By ROY LANG III, Journal Sports
Every Monday, the Journal will highlight five individual performances from the previous high school football weekend. We begin with a look at some standouts from the jamborees.
Parkway senior Cha’Michael “JR” Williams had a junior year to forget. The linebacker broke his ankle in Week 1 vs. Minden and missed the rest of his season.
Panthers coaches lauded Williams’ dedication in the offseason and he eventually won the starting outside linebacker spot.
Williams enjoyed an outstanding scrimmage against Ouachita and the momentum carried into Parkway’s jamboree against Haughton.
Friday night, Williams’ offered Dirty Red fans a sign of things to come. On one drive, he posted back-to-back sacks on third and fourth downs to end a Buccaneers threat.
James Simon, Calvary
The Cavaliers planned to use a running back-by-committee approach to the 2022 season. The plan remains the same, but after the jamboree, it must be a different committee.
Simon entered the game after teammate Chaz Whitaker was injured after a long run on Calvary’s first possession.
“(Chaz) broke his collarbone and he’s out seven or eight weeks,” Guin told the Journal.
Simon scored twice after he caught short passes from quarterback Bryce Carpenter and worked his way through Union Parish’s defense in the end zone.
“Simon is very talented for a sophomore,” Guin said. “We feel good there.”
Now, Guin will move Julius Moss into the tandem. All Moss did was return a kickoff for a 75-yard touchdown.
“He’s pretty talented as well,” Guin said.
KJ Black, North Caddo
The running back scored on the ground (8 yards) and through the air (45-yard pass) during the Titans’ jamboree against Green Oaks.
“He’s a tremendous athlete with God-given skills,” North Caddo coach John Cavanaugh said.
Cooper DeFatta, Loyola
The quarterback was 6-of-12 for 118 yards in the Flyers’ surprising win on the road against Natchitoches Central.
DeFatta didn’t find the end zone as the Flyers outscored the Chiefs, 7-6, but had a 40-yard touchdown pass to John Carmody called back due to a penalty for an illegal man downfield. He led a game-winning drive after NCHS scored a late TD on a long pass play.
Mason Welch, Northwood
The senior was nearly perfect in the Falcons’ jamboree. The quarterback completed 8 of 9 passes for three touchdowns as Northwood outscored Southwood and BTW by a combined 47-0.
“Mason was on point tonight,” head coach Austin Brown said. “He made a couple of throws from the opposite hash mark that looked like Brett Favre. There was one that was one of the best I’ve ever seen in high school football.”
- Harriet Prothro Penrod and John James Marshall contributed to this report
Contact Roy at roylangiii@yahoo.com
File photo courtesy Loyola College Prep