March 29, 2024
Month: March 2024
Memories, pressed between the pages of my mind
When I was on local television from the mid 1980’s until the early 2000’s, there wasn’t a thing called social media.
Thank goodness.
People were critical, alright. They just weren’t able to spew their criticism as quickly as they can (and do) now. Before there was a ‘Send‘ button and instant delivery, there were handwritten letters, an envelope, and a stamp.
I bring this up after recently doing a little spring cleaning. Buried in a box was a letter dated December 12, 1986.
“I have enclosed a sterile pad for you to use to clean your nose before appearing on the 10:00 news report,” a ‘gentleman’ wrote. “Yes, Mr. Taglavore, your nose was dirty and running.”
This nice man did, in fact, scotch tape a piece of white gauze to his letter.
But there was more.
“Your hair is too long for me to enjoy viewing you on television.”
He did not enclose a pair of scissors.
I shared the letter with a group of friends who are also former TV hacks. One of them tried to cheer me up.
“On the bright side, he’s probably dead.”
Just think if there was Facebook back then. The viewer could have saved his 22 cents, posted his comment, and I could have wiped my nose and trimmed my hair before the newscast was over.
The “fan” letter was one of several things I found. Pictures and newspapers (remember them) took me on a not-necessarily wanted trip down memory lane. Some people like to look back. I prefer to look ahead — you would too if you looked like I did in grade school.
Fat cheeks? Check.
Coke-rimmed glasses? Check.
Hair which looked more like the head of a mop? Check.
Hey, did you know people used to dress up when they got on a plane? I’m not talking about wearing their best-looking house shoes. I have pictures (and memories) of my grandparents wearing their Sunday clothes — my grandmother in a dress, my grandfather sporting a suit and tie. I also remember my grandfather always washing his car the day before leaving town. He certainly couldn’t take his wife to the airport in a dirty car!
About those old newspapers.
There was an August 31, 2005 edition with the headline ‘Heartbreaking‘ in bold letters. The accompanying picture was of two people canoeing their way down a flooded New Orleans street after Category 5 Hurricane Katrina.
There was a January 25, 2009 edition with the headline ‘Remaking America‘. That was inauguration day for Barack Obama, our country’s first-ever African-American president. Lots of pictures portraying a united country. These days, it’s hard to find images like those.
There was a September 12, 2001 edition which proclaimed ‘Day of Terror‘. Below were pictures of the World Trade Center’s twin towers engulfed in smoke and flames. The pictures were in color, which made the orange fire and gray, billowing smoke look exceptionally painful.
On the less serious, albeit sad side, a January 24, 2005 edition read ‘Good night, Johnny‘. The 30-year king of late night television, Johnny Carson, had lost his fight with emphysema.
And there was a 1997 football preview section proclaiming ‘One More Time‘ for Eddie Robinson, as he entered the last of his 57 seasons as Grambling State University’s head coach. As a side note, anytime he saw a TV reporter/videographer at practice, Coach Rob would stop practice, come over, and ask if he or a player was needed for an interview.
Can you see LSU’s Brian Kelly — or any other Division 1 college coach — doing that?
Me neither.
But for me, the most interesting piece of print I found was not of a newspaper, but of a stream of printer paper. It came from the Associated Press’ feed January 16, 1991.
At 1838 EST (6:38 pm eastern daylight time):
Gulf URGENT
Baghdad
A-B-C REPORTER GARY SHEPHARD IN BAGHDAD IS REPORTING THAT SOME SORT OF ATTACK IS UNDERWAY.
Four minutes later:
A-B-C AND C-N-N TELEVISION NEWS ARE REPORTING FROM BAGHDAD THERE WERE ‘FLASHES IN THE SKY’ OVER THE CITY AND THAT IT APPEARED TRACERS WERE COMING UP FROM THE GROUND.
The final message, at 6:55 p.m. EST, read:
AT THE WHITE HOUSE, PRESIDENTIAL SPOKESMAN MARLIN FITZWATER, WHEN ASKED BY REPORTERS IF SOMETHING WAS GOING ON, RESPONDED: ‘I’LL TELL YOU AS SOON AS I CAN.’
The air campaign (Operation Desert Storm) of the Persian Gulf War had begun. A 42-country coalition led by the United States, liberated Kuwait, which had been invaded by Iraqi soldiers at the direction Iraq’s president Saddam Hussein.
I can do without a hate letter with a sterile pad.
I can do without pictures of me looking like the Pillsbury Doughboy wearing glasses thick as fog.
But the reminders of history?
I’ll keep those. Some things are worth remembering.
Contact Tony at SBJTonyT@gmail.com.
Willis Knighton Transplant Center to host flag ceremony for Donate Life Month
The Willis Knighton John C. McDonald Transplant Center is teaming up with the Louisiana Organ Procurement Agency (LOPA) to recognize Donate Life Month with a donor flag-raising ceremony.
Scheduled for April 5th at 10 a.m., the ceremony will occur at the auditorium of the Willis Knighton Eye Institute, located at 2611 Greenwood Road. Following the raising of the Donate Life flag at the entrance of Willis Knighton North at 10:30 a.m., a reception honoring donors will take place at the Eye Institute.
During the month of April, the transplant center will raise awareness about the crucial need for individuals to register as organ donors and provide the gift of life. Various special days of emphasis will be observed on Willis Knighton campuses, accompanied by donor drives held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. near the cafeteria at Willis Knighton North (April 8), Willis Knighton Bossier (April 9), Willis Knighton Pierremont (April 10), Willis Knighton South (April 11), and Willis Knighton Rehabilitation Institute (April 12).
Currently, there are over 103,000 individuals, including men, women, and children, listed on the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) transplant waiting list in the United States, with over 2,000 of them located in Louisiana. The majority of those awaiting organ donation in Louisiana require kidneys, which can be sourced from both deceased and living donors, as every individual is born with two of them. It’s noteworthy that one donor has the potential to save up to eight lives.
Since performing its inaugural transplant in 1989, the Willis Knighton John C. McDonald Transplant Center has facilitated over 2,200 transplants. As the sole transplant center north of New Orleans, it offers liver, kidney, pancreas, and living donor kidney transplants to patients in the region. For further information, visit wkhs.com/transplant.
Shreveport observes National Community Development Week
The City of Shreveport is gearing up to mark National Community Development Week from April 1st to April 5th, joining communities nationwide in highlighting the significance of federal investment in sustaining crucial programs. The focus will be on the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and HOME Investment Partnerships programs, which play a vital role in strengthening communities.
CDBG funds are instrumental in supporting various community initiatives, including housing rehabilitation, emergency rental assistance, affordable housing development, public infrastructure projects, and small business assistance. Similarly, the HOME program provides essential funding for affordable rental housing development, direct rental assistance, and housing rehabilitation, primarily benefiting low-income households.
These programs have been pivotal for nearly five decades, empowering communities like Shreveport to address infrastructure, housing, and economic development needs. The upcoming events organized by the City’s Department of Community Development include a Community Feedback Meeting on April 2nd and a Fun Day in the Park on April 5th, celebrating 50 years of the CDBG Program.
For further details on Shreveport’s participation in National Community Development Week, individuals can contact Von Jennings, Public Information Officer, Community Development, at 318-540-6368 or von.jennings@shreveportla.gov.
This factual piece highlights Shreveport’s commitment to recognizing the importance of community development and the role of federal funding in achieving these objectives.
College Football Playoffs all about the college football payoff
Though he was doing exactly what he is supposed to do as commissioner of the Southeastern Conference, the appearance by Greg Sankey on the set of ESPN’s College GameDay on the morning of the SEC Championship game in December didn’t sit well with very many of the non it-just-means-more crowd.
It was tacky, self-serving and egotistical all rolled into one. Basically, Sankey was lobbying for two teams to get into the College Football Playoff if Georgia were to lose to Alabama later that night. (Which the Bulldogs did.)
It was about 20 minutes of yukking it up with Rece Davis, Kirk Herbstreit, et. al. before punctuating it with this line: “Let’s go back to like Sesame Street … one of these things is not like the other, and that’s the Southeastern Conference” when talking about the teams competing with Georgia and Alabama for spots in the semifinals.
The point is not that Sankey said those words.
It’s that ESPN gave him the forum to say it.
College football, as we all well know, is in a state of upheaval right now. You may be mad about NIL or the transfer portal or about conference realignment. For goodness sakes, there’s talk about blowing up the 12-team CFP — before they even have one – in favor of 14 teams.
And of course, Sankey and the SEC are trying to drive that bus also.
But the biggest issue in all of this is not Greg Sankey or the Big Ten or whether a Group of Five conference winner should automatically be one of the playoff teams.
It’s that ESPN owns all of it.
Let’s see now … playoff teams (however many there are) will be chosen by a committee. You know who doesn’t do that and has run a pretty a pretty successful operation for quite a few years? The NFL, where the teams automatically qualify.
No committee needed. Outside influences, perceived or otherwise, carry no weight.
You know what else the NFL does differently that college football doesn’t? One network doesn’t control the entire playoff structure. It may be hard to keep up with, but there are games telecast over a variety of networks throughout the playoffs, leading up to the Super Bowl, which rotates between networks on a yearly basis.
That’s about as fair as it can be.
ESPN has broadcast every game in the 10 years of the previous playoff structure. You think they are just going to step away and wait for a phone call as to who has been chosen by the committee? There are 1.5 billion reasons why that’s not going to happen.
Look at it this way: If CBS got to choose who played in the Masters, do you really think the U.S. Mid-Amateur champion would be in the field?
ESPN has never been shy about pushing agendas (many would argue non-sports agendas as well) and you need to look no further than the Heisman Trophy, which ESPN almost prides itself on who should be the week-to-week frontrunner. Three guesses – and the first two don’t count — as to which network has the rights to the Heisman Trophy presentation.
“ESPN has worked very closely with the College Football Playoff over the past decade to build one of the most prominent events in American sports. We look forward to enhancing our valued relationship over the next two years, and then continuing it for six more as we embark on this new, expanded playoff era,” ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro said in a statement. “This agreement further solidifies ESPN as the home of college football, as well as the destination for the vast majority of major college championships for the next eight years.”
If college football were truly interested in the best interests of college football, it would start having its signature event being shown on as many as networks as possible. That would minimize the influence, to whatever degree that might be, a network has.
Unless you have a pre-determined number of teams from each conference (another self-serving Sankey agenda being pushed), the College Football Playoff is always going to have a certain number of teams that have to be chosen as at-large.
But this is also a TV show.
TV shows have ratings.
Ratings mean money.
The line “follow the money” was made famous by Hal Holbrook in the movie All The President’s Men. We just might not like where that leads.
Contact JJ at johnjamesmarshall@yahoo.com
UCLA coach gets team ready for trash talk from LSU
By RON HIGGINS, Journal Sports
ALBANY, N.Y. – UCLA head women’s basketball coach Cory Close coached against LSU head coach Kim Mulkey three times when Mulkey coached Baylor.
“There’s a lot of familiarity,” said Close, who’s 1-2 vs. Mulkey.
UCLA starters Lauren Betts and Charisma Osborne were teammates of LSU’s Angel Reese on the USA silver-medal-winning AmeriCup team last July.
“I’m really excited to play against her,” Betts said of Reese. “We went at each other (in practice). It was always very intense. We’re both great posts.”
And Close left nothing to chance in preparing for Saturday’s Albany Regional II Sweet 16 semifinal at 12 noon between No. 2 seed UCLA (27-6) and the No. 3 seed LSU (30-5) in MVP Arena.
“I told our guys scout team this week to talk as much trash as you want in practice,” said Close, wanting to simulate the lippy Tigers. “We want to play in our personality, and if they (LSU) want to play in theirs, so be it.
“Our job is to get ready to play our best, and that may look different than LSU. But we’re not letting anything they do take us out of the mental focus of playing our best the way we like to do it.”
The defending national champs have been aware since game 1 this season that every opponent wants the victory notch on its gun belt.
“When you win the national championship or you get to a Final Four, there are expectations, fair or not, that you’re supposed to do it again,” Mulkey said. “I don’t know if it can be done again. Certainly, that’s a goal of ours, and we do have the talent to do it. But it takes a lot of things to go right to do it.
“You have to be playing your best basketball. You’ve got to stay away from injuries. You’ve got to have just a tiny bit of luck on the way, some play that goes your way.
“I know we’ll play hard. I know whatever happens we’re going to go down fighting. That’s just how we are. We just fight for every loose ball. We fight for every rebound. We fight for just the tip-off. We fight for the jump ball.
“If you do that, you can live with whatever happens.”
LSU and UCLA had to rally from deficits last weekend to score second-round wins over Middle Tennessee and Creighton, respectively.
The Tigers trailed by 9 points one minute into the second half before a hailstorm of LSU points off turnovers and fastbreaks resulted in an 83-56 win in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
Four of five LSU starters scored in double figures, led by guard Flau’jae Johnson’s 21 points and double-doubles from forward Angel Reese (20 points, 10 rebounds) and guard/forward Aneesah Morrow (19 points, 13 rebounds).
There’s no doubt the Tigers play with such fire and emotion at times, it appears there’s team in-fighting. Reese said that’s just she and her teammates keeping it real.
“Being able to hold each other accountable is something I love about this team,” said Reese, the SEC’s Player of the Year. “Nobody takes it personally. Just being able to get on each other and correct each other. Even if it’s tough player coaching, we will come on the sideline and say, `That was my bad for saying it like that. But you know what I mean?’”
UCLA trailed at home to Creighton by 10 points in the first two minutes of the second half before battling back for a 67-63 win.
Sophomore guard Kiki Rice scored 17 of her game-high 24 points in the final two quarters. Betts, a 6-7 sophomore who missed the Bruins’ NCAA tourney first-round game with an ankle injury, added 20 points and 10 rebounds.
Rice said she and her teammates are excited for the chance to take down the defending national champions.
“I don’t think there’s any intimidation,” Rice said. “It’s an opportunity to show the talent and ability we have that we’ve put together throughout this season.
“It’s going to come down to a few possessions. Every possession matters.”
LSU must have all hands on deck in the rebounding department, and not place most of the load on Reese and Morrow. Saturday’s game matches the No. 1 (UCLA at 14.2) and No. 2 LSU (at 13.1) teams nationally in rebound margin.
For 13-year UCLA head coach Close, it’s her sixth trip to the Sweet 16, advancing just once to the Elite Eight in 2018. Last season, the 27-10 Bruins lost 59-43 to No. 1 South Carolina in the Sweet 16.
“We’ll be ready to play,” Close said. “Playing in the Pac 12, which has four teams in the Sweet 16, has been an incredible confidence-building experience. It’s not just how good the league is. It’s a varied style of play. It prepares you for so many different levels.”
Mulkey is in the Sweet 16 for the 17th time in her 24 years (21 at Baylor, 3 as a head coach) and has advanced to the Final Four five times (four national titles) and as far as the Elite Eight on five occasions.
“There’s so many times people take getting to a Sweet 16 for granted,” Mulkey said. “Do you know how many coaches have probably never done that in their careers? I’ve always, always acknowledged that it’s hard to do.”
No. 3 seed LSU (30-5) vs. No. 2 seed UCLA (27-6), Albany Regional II semifinal
WHEN, WHERE: Saturday 12 p.m. CT, MVP Arena, Albany, N.Y.
TV-RADIO: ABC, LSU radio network which is streamed on LSUsports.com
SERIES: LSU has won 4 of 6 games against UCLA, including twice when the Bruins were ranked (73-72 vs. No. 14 UCLA in 1979-80, 55-53 over No. 9 UCLA in 55-53). The Tigers have never played UCLA in the NCAA tourney. LSU is 9-6 in Sweet 16 game, winning the last 8 of 10.
PROJECTED STARTING LINEUPS
LSU
G – Hailey Van Lith, Gr. 5-7, 11.8 ppg, 2.5 apg
G – Mikaylah Williams, Fr., 6-0, 14.5 ppg, 4.8 rpg
G – Flau’jae Johnson, So., 5-10, 14.4 ppg, 5.3 rpg
F – Angel Reese, Jr., 6-3, 18.7 ppg, 13.2 rpg
F-G – Aneesah Morrow, Jr., 6-1, 16.5 ppg, 10 RPG
UCLA
G – Kiki Rice, So., 5-11, 13.2 ppg, 5.8 rpg
G – Charisma Osborne, Gr., 5-9, 14.1 ppg, 5.2 rpg
G – Londynn Jones, So., 5-4, 11.8 ppg, 2 apg
F – Angela Dugalic, Sr., 6-4, 8.9 ppg, 6.4 rpg
C – Lauren Betts, So., 6-7, 14.9 ppg, 9 RPG
TALE OF THE TAPE
(National ranking in parenthesis)
LSU/UCLA
Scoring offense
86.1 (3) 77.6 (22)
Scoring defense
62.3 (121) 60.6 (85)
Scoring margin
23.8 (3) 16.9 (12)
Rebounds PG
46.24 (4) 43.58 (8)
Rebound margin
13.1 (2) 14.2 (1)
FG pct.
46.54 (10) 44.87 (36)
FG pct. Defense
36.6 (22) 32.4 (250)
3-pt. pct.
32.61 (99) 32.49 (104)
FT pct.
74.63 (75) 74.78 (77)
Turnover margin
+4.40 (26) -0.06 (191)
Contact Ron at ronhigginsmedia@gmail.com
Plenty of excitement this weekend for new Benton girls coach McConathy
By DOUG IRELAND, Journal Sports
Easter weekend is always joyous for Lyndzee McConathy, a devout Christian and devoted mom to three energetic kids. Add Thursday afternoon’s trip to Dallas (shhhh, don’t tell those kiddos) with husband Logan to cheer for her beloved Duke Blue Devils tonight in the NCAA Tournament, and it’s hard to make this holiday weekend any better for her.
It is now.
Not long before the McConathys dropped off their brood with grandparents Mike and Connie
McConathy came the news she’d long dreamed about. Bossier Parish School Board and Benton High principal Whitney Clark announced McConathy is following the retiring, highly-accomplished Mary Ward as the Lady Tigers’ head basketball coach.
“Ten years ago, this was a big dream, because I was Mary’s assistant and there were a lot of what if’s, when’s and but’s, and I never thought when I left to be the head coach at Lakeside that I might get to come back,” said McConathy, who took over at Lakeside in 2016 after nearly a decade alongside Ward at Benton. “God has a great way of making everything align if it’s His will, and I’m definitely going to take advantage of this blessing.”
She moved to Airline as head coach and spent six seasons (2017-23) there, highlighted by the program’s best postseason trip, getting to the second round of the 2022 playoffs. After serving as head coach of the West team in last year’s coaches all-star game, she decided to step back in time and rejoin Ward, to be closer to sons Miller (10) and Miles (8), and daughter Mikah (4), who attend school in Benton.
She never expected Ward to retire so soon, calling it a career recently after 400 wins in 18 seasons, including the 2020 state championship. The year as an understudy was refreshing, she said.
“It was a humbling experience. Any time you go from being a head coach to an assistant coach, you have to be humble and have your eyes and ears open so you grow,” said McConathy. “I tried to be the best version of myself, and I learned a lot because I listened a lot and watched.
“Mary helped to refresh a few things that I didn’t lose while being a head coach, but I didn’t get to see from the assistant’s perspective because I didn’t have that for so long. Seeing a different viewpoint from the bench, being able to really, really harp on being relational with those girls as an assistant, it really helped me.”
McConathy, who turns 36 next week, said she’s evolved greatly during seven seasons being in charge to be best prepared for her “dream job” following Ward at Benton.
“I’ve grown so much as a head coach from my first year to my last year about how to coach kids. I’ve always been relational, a life coach wanting to coach more than just the game to the girls, but I’ve learned each individual kid is different and you have to respect that and still coach the game,” said McConathy. “You have to reach out to each kid hoping you can help them become the best version of themselves and the best player possible.
“We’re still Benton High School girls basketball. One thing our culture will be is respecting the past, focusing on the present and embracing the future. I harped on that with the girls this morning. We need to respect the legacy, but we need to focus on who we want to be and trust the process. It will work,” she said. “You could see the excitement, the squealing, giddy girls that they are. They are all in.”
It’s a plum job, but it’s a challenge. Benton plays in a tough basketball neighborhood, District 1-5A.
“The toughest district in the state! Even when they redistrict, they make it even harder,” McConathy said. “We just gained Huntington, and we still have Parkway, Natchitoches Central, Haughton – who deserves all the respect – and all the rest. I think we have some of the state’s greatest coaches in this district and I’m excited to be a part of representing Benton High School, the Benton community and
District 1-5A to the rest of our state.”
Contact Doug at sbjdoug@gmail.com
The Shreveport-Bossier Prep Hoops Report – Vol. 11: Looking back, and ahead
Well, this is it. I cannot believe this is the final SBJ Prep Hoops report of the season. I know I said last time that the season went so fast, but wow. It is really over. Well, as usual, I and the rest of the good columnists have kept you abreast of what’s what here in Shreveport-Bossier in reference to basketball.
Now, it’s time to close the shop. But first, I will give you the rundown on postseason awards and just preview June and next season.
All-District MVPs
Customary of the districts in the area, once every team has finished playing, all-district teams are released. There probably weren’t any surprises on these teams. However, let’s quickly review the all-district MVPs from this season.
MVPS – Jeremiah Evans Southwood (2x MVP in 1-5A)
Chloe Larry, Parkway (MVP in 1-5A)
Javon Johnson, Bossier (MVP 1-4A)
Kyndal Graham, Huntington (2x MVP in 1-4A)
Rondae Hill, Calvary Baptist (2x MVP in 1-2A)
Mckenzie Chase, Lakeside (MVP in 1-2A)
Signings & commitments
Even with the senior-laden classes in the Twin Cities, there have not been a lot of signings and early commitments. As of today, here are the signings and commitments in Shreveport-Bossier. Division I, Division II, NJCAA, and NAIA are all represented on this short list.
Chloe Larry – Tennessee Tech
Jeremiah Evans – UL-Lafayette
Rondae Hill – Henderson State
Konnor Cotton – Jarvis Christian
Tonya Grider – Phillips Community College of the University of Arkansas
There are still more stud players that I believe will sign from the area. For the boys, players such as Jyrin Sowell (Captain Shreve), Colossians Mason-Jones (BTW), Javon Johnson (Bossier), Braylen Clark (Evangel), and EJ McDonald (Captain Shreve) are still out there. On the girls side, Hannah Mouton (Northwood) and Younique Jackson (BTW) have yet to make a commitment.
Potential all-state players
The Louisiana Sports Writers Association (LSWA) began the week releasing the all-state teams for the seven classifications in the state. Class C, Class B, Class 1A have been released so far with Class 2A to be released shortly. While most of our schools in Shreveport-Bossier are in Class 4A and 5A, we should have some representation in Class 2A as well. Here are the local players I believe will make their respective all-state teams.
Class 2A
Rondae Hill (Calvary Baptist )- One of the best point guards in Class 2A. I think he will be a first teamer. However, there are some good guards statewide in this classification.
TJ Jamison (Calvary Baptist), Ronald “Bubba” Strong (Calvary Baptist), and Cage Van Norman (Loyola) will all be honorable mention, I think.
Girls – Addison Stevenson (Calvary Baptist) is only going to get better. She may be the only representative from the area. Second team is possible. More than likely, it will be an honorable mention nod.
Class 4A
Javon Johnson (Bossier) – The 1-4A MVP is one of the top guards in the class. While I believe he can make the first team, he may be a second-team selection.
Colossians Mason-Jones (BTW) – His improvement over the summer made me believe he would be a first-team selection all year. The way the Lions finished the season, he still deserves a second-team nod. We will see.
Others in consideration for the team would be Kerel Woods-Dean (Bossier), CJ Shiflett (Evangel), Antonio Dixon, Jr. (Huntington), and Braylen Clark (Evangel).
Girls – Kyndal Graham (Huntington) should make the first team again. Carley Hamilton (Huntington) may make the first team but more than likely second. Hannah Mouton (Northwood) has second-team potential but may be honorable mention.
Others in consideration would be super freshman A’leyia Brewer (Northwood), do everything wing Jaila Marshall (Huntington), and Younique Jackson (BTW).
Class 5A
Jeremiah Evans (Southwood) – Evans was one of the top three players in the state in this classification. He should be a first-team lock.
Jyrin Sowell (Captain Shreve) – He was the best player on one of the top teams in the state. While the first team is possible, I think he lands on the second team.
Others in consideration are sophomore Kevin White (Airline), EJ McDonald (Captain Shreve), Greg Manning (Benton), and Tre Jackson (Airline).
Girls – Chloe Larry (Parkway) may win Most Outstanding Player in the class. Dakota Howard (Parkway) may join her on the first team but second team is more likely. There is a true chance that sophomore Skylar Branch (Haughton) can make the second team as well. She was that good this season.
Others in consideration would be Avery Ryan (Benton) and KyZyriah Sykes (Airline).
Look for the release of these teams next week.
This season saw some great action from beginning to end. Local teams will take over the month of June to sharpen their skills and prepare for the fall/winter. Until then, we will say so long to the 2023-24 season as we look forward to November of 2024.
Contact Preston at preston9360@gmail.com or Twitter handle @peedee1906
NFF’s North Louisiana chapter honors nine scholar-athlete award winners
JOURNAL SPORTS
Nine remarkable graduating seniors from north Louisiana high schools received 2024 Scholar-Athlete Awards and $1,000 scholarships Thursday night, presented by the S.M. McNaughton Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame.
The annual awards banquet at Shreveport’s East Ridge Country Club drew a crowd of nearly 300,
including area college head coaches Ben McLaughlin (Louisiana Christian), Bryant Vincent (ULM), Sonny Cumbie (Louisiana Tech) and Blaine McCorkle (Northwestern State), along with Tech’s new athletics director, Ryan Ivey.
The student-athletes were selected from a pool of 15 finalists submitted by high school football coaches from the 318 area code, which encompasses all of north Louisiana.
The winners from Caddo and Bossier schools were Loyola’s Reagan Coyle, Travis Flowers of Benton, Calvary’s Heath Gross, Northwood’s Hutson Hearron and Delarrious Marshall of Green Oaks.
Others honored as top scholar-athletes were North DeSoto’s Lake Bates, Grant Edmondson of West Monroe, Grant’s Jackson Hedrick and Nate Johnson from Ruston.
Johnson, who helped the Bearcats win the Non-Select Division I state championship last season and made straight A’s throughout four years of high school, was designated as the McNaughton Chapter’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year and will be recognized at the NFF’s College Football Hall of Fame Museum in Atlanta, and eligible for the NFF’s national honors.
Two community leaders were also spotlighted for their service. G. Archer Frierson received the
Contribution to American Football Award. Joe Psalmonds received the Distinguished American Award.
The McNaughton Chapter’s 2024 scholarship winners all earned at least first-team all-district honors for their on-field performance last fall, and also carry a cumulative grade point average of 3.2 or better (on a 4.0 scale; 4.0 or better on a 5.0 scale). They all have participated in non-athletic extracurricular activities.
Finalists and the nine scholarship award recipients are chosen by the chapter’s board of directors based on the NFF’s recommended criteria for applications with 40 percent of scoring on academic achievement and GPA, 40 percent on football achievement, and 20 percent on leadership, school and community involvement.
Eight scholarships were awarded by the McNaughton Chapter with an additional one, presented to Green Oaks’ Marshall, came from from KTBS TV of Shreveport and Johnny’s Pizza as the Johnny’s Pizza/Griffin’s Game Ball Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
KTBS honors the memory and legacy of former NFF Board member Bob Griffin, the iconic sportscaster at KSLA and then KTBS for over 50 years, by weekly in-season profile stories and presentations of a Griffin’s Game Ball to a player on the NFF Scholar- Athlete Watch List, which last fall included 38 outstanding senior competitors from across north Louisiana.
Prep softball: Thursday’s scores, today’s game
JOURNAL SPORTS
THURSDAY’S SCORES
Anacoco 10, Evangel 0
Captain Shreve 11, Weston 0
Choudrant 13, Byrd 0
Gibsland-Coleman 17-19, Green Oaks 0-0
Haughton 10, Many 6
Lakeside 19, Caddo Magnet 3, 5 innings
Logansport 10, Parkway 0
Plain Dealing 15-15, Bossier 10-6
Quitman 2, Airline 0
TODAY’S GAME
Calvary at North DeSoto, 2:30 p.m.
Schedules are subject to change.
Prep baseball: Thursday’s scores, upcoming games
JOURNAL SPORTS
THURSDAY’S SCORES
District 1-5A
Benton 4, Airline 3, 11 innings
Captain Shreve 8, Byrd 5
Parkway 8, Haughton 7
District 1-4A
Evangel 14, North DeSoto 4
Northwood 11, Minden 3
District 1-2A
Lakeside 7, Calvary 4
D’Arbonne Woods 13, North Caddo 3
District 1-1A
Haynesville 18, Plain Dealing 9
TODAY’S GAMES
Natchitoches Central at Northwood
Ringgold at Plain Dealing
District 1-2A
Lakeside at Calvary, DH
D’Arbonne Woods at North Caddo, DH
SATURDAY’S GAMES
Northwood at Grace Christian
District 1-5A
Benton at Airline
Byrd at Captain Shreve
Haughton at Parkway
Natchitoches Central at Southwood, DH
Schedules are subject to change.
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Ponderings by Doug
There are two varieties of home improvement projects. The catalyst for the first variety of projects is the eye. When you have harvest gold or avocado green kitchen appliances, it is time for a little project. The way trends cycle, if you will hang on to those appliances another quarter century, they might be in vogue again. We might call those updates. It sounds less expensive to say, “I’m updating my home.”
The other variety of home improvement occurs when there is a major repair necessary. I am in the middle of that kind of home improvement. The house was constructed seventy-seven years ago. There are things that have “broken.” I am in the middle of a bathroom remodel. Seems the tub was not a cast iron variety. It was one of those “new-fangled” metal tubs of the 1940s. The tub reached the end of its functional life. Corrosion, known as rust, surrounded the drain and the tub began to leak.
I was vetoed on the contractor, the other member of the committee voted to hire the friend of a friend. The work is “substantially completed.” All I can tell you is, I closed my eyes and listened to this guy talk and I swear I was listening to Larry the Cable guy. He was a nice man. He worked quickly. He did say, “Your house is not square.” Duh, it was built in 1947 and is pier and beam construction, no kidding it is not square.
He told me on Saturday that he would have to call friend number one to finish the drain because a part was missing.
The missing part was a ninety-degree turn. He described it as being PVC that was about six or seven inches long in total. He didn’t know where it was, but it was suddenly gone. He surmised that somehow friend number one had inadvertently picked it up. I shrugged my shoulders.
He finished his part of the job and left. That evening as I was getting the dogs settled, I found the missing piece of PVC. The dogs didn’t differentiate between some of their bones and this missing piece of pipe. There it was in the middle of my bed. The dogs had buried it under a throw pillow. I’m wondering if this isn’t in the same broad category of “my dog ate my homework.”
The Psalmist told us, “Fret not.” I wonder if the Psalmist had dogs that carried off PVC in the middle of a construction project. I know the Psalmist faced much more. Is your faith in Christ, such that you can face every adventure, situation, exchange, conversation, challenge, or detour with the attitude of “fret not?”
LSUS designated a Military Friendly university
LSUS earned the designation as a Military Friendly and a Military Spouse Friendly university, the military organization Viqtory announced Wednesday.
The designation signifies that LSUS creates sustainable and meaningful pathways for the military community. The organization awarded LSUS gold status.
LSUS works with members of the active duty military, veterans, and their qualifying family members to access educational benefits available to them from their military branches, state and federal governments, and other entities.
The University has staff in the on-campus Veterans Resource Center and in other departments like Admissions that are specifically trained to assist current and former military members.
LSUS helps enroll members of the Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marines, Navy and Space Force by assisting service members in navigating the Military Tuition Assistance landscape.
“LSUS is proud to be recognized once again as a Military Friendly and Military Spouse Friendly school,” said Evan Harris, director of the Veterans Resource Center. “We’ve got an amazing crew here made up of military veterans, spouses, and dependents who want nothing more than to see our students succeed.
“Whether it’s helping apply for the GI Bill or connecting someone to local and federal resources, we’re happy to help everyone from the military community.”
The ratings are determined through the evaluation of public data and proprietary data gathered through the annual Military Friendly survey process.
Military members, veterans and their qualifying family members have opportunities to pursue bachelors, masters and doctorate degrees as well as a host of professional credentials and other continuing education programs.
With the vast majority of LSUS graduate programs and a growing number of undergraduate degrees offering 100 percent online options, that flexibility allows military members and their spouses to start and continue their education no matter where they are stationed.
Most professional credentials are conducted online as well.
Through programs like Air Force Credentialing Opportunities Online (AFCOOL), Army Credentialing Assistance (ArmyCA), and the My Career Advancement Account Scholarship Program (MyCAA), LSUS Continuing Education helps service members and their spouses cover certification and credential costs in professions like information technology, healthcare, and professional development.
To explore a four-year degree, visit our military and veteran frequently-asked questions page.
To learn about programs that cover professional credentials and other continuing education, visit our continuing education page.
For more information on degree programs, contact the Veterans Resource Center (vrc@lsus.edu or 318-797-4178).
For more information on continuing education programs, contact Tulin Melancon in the Continuing Education Department (tulin.melancon@lsus.edu or 318-797-5254).
Joke of the day
Notice of Death – March 28, 2024
Charles Wendell Alford
October 2, 1942 — March 22, 2024
Service: Friday, March 29, 2024, First Baptist Church, Newellton.
Nancy Walker Meyer
July 1, 1928 — March 27, 2024
Service: Friday, March 29, 2024, 11am at Stonewall Cemetery, Stonewall.
Jackie Salley Pennell
September 23, 1937 — March 25, 2024
Service: Friday, March 29, 2024, 2:30pm at Broadmoor Baptist Church, Shreveport.
Mrs. Dessie Morris
November 17, 1932 ~ March 23, 2024
Service: Tuesday, April 2, 2024, 11am at Pleasant Grove Cemetery, Blanchard.
Robert Newton Schwendimann, M.D.
July 20, 1944 — March 3, 2024
Service: Saturday, April 6, 2024, Noel Memorial United Methodist Church, Shreveport.
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)
March 28, 2024
Things changing quickly in District 1-5A baseball race
By JOHN JAMES MARSHALL, Journal Sports
Here’s some advice if you are trying to figure out the District 1-5A baseball race.
Don’t.
It’s not like things get turned upside down every week. It’s more like they get turned upside down every other day.
Byrd started off the season with a 1-9 record. But after the first two weeks of the district season, the Yellow Jackets were at the top of the standings at 4-0.
But that was last week.
Now, it’s Natchitoches Central at the top. And Parkway. And Captain Shreve. Oh, and look – there’s Byrd, too, even though the Jackets have lost their last two games.
How about this: Haughton (13-7, 2-4) is currently in seventh place in the district and could be in first place by the time the Easter Bunny shows up Sunday morning. The Bucs have lost three straight games by a total of four runs, but things can change a lot in 48 hours.
“We can all beat each other on any given day,” Captain Shreve coach Todd Sharp said. “There really hasn’t been many surprises because we are all competitive. On any given day, we can all win and we can all lose.”
“It’s a combination of a lot of good baseball teams that are pretty equally matched,” Airline coach Toby Todd said. “One or two pitches can be the difference in sweeping, splitting or getting swept.”
Parkway (14-6, 4-2) got 10-runned by Shreve and then two days later shut the Gators out 5-0. Benton 10-runned Natchitoches Central and then lost to the Chiefs 1-0 two days later. Haughton lost three straight district games by one run and then stranded the tying run at first base Tuesday night in a 5-2 loss.
Airline (9-10, 3-3) scored only four runs in its first four district games – and then scored 41 in the next two.
“If there is anything that has surprised me it’s that I thought that the district would be more offensive,” said Haughton coach Glenn Maynor. “To me, it seems like all the teams have pitched pretty well.”
“Any time you have good pitching, it keeps you in games,” Sharp said. “We lost some offense from last year, but we maintained most of our pitching and that’s what has kept us in games.”
“I was really impressed with Byrd’s pitching,” Todd said. “Not awed, but impressed because they could pitch. They don’t just throw. I’m not slighting them by any means, but I don’t think they had a guy who threw more than 82 (miles an hour). But they threw a lot of strikes and made good pitches when they needed to.”
Most felt that Natchitoches Central (15-3, 4-2) and Benton (16-6, 3-3) were the favorites coming into the season. The Chiefs because of their returning talent and the Tigers because of the depth of their pitching staff. At the end of play on Tuesday, Natchitoches Central is No. 1 in the non-select power rankings in the state and Benton is No. 10. So no surprise there.
However, Todd pointed to Shreve (14-7, 4-2) as being a bit of a surprise.
“I thought they had some holes to fill because of who they lost last year,” Todd said. “I knew their pitching would be good but I didn’t know about their offense. They’ve won some big games so far.”
The basic format of the District 1-5A schedule is set up for games on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Teams played a district opponent in back-to-back games (in effect, a series) and then move on to the next opponent.
Therefore, coaches can’t really stagger their pitching rotation for a particular opponent. “It’s not a pitcher per team,” Sharp said. “It’s a pitcher per day of the week.”
“We are about to go play Captain Shreve (today and Saturday) and we really don’t have our top two pitchers available,” Byrd coach Greg Williams said. “We were in both games with Benton (8-4 and 5-2 losses in the last week), which is a good thing and a bad thing. You don’t want to chase after a win you may not get, but at the same time, you don’t want to give up on a game to save somebody.”
“There are a lot of years when you go into a series and you feel like you are going to win those games or you feel like there’s a really good chance you are going to lose those games,” Maynor said. “But not this year. Every game we’ve played so far has gone down to the wire.”
Today brings about another Thursday/Saturday series and another potential shift in the standings. It’s also rivalry time; in addition to Byrd-Shreve, Haughton plays Parkway, Airline meets Benton in battles of schools that share district boundaries. Natchitoches Central meets Southwood in the other 1-5A series.
“I don’t think our kids were too concerned when we started off like we did or got too excited when we started off the district like we did,” Williams said. “Our goal is just to try to get a little bit better every day.”
Contact JJ at johnjamesmarshall@yahoo.com
Defending CWS champ LSU tries to find its stride visiting No. 1-ranked Razorbacks
By RON HIGGINS, Journal Sports
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — It’s the current No. 1 ranked team in college baseball. . .
“I don’t really talk about it,” Arkansas head coach Dave Van Horn said. “It’s great, but at the same time, it’s just a number. There’s a lot of season left. Things are going to move around.”
Vs. the defending national champions. . .
“We’re the champ, we’re getting everybody’s best shot,” LSU head coach Jay Johnson said.
The top-ranked Razorbacks (20-3 overall, 5-1 SEC) and the No. 7 Tigers (20-6, 2-4 SEC) are on different trajectories as they open the third weekend of league play starting a three-game series in Fayetteville today at 6 on ESPN2.
Armed with a pitching staff ranked first nationally in four stat categories, including earned run average (2.50), Arkansas is a heavy favorite to win the series.
Not because the Razorbacks will be playing at home in sold-out Baum Walker Stadium where the Hogs are 16-1, but they’ve also won the last 9 of 13 games over the Tigers including 3 of 4 series wins including the last two (2019, 2022) in Fayetteville.
LSU’s inability for its pitchers to escape trouble – 65 percent of opposing runs (34 of 52) in its first six SEC games have been scored with two outs – and chilly bats (.236) in losing its first two league series at Mississippi State and home vs. Florida – have the Tigers in an early hole in conference play.
“We know what we’re capable of,” said Arizona transfer outfielder Mac Bingham, who’s batting .301 for the Tigers with 5 homers and 17 RBI. The best we’ve played in is at Texas (going 4-0 with a win over Rice and three victories in the Astros Classic).
“Right there, it shows you can beat anyone at any given moment. That’s how baseball works. We’ve seen how well we can play and we can still be better than that and we’ve seen when it’s not going well.”
Two of LSU’s starting pitchers – transfers Luke Holman (Alabama) and Gage Jump (UCLA) – improved from the Mississippi State series two weekends ago to the Florida series this past weekend.
But the third starter – returnee Thatcher Hurd – has struggled with an 11.17 ERA in 9.2 innings in being credited with losses to MSU and Florida.
Because of that, Johnson is shuffling his starting rotation. He’s putting Hurd back in the bullpen, moving Holman from Game 1 to Game 2 and Gage from Game 2 to Game 3.
The starter for tonight’s opener will remain a mystery until Johnson submits a lineup card.
Arkansas isn’t an overwhelming offensive team, ranked 13th in the SEC in batting average at .279.
But the Razorbacks have gotten a boost in the last 11 games ever since junior shortstop Peyton Stovall, a former Haughton High star, made his 2024 debut after sustaining a broken foot in a Feb. 5 scrimmage.
Stovall, one of Arkansas’ three team captains, is batting .310 with 3 homers and 12 RBI.
Two years ago as a freshman, he hit .295 with 6 homers and 31 RBI and hit .360 in five College World Series games with a team-leading 10 RBI. Last season, he started 38 games at second base before suffering a season-ending injury.
The Razorbacks are already 9-1 this season in games decided by 2 runs, largely because of its pitching staff led by junior Hagen Smith, a likely 2024 MLB draft first-round draft choice.
Smith, scheduled to start the series opener, is 4-0 with a 1.24 ERA and 62 strikeouts in 29.0 innings over six starts. The superb left-hander leads the nation in strikeouts per nine innings (19.2), ranks second in hits allowed per nine innings (3.4) and ranks fourth nationally in total strikeouts (62).
LSU’s Johnson knows what he’s up against taking a team with almost an entire new starting lineup and pitching rotation into an atmosphere the Tigers haven’t been successful even with experienced teams.
“This is one of the best programs in the country and we’re going to get their best shot,” Johnson said. “Our competitive level has to be off the charts. I really want to see us play with maturity. No matter what happens in the game, we’re always ready to move forward to the next pitch and do our job that pitch.”
No. 7 LSU (20-6, 2-4 SEC) at No. 1 Arkansas (20-3, 5-1 SEC)
PITCHING MATCHUPS
Game 1, today, 6 p.m. CT (ESPN2)
LSU –TBA
ARKANSAS – Jr. LH Hagen Smith (4-0, 1.24 ERA, 29.0 IP, 10 BB, 62 SO)
Game 2, Friday, 7 p.m. (SEC Network)
LSU – Jr. RH Luke Holman (5-1, 0.78 ERA, 34.2 IP, 8 BB, 56 SO)
ARKANSAS – Jr. LH Mason Molina (3-0, 2.57 ERA, 28.0 IP, 15 BB, 47 SO)
Game 3, Saturday, 2 p.m. (SEC Network +)
LSU – So. LH Gage Jump (2-0, 2.38 ERA, 22.2 IP, 9 BB, 32 SO)
ARKANSAS – Jr. RH Brady Tygart (3-0, 1.59 ERA, 28.1 IP, 16 BB, 39 SO)
LSU-ARKANSAS SERIES
LSU has lost five of its last six SEC games played in Fayetteville. Arkansas swept the Tigers in 2022, and the Razorbacks won two of three in 2019. LSU’s last SEC series win in Fayetteville came in 2017 when the Tigers won two of three games over Arkansas.
A LOOK AT LSU
LSU’s pitchers lead the SEC with 312 strikeouts, and the staff averages 12.23 strikeouts per nine innings. Junior right-hander Luke Holman leads the SEC in ERA (0.78) and is second in strikeouts. . .Graduate catcher/DH Hayden Travinski of Bossier City Airline is hitting .400 (6-for-15) in LSU’s last five games with one double, three homers, five RBI and five runs. . .Senior outfielder Mac Bingham is batting .400 (8-for-20) in LSU’s last five games with one double, two homers, five RBI and three runs scored. . .Sophomore first baseman Jared Jones has three homers, four RBI and six runs in LSU’s last five games.
A LOOK AT ARKANSAS
The Razorbacks are No. 1 in the SEC in ERA at 2.50, and the Razorbacks have recorded 296 strikeouts in 201.1 innings. Arkansas is No. 13 in the SEC with a .279 team batting average. . .Pitcher Hagen Smith leads the SEC in strikeouts (62) and opponent batting average (.116), and he’s No. 2 in the league with a 1.24 ERA. . .Infielder Wehiwa Aloy, a transfer from Sacramento State, has team-highs of five homers and 24 RBI for the Razorbacks.
Contact Ron at ronhigginsmedia@gmail.com
Eager Nabers polishes his shine for NFL scouts at Tigers’ Pro Day
By RON HIGGINS, Journal Sports
BATON ROUGE – Malik Nabers woke up at 5 a.m. on Wednesday, five hours before the official start of LSU’s Pro Day in the Charles McClendon Practice Facility.
“I’ve been ready to go at it,” said the former Tigers’ wide receiver who’s projected to be among the top 10 players selected in= the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft on April 25-27 in Detroit. “My legs were shaking a little bit I was so ready to get out here.”
As he has done in his entire LSU career, Nabers performed flawlessly under pressure. This time, it was provided by the watchful eyes of six NFL head coaches and more than 100 NFL assistants, scouts and other personnel on hand to put 13 draft-eligible Tigers through the paces.
His vertical jump measured 42 inches, which would have tied for second at February’s NFL combine if he had chosen to participate.
And then after one false start and shifting his feet back and forth until he settled into a comfortable starting position, Nabers blazed the 40 in 4.35 seconds. It would have been the eighth fastest 40 at February’s NFL draft combine.
“I was thinking about the 40 (yard dash),” said Nabers, a consensus first-team All-American last season when he led the nation in receiving yards per game (120.7). “I haven’t run it since high school. I started working on it two weeks ago.
“I’d seen a lot of things in the media saying that I ran 4.5, 4.6 (in the 40). I wanted to come here and showcase I’m not even close to that, to showcase my dog mentality.”
LSU head coach Brian Kelly, who was like a proud parent watching Wednesday’s proceedings, said Nabers’ 40 time and vertical number proves what makes him so great.
“It validates what you see on film and that it’s backed up by great physical traits,” Kelly said of Nabers. “What it does more than anything else is that it shows he can separate with the ball in his hands, he can be explosive after the catch. Now it comes down to ‘who is the kind of guy who you want to get the ball in their hands’. I don’t think there’s a better receiver in the country.”
Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback and possible No. 1 overall draft pick Jayden Daniels and likely top 15 draft choice wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. chose not to test in any of the six standard measurables (40-yard dash, 20-yard shuttle, 3-cone, vertical jump, broad jump and bench press.
Thomas tested at the NFL combine where he ran a 4.33 40, had 11 bench reps at 225 pounds and a 38½ inch vertical and leapt 10 feet, 6 inches in the standing broad jump.
He shined, as did Daniels and Nabers along with wide receiver/return specialist Greg Clayton and current Tigers wide receiver Kyren Lacy and tight Mason Taylor participated in a 58-play scripted passing drill.
Daniels completed all but a handful of passes, most of incompletions on deep throws of which he also completed several.
“The main thing I was trying to show was my consistency in the pocket,” Daniels said, “my footwork moving off the platform and getting my feet back under me, progressions coming back to the third read and putting the deep ball out there to showcase my guys (Nabers and Thomas Jr.) speed.”
Daniels is projected to be drafted No. 1 overall by the Chicago Bears or No. 2 by the Washington Commanders.
“It’s the same vibe for everybody,” said Daniels of any team wanting to draft him. “Who’s going to invest in me, who’s going believe in me – kind of LSU did – on and off the field.
“It will be a blessing wherever I go, just hearing my name called.”
If drafted No. 1 by the Bears, Daniels is already slotted to sign a 4-year deal (with a team option for a fifth year) for a projected $38.5 million with a $24.8 million signing bonus. If drafted No. 2 by the Commanders, the length of the contract is the same, but he’ll be paid a projected $36.8 million with a $23.8 million signing bonus.
Seven players participating in LSU’s Pro Day – Daniels, Nabers, Thomas Jr., center Charles Turner and defensive linemen Maason Smith, Mehki Wingo and Jordan Jefferson – have consistently shown up in seven-round mock drafts.
One player not projected to be drafted – linebacker Omar Speights – had a solid showing on Tuesday. He led all Tigers in the bench press with 30 reps, ran a 4.62 40 and had a 31½-inch vertical and a 10-foot standing broad jump.
Contact Ron at ronhigginsmedia@gmail.com
Prep baseball: Wednesday’s scores, today’s games
JOURNAL SPORTS
WEDNESDAY’S SCORES
Southwood 12, Woodlawn 2, 5 innings
District 1-4A
North DeSoto 18, Bossier 0, 2 innings
TODAY’S GAMES
District 1-5A
Airline at Benton
Captain Shreve at Byrd
Parkway at Haughton
District 1-4A
BTW at Woodlawn
North DeSoto at Evangel
Northwood at Minden
District 1-2A
Calvary at Lakeside
North Caddo at D’Arbonne Woods
Schedules are subject to change.
Prep softball: Wednesday’s scores, today’s games
JOURNAL SPORTS
WEDNESDAY’S SCORES
Haughton 5, Ouachita Christian 2
Lakeside 19, Southwood 4
Loyola 15, North Caddo 0, 4 innings
Plain Dealing 13-9, BTW 7-5
District 1-5A
Benton 15, Byrd 0, 4 innings
District 1-4A
Woodlawn 9-6, Bossier 8-5
TODAY’S GAMES
Airline at Quitman
Weston at Captain Shreve
Many at Haughton
Parkway at Logansport
Bossier at Plain Dealing, DH
Lakeside at Caddo Magnet
Anacoco at Evangel
Gibsland-Coleman at Green Oaks
Schedules are subject to change.
About a local legend, Leo Sanford, as told by another, Jerry Byrd
By the late JERRY BYRD, written for the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame, 1992
In 1943, when he was a sophomore at Shreveport’s Fair Park High, Leo Sanford was one of only four players on the football squad who didn’t get game uniforms.
Fifteen years later, he wrapped up an eight-year NFL career in a game that is still considered “the greatest game ever played.”
Between those milestones, Sanford helped Fair Park reach the 1945 state finals and helped Louisiana Tech win two Gulf States Conference championships.
In 1969, the 100th anniversary of college football, the Louisiana Sports Writers Associatioin selected an all-time Louisiana collegiate team. The centers were Max Fugler, from LSU’s 1958 national championship team, and Sanford.
Offensive linemen rarely receive individual recognition, but Sanford played on both offense and defense in high school, college and in the NFL. He was a starting linebacker in the 1957 and 1958 Pro Bowls, but throughout his career was equally effective at center.
Until his senior year at Fair Park, Sanford’s chief claim to fame was winning All-City distinction in the trombone three times in elementary school and twice at Fair Park. As a senior, he was a backup linebacker on a team that reached the Class AA state finals before bowing to Holy Cross of New Orleans.
Returning the following season for an extra year of eligibility, as many prep players did at that time, Sanford stood out on a Fair Park team that lost the district championship to Haynesville. After the 1946 Indians completed their season, with a 12-7 Thanksgiving Day victory over Byrd, Sanford had scholarship offers from LSU, Florida and Louisiana Tech.
He chose Tech because of two people: Joe Aillet and Myrna Mims. Aillet was Tech’s head coach, while Mims was the future Mrs. Leo Sanford. She was working in Shreveport, and Sanford didn’t want to attend a school so far away that he couldn’t visit her frequently.
In his sophomore year at Tech Sanford played a key role in the Bulldogs’ 13-13 tie with Auburn. His 50-yard interception return for a touchdown was erased by a penalty on the runback, but the turnover set up a Tech TD.
The highlight of his four years at Tech was a 33-13 victory over Mississippi Southern, which was considered the No. 1 small-college team in the nation that year. Jimmy Harrison and Gene Knecht were Tech’s offensive stars in that win, while Sanford led a charge that held Mississippi Southern to minus 12 yards rushing.
Sanford was a three-year starter, All-GSC two years in a row, and was captain of the 1950 Bulldogs.
He was a sixth-round selection of the Chicago Cardinals in the NFL Draft. Several weeks later, Sanford received a standard player contract in the mail. If he made the team, he would be paid $5,000 for the 1951 season. Sanford, who was making $275 a month with Pan Am Southern Oil in New Orleans, decided it would behoove him to make the team.
At 6-1, 220, he was a bit small to play center and linebacker in the NFL. But he made up for it with great quickness and versatility. In high school and college, he had played for teams using the direct center snap (before the T-formation took over). His deep snapping ability was a plus for his NFL aspirations.
He had plenty of competition. Another rookie candidate for the Cardinals’ center position was Notre Dame All-American Jerry Groom, a first-round draft choice. Still another was Knox Ramsey, younger brother of Cardinals’ linebacker coach Buster Ramsey. When the coach moved his brother to a guard position, Sanford felt he had an excellent chance to make the team.
He called defensive signals for the Cardinals in 1956 and had two interceptions and a fumble recovery in a victory over the Eagles. One of his career highlights was a club-record 92-yard touchdown on an interception return against the Steelers.
“Leo is one of the league’s finest linebackers because of his speed,” said Cardinals’ coach Ray Richards.
After seven seasons in Chicago, he was traded to the Baltimore Colts just in time for their championship season in 1958 – capped by a come-from-behind 23-17 overtime victory over the New York Giants that would be called “the greatest game ever played.”
It was the last game Sanford ever played. He tore up his right knee in the first half, but still managed to limp back out for deep snaps – including the one for Steve Myhra’s 20-yard field goal with seven seconds remaining in regulation to force overtime.
That snap was the final play of Sanford’s career. He attempted a comeback in 1959, but his knee gave out in the second week of training camp. Sanford spend the season in the press box, scouting opponents.
He gave pro football one more shot in 1960, trying out for the expansion Dallas Cowboys. Once again, the knee didn’t cooperate. After a couple of weeks, Sanford told coach Tom Landry he was calling it a career.
By that time, he was already a sporting goods salesman in the offseason. He later switched to the senior ring business, traveling the Ark-La-Tex for many years..
- This profile was written for the 1992 book “Louisiana Sports Legends” book comprised of Jerry Byrd’s profiles of every inductee of the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame. Sanford was enshrined in 1990. He died last week at age 94 and will be laid to rest today in his hometown after a family funeral service.
BPCC baseball starts Panola series with home win
JOURNAL SPORTS
A Trio of Bossier Parish Community College freshmen pitchers didn’t allow an earned run on five hits in taking the opener of a three-game Region XIV series with Panola 6-1 Wednesday on the Cavaliers’ home diamond.
The Cavaliers (18-13, 7-9) will travel to Panola (14-17, 5-11) Friday for a doubleheader.
Jake Guidry (4-2) got the win, working allowing the one unearned run in 5 2/3 innings, allowing three hits as he struck out four and walked five. John McDonald allowed one hit in two innings and struck out two. Jackson Sherren closed out the win with 1 1/3 innings allowing one hit, as he struck out one and walked one.
Hayden Stringfellow scored the Cavs’ first run in the fourth inning on a wild pitch after walking and advancing to third on a pair of singles by Adam Garcia and Tre Hall. After an Emil Estrella walk loaded the bases, Bennett MIddelsteadt walked in Garcia with the second run for a 2-0 BPCC lead.
Panola scored its only run in the fifth, but BPCC scored another in the sixth when Parker Gwyn lifted a sacrifice fly to right field to score pinch runner Nikko Khananisho for a 3-1 advantage.
The Cavs added three insurance runs in the eighth. One came in on an error before Stringfellow singled in Gwyn and Hall scored Stringfellow with a single.
Garcia led the way at the plate going 3-for-4, while Mittelsteadt (2-for-3), Stringfellow (2-for-4) and Hall (2-for-4) all had multiple hits for BPCC who finished with 10. Gwyn drove in two runs, with Middelsteadt, Stringfellow and Hall all driving in one.