Rebels better get used to hard work
Hard work is something the returning Ole Miss football players better get used to during the next several months based on what head coach Houston Nutt said during his final weekly press conference Monday. (more…) (November 30, 2010, Page 8)
Water Valley’s pride has been restored
Friday’s loss to Winona may have been an emotional one for many of the Blue Devils, but in the grand scheme of things, it was a sign of a big step in the right direction for a program that went from 2-8-1 just four seasons ago to 11-3 this year. (more…) (November 22, 2010, Page 4B)
Cards change – and so does life’s schedule
It’s funny how life works out sometimes. Assistant News Editor Jeff Eubanks traces his recent steps that brought him full circle to working with The Oxford EAGLE again. (November 18, 2010, Page 4)
Rebels, coaches still searching for answers
A preseason filled with a lot of promise has turned into a regular season that is dangerously close to being one of the least impressive for the Ole Miss Rebels in several years. (more…) (November 15, 2010, Page 1B)
Basketball Practice Facility well worth the wait
During the summer, it wasn’t rare for Ole Miss women’s basketball coach to come into her office and see the picture frames on her wall hanging every which way but straight. (more…) (November 12, 2010, Page 7A)
Area players needed at NWCC
AROUND THE SQUARE AND BEYOND: Northwest Mississippi Community College football coach Ricky Woods wants to win an MACJC state title in the worst way, but he needs the help of area players, and district players, to help him do it. The Rangers finished the 2010 season with a 9-1 overall mark, but a 52-24 loss to Gulf Coast last Saturday at Bobby Franklin Field was not the ending Woods was hoping for. (more…) (November 11, 2010, Page 8)
Commodores have a target on their jersey heading into playoffs
There is a target squarely on the front of the Lafayette Commodores’ jersey.
The No. 1 team in Class 4A is who other 4A teams really, really want to beat in this year’s playoffs. Don’t get me wrong, teams that were fortunate enough to make the playoffs want to beat whoever they play, but if the team in front of them happens to be LHS, so much the better.
Lafayette is this year’s St. Stanislaus, the perfect team with all the star players that other teams hear so much about. In essence, the Commodores have gone from the team that nobody really knew much about to the team that everyone is gunning to knock off.
LHS coach Anthony Hart talked about what it means to be the top team in 4A entering the playoffs and how his team has to play because of that extra attention compared to last year.
“The only difference is sometimes you get nervous when you’re sitting there on top and everybody else is gunning for you. Last year we were down the ladder and we were gunning for everybody else. That just gives you a slightly different perspective on it,” Hart said. “You are what you are and where you are is where you are. You have to deal with it and play from that angle. We have to go out there and take everybody’s best shot every Friday like we have all year, play our game and just execute.”
Nothing will be easy
It sounds simple enough, but it won’t be. There won’t be anything easy about this year’s playoff run for the Commodores. That’s not saying the team can’t continue to reel off lopsided wins like they have in the regular season. LHS is as talented as any team in the state in any classification. But the difference, as Hart pointed out, is the extra attention, the extra pressure of winning because you’re supposed and where the Commodores lie in the bracket, something Hart said looked quality even though he tries not to look ahead too much.
“I feel like we’re in the toughest spot of the bracket we can be in. I feel like we’ve got the best No. 4 team in the North by far with North Pontotoc,” Hart said. “In North 4A, no matter where you are in the bracket, you’re going to run into somebody that’s quality pretty soon. North Pontotoc is a lot better than people give them credit for. As far as down the line, you’ve got a lot of good teams in 4A. I said that at the start of year.”
For Lafayette quarterback Jeremy Liggins and linebacker Kris Miller, the start of the playoffs mean competing against better teams rather than extra pressure to perform.
“I do feel like we’re the target because we’re No. 1 and because of last year, so everybody wants to beat us. I feel good about the team because I know we’re going to come out here and take it one game at a time. That’s why we have to come out and play hard each week,” Miller said. “The main thing is to stay focused. I know with the playoffs coming around, everybody is going to be 100 percent. It’s always good to play competition to see how good your talent is. You’re not getting any competition when you’re blowing folks out. Now we have to play a whole four quarter game. I want to see if I still got the breath.”
“In practice we try to come out with more momentum because we know it’s win or go home now,” Liggins said about the playoffs. “We’re not trying to go home. We’re trying to go back where we were last year but be on the other side of it. (Teams) are really looking at us because we went to state last year. We’ve just about go all our starters back on both sides of the ball and teams know we’re going to come out hard. We just have to do what we do.”
Impressive last two years
What the Commodores have done over the almost two full seasons is amazing. There have only been two losses over that time period and 25 wins. The football playoffs in this state, any state, are extremely tough.
It’s the ultimate test for football players because of the emotion involved each week. We all felt that emotion last year and it will be even more amplified this run.
I expect LHS to run the table in the North and then capture a state title in Jackson early next month. I think this team is too focused not to win it all. They know people are gunning for them, they hear people around town talk about how talented they are and they still perform. They haven’t gotten a big head, and I don’t think they will now with the prize so close. It should be an interesting ride these next five weeks, and one I’m looking forward to seeing how things really shape out. (November 5, 2010, Page 7A)
Young Lady Rebs get first test tonight
It will be interesting to see how long Valencia McFarland remains all smiles.
If all goes as head coach Renee Ladner hopes it will, her star freshman guard’s smile won’t wear off any time soon.
During a media opportunity on Wednesday, both Ladner and senior Kayla Melson said they’re curious to see how this young Lady Rebels squad meshes for the first time when they play West Georgia in an exhibition game tonight at 7 at the C.M. “Tad” Smith Coliseum. (November 4, 2010, Page 7)
Conroy’s latest work gives valuable insight
It’s been said that you can get a quick fix on someone by seeing what he or she reads. Editor Don Whitten points out that’s not always easy to do, but is with one of the South’s favorite authors, Pat Conroy, whose latest book, “My Reading Life,” takes readers on a trip through his library and education to see how and why Conroy writes as he does. Conroy will be in town Wednesday to sign copies of the new book at 5 p.m. at Off Square Books. (November 2, 2010, Page 4)
Smith doing his best Bianco impersonation
Matt Smith has a completely new appreciation for what Ole Miss head baseball coach Mike Bianco goes through on a day-to-day basis.
The baseball team’s annual end-of-the-fall three-game series lovingly called the “Pizza Bowl” commenced on Wednesday at Oxford-University Stadium with the Red team coming from behind to top the Blue team 3-2. (more…) (October 28, 2010, Page 7)
