August 30, 2024
Month: August 2024
Caddo Magnet High graduate recognized for earning Medal of Heroism
During the Caddo Parish School Board’s August Board meeting, Caddo Magnet High graduate Cadet Josiah Davis was recognized for earning the Medal of Heroism. The honor is awarded by the Department of the Army to a JROTC cadet who performs an act of heroism. Earlier this year, Cadet Davis displayed courage when helping his 10-year-old friend escape a dog attack. We are proud of Josiah and congratulations on earning a four-year JROTC scholarship to the University of Louisiana at Lafayette as a ROTC Cadet to commission as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Army.
Investiture Ceremony held for City Court Judge Brittany Bass Arvie
An Investiture Ceremony was held on Aug. 29 for former Caddo Parish Assistant District Attorney, newly elected City Court Judge Brittany Bass Arvie.
Brittany is a Shreveport native and a graduate of Caddo Parish Magnet High School. She received her MBA from Southern University A&M College in Baton Rouge and earned her law degree from the Southern University Law Center in 2015.
Before working in the Caddo District Attorney’s Office, she was an assistant city prosecutor in the Shreveport City Attorney’s Office. She also clerked in the First Judicial District for Judges John Mosely and Ramon Lafitte.
Sheriff’s Office talks to high schoolers about social accountability
Caddo Sheriff’s Captain Pierre from the Community Relations and Crime Prevention division visited Huntington High School to talk to students about the importance of social accountability.
Bossier Deputies take ride along to enforce traffic laws
In a proactive effort to ensure the safety of school children in Bossier Parish, Bossier Sheriff Julian Whittington and the Bossier Sheriff’s Office have started an initiative involving deputies riding along on school buses to deter drivers from ignoring stop signals on the buses when picking up and dropping off students. This new measure aims to protect students as they board and disembark from their school buses.
During the school year, deputies from the Bossier Sheriff’s Office will occasionally ride on school buses during peak times to monitor and enforce traffic laws related to school bus safety. The initiative is designed to address the growing concern over drivers failing to stop for school buses with activated stop signs, a situation that poses a significant risk to students.
On Wednesday, August 28th, deputies wrote two citations to violators for disregarding the stop signs on a stopped bus in Bossier City.
“Our top priority is the safety of our children,” said Sheriff Julian Whittington. “By having deputies on the buses, we are taking a direct approach to ensure that drivers understand the seriousness of stopping for school buses and the penalties for non-compliance. This initiative is about creating a safer environment for our students as they get on and off the bus from school.”
Deputies will be positioned on various school buses throughout the year to observe traffic violations and radio waiting deputies with a description of the violator’s vehicle. Drivers who ignore the stop signs will be cited for their offenses, with fines and other penalties to follow. This strategy not only serves as a deterrent but also aims to increase public awareness about the importance of adhering to school bus safety laws.
“We want to send a clear message that the safety of our children is non-negotiable,” added Sheriff Whittington. “We hope this initiative will remind drivers of their responsibilities and encourage them to exercise greater caution around school buses.”
Glieberman’s passing brings back good, bad memories
Shreveport never figured out Bernie Glieberman.
Bernie Glieberman never figured out Shreveport.
It was 30 years ago when he brought an expansion Canadian Football League team to town, a two-year marriage that was the troubled from the start and ended with both parties pretty much blaming the other.
But when you write the history of sports in Shreveport, there should be a chapter devoted to the Shreveport Pirates.
Bernie Glieberman died earlier this week at age 85 and that news was hardly even a footnote in this area. For those who were around in the mid-1990s, he was as significant – and somewhat mysterious — as they come.
Glieberman was a real estate mogul in the Detroit area who was the financier of putting a CFL team in Shreveport. But it was his son Lonie who ran the day-to-day operations.
Bernie was the exact opposite of Lonie, who was always exuberant and positive and determined to make this venture work. Lonie was the face of the franchise, but he was basically a kid in his mid-20s; certainly not the savvy businessman that his father was.
The Gliebermans tried to save the Ottawa CFL franchise, but when that didn’t work out, they decided to be a part of the CFL expansion into the United States and settled on Shreveport.
Looking back on it, it still seems a little surreal in how Shreveport got a CFL franchise to come to town. Suddenly, everything around here was changing. Before, the Class AA baseball Captains had basically been the only game in town and had been hugely successful. Now, here came professional football, with professional basketball (Shreveport Storm/Crawdads of the CBA) to follow.
Not only that, but the entertainment dollar was being stretched with the arrival of multiple casinos. Maybe the time was right for all of these things to happen.
Or maybe not.
The run-up to the ’94 season for the Pirates has not gone as smoothly as many – including the Gliebermans – would have wanted. There wasn’t exactly a red carpet being rolled out. Sports fans loved the idea, but the community as a whole cast a wary eye at these “carpetbaggers” from Michigan.
But there was the thought that once football was actually being played, all of that would die down.
There are a lot of milestone markers in the history of the Shreveport Pirates – first home game, first win, biggest crowd — but there is one that hardly anybody remembers that basically told that story of what was to come.
On June 11, 1994, the Pirates had their first “public showing” at an in-house scrimmage at what was then known as Caddo Parish Stadium. It would be Shreveport’s first opportunity to see what this CFL football thing was all about.
My brother Ben and I had been selected as the radio announcers for the CFL team – it was obviously a shallow pool of applicants – and I was unable to go to the scrimmage. But Ben did attend and when I got a chance later that night, I called to ask how it went.
“Lonie was fired up,” my brother said, “but I got a bad feeling about Bernie. He didn’t seem too pleased.”
It was a hot night in the summer and the scrimmage had to be postponed for almost an hour because of a late afternoon thunderstorm. Not exactly a recipe for an overflow crowd.
Lonie was as excited about the proceedings as he always was. Bernie, who looked around and saw only about 1,000 people, was not.
I have always thought the clock started ticking that night.
We were the broadcast crew for two years and I can’t remember a single conversation I ever had with Bernie. He just seemed more and more disinterested as time went on.
Granted, the product wasn’t great – the Pirates lost their first 14 games, but did win three of the last four and had more than 30,000 at the season finale. The team was better in the ’95 season but the attendance was not.
Lonie was always Mr. Positive, but you just knew that Bernie was going to hit the gong at some point. He was a businessman and this was not his idea of good business.
The Gliebermans tried to move the franchise to Virginia, but there were lawsuits filed over non-payment of bills in Shreveport and he had an antique automobile impounded over non-payment for the scoreboard at Independence Stadium.
They tried to go back to Ottawa and even were part of a planned start-up league in 1997 that never worked out.
Lonie, as you might expect, still has fond memories of 30 years ago. “It was fun to go into schools and communities in Shreveport and talk with people to build a fan base from the ground up, creating 11,000 season ticket holders,” he told an Ottawa online publication. “That first game in the stadium is a night I’ll never forget.”
As for Bernie, he probably wanted to forget it ever happened.
Contact JJ at johnjamesmarshall@yahoo.com
Back nine goes mighty fine for Burns in first round of Tour Championship
By DOUG IRELAND, Journal Sports
ATLANTA – Sam Burns made a back-nine move Thursday in the opening round of the Tour Championship.
Trouble was, so did his best friend on the PGA Tour.
Already spotted to a 10-under score opening play, World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler fired the best round of the day, a six-under 65, and broadened his opening two-shot lead to seven entering today.
Burns, the Shreveport native and Calvary Baptist graduate, was no slouch. He posted five birdies on the back side while carding a nifty 31 for a four-under 67.
It moved him from his starting position in ninth place, at 4-under, to 8-under and a tie for fourth with Wyndham Clark, Keegan Bradley, Hideki Matasuyma and Adam Scott.
In between are Collin Morikawa and Xander Schauffle at 9-under, tied for second.
Today, Burns and Clark are paired with a 12:38 (CST) tee time. Golf Channel will have coverage beginning at noon, then give way to NBC for the final two rounds.
Burns, 28, opened with a bogey after a wayward drive on the first hole. He birdied the par-4 fourth to get even but promptly bogeyed the next hole and finished with a 1-over 36 on the first nine.
Then he caught fire, posting birdies at the par-4 10th, the par-3 11th, the par-4 13th, the par-5 16th and the par-4 17th.
That run and the fact that he had the lowest aggregate score of any of the 30 finalists over the two playoff events, the FedEx St. Jude Championship two weeks ago (tied for fifth) and last week’s BMW Championship (tied for second), improved his odds to 30-1 to win.
The top 12 finishers collect at least $1 million. The winner cashes $25 million while the runner-up takes home $12.5 and third place nets $7.5.
Contact Doug at sbjdoug@gmail.com
Tigers, reluctant Trojans tangle Sunday evening in ‘appealing opener’
By RON HIGGINS, Journal Sports
LAS VEGAS – Twenty-one years ago, 42-year-old Brian Kelly was busy coaching Grand Valley State to the second of back-to-back NCAA Division 2 national championships.
Twenty-one years ago, Lincoln Riley was a 20-year-old Texas Tech walk-on quarterback from Muleshoe, Texas. He was quickly converted by then-head coach Mike Leach into a student assistant working with the offense.
Twenty-one years ago after LSU beat Oklahoma in the BCS national championship game and USC conquered Michigan in the Rose Bowl, LSU and USC split the national title by finishing No. 1 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches and the Associated Press polls respectively.
Twenty-one years later here on Sunday afternoon before an Allegiant Stadium sellout crowd boosted by approximately 30,000 hard-partying LSU fans who began filtering in town on Thursday, the Tigers and the Trojans meet in the de facto 2003 national title tiebreaker matchup in the season-opening Modelo Vegas Classic.
The game is set for a 6:30 p.m. CT kickoff (4:30 in Las Vegas) and is nationally on ABC as the only televised college game of the day. LSU is a 4½-point favorite.
“You’ve got teams that shared a national championship, two elite programs coming together,” third-year LSU head coach Kelly said. “That’s the reason we wanted this matchup.”
Even though third-year USC head coach Riley was beating his chest earlier this week about the matchup between the 13th-ranked Tigers and 23rd-ranked Trojans – “If you don’t crave that (a challenge), then this ain’t the game for you and USC ain’t the place for you,” he said – Riley tried for two years to get out of the contract to play the Tigers.
Multiple-sourced media reports said since Riley and Kelly both have Trace Armstrong as their agent, Riley asked Armstrong for help changing Kelly’s mind.
USC’s administration offered LSU possible replacement opponents. Tigers’ athletic director Scott Woodward didn’t budge.
Since the contract was signed in August 2021, musical chair conference alignments have re-designed the college football landscape starting this season.
The SEC expanded to 16 teams adding Texas and Oklahoma and the Pac 12 imploded scattering members to several conferences, including USC, UCLA, Washington and Oregon to the Big Ten (which has 18 members).
“We were too far down the line to make any (schedule) changes in this opener,” Kelly said. “Even given the (conference realignment) changes, it’s still an appealing opener.”
Especially because LSU and USC circa 2024 are two peas in a pod.
Both are replacing Heisman Trophy-winning quarterbacks (2023 winner Jayden Daniels of LSU, 2022 winner Caleb Williams of USC) with Garrett Nussmeier and Miller Moss respectively who were named Most Valuable Player after starting and leading their teams to bowl wins (ReliaQuest for LSU, Holiday for USC) in the last post-season.
“I’m not a finished product yet, we’re not a finished product yet,” said Nussmeier, a 6-1, 200-pound redshirt junior who has patiently waited his turn and paid his dues to earn the permanent starting job. “Hopefully, I’m better in December than I am right now.”
Moss, a 6-2, 205-pound redshirt junior, followed Nussmeier’s career path of being a backup for the last two seasons. Riley waited until Aug. 20 to name Moss as the starting QB vs. LSU.
“It’s a good positive first step,” Moss said. “Now, it’s about going out and winning football games.”
And after LSU and USC finished 105th and 116th in total defense last season among 130 FB teams, Kelly and Riley made drastic changes.
Kelly fired the Tigers’ entire defensive staff and spent $16.11 million on new hires, including coordinator Blake Baker from Missouri. Riley fired all but one defensive assistant and went across town to hire UCLA’s D’Anton Lynn as coordinator.
Baker and Lynn have similar philosophies of showing different alignments to confuse offenses yet simplifying assignments to play fast and not overload defenders with too much information.
The new D-coordinators have quickly had their players buy into their systems.
“Coach Baker has a spectacular mind,” LSU pre-season first-team All-American linebacker Harold Perkins said. “He always brings something fresh to the table.”
USC linebacker Easton Mascarenas-Arnold, an Oregon State transfer, has similar confidence in Lynn.
“In his one year at UCLA, he (Lynn) made them one of the best defenses in the country,” Mascarenas-Arnold said. “I expect nothing less for us.”
GO FIGURE
3-3: LSU’s record in Sunday night games
5: Heisman Trophy-winning running backs for USC
7: Straight 10-win seasons for Brian Kelly
8-3: Brian Kelly’s record vs. USC
10: Starters on USC’s defense who are transfers
18: States in which LSU has opened football seasons
23: Times in last 24 years LSU is ranked in preseason top 25
Contact Ron at ronhigginsmedia@gmail.com
Two Thursday jams postponed, but North Caddo beats weather
By LEE HILLER, Journal Sports
Thunderstorms postponed two of Caddo Parish’s three high school football jamborees scheduled for Thursday night and shortened the third.
Huntington at Northwood has been rescheduled for today at 4 p.m. and Captain Shreve and Byrd will now play at 10 a.m. Saturday at Lee Hedges Stadium.
In Vivian, North Caddo topped Green Oaks 12-0 in action the was shortened to just two series and four minutes of clock time because of lightning.
The Giants’ junior varsity did get in a full-length jamboree triumph, 6-0, before the weather got gnarly.
Thursday
Byrd vs. Captain Shreve, ppd., rescheduled for Saturday at 10 a.m.
North Caddo 12, Green Oaks 0
Green Oaks JV 6, North Caddo 0
Huntington vs. Northwood, ppd., rescheduled for today at 4 p.m.
Today
Caddo Parish
At Jerry Burton Stadium – Northwood
Huntington at Northwood, 4 p.m.
At Leonard Barnes Stadium – BTW
Booker T. Washington vs Woodlawn, 6 p.m.
Woodlawn vs. Southwood
Southwood vs. Booker T. Washington
Bossier Parish
At Airline
Bossier Lions Club
Parkway vs. Airline, 5:45 p.m.
Plain Dealing vs. Bossier, 7:15 p.m.
Haughton vs. Benton, 8:45 p.m.
OTHER
Loyola at Glenbrook (Minden)
Magnolia Charter vs. Block at Delhi Charter
Union Parish at Calvary, Jerry Barker Stadium
Bayou Jamb – Malone Stadium, ULM
Natchitoches Central vs. Ouachita, 8 p.m.
Saturday
At Lee Hedges Stadium
Byrd vs. Captain Shreve, 10 a.m.
Bayou Jamb – Malone Stadium, ULM
Evangel vs. West Monroe, 8 p.m.
Southwood’s Green adds spice to tonight’s jamboree, upcoming season
By DOUG IRELAND, Journal Sports
Seven head football coaches of public high schools in Caddo Parish were predictably upbeat Wednesday at the school system’s Sixth Annual Football Media Day event.
It all followed a PR script until second-year Southwood coach Mike Green, stepped to the podium and changed the narrative.
“Make room,” he began. “Make room.
“We’ve been working with the kids, trying to get them to understand, respect is earned,” said Green. “They’re ready.
“We’re not the same program. The kids I have understand how to gain respect, and it’s through hard work.”
Southwood is mired on the struggle bus. Officially the Cowboys haven’t won a game since late in the 2019 season, an 18-16 victory over Parkway. They are on a 37-game tumble – aggravated by a 2-0 start in 2022 that was erased when the school had to forfeit those victories and didn’t win again.
Green took over before last season and although it ended winless, there were obvious signs of progress. Now, the landscape has changed and so has the outlook, he told the audience.
“We’ve dropped down to (Class) 4A. I think we’ll fit better. Not saying we’re going to win the state championship,” said Green, “but make room. We’re ready to win.”
Southwood has 28 seniors, the core of what gives the veteran coach confidence.
“Don’t sleep on the Cowboys,” Green concluded. “Make room.”
Their first test comes tonight in jamboree action against Booker T. Washington and Woodlawn at BTW’s Leonard Barnes Stadium.
Each school brought two senior standouts to Wednesday’s event. Perhaps not accidentally, Southwood’s duo of Cornelious Martin and Laquinton Tinkney were sitting across from the Woodlawn tandem of Brandon Henderson and Marcus Palmer.
“I think they just need to be quiet and be ready for the game Friday. That’s all I got to say,” said Palmer, smiling broadly at his rivals.
“He said ‘make room,’ so we’re going to make room. These past few years, Southwood hasn’t been known as a winning team,” said Tinkney, “but I feel like when (Green) got there it changed. All summer we’ve been working hard and we’re ready to show the world what we can do. It starts Friday night.”
“We’ve built up a lot of confidence between our team and our coaches,” said Martin. “It’s been good today eying down the competition.”
Whatever tonight’s outcomes at BTW’s Leonard C. Barnes Stadium, Southwood is taking aim at ending the losing skid in Week 1 next Friday night when Arcadia comes to town.
“Coach is straightforward,” said Martin. “Make room.”
Contact Doug at sbjdoug@gmail.com
Plucky Demons hang tough despite blowout in return to action at Tulsa
By JASON PUGH, Northwestern State Sports Information Director
TULSA, Oklahoma – The first drive of the Blaine McCorkle era of Northwestern State football delivered.
And so did most of the first half of Thursday night’s season opener at Tulsa.
A late first-half surge, though, put the homestanding Golden Hurricane in the driver’s seat and Tulsa cruised to a 62-28 victory at Skelly Field at H.A. Chapman Field. The result, however, was not the most important takeaway from the Demons’ first game since October.
“The first thing people need to recognize and remember is Northwestern State just completed a Division I football game today,” said McCorkle, who made his debut as the Demons’ head coach after being hired in November. “I’ve said it many times, a lot of people thought this program was going to be dead and gone, but that’s not true. We’re alive and well, and we have a lot of good football ahead of us. We don’t believe in moral victories – that’s not who we are – but there is an awful lot for our whole university and the city of Natchitoches to be proud of tonight.”
Northwestern hadn’t played since the university curtailed last season after six games in the wake of the off-campus shooting death of a player.
Back to action, NSU wasted no time putting the first points of the season on the board as Kennieth Lacy broke free for a 75-yard touchdown run on the second play of the game to put the Demons in front.
It was a career-long run for Lacy, a senior from Kilgore, Texas, and the longest rush for the Demons since Aubrey Scott’s 80-yard touchdown run against Nicholls on March 6, 2021.
“My offensive line blocked amazingly,” said Lacy, whose previous long run was 55 yards. “Once they freed me up, I knew I could make the safety miss and take it to the house. The O-line played amazingly. They played their butts off today.”
The early-game battle of momentum-shifting plays continued with both special teams units producing touchdowns.
Tulsa (1-0) started the special-teams fireworks with Kamdyn Benjamin’s 66-yard punt return score snapping a 7-all tie.
After the Northwestern offense could not get anything going, Tulsa moved into the red zone and was threatening to build a two-score lead as Seth Morgan trotted out for a 32-yard field goal attempt.
Cam Hardy came through the middle of the line and blocked the kick before Antonio Hall scooped up the loose ball and returned it 74 yards for a game-tying touchdown.
Both teams traded long drives in the opening quarter with Tulsa outgaining the Demons, 128-107. The first was the most productive quarter of the night for Northwestern, which totaled 119 yards in the final three quarters.
While the Demons struggled to string together consistent offense, Tulsa took advantage – none more so than in the final eight minutes of the first half.
In that span, the Golden Hurricane produced three touchdown drives to turn a one-score game into a 27-point halftime advantage.
“In these (Football Bowl Subdivision) games, sometimes the attrition gets to you,” McCorkle said. “You wear down on bodies, and that’s the difference in the scholarships. They fought and played hard, and I’m very proud of them.”
Tulsa extended its lead to 48-14 after the third quarter before Northwestern took advantage of the game’s first turnover.
It took the Demons just two plays to convert after Isaiah Robinson recovered a fumbled punt at the Tulsa 12-yard line. From there, senior quarterback Quaterius Hawkins connected with Myles Kitt-Denton a 12-yard scoring pass 21 seconds into the final quarter.
That score started another flurry of back-and-forth scores to close out the game.
Tulsa’s Lloyd Avant’s 100-yard kick return score answered Kitt-Denton’s grab before Chance Newman capped the Demons’ longest drive of the game in terms of plays and production with a 4-yard keeper.
“We found our identity, and we’re going to go back to the drawing board and back to work,” said junior linebacker Cadillac Rhone, who recorded six tackles. “We’re going to get better. Like coach McCorkle said, we’re going to make our biggest improvement from Game 1 to Game 2.”
NSU is home next Saturday against Prairie View.
Contact Jason at pughj@nsula.edu
No easy opener at home Saturday night for Cumbie, Bulldogs
JOURNAL SPORTS
RUSTON – Louisiana Tech kicks off its third season under coach Sonny Cumbie at home in Joe Aillet Stadium Saturday night at 7, with the Bulldogs lining up against an FCS visitor that is no gimme.
The Bulldogs, 3-9 last year, play host to defending Southland Conference champion Nicholls, picked to repeat its league title.
Tech is eager to get out of the doldrums of three straight three-win seasons. The Bulldogs suffered a season-ending slump of six straight losses, and four defeats in a row at home, in 2023. But four in the six-game skid were one-possession losses.
After five straight seasons of opening up on the road (2018- 22), Tech will start the year at home for the second consecutive time. The Bulldogs have played their first game of the season in Joe Aillet Stadium just four times in the last 15 years. The ‘Dogs are 12-1 all-time in season openers at the Joe, having won 10 straight dating back to 1979.
Tech’s homefield will have a new look, and so will the Bulldogs – even it’s a retro one.
Fans are sure to enjoy a new video board. At a cost of $6.8 million, it is a 3,240-square foot end zone display that measures 36 feet high and 90 feet wide.
Also new to the Bulldogs for the season opener will be their helmets. Officially unveiled at a team meeting on Aug. 14, the white helmets feature a Tech script that dates back to the 1960s. The helmet will be matched up with Tech’s throwback LT Blue uniforms they unveiled back in 2022.
Jack Turner was named Tech’s starting quarterback by Cumbie at CUSA Media Day. Turner enters his third year with the Bulldogs and appeared in eight games including four starts last season. This will mark the fifth straight season that the Bulldogs will have a different quarterback start Game 1.
He has made 11 career appearances at QB for the Bulldogs over the last two seasons after transferring from Navarro Junior College. He was impressive during his first career start at Nebraska last season, completing 27 of 42 passes for a season-high 292 yards and a touchdown. He also made starts against UTEP, WKU, and Middle Tennessee.
Sophomore defensive back Michael Richard returns after being named the 2023 CUSA Freshman of the Year and garnering Freshman All-America honors from The Athletic. He led CUSA freshmen with seven pass breakups, which ranked seventh nationally among FBS freshmen. Opponents completed just 40 percent of passes (14-35) against him last season, allowing just one touchdown in 249 defensive snaps. His 83.5 coverage grade was the fourth-best mark among CUSA defensive backs.
The Bulldogs have a new defensive staff after Cumbie made offseason changes.
The Colonels are coming off their third SLC title in the last six years and fourth playoff appearance under head coach Tim Rebowe. Nicholls posted its first undefeated season in conference play in 2023.
The Colonels have a league-high 15 Preseason All-Southland selections, headlined by returnees Southland Player of the Year Jaylon Spears (running back who had 1,300 all-purpose yards and nine touchdowns) and Freshman of the Year Rasheed Lovelace (defensive lineman who made 27 tackles with 2.5 for loss). Nicholls comes in ranked No. 23 in the Stats Perform FCS Preseason Top 25.
The game can be seen on ESPN+ and heard on the Tech Sports Network with Malcolm Butler, Teddy Allen and Jerry Byrd Jr. describing the action.
Tech will visit North Carolina State in two weeks, then hosts Tulsa Sept. 21.
Grambling, new coach debut by visiting Ragin’ Cajuns
By T. SCOTT BOATRIGHT, Lincoln Parish Journal
The Mickey Joseph era of Grambling State football begins Saturday as the Tigers travel south to visit Louisiana-Lafayette in the Herbert Heymann Classic.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. Saturday at Cajun Field, which is undergoing major renovations that have the entire west (home) side of the stadium off-limits this season. ESPN+ will provide television coverage.
It will be the second meeting between the programs with ULL claiming a 49-17 victory in the 2018 season opener for both teams.
Grambling went 5-6 last season under fired coach Hue Jackson, dumped following his second year. The Ragin’ Cajuns are coming off a 6-7 campaign.
“We’re excited about this upcoming game against Lafayette,” said Joseph, a New Orleans native and veteran major college assistant coach. “We’re honored to play a really good team that played in the postseason the past two years. (ULL coach) Mike Desormeaux does a really good job with them and they’re like every other team in Louisiana — they’re full of Louisiana kids and Texas kids. They’re a well-coached team and we’re excited for the opportunity.”
Joseph hopes that knowing about many Louisiana players will benefit his game plan.
“I don’t think they have any film on us. They’re going to have to pick and choose what they study. We understand what they want to do on offense — they’re a 12-personnel team that wants to run the ball.
“They’re a solid football team all around. Their receiving is really good but the strength of that team is their offensive line.”
Joseph admits he doesn’t know what to expect defensively from the Cajuns.
“They’ve brought in a new defensive coordinator and we don’t know what they’re going to do, so we’ve got to be ready for anything,” Joseph said.
The Tigers return veteran quarterback Myles Crawley, who was picked as the preseason SWAC Offensive Player of the Year and is on the Walter Payton Award preseason watch list.
Last season the redshirt-senior from Lithonia, Georgia, threw from 2,303 yards and 16 touchdowns while completing 60 percent of his passes (197-of-328).
Crawley was the first Grambling State quarterback to throw for at least 2,000 yards in a season since Devante Kincaid in 2017 and the first GSU QB to throw at least 16 touchdowns since Geremy Hickbottom in 2018.
Grambling has a key addition to its offensive backfield in redshirt senior K’Travion “Bull” Hargrove, a transfer from Memphis after time at Mississippi State.
As a high school junior, Hargrove was a workhorse for Ruston High. On 205 carries, the 5-11, 185 pounder ran for 1,537 yards and 20 touchdowns, adding 460 yards and six TD’s on receptions. Injuries slowed him as a senior but he was still a high-major recruit.
“I like what Bull can do,” Joseph said. “I know what Bull can do.
“Bull’s a kid that’s going to run it 20-25 times a game. He’s a great kid. He’s a great human being and we’re glad we’ve got him back home. He’s going to be big for us on offense.”
Joseph said his Tigers will need to focus on all three phases of the game against the Ragin’ Cajuns.
“They’re Lafayette, so you know they’re going to run the ball and try to impose their will on you,” Joseph said. “We’ve got to come out and try to compete in all phases of the game. We’re going to have to try to play error-free. We can’t have missed assignments because they’ll make you pay for those, and they’ll also make you play if you’re not physical.”
Contact Scott at tscottboatright@gmail.com
Gents football has free scrimmage Saturday, while other sports begin
By PATRICK MEEHAN, Centenary Sports Information Director
Gents’ football is now just eight days away from the regular-season opener at home against the Hendrix College Warriors in a historic contest set for next Saturday, Sept. 7 at Atkins Field on the Centenary campus.
Centenary will prep for its first official intercollegiate game in decades with a scrimmage on Saturday at 6 p.m. against Community Christian College Louisiana at Atkins Field. There is no admission charge.
“2024 marks a pivotal growth season for our football program,” said Gents’ head coach Byron Dawson. “We’ve seen progress in our team dynamics, staff development, and facility enhancements.
“The challenge now lies in managing this growth while fostering a strong team culture. Although we’ve addressed key areas of depth, there’s still much work ahead. Every year demands a fresh start, and this is a new year, a new team, and a new dream.
“With a young roster and an emerging program, we’re still in the process of evaluating players to find the right mix for our first NCAA season. The excitement and support from the Centenary community are truly inspiring. The journey begins, now we go!”
The Gents play 10 regular-season games – five at home and five on the road. Season tickets for the season are now on sale and available for purchase at www.gocentenary.com.
MEN’S SOCCER: The Gents, led by fourth-year head coach Kevin White, will begin their season on Saturday with a non-conference match against Piedmont in Columbus, Miss.
Centenary will face the Lions and the Huntingdon Hawks a day later on the campus of Mississippi University for Women in a pair of neutral-site contests. The Gents and Lions will meet for the first time while the match against the Hawks will be the third all-time between the two programs. Centenary recorded a 5-2 win over Huntingdon at home last season.
The Gents finished 4-9-3 overall and 1-6-1 in Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference last season and were 3-4-1 at home and 1-5-2 in road/neutral contests. Centenary was picked ninth (tied with Schreiner) in the SCAC preseason poll.
WOMEN’S SOCCER: The Ladies, led by fifth-year head coach Morgan Dorsey, will open their regular season Sunday with a non-conference match versus the East Texas Baptist Tigers in Marshall, Texas at 4 p.m.
Centenary will prep for the opener with an exhibition match against the University of Texas at Dallas Comets (a Division III opponent) in Richardson, Texas this evening at 6 p.m.
The Ladies were 1-12-3 overall last season and 0-6-1 in conference play while finishing 1-4-2 at home and 0-8-1 in road/neutral contests. Despite the Ladies’ struggles last season, one constant theme was strong defense. Centenary held 12 of its 16 opponents to two goals or less and recorded four shutouts. The Maroon and White held seven opponents to one goal or less and one of the highlights of the season was earning a scoreless tie at Austin College, despite only traveling with 11 players due to injuries.
VOLLEYBALL: The Ladies begin their regular season at home this weekend as they play host to the annual Cajun Country Classic today and Saturday in the Gold Dome. Centenary will be joined for the two-day event by Howard Payne, Louisiana Christian, and Millsaps. Centenary plays LCU today at 6 p.m. and then plays a pair of matches on Saturday – facing Howard Payne at 9 a.m. and Millsaps at 1 p.m.
Contact Patrick at pmeehan@centenary.edu
Shreveport: Labor Day holiday schedule for garbage collections
The City of Shreveport offices will be closed on Monday, Sept. 2 for Labor Day. Due to this holiday, there will be a change in the garbage collection schedule. Below you will find the revised schedule.
Monday September 2, 2024 Closed. No garbage collection today.
Tuesday September 3, 2024 Monday’s garbage will be collected.
Wednesday September 4, 2024 Tuesday’s garbage will be collected.
Thursday September 5, 2024 Thursday’s garbage will be collected.
Friday September 6, 2024 Friday’s garbage will be collected.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
No bulk collections will be scheduled for this week. All heavy items called in will be scheduled for a future collection day. If you need additional information or would like to request a heavy item (bulk) pick up, please call the Solid Waste Office at (318) 673-6300.
The Woolworth Road Regional Solid Waste Landfill Facility will be closed on Monday, Sept. 2. For more information about this facility, you may call (318) 925-3500.
Pay online for school meals with MySchoolBucks
Bossier Schools has teamed up with MySchoolBucks, an online service where you can easily and securely pay for school meals using a credit/debit card or electronic check.
Using MySchoolBucks you can:
Add funds to your student’s meal account
View meal balances & cafeteria purchases
Receive low balance alerts
Get started in 4 easy steps:
1. Download the mobile app or visit myschoolbucks.com
2. Create your free account
3. Add your student
4. Add funds to your student’s meal account
If you have any questions about getting started with MySchoolBucks call (855) 832-5226.
For any general questions please contact Bossier Schools Child Nutrition Department at (318)-549-5046.
Notice of Death – August 29, 2024
Floyd Allen Jones
May 21, 1934 — August 23, 2024
Service: Friday, August 30, 2024, 1pm at Emmanuel Baptist Church, Shreveport.
Juanita Mae Keathley Rinaudo
April 29, 1926 — August 28, 2024
Service: Saturday, August 31, 2024, 10am at Forest Park West Cemetery, Shreveport.
Sandra Kay Villard
September 18, 1978 – August 27, 2024
Service: Pending at Osborn Funeral Home
Ronnie Lee Kendrick
December 17, 1942 — August 26, 2024
Service: Friday, August 30, 2024, 11am at Rose Neath Funeral Home, Shreveport.
Lillian G. Monroe
January 24, 1933 ~ August 24, 2024
Service: Saturday, August 31, 2024, 11am at Mount Nebo Baptist Church, Bossier City.
Margaret Penniman Fontaine
June 9, 1930 – August 10, 2024
Service: Saturday, September 7, 2024, 10am at the First Presbyterian 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)
August 29, 2024
UPDATE: North/South Corridor
Work on the North/South Corridor is steadily progressing. Crews have laid the binder course, the first layer of asphalt, onto the roadway from the intersection at Swan Lake Road to the Cypress Bayou Bridge. The chip seal and soil-cement layers have been laid from the bridge north to the Crouch Road intersection. The work crews will lay down the wearing course layer, the top layer of asphalt, onto the roadway and then stripe it as the finished product. The roadway will connect I-220 at Swan Lake Rd. with LA Hwy. 162 via Crouch Rd. It is expected to be completed in the last quarter of the year.
New Shreveport Police officers sworn in
Shreveport Police Chief Wayne Smith proudly oversaw the swearing-in of three new Shreveport Police Officers on Aug. 27. Please join us in welcoming the graduates of the 91st Shreveport Police Regional Training Academy. Congratulations on a job well done—now the real work (and fun) begins.
Bizarre chain of events land man in jail
Shreveport Police officers responded to the 800 block of Cotton Street on Aug. 27 around 10 am following reports of a nude man attacking individuals with a pipe. Concerned citizens informed officers that the man was wielding both a pipe and a large branch as weapons and had struck an individual, causing injuries.
Upon arrival, officers were able to make contact with the suspect, later identified as 44-year-old DeCarlo Holmes. After a struggle, officers successfully took Holmes into custody. During the confrontation, officers deployed their department-issued Tasers to subdue him. Holmes has been charged with two counts of aggravated assault with a weapon, one count of resisting an officer, and one count of aggravated second-degree battery.
Fortunately, everyone involved in the incident is expected to recover from their injuries.
Chief Smith commended the officers for their handling of this challenging situation and thanked community members for promptly contacting the police department in reference to this bizarre incident.
Photo: File Photo
Bossier Sheriff promotes deputy
Bossier Sheriff Julian Whittington promoted a deputy in a ceremony in the Sheriff’s Conference room in the Bossier Parish Courthouse on Aug. 26.
Deputy Matthew Creamer and was promoted to the rank of Sergeant after 9 years of service.
Sgt. Creamer will serve as a shift supervisor at the Bossier Medium Facility.
“You came highly recommended by your supervisors and I know you will continue to lead by the example you have already established,” said Sheriff Whittington. “I am proud to promote you for your hard work and dedication to duty here at the sheriff’s office. Keep up the good work.”
Jamborees offer a glimpse of what is still to come
By JOHN JAMES MARSHALL, Journal Sports
The result of last year’s Calvary jamboree? Don’t bother asking head coach Rodney Guin.
The score of Parkway’s jamboree against Benton? No clue, says head coach Coy Brotherton. “What I do know we won the jamboree game (against Benton) and lost to them in the regular season,” he said.
Remember, coaches are wired to remember every missed block on a trap play in the third quarter. They never seem to forget when a defensive back played Cover 1 while everyone else played Cover 2 in a blowout win.
But a jamboree is a different animal.
It’s a faux game. The lights come on, the new uniforms come out and there’s simply no telling when it might end.
But as soon as it does, that’s it. Next!
“We don’t work a bunch on the jamboree,” Guin says. “To be honest, we are already working for Week 1.”
There are, however, those subtle story lines that add a little spice to jamborees. You can start with tonight, when storied rivals Byrd and Captain Shreve will tee it up at Lee Hedges Stadium to open jamboree season. Because they play again in Week 7, this might be a “battle” to find out which team can show the other one the least.
Across the Red River at Airline, the Bossier Lions Jamboree has a Junior Homecoming feel to it – Jamboree Queens, dance line performances and even a little football thrown in there as well.
Once again, Parkway vs. Airline will offer another example of two teams who will play for real six weeks from now.
“The best thing is that we all like competition and want to play a game,” Brotherton said. “But the worst thing is that we play somebody we will face in the regular season. So nobody is going to show a lot.”
At least that one kicks off at 5:45 p.m.; if you draw the late matchup in the Bossier Jamboree, keep a sleeping bag nearby. It’s one of the few football events in which TV people can have a live shot for the 6 o’clock and the 10 o’clock news.
Bossier and Plain Dealing are “scheduled” to play at 7:15 and Benton and Haughton at 8:45. If history holds, don’t count on it.
Jamborees in Caddo Parish change year-to-year. Gone are the days in which six or so teams would alternate quarters against a different opponent. (You never wanted to be that team that had to play first and last.)
Now, many of them are just two teams that play sub-varsity and varsity “games.”
Friday night, Calvary plays host to Union Parish at Jerry Barker Stadium, with the middle school playing at 6 p.m., junior varsity at 7 and varsity at 8. “It’s a long night, but it’s a good night,” Guin said. “Every kid gets to play.”
Teams have been through controlled scrimmages, so the benefit of the jamborees is that it more closely simulates a game.
“What a jamboree means is that I want to see all of our special teams go live,” Guin said. “That’s the most important thing to me. We don’t want to see any injuries and we want to see live special teams. That’s the whole key for us.”
“There’s a lot of things that kids get to experience in a game that doesn’t matter,” Brotherton said. “They get their feet wet under the bright lights.”
The Parkway coach said his starting spots are set, so no one is going to make a quick jump on the depth chart based on a jamboree performance. “But there are some rotational guys who might be some more playing time,” he said.
Still, Guin has been around enough to know that though it might not count on the scoreboard, but there can still be a benefit.
“We keep things close to the vest in the jamboree,” Guin said. “I was at Haughton for 16 years and I think we won the jamboree three times. But we are going to try to win because they are in our district and I’d like to get that edge on them.”
Contact JJ at johnjamesmarshall@yahoo.com
Tonight
Caddo Parish
At Lee Hedges Stadium
Byrd vs. Captain Shreve, 5 p.m. (freshman, JV, varsity)
At Sanders Prudhomme Stadium – North Caddo
Green Oaks vs. North Caddo, 7 p.m.
At Jerry Burton Stadium – Northwood
Huntington vs. Northwood, 6 p.m. (freshman, JV, varsity)
Friday
Caddo Parish
At Leonard Barnes Stadium – BTW
Booker T. Washington vs Woodlawn, 6 p.m.
Woodlawn vs. Southwood
Southwood vs. Booker T. Washington
Bossier Parish
At Airline
Bossier Lions Club
Parkway vs. Airline, 5:45 p.m.
Plain Dealing vs. Bossier, 7:15 p.m.
Haughton vs. Benton, 8:45 p.m.
Loyola at Glenbrook (Minden)
Magnolia Charter vs. Block at Delhi Charter
Union Parish at Calvary, Jerry Barker Stadium
Bayou Jamb
Malone Stadium, ULM
Natchitoches Central vs. Ouachita, 8 p.m.
Saturday
Bayou Jamb
Malone Stadium, ULM
Evangel vs. West Monroe, 8 p.m.
Burns an obvious favorite to contend at high-dollar Tour Championship
By DOUG IRELAND, Journal Sports
Only two PGA Tour players, two-time 2024 major championship winner Xander Schauffele and Shreveport native Sam Burns, have posted top 5 finishes in both FedEx Cup playoff events heading into the first round of the Tour Championship today in Atlanta.
Obviously, that puts them among the prime golfers to watch, along with world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, as 30 qualifiers tee off in the Tour’s final 2024 event at East Lake Country Club.
Burns, now a Choudrant resident who plays out of Squire Creek Country Club, enters the 72-hole finale ninth in the 2024 FedEx Cup standings. He tied for second last weekend at the FedEx BMW Championship in Castle Rock, Col., on the heels of a fifth-place tie in the opening week of the playoffs two weeks ago at Memphis in the FedEx St. Jude Championship.
Qualifying for the Tour Championship for the fourth straight year, the product of Calvary Baptist Academy and LSU will start at 4-under par when he tees off today at 12:16 CST with Patrick Cantlay. Schauffele begins at 8 under and Scheffler starts at 10 below, with the top 10 finishers in the FedEx Cup standings given strokes to reflect their season-long elite performances.
Writing for SI.com, Golf Intelligence president Jim Straka listed the 28-year-old Burns as the third-ranked contender. Mark Schlabach, golf writer for ESPN.com, ranks Burns fifth.
The two-time LSU All-American drove the ball very well last week, and has been red hot with his putter, always the best part of his game. Burns ranks second among the 30 finalists in strokes gained, putting 1.89 over his eight rounds during the two playoff events.
The stakes are juicy. The winner this weekend collects $25 million. Burns’ career PGA Tour earnings are $27.9 million. Purse money in the Tour Championship is “unofficial” and doesn’t stack on to the PGA’s count, but banks very well.
The runner-up takes home $12.5 million, third place earns $7.5 million, and the top 12 finishers take home at least $1 million. A $550,000 check goes to the 30th-place finisher.
Golf Channel and NBC are sharing coverage of the Tour Championship, beginning at noon today on Golf Channel.
Contact Doug at sbjdoug@gmail.com