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.”