These guys save for Baxter was on the baseball teams the last two years as well. The same baseball teams that fell a game short of the State Championship series to Ridgeland that went on to win it all. Snellgrove was a witness - but did not play like Barber, Parham and Webb - to all the baseball highs and lows. Those other three has experienced them. They have been in and seen those clutch situations. Webb and Parham was directly related as to why Oxford was able to come back and beat Ridgeland in Game 2 last year in the 2nd Round series. Webb hit a 2-run HR to cut the lead in half from 7-3 to 7-5, Parham pitched 3 scoreless innings when Oxford needed them the most.
All four of them saw what happened and felt the pain from losing in the North Half series against Ridgeland two years ago, and felt it further when the Titans won the Championship.
Snellgrove and Barber let that experience soak in, and along with Elliott and his Tennis experience all five brought it to the soccer team this season and this playoff run.
For them to have that experience is a big reason why Oxford was able to calm the nerves down pretty quickly in the State Title game - big games are nothing new to them. Half of the starting line-up have been in these situations way too often in their high school careers.
The remainder of the team experienced their pain when Oxford last year lost to a team in Starkville that they had defeated earlier in the regular season - and that team went on to win it all. Much of the school believed that while they earned the State Championship that year, they did not deserve it. Those words "earned" and "deserved" are not the same. Starkville could say the same thing this year, but they will not be able - for the next two years anyway - to play them in the playoffs and give payback - they are moving to the always tough 6A classification next year and unless they schedule themselves to play in the regular season, won't play them again.
Most of this team that won the State Championship Saturday has experienced almost every high and low in every sport during their years in high school. They have experienced the tough losses, they have fought for the hard wins, they have been in those pressured packed situations. Those things prepared these players for this Championship run they went on. These players have had success but have no rings to show for it. Those players finally have earned that ring, several of which waited a long time to get. Success in the other sports bred onto this one. There is that saying that success breeds success. It bred to the Stewarts, Eddy Terry and the remainder of the Defensive Line that was stout job they did in the playoffs.
Maybe it will breed into the Baseball season for those players coming from the pitch to the diamond.