JOURNAL STAFF

Next week brings us the biggest annual sports event for miles around.

Well, that’s next Friday’s Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl. But the Shreveport-Bossier Journal is also pretty excited about our first All-Metro high school football team to be announced beginning Monday.

After being “all in” on comprehensive coverage of prep football since June, the Journal staff has spent more than a week pulling together the SBJ All-Metro roster. We’ll announce our selections over our next three publication dates.

Monday – All-Metro offense.

Tuesday – All-Metro defense.

Wednesday – All-Metro Offensive Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, and Coach of the Year.

The 2022 season in Caddo and Bossier parishes brought us offensive explosions that blew out lights on local scoreboards. But there was also some tremendous defense played, and dynamic special teams performances. The SBJ All-Metro Team will spotlight the top players at every position.

It was chosen with consultation from coaches and others, then discussion and voting from our Journal staff:  Teddy Allen, Jerry Byrd Jr., Lee Hiller, Doug Ireland, Roy Lang IIII, John James Marshall, Harriet Prothro Penrod and Tony Taglavore.

There will be 12 offensive players chosen, 12 defensive players, a punter, a kicker, and a return specialist, in keeping with the standards set by the framework of many high school and college postseason teams. That creates a truly elite roster of the very best high school football performers in 2022, and follows the philosophy the Journal established earlier this year with All-Metro teams in basketball, soccer, baseball, softball, track and field, tennis and golf.

It also created some agonizing choices for our voters. Consider, for example, just the quarterbacks, receivers and running backs who put up impressive stats this fall, and try to pick one QB, two RBs, and three WRs. It’s tough.

Come Monday, see who we voted as the best in Shreveport-Bossier.