November 30, 2023
Month: November 2023
Column: @Practice
I Think I Had A Hormone
Once, there was a quiet storm building in our home. It was subtle. It was strong. It was powerful. Sometimes we would get a glimpse of it’s powers. One glimpse came one morning when a member of our family was discovered crying and yelling in the kitchen because she could not locate a shoe. One shoe. The sound coming from the kitchen was loud enough to be heard throughout the house. We all hurried to see how we might help the situation.
In all of our collective training as pastors, parents and spiritual directing, we were speechless. Speechless. We did not know if we should offer this family member a hug or a baseball bat. So, we all just stood still and watched until the storm was over. Everyone was happy to go their separate ways. Before we drove off to work and school, we heard wise words from the eye of the storm, “I think I had a hormone.”
Being human is a little overwhelming at times. Especially when internal storms are building. We do things, we say things, we think things that are not of God. We all mess up sometimes. Our families have a front row seat to our mistakes, breakdowns and failures. The people we live with sometimes see our best and worst sides all in the same day. And yet, we continue to love each other, deeply.
The only way we continue to love is through grace. We have received grace through Christ individually and therefore we are able to give grace to others. Especially to those we live within our homes. In close relationships, we can practice giving and receiving grace day after day. Sometimes receiving it is more difficult than giving grace.
As you look back on your family this week, where have you seen grace? Who has experienced a moment of grace from someone they love? Who gave grace to someone? What did it feel like?
Grace began pouring into our family member the moment she said, “I think I had a hormone.” Hugs were given and tears were wiped away. We found the shoe. And we assured her that there were many more hormones behind that one. There are also many more moments of grace ahead of us.
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God— not the result of works, so that no one may boast. Ephesians 2:8-9
Join us every Thursday as we explore practices that connect us with our Creator God. God’s greatest desire is to BE with us. Spiritual practices keep us in the flow of the Holy Spirit and God’s presence. We are thrilled you are here and @Practice with us. This simple moment can be a retreat from daily life and a space for you to BE with God in your every day activities.
Meredith and Steven Bell share many things in common and share many differences. They met 24 years ago in Dallas, Texas while studying theology. With each having a science degree already, they both decided a theology degree was the next right step. For the past 24 years, they have served communities in ministry together in a number of different ways. The relationships they have built along the way with friends, colleagues and churches is a blessing to their lives. The biggest blessing is being parents to two amazing young women. From diapers to driver’s licenses, they have parented, laughed, sacrificed, loved, prayed, cried, and grown together. Their differences simply make life interesting. Growing up in different states, listening to different music, enjoying different hobbies and just seeing the world around them differently keeps conversations lively! You can find Steven at First Methodist Church of Shreveport most days unless he is looking for waterfowl with his dog, Sam. You can find Meredith writing grants for non-profits and coaching people in ministry. More than anything, you can find the Bells living grateful lives. We are grateful to live in Shreveport and even more grateful to join with others to spread hope, love, and faith in the community!
’Too many chiefs’ on coaching staff no problem for Calvary
three assistants who are former head coaches: Steven Geter (left), James Wilkerson (second from right) and John Bachman, Jr. (Submitted photo)
By JOHN JAMES MARSHALL, Journal Sports
Even in the midst of dozens of people on the sideline, being a head football coach can often seem like a lonely job.
Players are worried about playing (and playing time). Assistant coaches are worried about the position groups they are involved in and not much else.
And the head coach? He’s got everything to worry about. Good luck with all that.
Wouldn’t it be nice to have someone who knows about all that goes into being a head coach, which can include anything from decision-maker to locker room sweeper.
Calvary’s Rodney Guin doesn’t have that problem. He’s the head coach of the Cavaliers, but he’s not the only one on the sideline who knows about being in that position.
He doesn’t just have one assistant who was once a head coach. Or two. This year, there are three assistants at Calvary who have previously served as head coach.
“It’s reassuring, for sure, and helpful,” Guin said. “They catch a lot of stuff that other coaches might not catch. They understand what I do day-to-day and what things have to be done, because they’ve been there.”
Offensive line coach James Wilkerson was head coach at Natchitoches Central for three years.
Safeties coach John Bachman, Jr., was head coach at Cornerstone Christian in San Antonio for five years.
Quarterbacks coach Steven Geter has twice been the head coach at Loyola, totaling nine years.
“I’ve always said I want the best people here coaching our kids,” Guin said. “There are no egos here. I wasn’t afraid that we’d get all of these guys who have been head coaches and there’d be a bunch of backdoor stuff. We want to do the best for our kids. I don’t care whose suggestion it is.”
Geter has even more of a perspective on this, because in 2017, when he was at Loyola, he was also the head coach on a staff with three former head coaches (Alan Carter, Pat Maxey, Kendrick Law).
“You never know about all the things you have to deal with unless you’ve been a head coach,” Geter said. “And it’s not just the pressure of the game, it’s having the ability to bounce things off other coaches to know what has worked for them or what hasn’t worked. Plus, when you get in big situations in a game, it’s nice to be on the headset and say ‘What do you think?’“
“It’s not that I’m second-guessing myself, but those guys have got a lot of experience,” Guin said. “It’s good to have a check on me, too. They were told Day One that if they see something we need to do different, don’t worry about me. You need to tell me. That’s how we have all operated since we have all been here.”
Guin and his head-coach-laden staff have been busy this week preparing for Newman in the Division III (select) playoffs. The 12-0 Cavaliers, seeded No. 2, will take on third-seeded Newman (11-1) at 7 p.m. Friday at Jerry Barker Stadium with a trip to the state finals on the line.
“Rodney and I have had several situations in the last couple of years where we’d talk about what we think the right move is,” Geter said. “I just give my opinion, and he either goes with it or against it. If he had a gut feeling and went with it, I understand that. I’m always going to support him on that. I’m just there to offer any assistance whenever he asks for it.”
Contact JJ at johnjamesmarshall@yahoo.com
Reese returns in time for No. 7 LSU’s rematch with No. 9 Virginia Tech
basketball championship game may have been the last time LSU coach Kim Mulkey and Angel Reese have seen eye-to-eye until recently. (Photo by Kristen Young, LSU Athletics)
By RON HIGGINS, Journal Sports
BATON ROUGE — The “Where is Angel Reese?” saga is over.
LSU women’s head basketball coach Kim Mulkey announced Wednesday that Reese, a junior first-team All-America forward who led the Lady Tigers to their first NCAA national championship last season, is back in action after missing four games because of an alleged suspension.
“Angel is back, and we are happy, happy, happy,” said Mulkey of Reese, who will be in uniform for Thursday’s 8 p.m. home game on ESPN between No. 7 LSU (7-1) and No. 9 Virginia Tech (5-1) in the ACC/SEC Challenge. “She’s happy, happy, happy.”
Mulkey didn’t say if Reese, who averaged 17 points and 11 rebounds in this season’s first four games before sitting the last two weeks, would be in the starting lineup against the Hokies.
But Mulkey said Reese has been practicing and she should play significant minutes since sophomore forward Sa’Maya Smith is done for the season.
Smith sustained torn anterior cruciate and medial collateral knee ligaments early in LSU’s 99-65 win over Niagara 99-65 last Friday afternoon in the Cayman Island Classic. She was averaging 11.7 points and 7.6, moving into the starting lineup after the Lady Tigers’ season-opening 92-78 loss to Colorado on Nov. 6 in Las Vegas.
“I always say timing is everything in life,” Mulkey said. “It’s just so sad for her (Smith) because she improved by leaps and bounds. She stayed here all summer.
“The timing of Angel being back kind of helps. But there is no substitution for the value Sa’Maya has to our team and what she’s meant thus far.”
Mulkey hinted that Reese had been practicing, even before the team left for last weekend’s Cayman Island Classic trip where the suddenly undersized Lady Tigers won two games, including a scrappy 76-73 win over Virginia on Saturday.
“I’ve coached Angel for a year, she knows our system,” Mulkey said of acclimating Reese in her return to action. “It’s fun to see them (the team) high-five each other, pick each other off the floor and just do what they do – just play basketball.”
Mulkey has discovered much about her 2023-24 team in the first month of the season. The absence of Reese and junior reserve guard Kateri Poole, who also appears to still be serving an alleged suspension after missing the Cayman Islands trip, plus the loss of Smith, has forced Mulkey to use lineup combinations such as four guards and a post player.
Undersized 6-1 junior transfer forward Annesah Morrow of DePaul saved the Cayman weekend for LSU by averaging 32.5 points and 13 rebounds per game. She was named to the all-tournament team, thanks to her 37 points and 15 rebounds in a 3-point victory over Virginia.
Sophomore guard Flau’jae Johnson had 14 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists against Niagara, then as a small forward had 6 points and a career-high 15 rebounds against Virginia as she picked up the rebounding slack left in the wake of the injured Smith’s absence.
“I talked to her (Johnson) about having an all-around game,” Mulkey said of Johnson, “just growing her game in other areas besides scoring. You want to impact the game in other areas when the shots aren’t falling, or you don’t get shot attempts. Flau’jae was just huge (in the two LSU wins in the Caymans).”
Thursday’s game against Virginia Tech is a rematch of the Lady Tigers’ 79-72 Final Four semifinal win last season. LSU trailed 79-70 at the end of the third quarter before the Lady Tigers’ fourth quarter 29-13 closing blitz advanced them to the national title game vs. Iowa.
The 6-3 Reese and the 5-10 Johnson are the only two returning LSU starters this season. Tech’s three returning starters are 6-6 grad student center Elizabeth Kitley (24.3 ppg, 11.5 rpg), 5-6 senior guard Georgia Amoore (17 ppg, 8.2 apg) and 6-foot grad student guard Cayla King (8.3 ppg, 2 rpg).
All eyes will be on LSU’s defensive plan to stop Amoore and Kitley. Amoore was guarded primarily in the Final Four semis by since-graduated Lady Tigers’ guard Alexis Morris, and Reese was on Kitley.
“You can’t guard Amoore with just one kid, I don’t have Alexis Morris,” Mulkey said. “We’re going to have to tag team her a bit.
“I really think Angel will be just like Angel. She’s been really good in practice.”
While Morrow was named ESPN, Associated Press and USBWA National Player of the Week for her play in the Caymans, Kitley earned ACC Player of the Week for the 10th time her career.
Last week in wins over North Carolina-Greensboro and then Kansas and Tulane both in the Cayman Island Classic, she averaged 26.7 points and 12 rebounds and shot 58.9 percent (33 of 56) from the field and 87.5 percent (14 of 16) from the free throw line.
In consecutive games against UNC-Greensboro (31 points, 10 rebounds) and Kansas (312 points, 18 rebounds), Kitley became the first VT athlete in program history with back-to-back 30-point, 10-rebound games.
Had all of LSU’s team been intact since the opening game loss to Colorado, Thursday’s matchup with Tech could have been a measuring stick of the Lady Tigers’ progress.
“Again, keep in mind what we’ve been dealing with,” Mulkey said. “It’s not going to be a polished product. We’ll play hard. I know that.”
Contact Ron at ronhigginsmedia.com
New Demons football coach McCorkle stresses pillars of success
By JASON PUGH, Special to the Journal
NATCHITOCHES – Five. Six. Forty-seven. Two hundred eighty-three.
There were a lot of numbers floating around Northwestern State’s Stroud Room inside the Donald G. Kelly Athletic Complex as new Demons football coach Blaine McCorkle spoke Wednesday afternoon. The largest one stood out for a couple of reasons – primarily that McCorkle aims to clear out his number of unread text messages daily.
“I got a lot of responses (Tuesday), some from you who are in this room,” McCorkle said. “My phone number started spreading around quickly. Thanks, (Director of Athletics) Kevin (Bostian). Last night, before I went to bed, I was trying to sift through as many text messages as I could. Before I turned it off, I was at 283 messages. If I haven’t gotten to you, bear with me, it’s coming. The response I got (Tuesday) from the Natchitoches community meant a lot and told me how special this place is and how much you want something to be different.”
McCorkle’s reference to his unread and unreturned messages drew its share of laughs, but the other numbers he spoke of are the ones he plans to make tenets of his time as Northwestern’s 16th head football coach, after six years spent transforming a struggling program at Division III Belhaven in Jackson, Miss., winning 24 games in his last three seasons, capped by a conference championship and an NCAA playoffs berth this fall.
He earned the job from a candidate pool of roughly 60, including sitting Division I and II head coaches, said Bostian, in a search that officially began Oct. 26 with the resignation of sixth-year head coach Brad Laird. McCorkle praised Laird for his passion for the school where he was a record-shattering quarterback, and said from watching videos on the NSUDemons.com website, Laird’s love for NSU and his players was apparent and admirable.
Meeting with about five dozen current NSU players Tuesday, McCorkle laid out the expectations of his culture.
“When we originally built our program (at Belhaven), we had our four pillars of success – character, trust, unity and accountability – and we added a fifth one to it, which was toughness,” McCorkle said. “The five stars of our five-star culture: character, trust, unity, accountability and toughness. We’re going to teach these kids to be tough. The thing you have to understand about toughness is it’s not always what the world thinks toughness is. Sometimes people think toughness is a big, bad bully walking around. No, no, no.
“Sometimes toughness is in the guy in a white-collar shirt who gets up every morning, puts his feet on the floor and goes to work, sits behind a desk and makes good decisions to take care of his wife and his kids and his family. That’s tough. That’s real grown-man toughness. That’s the type of toughness we’re going to focus on, because those things carry over in the classroom and the community. If we’re hammering on those things, they’ll carry over right there on the field.”
That culture helped McCorkle lift a Belhaven team that had not won more than three games in a season since 2013 to a combined 24-7 record in his final three seasons as Belhaven’s head coach.
Belhaven finished the 2023 season 9-1 and captured the program’s first outright conference title and made its initial appearance in the NCAA Division III playoffs. McCorkle said his final duty at Belhaven was ordering conference championship rings for a team that featured 21 seniors – all of whom already had earned their undergraduate degrees.
That on- and off-field success not only lent credence to McCorkle’s culture but also highlighted his overall strengths as a coach.
“Our players – and most players – are not going to the league although a lot think they are,” Belhaven President Dr. Roger Parrott said Tuesday. “How do you help them shape their life after football when their whole life has been football? That’s the mark I saw in Blaine that I wanted in our coach.
“Yes, he’s going to put some players in the league at (NSU’s) level. Good for him, and good for you. Blaine cares about them at the personal level of who they are, and that’s what I saw in him. I didn’t have any question he knew how to win football games, but I knew he had the stuff to build into his players and to build a staff around him that shared in his values.”
Those values were honed at an early age as the son of a college football coach, who was the offensive line coach at Ole Miss, Vanderbilt, Kentucky and other schools, along with head coach at West Alabama.
“I’m 47 years old, and I tell people I’ve been in college football for 47 years,” McCorkle said. “It’s who I am. I’m a football coach.”
He is a football coach with a list of six bullet-point goals – not all that are always defined in the statistical realm.
“These will not change from today until the day I leave here in about 20 years when I retire like (former NSU head) coach (Sam Goodwin) here,” McCorkle said, nodding to the most successful coach in school history, seated in the audience. “The first one is every man who enters our program leaves it better than when he came. It’s easy to have all these football-specific goals like we want to be 42 percent on third down or this in the red zone. Program goals are much bigger than that.
“The second is we want to lead the Southland Conference in GPA and APR on a yearly basis. We all watch the SEC on Saturdays, and we see the patches that underneath them you see the banner that says ‘Graduate.’ If those guys at that level – that’s the best to do it in college football – if they’re graduating players, maybe there’s something to that. That’s a message we need to follow.
“If guys are invested in their school and doing well, it’s harder for them to leave. The third one is we want to be in position yearly to win a conference championship. Fourth, we want to be a sustained program of national prominence. Any time something comes up – playoffs, postseason, rankings – Northwestern State needs to be in that conversation. I started that sentence with the word sustain, not flash in the pan.
“The fifth is to win and advance in the postseason. The last goal in that group is to win a national championship. If you do all the things before that, that puts you in position to play for and win a national championship. I’m not scared to say that here at Northwestern State, and I’m currently the coach that owns an 0-6 football team. That’s on me. I own that, and I’m going to do everything I can to fix that. You have my word.”
McCorkle’s speech Wednesday was the culmination of a 26-year coaching journey that began following his four-year playing career (1995-99) at LSU, when the former long snapper served as a student assistant with the Tigers. The winding road that took him to six different FCS schools – Tennessee-Martin, Liberty, Chattanooga, Tennessee Tech, Richmond and Delaware – led him to finding what he called his comfort zone.
That feeling was reinforced during his tour of the NSU campus Tuesday.
“Personally, this has been a 26-year-long dream to come back to the state of Louisiana, which I love dearly, and to be a Division I head coach,” McCorkle said. “A lot of what attracted me to Northwestern State is FCS is my comfort zone. This is where I feel I fit the best, where I have the most time invested. I love this level of football. I think it still has purity to it while playing at an extremely high level. We still live in the portal world. We live in a world of NIL. That’s real. A lot of players at this level are playing for the right reasons – with a good chip on their shoulder and something to prove.
“I’m excited to be back at this level. Walking around the campus, I just felt comfortable.”
Wednesday, he sounded comfortable and confident in his first full day as the Demons’ coach.
Drilling down on the Calvary-Newman battle here Friday night
By LEE BRECHEEN, Louisiana Football Magazine/YouTube TV
A lot of speculation surrounds Friday night’s state Select Division III semifinal playoff game in Shreveport between Calvary Baptist and Isadore Newman of New Orleans, because it’s a tremendous matchup.
Might be the best semifinal in any division, select or non-select. No question it’s on a short list and should be a great game at Jerry Barker Stadium.
There’s plenty to discuss when it comes to skill-position talent on both sides of the football for each team. Both programs have a lot of history with quarterbacks.
Calvary’s QB stable is headed by Shea Patterson (Ole Miss/Michigan), and recently the 2021 Mr. Louisiana Football, Landry Lyddy (UAB) who lead Calvary to the 2020 state championship. Newman has produced the magnificent Mannings — brothers Peyton and Eli, both two-time Super Bowl champions, and their nephew, Cooper’s son, Archie’s grandson, Arch Manning, a true freshman at Texas who many believe is the best yet.
I don’t have enough space to break down the tremendous talent in the offensive and defensive backfields and at wide receiver/tight end for both teams. The quarterbacks are incredible – Calvary’s Abram Wardell and Eli Friend of Newman, who is not Arch Manning but is dynamic in his own way.
Calvary’s James Simon is a spectacular junior running back who will have major colleges all over him this spring and summer before his senior season. Ask Parkview Baptist. He hit them for 326 rushing yards and four second-half TDs last week.
But especially in this contest, it’s the big guys up front who make the difference. This game will be won in the trenches, by the front sevens.
Both teams are capable on any given night to score over 40 points easy. Both teams have a lot of playmakers — I give the edge to Calvary, which has as many as 10 playmakers who can hit the end zone, on offense or defense.
Calvary comes in with a perfect 12-0 record. Newman is 10-1, with a win at Benton early this year. These teams have great coaches – Rodney Guin at CBA, Nelson Stewart at Newman, and there are excellent assistants on both sidelines.
The Cavaliers have the bigger and deeper units in the trenches. That group is led by OL Jimmy Wright (6-3, 255), LB Cole Miller (6-1, 200), DE Cayden Markray (6-2, 245), OL/DL Ethan Sands (6-3, 255), LB Heath Gross (6-0, 210), OL Layton Terrell (6-3, 315), LB Tre Houston (6-2, 215), LB Hutch Grace (6-2, 220), OL Kendrick Manning (6-3, 320), OL Jax Gallier (6-4, 245), and OL Hayden Darner (6-0, 250).
It’s the best linebacker group I have seen at Calvary Baptist and the best group of offensive linemen in program history.
Newman will counter with a talented unit, just not as big overall and not as deep. The Greenies are led by DT/OL Brett Bordelon (6-4, 290), who can run like most linebackers in Louisiana with 4.9 speed, and he is as tough as they come – obviously the leader of the unit.
They have an athletic big guy in the middle in DT Brandon Williams (6-2, 300). At tight end, Will Loerzel is 6-6, 255, (his dad started for Purdue back in the day) and runs a 4.89 forty. LB Isaiah Grant is a former WR who checks in at 6-2, 220 with scary 4.65 speed. More tough customers up front are DT Justin Wells (6-2, 245), DE William Darragh (6-0, 225), and Arch Manning’s “little” brother Heid, an OL/LSP/DE who is 6-1, 235 and a lot more rugged than his uncles.
I think Calvary will make more big plays than Newman. I also think any long drives will wear Newman down by the fourth quarter. If this happens, then my prediction is 31-21 Calvary.
It should be a great game. Both teams can make field goals and both teams have good punters, so drives will be earned for both sides. It would not be a shock for Newman to go home happy, but with Calvary at home, the depth factor and the long travel for the Greenies, I think not.
This summer in the Shreveport-Bossier Journal, I picked Calvary to win it all. I’m not changing my pick. I think the Cavs will be in the Superdome next Saturday afternoon.
Contact Lee at lbrecheen@aol.com
Volleyball district champion Airline heads All-District
JOURNAL SPORTS
Sicily Fontaine of District 1 volleyball champion Airline was named the Overall Most Valuable Player and Airline’s Regina Digilormo was named the Coach of the Year.
The Lady Vikes finished the season with a 12-0 district record and 24-12 for the season. Other MVPs include Lola Overdyke of Byrd on offense and Haughton’s Haylee Crowder on defense. Madison Smith of Benton was the Freshman of the Year.
Here is a list of the complete team.
District 1 – Division I
FIRST TEAM
Outside Hitter — Ja’Niyah Boudreaux, Airline
Outside Hitter — Jasmine Henson, Byrd
Setter — Lia Vergis, Benton
Middle Blocker — Alana Pierce, Captain Shreve
Middle Blocker — Ramsey Houffpauir, Byrd
Right Side Hitter/Setter — Chandler Halsell, Benton
Libero — Briana Elias, Parkway
Utility — Tia Taylor, Captain Shreve
Utility — Avery Young, Byrd
Utility — Addyson Hulett, Benton
Overall MVP — Sicily Fontaine, Airline
Defensive MVP — Haylee Crowder, Haughton
Offensive MVP — Lola Overdyke, Byrd
Freshman of the Year — Madison Smith, Benton
Coach of the Year — Regina Digilormo, Airline
SECOND TEAM
Outside Hitter — Ava Washington, Airline
Outside Hitter — Lecsi Hilton, Parkway
Middle Blocker — Raylon Bailey, Airline
Middle Blocker — Maddie Polk, Haughton
Setter — Maddie Hicks, Captain Shreve
Right Side Hitter/Setter — Avery Brainis, Byrd
Libero — Lexi Vergis, Benton
Utility — Caitlynn Johnson, Parkway
Utility — Natalie Williams, Airline
Utility — Ella Vickers, Haughton
Here are the final district standings:
| 2023 Volleyball Standings | ||
|---|---|---|
| District 1-I | Dist. | All |
| Airline | 12-0 | 24-13 |
| Byrd | 10-2 | 17-11 |
| Captain Shreve | 7-5 | 24-16 |
| Benton | 6-6 | 23-10 |
| Haughton | 5-7 | 14-15 |
| Parkway | 2-10 | 9-26 |
| Southwood | 0-12 | 2-18 |
Local tennis icons Montgomery, Harrisons earning hall of fame enshrinement
JOURNAL STAFF
The Harrison family and Jerry Montgomery are not only intertwined with the vibrant local tennis community, they are acclaimed statewide – and beyond – for their impact on the sport.
That will be illustrated Friday evening in Baton Rouge at the Bocage Racquet Club with their inductions in the Louisiana Tennis Hall of Fame.
The Louisiana Tennis Association administers the annual ceremony spotlighting the state’s elite figures in the sport.
Montgomery is the former prominent tennis pro at Pierremont Oaks Tennis Club, and the retired head tennis coach at Ole Miss.
The Harrison family members to be honored with enshrinement are Vikki Harrison Kivell, Valerie Harrison Woolbert, Mark Harrison, Pattie Harrison Adams and Pat Harrison, all Shreveporters.
Montgomery has been involved with tennis for over 60 years as a player, coach and volunteer. As a coach, his players have attained No. 1 rankings in Louisiana, the South region, the U.S. and have broken into the top 60 in world rankings.
At Ole Miss, Montgomery was a two-time Southeastern Conference Coach of the Year (1993, 1999) and is in the school’s athletic hall of fame. He continues as a volunteer for USTA Louisiana “at many levels,” said the organization’s press release.
He has been an ambassador for the game locally and has impacted literally thousands of players from the beginner and recreational levels to helping develop players into champions in the high school, college and pro ranks along with USTA amateur competitions.
The Harrisons are considered Louisiana tennis royalty. Each of the five siblings, nurtured by their iconic father Jimmy Harrison, achieved top junior status, some with national rankings, and all played on the collegiate level. They all became coaches, and have made major impact at the recreational, high school, college and even professional levels.
Players coached by the Harrisons have produced three Grand Slam champions, four Grand Slam runners-up and two NCAA singles champions. A former conference champion in singles and doubles at Oklahoma State, Pat Harrison may be best known for developing his son Ryan, a successful current player on the ATP Tour.
Valerie Harrison starred at Centenary, where she was an NAIA runner-up and earned All-American while playing for her father.
The Louisiana Tennis Hall of Fame began in 1984 and has 50 inductees, including outstanding players, coaches and families who have made significant accomplishments in the game of tennis in Louisiana.
Serious management works for Colvin in downing mystery buck
Louisiana is in the throes of a major drought that has reduced palatable browse for deer; they are having to depend on less desirable food sources to survive.
Forty-three year old Daniel Colvin, Bernice, is offering a 4 ½-acre smorgasbord of wheat, clover and turnips that virtually guarantee that when he sits on his stand, it’s almost a sure thing that he’ll see deer.
Colvin is an entrepreneur who has a variety of professions. He deals in real estate buying and selling, is a commercial fisherman, has a lawn service and is a consultant to property owners who want to provide the best opportunity for attracting and holding deer.
He has converted his own 1300 acres in Union Parish to a haven for deer and, as a result, he has been successful in growing some impressive bucks. Colvin keeps cameras out year round, provides minerals all year and improves the land by controlled burning and thinning where needed. He knows and keep records on virtually every buck on the property, but there was one that provided a bit of a mystery.
“I’m really not sure if I knew about this particular buck,” Colvin said. “I knew I had a big one on the property and had a photo of one back in July in velvet before his rack fully developed. I knew it was going to be special. Then he just disappeared and I never had a picture of this particular buck after that.”
As dry as things have been, it had rained the night of October 29 and continued on into the next morning, finally ceasing on Monday October 30.
“I knew the deer would be moving after the rain, and bucks were starting to make scrapes and chase does. At 3:30, I got in my box stand, overlooking the food plot and actually ran off a doe and yearling as I got to the stand. Soon after getting settled in the stand, several small bucks showed up and were starting to harass does that had also arrived,” said Colvin.
Around 5 that afternoon, Colvin noticed one particular small buck had his eyes fixed on the adjacent woods. Suddenly, the buck bolted and ran from the food plot.
“I knew there had to be a bigger buck that had spooked this little buck so I kept my eyes on the direction the buck was looking. Then I saw a big rack and then the body of an impressive buck as it stepped out. I knew it was a shooter for sure, so I got my 25.06 Remington up and five seconds later, I hit the trigger. The buck ran about twenty yards before falling at the edge of the food plot,” Colvin continued.
The buck sported an impressive rack of 11 points, had an inside spread of 19 2/8 inches, impressive main beams of 24 and 25 inches and 5 inch bases. It was determined that he was 5 ½ years old and weighed in at 190 pounds.
Colvin took him to Greg Hicks, official Buckmaster scorer, and the tape came to 154 4/8 inches.
Although Colvin has a record of just about every deer on the property, this one, never actually identified, was a bit of a mystery that ended successfully.
Shreveport Police seek help in locating missing 17-year-old
The Shreveport Police Department is requesting assistance in locating 17-year-old Mariah Venious, reported missing on November 27, 2023. Last seen in the 1500 block of Fairfield Avenue, Venious stands approximately 5’9” tall, weighing 185 lbs, with brown eyes and black hair. She was dressed in a blue shirt, blue pants, and a pink bonnet.
Authorities encourage anyone with information on Mariah Venious’s whereabouts to contact the Shreveport Police Department at 318-673-7300 #3.
Arrest made in possession of firearm by convicted felon incident
Shreveport Police Department made an arrest following a disturbance report at a local restaurant on November 27. Timothy Whitfield, 56, was apprehended for disorderly conduct while visibly intoxicated and harassing patrons and employees. During the arrest, officers found Whitfield in possession of a handgun.
Further investigation revealed that Whitfield is a convicted felon, making firearm possession illegal. Consequently, he faces charges of disturbing the peace and unlawful firearm possession.
This incident highlights the collaborative efforts of the Shreveport Police Department in addressing potential threats to public safety. It’s important to note that all suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Santa’s Wonderland returns to Bass Pro Shops
By Matt Bankston
Families, get ready for a heartwarming tradition to light up your holiday season! Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s are overjoyed to announce the return of Santa’s Wonderland, an enchanting opportunity to meet the man in red himself.
From November 5th through December 24th, Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World has been transformed into a magical space where over two million kids and families have captured cherished moments with Santa Claus. Remember, reservations are highly recommended! Head to www.basspro.com/santa to secure your spot and dive into the delightful details.
For many, like me, this isn’t just a yearly event—it’s a tradition filled with heartfelt memories. I’ve taken my girls to see Santa at Bass Pro since they were little. It became a special occasion where a bunch of us dads gathered, giving us a chance for some dad/daughter bonding while having an absolute blast with the kids. It’s a unique way for us guys to be, well, just guys, all while making unforgettable memories with our little ones.
Join in this tradition and create your own magical moments with Santa at Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s this holiday season!
Local economy remains on solid footing, according to LSUS economic dashboard
If Douglas White would have had to predict 18 months ago whether the U.S. economy could achieve a “soft landing,” he along with most other economists would have given a resounding no.
But the Federal Reserve, the U.S. central bank, appears to be threading the needle of stemming the rise of inflation while not sending the economy into a recession.
Local economic numbers are following that trend, according to third quarter data from the Northwest Louisiana Economic Dashboard released in mid-November.
Local inflation ticked down slightly in October, sitting at a 3.2 percent increase from a year ago (3.7 percent in September).
The Shreveport-Bossier MSA (includes Caddo, Bossier and DeSoto parishes) unemployment is 3.7 percent, a small increase from previous months but down from its annual high of 4.6 percent in June.
“When we started this project seven quarters ago, the Fed had started to hike interest rates and we were at the height of inflation,” said White, the director for the Center for Business and Economic Research at LSUS, which compiles the local economic data for the dashboard. “I didn’t think the Fed was going to pull it out (a soft landing).
“But the data seems to suggest they have. Unemployment rates are at historic lows. Even though prices are still higher than they were, inflation month-over-month is almost non-existent. Inflation is slightly above three percent year-over-year, and the Fed’s target rate is two percent. Estimates out there say it takes six to 18 months to see all the effects from the rate hikes, so you’d expect for them to still have some cooling effect on the economy.”
The NWLA Economic Dashboard, which has published every quarter since the first quarter of 2022, is available on the LSUS website and open to any member of the public.
The Dashboard compiles information on tax collection, housing, building permits, unemployment, casino revenue and admissions, airport traffic, mortgage rates, inflation and gas prices.
Other positive signs for the local economy include Shreveport having a nearly seven percent increase in tax receipts in the 2023 third quarter compared to the 2022 third quarter.
Airport traffic so far this year is at a four-year high for both travelers flying out of and into Shreveport Regional Airport.
“The airport numbers are another sign that our economy is doing well,” White said. “That means either that business travel is up, or that more people are doing well enough to take vacations by flying out of Shreveport.”
But White said consumer sentiment tends to tread on the negative side despite the economic data.
“One problem with unemployment is that it asks only if you are employed, not if you’re a part-time worker who wants to work full-time or other measures of underemployment,” White said. “There’s anecdotal evidence out there that says while most people got some sort of a raise, it didn’t keep up with the pace of inflation, so many people might not be as well off as they were two years ago because wages haven’t been able to keep up with prices.”
Notice of Death – November 29, 2023
Doris (Lorraine) Valentine Reeves
September 30, 1940 — November 26, 2023
Service: Thursday, November 30, 2023, 5pm at Rose Neath Funeral Home, Southside.
Toni Trahan Shirley
November 6, 1947 — November 23, 2023
Service: Thursday, November 30, 2023, 5pm at Rose Neath Funeral Home, Bossier City.
Mary D Cole
June 14, 1944 – November 25, 2023
Service: Thursday, November 30, 2023, 11am at Magnolia Baptist Church, Saline.
Mr. Gary Hobdy
December 8, 1956 ~ November 21, 2023
Service: Friday, December 1, 2023, 11am at Heavenly Gates, Shreveport.
MaLou Chalfant Maxey
May 26, 1975 – November 26, 2023
Service: Friday, December 1, 2023, 10am at The Cathedral of St. John Berchmans, Shreveport.
Charles Henry Goben
July 9, 1931 — November 24, 2023
Service: Friday, December 1, 2023, 5pm at Rose Neath Funeral Home, Shreveport.
Hollis Craig Gamble, Jr.
October 10, 1954 — November 25, 2023
Service: Saturday, December 2, 2023, 11am at Grand Cane Cemetery.
The Shreveport-Bossier Journal publishes paid obituaries – unlimited words and a photo, as well as unlimited access – $95. Contact your funeral provider or SBJNewsLa@gmail.com . Must be paid in advance of publication. (Notice of Death shown above are FREE of charge. You may email them to SBJNewsLa@gmail.com)
November 29, 2023
Jason Rowland to lead Bossier Parish schools
Jason Rowland, a 31-year educator who has served for the past four years as Assistant Superintendent of Administration and Personnel, has been selected as the next Bossier Parish Superintendent of Schools.
Rowland was the unanimous choice of school board members Tuesday following his interview during a special board meeting. He will become the 15th school superintendent in Bossier Parish history following the December 31 retirement of Mitch Downey.
“We are humbled and honored to serve in this role,” Rowland said after the board vote. “We thank the Board for all of the support not only for the last four years, but for tonight as well. We are thrilled and blessed to be a part of the Bossier schools family.”
Rowland began his career with Bossier Schools in 1995 as head baseball coach at Airline High School. Six years later, he moved into the administrative side of education, serving as an assistant principal at Benton and Airline High Schools.
He then became principal at Airline, where he spent nine years at the helm of the largest school in Bossier Parish. In 2019, Downey appointed Rowland to serve as Assistant Superintendent of Administration and Personnel.
Rowland comes from a family deeply rooted in public education. His wife is an educator at Benton Intermediate School; his late mother was a long-time educator in Webster Parish; his brother is the current Superintendent of Webster Parish Schools; and his sister teaches in Sibley.
He has served as President of the Northwest Louisiana Principals Association (NLPA); Finance Committee Chairman with the Louisiana High School Athletics Association (LHSAA); and on the LHSAA Executive Committee as the 5A representative for North Louisiana.
During his interview, Rowland laid out his goals and vision for Bossier Schools, a few of which include:
- Heightening the overall educational experience for students, staff and school communities.
- Continuing to address and support lower performing schools.
- Adapting instruction to address the variety of student learning styles
- Creating a Teacher Advisory Council to gain greater insight into employee needs.
- Developing a Long-Range Planning Committee to address growth in Bossier Parish.
- Expanding the BPSB brand using digital media platforms.
- Fostering community partnerships.
“The expectations of myself will be elevated which, in turn, will lead to higher expectations for all,” Rowland added. “We have everything in place to go to the next level. Now is our time to rise to the top.”
Rowland will take the oath of office at the January 18, 2024 meeting of the Bossier Parish School Board.
Comparing Calvary, Newman takes Moore diagnosis
By JOHN JAMES MARSHALL, Journal Sports
As they prepare to play in the Division III Select semifinals, there are not a lot of commonalities between Calvary and Newman.
None of the current players were in high school the last time the two schools played (2018).
They have no common opponents on the 2023 schedule.
The two schools are located on opposite ends of the state, more than 300 miles away.
Newman was founded in 1903; Calvary brought back its current high school curriculum more than 100 years later.
Though both play in the select playoffs, Calvary is a faith-based school; Newman is an independent school.
Newman is located in Uptown New Orleans, several blocks from the historic Garden District. The closest thing to a Garden District at Calvary is at the Brookshire’s floral shop next door. One’s tuition is more than three times greater than the other. You can go ahead and assume which is which.
So where could you possibly go to find a way to compare the two as they prepare for Friday’s game? The answer – north Bossier Parish.
That’s where you’ll find Reynolds Moore, the head coach of Benton, who is quite familiar with both teams.
His Tigers played Newman in Week 3 of this season – they also played in 2022 – and he and Newman coach Nelson Stewart are good friends.
Though they didn’t play in the regular season, Moore and the Tigers did take on the Cavaliers during the spring game. And he saw Calvary on video this year when he was preparing against a Calvary opponent.
Plus, he was at Jerry Barker Stadium last week when the Cavs defeated Parkview Baptist in the quarterfinals.
So step right up, Reynolds Moore, and share some wisdom.
“It’s two well-coached teams, that’s for sure,” Moore said. “Both coaches have a lot of talent on the field. Newman is probably a little less hyped, but maybe because that’s because we are up here and closer to what Calvary has done. Calvary has a ton of kids with (college) offers and Newman had that last year with Arch (Manning, the nation’s top recruit).”
Which is a nice opening answer, but let’s get a little more granular. Moore’s team was knocked out of the Division I (Non-Select) playoffs in the first round, but it’s time to put his coaching hat back on.
If he were Calvary’s Rodney Guin, what would your team need to do Friday night? “I would want them to have to play from behind,” Moore said. “Every coach wants to jump out ahead, and I think Newman does have the ability to come from behind. But Newman is probably the most overlooked team (of the four semifinalists), and if you jump out on them, it’s hard for a teenager not to think that everyone was right (to overlook them).
“But the longer they are in the game, they’ll start to believe. This is just me, but I’d take the ball first (to open the game) and try to score and get ahead right off.”
If he were Stewart, what would you be worried about? “I would be worried about the big play,” Moore added. “And that starts with (James) Simon at running back. Last week, Calvary moved the ball down the field without a bunch of big plays. They can play that way, but you’ve got to try to make them play that way.
“One thing I’ve learned about Nelson’s teams is that he does a great job of taking away what you do best. But Calvary’s got a ton of weapons.”
Both offenses will be in the spotlight, but one of the best matchups could be No. 12 (Newman quarterback Eli Friend) vs. No. 11 (Calvary linebacker Hutch Grace).
“They (the Cavaliers) do a really good job of moving their guys around on defense,” Moore said. “They’ll play that single-high safety, but they can put pressure on you in a lot of different ways. And I think (linebacker) Hutch Grace is one of the best defensive players around here. I think he is mean on the field and I mean that as a compliment. That’s the kind of mindset you want. He’s going to be a problem for (Newman) to deal with Friday night.”
When the Greenies came to Benton, Moore got a first-hand look at Friend, who passed for 302 yards (completing 24 of 33) and ran for 97 more. He either passed or ran for all five Newman touchdowns.
“He’s not Arch, but he can do a lot of things well,” Moore said. “They may actually be a better team (than last year) because he can so many things to beat you. He’s a lot of fun to watch. Unless you are the opponent.”
Contact JJ at johnjamesmarshall@yahoo.com
Nix to idea that Daniels not worthy of Heisman
LSU head football coach Brian Kelly’s word to describe his quarterback Jayden Daniels is “decisive.”
“I’ve used this word maybe 100 times – he is so decisive,” Kelly said. “There is no question about what he sees (reading defenses) and how he acts.”
Unlike Kelly, I can’t limit myself to a single word after watching Daniels vaporize defense after defense after defense in one of the greatest seasons ever for a college football quarterback.
It’s ridiculous Daniels has joined former Texas A&M 2012 Heisman Trophy-winning QB Johnny Manziel as one of only two players in SEC history to pass for 3,500 yards (3,812) and rush for 1,000 yards (1,113).
It’s absurd Daniels became the first player in FBS history to in a single game pass for 350 yards (372) and rush for 200 yards (234) in a 52-35 win over Florida, when he set the SEC record for total offense with 606 yards.
It’s outrageous Daniels has the SEC’s longest pass play (an 86-yard TD to Brian Thomas Jr. vs. Army), the longest-running play (an 85-yard TD vs. Florida) of the season and the second most rushing yards (234 vs. Florida) by any SEC player this season. His 8.4 yards per carry is No. 1 nationally.
It’s incredible that Daniels’ total offense yardage in each game was the highest allowed this season by every team on LSU’s schedule except Army (he played just the first half in a 62-0 blowout) and the regular season-ending 42-30 win over Texas A&M.
It’s unbelievable Daniels’ nation-leading 412.2 total offense yards per game is more than 104 of the 130 FBS (Division 1-A) teams average, including 3 of the top 10 teams in the College Football Playoffs rankings (No. 2 Michigan, No. 8 Alabama, No. 10 Penn State).
It’s stunning that Daniels’ 50 TDs (40 passing, 10 rushing) are equal or more than 109 FBS teams including Alabama, No. 6 Ohio State, No. 7 Texas and No. 9 Missouri.
It’s mind-blowing that 81 of Daniels’ 89 plays of 20 yards or more have gone for 27 TDs and 54 first downs.
It’s unfathomable that Daniels and Oregon quarterback Bo Nix are flip-flopping almost daily as the Heisman Trophy favorites. If Daniels’ name isn’t engraved on the Heisman when it is awarded on Dec. 9, it will be the biggest rip-off in the 89 years that the trophy has been awarded.
It will mean the majority of Heisman voters in the media are too lazy to deep-dive into every available stat. Instead, they’ll just decide to give the award to the best player on one of college football’s best teams still in the national championship picture.
Sometimes, that holds true like LSU’s Joe Burrow in 2019, Florida State’s Jameis Winston in 2013, Auburn’s Cam Newton in 2010, and Florida’s Danny Wuerffel in 1996, just to name a few Heisman winners who played on teams that eventually won the national title.
But most of the time, the award stays true to the criteria that says it’s awarded to the most outstanding player in college football.
That’s regardless of the record of the Heisman winner’s team. It means the voting shouldn’t be tilted toward Nix because No. 5 Oregon is 11-1 heading into Friday’s Pac-12 title game vs. No. 3 Washington and No. 13 LSU is 9-3 and just waiting for bowl bid day on Sunday.
Daniels not only leads Nix in 25 of 28 stat categories including the incomparable rushing yards total – Nix trails Daniels by 975 yards with his longest run of 16 yards – but both players have each quarterbacked the same amount of possessions (not counting the end of halves kneeling to run out the clock).
In 110 possessions each, Daniels led LSU to 66 TDs and 10 field goals compared to 65 TDs and 9 field goals for Nix.
Daniels has had 10 games of 350 or more yards total offense including one 600-yard, two 500-yard and three 400-yard games. Nix has had five games of 350 or more total offense with three 400-yard games.
Daniels has accounted for 4 or more TDs in nine games including an 8-TD game vs. Georgia State and 5-TD games vs. Grambling, Ole Miss and Florida.
Nix has had 4 or more TDs in five games including a 6-TD performance vs. Arizona State.
But here are three differences that separate Daniels from Nix even further.
Daniels has played against a stronger schedule, faced more top-50 ranked defenses and has had to play without leads considerably longer than Nix.
According to ESPN’s College Football Index, LSU’s strength of schedule is ranked No. 7 nationally compared to No. 62 for Washington.
Also, according to current NCAA stats, Daniels has played against seven defenses ranked among the top 50 in total defense, averaged 390.9 yards and accounted for 23 TDs. Nix played against just two top-50 defenses, averaged 324.5 yards and accounted for 6 TDs.
And because Oregon’s defense is ranked 15th nationally, allowing 306.9 yards per game and LSU’s defense is 101st, giving up 409.2 yards, Nix has had the luxury of playing with his team leading on the scoreboard for much more of the time than Daniels.
Oregon has trailed in four games this season for a total of 67:08 or 1 hour, 7 minutes and 8 seconds. LSU trailed in eight games for 189:34 or 3 hours, 9 minutes and 34 seconds.
Daniels is having a season for the ages. Compared to the last 11 quarterbacks who have won Heismans, Daniels is first in 7 of 9 stat categories, Nix leads in one and Burrow in the other.
Finally, former Auburn QB Nix transferred a year ago from the SEC, which has won 13 of the last 17 national championships and led all conferences in NFL draft picks for 17 straight years, to the Pac-12, which hasn’t won a national title since 2004 (USC).
On the other hand, former Arizona State QB Daniels transferred from the Pac-12 to the SEC.
Some guys just like running toward the fire.
Contact Ron at ronhigginsmedia@gmail.com
NSU hires Division III head coach, former LSU player McCorkle as coach
By DOUG IRELAND, Journal Sports
NATCHITOCHES – New Northwestern State football coach Blaine McCorkle is unknown to virtually everybody invested in Demon football, except for one of NSU’s greatest players.
Former NFL quarterback Craig Nall couldn’t be more excited that his former LSU teammate has been hired to take over the program in Natchitoches.
McCorkle, 47, and his family will be introduced to supporters and the media at 2 p.m. Wednesday in the Stroud Room, located in the Donald G. Kelly Athletic Complex. He replaces Brad Laird, one of NSU’s all-time great players, who resigned Oct. 26 as NSU curtailed its 2023 season by cancelling its final four games in the aftermath of the shooting death of junior safety Ronnie Caldwell Jr.
Northwestern has not had a winning season in football since 2008, a 7-5 record. There have been two 6-6 finishes, and two winless seasons, in 2009 and this fall (0-6). Last year Laird’s team had a 4-2 Southland Conference record.
Nall, who earned a degree from NSU after leading the Demons to the FCS playoffs with a record-shattering 2001 season, is a good friend of McCorkle – who has been in coaching for 26 years, the last six bringing a championship to a downtrodden Division III program at Belhaven College in Jackson, Miss.
He took the Blazers from a two-win team the year ahead of his arrival to a nine-win season in 2023, with an outright USA South Conference championship – the first such title in Belhaven program history – and the program’s first berth in the NCAA Division III playoffs.
In his final three seasons, McCorkle led the Blazers to a 24-7 overall record. The 17-4 mark across the 2022-23 seasons marked the most wins in a two-year span in program history and helped McCorkle earn three American Southwest Conference/USA South Coach of the Year awards, including the 2023 honor.
McCorkle inherited a program that had not won more than three games in a season since 2013.
McCorkle has been an assistant as an offensive line coach at six FCS institutions – Delaware, Richmond, Liberty, Tennessee Tech, Chattanooga and UT Martin. Twenty of his 26 seasons as a coach have come at those FCS programs.
“The opportunity to be back at the FCS level where I’ve spent the majority of my career is something I’ve wanted for a long time,” said McCorkle. “It is a pure level of college football that plays for the right reasons. I’m excited to be back at that level. I’m also excited for the challenge of rebuilding – not building – Northwestern State because Northwestern State has been there before. The campus has a lot to offer. The town has a lot to offer. I’m honored and humbled to have the opportunity to restore a program a lot of people take a lot of pride in.”
McCorkle interviewed for the McNeese coaching vacancy two years ago, when the Cowboys replaced current LSU assistant Frank Wilson with Valdosta State coach Gary Goff. Nall said McCorkle was eager to apply for the NSU job six years ago when Laird was promoted from within to replace Jay Thomas.
“I’m really happy and excited, not only for him and his family but for the university. Northwestern State’s getting a good guy,” said Nall, who lives in the Dallas area and operates a nationwide business tutoring high school and junior high quarterbacks.
McCorkle was a walk-on deep snapper on Gerry DiNardo’s LSU teams when Nall arrived as a highly recruited quarterback from Alexandria Senior High. Nall became involved in a three-way battle for the starting job at LSU with Josh Booty and Rohan Davey, weathered the Tigers’ coaching transition from DiNardo to Nick Saban and ultimately transferred to his parents’ alma mater, Northwestern, to play his senior season.
McCorkle finished playing in 1999 and began his coaching career at LSU as a student assistant, earning his degree in 2000 before Nall left. They have remained friends since.
“Blaine has done a great job rebuilding the program that he’s been at, really turned it around and established a winning culture there,” said Nall.
“He’s fully aware of the challenge that’s going to be in front of him. He cares about his players. He’s an awesome coach and he does things the right way.”
McCorkle has no other apparent connections to Northwestern but from his days at LSU and during his time at Belhaven, he’s very familiar with the lay of the land in Louisiana and its football network. Belhaven had 13 Louisiana natives on its roster this fall. Two of his assistants recruited central Louisiana and another recruited south Louisiana.
“He knows the state, knows it well. I think recruiting-wise, he’ll do good. It will take some time but if there’s anybody who can do it, he will. He’ll get in there, roll his sleeves up, and get to work reestablishing a culture of winning,” said Nall.
“(Coming back to Louisiana) played a huge part in it,” McCorkle said. “I’ve wanted to be a Division I head coach in Louisiana for 30 years now. I came here in August 1995 and fell in love with the people, the culture and the passion that is the state of Louisiana. A big part of that culture is college football.
“We’re in a great high school football state that has great areas to pull talent from. One thing I know about the people of Louisiana is you always know where you stand with them. I want to give the people of Natchitoches what they want, earn their trust and build something special for them.”
Contact Doug at sbjdoug@gmail.com
There’s winning on the scoreboard, and winning in bigger ways
JOURNAL STAFF
For all local head coaches but Rodney Guin at Calvary Baptist, the 2023 season is now in the rearview mirror.
When you look into a mirror, there’s a reflection. This week’s Shreveport-Bossier Journal Coaches’ Roundtable question: as you look back on the season, what makes you especially proud about your team?
MIKE GREENE, Loyola – “These guys played North DeSoto, Logansport, Haynesville (in a scrimmage), Captain Shreve and Calvary. They competed against some of the best teams in the state. Not many teams can say four of their losses came against teams that are playing after Thanksgiving! I am really happy that the seniors kept the playoff streak alive, even with only seven of them.”
JASON BROTHERTON, Haughton – “What I liked best about the 2023 Haughton Buccaneers was that, in the face of a tough season, they showed up every day and continued to give great effort all the way to the end.”
REYNOLDS MOORE, Benton – “A lot of people left us for dead at 1-4, but that next week of practice revealed the tremendous character our team had. I’ve said it a hundred times, but I was repeatedly impressed with their commitment and how they just kept showing up and working every day, regardless of how things were going.”
STEPHEN DENNIS, Huntington – “I was really pleased with the growth and development of our offensive line. We went into the season thinking they could be really good. We came out of the season knowing they were one of the strengths of our entire team.”
CHASE THOMPSON, North Caddo – “My favorite part of coaching is the conversations and the laughs that you share with your team. Football can be intense for the coaches and players (especially when you’re losing). However, the moments of laughter, joy, and camaraderie that are born in between those stressful moments are special. We had plenty of those special moments this season, and I’m grateful for that.”
COY BROTHERTON, Parkway – “The most pleasing thing I saw from our team this year was how well they bonded and played together. The way they handled adversity and picked each other up was very rewarding to our coaching staff.”
ADAM KIRBY, Captain Shreve – “I really enjoyed how close we were as a team. There was a genuine love for one another and because of that, we did not have any off-field issues and we had fun every week.”
JAMES BRADFORD JR., Green Oaks – “This season I was blessed with the support we had with the vision of the program. The things sowed into our young men were bigger than just on the field.
“On the field, I was very pleased with our guys’ ‘never give up’ attitude even with major injuries at key positions. We also played a lot of young guys that grew up and excelled on the varsity level.”
CLINT WALKER, Plain Dealing – “Considering the low numbers that we had, we persevered through the duration of the season and improved from the beginning to the end. We kept fighting.”
GARY COOPER, Booker T. Washington – “The most pleasing aspect about the Lions this year was accountability. These young men held their teammates accountable for all the things, as a coach, you would want them to. For the most part, the team ‘policed’ itself. The expectations were set, and the kids held each other accountable.”
Airline’s Taylor, Shreve’s McDonald head up 1-5A All-District team
JOURNAL SPORTS
Airline quarterback Ben Taylor was named the Most Valuable Player on offense and EJ McDonald of Captain Shreve the Defensive Most Valuable Player on the 2023 1-5A All-District team selected by district coaches.
Taylor had a record-setting season passing for 3,507 yards in the regular season and 44 touchdowns. He had a season-high 471 yards in a district opener against Benton and more than 300 yards in each district game. He completed 73 percent of his passes (261 of 357).
McDonald led an opportunistic Shreve defense with five interceptions and three fumble recoveries. He returned one of those fumbles 96 yards for a key touchdown.
Here is the complete list of the 2023 1-5A team.
FIRST TEAM
OFFENSE
WR – Jarvis Davis, Airline, Jr.
WR – Bryson Broom, Airline, Sr.
WR – Trey Smith, Benton, Sr.
WR – Camryn Davis, Natchitoches Central, Sr.
TE – Bob Patterson, Airline, Sr.
OL – Josh Allen, Airline, Jr.
OL – Travis Flowers, Benton, Sr.
OL – Noah Slaughter, Byrd, Sr.
OL – Devin Harper, Captain Shreve, Jr.
OL – Lionel Prudhomme, Captain Shreve, Sr.
OL – Caleb Randolph, Captain Shreve, Jr.
OL – Ethan Plunkett, Parkway, Jr.
OL – Joe Cryer, Natchitoches Central, Sr.
QB – Ben Taylor, Airline, Jr.
RB – Greg Manning, Benton, Sr.
RB – Jamarlon Otis, Captain Shreve, Jr.
RB – Antonio Gladney, Parkway, So.
Ath – Tre’Von Jackson, Airline, Sr.
K – Aeron Burrell, Parkway, Sr.
P – John Hoyet Chance, Captain Shreve, Sr.
DEFENSE
DL – Myaun Carey, Benton, Jr.
DL – Greg Webb, Captain Shreve, Sr.
DL – Brayden Woods, Natchitoches Central, Sr.
DL – BJ Patterson, Parkway, Sr.
DL – DD Oliver, Parkway, Jr.
LB – Sincere Walker, Airline, Sr.
LB – Cole Austin, Benton, Jr.
LB – Amaray Brown, Parkway, Sr.
LB – Landon Lee, Captain Shreve, Sr.
DB – Jeremiah Boudreaux, Airline, Sr.
DB – EJ McDonald, Captain Shreve, Sr.
DB – Carmaro Mayo, Parkway, Jr.
DB – Miller Malley, Benton, Jr.
Flex – Jayden Gladney, Airline, Jr.
Offensive MVP – Ben Taylor, Airline
Defensive MVP – EJ McDonald, Captain Shreve
SECOND TEAM
OFFENSE
WR – Jalen Lewis, Haughton Sr.; Jordan Wiggins, Captain Shreve, Sr.; Dillon Braxton, Natchitoches Central, So.; Jackson Jones, Benton, Jr.; Jayden Lewis, Parkway, Jr. TE – Cody Wilhite, Benton, Sr. OL – Witt VanHoy, Benton, Jr.; Dylan Gillie, Byrd, Sr.; Jeremiah Williams, Parkway, Sr.; Javion Marshall, Captain Shreve, Sr.; Rimarria Davis, Haughton, Jr.; Ashton Player, Southwood, Sr.; Nathan Hill, Airline, Sr. QB – Quortni Beaner, Captain Shreve, Sr.; RB – Malachi Johnson, Byrd, Jr.; Desmond Simmons, Byrd, Jr.; Chris Mayes, Haughton, Sr.; Zion Thompson, Natchitoches Central, Sr.; Ath – Jeff King, Benton, Sr.; K – John Hoyet Chance, Captain Shreve; P – Abram Murray, Byrd, Sr.
DEFENSE
DL – Demarcus King, Benton, So.; Landon Mosley, Captain Shreve, Sr.; Cade Givens, Captain Shreve, Jr.; Darrell Cottonham, Byrd, Jr.; Travail Hamilton, Southwood, Sr.; LB – Bennie Walters, Benton, Sr.; Ashton Fullwood, Sr.; Aydin Ashworth, Airline, Sr.; Peyton Houston, Captain Shreve, Jr.; Shamichael Johnson, Southwood, Sr.; Kaiden Abraham-Miller, Byrd, Jr.; Jamarcea Plater, Captain Shreve, So.; Ashtin Jackson, Parkway, Sr.; Landon Brossett, Natchitoches Central, Sr.; Flex – Brayden Linton, Airline, Sr.
Grambling cuts Hue Jackson loose, aims to restore Tigers’ roar
JOURNAL SPORTS
GRAMBLING – The turbulence around Grambling State football continued Tuesday when athletics director Trayvean Scott said former NFL head coach Hue Jackson has been fired as head coach of the once-proud Tigers’ program.
Jackson managed only an 8-14 record over his two seasons at Grambling, including a 5-6 campaign that just concluded with a 27-22 loss to Southern on Saturday in the Bayou Classic at the Caesars’ Superdome.
“I hadn’t slept much over the past couple days — really since Saturday, just kind of been thinking and really pulling as much data and information as possible to try and make the best, informed decision,” said Scott. “We had a conversation with the president yesterday and had some things to consider, and really this morning, I knew it was time to move the football program forward.”
Scott said it all boiled down to responsibility and accountability.
“You got to make the decision long-term for all involved. That’s why we made the decision and why we’re moving forward,” he said in an afternoon press conference.
Scott said there wasn’t one specific reason behind the decision but a combination of factors that told GSU officials it was time to make a change. Some – not all — assistant coaches were also terminated Tuesday.
“Not any loss had to do with it, it was a culmination of things. But I think when you’ve got the opportunity to make it a national championship caliber program, and you underachieve, you’ve got to take it all into account. So I wouldn’t say it was one specific game or one specific occurrence, I would just say that it’s the sum total of them all that obviously we don’t have time for and just to be honest, I probably wouldn’t discuss if we did.”
Scott said he doesn’t expect the search process to be a long one.
“We’re looking at about 7-10 days,” Scott said. “I think that search has to be very intentional — very focused on certain attributes and specific characteristics that we want the next coach to have.”
Scott said at this point, the job is open to anyone capable of turning around the program, which hasn’t had a winning record since 2019’s 6-5 mark under Broderick Fobbs. He took over after a players’ strike cancelled a 2013 game at Jackson State, and steered the Tigers to 51 wins and only 21 losses in his first six seasons until the COVID pandemic struck. GSU went 4-10 under Fobbs in those next two seasons and he was let go before the 2021 Bayou Classic.
The fact that Early National Signing Day is December 20 is a compelling factor in the search timeline.
Scott said retained coaching staff members, including assistant coach and now interim head coach John Simon, will be considered.
“Coach Simon does have an opportunity to earn that position as well,” Scott said. “We’re looking forward to it, and that process is going to begin when I leave here, and I’ll start pooling resources and do what we need to do to identify the next leader for the program.”
Scott admitted it was painful to contemplate the decision, and to deliver the news.
“It’s tough,” Scott said of his conversation with Jackson. “It’s tough. It was a tough conversation to have. It was a tough conversation to have with those others (coaches who were fired) as well. It was a tough conversation to have with those 120 (GSU football players) as well.
“It’s been a day. It’s not been a good day. But again, we’ve got to make the decisions that are in the best interest of the institution, the program and our students. That’s our North Star right now and that’s the way we’re going to move.”
Scott also cleared up Jackson’s contract status, saying the coach would be paid only for the remainder of the ongoing fiscal year, and that talk of GSU owing Jackson a full four seasons’ worth of pay to close out the books after his second, and last, season as head coach isn’t true.
“I think that’s the greatest misnomer of all of it,” Scott said. “His contract is public record. Anyone with two eyes could see that the first two years of his contract were guaranteed. So this $800,000 bill they’re trying to tack us with is just a fallacy.”
Professional bass fishing tough career choice
When I was a kid, teachers would ask the question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?”
For boys, this can be a trick question because we never grow up.
Back in my day, the standard answers were policeman, fireman, teacher; or for the super smart students in my class they would say a doctor or lawyer. Some had even greater aspirations of becoming an astronaut, mainly since America had just landed men on the moon. But you never heard anyone say, “I want to be a professional bass fisherman.”
Another thing you never heard was that someone was going to sell water for a living. Can you imagine how your classmates would have reacted back in the 1970s if you had announced you were going to bottle and sell water? You would have been the center of all their jokes from that day forward. But it turns out, you would have gotten the last laugh, because you can become wealthy selling water.
You probably would have gotten the same reaction if you said you were going to be a professional bass fisherman. Today, this is a career choice for a select few. I have always compared it to being a professional athlete. The odds are not in your favor. Only one of every 10,000 baseball players in the country gets drafted and only one of every 5,000 makes it to the big leagues.
It just might be the same odds for becoming a professional bass fisherman. There are thousands of anglers across the world who want to make it to the United States and become a professional angler. They’re not only trying to be the best in this country, but compete with anglers from Canada, Japan, Mexico, South Africa, and Australia for what amounts to about 80 slots in either BASS or the MLF Pro Tours.
Bass fishing has become an international sport and is extremely competitive for those who want to make a living doing it. Catching fish is only a small part of what it takes to fish for a living. Today, you must be good with social media, understand business, be a great salesman and be able to easily talk to people.
Now let’s look at the sacrifices you’ll have to make.
First, prepare to eat a lot of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches while learning how to sleep in your truck or camp out to save money. Just to enter a BASS or MLF event will cost you at least $50,000 up front and you have not even wet a hook yet. Travel expenses today with gas, hotel and food is off the chart. Hence, the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and campgrounds to try and save money.
You’ll pull your boat all over the United States with constant wear and tear on your vehicle. Don’t forget, it takes gas to fill up your boat which is an easy $75 to $120 per fill-up, which includes all the practice and competition days. To be conservative, you’re probably looking at $100,000 to fish your first season. That means you need to finish in the top 50 in every event to collect a $10,000 check and break even. I’ve only known one angler to ever achieve this accomplishment.
If you’re a family man, this just might be the toughest career choice you can make as you will miss birthdays, anniversaries and some holidays. You will shed a lot of tears as you drive away from your wife and kids waving goodbye while you live the gypsy life away from home for days and weeks at a time.
I’m not trying to discourage anyone from pursuing their dreams, but understand, it’s one of the toughest and most competitive career choices you can ever make. It takes a special person to make it in today’s world as a professional angler.
You will need as many sponsors as you can land, and if this is your dream, start saving money now so that when you get that opportunity, money is not an issue. Anglers who are fishing just to get a check are the anglers who will struggle. Tournament fishing is kind of like gambling. Anglers who fish to win can take chances rather than worry about just making a check so they can fish the next event.
Finally, if you’re married, make sure you have a wife who understands how tough this lifestyle can be. Today, many of the wives act as business managers for their husbands and help with coordinating appearances and interviews that pro anglers are called to do. This allows the angler to stay focused on catching fish and being competitive.
I hope I’ve shed some light on what it takes to a professional bass fisherman. It’s not an easy life, but one that can have great rewards if done correctly.
‘Til next time, good luck, good fishing, and think long and hard if you decide to pursue a career in the professional bass fishing world.
Contact Steve at sgraf26@yahoo.com
‘Hey!, I (mis)remember that!’
And yet again we find ourselves within the gravitational pull of one of the most memorable yet misremembered dates in “the storied athletic history” of Louisiana Tech.
If things go gray upstairs in a second, all is forgiven. It’s been a minute.
But any Tech fan old enough to have seen episodes of The Mary Tyler Moore Show live will likely have some brain cells reserved for December 4, 1982, the much-anticipated opening day of the Thomas Assembly Center. Nearly every year as we close in on December 4, someone will mention that day to me.
It was that big of a deal.
“The Lady Techsters played USC and Cheryl Miller and the guys played USL (now ULL),” my friend called to say; The Date and The Day had just happened to come up in a basketball-related conversation as the 2023-24 Bulldogs have won five straight and get a test at 5-1 New Mexico, a regular participant in postseason tournaments, Wednesday at 8 CST.
Then — and this is the part that gets confusing because, well, Father Time — he said, “And that was after Delaware had beaten Tech in the 1-AA semifinals that afternoon, I think 17-0, in the rain,” he said. “What a day. All in Ruston.”
And he’s right. That’s what happened. Almost.
Here is what actually happened that December 4 afternoon before the TAC opened with a doubleheader that night. This from Shreveport Bossier Journal writer Ron Higgins, who then was writing sports for The Times in Shreveport:
“RUSTON—By land, or rather by mud, and through the air, Louisiana Tech quarterback Matt Dunigan tippy-toed through the swampland of Aillet Stadium for two touchdowns and threw for two more scores as Tech slipped past South Carolina State 38-3 Saturday afternoon in the NCAA Division I-AA South Regional final.”
It was South Carolina State that Tech played in football that day in the national quarterfinals. Then that night, USC beat the Techsters, 64-58, and the Dunkin’ Dogs lost to USL, 46-45. The crowd was 8,700; the place has 8,000 seats. More than jam packed. And it was: as a rookie graduate assistant in sports information, I was there.
The next Saturday, December 11, was also cold and rainy, and more than the week before. Miserable. That gray afternoon, Tech football lost in the semifinals of the I-AA playoffs to Delaware, 17-0. It was the final Tech game for both Dunigan — he was off to his career as a Hall of Famer in the Canadian Football League — and head coach Billy Brewer, off to a few seasons of success at his alma mater, Ole Miss.
Why so many of us often confuse the two dates might be because there was basketball at the TAC that December 11 Saturday, as there had been the Saturday before. After the football loss to Delaware, the Techsters thumped Cheyney State that night, 60-45, to win the Dial Classic. Yes, the good ol’ Dial Classic.
On December 4, Tech won in football and lost in basketball. The next weekend was the other way around.
Some other notes from those two weekends 41 years ago, as all three Tech programs were poised to make more immediate memories:
The Techsters’ loss to USC meant the end of their 59-game home winning streak. They beat USC on a neutral court in California, 58-56, later during the regular season and then, as two-time defending national champs, lost to USC in the title game, 69-67, in The Scope in Norfolk, Virginia. Big doings;
The Dunkin’ Dogs finished 19-9 and second in the Southland Conference that season but Shreveport’s Wayne Smith, Summerfield’s Karl Malone and a host of talented friends found themselves in the NCAA Tournament the next two seasons;
Many of the 1982 Football Bulldogs thawed out enough over the next two seasons to make it to the I-AA finals against Montana State at The Citadel in 1984; and,
Delaware. The Fightin’ Blue Hens haven’t been back to Ruston for football since that sleety Saturday when a dude named “Delaware Dan” Reeder slogged his way to a ball-controlling 114 yards on 22 carries and two of his less-workmanlike teammates got to score the TDs. But that seems poised to change: an announcement that the Blue Hens will become the 11th member of Conference USA is expected this week.
No news from the Dial Classic though. All quiet on the Dial Classic front …
Contact Teddy at teddy@latech.edu