Bossier Parish

Debra Ann Marshall
February 18, 1958 – January 20, 2022
Visitation: 10:00 a.m. until time of service
Services:  12:00 P.M. Saturday, February 12, 2022 at Rose-Neath Funeral Home, 2201 Airline Drive, Bossier City

Cordelle Wesley Jackson
October 11, 1926 – January 24, 2022
Visitation:  1:00 p.m. until the time of service
Services:  service will be held 2:00 p.m. Saturday, January 29, 2022 at Central Assembly of God, 700 US-80, Haughton
Interment:  will follow at Pease Chapel Cemetery, 3384 Bellevue Road, Haughton

Ruby Louise Deardoff
July 4, 1944 – January 23, 2022
Visitation:  10:00 a.m. until the time of service
Services:  11:00 a.m. Saturday, January 29, 2022 at Rose-Neath Funeral Home, 2201 Airline Drive, Bossier City

Caddo Parish

Patty Stinson Purkey
September 11, 1957 – January 23, 2022
Service: Thursday, January 27, 2022 at 10:00 a.m. at Forest Park West Cemetery, 4000 Meriwether Rd., Shreveport

Patty Ann Gibson Pickett
January 11, 1966 – January 23, 2022
Services:  Friday, January 28, 2022 at 12:00 p.m. at Rose-Neath Funeral Home, 2500 Southside Dr., Shreveport

Johnny L Ealy, Sr
February 8, 1972 ~ January 15, 2022
Visitation:  Friday January 28, 2022 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM Winnfield Funeral Home – Shreveport 3701 Hollywood Avenue
Services:  Saturday January 29, 2022 2:00 PM Winnfield Funeral Home – Shreveport 3701 Hollywood Avenue

Mary Frazier
August 5, 1944 – January 19, 2022
Visitation Wednesday January 26, 2022 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM Heavenly Gates, 1339 Jewell St. Shreveport
Services:  Thursday January 27, 2022 11:00 AM Heavenly Gates, 1339 Jewell St. Shreveport

Randy Scott May
June 24, 1970 – January 18, 2022
Visitation:  Visitation will be held Friday, January 28, 2022 from 6:30 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. at the funeral home
Services: 3:00 p.m. Saturday, January 29, 2022 at Rose-Neath Funeral Home, 1815 Marshall Street, Shreveport

David Henry Ingland
November 9, 1933 – January 20, 2022
Services:  Saturday, January 29, 2022 at 2:00 p.m. at Forest Park West Cemetery, 4000 Meriwether Road, Shreveport

Craig Delane Trammell
May 31, 1959 – January 18, 2022
Services:  Graveside service will be 11 a.m., Friday, January 28, 2022 at Lincoln Cemetery

Curtis Ray Byrd
July 25, 1951 – January 18, 2022
Visitation:  Friday January 28, 2022 11:00 PM to 5:00 PM New Bethel MBC 3300 Greenwood Rd Shreveport
Services:  Saturday January 29, 2022 10:00 AM New Bethel MBC

Kendrick Owens
October 11, 1978 – January 9, 2022
Services:  Graveside services will be 11 a.m, Saturday, January 29, 2022 at Ebernezer B.C. Cemetery

Lucretia Sampraict
December 27, 1934 – January 14, 2022
Visitation: 11 to 5 p.m. Friday at Heavenly Gates
Services:  11 a.m., Saturday, January 29, 2022 at Jerusalem B.C

Edison George Hogan, Jr.
March 20, 1951 – January 15, 2022
Visitation:  Friday January 28, 2022 1:00 PM to 6:00 PM Zion Baptist Church 
Services:  Saturday January 29, 2022 11:00 AM Zion Baptist Church

Marty Lister
November 7, 1968 ~ January 20, 2022
Visitation:  11 to 5 p.m. Friday at St. Abraham B.C
Services:  11 a.m, Saturday, January 29, 2022 at St. Abraham B.C

Janice LuPearl Washington
December 12, 1934 ~ January 22, 2022
Visitation: 11 to 5 p.m. Friday at Bossier Baptist
Services:  11 a.m., Saturday, January 29, 2022 at Bossier Baptist Church

Catina Edmond
December 3, 1974 ~ January 17, 2022
Visitation: 11 to 5 p.m, Friday at Heavenly Gates
Services:  1 p.m., Saturday, January 29, 2022 at Greater Hope B.C

Keino Monore
September 5, 1975 – January 19, 2022
Visitation:  11 to 5 p.m., Friday at Heavenly Gates
Services:  1 p.m, Saturday, January 29, 2022 at New Hope CME Church

James Henry Cole, Jr.
October 6, 1970 ~ January 21, 2022
Visitation:  11 to 5 p.m., Friday at Heavenly Gates
Services:  Graveside services will be 1 p.m., Saturday, January 29, 2022 at Lincoln Cemetery

Mr. Clarence E. Pearson
November 30, 1948 – January 23, 2022
Visitation:  11 to 6 and family hour will be from 6 to 7 p.m. Friday at Galilee B.C.
Services:  11 a.m., Saturday, January 29, 2022 at Galilee B.C., Pierre Ave
Interment:  11 a.m., Tuesday, February 1, 2022 at Northwest La. Veteran Cemetery

Vonnie Marion Wilson
June 13, 1936 – January 19, 2022
Services: Friday, January 28, 2022 1:00 AM NW LA Veterans Cemetery 7970 Mike Clark Road Keithville

Morris Shepherd Lewis, Jr.
March 5, 1935 – January 23, 2022
Visitation:  Saturday from 11:00 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. prior to the graveside service at Rose-Neath Funeral Home, 2500 Southside Drive in Shreveport
Services: Saturday, January 29, 2022 at 1:00 p.m. at Forest Park West Cemetery, 4000 Meriwether Road, Shreveport

Catherine Lucille Gill Flynn
December 15, 1932 – January 16, 2022
Visitation:  Saturday, February 5, 2022 from 10:00 a.m. until service time
Services:  Saturday, February 5, 2022 at 11:00 a.m. at Rose-Neath Funeral Home, 2500 Southside Dr., Shreveport

Mr. Foster Mosley
May 29, 1939 – January 16, 2022
Services:  Saturday January 29, 2022 1:00 PM Morning Star Baptist Church 5340 Jewella Avenue
Shreveport

Mr. Garland Crittion, Jr.
July 16, 1974 – January 10, 2022
Visitation: Friday January 28, 2022 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM Winnfield Funeral Home – Shreveport 3701 Hollywood Avenue SHREVEPORT
Services: Saturday January 29, 2022 11:00 AM Winnfield Funeral Home – Shreveport  3701 Hollywood Avenue

Barbara Sue “Susie” Tate
September 16, 1949 – January 26, 2022
Visitation:  Monday, January 31, 2022 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Rose-Neath South
Services:  Tuesday, February 1, 2022 at 10:00 a.m. at Rose-Neath Funeral Home, 2500 Southside Dr., Shreveport

Robert “Bobby” Derle Ezernack
October 19, 1958 – January 25, 2022
Visitation:  Thursday, January 27, 2022 from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Rose-Neath South
Services: Friday, January 28, 2022 at 2:00 p.m. at Rose-Neath Funeral Home, 2500 Southside Dr., Shreveport

By JOHN JAMES MARSHALL, Journal Sports

Here’s your challenge for the day: Talk to the YMCA’s CEO Gary Lash about his latest project – the expansion of the organization’s footprint with the Little League Baseball fields – and see if you can get him not to use the word “opportunity.”

Spoiler alert – you can’t.

“That Little League property (on Knight Street) hasn’t changed a whole lot in the 30 years since it’s been built,” Lash said. “We just need a nice place to play that will bring kids in, build that sport up and give them opportunity.”

(Well, that didn’t take long.)

Lash isn’t afraid to hide from his feeling that what is about to take place over the next few months is indeed an opportunity that can’t be passed up. The YMCA now owns the land on which Shreveport Little League was built in the early 1990s. Once the upcoming Little League season is over (early summer), that property will be completely re-done.

To say that you won’t recognize it in a little more than a year from now is an understatement.

The 11 fields that are currently there will be gone, replaced by 8 or 9 new ones of varying sizes. All will have turf infields; some may be completely turfed. New parking lots, shaded spectator areas, player development areas will all be created. Beyond that, who knows?

An anonymous gift of $300,000, plus a corporate donation for scoreboards, has brought the project to reality and the major fundraising has begun.

“Opportunity” may be the key word, but batting second in the lineup is “impact.”

“The hope is that we can bring big tournaments into Shreveport along with building up Little League,” Lash said. “Getting kids out to play and off their phones is one thing, but it’s also a big economic benefit for the community. It seems like everybody but Shreveport is building these sports complexes. Youth sports is big, big business.”

It’s another ambitious project for Lash and the Y – a new fitness complex is also underway on its Forbing property – but he says simply “it’s the right thing to do.”

It didn’t just happen overnight. More than a decade ago, petroleum and mining giant BHP set up an office at the corner of Knight and East Preston and began to take on community projects such as the construction of the Y across the street. Other projects such the Little League renovation and an Outdoor Education Center (located on the other side of the original BHP building) were also planned.

“BHP was going to be doing all this, but they discovered that oil and gas has little bit of peaks and valleys,” Lash said. “When it valleyed, they were out. They gave dollars for the Y and gave us the property for land behind the building. So we continued in the plans for what we wanted to do.”

“This (partnership) has been talked about for about 10 years,” said Lawrence Calhoun, who served four terms as Little League president and was involved in the organization for 23 years. “To be honest, we kind of thought they just wanted to get our mailing list.”

But Calhoun knows the numbers don’t lie. Where once Little League had 1,200 sign-ups, now there are less than 500.

“Quite frankly, because of the travel baseball, that has taken away from Little League,” Calhoun said. “Joining with the Y is going to be a great opportunity. It will keep the property to a higher standard and give it good curb appeal. New projects will attract more people to be involved in Little League.”

Lash believes the combination of building up Little League and the added ability to host travel league tournaments – as well as enhancing local travel teams – is a win for everybody.

“It’s also a quality-of-life issue,” he says. “Our kids are going somewhere else (for tournaments) every weekend and their families are spending between $700 and $1,000. We want to give them that same opportunity here. We want to build community and a place where families can spend time together and give kids opportunity to play past Little League and into high school and maybe college.”

Construction is expected to be done in seven or eight months. The Outdoor Education Facility is further down the road, but once it’s all said and done, the various complexes run by the Y will be about 130 acres.

“A lot of times people in Shreveport people think you can’t do something because it’s never been done here,” Lash said. “People thought we were nuts for building the (BHP) Y facility and it’s packed all the time. There’s a lot of baseball in Shreveport and Bossier. We just need a place to give them that opportunity.”

Photo: YMCA

By DOUG IRELAND, Journal Staff

New Grambling football coach Hue Jackson will lead his 2022 Tigers into Independence Stadium against Northwestern State and the G-Men will visit reigning Southwestern Athletic Conference champion Jackson State and “Coach Prime,” Deion Sanders, in a non-conference contest.

Grambling announced this year’s schedule Wednesday, confirming the matchup in Shreveport on Sept. 10 against Northwestern and revealing the unanticipated Sept. 17 trip to JSU, a pairing that seems likely for ESPN coverage. The Tigers play away from home in their first six games.

The season opener is Sept. 3 at Arkansas State. The SWAC schedule culminates with the annual Bayou Classic battle in New Orleans Nov. 26 against Southern.

The Tigers won’t play in Grambling at Eddie G. Robinson Memorial Stadium until Oct. 15 against new SWAC foe Florida A&M, the first of three straight homefield appearances. Meetings with FAMU, Alcorn State (Oct. 29) and UAPB (Nov. 5) are the only on-campus outings on the schedule.

Season ticket packages will include the three home games, the NSU contest and the State Fair Classic in Dallas against Prairie View. The packages go on sale during the April 2 spring game. Tailgating space will be limited and more information with how and when to purchase tailgating spots for the spring game will be released in February, Grambling officials said.

Jackson, former head coach of the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders and Cleveland Browns, was hired in December to replace the fired Broderick Fobbs after the G-Men had losing seasons in the spring and the conventional fall schedule. Those followed consecutive 6-5 years that spurred some frustration among Grambling fans, although after he took over in Dec. 2013, Fobbs steered the program back from a 2013 in-season meltdown including a players’ strike. His teams won three SWAC West Division championships (2015-17), two overall conference crowns (2016-17), and the 2016 HBCU national championship.

The 2022 Grambling football schedule: Sept. 3 at Arkansas State; Sept. 10 vs. Northwestern State in Shreveport; Sept. 17 at Jackson State; Sept. 24 at Bethune-Cookman*; Oct. 1, State Fair Classic at Dallas, vs. Prairie View*; Oct. 8 at Alabama A&M*; Oct. 15 home vs. Florida A&M*; Oct. 22 open date; Oct. 29 home vs. Alcorn State*; Nov. 5 home vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff*; Nov. 12 at Texas Southern*; Nov. 19 open date; Nov. 26, Bayou Classic at New Orleans, vs. Southern*. (* asterisk indicates SWAC games).

Photo courtesy of GRAMBLING STATE

By DAVID ERSOFF, Journal Sports

The Division I sixth-ranked Byrd Lady Jackets rode two second half goals to top Division I ninth-ranked Lafayette 2-0 at Holy Savior Menard High School in Alexandria Wednesday night.

The Jackets’ goals were scored by Landry Jones and Chloe Miller with assists provided by Ellie Lawrence and Jones. Emerson Roberts had four saves in goal to produce the shutout.

The field was very narrow and had a high crown. With the rain from Monday, the edges of the field were very mushy and produced a completely different playing surface then the middle of the field.

As both teams are used to utilizing the wider parts of the field, it took the whole first half for both teams to get into a rhythm. There were no serious threats to either goal in the half.

When the second half began, it was obvious that Byrd coach Lisa Levermann had restructured the Lady Jackets’ attack, as they held possession in Lafayette’s end of the field from the get go.

In the 18th minute of the second half Lawrence put a through ball right at the feet of a charging Jones, who calmly finished it in the net past the keeper.

Ten minutes later, Jones centered the ball right to Miller, who chipped it in over the keeper.

The rest of the game Lafayette slowly got its bearings and began attacking with numbers. Byrd’s center defenders Skylar Burke and Centenary signee Katie Smith, were able to repel all of Lafayette’s advances. It wasn’t until the last three minutes when All-State keeper Roberts was pressed to make two solid saves to preserve the clean sheet.

In other early week action:

Parkway beat North Caddo 8-0 Tuesday as coach Shelley McMillian notched her 700th varsity win. Maya Jackson recorded her 110th career goal in the game.

Byrd escaped with a 1-0 victory over Airline. A first-half goal by Ainsley Davis, assisted by Landry Jones, turned out to be the only score. Roberts recorded two saves. The bright spot for Airline was keeper Catherine Webber, who recorded 14 saves and kept Airline in the game.

Captain Shreve went 2-0 with wins over Southwood (8-0) and Natchitoches Central (8-0). Goals were scored by Maddie Aubrey (4), Reagan Titus (2), Alex Knight (2), Emily Moffett (2), Emma Bradford (2), Ella Grace Davis, Brooklyn Lattier, Kiley Rourke and Grace Schneider. Assists were handed out by Bradford (3), Aubrey (2), Moffett (3), Knight and Bryleigh Burlison.

Loyola beat Sterlington 2-0 with goals from Caroline Henry and Kennedy Jarrett, who is now at 91 career goals. Assists came from Madalyn VanDevander and Maggie Googe.

Calvary beat Minden 3-1. Goals came by Jaedan Lee, Carson Davis and Ava Colvin. Assists came from Maggie Moore, Davis and Colvin. Keeper Peyton Lewis had five saves.

Other results so far this week included North Desoto 5, Bossier 0; Benton 3, Haughton 0; Northwood 1, Huntington 0; North DeSoto 8 North Caddo 0.

Shelley McMillian soft, but inspirational on verge of landmark 700th win

Photo by DAVID ERSOFF

By JOURNAL STAFF

BATON ROUGE — LSU got even more short-handed Wednesday night during its Southeastern Conference basketball battle with Texas A&M, but the Tigers scrapped out a 70-64 triumph at the Maravich Assembly Center.

The Tigers (16-4, 4-4) snapped a three-game skid. LSU scored the game’s final nine points in a closing 13-2 run posted without the team’s three top players: Darius Days, Xavier Pinson and Tari Eason, who was helped off the court with 12 minutes to go after sustaining an apparent knee sprain.

Freshman Brandon Murray came off the bench to score 21 for LSU. Eric Gaines stepped up with 16 points, six rebounds, four steals and a massive blocked shot on a dunk attempt that preserved the Tigers’ 66-64 lead with just 24 seconds left.

The Aggies (15-5, 4-3), in their third year under former Mike McConathy/NSU assistant Buzz Williams, lost their ninth straight to the Tigers, missing their last six shots. It was A&M’s third straight defeat in league play.

In other action of local interest, Bossier Parish Community College dialed long distance for an exciting homecourt win by the Cavs, but the BPCC women fell on the road at Angelina.

MEN

BOSSIER PARISH 57, NAVARRO 56: Jaeden Marshall hit a 3-pointer with 1.8 seconds left to give the Cavaliers their only lead of the game and the winning margin at the Billy Montgomery Gym. Marshall’s big shot came after Roydrel Dryden hit a trey to pull BPCC (12-8, 6-5 in Region 14) within 56-54. Derick Hamilton led the Cavs with 12 points, Dryden had 11 and Christian Caldwell 10. Navarro (11-10, 5-6) was led by Xavier Pina’s 16 points.

WOMEN

ANGELINA 84, BOSSIER PARISH 52: The Lady Cavs fell on the road despite the 21 points from Ma’Kaila Lewis and Faith Robinson’s 16. BPCC drops to 10-9, 3-6 with the loss. Angelina (1-6, 4-5) got 18 points from Sumaiiyah Abdur-Rahim.

Photo courtesy of LSU ATHLETICS

Bossier Parish

Debra Ann Marshall
February 18, 1958 – January 20, 2022
Visitation: 10:00 a.m. until time of service
Services:  12:00 P.M. Saturday, February 12, 2022 at Rose-Neath Funeral Home, 2201 Airline Drive, Bossier City

Cordelle Wesley Jackson
October 11, 1926 – January 24, 2022
Visitation:  1:00 p.m. until the time of service
Services:  service will be held 2:00 p.m. Saturday, January 29, 2022 at Central Assembly of God, 700 US-80, Haughton
Interment:  will follow at Pease Chapel Cemetery, 3384 Bellevue Road, Haughton

Ruby Louise Deardoff
July 4, 1944 – January 23, 2022
Visitation:  10:00 a.m. until the time of service
Services:  11:00 a.m. Saturday, January 29, 2022 at Rose-Neath Funeral Home, 2201 Airline Drive, Bossier City

Caddo Parish

Patty Stinson Purkey
September 11, 1957 – January 23, 2022
Service: Thursday, January 27, 2022 at 10:00 a.m. at Forest Park West Cemetery, 4000 Meriwether Rd., Shreveport

Patty Ann Gibson Pickett
January 11, 1966 – January 23, 2022
Visitation: Thursday, January 27, 2022 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the funeral home
Services:  Friday, January 28, 2022 at 12:00 p.m. at Rose-Neath Funeral Home, 2500 Southside Dr., Shreveport

Johnny L Ealy, Sr
February 8, 1972 ~ January 15, 2022
Visitation:  Friday January 28, 2022 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM Winnfield Funeral Home – Shreveport 3701 Hollywood Avenue
Services:  Saturday January 29, 2022 2:00 PM Winnfield Funeral Home – Shreveport 3701 Hollywood Avenue

Mary Frazier
August 5, 1944 – January 19, 2022
Visitation Wednesday January 26, 2022 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM Heavenly Gates, 1339 Jewell St. Shreveport
Services:  Thursday January 27, 2022 11:00 AM Heavenly Gates, 1339 Jewell St. Shreveport

Gregory James Dinkins
April 1, 1962 – January 17, 2022
Services:  1 p.m., Thursday, January 27, 2022 in the Chapel of Heavenly Gates

David Henry Ingland
November 9, 1933 – January 20, 2022
Services:  Saturday, January 29, 2022 at 2:00 p.m. at Forest Park West Cemetery, 4000 Meriwether Road, Shreveport

Craig Delane Trammell
May 31, 1959 – January 18, 2022
Services:  Graveside service will be 11 a.m., Friday, January 28, 2022 at Lincoln Cemetery

Curtis Ray Byrd
July 25, 1951 – January 18, 2022
Visitation:  Friday January 28, 2022 11:00 PM to 5:00 PM New Bethel MBC 3300 Greenwood Rd Shreveport
Services:  Saturday January 29, 2022 10:00 AM New Bethel MBC

Kendrick Owens
October 11, 1978 – January 9, 2022
Services:  Graveside services will be 11 a.m, Saturday, January 29, 2022 at Ebernezer B.C. Cemetery

Lucretia Sampraict
December 27, 1934 – January 14, 2022
Visitation: 11 to 5 p.m. Friday at Heavenly Gates
Services:  11 a.m., Saturday, January 29, 2022 at Jerusalem B.C

Edison George Hogan, Jr.
March 20, 1951 – January 15, 2022
Visitation:  Friday January 28, 2022 1:00 PM to 6:00 PM Zion Baptist Church 
Services:  Saturday January 29, 2022 11:00 AM Zion Baptist Church

Marty Lister
November 7, 1968 ~ January 20, 2022
Visitation:  11 to 5 p.m. Friday at St. Abraham B.C
Services:  11 a.m, Saturday, January 29, 2022 at St. Abraham B.C

Janice LuPearl Washington
December 12, 1934 ~ January 22, 2022
Visitation: 11 to 5 p.m. Friday at Bossier Baptist
Services:  11 a.m., Saturday, January 29, 2022 at Bossier Baptist Church

Catina Edmond
December 3, 1974 ~ January 17, 2022
Visitation: 11 to 5 p.m, Friday at Heavenly Gates
Services:  1 p.m., Saturday, January 29, 2022 at Greater Hope B.C

Keino Monore
September 5, 1975 ~ January 19, 2022
Visitation:  11 to 5 p.m., Friday at Heavenly Gates
Services:  1 p.m, Saturday, January 29, 2022 at New Hope CME Church

James Henry Cole, Jr.
October 6, 1970 ~ January 21, 2022
Visitation:  11 to 5 p.m., Friday at Heavenly Gates
Services:  Graveside services will be 1 p.m., Saturday, January 29, 2022 at Lincoln Cemetery

Vonnie Marion Wilson
June 13, 1936 – January 19, 2022
Services: Friday, January 28, 2022 1:00 AM NW LA Veterans Cemetery 7970 Mike Clark Road Keithville

Robert Lee Jeter
May 23, 1962 – January 18, 2022
Services:  Thursday, January 27, 2021, 11:30am at Roseneath Cemetery

Catherine Lucille Gill Flynn
December 15, 1932 – January 16, 2022
Visitation:  Saturday, February 5, 2022 from 10:00 a.m. until service time
Services:  Saturday, February 5, 2022 at 11:00 a.m. at Rose-Neath Funeral Home, 2500 Southside Dr., Shreveport

Mr. Foster Mosley
May 29, 1939 – January 16, 2022
Visitation:  Wednesday January 26, 2022 12:00 PM Heavenly Gates Funeral Home 1339 Jewell Street Shreveport:  Friday January 28, 2022 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM Winnfield Funeral Home – Shreveport
3701 Hollywood Avenue SHREVEPORT
Services:  Saturday January 29, 2022 1:00 PM Morning Star Baptist Church 5340 Jewella Avenue
Shreveport

Mr. Garland Crittion, Jr.
July 16, 1974 – January 10, 2022
Visitation: Friday January 28, 2022 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM Winnfield Funeral Home – Shreveport 3701 Hollywood Avenue SHREVEPORT
Services: Saturday January 29, 2022 11:00 AM Winnfield Funeral Home – Shreveport  3701 Hollywood Avenue

Bennie Lee Wilson
November 2, 1929 – January 24, 2022
Services: It is the family’s wishes to have a private graveside service at Forest Park Cemetery on St. Vincent Avenue.

“And the answer is: What do you call a person who has no chance of correctly answering more than three questions, tops, on any single episode of Jeopardy!?”

“What is a Jeopardy! Deadbeat?”

“Correct! The judges would have also taken ‘What is Most any Normal Person?’”

No one is in jeopardy of me beating them on Jeopardy!, four decades old and the most-watched TV game show of all-time. The questions — or answers, if you prefer — are cast-iron tough. Harder than an acre of ash.

There is every reason to watch Jeopardy! and one big reason not to. What I hear most is, “It makes me feel stupid.” Legit response. Makes me feel more stupid. I passed feeling stupid a long time ago.

But … to those using that excuse, we offer this:

Consider an attitude adjustment. I know going in I’m not the most mature apple on the tree, so when I watch, it’s with low expectations. Extremely low. Barrel-bottom low. Again, me and millions of other stupid people have made it the most popular game show ever.

That anyone can ever actually win a match, even one, is what makes the current goings-on all that more confounding. The show’s reigning champ isn’t just beating people, she’s destroying them. Sherman through Georgia. She’s the game show equivalent of football’s 1970’s Pittsburgh Steelers.

A historic champ is Amy Schneider, a 41-year-old engineering manager from Oakland, Calif., who after Monday’s just-another-day-at-the-office rout had won 39 consecutive matches and moved into second place all-time and all by her lonesome.

She’d also pocketed $1,319,800. Hello.

She’s still way behind all-time champ Ken Jennings and his 74 straight wins. If she were chasing Joe DiMaggio’s 56-game hit streak, she’d be around 30. Lot of pitchers left to face.

That said, Schneider’s got game. Monday alone, she answered questions from the categories of, among others, Government Agencies, Bodies of Water, The Crusades, Rhythm & Blues, Roman Life & Culture — quite the varied array.

As usual, she won by $10,000 — and that was after losing $25,000 in Final Jeopardy. LOST 25 large and still won by 10.

Some of Monday’s answers/questions, with the correct response in parentheses. Good luck:

“Moses’ mom put him in an ark made of this plant?” Me: “Reeds!” (Bulrush.) Dang! I KNEW I had that one …

“The mission of BLM, short for this, is ‘to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the public lands.’” Me: “What is the Big Land Machine?” (Bureau of Land Management)

“Croatia’s border rivers, the Sava & Drava, are both tributaries of this one.” Me: “Uh ….” (The Gulf of Sidra)

“Pope Eugenius III launched the Second Crusade in 1145 with ‘Quantum Praedecessores,’ one of these documents named for its seal.” Me: “No WAY there was a whole other Crusade after the first one. No livin’ WAY!” (The Papal Bull.)

My guess would have been The Mama Bull. So close…

The show airs 4:30 weekdays on ABC. Sometimes I’ll record it and, if I’ve had a good day, I’ll watch maybe 10 minutes, just to be humbled, just to remind myself that while a contestant is winning on Jeopardy! each weekday, I barely know the difference between the Gulf of Sidra and the Gulf gas station down on the corner.

Always felt I had a fightin’-man’s chance back in the day with Match Game. The Price is Right. Even Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. But Jeopardy! is a different animal. It’s always the windshield; I’m always the bug.

Contact Teddy at teddy@latech.edu

By JOHN JAMES MARSHALL, Journal Sports

When you go to play the Huntington Raiders, everybody knows that stopping Rayshaun McCullar is going to be a challenge. The 6-foot-1 point guard gets about as much attention from opposing teams as he does from college recruiters.

But the Raiders didn’t get to the top of the District 1-4A standings by simply relying on McCullar. If they didn’t know already, the Evangel Eagles found that out Tuesday night in the Huntington gym.

DeKelveon Taylor had 26 points, including five 3-pointers, and DeCedric Webb had 24 to lead the Raiders to a 72-54 win.

Taylor took over the game in the second quarter after Evangel had narrowed it to 18-17, making three 3-pointers as the Raiders built the lead to 33-23.

“He’s been playing well lately,” Huntington coach Mack Jones said. “We’ve challenged him because everyone is taking away McCullar. We tell him (Taylor) to take those shots when he’s open because he can knock them down. He’s the X-factor right now for us.”

The Raiders owned the paint with a huge rebounding advantage and numerous blocked shots against Evangel. Taylor’s shooting also opened up the inside game for the 6-foot-5 Webb.

“We tried to get the ball inside to Webb, and Evangel had a hard time with him,” Jones said. “Evangel is a tough opponent and they have been playing well. It was a grind on each possession and rebounding was a big part.”

Another big part was trying to slow down Evangel’s 6-foot-4 senior Lance Waddles, who had 21 points. “Waddles,” Jones said, “is a handful.”

But the Raiders did a nice job on him in the second half as Waddles scored only four points, and Huntington ran away with it. The Eagles got as close as 44-40 before Huntington went on a 22-9 run in the third and fourth quarters.

No other Eagle had more than 11 points.

“It’s hard to beat a team like that and not get much productivity from the rest of the team,” Evangel coach Eric Shepherd said. “Lance kept us in there for a while and some other guys made a few shots. But we have to be able to score consistently.”

After a narrow 44-40 win by Huntington the first time the two teams played, Shepherd was hoping his team would come out strong.

“I thought we didn’t play hard to start the game and came out slow,” he said. “Against Huntington, you can’t afford to do that. You have to be ready to play. It looked like we weren’t really up for the challenge at the start.”

Huntington, 14-4 overall and winners of seven of the last eight, will have another challenge Friday when the Raiders go on the road to play Woodlawn. Both are Top 10 teams in the Class 4A power rankings. Huntington won the previous meeting 69-66.

“We are pleased to be 6-0 at this point (in the district) and have a two-game lead on everybody,” Jones said. “We don’t take it lightly and this was a big game.”

Evangel (15-6, 4-2) will be at home against North DeSoto Friday night.

Photo by JOHN JAMES MARSHALL

By DOUG IRELAND, Journal Sports

As Mike McConathy’s Northwestern State basketball team prepares to play its first home game in 40 days Thursday night, a glance at the Demons’ record is undeniably discouraging.

No way to dress up an overall 4-16 mark, or an 0-3 start in the Southland Conference.

It is what it is. But it will not drag down the Demons when they tip off in Prather Coliseum at 7:30-ish Thursday night.

Doesn’t hurt that Northwestern is hosting Incarnate Word. The Alamo City-based Cardinals already have fallen to the Demons, 83-80, on Jan. 7 at the Southland’s unique Tip Off Tournament in Katy, Texas, and they’re hitting Natchitoches with an identical substandard slate.

So the quick read is NSU should have confidence, and will, Thursday night.

But even if UIW was unbeaten, the Demons would be going in feelin’ good. That’s McConathy magic.

Nearly everyone else, understandably, thinks his team is in a miserable funk. McConathy, his staff and players believe they are building toward a major shift in fortune.

When many coaches would be ducking and covering given Northwestern’s worksheet so far, he’s not.

He’s believing, not belittling, and playing the long game. He’s not sulking, he’s not stewing, he’s just steadily guiding the Demons confidently along the schedule – having completed a collection of non-conference contests that ranked among the 15 toughest among the country’s 351 Division I teams.

It’s the daunting nature of that schedule which has the Demons defiantly undaunted right now, said their top scorer and rebounder, second-year freshman Kendal Coleman, a Captain Shreve product.

“Most people don’t take that into account. We’ve played several of the top teams in the country, top 25 teams, No. 1 Baylor on down. Coach Mike keeps the negativity out of our group, even though he and our coaches do tell us what we did wrong, where we need to get better. They’re not bashing us. They’re teaching us.”

It’s been a recurring pattern in the 22 previous seasons the Bossier City native has coached NSU. McConathy’s squads have typically traveled to challenging non-conference foes, only occasionally hosting a Division I opponent while making visits to Power 5 venues for “guarantee games” for which the home team pays an appearance fee, nowadays in the $60-75,000 range (down about 33 percent from the pre-pandemic take).

Take away those 109 “buy games” in his career (seven this season), and McConathy’s Demons have won 55 percent of the time (320-266). At the pinnacle: the only three NCAA Tournament appearances this century by any North Louisiana men’s program (2001, 2006, 2013) and a 2-3 record in March Madness – on neutral courts, BTW.

Each of the last two seasons, Northwestern surged late with seven wins in nine games, netting No. 4 seeds in the Southland Tournament, and reaching the semifinals. The Demons have played in the championship game seven times and additionally made four semis.

His approach is validated, again and again. It’s not for the faint of heart, but it is educational.

“It’s Coach’s mindset. He knows what buttons to push, and he binds everybody together, not letting us split apart. It’s pretty amazing to watch,” said longtime assistant Jeff Moore. “He just never gives up on anybody. It’s not in his DNA. He finds the good in people and players, and gets them to believe in that, and it draws the best out of them.”

“Most teams with this record, they’d come to practice like it’s an obligation,” said Dave Simmons, in his second stint at NSU with McConathy sandwiched around 12 years as head coach at McNeese. “Mike helps our guys see each day as an opportunity, and we see them growing because of the faith he shows in them.”

How did he develop his unyielding, unabashedly optimistic approach?

“A lot has to do with considering how you would want to be treated,” he said. “Growing up in Bossier City, I had so many coaches – not just in basketball, but in little league baseball and even junior high football, then into college – men who saw the big picture and encouraged us, patiently, believing in us.”

He’s a product of mentors like his dad, former Bossier schools superintendent Johnny McConathy; and coaches including Jerry Mosley in junior high football and basketball, Gerald Kimble in junior varsity basketball, his Airline High basketball coach J.C. Howell, and even his little league baseball coach, Tommy Henry. As he became one of Louisiana Tech’s greatest, Scotty Robertson, then Emmett Hendricks showed him the way.

“To me, you either coach out of fear, or out of love. You’ve got to discipline them, you’ve got to teach them, but they’ve got to know you care about them, and they’ll respond so much better.”

He’s counting on that come Thursday night.

“It’s like it’s been raining, thunder and lightning, for 40 days,” said McConathy, “and now, the clouds are clearing and it’s a whole new day.”

Photo by CHRIS REICH/NSU

By LEE HILLER, Journal Sports

Benton’s Maddy Ryan hit one of two free throws with eight seconds left in a second overtime to lift the Tigers to a 52-51 defeat of Airline In girls District 1-5A basketball at Airline.

Kayla Hampton hit a jumper for the Lady Vikes with two seconds left in regulation to tie the game 47-47 and send it into overtime.

The Lady Tigers were led in scoring by Marissa Schoth’s 12 points. Ella Kate Malley and Jada Stewart both added 10 for Benton who improved to 18-8 overall, 5-4 in 1-5A.

Hampton led all scorers for Airline (19-10, 5-4) with 19 points.

PARKWAY 80, NATCHITOCHES CENTRAL 44: The District 1-5A leading Panthers improve to 24-2, 9-0 as Mikaylah Williams tallied 29 points, Chloe Larry scored 11 and Ty’lissa Henderson and Makenna Miles both fired in 10.

SOUTHWOOD 53, BYRD 17: Junior Jermesha Frierson tossed in 24 points and grabbed 17 rebounds as the Lady Cowboys improved to 18-8, 6-3. Ma’Shaylen Pratt contributed 16 points and Minnie Williams had 7 rebounds and 5 assists.

CAPTAIN SHREVE 47, HAUGHTON 44: At Shreve the Lady Gators (12-12, 4-5) were led by Carley Hamilton’s 15 points and Jakiyah Lane had 11. Haughton (13-10, 3-6) got 16 points from Dakota Howard.

HUNTINGTON 72, EVANGEL 15: At Huntington, the Lady Raiders scored 31 first quarter points and cruised past the Lady Eagles. Kalea Dean’s 17 points led the way for Huntington (12-6, 7-0). Jamar’I Bell fired in 14 and Jayla Allen added 10. Rebecca Galvan led Evangel (0-12, 0-6) with 8 points.

WOODLAWN 57, BOSSIER 38: Tarellya Baber had a game-high 35 points for the Lady Knights (11-12). Sanaa Brown’s 14 points led the Lady Bearkats now 5-13.

By LEE HILLER, Journal Sports

Calvary needed a couple of extra periods to get a big District 1-1A win in beating Lincoln Prep 55-48 at Calvary.

Labree Williams came up big again with 15 points, 15 rebounds and five blocked shots for the Cavaliers who move into first place in 1-1A with the win at 3-0. Malaki Thomas scored 14 and added 7 rebounds as the Cavaliers improved to 13-7 overall.

Lincoln Prep drops to 18-7 overall and 3-1 in 1-1A.

NATCHITOCHES CENTRAL 74, PARKWAY 54: Dalyn Davis led the Chiefs with 17 points, Justin Aaron had 16 points and 8 assists. NC improves to 16-4 overall, 6-1 n 1-5A. Brhaelyn Brown led all scorers with 19 for the Panthers (5-14, 0-7.

SOUTHWOOD 43, BYRD 33: The Cowboys won their sixth straight District 1-5A game to improve to 6-3 and 13-12 overall. Sophomore Jeremiah Evans scored 20 points and grabbed 21 rebounds and Mar’Quarius Johnson 11 points.

CAPTAIN SHREVE 48, HAUGHTON 24: The host Gators stayed tied for first in District 1-5A at 6-1 and improved to 17-5 overall as Mekel Hart scored 16 points and EJ McDonald added 12.

AIRLINE 56, BENTON 51: At Airline, AJ Coleman poured in 17 points, Cameron Walker 16 and Trevon Jackson 10 as the Vikings improved to 10-8, 4-3. Benton falls to 9-18, 2-5 with the loss.

BOOKER T. WASHINGTON 63, MINDEN 39: The Lions got a game-high 22 points from JaCobee Jackson and Nick Dyer 11 points to improve to 16-7, 3-2. The Crimson Tide falls to 3-20, 0-5.

BOSSIER 62, WOODLAWN 32: The host Bearkats held the Knights to a season low point total in getting the non-district win and improve to 18-6. Tahj Roots scored 13 points, Javon Johnson 11 and Marquis Harris 10 for the Kats. Woodlawn (17-8) Andri Lewis posted 12 points.

MANSFIELD 44, LOYOLA 28: At Mansfield, Nick Bailey’s 16 points led the Wolverines to the District 1-3A win improve to 9-6, 2-0. Jalon Ebarb added another 10 points for the hosts. The Flyers (10-13, 2-2) got 13 points from John Carmody and Caleb Branch had 8.

SAN DIEGO, Calif. – Shreveport native Sam Burns will not be the only Calvary Baptist graduate teeing it up in the 2022 Farmers Insurance Open.

His old Cavaliers teammate, Ryan Alford, now assistant golf coach at Louisiana Tech, has been spending the week in southern California … and hopes to stay for the weekend.

The former Tech golfer, along with young pro Kamaiu Johnson, received exemptions to play in the 2022 Farmers Insurance Open. The event runs Thursday through Sunday at Torrey Pines Golf Course, with the standard PGA cut of the tournament field after Friday’s second round.

It will be Alford’s first career start on the PGA Tour. He will tee off at 9:50 a.m. Thursday on Hole No. 1 with Joshua Creel (USA) and Mito Pereira (Chile).

“First PGA Tour start,” said Alford. “It’s a dream come true. It’s surreal right now. My debut. Very excited. Grateful. Thankful for the opportunity.

“I’m trying to keep it simple,” he said. “One shot at a time. Stick to my routine. Stick to what got me here.”

Alford played a practice round on Monday with Burns, Johnson, and Ricky Fowler.

As high school pals, Alford and Burns keyed Calvary’s string of five consecutive Louisiana state championship titles. Those memories were rekindled during their practice round in San Diego.

Burns is one of the PGA Tour’s rising stars, winning two events last year and finishing among the top 10 in the Tour’s season-long Fed Ex Cup competition.

“We played nine holes; just a little game,” said Alford. “It’s always good playing with my high school teammate and my childhood friend. Having the opportunity to play with (Sam) and having the confidence that I grew up with him and played a lot of golf with him. I’m just moving forward. It keeps the dream alive. I know I belong out here. That’s the biggest thing for me.”

The exemptions support Farmers ongoing commitment to the Advocates Professional Golf Association Tour and its work to grow diversity in golf. Helping to remove the financial burden associated with the game and providing playing opportunities are top priorities for both Farmers and the APGA.

“Both Ryan Alford and Kamaiu Johnson have their own stories of perseverance, and each has shown they can compete and win on the APGA Tour this season,” said Marty Gorsich, CEO of the Farmers Insurance Open. “Ryan has enjoyed tremendous success with two victories on the APGA Tour this season and we felt Johnson deserved his chance to return and finish what he wasn’t able to start in January 2021. Not only are they great golfers on the course, but they also both give back and work to grow the sport in the communities where they learned the game.”

Alford, 25, grew up learning the game with his father and through First Tee Northwest Louisiana in Shreveport.

During the 2021 season, Alford had back-to-back victories at TPC Scottsdale and Valhalla Golf Club. He also finished runner-up in the final event of the APGA Farmers Insurance Fall Series.

Provided by Louisiana Tech Athletic Communications

By JOURNAL STAFF

Bossier Parish Community College has three players in the top 200 JUCO prospects according to Prep Baseball Report JUCO Division I rankings with the Cavalier’s Sean Goodwin coming in at No. 6.

Goodwin, a 6-foot 6 right-handed pitcher from Niceville, Florida and a University of Tennessee transfer has committed to Florida Atlantic for the 2023 season. He is the brother of Jimmy Nelson of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

“Sean is an imposing figure on the mound and has a fastball that reaches the mid 90s,” said Bossier Parish coach Bobby Gilliam. “He rehabbed from Tommy John last season and has done all the work and then some to come back strong. We are excited to go see him put the work on the field.”

Zach St Pierre is the No. 77 right-handed pitcher and 183 overall. The Allen, Texas native was first team all conference last season posting a 4-4 record, 68 1/3 innings and a conference leading 100 strikeouts. He is a Southern Arkansas commit.

“St Pierre is a first class competitor with great stuff,” Gilliam said. “He was a standout player last season and has dedicated himself to be even better on the field and especially in the classroom earning a 4.0 last semester.”

Mason Hammonds, a shortstop from Lindale, Texas hit a team leading .364 in 2021
and was a first team all-conference selection. He is the No. 9 ranked shortstop and 107 overall player.

“Mason is a gifted defensive shortstop that can make any kind of play,” Gilliam said. “He’s also an offensive guy that hits a lot of line drives and finds his way on base.”

BPCC finished with a 23-22 record in 2021 and advanced to the Region 14 regional championship game for the first time in school history, along with five players signing Division I scholarships.

Cole Ketzner, Gabe Cabrera and Collin Young are among returning starters for the 2022 season.

Ketzner, a catcher from Magnolia, Texas hit ,338 with 7 home runs and was first team all-conference and first team all region conference last season.

Cabrera, an outfielder from the Dominican Republic and University of Central Florida transfer hit .312, had 5 home runs and 36 RBIs last season. He is a Marshall university commit for 2023.

Young, an outfielder from Magnolia, Texas hit .250 with 6 home runs.

Among the starters Gavin Baird an infielder from Angleton, Texas hit .302 with a .480 on base percentage in 2021.

The Cavs kick off the season Jan 28 and in the Prep Baseball Report top 25 preseason poll released January 18 the Cavs were receiving votes.

Bossier Parish

Debra Ann Marshall
February 18, 1958 – January 20, 2022
Visitation: 10:00 a.m. until time of service
Services:  12:00 P.M. Saturday, February 12, 2022 at Rose-Neath Funeral Home, 2201 Airline Drive, Bossier City

Caddo Parish

Patty Stinson Purkey
September 11, 1957 – January 23, 2022
Service: Thursday, January 27, 2022 at 10:00 a.m. at Forest Park West Cemetery, 4000 Meriwether Rd., Shreveport

Patty Ann Gibson Pickett
January 11, 1966 – January 23, 2022
Visitation: Thursday, January 27, 2022 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the funeral home
Services:  Friday, January 28, 2022 at 12:00 p.m. at Rose-Neath Funeral Home, 2500 Southside Dr., Shreveport

David Henry Ingland
November 9, 1933 – January 20, 2022
Services:  Saturday, January 29, 2022 at 2:00 p.m. at Forest Park West Cemetery, 4000 Meriwether Road, Shreveport

Vonnie Marion Wilson
June 13, 1936 – January 19, 2022
Services: Friday, January 28, 2022 1:00 AM NW LA Veterans Cemetery 7970 Mike Clark Road Keithville

Robert Lee Jeter
May 23, 1962 – January 18, 2022
Services:  Thursday, January 27, 2021, 11:30am at Roseneath Cemetery

Catherine Lucille Gill Flynn
December 15, 1932 – January 16, 2022
Visitation:  Saturday, February 5, 2022 from 10:00 a.m. until service time
Services:  Saturday, February 5, 2022 at 11:00 a.m. at Rose-Neath Funeral Home, 2500 Southside Dr., Shreveport

Michael Lynn Green
September 21, 1960 – January 13, 2022
Services:  Wednesday January 26, 2022 12:00 PM Heavenly Gates Funeral Home 1339 Jewell Street Shreveport

Mr. Garland Crittion, Jr.
July 16, 1974 – January 10, 2022
Visitation: Friday January 28, 2022 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM Winnfield Funeral Home – Shreveport 3701 Hollywood Avenue SHREVEPORT
Services: Saturday January 29, 2022 11:00 AM Winnfield Funeral Home – Shreveport  3701 Hollywood Avenue

Mary Emily Berney House
March 21, 1946 – January 23, 2022
Visitation:  prior to the service from 10:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m at the funeral home
Services: 1:00 p.m., Wednesday, January 26, 2022 at Rose-Neath Funeral Home, 1815 Marshall Street, Shreveport
Interment:  will immediately follow in Memorial Gardens North on Dixie Blanchard Road in Blanchard