STARKVILLE — Nicknames are a part of nearly every team.
Whether it’s the players of the coaches that come up with them, the playful names often stick and become another part of someone’s given name.
“Pup” and “Flavor Fave” are perfect examples — just don’t let Starkville Academy football coach Chase Nicholson fool you into thinking he came up with either one.
Former Starkville Academy football coach Jeff Terrill holds the distinction for giving senior wide receiver/defensive back William Wolfe the nickname “Pup.” That one came easily because William is the younger brother of former Starkville Academy football player Grant Wolfe.
As for Faver, pop culture fans might like to think Flavor Flav, who is part of the rap group Public Enemy, deserves credit for inspiring Faver for coming up with his nickname. Faver, a senior defensive end/tight end, came up with it on his own when he was a freshman and wanted to “spice up” the tag for his Instagram account, which he still has. He immediately connected with Flavor Flav.
“It started as Flavor Flave,” Faver said. “I changed it to Flavor Fave to make it more original.”
Throughout the years, Nicholson has used a variety of turns on it — “Faver, Flaver” — when he talks about one of his dual-threat standouts.
The nicknames are part of a team-first approach that has fueled Starkville Academy’s 7-1 start to the season. At 7 tonight, Starkville Academy will look to use that bond to help it beat Heritage Academy in a Mississippi Association of Independent Schools (MAIS) Class AAA, District 2 game at C.L. Mitchell Field.
With both teams at 7-1 and 2-0 in the district, the winner of the game will earn the tiebreaker over the other team and clinch at least a share of the district title with one regular-season game remaining.
Wolfe said he has gotten used to the name as he has gotten older. Faver said Wolfe wouldn’t have any say in changing his nickname to “old dog” now that he is a senior. Nicholson agrees and says Wolfe has made the nickname his as he has carved an identity outside of his brother’s shadow.
“Pup is one of the original three,” Nicholson said. “As a sophomore, it was him, Noah Methvin and Noah Smith. They were the only sophomores of this senior class who were here or who played. He worked his way off special teams into a backup role into starting role all through his sophomore and junior years. He is a real leader. He is a motivator.”
Faver is that kind of player, too. He has motivated the Volunteers by saying “Nov. 18” at least 20-30 times since the start of the summer, including every Thursday. The date refers to the matchup for the MAIS Class AAA State title game.
“I think he has put a lot into (not playing football as a sophomore and) making up for that,” Nicholson said. “He brings a don’t-waste-it kind of mentality because I wasted one, so don’t you do it.”
The nickname suits him just as well. Wolfe called his friend “a clown,” which fits the personality Flavor Flav often went for in playing foil to the serious Chuck D. On game nights, though, Faver doesn’t fool around, even if he doesn’t remember the last time he heard his real name.
That doesn’t matter because Wolfe and Faver are pieces of a puzzle that have fit together extremely well, just like their nicknames, and continue to push all of the Volunteers to do their parts.
“We know we can do it,” Faver said. “If you know you can do something, you’re going to work hard toward it and you’re going to want to do it.”
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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