It’s late summer and the vast wasteland of nothingness is upon the sports world. Unless you are geeked up for next Thursday’s Hall of Fame Game, one of the best exercises at this time of year is to project how many games your team will win.

And, if you are given toward that sort of thing, make a wager on it.

Let’s get something out of the way first: Betting over/under on the win totals of NFL teams is an exercise in futility. Try playing one of those knockout pools (where all you have to do is pick one winner every week) and see how long you last.

Jacksonville can beat Buffalo. It can happen. Oh wait … the Jaguars actually did make that happen last year. For that matter, they beat Indianapolis last year in the final game of the season when they weren’t even trying to win.

So give up on the NFL. Stick to college. But before you do, you might want to take off those team color-and-other-team-color glasses you have on.

I’m so stupid that I actually thought that I had sniffed out a sure thing last year. The number on Louisiana Tech last year was “only” 4.5 wins. Are you kidding me? I’ll have that check cashed by Homecoming!

Had Tech not blown a three-touchdown lead against Mississippi State and been able to defend a Hail Mary pass against SMU, I would have been one win away from glory by the end of September. The Bulldogs were 2-2 and could have easily been 4-0. So that hurt.

A one-possession loss to North Carolina State didn’t feel great, but UTEP was next, so that figured to be a W. Except Tech forgot to bring the offense and poured in a field goal. One. That’s it.

Next, former Tech coach Skip Holtz thought it might be a good idea to go for it on fourth down and long from near midfield in a tie game rather than just play for overtime and, of course, lost in regulation to Old Dominion.

Still stuck at two wins as we headed into November.

Even with all that, the math was still on my side. Three games left and none of the opponents were against teams with winning records. As Jim Carrey said to Lauren Holley in Dumb and Dumber — “So you’re telling me there’s a chance?!”

The Bulldogs did me a solid and beat Charlotte – hey, it’s a winning streak! – and the last two games were against conference bottom-feeders Southern Miss and Rice.

This was about to be the greatest ‘oh-by-the-way’ cover in betting history. Southern Miss literally didn’t have a quarterback and Rice hadn’t won a game in a month. After all of this misery — Tech could have easily been 7-3 at this point — all would be forgiven because the Bulldogs were getting two layups to close the season and cover the 4.5-win total.

Or so I thought.

The Mississippi State loss was troubling. The SMU game was unlucky. Maybe UTEP can be written off as one of those things. Old Dominion was a poor decision in the heat of the moment.

But losing to a Southern Miss team that was hapless even before it literally used its leading rusher to play quarterback against Tech was simply inexcusable.

It would have been even worse if Tech had actually beaten Rice in the final week and I would have finished one win away. Instead, the Bulldogs did me a favor and sank to the occasion to finish with three wins.

In Week 1, I was watching Tech build up a 20-point lead on my iPhone while at a wedding ceremony (thankfully, not mine) and thinking I was the smartest bettor ever. How’d that turn out?

As a wise man once told me, that’s why they call it gambling. Not sure-thinging.

Contact JJ at johnjamesmarshall@yahoo.com

By LEE BRECHEEN, Louisiana Football Magazine

North Caddo’s Philippe Sanders could be the poster boy for the word “sleeper” in North Louisiana and the Shreveport area for the class of 2023.

I saw Sanders on film in 2021, his junior year when he mostly played offensive tackle. What I saw was a long, athletic body pulling and getting out front on blocks with the feet of an outside linebacker.

In 2022 Sanders will be given the chance to play a lot of defense and still be an offensive tackle. I think he will be big-time on film as a defensive end/pass rusher or even inside for North Caddo as a pass rusher at a very athletic 6-2 and 220 pounds of lean muscle. His build will allow him to add lots more weight and still run well in college.

So yes, I think Sanders could be a diamond in the rough for many FCS programs as a future starter, and if he has the season he’s capable of having, he can blow up as a FBS prospect as a defensive end/pass rusher.

Head coach John Kavanaugh likes the leadership Sanders brings his team.

“Philippe has really turned into a leader in our program,” said Kavanaugh. “He’s one of those guys who leads by example, just works hard every day. He’s got a big frame, big wingspan, and very athletic. He’s a guy who could put on 40 ‘good’ pounds when he gets in a college nutrition program. Definitely a next-level talent.”

Sanders regrets not playing football earlier.

“The thing I like most about football is the learning experience because I didn’t get a chance to play football in my earlier years, and honestly I really regret it because I really fell in love with the game of football,” said Sanders. “Our defensive line coaches, coach Reagan Smith and coach Johnny Kavanaugh, they’re both really good coaches and have a lot to teach me and the rest of the defensive line.”

Notes on Philippe Sanders: His favorite colleges are LSU, Ole Miss, Arkansas and Texas because they are all close to home.

He plans to major in engineering.

In the classroom he has a 3.9 GPA.

His family athletic ties include his uncle, who played high school basketball for McLeod High School in Texas. He said: “My grandpa played every sport in high school for North Caddo except soccer, and my dad played football and basketball.”

Contact Lee at lbrecheen@aol.com

By LEE HILLER, Journal Sports

North Caddo goes into the 2022 football season with half of its schedule replaced from last season. Neville and West Ouachita are new non-district opponents and Calvary, Loyola and Green Oaks are district newbies.

The Titans start with hosting Bossier, who moved up to the season opener after being last season’s third opponent. The game has been moved to a Thursday night kickoff because of the large number of games being played in Northwest Louisiana the first week of the season, and a limited pool of officials. The two schools have played each other four of the last five years with each team winning two of those.

North Webster comes to Vivian the following week. The Knights were one of three teams that defeated the Titans last season.

North Caddo travels the next three weeks, first to Alexandria to play in the third week of the season. The Titans have defeated the Bears each of the last three seasons.

A trip to Monroe follows with a date at Class 4A power Neville, followed by a game at West Ouachita southwest of West Monroe.

District 1-2A games take over the schedule from there, beginning with a home matchup against Calvary. The Cavaliers have won all 12 games played between the two from 2007 to 2018.

North Caddo is back on the road to Sibley to play Lakeside before returning home to face Green Oaks. The Titans have defeated Lakeside 12 of 18 times since 2003 while Green Oaks has won 10 of the 17 games played against North Caddo.

Road games at Loyola and D’Arbonne Woods finish out the regular season.

North Caddo 2022 Football Schedule:

Sept. 1 vs. Bossier

Sept. 9 vs. North Webster

Sept. 16 at Bolton

Sept. 23 at Neville

Sept. 30 at West Ouachita

Oct. 7 vs. Calvary

Oct. 14 at Lakeside

Oct. 21 vs. Green Oaks

Oct. 28 at Loyola

Nov. 4 at D’Arbonne Woods

Contact Lee at lee.hiller51@gmail.com

By LEE BRECHEEN, Louisiana Football Magazine

Some kids make preseason recruiting “lists” like this because they deserve it as a leader or as a “sleeper” to play a different position in college than the one they would play in high school.

Kris Mesloh of Parkway is someone who brings leadership, high effort and intensity to his team and plays where the team needs him more than where he might could play in college.

If you watch a game and you’re a college coach, you won’t see Mesloh as a defensive lineman in college at the FBS schools like LSU, Louisiana Tech, ULL, ULM and Tulane. But if you watch a lot of film — and I do — you have to think outside the box and take kids like this because of what they bring to the table and the team in terms of leadership and toughness.

I see Mesloh as a 5-11, 225 middle or “Mike” linebacker. That means he would have to move off the line and play a linebacker spot, and that means run side-to-side to make tackles in space with players who run on the average, just at the FCS level, 4.65 or even 4.55 in the 40.

He plays more on the defensive line for Parkway as a stand-up defensive end and also as a hand-in-the-dirt defensive lineman to stop the run, because that’s where the team needs him.

I am not saying he can’t play defensive end in college, but parents out there need to know the average defensive end in FBS goes 6-2 to 6-5 and weighs 250 to 290. All run in the 4.5 to 4.8 range. In FCS, you can walk on as a defensive end at his size, but if he makes the switch to middle linebacker in college, he would walk on or perhaps sign as a middle linebacker and learn the position.

What he has is determination, high effort, and strength. And he loves the game, which usually means a true football player will make it in spite of  the measurables. Desire, intelligence, toughness all are pivotal for young men like Mesloh, and he’s got those attributes.

And this for college coaches: sometimes you just need players in your program who love the game and can become productive players, even standouts in your system if given an opportunity. There are endless examples at every level, especially at the lower end of FBS and in FCS, and in the smaller divisions.

Mesloh will play at Parkway this fall anywhere from 220 to 230 pounds.

I also like him as a fullback in college because he’s got the toughness for it and loves the game. He would also be viewed as FBS-caliber in size at fullback at 5-11, 225 or 230. With his background in wrestling, I think he could go that route as a walk-on fullback. Some kids who go FBS as fullback walk-ons end up starting two or three years and get on scholarship. I remember a former Ruston player named John David Moore who walked on at LSU and started three years as a fullback and made All-SEC.

To give you an idea of what Mesloh brings to the table, in 2021 he had 52½ tackles, 2½ sacks, 9½ tackles for losses and three fumble recoveries.

“We started Kris as a sophomore at linebacker and he grew into a defensive lineman for us as a defensive end,” Parkway head coach Coy Brotherton said. “Moved to defensive end in 2021, has a high motor, really great with his hands, and is a big-time leader for us among our 29 seniors we have in 2022.”

Mesloh is a three-year starter.

“I love playing football because I have done it all of my life and it makes me excited every play,” said Mesloh. “I love defense because it allows me to do ‘me’ and lets me do whatever I need to get the job done.”

Notes on Kris Mesloh: He would like to major in either electrical engineering or kinesiology in college.

Among his favorite colleges are Mississippi State, ULL and Harding (Ark.). He has not received any offers.

His list of hobbies include “going on vacation with my family and hanging with friends because I can make lots of memories with them. I also love to wrestle. Last season I went 33-5 on the season and finished third at state.”

His family connections with college and athletics include his mom, who was offered a scholarship to play softball for Louisiana Tech but “got injured,” he said. “Dad was offered a few scholarships in wrestling but also got injured.”

In the classroom Mesloh has a 3.8 GPA and made a 22 on his ACT.

Contact Lee at lbrecheen@aol.com

By LEE HILLER, Journal Sports

Loyola opens its 2022 football season with rival Captain Shreve in the first of four non-district matchups before getting into its District 1-2A schedule the final five dates of the season.

The Flyers and Gators will meet for the sixth time, the first since 2016 with Loyola holding the edge in the series 3-2. The first three meetings occurred from 1967-69 and the schools scrimmaged each other many other times over the years. The season opener will be played at Lee Hedges Stadium.

Logansport comes to Messmer Stadium for Loyola’s home opener. The Tigers make the drive to Shreveport for the second year in a row after not playing each other since 2012. Loyola has an 11-5-1 series edge that dates back to 1923. It is the first of only four home games for the Flyers.

The Flyers hit the road to Stonewall where they play North DeSoto. The Griffins won the last meeting of the two schools in 2014 but trail in the overall series 12-7.

Another bus ride finishes off the non-district part of the schedule, this one to Coushatta to face Red River. The Bulldogs were caught up in the Flyers’ seven-game win streak last season.

After a week-five open date, Loyola begins district play at Northwood’s Jerry Burton Memorial Stadium against Green Oaks. The Giants and Flyers were district opponents in 1-3A the previous seven seasons.

D’Arbonne Woods makes the trek from Farmerville to Messmer for a first-time meeting with Loyola. The Flyers travel to Sibley to face Lakeside before home dates against North Caddo and Calvary to finish off the regular season.

Loyola 2022 Football Schedule:

Sept. 1 at Captain Shreve

Sept. 9 vs. Logansport

Sept. 16 at North DeSoto

Sept. 23 at Red River

Sept. 30 OPEN

Oct. 6 at Green Oaks

Oct. 14 vs. D’Arbonne Woods

Oct. 21 at Lakeside

Oct. 28 vs. North Caddo

Nov. 4 vs. Calvary

Contact Lee at lee.hiller51@gmail.com

By JOHN JAMES MARSHALL, Journal Sports

They play on a variety of teams in a variety of places, but there is one thing that most local travel ball participants can agree on when it comes to comparing it to their high school season.

“Travel ball is more relaxed,” says Byrd’s Kevin Robinson. “You are working on yourself more than anything else. In high school you are trying to get a win for your team.”

“In travel baseball, it’s just a lot of fun,” says Airline’s Mason Morgan. “You’re playing free with no emotions and you’re with your friends playing the game you love. There’s nothing better. High school baseball is so much more focused and much more competitive because there is so much pride for your school.”

“Travel ball is a lot looser and brings back the fun,” says Airline teammate Tyler Ferguson. “High school ball is more important. If you don’t win a summer ball game, you just go to the next weekend. In high school, you only have one season. It’s not as much of a grind as school ball, but I love it.”

Ferguson is part of Team Louisiana and plays for Chad Abernathy. Even though he had played for Abernathy in the past, he still had to try out for the team that consists of players from all over the state.

Ferguson has played in a tournament almost every weekend since school ended in locations all around the South, including a tournament in Atlanta that featured about 400 teams.

“I just want to be seen by as many (college) coaches as I can and get offers to play at the next level,” he says. “I think I get better during the high school season because I’m practicing every day. Summer is when I use what I have learned in practice all year to show what I can do.”

He plays both outfield and pitcher and has been playing travel ball since he was in middle school. “Whenever I was little, it was more of a game to have fun,” Ferguson says. “But going into my senior season, I need to be as ready as I can be.”

Playing baseball weekend after weekend can get tough, but Morgan says it’s worth it. It may be more relaxed, but that doesn’t mean it’s not competitive.

“It is a huge grind because if you want to be great you have to work,” he says. “Everyone is getting better and if you aren’t then they will pass you up and you will be behind. As long as you grind and work hard you will succeed.”

Adding to that grind is the travel and if you don’t believe it, ask Robinson. He was with his Byrd teammates for a tournament in Omaha, then flew to Colorado Springs for a mission trip, then flew to Dallas to play on his travel ball team.

“That was tough,” he says. “I was gone for two weeks.”

Robinson is one of those who has played for both his school team as well as travel ball during the summer. When it’s all done, he estimates he will have played in about 60 games before school resumes. But it’s not like he didn’t expect it to be this way – he’s been playing travel ball since he was 9.

“The time aspect of travel is the toughest part of it,” he says. “Getting to meet new people and traveling to new places is the best part. Getting to play in big stadiums is great.”

“I like meeting new people from around the state and the nation and making bonds with them,” Ferguson says.

“The best thing about travel baseball is probably going to all the different cities and colleges around the country,” Morgan says. “And just having a great time with all of your friends.”

Contact JJ at JohnJamesMarshall@yahoo.com

By LEE BRECHEEN, Louisiana Football Magazine

Bryce Lopez of Captain Shreve is someone who is a legit pass rusher for the next level.

Lopez can do something not a lot of players who play his position can do: he runs a legit 4.59 in the 40 and ran that this spring. Not bad for a kid who stands 6-4, 205 now but will weigh 210 to 215 by September.

Lopez plays on a defensive line that’s so talented we are interviewing two more Class of 2023 upcoming Shreve DL seniors in the coming days.

What I love about Lopez is his upside. Once he gets to 230 or 240 in college, with great feet and speed off the edge, he can become a great player if he chooses football as his college focus. He is also very good in baseball as an all-district pitcher; he’s good in soccer, too.

I think he can be a defensive end/outside linebacker (some call it “Buck” linebacker) in college, a pass rusher in a 4-3 defense or an edge rusher defensive end in a 3-4 defense.

Lopez will go into the 2022 season as a sleeper because he missed the final seven games of the season in 2021 after breaking his arm. Since then he’s been healthy, fully recovered and looking forward to competing again. He also missed the soccer season this past winter.

Defensive line coach Greg Baswell likes the length Lopez gives the Gators on the edge.

“Bryce is a versatile athlete who provides an incredible amount of utility for us on defense by playing multiple positions,” Baswell said. “He has great speed and his height causes problems for quarterbacks. We feel comfortable with Bryce playing the run, off the edge or in space, and covering a slot or wide receiver in the pass game. Lopez will have the opportunity to be one of the best players in the district.”

Notes on Bryce Lopez: His hobbies include “anything that involves being active and being a part of a team.”

What he likes the most about football is the team environment and competitive atmosphere.

Lopez has played on the varsity baseball team four years and was all-district in 2022 as a pitcher. He is a three-year letterman on the varsity soccer team and all-district as a goalie in 2020 and 2021.

As he considers college plans, there’s a tendency to look south along I-10.

“I’ve been an LSU fan for a long time,” said Lopez. “I grew up watching McNeese State play a lot too. I’ve had family members play both football and baseball there.”

Family members who have played sports include his dad, who played baseball for Byrd. Three of his cousins have played baseball or football at McNeese State. He also has a cousin in the Milwaukee Brewers’ system.

Lopez has a 3.79 GPA and 23 ACT.

He plans to major in sports medicine and become a physical therapist.

Contact Lee at lbrecheen@aol.com

By LEE HILLER, Journal Sports

Green Oaks’ 2022 football schedule has only three of its opponents from a year ago carried over as the Giants have been placed in District 1-2A for the first time in school history after the reclassification by the LHSAA dropped them down a class for the next two years.

Carroll of Monroe, last year’s season opening opponent, Loyola  — who made the same move down to 1-2A —  and long-time rival Booker T. Washington are the only schools that remain on the Giants’ schedule from last season.

The Giants will open with Southwood at Northwood’s Jerry Burton Memorial Stadium. It will be the third meeting of the two schools that last played each other in 1990.

Green Oaks will go to Monroe to play Carroll in week two. The Bulldogs own the series between the two schools 7-2.

The annual “Soul Bowl” once again comes early this season as BTW and Green Oaks will battle it out at Leonard C. Barnes Stadium. It is currently one of the longest ongoing consecutive game series in the area, having been played the last 45 years. BTW leads the series (27-21) that first began when Green Oaks opened in 1973. After the 1974 meeting the schools didn’t schedule each other in 1975 and 1976.

Peabody of Alexandria will make the drive up I-49 for a week four matchup. The Giants and Warhorses have played four times with GO winning all of them, but last time the two schools played each other was in way back in 1984.

Green Oaks will then make the drive to Alexandria to play the Trojans of Alexandria Senior High, the 2020 Class 5A runner up. It will be just the third meeting of the two schools in that matchup.

District play will then kick off with Green Oaks hosting Loyola in a battle of two former District 1-3A opponents. It will be the 23rd meeting in the series that the Flyers lead 12-10.

The following week, the Giants will be the visitor and play at Calvary, which moved up a classification. A short drive to Vivian follows with a date at North Caddo. Green Oaks will host D’Arbonne Woods of Farmerville before hitting I-20 east to the Minden exit to play Lakeside in the regular season finale. These will be the first meetings for Green Oaks with both D’Arbonne Woods and Lakeside. 

Green Oaks 2022 Football Schedule

Sept. 2 vs. Southwood (Northwood, Jerry Burton Stadium)

Sept. 9 at Carroll

Sept. 17 at BTW

Sept. 23 vs. Peabody (at Northwood)

Sept. 30 at Alexandria

Oct. 6 vs. Loyola (at Northwood)

Oct. 14 at Calvary

Oct. 21 at North Caddo

Oct. 28 vs. D’Arbonne Woods (at Northwood)

Nov. 4 at Lakeside

Contact Lee at lee.hiller51@gmail.com