To Jackson Prep:
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To Cleveland East Side:
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To West Point:
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To Lewisburg:
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To Clarksdale:
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To Lake Cormorant:
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Oxford Football has a big traveling fan base, this year will be no exception. However you may not know how to get to these fields. Here are the traveling directions to all 6 of our away games this year. (Note to Mobile Users: Directions to each location will be shown first followed by the maps in order of the where the school is on the map.)
These Senior student-athletes listed here did not make my list of the Class of 2015 Dandy Dozen, but they will make contributions all the same to their respective teams this athletic year. Here is the list of my "Honorable Mentions" along with a short splurt. These are not in any order.
Wes Snellgrove, Matthew Guyton, & Drew Phillips (Baseball) - with the outfield completely gone from last year, expect Snellgrove to battle for a spot in the lineup with the three positions open. Guyton, who missed most of the remainder of the season after breaking his foot against Tupelo last year, might be forced to move to the outfield - as his bat is really valuable - with the addition of stud SS and Ole Miss commit Grae Kessinger crowding the infield up (replacing Pittman Phillips) which did not really lose anyone but Hunter Roth at third base. Drew Phillips manned 1st base for much of the year this past year, but his inconsistency at the end of the year and throughout summer might cause him to lose his spot. Phillips needs to find the form he had at the start of the year last year if he is to stay in the lineup. Snellgrove quit the Boys Soccer team despite being very successful playing defense and winning a State Title along the way. Glenn "JR" Anderson (Football / Boys Basketball) - He will make the transition to Safety this season to replace the departed Conrey Meagher - last year's #1 Dandy Dozen student-athlete - but from what I've heard so far, he is better suited for this position instead of the LB position he played last year. He comes off the bench in Basketball and does solid work on the court. Harland Stewart (Football / Boys Soccer) - Unlike his Twin Soccer brothers (Hunter & Hayden), he doesn't do much on the pitch - being more of an "enforcer" when he enters the game. He's called an enforcer because of his skills at LB for the Football team, along side Mike McGhee and Thomas Allen, they are just forces to be reckoned with. He had HUGE games against New Hope (13 tackles) and Pearl (16 tackles) along with gathering an Interception and a Fumble Recovery last year. Josh Gibbs (Boys Basketball) - Gibbs is basically your loose firecracker set to go off at any moment. He can catch fire, or he'll shoot himself in the foot. He had big games against West Point last year and a couple others, but on the back end led the team in Turnovers. He has the ability to have great games, it is a matter of being consistent game in and game out. DK Hutchins (Football) - the "other" DK on the team many don't know about. He will help lead the defense in the secondary along with KT McCollins and Anderson - which makes for a nightmare defense in the secondary if anyone tries to pass on those guys - it doesn't help the opposition that those guys have to practice against DK Metcalf, Kyree White, Zach Cousar and a bunch of other talented guys. He is a strong contributing member of the Football team. Bre Pettis & Tamera Wadlington (Girls Basketball) - Pettis was one of the few players on the team that avoided the injury bug and started nearly every game this past season playing either the point or shooting guard positions. Her high number of Turnovers help cause her to miss this Dandy Dozen list. Wadlington was injured before the season began last year, one of many that missed the entire year. She was very helpful off the bench her Sophomore year and is expected to be one of the first off the bench if not start this year. Wadlington is in a position much like Tyler Jackson was last year, she didn't make the list because wasn't good, she just hasn't been able to prove anything yet. Jerrica Hickenbottom (Girls Basketball / Girls Track) - Started in most (if not all) the games played last year and had to step up due to the injuries mentioned previously. She tends to shoot the 3-ball a lot but can get hot if she knocks one down. Also a member of Girls Track along the Field Events. Gavin Douglas (Boys Cross Country, Boys Soccer, Boys Track) - Rare do I have a Tri-Sport athlete not make the list. Just simply didn't make the cut. Not only that, but he's helped win Championships from all three sports and has rings for them. Vital part of the Cross Country team much like David Dennis and Tristan Orman before him and helped Track win a Title last year. He did not play much of a role with the Soccer team when they won their state title helping him not find the list, but he will play vital roles in all three sports this year. Emily Morgan (Girls Soccer / Tennis) - Goalkeeper for the Lady Charger Soccer Team who has done her role over the years. A solid Tennis player as well that has helped guided the team to State Titles during every year she has been on the team. Emily Hankins (Girls Cross Country / Girls Track) - like the others listed in the Dozen, a valuable member of both teams, JUST missing the cut line to make it as the only sport she doesn't play (but two of her teammates does play and excel very well at) is Girls Soccer. She is a State Champion winning the 3200 meter run at the 5A State Meet last year and placing 4th in the 1600, grabbing her team 15 points. Arguably the second-best runner on both teams behind rising-sophomore Swayze Elliott. She place 4th overall in the 5A State Cross Country Meet last year. Those three along with rising Sophomore Swayze Elliott (who won the Individual Crown this past year in Cross Country and won a Individual Title in Track), they stand a threat to take the elusive Cross Country Title that has evaded Oxford for 14 years running after winning 8 of them within a decade. Quinn Elliot (Boys Cross Country / Tennis) - A member of both teams aiding the Chargers to several State Team Titles since entering as a Freshmen in High School. However unlike the others on the list, his times for Cross Country is high (has not broken 20 minutes). Tennis is his dominant sport as he's been a part of the Starting lineup in some way for the past few years. Cole Atkins (Tennis) - This being the only sport he plays keeps him from being on the Dozen list. With Elliot, he also rotates in the starting lineup and has aided Oxford with all those State Titles they have earned. He is a longtime member of the Tennis Team. You could make the argument for 4-5 on this list to have made the Dozen list - but only 12 can make it. Next year will be extremely difficult for the 12 to make that list. #1 - Mike McGheeMost everybody saw this coming - just like the Clarksdale Running Back did last year on 4th and 1 and found himself on his back around 5 yards behind the line of scrimmage immediately after getting the ball. Mike McGhee is my top-ranked student-athlete in this year's Dandy Dozen. This was about as clear cut as who it was going to be in any of the three years I have done this. Besides just being an animal on the Football field, he is also the two-time defending State Champion in the Shot Put for Boys Track. McGhee led the team in Tackles with 153 (an average of roughly 11 per game in 14 games played last year), with 35 being solo tackles (which was 2nd on the team behind Conery Meagher). He had 8 Tackles-for-loss (TFL) which was 2nd on the team behind Darrius Liggins. McGhee also had 5 sacks last year - third on the team behind Liggins and Korbin Harmon. Among other things, he "blocked" (or rather caught) a punt that was a line drive straight to him as he was attempting to block the punt and took it the other way for his only Touchdown last year against New Hope. McGhee scored 8 of the 9 first points in that game scoring a Safety not too long after that in a game where the offense struggled early on (who was without DK Metcalf for that game). The 8 points were the only 8 points he scored all year. He also had one Interception (the one pictured to the middle left - one of 11 who had an INT last year) and a Fumble Recovery last year. McGhee looks to lead a defense to its first Gold Ball in Football - something that slipped away last year... While he is largely regarded at school to be the stud defensive player he is in Football, there is one other thing he is really good at: throwing a big heavy ball some 15+ yards. McGhee rarely ever loses in the Shot Put. He is the defending back-to-back 5A State Champion in the event throwing nearly 53 feet two years ago and threw a personal best 54 feet 2-1/4 inches to win the event last year earning a critical 10 points in Oxford's route to the overall State Championship. It will be just as critical to get those 10 points next year if they look to repeat. He is also a member of the 2x defending State Champion Boys Powerlifting team. Now that once again I have wasted your summer waiting week in and week out on this year's Top 12, it is time to start focusing on Football, Volleyball, Cross Country, Slow-Pitch Softball and Swimming seasons. I'll see you back on the Dandy Dozen list countdown for the 2016 student-athletes in May - and there are a BUNCH of REALLY good athletes in the current Junior class. **Editor's Note: This is the twelfth and last of 12 Dandy Dozen Seniors I have released over the course of the last 12 weeks. You can see all 12 Oxford Dandy Dozen Seniors and their write-ups HERE. Mike McGhee and the rest of the Oxford Chargers open the season next Friday at Jackson Prep. Kickoff is set for 7:00 PM. See his team compete tonight at the Ole Miss Jamboree against 10-time State Champion South Panola. Kickoff is set for 8:00 PM. Yes, it is now the summer of 2014. So, like in the past two years, I will waste every Friday of your summer releasing a name for the upcoming Dandy Dozen. The Dandy Dozen list consists of Seniors ONLY. However, unlike the two past editions, I will be randomly releasing the student-athletes instead of releasing them in reverse rank (so that people cannot easily guess). The date each one being released will be associated with the rank. The top 2 will be the last two released. The count starts on May 30th.
#1 - Mike McGhee #2 - KT McCollins #3 - Ally Collier #4 - Tristan Orman #5 - Shelby McEwen #6 - Jack McClure #7 - Gabrielle Joyce #8 - David Dennis #9 - Janesha Johnson #10 - Cortez Jones #11 - Kate Anderson #12 - Thomas Murphy Over this past weekend, Oxford played host to the Deep South Regional USSSA Tournament - a youth baseball tournament that was held at FNC Park in a normally quiet area of the year in early August.
Teams from Oklahoma, Arkansas, and all around Mississippi participated in the event. I had a field the entire weekend regarding the 8/9-year-old division. The teams are basically all-star players from their travel teams participating in the event. FNC Park - as usual - did a fine job hosting the event. Some of the staff is or at one point was on the OHS Baseball Team or other high school teams. The park itself or the actual tournament was not the problem. The hotels in the City of Oxford was however. This bugged me once I heard about it. I had three teams from Oklahoma participating on my field the entire weekend. In local papers such as the Oxford Citizen and Oxford Eagle, it was all about how FNC Park was able to work out with the hotels to block up rooms for the visitors entering Oxford would have rooms for the teams and their parents and to be able to put this tournament on in order to earn the bid. That's all fine and good - until the price of those rooms came out. This is not an Ole Miss Football weekend where no matter what the charge is, the rooms will be booked. 60,000 fans are coming in to try and cram into 700 hotel rooms. After Oxford, the nearest ones are in Batesville near I-55. At the Hampton Inn on the west side of town. I looked up the hotel prices on their website. They range from $119 a night (a normal rate in Oxford during the week) to $169 a night (weekend rate). I have heard from multiple families that the hotel was charging $220 a night - up $100 from a normal weekday rate and $50 of a weekend rate. Why? Because they knew about the tournament and purposely jacked up the prices. Know what that did? Drive them out of Oxford. Those families were driven out of Oxford and out towards Batesville because they could not find a reasonably priced room in town or the hotel was already booked up. (Worth noting an International Conference was being held by Ole Miss in the science department the previous week causing the other hotel rooms to be booked up). Those families went to Batesville for a hotel room at more than half the price. They are also eating at those restaurants as well as Batesville is a hotbed for travelers on I-55. I'm willing to bet most of the available rooms for the tournament did not sell out. This is not the first time the money-hungry hotels refused to do what the customers wanted. Oxford tried to place a bid for the Kohl's Cup - a Statewide Youth Soccer Tournament held once a year during the 1st weekend in May. A D3 Tournament where more than 100+ teams would participate. Oxford did not get that bid. You know why? The hotels were going to charge full fare to FNC Park just for the REFEREES to stay in a hotel room. $100 per night (that's for one of the cheaper hotels) - for two nights - to block off about 20 rooms just for the referees and other Mississippi Soccer Association staff members required to run the Tournament. Referees stay two to a room. For those doing the math, that is $4,000 just to spend on traveling referees and other MSA staff members needing to stay the night. Let's put that into perspective - teams are charged on average around $350 for a Tournament Fee. Sounds like a lot, right? Well, 11-12 teams would have to enter the Kohl's Cup just to pay off the referees to stay at the hotel. That's not including the referee fees to pay for the games (which can cost anywhere from $44 to field a crew to as much as $100 per game - and that adds up quickly for as many games as they put on). If FNC Park could corral rooms for just even $70 a night, that would help decrease the cost by $1,200 - or about 3-4 teams fees' worth. So let's redo the math: $10,700 (approx) in referee fees for all the games with full crews (a Center plus 2 Assistants) + a $800 assignor fee (is charged $5 per game to assign the refs), $4,000 for referees to stay in hotel rooms. In total team Tournament Fees, the income is around $32,000. Just in referee costs, it would be around $15,500 (enough to buy a new car) - leaving $16,500 for the rest of the Tournament where the Tournament Director gets paid, the staff that keeps all the scores and deals with the other money, not to mention the FNC Park Workers, and the fact that MSA takes some money as it is a major event by them (similiar how the MHSAA does it). At the end of it all, the profit margin does not reach 5 digits. FNC Park's real profit may only come from the parking fee they charge entering the park and whatever is made by the concession stands. The city of Oxford - should - benefit by eating at the restaurants and staying at the hotels (supposedly) because of the 2% food/lodging tax that is put on. But the tournament doesn't go on if you cannot put the referees - especially those that travel - in a reasonably priced hotel room. If there is not adequate referees to field all the games, there is no tournament or there will be some REALLY poor refereed matches if there is not enough referees to give them some type of rest during the day. But because the hotels "want their *fair* share", their greedy hands forced Oxford to not be able to host the tournament - and there is no money in their pockets. The teams that would be coming also couldn't stay there because we have hotels charging North of $200 when their regular rates are typically much further south of that mark. If Oxford is EVER going to really be a hotbed for Soccer Tournaments in Mississippi - let alone along the Southeast - the hotels MUST do their part and accommodate within reason. Baseball has gotten up there, but it won't get much further if our reputation is that we charge the worth of King Midas. #2 - KT McCollinsIt's odd that this is the 11th student-athlete I've released in this year's Dandy Dozen and this is the FIRST Football player to be mentioned in the list especially after what that team accomplished last year. That is just exactly what has happened this summer. He is part of a secondary that had 20 Interceptions last year (McCollins was second on the team behind Mark Pegues with 3) and had the only Interception that was returned for a Touchdown. McCollins helped out on offense when DK Metcalf was hurt totaling 10 receptions for 229 yards (143 of those he earned after the catch - "YAC" yards - 62% of his receiving yards) and 2 Touchdowns. McCollins totaled 343 all-purpose yards last year (229 receiving, 44 INT return yards, 20 punt return yards [all from the one punt block he had and took back for a TD), and 50 kickoff return yards], and 4 Total Touchdowns (2 receiving, 1 INT return, 1 Punt Block return) He is also the third Boys Basketball player I have listed on this year's Dandy Dozen, a critical player who comes off the bench and has made his fair share of highlights - none bigger than his Sophomore year in the 5A playoffs at Canton. With less than a minute to play, the game tied at 43 and having trailed for the vast majority of the second half, Canton was dribbling back out to set up an offensive play. With the Tiger guard's back turned, McCollins was able to steal the ball and go the other way for an uncontested go-ahead layup to give Oxford the lead for good with 50 seconds left. The layup was a huge momentum changer as it gave Oxford a cushion they would never relinquished in a 50-45 win. The Chargers would get eliminated in the 2nd Round by Callaway that year. McCollins is expected to get some offers soon for Football as a Defensive Back for his height and skill at the position. Some publications have considered him one of the top several DB in the state. He has a handful of Interceptions and has a knack for making a key play in the game whatever it'd be on Defense or on Special Teams where he has made a play there more often than not. With this guy out on the field or the court, you can expect to see 110% effort out of him. **Editor's Note: This is the eleventh of 12 Dandy Dozen Seniors I am releasing which will be done every Friday. You can see a schedule of which number will be released next HERE. #1 will be released next week. #7 - Gabrielle JoyceI've done enough with the forwards and midfielders - now to talk about defense. Gabrielle Joyce anchors a tough defense proven to keep Oxford in a lot of games for Girls Soccer. The Lady Chargers only allowed 1 goal in 190 playoff minutes to Center Hill and New Hope (where they did not allow a goal) but only lost because of penalty kicks - where the defensive line is taken out of the equation. She was one of the two underclassman Captains (with now-Junior Zoe Scruggs) last year with only one Senior on the squad last year (thus retaining nearly their entire starting lineup from last year - and returns the entire defense). It will fall on Joyce and the rest of the D-Line to keep Oxford in games if the offense has as hard of a time scoring like it was last year. They would love to have breathing room when they have to defend their Region 1-5A Title from last year. Out of the 9 games I attended last year, Joyce and the defense held their opponents to 2 goals or fewer 7 times, including both games in the playoffs. In Cross Country, Joyce has one of the Top 20 times in 5A having broke 17 minutes last year in the Tupelo Invite last year. She needs a time like that at the State Meet next year to give the Girls Cross Country a fighting chance to win the school's 9th title in the sport. She finished 21st last year but 50+ seconds off her personal best she had set in that Tupelo meet. She also participates in Girls Track having run the 400m dash and 800m run during her career at OHS. #3-12 have come and gone - #2, then #1 will respectively be released over the next two Fridays. You may have noticed a certain sport hasn't had a student-athlete show itself on this list yet... **Editor's Note: This is the tenth of 12 Dandy Dozen Seniors I am releasing which will be done every Friday. This release ends the random number release rankings. You can see a schedule of which number will be released next HERE. #2 will be released next week. Here is the schedule for the upcoming Volleyball season with all the home games to be played at the new OHS gym. This Volleyball season will be the first regular season games to be played in the new OHS gym by any sport since being built. The JV time will be listed first followed by the Varsity time when two times are listed.
Key: Date - Opponent - Place - Time August 12 - South Panola - Home - 5:30 / 6:30 August 15/16 - TBA^ - Neutral - TBA+ August 19 - Senatobia - Home - 5:30 / 6:30 August 21 - Ripley - Home - 5:30 / 6:30 August 23 - Pontotoc - Away - 11:00 AM / Noon August 26 - Lafayette - Away - 4:00 / 5:00 September 2 - Lewisburg* - Away - 5:30 / 6:30 September 4 - Southaven - Away - 5:30 / 6:30 September 6 - TBA# - Neutral - TBA+ September 9 - Lake Cormorant* - Away - 5:00 / 6:00 September 11 - Center Hill* - Home - 5:30 / 6:30 September 13 - Ripley/Corinth - Away/Neutral - 10:00 AM+ / 11:00 AM+ September 16 - Clarksdale* - Home - 5:30 / 6:30 September 18 - Pontotoc - Home - 5:30 / 6:30 September 20 - TBA% - Neutral - TBA+ September 23 - Senatobia - Away - 5:30 / 6:30 September 25 - Lewisburg* - Home - 5:30 / 6:30 September 30 - Lake Cormorant* - Home - 5:30 / 6:30 October 2 - Clarksdale* - Away - 5:30 / 6:30 October 7 - Center Hill* - Away - 5:30 / 6:30 October 9 - Olive Branch - Home - 5:30 / 6:30 October 16 - Lafayette$ - Home - 4:00 / 5:00 * - Class II, Region 1 Games ^ - Ridgeland Tournament: Classic Games Weekend # - Olive Branch Tournament % - Tupelo Volleyfest $ - Senior Night + - Varsity Only Time Article was released: 7:48 PM CDT 7/28/14 Edited: 12:15 AM CDT 7/29/14 So, I'm sure you have seen me subtweet it enough. Rising Senior and #5 on Oxford's Dandy Dozen list Shelby McEwen stole some National Headlines Sunday with a Michael Jordan-isc Free Throw Line Dunk en route to winning the Jordan Brand "First to Fly" Dunk Contest held when McEwen went over there for a AAU Tournament in Las Vegas, NV. We know DK Metcalf has been getting a little ESPN love from the ESPNJr300 list ranked as Mississippi's Top Prospect. Oxford High School despite all of its success' has not been able to make a show like SportsCenter - until today. The dunk got into the segment of "Who Did It Better" (or "Who Dunked It Better" in this case) where McEwen's dunk went up against a Pro-Am player also in a dunk contest in transition from the college ranks to the NBA. The two hosts during the 6PM Central Time edition of SportsCenter at the time both voted that McEwen's dunk was better because of the fact that he was still in high school. During that night's SportCenter's Top 10 Plays of the day, it made it to #4. The clip below that was previously tweeted by Oxford Citizen's John Davis is the contest McEwen won. His dunk appears 49 seconds into the clip. To see the write up on Shelby McEwen on the Dozen selection, click HERE. (Opens separate tab/window) John Davis can be followed on Twitter using the button below. #11 - Kate AndersonThe run of females (this is the third in the last four weeks) appearing on the Oxford Dandy Dozen continues with Kate Anderson. The reason being is that there are really a solid number of female athletes in this class - such as the case with this Girls Soccer forward. If you haven't noticed in each year I've done this, it is dominated with guys - reason being is that Football which rosters 70+ normally on the team in addition to all the other sports. The Girls biggest roster size in a single sport usually comes in Soccer (20-ish) or Girls Track. Now, Anderson here is one of the main forwards for Oxford in Girls Soccer. She was 2nd on the team in shots taken. If you read last week, I said that finishing shots will be a big reason why Oxford can be playing soccer in February. The team is doing everything right in winning a soccer game (playing good defense, good goalkeeping, not fouling, keeping possession, making good passes, taking shots), but the only thing they are not doing which is more vital than any of the other things needed to win is putting the ball between the posts and underneath the crossbar. It has just been frustrating all the way around and really didn't need to be reiterated again to anyone involved in this program. Anderson will also be a leader in Girls Cross Country this season in getting the girls to be back on top. She finished just outside the Top 25 in last year's 5A State Meet but broke the 18 minute mark at the Pontotoc Invite last year. Although Oxford has won 8 Championships in Girls Cross Country (2nd most number of championships in a single sport for OHS behind Tennis), none have been won since 2000. Anderson will also be a big part of the Girls Track team in the 800 meter run. She helped give Oxford 5 points in the State Meet last year with a 4th place finish after not making the meet the year before. Hopefully it will be a banner year this upcoming year. **Editor's Note: This is the ninth of 12 Dandy Dozen Seniors I am releasing which will be done every Friday. They will be done AT RANDOM until the top two are released. You can see a schedule of which number will be released next HERE. #7 will be released next week. #3 - Ally CollierNo, she didn't reach this list because she's on my good side. It's because she is a vocal point on not just the Volleyball team (and also the only Senior on the team), but the Girls Soccer team as well. Ally Collier played the "Libero" position her Sophomore year - which allows her to sub for a back-row player without prior notice to the referee and it does not count against the limit for subs (There is an 18-sub limit in Volleyball per Set - Libero literally means "free" in Italian - so the Libero can come in as a "free" sub). She did not play the role last year as the rotation for last year required Collier to be subbed in and out less often. Typically the position is for the most skilled defensive player on the team since Liberos cannot be on the attacking line. Collier barely stands above 5 feet in height, so she plays along the back line as a defensive specialist and as a setter. Obviously her lack in height keeps her from playing along the front-line effectively so it is possible she could retain the Libero position this upcoming season. She is an effective defensive player especially in keeping points alive ("digging" the ball often) and quick reflexes to spikes is one of the reasons why she's been in the rotation for the past few seasons. Oxford Volleyball is looking to get back into the playoffs with tough outs in Lake Cormorant, Center Hill, and Lewisburg who are all really good in Volleyball year in and year out - and they happen to be in Oxford's region. For Girls Soccer, Collier plays as a Midfielder/Forward on the team and does very well at the positions not losing the ball by turnover or having it go out of bounds. While the offensive side as a whole got a lot of shots last year and dominated possession, shots simply did not find the net and it cost the Lady Chargers in the playoffs despite outplaying New Hope for 110 minutes could not find the back of the net. Collier along with the rest of the Forwards - who only lost one player last year - will be working all offseason on finishing. Not one player (that I had kept stats on) on last year's team finished with double-digit goals. Collier will be looking to score a lot more goals this season, and with the defense playing real well keeping the ball on the opposite end all the time, there will be plenty of chances to do so. If they can find the back of the net, they will be playing Soccer in February. There is obvious disadvantage with her height, but she makes up for it with her athletic ability and skills in both sports. **Editor's Note: This is the eighth of 12 Dandy Dozen Seniors I am releasing which will be done every Friday. They will be done AT RANDOM until the top two are released. You can see a schedule of which number will be released next HERE. #11 will be released next week. #5 - Shelby McEwenI promise you it is just coincidence that he wears 5 and that he is 5 on this list (happened to Darrius Liggins last year). He is Oxford's best returning player on the Boys Basketball team leading Oxford in most every category leading the team in points, 2-point FG Attempts & Makes, Offensive Rebounds, Total Rebounds, Blocks, and Efficiency Rating. He was also 2nd on the team in Free Throw Attempts (David Dennis) and in 3-point FG% (Dennis), and had the fewest Turnovers among last year's normal starting 5. He also had the third highest +/- on the team. One thing he could work on: his Free Throws. I did mention he was second on the team in total Free Throw Attempts - he was 5th on the team in Free Throw Percentage (59%) among 7 who qualified for the stat. It needs to improve if Oxford wants to beat the likes of New Hope and West Point and finally win its first 2-5A Tournament Championship in 4 years. According to the stats tabulated, McEwen only had 2 fewer FT attempts than Dennis. If McEwen can make a few more free throws, it could mean the difference between a 1-seed and a much easier opponent in the division tournament or a 2 or even a 3-seed and face someone tougher. It could also mean a 2-5A division crown or advancing further in the 5A playoffs. He does a great job getting to the line, it is a matter of following through once getting there. He is the obvious leader of the team. The Callaway thorn and the tough division Oxford plays in has prevented more success than the Chargers have been able to achieve. This year with only the loss of one senior last year, experience will play a role for Oxford with the likes of Cortez Jones, Josh Gibbs, David Dennis and others that may get Oxford to avoid the Callaway side of the draw with a 1-seed and make it to the Big House for the first time in a while. **Editor's Note: This is the seventh of 12 Dandy Dozen Seniors I am releasing which will be done every Friday. They will be done AT RANDOM until the top two are released. You can see a schedule of which number will be released next HERE. #3 will be released next week. Across all sports, there are two teams competing to see who can get a high score within a certain amount of time. Teams try to get more points/runs/goals or try to be the first to earn so many sets to come out victorious at the end. Regardless of age, both competing teams play with a lot of emotion and energy and there is usually a lot of excitement. Yet, in every game/match or whatever you want to call it, there is a third team out there - the referee crew. In Soccer, there are more than 130,000 registered referees (me included in that number) that range in age from as young as 12 years old all the way up to 70. As in many sports especially recently in the FIFA World CupTM, referees are blamed, ridiculed, given all sorts of bad names, but are also applauded for their contribution to the game. Unfortunately, many players and fans forget about the game in hand and take their frustrations out to people that impacts everybody's life, just like it did to a Michigan USSF Referee and his family last week. John Bieniewicz, 44, died after sustaining injuries he received while refereeing an adult-soccer match. A 36-year old male player who goes by the name of Bassel Abdul-Amir Saad (yeah, a name like that won't cause problems...) did not like one of the calls he received and was about to be Red Carded for a foul (and ejected) and proceeded to punch Bieniewicz in the head while he was looking down to find the Red Card. Saad then left the stadium in a car with a huge Brazil flag. 911 was called where Bieniewicz was sent to the hospital and later declared dead. Saad did surrender to police later on and is currently charged with "assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder" and the charge is expected to be amended after the death. The case is currently ongoing. Bieniewicz left behind his wife and two sons aged 9 and 13. This is not the first time an assault to a referee happened. A 17-year old soccer player last year attacked Utah USSF Referee Ricardo Portillo with a punch to the head. Portillo also died as a result and the teen pled guilty to homicide by assault. Portillo left behind his wife and three daughters. It is times like these we reflect on the "third team" in sports. Like players and coaches, referees dedicate time (usually) to some type of training, studying the rules of competition, and developing players. From my own experience, every time I step onto a Soccer Field or to do a Flag Football Game, I'm subject to constant criticism (especially Flag Football). I get the ol' "Come on Ref! Are you blind?" or "How can you call that?" or "You're for the other team aren't you?". Yet players and coaches expect referees to know the game fully developed, while in reality - especially in soccer where you are thrown into the fire right away - they are trying to develop their skills. It is rare at the recreation level I work at that the referees there stay for any more than a year. I'm about to enter my sixth year in soccer refereeing. Especially in tournaments, I'm at risk of assault every single game. It only takes one bad temper and one questionable call - whatever the call was right or wrong in the end - to very possibly see my life end and become another national story just like the two I mentioned above. This can be avoided if we teach the players the proper way to represent themselves. We cannot teach the youth, any school, and any community to "join the crowd of dissent". I cannot tell you how often I hear a rather unqualified coach say "don't worry about it, that one call the referee made is what cost us the game". What is that teaching those players? You are not telling them to get better so they can overcome the call or that other things in the game is what cost the team, you are telling them to blame someone besides the other team for that loss. What happens is that their mind is over the "bad call" from the referee instead of how they got into that position to lose that game and put the game on a single call from a referee. In their next game, their attention will be on the referee if another questionable call does not go their way instead of how it got to that point and they will be more likely to berate the referee and even come after them. I had a 1-0 soccer game where the goal occurred in the 2nd minute via a penalty kick of a 80-minute match. I made a call (which everybody saw and knew it was deserved) to allow that opportunity for the goal to happen. The other team had 78 minutes to overcome it and score a goal themselves. It didn't happen, but they didn't blame the game on a call, they didn't score and they know it and had no one to blame but themselves for not making it happen. These deaths serve as a reminder at all sports that referees are human. These officials that "love" the sports that they call and do are ALWAYS refining their skills and developing new ones. I would be lying to you that after 5 years of calling soccer games that I am still not a student of the game and developing my skills and obtaining new skills - especially with my Autism disability that serves as a social disadvantage I have learned to be able to overcome when communicating with players and coaches. Not to mention how much time I have sacrificed over the years to referee soccer. It's not like I'm getting paid thousands to do this. I barely make a net couple hundred in a weekend and the wear and tear that my car takes on in making all those trips to Memphis, Tupelo, Starkville, Meridian, Columbus, and Tuscaloosa for ODP Camp (which I'm about to embark on next week). Ever since becoming a referee, I have made a concentrated effort to not go after the referee after every questionable call, but to see their vantage point (and try to see the call from their viewpoint) and make reason as to why they made that call. I make that effort because I know how hard it is to call the sport they are calling. The next time you head to a sporting event, remember that referees have families too. These referees are (usually) trying to do the best they can to call a fair game. Most importantly, control the tempers and don't make irrational decisions when things do not fall your way. You may affect many more than one life if you decide to be irrational and assault the person that called it the other way. |
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October 2016
AuthorBen Mikell |