New athletic director gets warm welcome from Yellowjackets

Making big-time hires is nothing new to Starkville-Oktibbeha County School District Superintendent Eddie Peasant.

A veteran in administration, Peasant has been all over the state including in school districts at Clinton and Tupelo. He’s worked closely in athletics over the years and, in less than a year, has been a big part of things for Starkville High School.

When the athletic director position was set to open up after Peasant was notified that Milton Smith would retire at the end of the year, he had several names in mind. One of the first ones to come to his head was longtime friend and mentor Dr. Cheyenne Trussell.

Trussell has spent the last 15 years building Hattiesburg High School into one of the state’s top athletic departments and has boosted the academic side of things for athletes down south.

When Peasant approached Trussell about the job, he was a bit surprised he was receptive enough to check it out and eventually accept.

“I would say that he was a person that I would have dreamed of being able to get,” Peasant said. “He was in Hattiesburg for years so there was no guarantee that I could lure him from a place that he had loved.

“I was a little surprised that I was able to pull him away from there, but at the same time, I’ve been blessed and fortunate with him and others I’ve been able to hire. It’s all about relationships and we’ve had a relationship for a while.”

Trussell was formally announced in front of community members, coaches, media and athletes at SHS on Wednesday afternoon. He was met with a warm embrace by the faculty and coaches and his excitement came out immediately in his comments about what lies ahead.

“The feel of Starkville is like I’ve been here all along though I haven’t,” Trussell said. “Just the welcome that I’ve gotten

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