By LEE HILLER, Journal Sports

C.E. Byrd will open the 2022 football season with an opponent from Texas the Yellow Jackets have never played and two locals they have played many times over the years before embarking on their normal district slate of opponents.

The Yellow Jackets start the season by welcoming Pleasant Grove from Texarkana, Texas to Lee Hedges Stadium. The Hawks compete in Class 4A, Division II in Texas and have had only one losing season since 2014, all under present head coach Josh Gibson. In that stretch they won state championships in 2017 (16-0) and 2019 (15-1) and were runners-up in 2018. The Hawks finished last season 8-6.

Byrd will then play Huntington in week two for the second year in a row. It will mark the 34th all-time meeting between the two schools, who hadn’t faced each other since 2007 until last year. The Raiders now compete in District 1-4A but were in 1-5A for 19 seasons, 15 of those with the Yellow Jackets.

Calvary rejoins the schedule for week three after not playing the Yellow Jackets last year for the first time in nine seasons. Byrd leads the series 6-2.

The schedule goes back-and-forth between home and away games throughout its District 1-5A slate beginning with a home date against arch-rival Captain Shreve. The Jackets then go to Benton, host Haughton, go back over the river to Parkway, host Airline and end the season as the visitor against Southwood and on the road in Natchitoches.

Byrd finished last season 9-2 and was co-champion in 1-5A with a 6-1 mark under first-year coach Stacy Ballew.

Byrd 2022 schedule

Sept. 2 vs. Pleasant Grove (Lee Hedges Stadium)
Sept. 9 at Huntington (Independence Stadium)
Sept. 15 vs. Calvary (Lee Hedges)
Sept. 22 vs. Captain Shreve (Lee Hedges)
Sept. 30 at Benton
Oct. 7 vs. Haughton (Lee Hedges)
Oct. 14 at Parkway
Oct. 20 vs. Airline (Lee Hedges)
Oct. 28 at Southwood (Lee Hedges)
Nov. 4 at Natchitoches Central

Contact Lee at lee.hiller51@gmail.com