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DAILY NEWS
S ervin g S tarkville , O kti b b e h a C o u nty and M ississi p p i S tate University since 1 9 0 3
Starkville
STARKVILLEDAILYNEWS.COM
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Friday, November 7, 2014
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Volume No. 110, Issue No. 311
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50 Cents
Thompson sentenced to 40 years
Attorneys intend
to appeal verdict
By ALEX HOLLOWAY
[email protected]
Lasonja Randle Ferguson weeps as she speaks in memory of
her younger brother, Curtis “C.K.” Randle, in Oktibbeha County
Circuit Court Thursday. Randle, 25, was gunned down on May
22, 2010 by Dennis Thompson. At left: Thompson enters the
courtroom before Mississippi 16th Circuit Judge Lee Coleman
hands down a 40-year sentence for a count of murder and three
counts of aggravated assault. (Photo by Alex Holloway, SDN)
Homecoming
parade route
announced
Dennis Thompson, a 22-year-old Starkville resident who
jurors convicted of murder and three counts of aggravated
assault last week, received a 40-year sentence in the Mississippi Department of Corrections Thursday in a sentencing
hearing in Oktibbeha County Circuit Court.
Thompson faced trial last week and was convicted on
Oct. 31 of murder in the May 22, 2010 shooting death of
25-year-old Curtis C.K. Randle at a graduation party near
124 Place by the Highway 182-Washington Street intersection. Thompson was also convicted of aggravated assault
for shooting Tony Harris, Azaria Ross and Devierre Outlaw in the same incident.
Mississippi 16th Circuit Judge Lee Coleman handed
down the sentence after the state and defense offered brief
testimony during the hearing.
Thompson received 30 years for the count of depraved
See SENTENCING | Page 3
Starkville Area Arts Council poster
SDN staff
Mississippi State University has adjusted its route for the
Homecoming parade at 5:30 p.m. today compared with previous years, keeping parade traffic localized to campus with no city
streets blocked.
This year’s parade will begin on College View Drive near
MSU’s Child Development Center and then turn east onto Bailey Howell Avenue, formerly Coliseum Boulevard. The parade
will then turn south on George Perry Street, then turn west onto
Barr Avenue before heading south on B.S. Hood Drive. Finally, it will circle the Junction via Stone Boulevard and Creelman
Street, ending at Dorman Hall.
Previous parades instead began at the intersection of University Drive and Nash Street, traveling through the Cotton District. But MSU Student Association President Brett Harris said
the time had come for a change of venue.
“We just wanted to try something new,” Harris said.
With this change, Lt. Mark Ballard of Starkville Police Department said his department’s role in the parade would be much
more limited than in years past.
“We’ll have patrols to assist with traffic coming in and out
of campus, but other than that, we won’t be involved in the
parade,” Ballard said. “They made the decision just to keep it on
campus.”
Jon Turner, chairperson for the Cotton District Arts Festival helps Paige Cannon unveil the Starkville Area Arts
Council poster for the 2015 Cotton District Arts Festival. Cannon, a Starkville native, designed the poster and won a
design contest. The poster unveiling was part of the a reception at the Greater Starkville Development Partnership for
the Art Council’s holiday art showcase. (Photo by Alex Holloway, SDN)
MSU unveils new
interactive map
By STEVEN NALLEY
[email protected]
As a landscape architecture and contracting
major and freshman at Mississippi State University, Kent Moore plans to deal in maps on a
regular basis in his line of work.
He said he liked a new online map of the
MSU campus unveiled Thursday, in part because of its axonometric perspective — a view
from above that also shows depth, often called
a “bird’s-eye” view within online maps. He
compared it with a previous MSU map phone
app, one that simply showed buildings and
roads from directly above, color-coding the
buildings.
“The other one (in the phone app) was a
MSU unveiled a new online campus map Thursday in partnership with concept3D Inc., plan view, and it was just flat, looking down
using that company’s CampusBird interactive mapping platform. It highlights closed buildings, straight at it, so you couldn’t really see the
parking lots and roads in red, and it marks several campus amenities and landmarks. (Submitted details in what you were looking for,” Moore
photo)
said. “(The new map) is a little more detailed,
Newsroom
662-323-1642
Online
www.starkvilledailynews.com
Inside
2: Around Town
4: Forum
5: Weather
6: Sports
9: Comics
10: Classifieds
so it can definitely help you out more.”
MSU has partnered with concept3D Inc.
to use that company’s CampusBird interactive mapping platform for a new campus
map launched Thursday, featuring panoramic
views, added pictures, enhanced interactivity
and updates to match the rapid changes that
have come to campus in recent years.
The map is free for all at http://www.msstate.edu/campus-map/ and compatible with
computers, tablets and smart phones. It marks
such services as dining halls, performance venues, bus stops and more. It also guides visitors
to campus through a walking tour of MSU’s
historic buildings, and it marks any roads,
parking lots or facilities that are closed for construction, renovation or other reasons.
Looking at those closed zones, users can see
some signs of future-proofing on the map —
See MAP | Page 3
Good Morning
to our loyal subscriber
robert cini
Around Town
Page 2
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STARKVILLEDAILYNEWS.COM
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Friday, November 7, 2014
AROUND TOWN
ANNOUNCEMENT
POLICIES
All “Around Town” announcements
are published as a community service
on a first-come, first-served basis and
as space allows. Announcements must
be 60 words or less, written in complete
sentences and submitted in writing at
least five days prior to the requested
dates of publication. No announcements will be taken over the telephone.
Announcements submitted after noon
will not be published for the next day’s
paper. To submit announcements, email
[email protected].
Today
u Symphony Orchestra—
The Starkville-MSU Symphony Orchestra will perform at
7:30 p.m. at Lee Hall on the
Mississippi State campus.
Saturday
u Golden Triangle Writer’s Guild—The Golden Triangle Writers Guild will meet
at 1:30 p.m. at the Bryan Public Library. The writers organization is open to writers,
published or non-published
in any genre. the local group
meets the second Saturday of
each month. For information
contact clairespradlingbooks@
gmail.com.
Stewart Ears, Nose and Throat celebrated joining the Greater Starkville Development Partnership with a
ribbon-cutting celebration. It is located at No. 4 Professional Plaza. (Submitted photo)
Sunday
u Veteran’s Day Program—New Zion United
Methodist Church will be having their annual Veteran’s Day
Program at 3 p.m. All service
men and women are invited to
attend. The guest speaker will
be Bishop James Austin. Dinner will be served.
u Pastor Appreciation
Service—Sixteenth
Section
M.B. Church will honor Pastor
William A. Richardson with a
25th year appreiation service.
The 11 a.m. speaker will be
Rev. Ivory McDaniel of Bethel
Baptist Church, Lousiville. The
3 p.m. speaker will be Rev. Al
Lathan, Sr., of Third Mt. Olive
M.B. Church, West Point. The
public is invited to attend.
u An Afternoon with Cole
Porter—The Starkville Symphony Chorus will perform
at 2 p.m. at the First United
Methodist Church.
Tuesday
u VFW Veteran’s Day
Program—The VFW Veteran’s Day Program will be held
at 11 a.m. at the VFW building
on old Hwy. 25.
u Kiwanis Meeting—Kiwanis will meet at noon at the
Hilton Garden Inn. Speaker
will be MSU Basketball Coach
Rick Ray. Visitors & prospective members are always welcome.
u Pre-Anniversary Celebration—The Piney Grove
MB Church in Columbus will
be having a pre-anniversary
celebration for their Pastor Michael Reed at 7 p.m. The guest
speaker is Rev. Armondo Adams from All Nations.
Thursday
u Breakfast with the
Bulldogs—Breakfast
with
the Bulldogs will be at 7:30
a.m. at Starkville Cafe. This
month’s speaker will be Haley
Grantham, SA Vice President
and the recently elected Miss
MSU. Breakfast will be dutch
treat.
Recurring
u Family Volunteer Day
Signup—Join
Volunteer
Starkville for Family Volunteer
Day at one of our family-friendly volunteer opportunities on
Nov. 15, including a Sweet
Potato Drop at the Palmeiro
Center, a Beautification Project at Noxubee Refuge, and a
Storm Clean Up Effort with
Oktibbeha Co. Emergency
Management. More information can be found about each
of these opportunities at www.
volunteerstarkville.org. These
are great volunteer opportunities for families, individuals,
small groups and large groups
of all ages. To volunteer, you
need to register beforehand
with Volunteer Starkville by
contacting Jamey Bachman at
601.888.5826 or [email protected].
u Revival—Pleasant Grove
Robinson M.B. Church wil
have its fall revival Nov. 12-14.
The sermon will be delivered
nightly at 7 p.m. Minister Daisy
Tooton will deliver the sermon
on Wednesday, Ministed Eddie
Wooten will deliver the sermon
on Thursday, Minister Patricia
Binion will deliver the sermon
on Friday. Church choirs and
praise ministry are welcome to
render selections.
u Christmas Tour of
Homes—The annual Christmas Tour of Homes sponsored
by the Starkville Civic League
will be from 1:30-5 p.m. on
Dec. 13. Tickets for the event
can be purchased from the
Greater Starkville Development Partnership office, the
Flower Company, or through a
League member.
u Creative Ways of Teaching—New Century Christian
Education Ministry will be offering a class in Creative Ways
of Teaching Sunday School
and Bible School Lessons. Call
Ann Williams at 662-418-3930
to sign up.
u Conflict Resolution
Classes—The Family Resource
Center of Northeast Mississippi offers free conflict resolution
classes every Monday at 9 a.m.
at the Golden Triangle Planning and Development District. Please call 662-251-1861
for more details.
u Effective Parenting
Classes—The Family Resource
Center of Northeast Mississippi offers free effective parenting classes every Monday at
10 a.m. at the Golden Triangle
Planning and Development
District. Please call 662-2511861 for more details.
u New Century Mentoring and Tutoring—New
Century Mentoring & Tutoring hours have changed to
Monday-Friday, 4-5:30 p.m.
for ages pre-k thru sixth grade.
For more information call Ann
Williams.
u Cheese Sale—Starkville
Samaritan Club is having a
cheese sale. We sell mild, sharp,
extra sharp, round and monterey jack jalapeno. Cheese may
be purchased by contacting
a club member at 323-1338,
323-3890, 324-48614, 3242989, or 323-2539.
u Winter Clothing Ministry—Rock Hill United Methodist church is holding a clothing ministry for winter clothes
on Tuesdays, Thursdays and
Saturdays from 8-11 a.m.
u
Starkville
Healing
Rooms—Starkville
Healing
Rooms meets from 6:30-8:30
p.m. on Mondays. Starkville
Healing Rooms provide a loving, safe, and confidential environment where you can come
to receive prayer for physical
healing or anything. No appoinment necessary. Everyone welcome. Upstairs in the
Starkville Sportsplex (The Travis Outlaw Center), 405 Lynn
Lane, Starkville. For information, call 662-418-5596 or email [email protected]
u Oktibbeha
County
Federation of Democratic
Women—The
Oktibbeha
County Federation of Demo-
cratic Women will meet the
third Monday of each month
at 6 p.m. at the Oktibbeha
County Court House on Main
Street. Please contact Rena Ellis at 662-617-1971 for more
info.
u Oktibbeha
County
Democratic Executive Committee meetings—Oktibbeha
County Democratic Executive Committee meets on the
fourth Tuesday of each month
at 6 p.m. in the County Courthouse.
All members and
guests are invited to attend.
For more call Chris Taylor at
662-617-3671.
u Veterans Photos—KMG
Creations Dance, Fitness, and
Productions is now accepting
photos of veterans to be honored at the 6th Annual Military
charity Dance Recital on Nov.
6 at 6:30 p.m. at First United
Methodist Church Fellowship
Hall. Admission is free. John
Robert Arnold, WWII veteran
will be the keynote speaker.
Photos will be included in
slideshow. Please email photos
to kmgcreationsdance@gmail.
com or PO Box 4698 Mississippi State MS 39762 by Nov.
1.
u It’s a New Season services—It’s a New Season Ministries invites all to Morning
Glory Service at 9 a.m., children’s Sunday school at 10:30
a.m. and worship service at
11:30 a.m. each Sunday. The
church also hosts Bible study
at 7 p.m. every Thursday and
Marriage Ministry: Two Become One every fourth Thursday at 7 p.m. It’s a New Season
Ministries is located on 1599
Louisville Street on Highway
25 South. ville Street on Highway 25 South.
u Oktibbeha
County
Heritage Museum—The Oktibbeha County Heritage Museum, 206 Fellowship Street is
open Tuesday, Wednesday and
Thursday from 1-4 p.m.. To
arrange a group tour call the
museum at 323-0211.
u GTWG—The Golden
Triangle Writers Guild meets
every second Saturday of the
month at 1:30 p.m. at the Bryan Public Library. The group
exists to advance and preserve
literary arts in Mississippi, as
well as promoting education,
information, support, networking, opportunity and recognition for writers. The guild is
open to writers, published or
non –published in any genre.
u Gentle Yoga—Bring
a mat and join the free gentle
yoga classes at Trinity Presbyterian Church, 607 Hospital
Road. Classes meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9:30 10:30 a.m. in the fellowship
hall.
u Service Time Change—
St. Paul M.B. Church, located
at 1800 Short Main Street in
Columbus, will have a service
time change. Sunday services
will start at 8 a.m. each Sunday. Beginning on July 6, St.
Paul M.B. Church of Starkville,
located at 5707 Hwy 389,
will hold its Sunday services at
10:15 a.m. weekly.
u Living Word Christian
Center—Pastor Rich Castle
and the Living Word Christian
Center would like to invite the
public to join them in worship. Services will be Sundays
at 10:30 a.m. at Laquinta Inn
& Suites located 982 Highway
12, East Starkville. For more
information, call 662-3410982.
u NAACP Meeting—Oktibbeha County Branch of the
NAACP monthly meeting are
held every second Thursday at
6 p.m. at Oktibbeha County
Courthouse Main St. Contact
president Chris Taylor 662617-3671 or Willie E. Thomas
Sr. 662-418-9687 for information.
u Clover Leaf Garden
Club Meeting—The Clover
Leaf Garden Club meets the
first Wednesday of the month
at 1 p.m. at the Starkville
Sportsplex. For more information, call 323-3497. u
ABE/GED
Classes—Free
ABE/GED classes are offered
at the Emerson Family School
and the J.L. King Center. Emerson classes are from 8 a.m. 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 8 a.m. - 3 p.m. Friday
and are held at 1504 Louisville
Street. J.L King classes are
from 8 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. Monday - Thursday and are held at
700 Long Street. Call 3244183 or 324-6913 respectively
for more information.
u Storytime—Maben Public Library will have storytime
at 10 a.m. on Fridays. Lots of
fun activities along with a story
with Ms. Mary. Children ages
3-6 are invited!
u Mini Moo Time—The
Chick-fil-A on Hwy 12 holds
Mini Moo Time at 9 a.m. every Thursday. There are stories,
activities, and crafts for kids six
and under. The event is free.
u BrainMinders Puppet
Show—Starkville Pilot Club
offers a BrainMinders Puppet
Show for groups of about 25
or fewer children of pre-school
or lower elementary age. The
show lasts about 15 minutes
and teaches children about
head /brain safety. Children
also receive a free activity book
which reinforces the show’s
safety messages. To schedule
a puppet show, contact Lisa
Long at [email protected].
u Dulcimer and More Society—The Dulcimer & More
Society will meet from 6:15
- 8 p.m. every first, second,
fourth and fifth Thursday in
the Starkville Sportsplex activities room and play at 3 p.m. on
the third Saturdays at the Carrington Nursing Home. Jam
sessions are held with the primary instruments being dulcimers, but other acoustic instruments are welcome to join in
playing folk music, traditional
ballads and hymns. For more
information, contact 662-3236290.
u Samaritan Club meetings—Starkville
Samaritan
Club meets on the second and
fourth Monday of each month
at 11:30 a.m. in McAlister’s
Deli (Coach’s Corner). All
potential members and other
guests are invited to attend.
The Samaritan Club supports
Americanism, works to prevent
child abuse, provides community service and supports
youth programs. For more
information, email [email protected] or call
662-323-1338. Please see
our website:
http://www.
starkvillesamaritanclub.org/
u Worship services—Love
City Fellowship Church, at 305
Martin Luther King Jr. Drive
in Starkville, will hold worship
services at 11 a.m. every Sunday. Apostle Lamorris Richardson is pastor.
u OSERVS classes—OSERVS is offering multiple
courses for the community and
for health care professionals to
ensure readiness when an emergency situation large or small
arises. If interested in having
OSERVS conduct one of these
courses, feel free to contact
the agency’s office by phone at
(662) 384-2200 from 9 a.m. 4 p.m. Monday to Thursday or
from 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. on Friday or stop by the offices at
OSERVS, 501 Highway 12
West, Suite 130 during those
same hours. Fees are assessed
per participant and include all
necessary training materials.
u Writing group—The
Starkville Writer’s Group meets
the first and third Saturday of
the month at 10 a.m. in the upstairs area of the Bookmart and
Cafe in downtown Starkville.
For more information, contact
Debra Wolf at [email protected] or call 662-323-8152.
u Square dancing—Dancing and instruction on basic
steps every Monday 7 - 9 p.m.
at the Sportplex Annex, 405
Lynn Lane. Enjoy learning
with our caller and friendly
help from experienced dancers. Follow the covered walk to
the small building. Look us up
on Facebook “Jolly Squares”.
u Dance team applications—KMG Creations children dance company “The
Dream Team” is currently accepting dance applications for
the 4-6 year old group and
10-18 year old group. For
more information, call 662648-9333 or e-mail [email protected].
u Noontime devotional
study—Join a devotional study
each Tuesday from noon to 1
p.m. at the Book Mart & Cafe
in downtown Starkville at
120 East Main Street, second
floor. We will begin studying “Wings” by Jill Briscoe
on Tuesday, Sept. 9 We have
lunch together and discuss the
devotions. Come any time you
are free. For more information,
call Jean at 312-0245.
u Quilting Group Meeting—The Golden Triangle
Quilters Guild meets the third
Thursday of the month at 5:30
p.m. at the Starkville Sportsplex
Community Building. All levels
of quilters are welcome. Contact Gloria Reeves at 418-7905
or Luanne Blankenship at 3237597 for more information.
u Veteran volunteering—
Gentiva Hospice is looking for
veteran volunteers for its newly
established “We Honor Veterans” program. Volunteers can
donate as little as one hour per
week or more. For more information, call Carly Wheat at
662-615-1519 or email carly.
[email protected].
u Youth Orchestra—Golden Triangle Regional Youth
Orchestra is a newly formed
See TOWN | Page 3
Friday, November 7, 2014 • Starkville Daily News • Page 3
TOWN
From page 2
yourth string orchestra located
in Starkville but intended to
serve the Golden Triangle region. GTRYO will meet Monday nights from 6 - 7:15 p.m.
at MSU’s music department,
building C. GTRYO membership is open to all violin, viola,
cello and bass studnets who are
at Suzuki Vol. 4 playing level
(violin/viola) or Suzuki Vol.
3 play level (cello/bass). Students 18 years or younger are
strongly encouraged to join
our group, but older students
and community players are also
welcome. Foir more information, contact Shandy Phillips at
[email protected]
or call 662-323-6005.
u Line
dancing—The
Starkville Sportsplex will host
afternoon line dancing in its activities room. Beginners-2 Line
dancing is held noon - 1 p.m.
For more information, call Lisa
at 662-323-2294.
u Rule 62: Alcoholics
Anonymous meetings—The
Rule 62 Group of Alcoholics
Anonymous meets at 10 a.m.
Saturdays and at 7 p.m. Tuesdays at St. Joseph’s Catholic
Church. Participants are encouraged to use the office entrance off the rear parking lot.
Anyone with a desire to stop
drinking is welcome to attend.
For more information, call
662-418-1843.
u Al-Anon meeting—The
SENTENCING
From page 1
heart murder, which is an equivalent
to second-degree murder. He received
two, 5-year consecutive terms for assaulting Harris and Outlaw. He also
received a 10-year sentence for assaulting Ross. However, Ross asked
Coleman for leniency during the hearing, and so the sentence will run concurrently the others.
“This case was a tragic incident,”
Coleman said. “No sentence that the
court can render will ever bring back
C.K. Randle or keep the other three
people from being shot. The court has
considered the fact that the defendant
is not the sole cause of the incident
and that third parties were at least
partly responsible. The court is also
mindful of the fact that human life is
precious and that any sentence should
be a deterrent to future actions. Human life should never be held cheap.
Therefore, a long prison sentence is
mandated in this case.”
Both legal counsels called a few
witnesses to the stand to testify during
the hearing. The state called Curtis
Logan, Randle’s father, to speak. Logan grew emotional and sometimes
heated as he asked Coleman for the
maximum sentence against Thomp-
MAP
From page 1
a new Fresh Food Company
dining hall slated to open in
2015 can be seen on Bully
Boulevard, and the new classroom building under construction behind the YMCA building is visible as well.
Christopher Little, a lecturer in Spanish at MSU, said
he enjoys the fact that the map
lets him learn more about each
building’s history. He said he
has been at MSU only three
years, and he initially had trouble adjusting to the size of the
campus and orient himself, so
he was glad to see a new map
to better assist newcomers.
“When I first came here,
I went to a very small undergraduate school that had
only 300 people,” Little said.
“Sometimes, it is really diffi-
Starkville group meets at 6:30
p.m. Tuesdays upstairs at Episcopal Church of the Resurrection. Call 662-323-1692, 662418-5535 or 601-663-5682.
u Clothing ministry—
Rock Hill Clothing Ministry
will be opened every Tuesday,
Thursday and Saturday from 8 11 a.m. The ministry is open to
the public and is located across
the street from Rock Hill United Methodist Church at 4457
Rock Hill Road. For more information, contact Donna Poe
at 662-323-8871 or 662-3122935.
u Celebrate Recovery—
Fellowship Baptist Church
hosts Celebrate Recovery every
Tuesday at 1491 Frye Rd. in
Starkville. A light meal starts at
son.
“Dennis Thompson hasn’t made
an attempt to talk to me or my wife,
nor my family,” Logan said. “Instead
he wants to joke around about this.
I think he should get the max — 40
years. He took a life that he had no
need of trying to — he didn’t feel
any sympathy. He was a coward that
night.”
The defense called Ross to testify
Thursday. She said she didn’t consider
herself a victim of a crime, but rather
a bystander caught in the crossfire of a
situation that may have been beyond
Thompson’s control.
“Everyone doesn’t really see the
situation like they should, because for
every effect, there’s a cause,” she said.
“Nobody really sees the cause of the
situation. He was in a predicament
and the only way he could’ve turned
was the way he turned. I just hope
and pray that when y’all do sentence
him, don’t look at him as a notorious
killer or anything. He was a child at
the moment. He had a lot going for
himself and I just hope and wish y’all
still give him a chance to fix it because
he’s not a bad person at all.”
Thompson’s defense, comprised of
attorneys Chokwe A. Lumumba and
C.J. Lawrence, argued that Thompson fired his weapon in self-defense
cult to navigate campus, especially if you don’t know it that
well. I think (the map) would
be useful for people who are
new and people who are visiting.”
MSU Chief Communications Officer Sid Salter said
in a press release that MSU
launched the map to better
serve incoming freshmen, parents, alumni and visitors to
campus. He said more features
would come in phases, and
user feedback would be key to
shaping the map’s future.
“It’s vital in this first phase
that the Office of Public Affairs received as much input
as possible from MSU stakeholders about ways to refine
and improve this tool moving
forward,” Salter said in the release. “We hope our academic
departments will begin helping us develop a robust library
after a large group attacked him in
the street. Though the jury found
Thompson guilty, Lumumba asked
Coleman to be merciful in his ruling
and said he believes Thompson had
redeeming qualities.
“I can understand … the great
emotion and the great weight that this
situation presents,” Lumumba said. “I
cannot begin to tell any parent how
to feel about the loss of their child because I myself have not suffered such
a loss. I have had losses in my life but
not as a parent losing a child. I don’t
proclaim to understand that loss. Just
having that loss, I can imagine that is
a pain that will never, ever go away.
But I also consider the person Dennis Thompson to be. I know that he
never desired to be a part of any loss
of that nature for a parent.”
Assistant District Attorney Mark
Jackson, who represented the state’s
case against Thompson, said the court
should consider that Thompson had
not only harmed the community in
one case, but had another aggravated
assault charge pending in court.
Thompson is accused of aggravated assault for a Nov. 27, 2012
shooting at the Yellow Jacket Mobile
Home Park at 903 Louisville Street.
“It was a fistfight that escalated to
gunshots,” Jackson said. “In this case,
of programmed walking tours
specific to their departments,
with the same true for all aspects of campus life.”
MSU President Mark Keenum said in the release that
the new map could also serve
as a valuable recruiting tool to
boost enrollment at the university.
“We believe this tool will
not only serve our existing
students, faculty and staff, but
will also serve to amplify our
recruiting efforts nationally as
out-of-state students are able
to virtually navigate our campus in a meaningful way,”
Keenum said in the release.
Rosa Nigro, a lecturer in
Italian at MSU, said she valued the road closure information available on the new map,
because her daughter rode the
school bus to campus, and it
would be useful for bus drivers
SLOW DOWN, SUGAR!
Prevention is Possible.
Presented by OCH Center for Diabetes Management
Director Nicky Yeatman, RD, LD, CDE
Thursday, November 13 • Noon–1 pm
OCH Educational Facility | Light Lunch Provided
DIABETES PREVENTION • RISK FACTORS • WARNING SIGNS
ALTERNATIVE THERAPIES • LIFESTYLE MODIFICATIONS
Two out of every 5 Americans are expected
to develop type 2 diabetes during their lifetime.
Diabetes is serious, controllable and preventable. A person with prediabetes
has a blood sugar level higher than normal, but not high
enough yet for a diagnosis of
diabetes. He or she is at higher
risk for developing type 2 diabetes and other serious health
problems, including heart disease and stroke.
Research shows that modest weight loss and
regular physical activity alone can help prevent
6 p.m. and the program begins
at 6:45 p.m. Child care services
are provided. For more information and directions to the
church, call 662-320-9988 or
662-295-0823.
u Healing rooms—From
6:30 - 8:30 p.m. every Monday,
Starkville Healing Rooms provide a loving, safe and confidential environment where you can
come to receive healing prayer
for physical healing, encouragement, or other needs. Our teams
consist of Spirit-filled Christians
from different local churches.
No appointment necessary.
Rooms are located upstairs in
the Starkville Sportsplex located
at 405 Lynn Lane in Starkville.
For more information, call
662-418-5596 or email info@
or delay type 2 diabetes by up to 58% in people
with prediabetes.
In an effort to help individuals stop the disease before it starts, the Center
for Diabetes Management at
OCH Regional Medical Center
is hosting a lunch and learn
that will focus on diabetes prevention, risk factors, warning
signs, alternative therapies and
lifestyle modifications. For more information
about diabetes or the OCH Center for Diabetes
Management, visit och.org.
RSVP by calling (662) 615-3067 by Monday, November 10 or email [email protected]
worldaflameministries.org and
visit http://www.healingrooms.
com
u
Alcoholics
Anonymous—The Starkville A.A.
Group meets six days per week
downstairs at the Episcopal
Church of the Resurrection. Call
327-8941 or visit www.starkvilleaa.org for schedules and more
information.
u PEO Chapter N meeting—The PEO Chapter N
meeting is held 9 a.m. the second Thursday of each month.
PEO is an organization of
women helping women reach
for the stars. For more information about monthly meetings
contact Bobbie Walton at 662323-5108.
u Senior Center activi-
the jury has decided it was depraved
heart murder and the scary thing
about that is it was a fistfight that
ended in gunshots. Fistfights happen
in Oktibbeha County and in this district all the time. The jury has decided that this defendant’s acts weren’t
reasonable. … What message will be
sent to the community in the future
for these people who are involved in
a fistfight and have a gun on them?
Any sentence that shows leniency or
gives a break to someone who has a
gun and shoots into a crowd of dozens of people who weren’t involved
in the fray serves no deterrence.”
After the sentencing, Lumumba
and Lawrence said they intend to appeal the verdict and continue fighting
for Thompson. Lumumba said he regrets the loss of life and injuries in the
case, but also took issue with some
matters that arose during the trial.
Lumumba also pointed to an instance where jury members sent a
question to the courtroom asking
what to do if some members felt
there was not enough evidence to
reach a verdict. He said he was confident the jury would have come back
with a different verdict if the defense
had been allowed to submit the “insufficiency of evidence” instruction,
which says jurors must find a defen-
to have up-to-date information
on road availability. She said
she would like to see the map
track how full each parking lot
on campus is, to make it easier
to find available parking.
“I think (the map) is pretty
cool in terms of marketing our
university,” Nigro said. “Parents and prospective students
can see inside the buildings.
For game days, people really
want to know which streets
ties—The Starkville Senior Enrichment Center on Miley Drive
hosts Party Bridge Mondays and
Fridays at 1 p.m. Senior Game
Days are Tuesdays and Thursdays at 1 p.m. On Wednesdays
stitch, craft and chat with Marie
anytime between 10 a.m. and
2 p.m. Bring any needlework
or craft or learn a new one. For
more information call 662-3241965.
u Alzheimer’s meetings—
The Starkville Church of Christ
(1107 East Lee Blvd.) will host
the monthly meeting of the Alzheimer’s Support Group on
each first Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.
to encourage and support caregivers of those suffering from Alzheimer’s Syndrome. For more
information, call 323-1499.
dant not guilty if they find a lack of
evidence in the case. However, the
defense was denied from allowing
the instruction.
“I think it was a miscarriage of
justice,” he said. “I think all the evidence in this case shows that Dennis
Thompson acted out of a reasonable
fear, and I don’t think the jury was
given a fair opportunity to determine
the facts of this case. I think that is
exhibited by the fact that the defense
counsel was not allowed one single
instruction. That is unheard of. That
is egregious. And I think that is a
miscarriage of justice — not only because it does not provide a fair, adequate and just exercise of the legal
process.”
Jackson said he hoped the case’s
conclusion finally brought some closure to Randle’s family.
“I know the family is relieved —
one, that the case is over and two,
that they feel C.K. got justice here,”
he said. “I always tell victims if you’re
in here for some kind of win or to get
satisfaction, you can’t go in with that
mentality. I know his family feels
there’s some relief that we’re finally
able to put a close to this portion but
they’ve still got a long road in dealing with the loss of a son and father
who’s not here anymore.”
are open and which ones are
not.”
Alexis Montgomery, a
sophomore majoring in animal and dairy science, said
she liked the panoramas of
building interiors like McCool
Hall, the Chapel of Memories,
Perry Cafeteria, Harned Hall
and more. She said she also
liked that the new map clearly
showed not only roads but
also sidewalks.
“It’s more convenient,
especially if you’re touring
campus and trying to find
where to park, and the road’s
blocked because of construction,” Montgomery said. “It’s
nice that you can see what the
building interiors look like
— if you’re trying to figure
out your schedule and you’re
a new freshman, (buildings)
are not just colorful blocks (as
with the old app).”
Page 4
I
Forum
STARKVILLEDAILYNEWS.COM
I
Friday, November 7, 2014
Opinion
Mutual funds … so a real person can understand
There are as many ways to ininvestor’s share of ownership does
vest as there are people investing;
not change, nor does “what” he
plain and simple. I won’t start a
owns. He owns a piece of the mulist here even for illustrative purtual fund. Mutual funds can conposes. And if I asked a roomful of
sist of tens up to hundreds or even
adults who among them had heard
thousands of individual securities.
of mutual funds, my bet is that all
Example time. I and nine of
would raise their hands. Ask them
my best friends open a store. We
to explain mutual funds, however,
name that store Ten Friends Genand most of those hands would diseral Store (TFGS). We hire an
Barbara Coats
appear. So this week’s lesson, class,
experienced store manager to run
Financial
is a layman’s explanation of mutual
the store, including purchasing iniRepresentative
funds.
tial inventory. The store manager
By definition, a mutual fund is a collection of purchases for our store shelves everything from
stocks, bonds and/or other securities products shoes to shirts, from cookies to candles, from
(hereafter referred to as just “securities”) that books to baked goods. We, the owners, provide
are pooled together into a single fund, which the money for these purchases in equal amounts,
has a name and is managed by a professional so we each own one tenth of the store equally.
investment company. When an individual in- I don’t own all the baked goods, while another
vests in a mutual fund, that person’s dollars are friend owns the shoes. See how it works?
pooled with those of all the other investors in
When an investor purchases shares of a muthat fund, which allows the fund to purchase tual fund, he is buying shares at a price that is
more securities, all in an attempt to grow the representative of the total value of all the holddollar value of the fund. The specific securities ings of that fund divided by the number of
in that fund can change daily, but the individual shares held in that fund. In our store’s example,
let’s assume the value of the TFGS is $100,000.
In mutual fund terms, this value is known as
NAV, or Net Asset Value, of the fund. We 10
friends own equal portions, so each of us owns
a $10,000 share in the store. If there were 50
friends who shared equal ownership, each of us
would own a $2,000 share. This simplistic example is based on equal ownership, which is not
typically going to be the case in a mutual fund,
but it illustrates the point.
It is important to note that a fund’s NAV will
vary from day to day as the value of the securities
held in the fund changes — as the store makes
sales, buys new merchandise, pays the electric
bill, etc. And naturally, as the NAV changes,
so does the value of an individual’s investment.
This fluctuation can result in the investor having
more than or less than he originally started with.
This fund characteristic, called mutuality, allows
shareholders to share in the profits and losses,
as well as the income and expenses of the fund.
Back to our example. If I did own all the
baked goods in our store, and suddenly there
was an outbreak of food poisoning from our
goods, my ownership’s value in the store would
plummet, while perhaps the partner who owned
antacids and anti-nausea medications might become rich. Instead, because our respective ownership is divided equally among the goods in the
store, this instance of food poisoning doesn’t
adversely affect one of us more than the others.
(Again, this assume equal ownership of shares.)
TFGS is a general store. We could have
opened a shoe store, a ladies’ boutique, a camera store, a restaurant or one of countless other
businesses characterized by their merchandise or
service. Likewise, mutual funds are divided into
categories based upon their characteristics. Next
time, I’ll describe these fund categories.
For now, take away this: Mutual funds are
typically a good way for the inexperienced investor to begin investing. The funds are professionally managed, daily decisions of the investor
are not required, and the risk in a mutual fund
is shared among all investors of that fund. Talk
to your financial professional about how you
might get started.
Barbara Runnels Coats, FIC, is a Modern
Woodmen of America Financial representative.
Opinion
What Democrats must do win back the country
Washington Post
When a party loses as catastrophically as the Democrats lost Tuesday,
something very big has gone very
wrong. Democrats can’t blame the
blowout simply on the six-year itch,
or low midterm turnout, or Republican negativity, or Barack Obama’s
too-cool-for-rule presidency. What
fundamentally ails the Democrats,
rather, is the same ailment that afflicts
incumbent parties throughout the advanced economies, and parties of the
center-left in particular: their inability
to deliver broadly shared prosperity as
they used to do.
The Ebola and Islamic State phobias certainly didn’t help, but the overwhelming anxiety that the Democrats
failed to address was the economy. In
national exit polls, 45 percent of re-
spondents cited the economy as their
chief concern – way ahead of health
care, which ranked second at 25 percent, not to mention foreign policy,
which clocked in at 13 percent.
Dig a little deeper into the public’s economic fears, though, and
you might conclude that the Democrats should have had a good election
night. Sixty-three percent of respondents told pollsters they believed that
the U.S. economic system generally
favors the wealthy, while just 32 percent said that it is fair to most. And a
wave of ballot measures to raise state
or city minimum wages carried wherever they were put before voters –
from deepest-blue San Francisco and
Oakland to solid-red Nebraska, South
Dakota, Arkansas and Alaska.
Yet Democrats were singularly unable to take advantage of such unargu-
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ably populist sentiments. Never mind
their failure to win in red states or
hold the Senate. They failed to turn
out their voters, or persuade the hitherto persuadable, in such blue bastions as Maryland, Massachusetts and
Illinois, where they lost governors’
races. If current margins hold, there
will be just 18 Democratic governors in
January, and just eight in the 31 states
that don’t border the Atlantic or Pacific.
Yet the same factors that lowered
the turnout of the Democratic base also
cost the party votes among whites: the
failure of government to remedy, or
even address, the downward mobility
of most Americans. Democrats who
touted the nation’s economic growth
did so at their own peril: When 95 percent of the income growth since the recession ended goes to the wealthiest 1
percent, as economist Emmanuel Saez
has documented, voters view reports
of a recovery as they would news from
a distant land. Even though it was the
Republicans who blocked Democrats’
efforts to raise the federal minimum
wage or authorize job-generating infrastructure projects or diminish student
debt, it was Democrats – the party generally perceived as controlling the government – who paid the price for that
government’s failure to act.
But with the exception of Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., who has been
plenty outspoken about diminishing the
power of Wall Street, the Democrats
have had precious little to say about
how to re-create the kind of widely
shared prosperity that emerged from
the New Deal. The regulated and more
equitable capitalism of the mid-20th
century has morphed into a far harsher
system, just as Americans told the exit
pollsters, and the Democrats, whose
calling card to generations of voters was
their ability to foster good economies,
are at a loss for how to proceed. Like
their counterparts in the center-left parties of Europe, they had crafted national
policies that bolstered the power and
income of the majority of their citizens.
But globalization, technology, financialization and the erosion of workers’
power have undermined those policies
and fractured their electorates.
Democrats can’t rely simply on
their demographic advantages and
their edge on cultural issues to win the
White House in 2016, much less retake
Congress. They need to go where they
haven’t gone before – increasing workers’ power and incomes within corporations, say – if they are to create an
economic platform credible enough to
win back the country.
SDN Staff Directory
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Publisher: Don Norman, [email protected]
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Editor: Zack Plair, [email protected]
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Sports Editor: Danny Smith, [email protected]
Sports Reporters: Ben Wait, Jason Edwards
DISPLAY/CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING
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CIRCULATION
Circulation Manager: Byron Norman, [email protected]
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Friday, November 7, 2014 • Starkville Daily News • Page 5
Today's Weather
Weather
Local 5-Day Forecast
Fri
Sat
Sun
Mon
Tue
11/7
11/8
11/9
11/10
11/11
58/34
64/36
63/36
68/48
72/36
A mainly
sunny sky.
High 58F.
Winds light
and variable.
Plenty of
sun. Highs in
the mid 60s
and lows in
the mid 30s.
Abundant
sunshine.
Highs in the
low 60s and
lows in the
mid 30s.
Sunny.
Highs in the
upper 60s
and lows in
the upper
40s.
Chance of
showers.
Highs in the
low 70s and
lows in the
mid 30s.
Sunrise:
6:19 AM
Sunset:
4:58 PM
Sunrise:
6:20 AM
Sunset:
4:57 PM
Sunrise:
6:21 AM
Sunset:
4:56 PM
Sunrise:
6:22 AM
Sunset:
4:56 PM
Sunrise:
6:22 AM
Sunset:
4:55 PM
Homecoming activities
promise exciting weekend
For Starkville Daily News
An exciting weekend of homecoming activities awaits Mississippi State alumni and friends.
Catch the annual homecoming parade at 5:30 p.m. today. The procession begins on College View Drive near the
Child Development Center and turns east onto Bailey Howell Ave. (formerly Coliseum Boulevard) before turning south
on George Perry St., then west on Barr Ave. to B.S. Hood
Drive, rounding the Junction and concluding at Dorman
Hall.
MSU’s No. 1-ranked football team looks to build on its
perfect season when the Dawgs meet UT-Martin on Saturday at 3 p.m. in Davis Wade Stadium. The Dawg Walk begins at 1 p.m. in the Junction.
Halftime activities include the crowning of Katharine A.
“Katie” McCummins of Long Beach as homecoming queen
and recognition of Jonathan D. Lancaster of Jackson and
Haley V. Grantham of Star as this year’s Mr. and Miss MSU.
The 2014 homecoming court also will be featured, including senior maids Mary Gates Talbot of Nesbit and Alissa
A. McKinnon of Greenville, junior maids Jaslyn B. Langford
of Calhoun City and Kelsey B. Jones of Madison, sophomore
maids Anna Claire Allison of Ocean Springs and Chloe D.
Sullivan of Franklin, Tenn., and freshman maids Carrie L.
Gammon of Lithia, Florida and Bell Hester of Starkville.
Baseball fans have three chances to see MSU’s Diamond
Dogs in action at Dudy Noble Field. Scrimmages get underway at 4 p.m. today, 11 a.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday.
Meanwhile, MSU’s women’s basketball team meets Arkansas-Fort Smith in an exhibition game Sunday at 2 p.m. in
Humphrey Coliseum.
Mississippi At A Glance
Updates announced for traffic routes on Saturday
Tupelo
58/36
For Starkville Daily News
Mississippi State officials announced Thursday
updates to traffic routes for exiting campus this
Saturday after the university’s homecoming game
against the University of Tennessee-Martin. Kickoff time is 3 p.m. in Davis Wade Stadium.
“MSU hasGreenville
partnered with the Mississippi Highway Patrol and, 59/39
most recently, with Starkville
the Starkville
Police Department to provide safer and58/34
more effective routes for fans leaving campus after home
games,” said Sid Salter, the university’s chief communications officer and Game Day committee
Meridian
member.
61/35
These routes are as follows:
u Spring/BlackjackJackson
Right lane forced to61/39
Hwy. 12 via Spring St.;
Left lane forced to Montgomery St. via Locksley
Way.
u Locksley/Montgomery
Traffic traveling south on Montgomery will be
forced into right lane; Locksley Way traffic will be
forced left onto S. Montgomery St.
u Montgomery to Academy
Right lane has option for right onto Lynn Lane;
Right lane forced right onto Academy Rd.; Left
lane continues to Poor House Road.
u Academy/Old Hwy. 25
All traffic on Academy forced left onto Old
Hwy. 25 toward MS Hwy. 25.
u Hwy. 12
Officers will man intersections on Hwy. 12
from Spring St. to Louisville St.; Traffic lights will
blink caution on Hwy. 12 from Ave. of Patriots to
Stark Rd.; MHP will block campus entrance for
Bully Blvd. from Hwy. 12
u East Lee Blvd.
All east bound traffic on East Lee Blvd. will be
forced east to MS Hwy. 182 via East Lee Blvd.;
Once Zacharias Village, Bully and Coliseum grass
lots clear, traffic from Hardy Road will be forced
left onto Bailey Howell Drive to access MS Hwy.
182 from George Perry St., and traffic from McKee/MSU Sponsored Parking will be forced into
right lane of East Lee Blvd. and sent to MS Hwy.
182 E. via East Lee Blvd.
Routes are subject to change at the discretion of
MSU Police and Game Day Operations, MHP and
SPD.
Other pertinent homecoming game information
includes:
Friday, Nov. 7
u A portion of Barr Ave. will close from 3:30-5
p.m.
u Any commuter decal can park in any commuter zone.
Saturday, Nov. 8
u B.S. Hood will close at 6 a.m. Saturday.
u Portions for Stone Blvd. will close at 11 a.m. in
anticipation of the C-Spire Fan Zone opening.
u Walker Rd. will be off limits to all non-credentialed patrons as normal. However, a loading/
unloading zone will be set up on Saturday in front of
the YMCA Building for fans. To assist with unloading supplies there will be a loading zone in front of
YMCA, but access to it will close 11 a.m. Saturday
to non-credentialed patrons.
u Stadium gates open at 12:45 p.m. Fans should
arrive early.
u Dawg Walk at 1 p.m.
u Tailgating fans are reminded to bag their trash,
refuse and food waste appropriately for pickup by
MSU after the game. All garbage must be left in bags
that are tied or otherwise sealed.
u ADDED BONUS: The Clarion-Ledger
newspaper plans to distribute a special section on
the MSU Bulldogs immediately following the game.
Distribution will be in the grassy area east of McArthur Hall, on the east side of the Seal M-Club on
East Lee Blvd., and outside Gate A near the Alumni
tent.
u RING RESPONSIBLY.
SHUTTLES:
u Shuttle Routes for Saturday will run three
hours before kickoff (noon) and two hours after the
end of the game.
u Reserved RV/Wise Center - Picks up at Lot
29 and 31 and on the northwest corner of the Wise
Center and drops off at Thompson Hall.
u Thad Cochran Research Park - Runs from Research Park to Humphrey Coliseum.
u Davis Wade Express - Picks up at Starkville
Daily News and drops off at Giles Hall.
u S.M.A.R.T Downtown Route - Starkville
Electric, Regions Bank, Bank of Commerce, Stromboli’s, Catholic Church, Sweet Peppers to Giles Hall.
u For additional transportation choices that run
throughout Starkville, but do not run on campus
visit www.smart.msstate.edu
MSU engineering students to
Area Cities
participate in Cowbell Challenge
Biloxi
67/45
City
Hi Lo Cond.
City
Hi Lo Cond.
Baton Rouge, LA 66 45 mst sunny Memphis, TN
57 41 sunny
Biloxi
67 45 mst sunny Meridian
61 35 sunny
Birmingham,
AL 58
38 News
sunny
Mobile, AL
66and
45 Amy
mst sunny
For Starkville
Daily
Tuck, vice president for campus serBrookhavem
62 39 sunny
Montgomery, AL 62 38 sunny
vices,
will
evaluate
each team’s creation for funcCleveland
58 38 sunny
Natchez
62 42 sunny
Mississippi State
prove every
week that 58tionality,
Columbus
59 36fans
sunny
New Albany
36 sunnycreativity and the overall look of the
Corinth
37 sunny Now,
New the
Orleans,
LA 64entry.
51 mst sunny
they can “ring 57
responsibly.”
Bagley
Greenville
59 39 sunny
College of Engineering
wants toOxford
know if they 56 36A sunny
$500 prize will be awarded to the overall
Grenada
59 36 sunny
Philadelphia
60 35 sunny
can
“ring
ingeniously.”
winner
and the top-finishing team in each catGulfport
67 44 mst sunny Senatobia
56 38 sunny
Today, teams
students will 58egory:
freshman-sophomore, junior-senior and
Hattiesburg
64 of
39 engineering
sunny
Starkville
34 sunny
compete in the61Cowbell
on MSU’s 57graduate.
Jackson
39 sunnyChallenge
Tunica
38 sunnyThe grand prize-winning device will
Laurel
63 39The
sunny
Tupeloasks each 58be36
sunny at the Bagley College’s tailgate from
historic Drill Field.
competition
displayed
Little
AR 59
42 sunnyto automatically
Vicksburg ring 58noon
39 sunny
teamRock,
to create
a machine
until kickoff on Saturday.
Mc Comb
63 39 sunny
Yazoo City
60 38 sunny
a standard Mississippi State cowbell in the most
For more information about the Cowbell
spirited way possible. Their creations will be on Challenge, visit www.bagley.msstate.edu/cowNational
display fromCities
11:30 a.m. until 2 p.m.
bellchallenge.
CityStarting at 12:30
Hi Lo Cond.
City of judges, Hi Lo
Cond.
p.m., a panel
Additional
information about the Bagley ColAtlanta
60 37 sunny
Minneapolis
51 33 rain
including head 49
softball
be found at www.bagley.msstate.edu.
Boston
32 pt coach
sunny Vann
New Stuedeman
York
53lege
35 can
pt sunny
Chicago
Dallas
Denver
Houston
Los Angeles
Miami
47
68
68
68
85
84
41
50
33
53
61
68
pt sunny
sunny
pt sunny
pt sunny
sunny
mst sunny
Phoenix
San Francisco
Seattle
St. Louis
Washington, DC
82
69
55
55
55
59
54
42
46
38
sunny
pt sunny
pt sunny
pt sunny
sunny
Moon Phases
Full
Last
Nov 6
New
Nov 14
First
Nov 22
Nov 29
UV Index
Fri
11/7
4
Moderate
Sat
11/8
4
Moderate
Sun
11/9
4
Moderate
The UV Index is measured on a 0 - 11 number scale,
with a higher UV Index showing the need for greater
skin protection.
©2010 American Profile Hometown Content Service
Mon
11/10
4
Moderate
0
Tue
11/11
3
Moderate
11
National Diabetes Month
2014 Diabetes Care
& Education Update
OCH DIABETES SUPPORT GROUP
Support goes a long way! Learn more about how diabetes
affects you or loved ones and how you can effectively manage
diabetes on an ongoing basis. If you or someone you love is
living with diabetes, join us for our upcoming meeting.
Tuesday, November 11 • 5:30 p.m.
OCH Educational Facility
Nicky Yeatman, RD, LD, CDE
Certified Diabetes Educator
& DSMT Program Coordinator
Please call (662)615-2668 for more information.
For a more in depth look at
Mississippi State sports go to
our web site and click on
Ben’s MSU Sports Blog banner.
Page 6
I
Sports
STARKVILLEDAILYNEWS.COM
I
For a more in depth look at your favorite
local prep team’s sports go to
our web site and click on
Jason’s Prep Sports Blog banner.
Friday, November 7, 2014
High School Football
Regular season final
Yellowjackets play Arrows
for Class 6A, Region 2 title
By DANNY P. SMITH
[email protected]
Starkville’s AJ Brown (15) goes up to make a catch during last year’s meeting with Clinton.
(Photo by Lee Adams)
The Starkville Yellowjackets play the 11th
and final game of the regular season today.
It turns out to be the biggest outing thus far.
Starkville makes the trip to Clinton tonight
to play the Arrows with the Class 6A, Region
2 championship on the line. Kickoff is set for
7 p.m.
The Jackets were challenged last week by
Warren Central before winning 27-17, but
head coach Jamie Mitchell said his squad is
about to get its biggest test of the season with
the region’s top seed at stake.
Starkville and Clinton are both 6-0 in the
Region 2.
“If you are writing a book, this is how you’d
want the final chapter to be,” Mitchell said.
“The last game of the year with all of the marbles on the table with division championship
and playoff seeding. All of those things are vitally important and boils down to the last game
of the year.
“This will be for one or two. The winner
is one and the loser is two. We know we will
be here next week. This game goes so much
further than that as far as the second and third
round of the playoffs is concerned. The division
champion is going to hold a lot more at stake
as far as hosting future playoff games. To me,
that’s the most important part of it all.”
The only loss of the year for the Arrows (91) came in the third game against Brandon 217.
“To me, this is the best team we’ve played
all year,” Mitchell said. “I think they match our
athleticism as close as anybody we’ve played
too. There will be two very talented football
teams and we’re going to have to play extremely well to say the least.”
As far as the Jackets, they have played well
all season in claiming victories in all 10 games
so far.
All of the success has caused the season to
become a blur for the SHS coaching staff.
“It’s flown by,” defensive coordinator
Brooks Oakley said. “You think back and it
just seems like we were playing West Point and
Noxubee out there in the first game of the year.
That usually happens when you have a good
season. You don’t want it to end. When you
have a bad season, it seems like it takes forever.”
It may have seemed that way for Oakley’s
unit at times last week against Warren Central
as the Jackets fell behind 17-0 early in the second half.
Even though the defense gave the offense a
chance to come back at the end, Oakley was
concerned with the overall performance.
“We just didn’t play very well anywhere to
be honest,” Oakley said. “A lot of it was Warren Central is good and coach (Josh) Morgan
does a good job with them. We didn’t feel like
we played up to our standards we set early in
the year.”
The Jackets are going to be tested once again
defensively by the talents of Clinton sophomore
quarterback Cam Akers.
Akers has accounted for a combined 2,041
yards and 27 touchdowns passing and rushing.
“He’s no question the best dual-threat quarterback we’ve seen all year,” Mitchell said.
“He’s one of those guys that makes more out of
busted plays than designed plays.
“You think you have defended something
pretty good and he turns a good defensive series into a nightmare just because of his ability.”
Starkville has some players with ability on
offense as well, especially in the passing game.
Quarterback Brady Davis has completed
136-of-228 pass attempts for 2,344 yards and
31 touchdowns. His main two targets have
been Raphael Leonard (39 catches, 845 yards,
11 touchdowns) and AJ Brown (39 catches,
727 yards, 11 touchdowns).
Matt Fuller is the leading rusher for the
Jackets with 89 carries for 638 yards and seven
scores, but Mitchell said he is playing hurt.
“Matt Fuller, bless his heart, he’s battered
and bruised,” Mitchell said. “He’s got a tailbone, an ankle, (and) a shoulder. He’s a long
way from 100 percent, but he’s so tough and
gives you everything he’s got.”
Mitchell said the plan is to keep Fuller in the
game as much as possible and “get whatever he
can give us.”
SHS defensive lineman AJ Smith is still being hampered by a sore ankle. He played about
one half against Warren Central.
With all of the pressure to perform, Mitchell
wanted to make sure his players don’t get too
uptight.
He started off the week of practice by delivering a specific message.
“I talked to them Monday about the stress of
tough games one after another after another,”
Mitchell said. “The last three have really been
taxing on us. The pressure of a No. 1 ranking
(in the state) and a national (ranking) all factors in.
“These are kids. We’ve got to keep putting
that in perspective, try to take the pressure
away from them and let them enjoy playing the
game. At the end of the day, it’s a game and we
want them to have fun with it.”
Starkville Academy
makes trip to Pillow
By JASON EDWARDS
[email protected]
High school football presents no “meaningless games.”
Week in and week out there is the potential for anything to happen.
Teams can lose to anyone on any given day as an underdog can finally get their day. Starkville Academy will
engage in tonight what some might call one of those
games that does not really matter.
The Volunteers have already clinched home field advantage throughout the postseason as well as the North
Half champion position.
Even with that being the case, coach Jeff Terrill and his
team are not taking anything for granted as they travel to
Pillow Academy.
“Of course Pillow is a tough environment to win in
during any circumstances,” Terrill said. “This is a unique
set of circumstance that we are glad to be in. We have
been able to clinch the North Division so the game now,
you hate to say is a meaningless game, but we don’t have
to win. We will proceed at Starkville Academy though
with a football game that we want to win.”
Unlike earlier games where the Vols claimed their 9-1
overall and 4-0 division records, the fact that there is really
nothing at stake presents a challenge much different than
any the team has faced all season.
This time Starkville Academy is charged with finding
motivation from another source other than needing the
win to be playoff eligible or to clinch home field advantage. It will be interesting to see if the Vols are able to do
so, but Terrill is confident in his bunch and their ability to
rally around each other for football.
“It is a unique challenge for our young men to get up
and play at a high level and still use this week to get better,” Terrill said. “Still nothing has really changed for us
after the very first ballgame. It is just a tight knit group.
There are no superstars on this team. We have had young
men perform well, but they have performed well together
as a team. They have kept that unity throughout and it has
put us where we are today.”
One more ingredient exists in the tightness that has
flowed throughout this season’s Starkville Academy team.
It is one that starts from the top and trickles down through
each and every aspect of the game.
“I can’t speak enough about our coaching staff,” Terrill said. “Coach (Chase) Nicholson has done a tremendous job. They respond to him. Coach (Brad) Butler is
a great strength coach and a tremendous defensive mind
that brings a lot of personality. Colin Johnson has been
our hidden secret because we are blessed to have a true
offensive line coach. (With) them being here, it means I
basically show up for work, make a little fuss and notice
not many people pay attention to me so I move on and do
my best not to mess them up.”
The ride enjoyed by Terrill, his fellow coaches and the
See SA | Page 7
Starkville Academy quarterback Houston Clark (12) hands the football
to Drake Gordman in an earlier game this season. (Photo by David Allen
Williams)
Noteworthy
255
MSU
The average yards rushing per game for
the Mississippi State offense, which ranks
second in the Southeastern Conference.
College Basketball
Bulldogs stingy
to win exhibition
By BEN WAIT
[email protected]
Mississippi State head coach Rick Ray promised some
good defensive play this season.
The Bulldogs delivered on that as they beat Delta State
72-51 Thursday night in the only preseason exhibition contest of the season.
MSU held the Statesman to just 26.1 percent shooting
from the field in the first half, but allowed 47.8 percent in
the second half. Delta State finished the night shooting 37
percent (17-of-46). The Bulldogs used a full court press
throughout the game that bothered the Statesman.
“I thought out guys really came out with a great intensity
on the defensive end in the first half and I thought that really
carried over to the offensive end,” Ray said.
MSU created 25 turnovers and turned those into 24
points. After outscoring the Statesman 37-16 in the first half,
the teams were even in the second half at 35. True freshman
Demetrius Houston led the Bulldogs with two steals.
State forced a couple of shot clock violations and one
10-second backcourt violation.
“That’s what we harp on every day in practice – defense,
defense defense,” MSU junior guard Fred Thomas said. “I
think we did a pretty good job defensively. We got some
stops, we got some 10 second calls, we got some shot clock
violations and throwing some basketballs all over the place.”
Junior center Gavin Ware led the Bulldogs with 19 points.
He was 9-of-13 from the field and showed a 17-foot jump
shot, that he developed last year and showed some, but really
worked on in the offseason.
“I would say new and improved Gavin Ware,” the former
Starkville High School standout said. “I’m more in shape,
more fit and more able to help my team be successful in the
long run.”
Houston had 12 points and two assists in his MSU debut.
Redshirt freshman Fallou Ndoye had 11 points, but was just
3-of-10 from the field. He made five free throws in seven
attempts.
Devin Schmidt led the Statesman with 25 points.
The Bulldogs open the regular season next Friday with a
home game against Western Carolina.
Lady Vols drop road decision
PELAHATCHIE – The Starkville Academy Lady Volunteers lost a 56-32 decision to East Rankin Academy on the
basketball court on Thursday night.
East Rankin took a 23-14 lead at halftime and went on
to the victory.
Anna McKell scored 16 points to lead the Lady Vols.
SHS’ Carr makes All-District
The All-District high school volleyball team was announced this week and Starkville High School’s Khristian
Carr made the first team.
April Reese of the Lady Yellowjackets was a second team
selection.
There were co-Most Valuable Players with Chelsea Lamping and Allison Terrell of DeSoto Central.
MSU’s Cash, Lakat fall in tennis
NEW YORK CITY, N.Y. – After receiving a first-round
bye, the Mississippi State men’s tennis duo of Julian Cash
and Florian Lakat dropped their round of 16 match at the
2014 USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships on Thursday afternoon.
Facing off against Notre Dame’s tandem of Eddy Covalschi and Josh Hagar, the first set was a back-and-forth contest
between the two squads, with neither side gaining an advantage. That was until a late break for the Irish team sealed a
7-5 first-set victory. The Bulldog duo suffered an early break
in the second set, but rebounded with a break back, putting
the match back on serve, down 3-2. However, Covalschi and
Hagar answered with a second break in the set, going on to
take the second frame and the match, 7-5, 6-3.
Cash and Lakat return to action today at 4:30 p.m., as
they take on South Florida’s 12th-ranked Roberto Cid and
Sasha Gozun in the second-round doubles consolation. The
MSU duo will need three victories to win the consolation
bracket.
Loyd Star linebacker has died
JACKSON (AP) — Peyton Flowers, a senior linebacker
on the Loyd Star football team, has died at a Jackson hospital
from an apparent brain injury.
His death Thursday at the University of Mississippi Medical Center from an apparent brain injury was confirmed by
his football coach Adam Cook and school officials.
Cook says the cause of Flowers’ death has not been released by the hospital at the request of the family.
The 18-year-old Flowers was apparently injured during
an Oct. 31 game. He fell unconscious on the sideline and
was rushed to the hospital.
UMMC doctors had been treating Flowers for a subdural
hematoma, or brain bleed.
SA
From page 6
Volunteer players is one that
has taken the team all across
the state and saw them defeat
some powerful teams, including last week’s victory over
Jackson Academy which just
so happened to be the first
Scorecard
Starkville Daily News
College Football
College Football Playoff Rankings
Record
1. Mississippi St.
8-0
2. Florida St.
8-0
3. Auburn
7-1
4. Oregon
8-1
5. Alabama
7-1
6. TCU
7-1
7. Kansas St.
7-1
8. Michigan St.
7-1
9. Arizona St.
7-1
10. Notre Dame
7-1
11. Mississippi
7-2
12. Baylor
7-1
13. Nebraska
8-1
14. Ohio St.
7-1
15. Oklahoma
6-2
16. LSU
7-2
17. Utah
6-2
18. UCLA
7-2
19. Arizona
6-2
20. Georgia
6-2
21. Clemson
6-2
22. Duke
7-1
23. West Virginia
6-3
24. Georgia Tech
7-2
25. Wisconsin
6-2
The College Football Playoff Selection
Committee will issue weekly rankings
each Tuesday, with the final rankings being announced Sunday, Dec. 7. The playoff semifinals will match the No. 1 seed
vs. the No. 4 seed, and No. 2 will face
No. 3. The semifinals will be hosted at
the Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1,
2015. The championship game will be on
Jan. 12, 2015 at Arlington, Texas.
time in history for them to
beat the Raiders.
Now there is just one
more regular season game before the Vols can embark on a
postseason where the goal is
simple, win a state championship and that game kicks off
tonight in Greenwood at 7
p.m.
“I move on and do my best not to
mess them up.”
Starkville Academy coach Jeff Terrill
said in bragging on his coaching staff.
The Area Slate
Record Pts Pv
1. Mississippi St. (45) 8-0 1,484 1
2. Florida St. (15) 8-0 1,452 2
3. Auburn 7-1 1,345 4
4. Alabama 7-1 1,281 3
5. Oregon 8-1 1,275 5
6. TCU 7-1 1,148 10
7. Michigan St. 7-1 1,120 8
8. Notre Dame 7-1 1,096 6
9. Kansas St. 7-1 1,049 11
10. Baylor 7-1 961 12
11. Arizona St. 7-1 831 15
12. Mississippi 7-2 828 7
13. Ohio St. 7-1 780 13
14. LSU 7-2 717 16
15. Nebraska 8-1 680 17
16. Oklahoma 6-2 574 19
17. Georgia 6-2 465 9
18. UCLA 7-2 464 25
19. Clemson 6-2 341 22
20. Utah 6-2 327 18
21. Arizona 6-2 325 14
22. Duke 7-1 288 24
23. Marshall 8-0 238 23
24. West Virginia 6-3 159 20
25. Wisconsin 6-2 83 NR
High School Basketball
Winona Christian at Starkville Christian, 4 p.m.
High School Football
Starkville at Clinton, 7 p.m.
Starkville Academy at Pillow Academy, 7 p.m.
East Oktibbeha at Ethel, 7 p.m.
Nanih Waiya at West Oktibbeha, 7 p.m.
Sebastopol at French Camp, 7 p.m.
MHSAA Class 2A Playoffs
Amway Top 25 Poll
Record Pts Pvs
1. Mississippi State (40 8-0 15261
2. Florida State (22
8-0 1501 2
3. Auburn
7-1 1355 4
4. Alabama
7-1 1349 3
5. Oregon
8-1 1289 6
6. Michigan State
7-1 1241 5
7. TCU
7-1 1150 10
8. Notre Dame
7-1 1121 7
9. Kansas State
7-1 1087 11
10. Baylor
7-1 957 12
11. Ohio State
7-1 901 13
12. Arizona State
7-1 854 14
13. Mississippi
7-2 793 9
14. Nebraska
8-1 766 16
15. LSU
7-2 636 17
16. Oklahoma
6-2 601 20
17. Georgia
6-2 508 8
18. UCLA
7-2 438 25
19. Clemson
6-2 394 21
20. Duke
7-1 320 24
21. Arizona
6-2 307 15
22. Utah
6-2 253 18
22. Marshall
8-0 253 23
24. Wisconsin
6-2 146 NR
25. West Virginia
6-3 130 22
Wesson at Choctaw County, 7 p.m.
MAIS Class A, District 7 Playoffs
Others receiving votes: Missouri 82;
Colorado State 81; Georgia Tech 32;
Southern California 31; Minnesota 19;
Iowa 12; Louisville 7; Boise State 5; Cincinnati 2; East Carolina 2; Miami (Fla.) 1.
SEC Standings
Western Division
Team
Conf.Overall
Miss. State
5-0 8-0
Alabama
4-17-1
Auburn
4-17-1
Ole Miss
4-2 7-2
LSU
3-27-2
Texas A&M
2-3 6-3
Arkansas
0-54-5
Eastern Division
Team
Conf.Overall
Missouri
4-17-2
Georgia
4-26-2
Florida
3-34-3
Kentucky
2-45-4
S. Carolina
2-5 4-5
Tennessee
1-44-5
Vanderbilt
0-53-6
Saturday, Nov. 1
Miss. State 17, Arkansas 10
Auburn 35, Ole Miss 31
Texas A&M 21, Old Dominion 16
Florida 38, Georgia 20
Missouri 20, Kentucky 10
Vanderbilt 42, Old Dominion 28
Tennessee 45, S. Carolina 42
Saturday, Nov. 8
UT-Martin at Miss. State, 3 p.m.
Presbyterian at Ole Miss, 11 a.m.
Georgia at Kentucky, 11 a.m.
Texas A&M at Auburn, 2:30 p.m.
Florida at Vanderbilt, 6:30 p.m.
Alabama at LSU, 7 p.m.
Weekend Schedule
All Times EST
(Subject to change)
Today, Nov. 7
EAST
Fordham (8-1) at Bucknell (7-1), 6:30 p.m.
Memphis (5-3) at Temple (5-3), 7:30 p.m.
FAR WEST
Utah St. (6-3) at Wyoming (4-5), 8 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 8
EAST
Bryant (7-1) at Duquesne (5-4), Noon
Wagner (4-4) at Robert Morris (1-7),
Noon
Yale (6-1) at Brown (4-3), 12:30 p.m.
Dartmouth (5-2) at Cornell (0-7), 12:30
Hebron Christian at Sharkey-Issaquena Academy,
7 p.m.
WHAT’S ON TV
p.m.
Richmond (7-2) at Maine (3-5), 12:30
p.m.
New Hampshire (7-1) at Rhode Island
(0-9), 12:30 p.m.
Duke (7-1) at Syracuse (3-6), 12:30 p.m.
Lehigh (2-6) at Holy Cross (3-6), 12:35
p.m.
Sacred Heart (7-2) at CCSU (2-7), 1 p.m.
Lafayette (3-6) at Colgate (4-5), 1 p.m.
Columbia (0-7) at Harvard (7-0), 1 p.m.
James Madison (6-3) at Stony Brook
(4-5), 1 p.m.
Delaware (5-4) at Albany (NY) (6-3), 3:30
p.m.
UConn (2-6) vs. Army (2-6) at Bronx, N.Y.,
3:30 p.m.
Penn (1-6) at Princeton (4-3), 3:30 p.m.
Towson (4-5) at Villanova (7-2), 7 p.m.
Louisville (6-3) at Boston College (6-3),
7:15 p.m.
SOUTH
Gardner-Webb (4-5) at Charleston Southern (6-3), 11 a.m.
Coastal Carolina (9-0) at Charlotte (3-5),
Noon
Georgia (6-2) at Kentucky (5-4), Noon
Presbyterian (5-4) at Mississippi (7-2),
Noon
Louisiana Tech (6-3) at UAB (5-4), Noon
Georgia Tech (7-2) at NC State (5-4),
12:30 p.m.
Missouri Baptist (0-2) at Campbell (4-5),
1 p.m.
Wofford (5-3) at Chattanooga (6-3), 1
p.m.
Jacksonville (7-2) at Davidson (1-8), 1
p.m.
Jacksonville St. (7-1) at E. Kentucky (8-1),
1 p.m.
Morgan St. (5-4) at NC A&T (7-2), 1 p.m.
Alcorn St. (7-2) at Alabama A&M (3-6),
2 p.m.
Jackson St. (3-6) at Alabama St. (4-5),
2 p.m.
Hampton (2-7) at NC Central (4-5), 2
p.m.
Furman (2-7) at The Citadel (3-6), 2 p.m.
SE Missouri (4-5) at Tennessee Tech (3-6),
2:30 p.m.
SC State (6-3) at Florida A&M (2-7), 3
p.m.
Marist (3-6) at Stetson (4-5), 3 p.m.
Georgia St. (1-8) at Troy (1-8), 3 p.m.
Louisiana-Monroe (3-5) at Appalachian
St. (3-5), 3:30 p.m.
Texas A&M (6-3) at Auburn (7-1), 3:30
p.m.
Monmouth (NJ) (5-3) at Liberty (6-3),
3:30 p.m.
FIU (3-6) at Old Dominion (3-6), 3:30
p.m.
W. Carolina (6-3) at Samford (5-3), 3:30
p.m.
Elon (1-8) at William & Mary (5-4), 3:30
p.m.
UT-Martin (5-5) at Mississippi St. (8-0),
4 p.m.
Houston Baptist (2-7) at SE Louisiana
(6-3), 4 p.m.
UTEP (5-3) at W. Kentucky (3-5), 4 p.m.
Tennessee St. (4-6) at Austin Peay (1-8),
5 p.m.
Howard (2-7) at Savannah St. (0-9), 6
p.m.
Virginia (4-5) at Florida St. (8-0), 6:30
p.m.
Stephen F. Austin (6-3) at McNeese St.
(6-2), 7 p.m.
Marshall (8-0) at Southern Miss. (3-6),
7 p.m.
Texas Southern (5-4) at Southern U. (6-3),
7 p.m.
Florida (4-3) at Vanderbilt (3-6), 7:30 p.m.
Alabama (7-1) at LSU (7-2), 8 p.m.
MIDWEST
Penn St. (4-4) at Indiana (3-5), Noon
7:30 p.m.
FS1 — NASCAR, Truck Series, Lucas
Oil 150, at Avondale, Ariz.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
6:30 p.m.
ESPNU — Memphis at Temple
7 p.m.
ESPN2 — Utah St. at Wyoming
GOLF
1 p.m.
TGC — PGA Tour, Sanderson Farms
Championship, second round, at Jackson, Miss.
9 p.m.
TGC — PGA Tour-WGC, HSBC Champions, third round, at Shanghai
MEN’S COLLEGE HOCKEY
7 p.m.
NBCSN — Boston U. at Boston College
NBA
7 p.m.
ESPN — Memphis at Oklahoma City
9:30 p.m.
ESPN — Cleveland at Denver
Iowa (6-2) at Minnesota (6-2), Noon
Wisconsin (6-2) at Purdue (3-6), Noon
Drake (5-4) at Dayton (6-2), 1 p.m.
Murray St. (3-6) at E. Illinois (4-5), 1 p.m.
S. Dakota St. (5-4) at Indiana St. (6-3),
1 p.m.
Weber St. (0-9) at North Dakota (3-6),
1 p.m.
Youngstown St. (7-2) at Illinois St. (7-1),
2 p.m.
Butler (4-5) at Valparaiso (2-7), 2 p.m.
S. Illinois (5-4) at Missouri St. (4-5), 3 p.m.
Iowa St. (2-6) at Kansas (2-6), 3:30 p.m.
Michigan (4-5) at Northwestern (3-5),
3:30 p.m.
N. Dakota St. (9-0) at N. Iowa (5-4), 5
p.m.
W. Illinois (3-6) at South Dakota (2-7), 5
p.m.
Sam Houston St. (5-4) at Incarnate Word
(2-7), 7 p.m.
Ohio St. (7-1) at Michigan St. (7-1), 8
p.m.
SOUTHWEST
Baylor (7-1) at Oklahoma (6-2), Noon
UTSA (2-6) at Rice (5-3), Noon
SMU (0-7) at Tulsa (1-7), Noon
Northwestern St. (4-5) at Abilene Christian (5-5), 3 p.m.
South Alabama (5-3) at Arkansas St. (5-3),
3 p.m.
Prairie View (3-5) at Ark.-Pine Bluff (3-5),
3:30 p.m.
Tulane (2-6) at Houston (5-3), 3:30 p.m.
West Virginia (6-3) at Texas (4-5), 3:30
p.m.
Lamar (6-3) at Cent. Arkansas (5-5), 4
p.m.
Georgia Southern (7-2) at Texas St. (5-3),
4 p.m.
FAU (3-6) at North Texas (2-6), 7 p.m.
Kansas St. (7-1) at TCU (7-1), 7:30 p.m.
Junior College Football
NJCAA Football Ranking
Nov. 4
RecordPts Pvs
1. Iowa Western CC (4) 10-0 205 1
2. East Miss. CC (4)
10-0 199 2
3. Trinity Valley CC (1) 10-0 186½ 3
4. Scottsdale CC
8-1 174 4
5. Hutchinson CC
9-1 163½ 7
6. C. Lakes-Brainerd
10-0 153½ 8
7. Nassau CC
8-0 141 9
8. Arizona Western C.
9-1 138½10
9. Miss. Gulf Coast CC 8-2 128½ 5
10. Copiah-Lincoln CC 8-2 116 11
11. Snow College
7-2 112½ 6
12. Coffeyville CC
8-2 90½ 14
13. Tyler JC
8-2 90 15
14. ASA College
6-1 69 16
15. Dakota at Bottineau 8-2 58 13
16. Navarro College
7-3 49½ 12
17. Butler CC
7-3 46 19
18. Rochester Tech
7-3 37 NR
19. Kilgore College
7-3 34½ 18
20. Hudson Valley CC
8-1 13 17
High School Football
Mississippi Prep Polls
Here are Mississippi’s top high school
football teams in each class as selected
by a panel of Associated Press state
sports writers.
Class Overall
School
1. Starkville (11)
2. South Panola (1)
3. Brandon
4. Clinton
5. Oak Grove
6. Oxford
7. Picayune
(9-1) 21 NR
(9-1) 18 NR
(8-2) 18 8
Class 6A
School
W-L PtsPrv
1. Starkville (11)
(10-0)119 1
2. South Panola (1)
(10-0) 109 2
3. Brandon
(9-1) 94 3
4. Clinton
(9-1) 74 4
5. Oak Grove
(8-1) 70 5
Others receiving votes: Ocean Springs 8,
Warren Central 6.
Class 5A
School
1. Oxford (12)
2. New Hope
3. Picayune
4. Wayne County
5. Laurel
W-L PtsPrv
(9-1) 120 2
(9-1) 98 3
(8-1) 92 1
(8-2) 85 5
(8-2) 54 NR
Class 4A
School
W-L PtsPrv
1. Noxubee County (10) (9-2) 117 2
2. St. Stanislaus (2)
(9-1) 107 3
3. Cleveland
(10-1) 96 1
4. Florence
(10-1) 85 5
5. Greenwood
(8-2) 27 NR
MHSAA Class 3A Playoffs
AUTO RACING
10 a.m.
NBCSN — Formula One, practice for
Brazil Grand Prix, at Sao Paulo
11 a.m.
FS1 — NASCAR, Nationwide Series,
practice for DAV 200, at Avondale,
Ariz.
12:30 p.m.
FS1 — NASCAR, Sprint Cup, practice
for Race For Heroes 500, at Avondale,
Ariz.
2 p.m.
FS1 — NASCAR, Nationwide Series,
final practice for DAV 200, at Avondale, Ariz.
3:30 p.m.
FS1 — NASCAR, Truck Series, pole
qualifying for Lucas Oil 150, at Avondale, Ariz.
5:30 p.m.
ESPN2 — NASCAR, Sprint Cup, pole
qualifying for Race For Heroes 500, at
Avondale, Ariz.
8. New Hope
9. Ocean Springs
(tie) Warren Central
Others receiving votes: West Jones 18,
Pearl 7, Germantown 6.
Strayhorn at East Webster, 7 p.m.
Eupora at West Tallahatchie, 7 p.m.
Today
Terrill
Others receiving votes: Southaven 11,
Wayne County 11, Laurel 9, Calhoun
City 5, Tupelo 4, Noxubee County 4, St.
Stanislaus 3, Jackson Prep 2, Tylertown 1,
Pearl 1.
Today
AP Top 25
Others receiving votes: Colorado St. 67,
Southern Cal 48, Missouri 42, Georgia
Tech 15, Louisville 7, N. Dakota St. 4,
Stanford 4, Florida 1, Texas A&M 1.
BRIEFLY
Quoteworthy
Friday, November 7, 2014 • Page 7
W-L PtsPrv
(10-0)119 1
(10-0) 109 2
(9-1) 91 3
(9-1) 71 4
(8-1) 67 7
(9-1) 65 6
(8-1) 30 5
Others receiving votes: Kosciusko 18,
Poplarville 18, Ripley 6, Magee 6.
Class 3A
School
W-L PtsPrv
1. Tylertown (11)
(9-1) 119 2
2. Charleston
(8-2) 110 3
3. Collins
(9-2) 87 4
4. North Pontotoc
(10-1) 83 5
5. Philadelphia (1)
(10-1) 75 1
Others receiving votes: Choctaw County
6.
Class 2A
School
W-L PtsPrv
1. Calhoun City (12)
(10-0) 120 1
2. Taylorsville
(10-1) 105 3
3. Baldwyn
(10-1) 94 4
4. Bassfield
(9-2) 77 2
5. Simmons
(9-1) 38 NR
Others receiving votes: East Webster
20, Eupora 18, East Marion 8.
Class 1A
School
W-L PtsPrv
1. Coffeeville (10)
(9-1) 117 1
2. Cathedral (2)
(9-1) 108 2
3. Resurrection Catholic (8-1) 90 3
4. Nanih Waiya
(10-0) 81 4
5. St. Aloysius
(9-1) 72 5
Others receiving votes: Lumberton 12.
Class Private Schools
School
W-L PtsPrv
1. Jackson Prep (11)
(9-2) 117 1
2. Starkville Aca.
(9-1) 103 2
3. MRA
(7-3) 78 3
4. Oak Forest, La.
(10-1) 67 5
5. Centreville Aca.
(10-1) 55 4
Others receiving votes: Presbyterian
Christian 18, Jackson Aca. 13, Magnolia
Heights 13, Sharkey-Issaquena Aca. (1)
10, Marshall Aca. 6.
National Football League
All Times EST
AMERICAN CONFERENCE
East
WL T Pct PF
New England 7 2 0 .778 281
Buffalo
5 3 0 .625178
Miami
5 3 0 .625211
N.Y. Jets
1 8 0 .111 154
South
WL T Pct PF
Indianapolis 6 3 0 .667290
Houston
4 5 0 .444206
Tennessee
2 6 0 .250137
Jacksonville 1 8 0 .111141
North
WL T Pct PF
Cincinnati
5 2 1 .688194
Pittsburgh
6 3 0 .667248
Cleveland
5 3 0 .625185
Baltimore
5 4 0 .556240
West
WL T Pct PF
Denver
6 2 0 .750245
Kansas City 5 3 0 .625 200
San Diego
5 4 0 .556 205
Oakland
0 8 0 .000129
NATIONAL CONFERENCE
East
WL T Pct PF
Philadelphia 6 2 0 .750234
Dallas
6 3 0 .667230
N.Y. Giants
3 5 0 .375 178
Washington 3 6 0 .333197
South
WL T Pct PF
New Orleans 4 4 0 .500 227
Carolina
3 5 1 .389177
Atlanta
2 6 0 .250192
Tampa Bay
1 7 0 .125 150
North
WL T Pct PF
Detroit
6 2 0 .750162
Green Bay
5 3 0 .625 222
Minnesota
4 5 0 .444168
Chicago
3 5 0 .375180
West
WL T Pct PF
Arizona
7 1 0 .875192
Seattle
5 3 0 .625202
San Francisco 4 4 0 .500 168
St. Louis
3 5 0 .375 149
PA
198
165
151
252
PA
211
197
202
251
PA
187
219
169
174
PA
185
138
186
211
PA
177
195
209
229
PA
198
236
221
245
PA
126
191
199
222
PA
156
174
178
220
Monday’s Game
Indianapolis 40, N.Y. Giants 24
Thursday, Nov. 6
Cleveland at Cincinnati, late
Sunday, Nov. 9
San Francisco at New Orleans, 1 p.m.
Kansas City at Buffalo, 1 p.m.
Miami at Detroit, 1 p.m.
Tennessee at Baltimore, 1 p.m.
Pittsburgh at N.Y. Jets, 1 p.m.
Atlanta at Tampa Bay, 1 p.m.
Dallas vs. Jacksonville at London, 1 p.m.
Denver at Oakland, 4:05 p.m.
N.Y. Giants at Seattle, 4:25 p.m.
St. Louis at Arizona, 4:25 p.m.
Chicago at Green Bay, 8:30 p.m.
Open: Houston, Indianapolis, Minnesota, New England, San Diego, Washington
Monday, Nov. 10
Carolina at Philadelphia, 8:30 p.m.
Page 8 • Starkville Daily News • Friday, November 7, 2014
SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE FOOTBALL
MSU’s defense
shows its depth
By BEN WAIT
[email protected]
Mississippi State’s defense runs deep, and that has
showed on Saturdays this season.
The Bulldogs don’t have a depth chart for the
defensive side of the ball, rather they have a system
where all the players “above the line” get to play.
The starters are referred to as the 1As, with the
backups 1Bs.
Against Kentucky, the 1Bs gave up more points
and yards in half the time as the 1As. Last week
against Arkansas, MSU head coach Dan Mullen and
his defensive staff mixed and matched the 1As and
1Bs and it was successful.
“It worked pretty well in terms of points,” Mullen said. “We made some big plays on defense and
did not give up points. In the end, that is the most
important aspect of it.
“We still gave up yards. I still think we want to
get off the field more.”
The Bulldogs allowed 401 yards of total offense
to the Razorbacks, but only allowed 10 points as
MSU went on to a 17-10 victory.
The Razorbacks did a good job of prolonging
drives and keeping the Bulldog defense on the field.
Arkansas possessed the ball for 38 minutes and 46
seconds – MSU held the ball for just 21 minutes
and 14 seconds.
“If you look at a team like Arkansas, they are a
ball control team,” Mullen said. “They did a good
job of keeping our offense off the field.”
The Bulldogs had to come up with two big
defensive plays in the fourth quarter. MSU kept
the Razorbacks out of the end zone with a goal
line stand with 5 minutes remaining and then Will
Redmond intercepted a Brandon Allen pass with
15 seconds left to seal the win.
“It was just man-to-man coverage,” Redmond
said. “(It’s just) go up and make a play when your
play is called. It just happened to me.”
The mixing and matching of the 1As and 1Bs
didn’t bother the players, as they embraced it and
got used to their teammates around them as the
game went on.
“It felt like it worked out pretty good (as far
as) playing with different guys,” MSU sophomore
linebacker Beniquez Brown said. “It was all fun
knowing you’ve got 11 guys that are going to go
play.”
The top-ranked Bulldogs (8-0) look to continue
their good defensive play when they play Football
Championship Subdivision opponent UT Martin
(5-5) Saturday. Kickoff is at 3 p.m. on the SEC
Network.
“This is just really preparing us for next week,
so you can’t just go in and let it be a down week
because it will carry on to next week,” Brown said,
Mississippi State’s Will Redmond (2) and Kaleb Eulls combine on a tackle against
who travels with MSU next week for a big matchArkansas. (Photo by Mary Liz Herrington)
up with Alabama.
Bulldogs Prescott, McKinney semifinalists for more awards
For Starkville Daily News
Mississippi State quarterback Dak Prescott
and linebacker Benardrick McKinney have been
chosen semifinalists for two national awards
sponsored by the National College Football
Awards Association, the organization announced this past week. Prescott was selected
a semifinalist for the Davey O’Brien National
Quarterback Award, while McKinney was
picked a semifinalist for the 45th Rotary Lombardi Award.
Prescott, also a Heisman Trophy candidate,
was one of 16 players chosen a semifinalist for
the O’Brien Award, which is presented annually
to the top quarterback in college football. The
junior is the first Dan Mullen-coached quarterback since 2007 winner Tim Tebow to be selected a semifinalist. Prescott was voted a semi-
finalist by
75 Davey
O’Brien
national
selection
committee members,
as
Prescott
McKinney
well as the
57,000plus votes courtesy of the O’Brien fan vote at
www.VoteOBrien.org. Bulldog fans can vote
for Prescott as a finalist once daily until noon on
Sunday, Nov. 23.
The Haughton, La., native made the cut
after tallying 27 total touchdowns in his first
eight starts of 2014 (16 passing, 10 rushing,
one receiving). Thanks to ranking fifth in
the FBS in points responsible for per game
(20.3), the midseason All-American has led
his team to a perfect 8-0 record and MSU’s
first No. 1 ranking in school history.
The Davey O’Brien Foundation and the
selection committee will release the names
of the three finalists on Monday, Nov. 24.
The 2014 Davey O’Brien winner will be announced as part of the Home Depot College Football Awards Show, which will be
broadcast live on ESPN on Dec. 11. Should
Prescott win, he will attend the 38th Annual
Davey O’Brien Awards Dinner on Feb. 16,
2015, in Fort Worth, Texas.
McKinney, who was also chosen a semifinalist for the Bednarik Award and Butkus Award this past month, was one of 12
men picked a semifinalist for the Lombardi
Award. The award is presented to the college lineman of the year. Leading the team
with 50 tackles, the midseason All-American
is tied for third in the FBS in fumble recoveries (3), while tallying 6.0 tackles for loss, 3.0
sacks and a forced fumble. McKinney is also
a candidate for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy,
presented yearly to the nation’s most outstanding defensive player.
The Tunica native will find out Nov. 20
if he is the first player in school history to
be chosen a Lombardi finalist. Should he be
a finalist, McKinney will attend the Rotary
Lombardi Award Ceremony, to be held Dec.
10, at the Bayou Music Center in Houston,
Texas. The winner will be announced at the
event.
Prescott, McKinney and the rest of the
top-ranked Bulldogs return home this Saturday against UT Martin for a 3 p.m. Homecoming kickoff on the SEC Network.
Alabama set to challenge
LSU’s talented secondary
By JOHN ZENOR
Associated Press
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Blake Sims’ most
memorable moment at LSU’s Tiger Stadium
came when he was exuberantly celebrating the
winning touchdown two years ago from the sidelines.
No. 4 Alabama’s quarterback is hoping to build
more happy memories on the field Saturday night
against the 14th-ranked Tigers, some of them presumably involving prolific receiver Amari Cooper.
The Crimson Tide’s passing duo face probably
their biggest test of the season in the LSU secondary. Ditto for the LSU defensive backs.
The Tigers (7-2, 3-2 Southeastern Conference) have scarcely given up more passing yards
than Cooper is producing on average, setting up a
major confrontation in a rivalry known more for
punishing runners and tenacious defenses.
“Our confidence level is pretty high,” LSU cornerback Jalen Collins said. “We stepped it up the
past couple games and kind of shut down the Ole
Alabama quarterback Blake Sims (6) throws a pass earlier this season. (Photo by Butch Dill, Miss offense, so we’re feeling great.”
So are Sims and Cooper after a record-setting
AP)
connection against Tennessee in another challenging road environment.
Sims was a bystander on the last visit for Alabama (7-1, 4-1). That’s when he was captured celebrating T.J. Yeldon’s winning touchdown catch
from starter AJ McCarron.
Then a backup, Sims’ animated celebration included turning toward the fans and pointing at
his ring finger.
“I looked down and there was a camera right
there in my face and I was like, ‘Man, I’m about
to get in trouble,’” Sims said, smiling.
He’ll be in the spotlight for what he does between the white lines this trip.
LSU is leading the nation in pass defense efficiency, giving up just 158.4 yards per game and
six passing touchdowns.
Cooper is the nation’s No. 2 receiver, averaging 141.5 yards with nine touchdown catches. He
had a school-record 224 receiving yards in the
Tide’s last game against the Volunteers.
Only Arkansas has managed to shut Cooper
down, holding him to two catches and 22 yards
on a day when Alabama’s offense managed season-lows of 227 yards and 14 points.
Friday, November 7, 2014 • Starkville Daily News • Page 9
CrossworD
COMICS
Horoscope
by Jacqueline Bigar
ARIES (March 21-April 19)
Your creativity will soar, perhaps because
the weekend lies ahead or because you are
more willing to share your thoughts. You
could be tired of having the same old conversation with a partner. Know that this,
too, will pass.
THE LOGIC PUZZLE THAT
MAKES YOU SMARTER.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20)
You seem to glow with enthusiasm and energy. You could feel intimidated by a very
serious person in your life, but try not to
let him or her get to you. Curb a tendency
to use sarcasm as a defense mechanism. Be
more open.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20)
You could be dragging during the day, but
by the time evening rolls in, you’ll feel energized. You even might be able to let go
of a hassle by then. You won’t be able to
resist having a good time with others. An
invitation will help you perk up.
CANCER (June 21-July 22)
You’ll want to get past someone’s resistance, but despite all your efforts, you
might not be able to. You could be more
worried about this person than you realize.
Continue to put your best foot forward.
BeeTle Bailey
henry
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22)
Take charge of a situation that could affect
your public image. Remain serious, and
focus on your intentions. Confusion seems
to surround you in nearly every way, so be
sure to confirm that you understand someone’s message.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)
popeye
A trip might tempt you to try a different
approach. The risk you’ll have to take could
be worth it. Tap into your creativity, and
you will know what to do. Follow your
heart. You are likely to gain through some
personal, private time.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)
You could be taken aback by a partner or
dear loved one. This person will be more
than ready to handle a problem that you
might have thought was yours. Let go of a
tendency to worry too much.
suDoku
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)
You’ll have reason to want to go along with
someone’s plan. You might have a lot to
share, but it could take more time than you
have. Postpone this meeting until later in
the afternoon, when you have no time restraints.
hi anD lois
hagar The horriBle
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)
Pace yourself, and you will get a lot more
done. You might be in a position where
you are overemphasizing one characteristic
of a situation and not considering the others. Listen to feedback from those involved.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)
You will be amazed by how you’ll have to
back off a bit in order to get the positive
reaction you desire. You could be confused
as to why you will need to be more passive. Honor a change, but only if it is for
the better.
Here’s How It Works:
To solve a sudoku, the numbers
1 through 9 must fill each row,
column and box. Each number
can appear only once in each
row, column and box.
CRYPTOQUIP
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)
Others will push hard for what they want,
especially those involved in your personal
life. You might want to walk away and
get involved with a different project. Allow your mood to change among friends.
A misunderstanding might be only temporary.
MuTTs
BlonDie
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20)
You could be reaching out to someone at a
distance who seems to be extremely touchy.
Be aware that a partner might be extremely
jealous or irritated. Proceed with care, as
you won’t want to deal with the fallout.
Dennis The Menace
aMazing spiDerMan
Barney google & snuffy sMiTh
Rules:
1. Each row and column must contain
the numbers 1 through 3 without repeating.
2. The numbers within the heavily outlined set of squares, called cages, must
combine (in any order) to produce the
target number in the top corner of the
cage using the mathematical operation indicated.
3. Cages with just one box should be
filled in with the
target number
in the top corner. A number
can be repeated within a cage
as long as it is
not in the same
row or column.
Page 10 • Starkville Daily News • Friday, November 7, 2014
Friday, November 7, 2014 • Starkville Daily News • Page 11
Page 12 • Starkville Daily News • Friday, November 7, 2014
High School Football
Area squads begin postseason
By JASON EDWARDS
[email protected]
A new season kicks off tonight at 7 p.m.
for East Webster and the other area football
programs.
Sure in literal terms this is just the postseason of the 2014 campaign, but starting tonight, all records go out the window and the
win or go home format takes over bringing
quite the extra motivation.
Wilson
For the Wolverines, the playoffs begin
with Strayhorn and after beating county rival
Eupora last week, East Webster advanced their season to 9-2
overall and 3-1 in Class 2A, Region 4, thereby earning the right
to home field advantage which means a little more considering
the team has spent the final month on the road.
“It means a whole lot getting to come back home after being
on the road for so long,” Wolverines coach Doug Wilson said.
“It is big to be home for the first round and get things started
in the right direction. Senior night was our first division game
and that was the last time our seniors have been home so this is
special for them.”
The trek of games on the road was tiresome, but for East
Webster, many of the games felt like being due to the amount
of fans that showed up week after week to support their Wolverines.
“It was a long time away from home, but with our fans, it is
not a real big deal,” Wilson added. “We had just as soon travel
because our fans travel as well as anybody in the state.”
The team finds itself within the friendly confines of East Webster High School tonight. With an opponent as strong as the
6-4, 3-2 Mustangs, any advantage is a good one.
“They look like they are pretty aggressive,” Wilson said.
“They play hard, (and) get to the ball well on defense. They
don’t run a real complex scheme. It is all about getting to the
edge and trying to beat you with the running game.”
Stopping that run is going to be a big key to East Webster’s
game plan. For Wilson, that is one area in which he has seen
constant improvement as the season progressed.
“Our middle linebackers have played a lot better since middle
of the season,” Wilson said. “At defensive end, Monterrious Davis started off a little slow, but has come in and really made a
difference these last few games.”
As for the offense, Wilson said it is all about playing together
as a team and continuing to keep drives alive with the big third
down conversions that have highlighted Wolverine games as of
late.
“Our offense is our best defense and we need to convert,”
Wilson said. “That is just compliments of the offensive coaching
staff. Those guys on that side do a great job game planning and
calling the right plays. We have been fortunate to execute and we
just have to keep it up.”
Eupora (9-2, 2-2)
at West Tallahatchie (7-4, 4-1)
The Eagles soar into Class 2A first round playoffs with one
goal in mind and that is simply play their game.
At this point, coach Junior Graham said that is all you can ask
of a team because every team competing is strong and has earned
the right to be in the postseason.
“Our kids are focused,” Graham said. “They understand this
is a new season and it is one and done. The winners are going
to advance, while the others go home. Everybody has the same
record. It all has to do with how everyone approaches this first
round.”
For Eupora, the approach has to be one of tough-nosed play
because lined up across the way is a tough West Tallahatchie
team, which earned its postseason position following big wins
against division foes Strayhorn, Coahoma County and Potts
Camp.
“We have a good opponent in West Tallahatchie,” Graham
said. “They are very athletic and aggressive on the defensive side
of the ball. It is not going to an easy first round game.”
Eupora does have a bit of experience on its side in the form
of veteran athletes like Trey Pittman, Lamontae Salley and Will
Bowen. All season long, the play of the Eagles has been strong
and come tonight, they will have to call on every bit of that experience and leadership.
“They have to grasp what they have learned in the past and
this season both in victory and defeat,” Graham said. “They have
to understand, especially those seniors, that this is one game at
a time now because if you lay an egg, you go on to the next
sport.”
Wesson (4-7, 2-3)
at Choctaw County (8-3, 4-1)
Defense wins ballgames.
No one proved that more than Choctaw County last week as
it secured a 42-14 victory over then Class 3A No. 1 Philadelphia.
“We went after the ball and created turnovers,” Chargers
coach Adam Dillinger said. “Those turnovers were the biggest
difference. We created them and gave our kids the chance to
turn those into points. Off of six turnovers, four of them gave
us touchdowns. That is 28 points and (if) you look at the score,
that was the difference in the game.”
Flash forward to tonight and the Chargers once again have
a big game in front of them as they enter the first round of the
postseason, but with last week’s victory, the team earned the
position of playing on its home field.
“You want to be able to host the first one,” Dillinger said. “In
our case being in the south, anybody we matched up with was
going to be a long drive so that is a big deal for us. You don’t
have to go very far. It is good for our fans. (It is) good for our
kids because they get to play in front of a good crowd, but the
main thing is you have earned one of the top two spots so you
have put yourself in a good position.”
Not only is Choctaw County one of the top teams in their
division, but it is actually sitting in the captain’s seat of Class
3A, Region 5. With that achievement, Dillinger said the team
accomplished just what it set out to do. From here on out, everything else will be a bonus and the chance to play for a state
championship can be quite the extra motivator.
“We knew the consolidation process was not going to be
overnight,” Dillinger said. “This was all part of the process.
What we wanted to do was, as a team, wanted to see definitive
improvement from last year. We wanted to see a step up. Winning the region, we have already accomplished that goal now,
everything else adds to it. We have progressed this year and that
is what we want to do. There are other ways to improve, but as
long as you are heading in the right direction, you are making
progress.”
East Oktibbeha (0-9, 0-7)
at Ethel (1-10, 1-6)
It took all season, but last week the Tigers of Ethel secured
their first win with a 24-12 victory over West Oktibbeha.
Now East Oktibbeha is hoping to achieve the same feat as
they travel to face Ethel tonight.
If the Titans are able to get that elusive win, it would be only
be fitting that it comes, not only on the last game of the season,
but what is serving as the final contest for East Oktibbeha’s historic football program.
With that in mind, it is almost a guarantee that the Titans will
come out ready to do battle for not only the ones lined up beside
them, but for every player that has come before them.
Nanih Waiya (10-0, 7-0)
at West Oktibbeha (1-8, 1-6)
It is only fitting that West Oktibbeha plays at home tonight.
After a long history of football tradition that included the
likes of Donald Lee and Randy Bell, the Timberwolves will play
the final football game against Nanih Waiya. It will not be easy
as the Warriors arrive in Maben undefeated at 10-0 overall and
7-0 in conference play, but West Oktibbeha will have more than
just a season win motivating them.
This time around the game will be played for each and every
person who has walked the halls or suited up for the Maben Blue
Devils or for the West Oktibbeha Timberwolves. Emotions will
be running high, which adds a whole new element to the puzzle
and can oftentimes be the difference maker in a game.