By TONY TAGLAVORE, Journal Sports

Louisiana High School Athletic Association executive director Eddie Bonine was in his office recently hosting a meeting on Name, Image and Likeness when he received text messages from three school superintendents.

“Hey, I’m glad you are addressing NIL, and here’s why,” Bonine said of the texts’ general theme. “There’s a picture up on Interstate 20 of a female athlete that’s a pretty good basketball player, pictured with an attorney — a statewide attorney…Was there money exchanged?”

“It doesn’t matter to me,” Bonine said then, and said again Monday, “nor are we going to have to worry about that.”

The billboard cited to Bonine — there is also one on Sligo Road in south Bossier City — features Parkway High School’s Mikaylah Williams, the state’s girls basketball Class 5A Most Valuable Player, a Team USA gold medalist last summer in junior competition, and one of the country’s top recruits in the Class of 2023.

Williams was not paid for her appearance on the billboard, a congratulatory message from Gordon McKernan Injury Attorneys. Her picture was the only one on the billboard, which also featured the law firm’s brand.

Had Williams or any other prep athlete statewide received money for the use of their NIL, it would not have been against LHSAA rules, said Bonine in a Zoom call with statewide media Monday morning.

“Unless that particular billboard caused her to move from one school to another. That’s where undue influence comes in,” he said in a hypothetical statement setting a tone for future potential questions involving any student-athlete.

Last Thursday, the LHSAA approved a “positioning statement” regarding NIL. It may have caused more confusion than clarity, despite an effort to interpret the organization’s bylaws, “which do not prohibit student-athletes from engaging in certain commercial activities in their individual capacities.”

“When it really hit home is when I had the lead epidemiologist in the state of Louisiana reach out to me to ensure that if they paid students — high school students — to promote vaccination during the (COVID-19) vaccination march, were they violating any of our rules?” Bonine said. “They were not.”

In an effort to “educate, not regulate,” Bonine said, the LHSAA has partnered with Eccker Sports Group. Next month, Eccker will make available on its website various NIL courses for administrators, coaches, parents, and athletes.

“It’s more about educating what’s going to be allowable and what’s not allowable,” said Loyola College Prep principal John LeBlanc, a member of the LHSAA Executive Committee. “I just think when that Pandora’s box was opened for college athletes, there was no specification on the law passed in Louisiana that said it was for college athletes only. It wasn’t specific to college athletes, or exclusive of high school athletes.”

Keith Burton is the Caddo Parish School Board’s Chief Academic Officer. He is a charter member of the Louisiana High School Officials’ Association and has been officiating football and basketball games for a combined 50-plus years.

“I hate the fact we are truly adding (NIL) on top of high school sports,” Burton said. “High school sports have always been that true, clean amateur spot of high competition. We are now bringing down what we are seeing at the NCAA, where instead of the team approach to athletics, we’re now elevating an athlete’s name, image, or their likeness, and we’re actually going to pay them as a teenager. Some of them are not old enough to drive, not old enough to drink, not old enough to vote, but they’re old enough now to be compensated. I think they are too young.”

Jason Rowland is the Director of Athletics for Bossier Parish. He’s been involved in high school sports for 29 years as a coach and administrator. But for him, NIL — especially on the high school level — is a whole new world.

“None of us ever knew the social media platforms — YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, those platforms —were going to become an avenue of financial gain for student-athletes,” he said. “I would have never thought of that.”

Parkway star Williams at center of LHSAA NIL issue

By JOHN JAMES MARSHALL, Journal Sports

Loyola junior Konnor O’Neal will take a five-game hit streak into today’s game against Bossier. That may not seem like such a big deal for a high school baseball player until you consider that it’s a “hit” streak, not a “hitting” streak.

O’Neal has been hit by a pitch in five straight games for the Flyers and, to be honest, that doesn’t come as a great surprise to his teammates. It’s been happening all year.

When he got plunked in Saturday’s 13-8 win over Lakeside, it was the 20th time the Flyer third baseman has been hit by a pitch. This may be a better stat – he hasn’t gone two straight games all year without being hit by a pitch.

What’s the deal here? Did he steal someone’s girlfriend? Cut off someone in traffic?

“I guess I’m just a ball magnet,” O’Neal said.

He insists that he’s not leaning into pitches just to get a free trip to first base.

“I don’t crowd the plate,” he said. “The crazy thing about it is that I actually stand a good distance away from the plate.”

O’Neal estimates that he has been hit on the elbow more than any place else – “probably five or six times” – and there is still a seam mark on his arm from taking one for the team last week against North Webster.

“I’d say only about two or three have really hurt,” he says. “But I felt that one.”

“The fact that Konnor has been hit 20 times is ridiculous,” Loyola coach Jeff Hulett said. “He has done what it takes to make the offense happen.”

As you might imagine, O’Neal leads the team in on-base percentage at .630 – he has 15 walks to go with his 20 HBP, which means he’s reached base 35 times without even swinging the bat.

That’s why Hulett has him at the top of the lineup.

O’Neal is batting .372 and has scored 27 runs, including nine in the last four games. There have been only seven games in which he hasn’t been hit by a pitch.

“Most guys who are hitting .372 feel like they have earned the right to move out of the way,” Hulett said. “But Konnor knows the importance of being on base and how much havoc it creates for the other team.”

“I’m proud of it,” O’Neal said. “It’s not hard to wear a pitch. It’s a free bag and every time it happens, I throw my bat down and say ‘That’s another one.’”

O’Neal has also seen time on the mound for the Flyers, pitching 13 innings with a 1-0 record. And before you ask: yes, he has hit six batters.

O’Neal got a late start to his season after suffering two shoulder injuries – one in a preseason scrimmage and the other on March 11, causing him to miss a week of the season.

The Flyers (17-10) have already won the District 1-3A championship – their fifth in six years – and will attempt to finish it off with an unbeaten league record when they take on Bossier at 6 o’clock this evening at Rusheon Middle School.

Loyola has won five straight games and 9 of the last 11 to move into position to try to earn a home game in the Division II playoffs.

Photo by JOHN JAMES MARSHALL

By LEE HILLER, Journal Sports

Benton scattered 10 runs in the first four innings to run-rule Captain Shreve 10-0 in five innings and complete a two-game District 1-5A series sweep Monday at Benton.

Sawyer Simmons pitched a complete-game one-hitter, striking out nine and walking two as Benton moved into sole possession of first place in 1-5A with an 8-2 record. Airline and Parkway are one game behind in the win column at 7-2.

Cade Stewart and Hudson Brignac had three hits for the Tigers who finished with 11 on the day. Stewart had a two-run home run and drove in four runs. Bryson Pierce and Cole Weir added multiple hits in going 2-for-3 for Benton now 16-9 overall.

PARKWAY 7, ST. MARY’S 1: At Parkway, the Panthers had 14 hits in picking up the non-district win. Zach Schoenborn was 3-for-3, with a double and three RBI and Trent Lape had a double and home run. Tanner Kirkland and Cameron Fink also had two hits as Parkway improved to 16-11. Zachary Clute picked up the win going four innings, allowed two hits, walked six and struck out five.

CALVARY 4, MINDEN 1: At Calvary, Landon Smith scattered five hits across seven innings while striking out seven to lead the Cavaliers past the Crimson Tide. Caden Flowers was the only Cav with multiple hits going 2-for-3. Jackson Legg, Cody VanNoppen and Logan Fontenot had RBI for Calvary (16-12).

NORTHWOOD 9, LASALLE 3: At Northwood, the Falcons got multiple hits from Kendall Flournoy, Hutson Hearron and Tucker McCabe in defeating the Tigers in a non-district game. Flournoy had a single and double and drove in three runs, Hearron two hits and two RBI and McCabe two hits and one RBI for Northwood now 22-6.

Photo by JOHN JAMES MARSHALL

By LEE HILLER, Journal Sports

Ramsey Walker and Tavia Leadon hit third-inning home runs to spark Calvary Baptist to a 4-3 win in a playoff tune-up game at Benton Monday.

The Lady Cavs (20-12) entered the game ranked second in the Division IV power rankings, percentage points behind Opelousas Catholic according to geauxpreps.com. Benton was ranked No. 15 in Class 5A which would give them a home game in the first round of the playoffs when the brackets are announced Thursday.

The Lady Cavaliers scored a first inning run on a Tavia Leadon double that brought home DJ Lynch. They increased their lead to 4-0 with three more runs in the third. Lynch led off with a double and Ramsey followed with her home run to centerfield. Leadon followed with her blast to rightfield.

Benton (19-9) scored its three runs in the bottom of the third inning. Marissa Schoth tripled in Meaux Carroll and Megan Risher who had singled. Dylan Defee pinch ran for Schoth and scored on a ground out to close the gap to 4-3.

Kynzee Anderson went the distance for the win allowing six hits. She walked four and struck out 10.

Ava Defee suffered the loss despite having almost the same pitching line as Anderson. She allowed five hits, walked two and struck out 10.

AIRLINE 10, OUACHITA CHRISTIAN 4: The Lady Vikes made the trip back from Monroe a little easier with the lopsided win. Shortstop Jina Baffuto had three hits that included a triple and home run. She scored three runs and brought home three more to lead Airline (18-11). Paris Endris was 2-for-3 with a double and Paige Marshall 2-for-3 with a double and two RBI. Freshman Lindsey Marcinkus had a three-run home run to highlight the Vikes’ four-run third inning.

CONVERSE 10, PARKWAY 9: Chloe Larry doubled, tripled and homered and drove in four runs but the Lady Wildcats got the walkoff win with two runs in the seventh inning. Mikaylah Williams also homered and was 2-for-2 with a pair of RBI and scored three runs, Hayleah Thornton was 2-for-4 with a triple and Alannah Wilson had two doubles for Parkway (9-12).

D’ARBONNE WOODS 13, BYRD 2: The Lady Jackets fell on the road despite the efforts of Morgan Cantrell, who had two doubles in three at bats. Jenna Smith and Ariel Taylor also had two hits that included a double for Byrd (6-15).

HAUGHTON 7, FLORIEN 6: The Lady Bucs scored four runs in the top of the seventh inning to slip past the Black Cats. Brooklynn Bockhaus was 3-or-4 with two home runs and three RBI. Ariana Mathews and Macey Schut also homered for Haughton (16-11).

ZWOLLE 8, CAPTAIN SHREVE 0: The Lady Gators fell at home to drop to 15-13. Freshman Aubry Townsend led Shreve with two hits.

EVANGEL 11, NORTH CADDO 5: At Evangel, Jordan Miller was 4-for-4 with a double and triple to lead the Lady Eagles past the Titans. Landry Naquin was 3-for-4 with a double and three RBI, Haven Brooks singled and tripled and Joy Tillman singled and doubled for Evangel (9-15).

NORTHWOOD 7, EBARB 6: At Northwood, Hannah Ward had a bases-clearing walk-off double as the Lady Falcons survived a five-run seventh inning by the visitors. It was Ward’s third hit of the night that included a home run for Northwood (16-10).