and two touchdowns.

Ole Miss comes into Saturday's contest averaging 38.3 points per game,

John.davis@journalinc.com Twitter: @oxfordcitizenjd

OXFORD CITIZEN

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2016

PAGE 23

Friday Night Previews: Week 6 LHS looking to finish ‘first’ season with win over Tigers

BY JOHN DAVIS SPORTS EDITOR

After making some noise during halftime, Lafayette coach Michael Fair was visibly pleased with his Lafayette Commodores following last Friday's 42-7 win over Louisville. Grabbing his player's attention with some rattling in his office followed by spirited speech at the half worked just right.

The Commodores played their best third quarter of the season against the Wildcats. And when Fair, and his staff, turned on the film following the win, the joyous feeling only increased.

“I felt really good with our effort. Our execution was the best that it has been all year. We've been playing real hard and still not producing like we want just because our execution has been off a little bit,” Fair said. “We're starting to execute a little bit better, and that's supposed to happen this time of year. We've been improving each week and I thought our effort in the second half, specifically in the third quarter, was outstanding.”

Lafayette is 2-2 overall on the season after two straight wins.

Fair feels like his team understands the direction he wants to go in now.

“I think they understand the physicality that we want to play with. I know it sounds like a broken record every week, but this is what we tell our guys. We want to be a physical football team and one that executes at a high level and plays with great effort every Friday night,” Fair said. “I

vs. Charleston. had to tell our Kickoff: 7 p.m. guys at halfRadio: 105.1 FM time that they only get so many football games in their life. Why in the world would you play a game and not give everything you've got? It's hard for a teenager to understand that all the time, but the more we're together, the more they realize the importance of never doing less than their best when they play.”

There is depth in some key areas for the first time since Fair has been at the school. He has told the players that if they can't go full speed, let him know so they can get somebody out there that can.

“We tell them don't save up for a play that comes your way.

If you're on the back side, we expect you to give the effort like the play is coming right at you,” Fair said. “Those are just growing pains that you have on a young football team. I think everyone is starting to get on the same page and realize what is expected of them.”

Charleston is the opponent on Friday night and it's a really good final tuneup for the Commodores.

“If you can come out and play well against Charleston, you feel like you can come out and play well against just about anyone because of what they stress,” Fair said. “They have a great tradition in Charleston with playing with just tremendous effort. They get after you for 48 minutes, on both sides of the ball. This team is no exception. They play really hard.

They have one loss and it was in overtime to Senatobia. Other

JOEY BRENT

Lafayette held the dangerous Charleston Tigers in check last season. The Commodores host the 3A school this Friday night. than that, they have really been playing lights out. They beat Olive Branch pretty soundly.

This team can definitely put some stress on you.”

The significance of Friday night is that it ends the first of three seasons for the Commodores, Fair said.

“The first is your non district play and we have five games and we have an opportunity to be 32 in those five games,” Fair said.

“The next season is our district play and that's another five games. And then the third season is your playoffs. You want to improve and let that spring board you into the next season.

As we have district playing com-

ing up, we really want to play well this week to give us some momentum going into next week.”

In the win over Louisville, Fair was able to play several members of the junior varsity team.

The Commodores lost a tight game with Tupelo Monday night, but the ninth graders beat Lewisburg. Fair said there is a lot of emphasis placed on both JV and ninth grade, as well as the two junior high programs.

“I think development within our football program is what will keep us, hopefully, in the upper echelon of the programs in Mississippi. On top of our strength and conditioning program, we put a lot of value

into our JV,” Fair said. “We praise those guys a lot. Our varsity players have given them standing ovations in the locker room. It's a reward for those guys. They go out there and practice and they don't get a chance to play much on Friday. I think they've been doing a tremendous job. The fun part is we're able to put those guys out there in a game like Louisville. And where there may be a drop off in size and strength because these guys are younger, there is no drop off in what they know because we're working the same things with them every single day.” john.davis@journalinc.com Twitter: @oxfordcitizenjd

BRIEFING Oxford, Lafayette split doubleheader Lafayette's seventh grade football remained undefeated on the season Tuesday evening thanks to a 26-6 win over Oxford. The Commodores, now 5-0 on the season, led 14-0 at the half thanks to touchdown runs from Trikyus Woodall and Kylen Vaughn.

Woodall's touchdown run covered 50 yards, while

Vaughn scored from 60 yards out. Jagger Stovall added the 2-point conversion following Woodall's run.

Both Vaughn and Woodall had touchdowns in the second half to finish out the scoring for the Commodores, who will host Ripley this coming week. The Chargers' lone touchdown came in the third quarter on a 54-yard pass from Michael Harvey to Keenan Phillips.

Lafayette coach Jimmy Murphrey credited his entire defense for the way they played against the Chargers.

Oxford coach Michael Hardwick also credited Lafayette for its play, adding that it was the biggest, most physical team from Lafayette in several seasons.

“We simply couldn't stop their trapping game. Their backs were very good, and we never stopped them consistently. Their offensive

line was very impressive,” Hardwick said.

Penalties committed by the Chargers aided the Commodores in their victory, Hardwick said. Phillips, and the offensive line play of Caleb Gray, Josh Neilson, Smith, Brice Stratton Mullen, and Jack Crane were singled out by Hardwick.

In the eighth-grade contest, the Chargers won their third straight game with a

Braden Thornberry broke the tournament record to help lead the Ole Miss men’s golf team to a firstplace finish at the Franklin American Mortgage Intercollegiate at The Grove Tuesday.

The Olive Branch native chipped-in a birdie on the Rebels win final hole to finish the day with a 1-under par 71 and golf tournament posted a tournamentCOLLEGE GROVE, record, 5 under 211 en - Sophomore route to medalist honors.

Tenn.

27-0 win. Oxford's only loss on the season has been a 22-21 setback to Clarksdale at the start of the season.

They are now 3-1 on the year, while the Commodores fell to 1-2-2 heading into next week's game with Ripley.

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2016

Friday Night Previews: Week 6 Chargers got ready for West Point with physical off week

BY JOHN DAVIS SPORTS EDITOR

A week without a game didn't mean the Oxford Chargers took a break. Coach Chris Cutcliffe and his staff made sure to work on mistakes from the loss to Lafayette last week. They got more physical in practice heading into Friday's Division 1-5A opener with West Point.

“I think sometimes you need a wakeup call. You hate for it to be in a loss in a big game and hopefully in the long run, it benefits you heading into district play,” Cutcliffe said. “That's the only way to handle it. There is no time to sit around and mope about it.

You have to take this opportunity to make ourselves better and ready for district play.”

Cutcliffe felt like it was a successful off week. His team practiced hard four straight days

At West Point. before getting Kickoff: 7 p.m. off last Friday.

Radio: 95.5 FM Most of the work completed was on correcting mistakes. This week, the focus was on West Point, which is coming off a 47-6 win over Noxubee County.

“We really focused on ourselves and fixing some issues that we have. We did introduce the basics of our game plan against West Point and things like that,” Cutcliffe said. “But we did spend the majority of our time on Oxford and fixing our problems.”

West Point (3-1 overall) played well in the win over the Tigers, Cutcliffe said. Quarterback Marcus Murphy is dangerous at quarterback, with Cutcliffe saying he was as good of a player as there is in the state. Against Noxubee County, Murphy scored three rushing touchdowns, with one going for 94 yards.

PETRE THOMAS | BUY AT PHOTO.DJOURNAL.COM

Oxford's Chargers will have to find a way to slow down the dual threat ability of West Point's Marcus Murphy.

“And he's not their only good player. They have a lot around them and their defense is fast and aggressive like you would expect from West Point,” Cutcliffe said.

“They're a very, very good football team. The group that are juniors now is a group they've talked

about a lot over the past three, four years. A bunch of them played last year as sophomores and now they're a year older and a year better. And it all starts with Marcus Murphy. He's a big-time football player. He can play quarterback, running back, receiver.

He can do it all.”

The biggest key in a game filled with many important details for the Chargers is to be consistent.

“That's the big thing that we've talked about. Defensively against Lafayette, we played well on a high percentage of snaps and it was a few plays here and there that really killed us,” Cutcliffe said. “Offensively, we often didn't have all 11 guys on the same page. We had somebody miss an assignment or miss a block.

That's something we have to correct and get everybody on the same page and executing at the same time.”

Oxford wide receiver Preston Perkins said the Chargers didn't need a loss to the Commodores to get refocused, but that's what happened.

“We took the loss and bottled all the anger up and just made it into a positive,” Perkins said. “We have to come out playing hard this week and really prepare from here on out. To win the division, it would be a really good start to win this Friday. Those four days of full pads really helped. We needed it.”

EXTRA POINTS Oxford has defeated West Point five straight times. The Chargers last lost to West Point 35-21 on Oct. 26, 2012. The Chargers beat West Point 50-28 during the regular season and 35-7 in the Class 5A north state playoffs. john.davis@journalinc.com Twitter: @oxfordcitizenjd

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OXFORD CITIZEN

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Senior Poole plays key role for Oxford High dance team

BY JOHN DAVIS SPORTS EDITOR

Ever since Katherine Poole was 4, she has been on a stage dancing. The Oxford High senior is a member of the Chargerettes and her current stage is the football field on Friday nights, and the basketball court when the Chargers and Lady Chargers play home games in the gym.

Dance is very important to Poole, who has been on the team since she was a freshman. Poole started out in the studio and moved up to competitive dance before trying out for the first dance team at OHS. Poole is one of three that have been on the team since the first day, and she has seen the team grow in popularity.

“I feel like I've been helping it grow and get bigger and bigger and it's been nice to see it progress over the years,” she said. “I think every year more and more people pay attention to us and they take us seriously

more and more each year.

The first year, they didn't really know what we were doing and now I think the more routines we do, the more people we get on the team and the more people recognize us that we're for real about this.”

Oxford coach Robyn Lyons said that Poole was easy going sweet, and smart.

“She is laid back and no drama. She's a great dancer who has a lot of technique,” Lyons said. “She's done ballet and jazz and contemporary. I've been her teacher for a year or two at one of the studios and she came to me with all the technique. She is very key and it will be very sad to let her go.

Anytime I have questions about uniforms or music choice or choreography, I go to all my seniors right away. We work it out together and I have so many great girls and great dancers, from freshmen to senior. We can sit in a group, all 15 of us, and can get a dance together using

PETRE THOMAS

Oxford senior Katherine Poole has been a key member of the Oxford High dance team for the past four seasons. everybody's input. I would say everybody is key that way, but she is definitely key.”

There has been some

trial and error in order to get the Chargerettes to look and perform like they do, Poole felt it was the right mix now.

“Two years ago, we had a really, really big team and that didn't work well because we had a whole bunch of different styles and levels,” Poole said.

“Last year, (Lyons) really narrowed it down to people that can do certain styles and are on the same level.”

Each week, the team dances on the sidelines and when there is a home game, they dance right after the band performs.

Poole felt like things have gone well in regards to the performances.

“I'm really happy with it.

We all have a lot of energy on the field, or try to. And I think that really helps pump up the crowd with cheer and us,” Poole said. “I think it helps everyone get excited. I like football. I get really into it.”

The team has basketball brothers which means they buy snacks for the Chargers who are seniors. Poole isn't sure which senior she will have this season.

A weekly routine is practiced each day and a lot of

it comes about from input shared by everyone. There are choreographers that come in to help, and camp this past summer helped with ideas.

“We brought a lot of stuff back that we really liked and we used that to help us pick and choose from,” Poole said adding she really tries to support her teammates. “I try to bring people together. I'm not really mean and I think that's why I'm not a captain. I don't get on to people a lot.

I'm more of a motherly type person. I'm not stern or anything like that.”

For those that don't understand dance, there is a lot of work that goes into coming up with a routine.

“It's really tough. It's really demanding. We have to put a lot of time into getting the routines ready for games and competition and things like that,” Poole said. “It's really time consuming.” john.davis@journalinc.com Twitter: @oxfordcitizenjd

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