HSFT Stop #58: Oxford
OXFORD, Miss. (WCBI) — Oxford high school has cemented itself as a team to be reckoned with year in and year out, but 2022 was uncharacteristic, missing out on the playoffs entirely. Now, the challenge is putting last year behind them and moving forward.
“I think anybody would tell you that’s not up to our standard,” head coach Chris Cutcliffe said. “Missing the playoffs isn’t something that happens very often and definitely isn’t what our expectation is in our program.”
The Chargers are searching for a new QB-1, but this certainly is an ordinary quarterback competition.
“We have Peter Grandjean and Mitchell Grandjean, they’re brothers,” Cutcliffe said. “Peter is a senior and Mitchell is a sophomore. They’ve both had a great off-season and summer, been very proud of them and their development getting ready for the season.”
Cutcliffe hasn’t named a starter yet but both Peter and Mitchell aren’t letting the competition get to them. They are focused on making each other better.
“They’re exceptional young men, they handled it all really well,” Cutcliffe said. “They definitely compete with each other but they’re also huge supporters of each other so it has been fun to watch that.”
The coaching staff wants the team to have a family atmosphere. Captains on the team have taken it upon themselves to be involved in their teammates’ lives outside of football.
“We just go around as captains asking people how their day was and seeing them more personally not just in football,” senior defensive end Jabari White said.
Cutcliffe hopes his team’s relationships stand the test of time.
“We talk to them a great deal about investing in relationships and not being transactional,” Cutcliffe said. “We want to have real lasting relationships and we care about each other a lot more than just on a football field or just the results on a football field and I think this team really lives that out.”
Oxford will go as far as its leaders take them. The Chargers will kick off the season Friday on the road at Lafayette.
