The Ranger Rocket

Ranger RocketTHE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF NORTHWEST MISSISSIPPI COMMUNITY COLLEGE Thursday, December 6, 2012Senatobia, Miss. VOL. 80 • No. 4

INDEXOpinion • A2

News • B1, B2

Arts & Life • C1, C2

Sports • D1, D2

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Staff Report

Rangers clinch Brazos Valley Bowl title

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Northwest clearance begins Dec. 5By Mike Haskins With December fi nally here, Northwest students are preparing for fi nals before the holidays. Be-fore students take their fi nals, they must fi rst go through a process called clearance. During clearance, students must pay any

money owed to the col-lege for the semester and clear their account in preparation for the spring semester. Outstanding tick-ets issued by Campus Police, library fi nes, unreturned books and re-maining debt on tuition

and fees are just some of the items checked by the Business Offi ce in clearance. In addition to fees, any unreturned college-owned materials, such as athletic jerseys and band uniforms, must be returned before a

student can be cleared. There are very strict con-sequences for students who do not complete clearance. “There are a few pen-alties if you don’t com-plete the process,” Gary Mosley, vice president for Fiscal Affairs, said.

“Instructors will not allow students to take exams without a clearance slip from the Business Of-fi ce.” Mosley also said that the Registrar’s Offi ce will not send transcripts to other schools or employ-ers until the balance is

paid. Clearance takes place Dec. 5-7 on the second fl oor of the Mc-Cormick Building. A valid Northwest student I.D. or driver’s license must be presented before a clear-ance slip will be issued.

The last time North-west won a bowl game, only fi ve players on the current 52-man roster had even been born. That all changed Sat-urday afternoon as the Rangers piled up 508 yards of total offense and captured their fi rst bowl victory in 20 years with a 47-36 win over Kilgore College at Texas A&M’s Kyle Field. Northwest closed the season 8-2 overall while Kilgore closed its season at 8-3. Playing in the largest junior college bowl venue in the nation and against a fi fth Top 20 opponent in seven games, North-west knew it would take a big-time effort to come away with the inaugural Brazos Valley Bowl cham-pionship. The game drew 4,138 fans. Sophomore QB Do-monique Harris, similar to Heisman hopeful Johnny Manziel of Texas A&M, razzle dazzled his way around pressure all afternoon to complete 19 of 23 passes for 252

yards and three touch-downs and also ran for 56 yards. Harris threw touch-down tosses of 47 and 21 yards to Derrell Lovelady and Dee Joyner

as part of a 21-point second quarter to give Northwest a 30-7 lead at the half. Kilgore’s lone score of the fi rst half came off an electric 76-yard punt

return from James Jones. Northwest outgained Kilgore 299-53 in the opening half and held them to minus-29 yards rushing. But Kilgore made ma-

jor halftime adjustments and gave Northwest a game in the second half. The teams ex-changed touchdowns in the fi rst fi ve minutes of the third quarter, as Kilgore’s Ed’Marques Batties caught a 38-yard pass from Emory Miller on a fl ee fl icker and Har-ris hit Cedrick Jackson from 34 yards out. Freshman quarter-back Tanner Tausch, who completed 28 of 53 passes for 357 yards and two touchdowns, then connected with Ste-ven Borden for a 5-yard touchdown pass to cut Northwest’s lead to 37-20 with 6:20 left in the third. Chase Carpenter booted a 21-yard fi eld goal before Kilgore’s Courtland Smith scored on a 3-yard run to make it 40-27 going into the fi nal quarter. After a 33-yard fi eld goal from Yovany Ar-vizu cut it to 10, Percy O’Bannon scored on an 8-yard run with 3:09 re-maining to put the icing

on the cake for North-west. Kilgore scored the game’s fi nal touchdown on a 6-yard pass from Tausch to Joe Herrick. Running back Damian Baker was Northwest’s workhorse all day, run-ning for 178 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries. He closed the season as the state’s leading rusher with 1,161 yards and is the fi rst Ranger over 1,000 yards in a season since Eldra Buckley (2004). Harris was named the Brazos Valley Bowl Offen-sive MVP after totalling 308 yards of offense. Sophomore defensive lineman Jerome McClain was named the Defen-sive MVP after totalling fi ve tackles and a sack. Aaron Thompson led Northwest with 10 total tackles, while Charles Woods had 11 tackles and James Jones had 10 to lead Kilgore’s defense.

Sophomore quarterback Domonique Harris, helped the Rangers gain 508 yards of total offense in the 47-36 win at the Inaugural Brazos Valley Bowl 47-36 over Kilgore. (Photo by Deantae Smith)

Ranger RocketRanger Rocket

OPINION A2 • December 6, 2012 Senatobia, Miss.

STAFFEditorShelby Louwerens

Sports Section EditorDe’Issac House

Lifestyle Section EditorMike Haskins

Staff ReportersCrystal AlsbrookCheyenne Fair

Northwest Mississippi Community CollegeSenatobia • Mississippi

The Ranger Rocket is published monthly during the regular academic sessions by students at Northwest Mississippi Community College

ADVISERCarroll Gunn Huebner

SPONSORSSarah SappJulie BauerLaJuan TalloKevin Maloney

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Address all materials to : The Ranger RocketNWCC Drawer 70394975 Hwy. 51 N.Senatobia, MS 38668

The Ranger Rocket is located in the Ann Y. Whitten Media Center in Yalobusha Hall on the Senatobia campus. The Ranger Rocket is printed by The Panolian in Batesville. Letters to the Editor

The Ranger Rocket encourages letters to the editor. Letters should betyped, double-spaced and signed by the author. Letters should include a name, address and phone number. This information will be withheld upon request. All letters are subject to editing for length and clarity. Submit letters to: [email protected]

Statement of Responsibility

Northwest Mississippi Community College supports and encourages an atmosphere of responsible discussion through student publications. Funding for publications is provided by the General Fee that students pay each semester by mon-ies budgeted by the College for their support. Designated by the administration — advisers, college employees who are competent in their fi elds — provide an environment in which student editors and staff members have opportunities to develop journalistic and literary skills. Insuring the integrity, quality and fi scal responsibility of the publications, advisers offer guidance and supervision, while providing First Amendment guarantees to publications staffs. The College administration supports the efforts of participants to be creative, unbiased, fair, intelligent, and responsible in being representative of and speaking for the student body.

Affi rmative Action

Northwest Mississippi Community College does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability or status as a veteran or disabled veteran in employment, programs or provision of services. Compli-ance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act is coordinated by Mr. Michael Dottorey, Disability Support Services Coordinator, McLendon Student Center, P.O. Box 5555, 4975 Highway 51 N., Senatobia, MS 38688, telephone number 662-562-3309, e-mail address [email protected]. Compliance with Title II of the Age Discrimination Act and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 is coordinated by Mr. Gary Mosley, Vice President for Fiscal Affairs, James P. McCormick Administation Building, P.O. Box 7017, 4975 Highway 51 N., Senatobia, MS 38668, telephone number 662-562-3216, e-mail address [email protected].

Accreditation

Northwest Mississippi Community College is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award the Associate of Arts degree, the Associate of Applied Science degree, and certifi cates in career education. Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, GA, 30033-4097, or call (404) 679-4500 for questions about the accreditation of Northwest Mississippi Community College.

Ranger Rocket

“What would you like to see more of in the Ranger Rocket?” ”What would you like to see more of in the Ranger Rocket?”

By Shelby Louwerens

“What is your New Year’s Resolution?”

By Shelby Louwerens, De’Issac House & Mike Haskins

“My resolution is to be a better person.”

Matthew James Freshman • Business and Marketing Management

TechnologySouthaven

“I want to pass all my classes this year.”

Chris FeakinsFreshman • General College

Hernando

“I reallly haven’t thought about it. I guess I just want to pass all

my classes.”

Kayla BakerSophomore • Music Education

Southaven

“I want to make studying a habit, and to stop procrastinating.”

Jaquilla GordonFreshman • Pre-Occupational

Therapy Tunica

Being a college student, I have many responsibilities. I not only have school, but I also have work-study as well as a job outside of school. I am afraid I will get overwhelmed trying to balance all of them. What should I do?

One of the most impor-tant skills to learn in college is time manage-ment. Set a routine and

stick with it. If things become overwhelm-ing, simply take a deep breath and relax. Try making a schedule for the different activities that take place every day. That way every-thing will stay organized and won’t become overwhelming.

Sincerely,Ranger Rocket

Christmas vacation around corner

Dear

E-mail your questions to [email protected]

RangerInterested in writing,

photography or drawing? The Ranger Rocket has a spot for you.

E-mail: [email protected] for more information.

Happy Holidays!From

The Ranger Rocket Staff

Rocket,

Delayva RobinsonDeantae SmithTerrell WootenShannon Thweatt

Christmas time is just around the corner, and many at Northwest have already packed their Christmas vaca-tions with plans for food, family, rest and relax-ation. While these things are great in themselves, especially after weeks of studying and exams, sometimes I believe that students and people in general forget how blessed they are to have a break and to have as many blessings during this season as they do. A house packed with family, endless sup-plies of food, laughter and presents are all

blessings and gifts. But I would like to take a moment to say that we are very lucky to have all of these things, and that it is not a right to have these luxuries. Over the last few months, I have person-ally gotten to know sev-eral people who did not have these luxuries and have found themselves blessed by simple things that many of us take for granted. About a year ago, I met Mr. Larry. This man was living in a storage unit last February, when Kim and Vance Daly, founders of LoveWorks 25:40, took him in to

their home. He has been living there for almost a year now. I also met two children recently, ages two and three, who were living on the street with their mother. These people and their stories have broken

my heart and made me realize just how blessed I am to have my family, my house, my friends, my food and even cen-tral heat. So, during this holiday season, I encour-age everyone- students, teachers and faculty

alike- to take a moment to count their blessings. There are also op-portunities to help serve others over the holiday break. Send old stuffed animals to hospitals for children, serve at a soup kitchen, provide dinner for the men at Cal-vary Rescue Mission in Memphis, or even send a Christmas card to a soldier overseas. Over Thanksgiving, LoveWorks 25:40 rallied the community together, and, instead of gathering a single family together, they united a community feast in the middle of a street in Hernando. Hundreds of meals were

provided for the many families who came, and all food was donated by local restaurants. If one family can start a community-wide feast, why couldn’t Northwest students make a differ-ence? This time of year is a time to celebrate friends and family, and all the blessings of the previous year. Instead of huddling together in one house over Christmas, take an opportunity serve some-one else, who may not be so fortunate.

A2 • December 6, 2012 Senatobia, Miss. NEWSB1 • December 6, 2012 Senatobia, Miss.

By Cheyenne Fair

By Terrell Wooten

Ole Miss visits Northwest

Criminal Justice Club re-established

The winners of the Cops and Joggers 5K hold their trophies. This event was spon-sored by the Criminal Justice Club. (Photo by De’Issac House)

This year, the Crimi-nal Justice Club made a return to the Northwest campus. The club was re-introduced by Whit-ney Nickels, a criminal justice instructor. The Criminal Justice Club includes primarily crimi-nal justice majors, but any and all majors are invited to join. “Anyone with an interest in criminal justice, forensics and the law are encouraged and welcome to support, and even join the club,” Nickels said. The Criminal Justice Club was established for students who want to further their education in the criminal justice and forensics fi elds. Accord-ing to Nickels, earning a

degree in criminal jus-tice allows students to pursue a career in any branch of law enforce-ment. “I feel that it is cru-cial to a student’s edu-cation and future career to get as much exposure and experience as pos-sible before graduation. This helps them to make decisions about their futures and hopefully provides encouragement to continue on with their education,” Nickels said. Students in the Criminal Justice Club meet once a week to ex-pose themselves to the various branches of law enforcement. Not only do students study and learn about the criminal justice system, they also

occasionally welcome guest speakers from law enforcement branches. Recently, the club sponsored the Cops and Joggers 5K run on Nov. 10, and all funds raised went toward establishing an endowed scholar-ship in honor of retired Criminal Justice instruc-tor Robert Cox. The club also has plans for more activities for the spring semester. “We will have some activities we are plan-ning for the spring, too,” Nickels said. For more informa-tion about the criminal justice program, contact Nickels at 662-562-3259 or e-mail [email protected]. Daniel Christian,

a regional admissions counselor and recruiter from Ole Miss, visited Northwest on Nov. 15 in hopes of fi nding future Ole Miss students. The meeting was held at 11 a.m. in the cafeteria. This is one of many times that Christian has visited the North-west campus to help educate students about transferring and provide them with everything that they need to know about the University of Mississippi. “We can help assist potential students with any major of study. Our program is like a one

stop shop,” Christian said. The University of Mississippi-DeSoto Cen-ter and Northwest have utilized a two-plus-two partnership to respond to the educational demands in Northwest Mississippi and the Mid-South. In the two-plus-two partnership, North-west offers the fi rst two years of the college academic program, and The University of Missis-sippi provides the third and fourth years. “I attend every advi-sory and transfer pro-gram that Ole Miss of-fers here at Northwest, because that’s where I

plan to fi nish my educa-tion,” Tyronica Webb, a sophomore healthcare major from Senatobia, said. With multiple stu-dent organizations, Ole Miss students grow as leaders through a well-rounded balance of academic, service and social opportunities. “After attending a few meetings I have actually come to real-ize that Ole Miss might just be the right school for me. Everything was so detailed and down to the point,” Renetha Phillips, a sophomore general college major from Senatobia, said.

Oxford cosmetology gives free manicures

Andrea Fitts (r) and Alex Cabunac (center), along with their cosmetology class on the Northwest Oxford campus, give free manicures to the girls of Pi Phi sorority. The Oxford campus gives free manicures to local organizations approximately three times a semester.

Northwest football had a successfull season, winning the Brazos Valley Bowl in College Station, Texas, on Dec. 1. (Photo by Deantae Smith)

Magician Wil-liam Carey (right), wows students with his magic tricks. (Photo by Cheyenne Fair)

The Northwest The-atre Department is preparing to perform the classic “Romeo and Juliet”, from Feb. 28- March 3 in the Fine Arts Auditorium. The show is directed by Joel King, and has a cast of 13 people, a cast larger than any show performed by North-west in the last several years. The classic play will feature Shakespear-ean language, modern dress, and minimal set and props. King’s goal in performing this show is “to bring the commu-nity who remembers this classic love story back together.” The cast includes Tony Penn, a freshman theatre major from Con-necticut, as Romeo; Abi Wiggins, a sophomore theatre major from Sena-tobia, as Juliet; Stanley Spearman, a sophomore theatre major from Gre-nada, as Lord Montague, Abram and Peter; Mal-com Smith, a sophomore theatre major from Gre-nada, as Lord Capulet; Nekita Smart, a sopho-more theatre major from Columbus, as Lady Montague, Balthasar and Watch; Yaz Lynch, a freshman theatre major from California, as Lady Capulet; and Leah Dill, a

freshman theatre major from Olive Branch, as Benvolio and Page. Also included in the cast are Cameron Jones, a sophomore theatre major from Nesbit, as Tybalt; Rhett Gamlin, a sophomore theatre major from Memphis, as Paris and Sampson; Nicholas Temple, a sophomore theatre ma-jor from Birmingham, as the Friar; Milly Rone, a freshman theatre major from Water Valley, as the

Nurse; Scottie Booker, a freshman theatre major from Batesville, as Mer-cutio and Gregory; and Kreneice Reid, a fresh-man theatre major from Water Valley, as Prince. The crew includes Candice Monteith, a freshman theatre major from Southaven, as the stage manager; Kelli Hughes, a freshman the-atre major from Sena-tobia, Darius Rogers a sophomore vocal perfor-mance major from Horn

Lake and Haley Edwards, a vocal performance major from Hernando, as assistant stage manag-ers. Harper McDowell, a freshman general college major from Senatobia, is the backstage manager. Several cast mem-bers also work on the set. Jones works as the assistant set director, Penn is the light design-er, and Booker controls costuming. In addition to learn-ing the Shakespearean

language, the actors for this show also have to learn choreographed fi ghts. T. Fulton Burns is choreographing the fi ght scenes. Burns is a fi ght cho-reographer, the direc-tor of performance at The University of South Alabama and a certifi ed teacher from the Society of American Fight Direc-tors, and Dueling Arts International. With the choreogra-phy from Burns and the

use of stage blades, King said, that fi ght scenes would be very realistic and intimate. Romeo and Juliet will also feature live acoustic accompaniment by Matt Jones, a freshman music eduction major from Oxford. The cast has spent several weeks learning the language, and hopes that their work brings in a large audience. “This show is defi -nitely more diffi cult. Between the language, the large cast size, and the fi ght choreography, it is a lot of work,” Wiggins said. However, the cast is excited, and hopes that this general audi-ence show will bring in a bigger audience than previous shows. “This show is defi nite-ly going to bring in more people. Everyone knows ‘Romeo and Juliet,’ but Northwest has never done it before,” Penn said. The show is sched-uled to be a longer show, and run about two hours.

ARTS & LIFE C1 • December 6, 2012 Senatobia, Miss.

Northwest to perform “Romeo and Juliet”

Abi Wiggins (left), a sophomore theatre major from Senatobia, and Tony Penn (right), a freshman theatre major from Connecticut, will star as Romeo and Juliet in the theatre department’s upcoming production.

By Shelby Louwerens

As a community college transfer, your move to The University of Mississippi will be one of the most important in your life—and also one of the smoothest. Here are just a few of

the reasons why transferring to Ole Miss is the right move:

•Youracademiccourseworkduringyourfirsttwoyearswill plug right into our bachelor’s degree programsandletyoustayontrack.

•Averagejunior-andsenior-levelclasses at Ole Miss have 20-30 students and are probably smaller than some of the classes you are takingnow.

•OurFinancial Aid Office works hard to help you receive the combination of grants, scholarships, loans and employment you willneedtofinanceyoureducation.

•OurPhi Theta Kappa scholarship is worth $6,000 ($3,000 per yearfortwoyears)!Transferstudentswitha3.5GPAonatleast48 transferable community college credit hours and membership in Phi Theta Kappa are encouraged to apply for this scholarship. PleasecontactJasonMcCormickorTyAllushuskiintheOfficeofEnrollmentServicesat800-OLE-MISS(inMississippi)or662-915-7226formoredetails.

•OurCommunityCollegeExcellenceScholarshipisworth1,000ayear(atotalof2,000overyourlasttwoyears).CommunityCollegestudentswitha3.0GPAon48transferablehourswillbeeligibleforthisscholarship.ContactJasonMcCormickorTyAllushuskiintheOfficeofEnrollmentServicesat662-915-7226for more details.

Comeandvisitcampus,talkwithourfaculty,staffandstudents,andseehoweasyitwillbetotakethenextstep!

Ole Miss!@You’ll Fit

Right in

It’stherightmove

The Northwest Sing-ers and Northwest Cham-ber Choir held their fall concert on Nov. 19 at 7 p.m. in the Fine Arts Auditorium. Under the direction of Susanne Spencer VanDyke, instructor and conductor, and pianist Dr. Saundra Bishop, the Northwest Singers per-formed the songs “Look at the World” by John Rutter, “Your Voices tune from ‘Alexander’s Feast’” by G.F. Handel and “An-them of Peace” arranged by Mack Wilberg, with accompaniment by the Symphonic Winds Brass Ensemble. They also performed “Libertango” by Astor Piazzolla, with Alexander Barber, a music major, playing piano for the piece. The Northwest Cham-ber Choir also performed, singing “Steal Away” arranged by James McKelvy. The women’s chamber choir performed “The Rose and the Gar-dener” by Eleanor Daley. The men’s chamber choir performed “I Can’t Tarry” arranged by David Mor-row, with a solo by Mi-chael Holloway. The combined cham-ber choir then sang “To Believe” by Matthew Evancho, with a solo by

Riley Young, a 12-year-old boy soprano from Bates-ville. The Singers conclud-ed with the songs “Merry Christmas To You All” and “Silent Night”. VanDyke was enthu-siastic about the music department’s help in arranging for the brass to perform for the song “Anthem of Peace.” Overall, the performers were very happy with their concert, and many felt prepared after much

practice. “It went well, and I wasn’t nervous. We’ve practiced every day, sometimes multiple times a day, since Au-gust,” Megan Martin, a freshman special educa-tion major from Hernan-do, said. Dakota Holland, a freshman pre-dental hy-geine major from Bates-ville, agreed. “It went great. We did fantastic,” Holland said.VanDyke was also

pleased with the way the concert turned out, and looks forward to their next endeavors. “I’m so pleased. Ev-eryone tapped in to their inner music spirit,” Van-Dyke said. “I am looking forward to more perfor-mances in the spring.” The Entertainer’s con-cert was performed on Nov. 29, and the music department’s Christmas concert is scheduled for Dec. 6 in the Haraway Center.

C1 • December 6, 2012 Senatobia, Miss. ARTS & LIFEC2 • December 6, 2012 Senatobia, Miss.

The Northwest Singers perform under direction by Susanne Spencer VanDyke. (Photo by Shelby Louwerens)

By Shelby Louwerens

Singers host fall concert

In a season of ups and downs, the wom-en's soccer team relied heavily on its freshmen. Before the sea-son started the Lady Rangers’ freshman goalkeeper had simple goals: Go out, play their best and hopefully win. Goalkeeper Ashlee Rogers’ attitude toward the season earned her All-State honors this year. Rogers is a freshman general col-lege college major from Memphis. "I didn't know what it meant to be named all-state when they fi rst told me," Rogers said, "But once I found out I got excited." Rogers started in all 13 games this season and grabbed 61 total saves along with four

shutouts. She posted four games with eight or more saves, with her career-high being 11 against Meridian. Rog-ers closed the year with a .718 save percent-age. "College soccer is different," Rogers said, "It’s more serious, more like a job." Rogers already has her eyes set on her sophomore season. "My goals for next season are the same as this season, do my best and win," Rogers said. Rogers looks to take her talents to the university level follow-ing her time here at Northwest.

Ashlee Rogers, freshman general college major from Memphis, was selected to the MACJC All-State team. (Photo by Deantae Smith)

Player Spotlight: Ashlee Rogers

By: Deantae Smith

The theatre department put on the show “Slasher,” a dark comedy, in October. (Photo by Shelby Louwerens)

Northwest Director of Recruiting Jere Herrington (r), presents a half-tuition scholarship voucher to Marshall Academy senior Antonio Love of Potts Camp dur-ing the Recruiting Department’s “Go West” event on Nov. 1. Love’s name was drawn during a raffl e at the event. (Photo by De’Issac House)

Textbook Corner (662) 562-5414

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Success is one word that describes the Northwest football team. Behind every successful season there is a sup-porting cast. The players, coaches and athletic staff carry the name “Ranger” with pride, and lead the team to a 8-2 season. The Rangers had a good season only losing one in regular season play. The Rangers came into the season under the radar and not ex-pected to make a lot of noise. They started the season on the road against Copiah-Lincoln. They defeated Copiah-Lincoln 42-21 to start the year on a strong note. Next on the schedule was Coahoma in the fi rst home game where the crowd wore all white. They easily defeated Coahoma in a blowout of 44-6. The Rangers had 493 total offense yards and only allowed 176 total yards on defense. With a 2-0 record the Rangers went against their rivals, Northeast.

This was one of their toughest games of the season. When the clock struck triple zeros the fi nal was 19-13. Next, they had No. 20 ranked Itawamba. They manhandled their opposition with a fi nal of 49-7. This gave the Rangers a 4-0 record. At this point the Rangers seemed unstoppable, averaging 40 points a game and a defense that was causing havoc. After Itawamba the Rangers had another

division game against Mississippi Delta. The Rangers kept the streak going with a 41-13 vic-tory. With three wins on the road the Rangers were looking to get their third home win.The game against Holmes was the offi cial “Pink Game.” The month of October is Breast Can-cer Awareness Month. The Rangers supported Breast Cancer Aware-ness with pride as they defeated Holmes 32-20. With a six-game win-

ning streak, it seemed as if the Rangers were unbeatable. They were up against the former National Champions and third ranked East Mis-sissippi Lions. They both fought a good fi ght, but the Rangers came out on bottom in a 49-56 loss. With a loss on the road, the Rangers were back at home and were looking to regain their supremacy. They hosted Jones County for home-coming. It was a fi ght until the end as Darrell

Lovelady scored the game-winning touch-down. The Rangers came out on top 40-31. The next game start-ed the playoffs and the Rangers were facing the always-tough seventh-ranked Gulf Coast. The Rangers got pounded in a blowout 17-43, which knocked them out of the playoffs. The Rangers were in-vited to the Brazos Valley Bowl in College Station, Texas. This is the home of the Texas A&M Aggies. The Rangers won the inaugural game over the Kilgore Rangers 47-36. This was the fi rst bowl win in 20 years. Only fi ve players of the current roster were alive since the last win. The Rangers had a good day as a team. They played in the largerst bowl venue in ju-nior college. Facing their fi fth Top 20 opponent, the Rangers were ready. The Ranger offense racked up 508 total yards in the fi rst half. Sophomore quarterback Domonique Harris ran

the show. He was 19-23 for 252 yards and ran for 56. He received offen-sive MVP honors for his great performance. He put together a 308 total performance and led his team to victory. Also carrying most of the load was freshman back Damien Baker. He ran for 178 yards off of 22 carries and he also scored a touchdown. He led the state in rushing with 1,161 yards and he is the fi rst Ranger since Eldra Buckley to have a 1,000-yard rushing season. The defensive MVP was sophomore defen-sive lineman Jerome Mc-Clain. He had fi ve tackles and a sack. Leading the Ranger defense was sophomore defensve back Aaron Thompson with 10 tack-les. The Rangers are back on top and look to keep things rolling next season and may get to a nation-al championship.

D1 • December 6, 2012 Senatobia, Miss.SPORTSBy De’Issac House

Freshman running back Percy O’Bannon follows behind Martize Wallace as he looks for a opening. The Rangers loss in the playoffs against Gulf Coast 17-43. (Photo by Deantae Smith)

Rangers’ season ends on high note

As the semester winds down, so do stu-dent intramural sports with a three on three double elimination bas-ketball tournament. With the end of the tourna-ment came bragging rights. In the basketball tournament, Intramu-ral Coordinator Devin Mahoney was surprised by the turnout on the women’s side. “We had three or four girl’s teams,” Mahoney said, “That’s the most

I’ve seen in my two years over it.” The men’s bracket went as expected. “The guys that were suppose to win, won,” Mahoney said. In the women’s por-tion of the bracket, there was an underdog story. The favorite The Phe-noms won throughout the tournament, while the Dream Team had to scratch and claw their way from the loser’s bracket. They forced two championship games,

and eventually won it all. In the spring semes-ter there will be a fi ve on fi ve basketball tour-nament, tennis tourna-ment, soccer tournament and dodgeball tourna-ment held. All students are able to compete in the events, except for students who participate in that intercollegiate sport. The only require-ment is a valid North-west identifi cation card.

Intramurals come to an end By: Deantae Smith

Sophomore criminal justice major John Denton from Thaxton scores a touchdown in an intramural fl ag football game. (Photo by De’Issac House)

This year's men's and women's basketball teams look to build off last year's success and freshmen experience. On the men's side, they are returning seven sophomores, including leading scorer from last season's team, DeMar-cus McVay, a sophomore business major from West Memphis, Ark. The Rangers have emotional spark Tevin Moore, a sophomore general college major from Olive Branch. Also coming back is Jordan Husley, a sopho-more general college major from Memphis, who started in all 24 games last season and averaged 8.5 points and 4.9 rebounds-per-game, scoring a career-high 26 points against Northeast. Also joining this year's team are two transfers- sophomores D.J. Biggs, a general college major from Olive Branch, and Charles Eaton, a general col-lege major from Selma, Ala. McVay, Moore and Husley were three of four sophomores invited to the Mullen’s JUCO Show-case held, in St. Louis over the summer. Kenyatta Jones, a sophomore general col-lege major from Byhalia

was also selected in Mullen’s JUCO Showcase held. “It was a good ex-perience for me,” Jones said. “It showed me what Division 1 colleges are looking for.” Jones also feels that team chemistry will play a big role in this sea-son’s success. Along with the new faces, there are familiar faces back on the side-lines, Head Coach Bubba Skelton and Assistant Coach Shane Oakley. Skelton also brings back Bubba's Boys to create a home court advantage. “They bring great energy to our team and crowd. Our home atmo-sphere is exciting and becomes an event that our students can enjoy and take pride in,” Skel-ton said. Along with Skelton comes “Bubba Ball”, a style of play that he best described as, an up-tempo offense combined with an aggressive style defense. The women’s team went 8-14 last season, and return fi ve sopho-mores including last season's leading scorer, Shaquilla Isom and rebounder, Monique Biggins, a sophomore

general college major from Horn Lake. Isom is very optimis-tic about the upcoming season. "We have a good all-around team and we get after it," Isom, a sopho-more nursing major from Abbeville, said. Biggins will also have the opportunity to play alongside her sister, Brit-tany Biggins, a freshman general college major from Horn Lake, once again.

The season has been great for both teams, and the success seems like it will continue. The women have started the season with a 7-1 record. They have won most of their games by double-digit points. The Lady Rangers started with a fi ve-game winning streak. They defeated South-west Mississippi, Mid-South, Hinds and Copiah-Lincoln. Their fi rst loss came against Copiah-Lincoln

(52-66), who they faced for a second time this season. They came back strong to gain two more wins against Jackson State and Coahoma, both blowout wins. Isom has been the leading scorer so far and the de-fensive leader has been Halle Knowles with 19 steals and one block. For the men’s team things have looked the same as the Rangers start the season with a

5-2 record. The fi rst two wins were against South-west Mississippi and Mid-South. Both wins were by four or less points. With two wins under their belt, the Rangers seemed to be fi nding their chemistry until they faced Hinds. They were trailing most of the game and fi nally lost 70-79. Next was Copiah-Lincoln where they won by double-digits,76-66. The following day they faced Southwest Mississippi in which they lost 90-83. With fi ve games behind them they were sitting at 3-2. Coming out of the Southwest Coca-Cola Classic, the Rangers won two intense games against Copiah-Lincoln and Coahoma. They defeated Copiah-Lincoln for a second time this season. The season leaders on offense are DeMarcus McVay with 102 points and on defense Kenyatta Jones with 11 steals and six blocks.

D1 • December 6, 2012 Senatobia, Miss. SPORTSD2 • December 6, 2012 Senatobia, Miss.

By De’Issac House and Deantae Smith

Basketball starts strong

Player Spotlight: ZlehBy De’Issac House

Player Spotlight: TaylorBy Deantae Smith

Cheering can be a hobby for most, but for Catherine Taylor, a soph-omore exercise science major from Southaven, it’s a way of life. Taylor is a four-time national champion at the all-star level of cheering, twice winning at Cheersport National Championship, the world’s largest cheer and dance competition. She also won twice at the United Cheerleading Association’s National Championship. “I’ve been cheering for eight years non-stop,” Taylor said. Taylor has cheered from middle school until now. As a sophomore in high school, Taylor started cheering com-

petitively for the DeSoto Starz, a nationally well-known all star team. Following her gradu-ation from high school, Taylor saw Northwest as an opportunity to bet-ter prepare herself for a four-year university. “When I fi rst looked at Northwest, I didn’t intend on cheering,” Tay-lor said. After attending a practice and meeting with cheer sponsor Liesl Davenport, Taylor was awarded an alternate spot on the squad. Due to a couple of injuries during cheer camp, Taylor shook off her title as an alternate and was able to cheer by the fi rst home game. Also during her fresh-man year, Taylor pulled

double duty by cheering for the school and for her all-star team back at home. “It was challenging trying to juggle all-star cheer, cheering for school, and on top of that keeping my grades up,” Taylor said. With hard work and a little misfortune, Taylor has gone from squad alternate to all-girl squad captain. “I feel some of my hard work is starting to pay off,” Taylor said. As far as plans after Northwest, Taylor plans to try out for Mississippi State’s cheerleading squad and continue ma-joring in kinesiology.

Catherine Taylor, sophomore exercise science major from Southaven, is a cheer cap-tain for the Northwest cheer squad. (Photo by Deantae Smith)

Sophomore guard Charles Easton from Selma, Ala., scored on an up and under move. The Rangers defeated Co-Lin 97-85. (Photo by De’Issac House)

In athletics, it is known that some players shine more than others. The Northwest Rangers’ soc-cer team has a player that shines brightest when refl ecting on the season. Gnande Zleh, a freshman general col-lege major from the Ivory Coast, is in the spotlight this time around. Zleh had a great freshman season, as he was named to the MACJC All-State team. He was also named to the NJCAA All-Region 23 team. “It’s a good feeling as a freshman,” Zleh said. The young forward

had an outstanding season leading the team in goals with eight. He also had fi ve assists, 21 points, 40 shots and 23 shots-on-goals. He had an above average .575 SOG percentage and a .200 shot percentage. “I don’t think I’m at full potential yet,” Zleh said. Zleh had two multi-goal games, one that was his fi rst-ever hat trick. He also scored a game-winning goal at Itawamba. He led the Rangers to a disappointing 5-7-1 season. He feels that the team was young and that the season was just a growing experi-

ence that they all had to endure together. “We just had a hard time fi nding the net, but we dominated most games,” Zleh said. His teammates see him as a leader and hope that he can lead them to the playoffs next season. He thinks that next year they will fl y under the radar, and blow past the competi-tion. The Rangers look promising going into the next season returning 15 players. “We will be the team to look out for,” Zleh said.

Gnande Zleh, a freshman general college major from the Ivory Coast, was se-lected to the MACJC All-State team. (Photo by Mike Haskins)

NEWS B2 • December 6, 2012 Senatobia, Miss.

For more information, please visit www.olemiss.edu/desoto • Call: 662-342-4765The University of Mississippi-DeSoto • 5197 W.E. Ross Parkway, Southaven, MS 38671 (I-55 to Church Rd. Exit)

APPLY NOW for Spring 2013!

Complete your baChelor’s degree with ole miss in southaven!

Spring Semester begins January 22

/umdesoto

• Accountancy• Business (Management, Managerial Finance,

Marketing, MIS)• Criminal Justice• Education• General Studies (Choose any 3 minors)• Integrated Marketing Communications

• Liberal Arts (English, History, Psychology, Sociology)

• Paralegal Studies• Social Work

junior and senior-level Coursework available in:

la’keena from SouthavenUM-DeSoto Senior Criminal Justice Major

UPCOMINGEVENTS

Entertainers perform on Nov.29

Congratulations to our next Mr. and Miss NWCC!

Mr. and Miss DeSotoMr. Troy Leoppard and Miss Lauren Woods

Mr. and Miss OxfordMr. Joe Quarles and Miss Danielle Gleaton

Mr. and Miss SenatobiaMr. Adam Clay and Miss Kacy Acree

Cameron Jones, a sophomore theatre major from Detroit, performs during the Entertainer’s Concert. (Staff photo)

The Entertainers perform on Nov. 29 in the Fine Arts Auditorium. (Staff Photo)

Clearance Dec. 5-7

Spring classes resume on Jan. 14