The first movie I ever saw was The Sound of Music at the Broadmoor Theater. That’s where one of my grade school classmates had his birthday party – boy, weren’t we the party bunch back then? – and I really don’t remember much about it, other than thinking Julie Andrews was a really pretty lady and that song “My Favorite Things.”
I had no idea that would be my first paragraph in my year-end column but when I was thinking about what went on in the 2023 high school football season, I reverted to my childhood and kept signing “These are a few of my fav-or-ite things” in my head.
So here they are:
MY FAVORITE GAME
I saw 22 high school games this fall. I saw 21 different teams play. (And in two years at the Shreveport-Bossier Journal, I still haven’t seen Haughton play. My apologies, H-town.)
There were a lot of good games and not just because the score was close. Airline’s third quarter against North DeSoto in the opening week was the best 12 minutes I saw anybody play in 2023. Calvary’s 61-20 win over Captain Shreve was as impressive any 48-minute performance all year (especially considering Shreve went on to go undefeated in District 1-5A).
But Airline’s second-round playoff win over Southside was the best game with the most drama I saw all year. Both teams were really, really good. As a game develops, you usually get a pretty good feel for who is going to win the game. I had no idea in this one, which is fitting because it came down to a two-point conversion in the final two minutes. Make or miss. Win or lose.
Despite going 9-1, the Vikings caught a lot of grief this year for giving up points. But with a playoff win on the line, there were two points that they didn’t give up that made the difference.
Put it this way – if I had to go back and watch any one game again, it would be Airline 36, Southside 35.
MY FAVORITE ATMOSPHERE
How long had it been since I had seen a Soul Bowl, played between Green Oaks and Booker T. Washington? The last time I attended one, it wasn’t even called the Soul Bowl.
That that year’s game was hardly an artistic success was of zero consequence. After both teams did their best to keep the other team in it, BTW finally decided they’d had enough and went ahead and won.
But that barely even caught my attention. I had heard what a spectacle this event it was, but you truly have to see it to understand it. The crowd in the stands is substantial, but the crowd outside the stadium – lined up and down the Elder Street and outside the fence – is pretty remarkable.
No doubt that the ticket cost for this game — basically the same as a Taylor Swift concert — is a factor, but they come from all over the neighborhood to watch, even with an obstructed view.
I’ll save what went on at halftime with the two bands for another time.
MY FAVORITE INTERVIEW
You may think that veteran journalists have their upcoming interviews all planned out weeks in advance. And they might; just not this veteran journalist.
Instead, I picked up the phone one day at lunch and called Haughton coach Jason Brotherton and asked him a simple question: “You got anybody who might make for a good feature story?”
(Yes, I realize that pretty much defines laziness on my part.)
Brotherton thought for a minute and let me know that he did have somebody in mind – his second-string kicker. Didn’t sound like much, but I came out to Haughton with no idea what I was about to discover.
Coleman Pratt was born with a form of dwarfism, and his story is remarkable. Not just because he kicked an extra point the week before, but because of what it took for him to get to that point.
Brotherton said Pratt’s extra point was a moment he will never forget. Hearing Pratt tell his story is an interview I’ll never forget.
MY FAVORITE PRACTICE
Let’s just put it this way – I’ve seen a lot of high school football practices over the years. I’ve never seen one like Captain Shreve’s. Ever.
And I only stayed for 15 minutes.
MY FAVORITE OPINION
I didn’t think the year-long banishment from Lee Hedges Stadium was going to be that big of a deal. But after a month of watching games at Independence Stadium, I’d had enough.
I wrote a column in October about how there should never be another high school game at Independence. That stadium certainly has its place, just not for high school football.
Suggestions were even offered of ways to make this idea work in the future.
I must have left my phone on silent because nobody has called.
Contact JJ at johnjamesmarshall@yahoo.com