Oct. 7, 2025, the Lafayette School District released a press release stating that they would no longer schedule Oxford in athletic events starting the 2026-27 school year.
“Out of respect to the long-standing tradition and sports rivalry, this decision was not made lightly. After conducting substantial research, we look to the future of our sports program, as LCSD remains grounded in the premise of being anchored in the success of our athletes, both on and off the field,” LCSD said in their press release.
The district informed Oxford Superintendent Bradley Roberson on the evening of Oct. 1 after the decision was first made by the Lafayette administration.
“We acknowledge the end of an era and thank Oxford Schools for generations of good fun and rivalry during The Crosstown Classic,” LCSD said in their press release. “For many years, families and friends picked sides and passionately cheered on the teams. We believe that passion will remain as we all continue to cheer on all of our athletes. As we move forward, we wish our former rivals the best in competition in their pursuit of success in their division.”
In 1972, the first football game between the 2 teams was played on Nov. 17. At the time, the rivalry game was named the Oxford Civitan Bowl. The first annual game ended with the final score 3-0 as the Chargers reigned victorious. In the years following, the rivalry continued to grow and become an event for the community of Oxford. Moving along 53 years to present day, the overall series record was tied 26-26-2 going into this year’s game. The Chargers emerged as the victor with a 63-21 win in what was the final Crosstown Classic ever on Sep. 12.
With the rivalry’s long standing history, the news of the cancellation of future games came as a shock to the community. Many students went to social media to express their feelings in various different comment sections of social media posts. Comments including “the players and the students didn’t ask for this,” “we loved playing them and we always looked forward to those games” and “what sense does this make, let the kids play” represent the confusion and outrage from the schools.
Lafayette also claims in their press release that the decision was made after “considerable research and consultations,” which arouses the question of what research was done. As is seen on social media, the students obviously wanted to keep playing the games, so where did the decision come from? The LCSD claims they spoke with former coaches, community members and state agencies to help make the decision. No where does the press release say that they spoke with students or the current coaches. The decision should have been made based on the opinions of the current people in the rivalry because they are the ones that this affects.
The purpose of high school sports is to help the kids grow and become better human beings, while also allowing them to have fun and enjoy the sport they are playing.
“The MHSAA will promote participation and sportsmanship to develop good citizens through interscholastic activities which provide equitable opportunities, positive recognition and learning experiences to students while maximizing the achievement of educational goals,” the Mississippi High School Activities Association handbook states.
This decision is preventing the students from participating in the rivalry, and ultimately teaching them to run away from their struggles. As has been seen in the past years, Oxford has won outright in many sports due to the constant growth of the district. However, the rivalry is competitive in all sports each year, no matter how good each team is.
Any game between Oxford and Lafayette is exciting for both the fans and the players. One thing that makes the rivalry so unique is the fact that both Oxford and Lafayette students are a part of the same community. While the students want to beat the team they are playing, it is exciting to be able to line up against your friends and compete with them.
The whole situation makes no sense. What is Lafayette gaining from not scheduling these games each year? They are just going to schedule another game that does not mean anything. Even if Lafayette feels like they can’t compete with Oxford due to constant growth of the OSD, the games can still be competitive in many sports. For example, just last year Lafayette won the baseball series 2-1. It’s unfortunate and unfair that the next generation of Chargers and Commodores don’t get the opportunity to play in this rivalry.
