September 30, 2024
Month: September 2024
Louisiana State Police investigating incident involving Shreveport Police Department
Louisiana State Police Investigators were requested by the Shreveport Police Department (SPD) on Sept. 26 around 5:15 pm to investigate an incident.
The incident happened at approximately 7:20 p.m., as a result of a traffic stop. SPD Officers attempted to stop a vehicle on Broadway Avenue at Hollywood Avenue. The final stop location was at Hollywood Avenue at McAlpine Street.
As a result of the traffic stop, SPD Officers came into contact with a male subject. As Officers were attempting to arrest the subject, a physical altercation ensued, which resulted in him being transported to a local hospital. At this time, the subject remains in serious condition. No Officers were injured during this incident.
This investigation remains active and ongoing. Through coordination with the Caddo Parish District Attorney’s Office and LSP Investigators, additional information will be provided once it becomes available.
Anyone with information and/or pictures and video are urged to share that information with LSP Investigators by calling 318-741-2735.
In addition to the option above, the public can anonymously report information through the Louisiana State Police online reporting system by visiting sp.org and clicking on Report Suspicious or Criminal Activity, or calling the LSP Fusion Center Hotline at 1-800-434-8007
Caddo Sheriff’s Office holds successful Warrant Resolution event
The first Annual Misdemeanor Warrant Resolution Event held by the Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office was a great success. They were able to assist 150 people in resolving their warrants by helping them make payments or set up a payment plan. Some individuals were also able to appear before Judge Hathaway to schedule a new court date, which allowed the warrant to be taken off the individual. Not one person was arrested and taken to jail at this event. However, there were individuals who had Shreveport warrants, and they were directed to visit the Shreveport City Marshal’s Office to resolve the issue.
Katrina Wright becomes first designated Senior Investigator for Caddo Parish Coroner’s Office
Congratulations to Katrina Wright D-ABMDI. She has been given the distinction of being the first designated Senior Investigator in the Caddo Parish Coroner’s Office.
“Katrina has been with us for 18 years,” said Coroner Todd Thoma. “She has been a rock and such a pleasure to work with. I hope she stays with me at least until I retire.”
Burns makes his mark helping lead USA to President’s Cup win
By DOUG IRELAND, Journal Sports
QUEBEC, Canada – Sam Burns’ Saturday successes helped the USA regain control in the 2024 President’s Cup golf competition, and his Sunday competitiveness muted the International team’s fiery leader.
His weekend excellence helped Team USA prevail 18 ½-11 ½ in the four-day, five-session competition at Royal Montreal Golf Club. Overall, Burns went 3-0-1, one of only two unbeaten Americans.
Burns, a 28-year-old Shreveport native and Calvary Baptist graduate, was perfect in three team matches Thursday and Saturday. He stayed undefeated Sunday while preventing Tom Kim from generating any momentum that was vitally needed to spark any International team rally from an 11-7 deficit beginning the final day.
Sunday, in a tense singles contest, the two-time LSU All-American took a 2-up lead on the front side with a string of four birdies in six holes. He stemmed the tide after Kim bounced back and drew even on the 15th hole.
Burns pulled off clutch shots on the final two holes and posted a crucial draw, earning a half point as the Americans edged toward the 15 ½ points needed to retain the Cup.
The 22-year-old South Korean looked poised to take a 1-up lead with a tee shot into 3 feet on the par-3 17th. Burns responded in style, hitting pitching wedge also next to the flag and draining the putt for matching birdies.
On 18, Burns hit a brilliant 20-foot pitch from a challenging lie to inside 3 feet and pured the putt to match Kim’s par and earn the half point for the Americans.
“I should have never put myself there. I struggled today with my irons, didn’t really strike it great,” said Burns, who now lives in Choudrant and plays out of Squire Creek Country Club. “It was a difficult chip. There were a lot of variables, up and over that slope, needed to put some spin and some height on it. It was a nice up and down.
“It was a tough match. I knew it would be against Tom. He’s a great player, a great competitor. The majority of the people out here were not rooting for us and we knew that coming in. We tried to embrace it, use it as fuel, and overall we did a good job of that. I’m proud of our guys.”
Burns sat out Friday’s alternate shot format, but rose to the occasion after the Internationals stunned the Americans with a 5-0 sweep on the second day. Entering Saturday with the competition tied at 5, Burns posted wins to score points for the USA in both sessions.
In the morning, he teamed with Patrick Cantlay, his Thursday partner, to score a 2&1 decision over Hideki Matsuyama and Sung-jae Im. In the afternoon, he and Collin Morikawa won 1-up over the Canadian duo of Corey Connors and McKenzie Hughes. Those two points helped lift the USA to a four-point advantage entering Sunday’s 12 singles matches.
It was his second victory in President’s Cup competition, following the USA’s win in 2022 on home soil. He was on the losing Ryder Cup team in Italy a year ago, and had a deceptive 1-5-2 mark in his first two international competitions as a pro (in 2022, he was paired with good pal Scottie Scheffler in the team matches and Scheffler admittedly played poorly).
Contact Doug at sbjdoug@gmail.com
Status quo after Week 4 outcomes offer little surprise, but BTW arrives
JOURNAL SPORTS
There’s very little change in the Week 5 Shreveport Bossier Journal Top 10 from last week’s edition. Mainly because there’s not much reason to change.
The top six teams all won, either convincingly or against strong opponents. The next two (No. 7 Northwood and No. 8 Evangel) both lost, but were against opponents who were favored against them. In fact, the three losses for the 1-3 Eagles are all against teams that are still unbeaten. (Talk about a strong schedule.)
Loyola held serve at No. 9 after a 50-point win over Southwood, so you’ll have to go all the way to No. 10 to find the only change in this week’s poll. Booker T. Washington makes its way in after opening the District 1-4A season with a resounding win over Bossier.
There’s a battle of the unbeatens this week as No. 1 Parkway takes on No. 3 Byrd in South Bossier on Thursday. But there are other games involving two Top 10 teams — No. 5 Huntington will take on its West Shreveport neighbor No. 8 Evangel and No. 2 Airline will take on No. 6 Captain Shreve at Lee Hedges Stadium.
WEEK 4
- Parkway (4-0)
- Airline (4-0)
- Byrd (4-0)
- Calvary (2-2)
- Huntington (3-1)
- Capt. Shreve (3-1)
- Northwood (3-1)
- Evangel (1-3)
- Loyola (3-1)
- BTW (3-1)
Thursday’s Byrd-Parkway battle, Friday’s Loyola visit to Minden among Week 5 highlights
JOURNAL SPORTS
Two of the leaders in District 1-5A collide Thursday night and two 1-4A contenders battle Friday night to highlight the Week 5 local high school football schedule.
Parkway’s rugged defense will try to contain Byrd’s productive Wing-T running game Thursday night in Bossier City as the 4-0 teams square off.
Friday’s 1-4A headliner has Loyola traveling to The Pit to take on Minden. The Flyers and Crimson Tide started district play with dominant victories Friday. The Flyers and Tide last played in 2014 with the Tide holding a 29-11-2 series lead.
Undefeated Airline playing at explosive Captain Shreve is another 1-5A matchup with sizzle. So is the battle for west Shreveport superiority as Huntington, unbeaten in league action, visits explosive Evangel. Scoreboards, beware.
Defense will probably set the tone when Byrd and Parkway tee it up. Both scored convincing road wins Friday to stay perfect. The Yellow Jackets went south to metro New Orleans and dispatched John Ehret 35-14 and the Panthers pounded 1-5A foe Natchitoches Central 40-12. The Jackets have a 23-14 advantage in the series with Parkway and have won five of the last seven.
The reigning 1-5A champ Gators and the Vikings have won or tied for the district crown each of the last three years and tied for the 2019 title. Airline has a 30-23-1 lead in the series that has always been a district game. The game is a Friday matchup at Lee Hedges Stadium.
Captain Shreve has the most 1-5A wins in the past five years with a 26-9 record, Byrd is second at 24-10 and Airline is 23-10 over that period.
Haughton hosts Natchitoches Central in the other 1-5A game Friday, with both squads desperately seeking success after 1-3 starts including no wins in the league. The Bucs have won all five games with the Chiefs over the last five years. The Raiders and Eagles face each other in a 1-5A game for the first time since 2004.
In the week’s only non-district contest, Benton hosts Leesville for the Tigers’ homecoming. The Benton defense faces the challenge of containing Wampus Cats’ senior Xavier Ford, who is approaching 7,000 career rushing yards and has two 400-yard games this season for the unbeaten Vernon Parish squad.
District 1-4A has a full slate. Along with the Loyola-Minden battle, the slate includes Woodlawn hosting Northwood at Independence Stadium, North DeSoto playing at Booker T. Washington, Southwood at Bossier. The Falcons have won the last seven and lead their series with the Knights 19-8. The Griffins have won eight of 11 meetings with the Lions. The Cowboys hold a slim 11-9 advantage with the Bearkats.
Calvary has a home date with 1-2A newcomer Magnolia Charter. Green Oaks and North Caddo are both on the road with the Giants taking on D’Arbonne Woods and the Titans go to Mansfield.
Plain Dealing welcomes powerful Glenbrook for a District 1-1A game.
Week 5 local prep football schedule
Thursday
DISTRICT 1-5A
Byrd at Parkway, Preston Crownover Stadium
Friday
DISTRICT 1-5A
Airline vs. Captain Shreve, Lee Hedges Stadium
Huntington at Evangel, Rodney Duron Field
Natchitoches Central at Haughton, Harold Harlan Stadium
NON-DISTRICT
Leesville at Benton
DISTRICT 1-4A
Northwood vs. Woodlawn, Independence Stadium
North DeSoto at Booker T. Washington, Leonard Barnes Stadium
Southwood at Bossier
Loyola at Minden, The Pit
DISTRICT 1-2A
Magnolia Charter at Calvary, Jerry Barker Stadium
Green Oaks at D’Arbonne Woods
North Caddo at Mansfield
DISTRICT 1-1A
Glenbrook at Plain Dealing
Tigers have tuned up for SEC season with plenty of variety
BATON ROUGE – LSU put itself in almost every situation imaginable in its four games this football season.
Losing a one-possession neutral site game in the season-opener to a 4½-point underdog because of 10 penalties for 99 yards, including two senseless personal fouls by veterans.
Slogging to a home win in Game 2 vs. a supposedly overmatched FCS (formerly Division 1-AA) in-state 19 ½-point underdog school that had a running back lineup as a Wildcat QB who rushed for 145 yards and 2 TDs.
Winning on the road in the SEC in Game 3 over a 7½-point underdog after falling behind 17-0 in the game’s first 18 minutes.
Winning at home in Game 4 over a 23½-point underdog despite being in a 17-17 tie at halftime with a team that had scored seven first-half points in its first two games.
But here Saturday in Tiger Stadium in their final non-conference contest before an open date and seven SEC games in the regular season’s last eight weeks, the Brian Kelly-coached 14th-ranked Tigers found themselves in a foreign yet welcome spot.
Playing mostly like a 23½-point favorite as deemed by oddsmakers, LSU hammered South Alabama 42-10 after scoring 14 points in its first three offensive plays.
“Coach Kelly kept telling us during the week this was our last game before an open date,” LSU linebacker Whit Weeks said. “He said, `Everybody’s gonna be talking about this game for the next two weeks, so make sure it’s a good one.’”
Good, yes.
Good enough to win the rest of LSU’s games or maybe another loss or two along the way? Debatable.
It’s hard to argue with 667 yards total offense vs. the visiting Jags.
There was a career-high 409 passing yards (in his sixth college start) from quarterback Garrett Nussmeier and 217 all-purpose yards (128 rushing, 71 receiving) in one half from true freshman running back Caden Durham who sat out the second half with a foot injury Kelly deemed “not major.”
Defensively, playing without injured linebacker Harold Perkins Jr. who sustained a season-ending torn ACL vs. UCLA, the Tigers held an offense that had averaged 512.3 yards and 48.3 points to 333 yards and a field goal and a touchdown.
While it’s nit-picking to find the negatives in a 32-point win, every possession is now magnified when LSU, now ranked 13th in the AP and 12th in the coaches poll, resumes SEC play on Oct. 12 at home vs. No. 12 Ole Miss.
Just ask the Rebels about how each possession is meaningful. Armed with an offense ranked first nationally in total offense (670.8 yards per game) and points (55 points per game) against four woefully weak non-conference creampuffs, Ole Miss scored on its first possession in its SEC opener before going 1 for 10 in third down conversions with one lost fumble in a 20-17 home loss to Kentucky.
The Tigers’ offense wandered away from focused execution vs. South Alabama after establishing a 35-3 lead with 4:23 left in the first half.
From that point, LSU’s final five possessions of the game consisted of Nussmeier throwing back-to-back interceptions, followed by a 99-yard TD drive, a punt and a clock-killing 55-yard possession under backup QB Rickie Collins that ate the final 6:38 of game clock.
Nussmeier, who has improved a million miles in his decision-making from his last few years as a backup, threw two uncharacteristically bad passes for picks.
“The first one was just a play that I got outside the pocket and some throw that I make normally in my sleep,” Nussmeier said. “I’ll beat myself up over it for the next couple of weeks. The second one was a mistake that I made that I should never not.”
Though a red-faced, cussing Kelly gave Nussmeier a thorough tongue-lashing after the second pick – something some LSU fans on social media deemed inappropriate behavior from a head coach – Nussmeier understood Kelly’s anger.
“I’ve been coached hard my whole life,” said Nussmeier, son of longtime NFL and college QB coach Doug Nussmeier. “When I was a kid, my dad was always very hard on me, very enthusiastic and very loud. I’m used to it. Coach Kelly does an unbelievable job helping me correct it.”
Kelly hinted afterward that Nussmeier’s mistakes were the byproduct of having a comfortable lead, conducive to taking more risky throws.
“I think he probably got caught up a little bit in the game,” Kelly said. “I’m not here to defend him for that, but I’m not panicked about the two interceptions. Those were decisions that are easily correctable. And I’m not concerned about the two interceptions from that perspective.”
Playing without Perkins for the first time seemed to galvanize LSU’s defense. There were fewer coverage busts and not as many missed tackles. The linebacking duo of Weeks and Greg Penn III seemed to play as one, accounting for 23 tackles, 1 ½ tackles for loss and 2 QB hurries.
“Those two pair up really well, really feed off each other,” Kelly said. “But it’s important to point out we’re doing a good job up front (on the defensive line).”
Kelly said this week’s open date will be treated differently than the Tigers’ second open date week of Nov. 2 before hosting now No. 1 Alabama on Nov. 9.
“We’re going to practice, we still have some real work to get done,” Kelly said of this week’s first open date. “We’ll treat the second open date as a recovery week.”
Contact Ron at ronhigginsmedia@gmail.com
ETBU too much for first-year Centenary squad
By PATRICK MEEHAN, Centenary Sports Information Director
MARSHALL, Texas — The Centenary football team fell 47-8 to the East Texas Baptist University Tigers on Saturday night in a non-conference game at Ornelas Stadium.
The Gents (1-3) fumbled on the game’s first offensive play and ETBU recovered, leading to a Paul Woodard 4-yard touchdown rush just three plays later and the Tigers took a 7-0 lead with 13:54 remaining in the first quarter.
Centenary forced an ETBU punt with 9:38 left in the first and the snap was bad, forcing the Tigers’ punter to run out of the back of the end zone for a Gents’ safety to make it 7-2. Woodard scored on a 19-yard TD run to make it 14-2 with 3:29 left in the period.
ETBU quarterback Kaden Brown’s 25-yard TD pass to wide receiver Trayjen Llanas-Wilcox extended the Tigers’ lead to 21-2 with 9:38 remaining in the second quarter and the lead swelled to 28-2 following a Hymond Drinkard 2-yard TD run.
The Gents finally found the end zone at the 3:25 mark of the second quarter as junior quarterback Zin’Tavious Smith of Coushatta and Red River High found junior transfer Kobe Chambers for a 61-yard TD pass to make it 28-8, but the two-point conversion run failed.
The Tigers returned the second half kickoff 95 yards and cashed in immediately on the next play as Woodard scored from two yards out to make it 34-8 with 14:40 left in the third quarter. Brown connected with Llanas-Wilcox for an 8-yard TD pass at the 13:40 mark of the fourth quarter as the Tigers made it a 41-8 game. Brown tossed another TD pass to WR Elias Dejean for 10 yards with 8:31 left in the game to make it 47-8 and the two-point attempt failed.
ETBU piled up 25 first downs to 11 for the visitors. The Lions ran for 252 of their 493 total yards while Centenary got 112 of its 209 yards on the ground.
Shreveport freshmen Delarrious Marshall and Jacob Wilson each had nine tackles to pace the Gents on defense.
The Gents play three of their next four games at home beginning with a non-conference contest against Lyon College (1-3) on Saturday evening with kickoff set for 6 p.m. at Atkins Field.
Contact Patrick at pmeehan@centenary.edu
Bulldogs’ offense stagnates, scuttles bid to claim CUSA opener at FIU
JOURNAL SPORTS
MIAMI – Louisiana Tech proved to be its own worst enemy at times Saturday night at Pitbull Stadium in a 17-10 loss to Florida International in the Conference USA opener for both teams.
Untimely penalties and the lack of offensive output were the biggest culprits as Tech (1-3, 0-1) was penalized a season-high eight times, including three that proved to be crucial on the scoreboard. The Bulldogs failed to score on four straight runs from the 1-yard line in the first half.
The Bulldogs had a 40-yard interception return for a TD by Blake Thompson in the second quarter negated due to a roughing the passer penalty.
Tech’s defense – which played well for the fourth straight game – had two dead-ball unsportsmanlike penalties that kept FIU drives alive that results in the only two TDs of the night for the Panthers.
“Disappointed in the result,” said Tech head coach Sonny Cumbie. “At times we did not play smart. We did not play smart in certain situations. We have to play smarter and cleaner. It stings in terms of the outcome.”
Tech has now dropped three straight games by a total of 20 points with each contest decided in the fourth quarter or overtime.
Freshman Evan Bullock made his first career start at quarterback for the Bulldogs and responded with a solid outing. The Anna, Texas, completed 26 of 37 passes for 218 yards and no interceptions.
“I thought he was very poised,” said Cumbie. “I thought he made some really nice throws. We have to be more explosive though in throwing the ball down the field.”
For the fourth straight game the Bulldogs simply could not run the football, especially in short-yardage situations. But this time it came against an FIU run defense that entered the contest allowing more than 200 yards per game on the ground.
The most glaring example came late in the second quarter with Tech trailing 7-0. The Bulldogs faced a first and goal from the 1-yard line, but four straight run plays were all stuffed as the Panthers (2-3, 1-0) turned Tech away.
“When you look at all of the plays, you have to be able to get a yard,” said Cumbie. “We were not able to do that. It was disappointing. You have to find a way to win football games.”
FIU took a 7-0 lead in the first quarter on a Keyon Jenkins 10-yard scoring toss to Eric Rivers, who ended with 7 catches for 97 yards and the one TD. The drive was aided by a dead-ball unsportsmanlike penalty that wiped out a third down and long for the Panthers.
FIU took the 7-0 lead into the halftime locker room.
Following a three-and-out by the Bulldogs offense on its first possession of the third quarter, FIU mounted a 56-yard scoring drive, capped by Lexington Joseph’s five-yard TD run as the Panthers took the 14-0 lead. Once again, the scoring drive was aided by a dead-ball unsportsmanlike penalty on the Tech defense that wiped out a third down and long.
Tech finally found the scoreboard midway through the third quarter. Bullock completed a pair of passes to Marlion Jackson covering 29 and 13 yards and Jimmy Holiday scored on a 5-yard end around. Buck Buchanan’s extra point made it 14-7.
On the following drive, the Bulldogs marched inside the FIU redzone but stalled as Buchanan was called upon to connect on a 34-yard field goal to make it 14-10.
The Bulldogs had an opportunity to take the lead late in the third quarter, but a completion to Jackson inside FIU territory resulted in a fumble and a turnover – the only one of the night for Tech.
FIU added a fourth quarter field goal to increase the lead to 17-10, and two final offensive possessions by the Bulldogs came up empty as the Panthers won for just the second time in seven tries against Tech.
Tech’s defense recorded eight tackles for loss, including three sacks. Michael Richard led the Bulldogs with a career-high 11 tackles while Jessie Evans, David Blay and Sifa Leota each registered sacks.
The loss spoiled a fourth straight solid outing by the Tech defense.
Tech returns to action Thursday, Oct. 10 when it hosts Middle Tennessee at Joe Aillet Stadium.
Grambling tumbles in SWAC opener to Prairie View in 5-OT battle
By T. SCOTT BOATRIGHT, Lincoln Parish Journal
DALLAS — By the time it was over, it felt like a heavyweight slugfest that ended up in a split decision.
A late touchdown in regulation by Grambling State pushed the game in overtime — five OT periods, actually — before Prairie View A&M was able to escape with a 36-34 win in the Tigers’ first Southwestern Athletic Conference game of the season.
GSU, now 3-2 overall and 0-1 in the SWAC West, will next play host to Alcorn State (2-3, 1-0), which defeated Mississippi Valley State on Saturday by the score of 42-21, in a contest set for a 2 p.m. start Saturday at Eddie G. Robinson Memorial Stadium.
Summing up Saturday night’s drama in one word, heartbreaking would be an understatement. But the way the G-Men battled to push the game into overtime was undeniably thrilling.
Trailing 24-17 with 2:48 remaining, the Tigers mounted a 14-play, 82-yard drive to tie things up with 38 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.
A 38-yard connection between GSU quarterback Miles Crawley and receiver Maquis Harrison on a fourth-and-18 play set the Tigers up at the Prairie View nine-yard line with 59 seconds left on the clock.
After running back Tre Bradford, who had earlier scored on a nine-yard run, was shut down for a three-yard loss on first down, the Tigers went no huddle and Crawley hit Jalen Johnson for the 12-yard scoring strike with 38 seconds remaining in regulation.
Prairie View got off three plays on the ensuing series but knelt on the ball on their final snap to send the game into overtime tied at 24-24.
Grambling got the first OT possession and scored on a 16-yard by power back Dedrick Talbert.
But Prairie View countered with a touchdown of its own on its initial OT possession to push the game into another stanza.
The excitement was only getting started.
GSU and PV traded field goals in the second overtime to push the game to yet another period knotted up at 34-34.
The NCAA Football Rulebook says the first three overtimes of a game have specific stipulations. The first period allows normal scoring, the second mandates two-point attempts after touchdowns, and from the third onward, teams must execute one-play, two-point conversions.
Grambling and Prairie View traded field goals in the second period on a pair as the game moved into a third, single possession game for each team.
Talbert and Crawley run attempts were shut down in the third and fourth overtime periods while Prairie View failed to connect a couple of pass plays, sending the contest into a fifth overtime period.
Crawley tried another QB keeper on GSU’s fifth OT period possession but couldn’t reach paydirt before Prairie View’s Lamaga McDowell ended the game with a short two-point conversion plunge that gave the Panthers the 36-24 victory.
Crawley connected on 29-of-48 pass attempts for 286 yards and two scores — a 23-yarder to Khristopher Simmons and the scoring strike to Johnson — while also being intercepted twice.
Javon Robinson and Julien Lewis led GSU’s receiving corps with six receptions each with Robinson totaling 48 yards and Lewis was only one yard back at 47.
Andrew Jones once again led the Tigers in tackles with 11 while David Jones added an interception for the G-Men.
Contact Scott at tscottboatright@gmail.com
Demons’ defense stands tall, but Redhawks shine brighter
JOURNAL SPORTS
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Missouri – Five games into the Blaine McCorkle era, the Northwestern State football team is still searching for true complementary football.
The Demon defense took a step toward that Saturday afternoon in Northwestern’s matchup with No. 13/14 Southeast Missouri State at Houck Stadium, slowing one of the Football Championship Subdivision’s top offenses. Despite that, the Redhawks posted a 19-0 victory as the Demons wrapped up their participation in a brief Southland Conference-Ohio Valley Conference scheduling alliance.
“You go toe-to-toe for four quarters with the No. 13 team in the country – you can’t not be proud of them,” McCorkle said. “They fought hard. They played hard. It’s kind of the same song, second verse. It seems to be the same theme every week. I’m real proud of our defense. They played their tails off. That’s one of the most potent, high-powered offenses in the country at our level right now. That quarterback is phenomenal, and to hold him to one touchdown and a pile of field goals, I’m proud of that.”
The Demons (0-5) allowed the Redhawks (4-1) to take their opening possession 37 yards on nine plays for a touchdown as quarterback Paxton DeLaurent found Cam Pedro for a 10-yard score on third down.
Even on that drive, the Demons forced SEMO to work from behind the chains, but DeLaurent was up for the challenge. The senior quarterback was 3-for-3 passing on third downs on the drive, accounting for 34 of the 37 yards.
That was the best rhythm DeLaurent and the Redhawks found against the Northwestern defense.
DeLaurent entered the game as the FCS’ No. 2 quarterback in touchdown passes, No. 7 in total passing yards and No. 10 in passing yards per game. The Demon defense limited him to the first-quarter touchdown and 237 yards passing on 21-of-43 passing.
Redshirt freshman Antonio Hall intercepted DeLaurent toward the end of the first quarter for the first interception of Hall’s career. The pick and ensuing return set the Demons up at their 43-yard line, but Northwestern could not convert three short-yardage plays following Zay Davis’ 9-yard rush on first down.
“Offensively, the story of the day is 0-for-2 on fourth down,” McCorkle said. “We got the ball moving a little bit. You’re finding a little bit of rhythm and on a fourth-and-short, you have to convert. Twice we didn’t. We tried to do it two completely different styles and neither worked. That’s something we have to get corrected in a hurry. We’ve got to have a little better situational awareness and understand what’s on the line when it’s third or fourth and short.
“If we convert those, we keep drives alive, we build momentum and it gives you a chance to put points on the board. Offensively, we’re at a bit of a loss. We’ve got to keep digging, keep searching. We did some things significantly differently with our offense this week that we have to keep building on.”
While the Demon defense stood tall in the red zone, the Northwestern offense could not gain much traction on a day that was not weather friendly for either offense.
After converting its first third-down opportunity on a 16-yard pass from Quaterius Hawkins to Travon Jones, Northwestern finished 1-for-10 on third downs and managed five total first downs as it was shut out for the second straight game – the first time that has happened to the Demons since 1975.
The second pivotal fourth down for the Demons came in the fourth quarter when a sack stymied a fourth-and-2 from the SEMO 43-yard line.
Northwestern was trying to cut into a 16-point deficit at that time thanks in part to a defense that allowed 19 points on seven red-zone chances and kept the FCS’ top touchdown-scoring receiving duo of Dorian Anderson and Mitchell Sellers – who had nine total touchdowns entering Saturday — out of the end zone.
“(Defensive coordinator) coach (Matt) Conner and the staff do a really good job emphasizing that and putting the plan together,” McCorkle said. “If I’m being really honest, one of the best things we have going for our defense is our scout-team offense. There are some guys who are really working our guys, and I give them a lot of credit. Every day we come in as a staff, the defensive staff is talking about how hard the scout-team offense is working to get them ready. It carries over here on the field.”
The Demons return to action in a week when they resume their longtime rivalry with Stephen F. Austin. Northwestern’s first visit to Nacogdoches, Texas, since 2018 kicks off at 7 p.m. inside Homer Bryce Stadium.
LSU gymnastics gets commitment from young USA Olympic gold medalist
JOURNAL SPORTS
BATON ROUGE – LSU’s national championship gymnastics program is gold standard and in the future, the Tigers are going to add an Olympic gold medalist to their roster.
New Jersey native Hezly Rivera has announced her decision to join the LSU program, which won the NCAA championship last spring.
Rivera, 16, still has some time before she gets to college. She is 16 and a junior in high school, and will join the Tigers for the 2026-27 season.
Rivera was the youngest member of the USA team that claimed gold at the Paris Olympic Games.
She announced her decision to join coach Jay Clark’s LSU program in an Instagram post.
“I am so blessed & excited to announce that I have verbally committed to Louisiana State University on a full athletic scholarship. Thank you Jesus for this wonderful blessing! Thank you to my family, coaches, and teammates for helping me throughout this process. I also want to thank all the girls, coaches, and staff at LSU for everything. Geaux Tigers!”
Rivera did not compete in the team final, but she received a gold medal as a member of the team. Individually, she did compete in the bars and beam at the Paris Games.
Bossier Bearkat names a National Merit Commended Scholar
Bossier High School senior Ethan Bamburg is among a proud group of scholars being named a Commended Student in the 2025 National Merit Scholarship Program.
Bamburg received a letter of commendation in recognition of his exceptional academic promise. Commended Students are those that placed among the top 50,000 students who entered the 2025 competition by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT). Each year, approximately 1.3 million juniors take the test.
The commendation strengthens a student’s college application, showing a high level of academic achievement. This honor broadens Bamburg’s opportunities as he continues his pursuit of academic success.
Remembering Jason Wayne Fairchild
Jason Wayne Fairchild was born on January 9, 1961, and passed away on Thursday, September 19th at the age of 63.
Jason moved to his beloved Shreveport, Louisiana, with his parents at 8 years old. He attended Jesuit High School where he found a passion for chemistry. This led him to earn a BA in chemistry at LSU Shreveport where he made lifelong friends from his Kappa Alpha Fraternity.
Jason found great success in the oil and gas industry of Caddo Parish as a chemical engineer. Fairchild could walk down a store aisle and assemble the chemical ingredients of off-the-shelf products for everyday usage, without blinking once. In his spare time, Jason rebuilt and restored cars and boats, shot skeet as a marksman, became an avid gun collector, and enjoyed boating immensely.
Affable and easygoing, tall and towering, Jason Fairchild never met a stranger and greatly enjoyed the fellowship of the many who knew him. He will be remembered and live on in the hearts of his colleagues, family, and friends that his life touched.
Jason is preceded in death by his parents, Bettie Lee Marable and Wayne Tate Fairchild.
Jason is survived by his former wife, Rindy Dyer Fairchild of Tappahannock, VA.; son, Sgt. Christian Dyer Fairchild USMC; first cousins, Hansford and Delores Fairchild, Dan and Bill Tyler, wives, Christy Fairchild, Adele and Cindy Tyler, and his very best friend, Gary Vinson.
The memorial service honoring Jason’s life will be held at 1:00 p.m., Saturday, October 5, 2024, at Osborn Funeral Home with the visitation beginning at noon.
In lieu of flowers, consider a donation in his honor to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
God bless Jason Fairchild.
National Chewing Gum Day
By Jeanni Ritchie
Remember the Double Mint Twins?
There were actually ten sets of identical siblings who represented Wrigley’s iconic gum beginning in 1939, including Liz and Jean Sagal (Grease 2), Cynthia and Brittany Daniel (Sweet Valley High), and Tia and Tamera Mowry (Sister, Sister).
On September 30, we celebrate #ChewingGumDay, to celebrate the substance humans have been gnawing on for over 5,000 years.
In 2007, a British archaeology student discovered a 5,000-year-old piece of chewing gum made from bark tar with tooth imprints in it. Presumed to be the oldest piece of chewing gum, the discovery took place in Kierikki, Yli-li, Finland. Made from bark tar, scientists believed the gum to have antiseptic properties and other medicinal advantages.
In 1848, John B. Curtis developed and sold the first commercial chewing gum, which was called “The State of Maine Pure Spruce Gum.”
Now there are several different kinds of gum in a variety of flavors: center-filled gums like Freshen-Up, ball gum, stick gum, ribbon gum, tab gum, tube gum, dragee gum, and wrap gum.
My favorites were always Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit and Super Bubble green gum.
Studies show chewing gum helps improve memory, reduce stress, and increase alertness. Chewing sugar-free gum improves overall oral hygiene while also helping to curb cravings and improving digestion.
And remember, perhaps the best benefit of all, is you can kiss a little longer, longer with Big Red!!
Jeanni Ritchie is a contributing journalist from Central Louisiana. She can be reached at jeanniritchie54@gmail.com.
Notice of Death – September 29, 2024
Justice Jeffrey Paul Victory
January 29, 1946 — September 26, 2024
Service: Tuesday, October 1, 2024, 1pm at Broadmoor Baptist Church, Shreveport.
David John Werner
October 7, 1938 – September 27, 2024
Services: Friday, October 4, 2024, 3:30pm at St. Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral, Shreveport.
Chester Anthony “Buzz” Wojecki
February 18, 1948 — September 28, 2024
Service: Saturday, October 5, 2024, 11am at Rose Neath Funeral Home, Bossier City.
Jason Fairchild
January 9, 1961 – September 19, 2024
Service: Saturday, October 5, 2024, 1pm at Osborn Funeral Home, Shreveport.
Celia Diane Hassell
January 30, 1954 — September 24, 2024
Service: Saturday, October 5, 2024, 3pm at Rose Neath Funeral Home, 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)
September 28, 2024
Airline, Evangel go full throttle to the wire before Vikings prevail
By DOUG IRELAND, Journal Sports
Fast start, fantastic finish.
Airline stayed unbeaten, just barely, Friday night in the wild game everyone anticipated when Evangel came to Bossier City. The matchup showcased the state’s passing leader last year, Airline’s Ben Taylor, and Evangel’s sensational sophomore quarterback, Pop Houston. It met expectations.
The Vikings scored the game-winner with exactly one minute remaining – after Evangel had taken the lead with 3:54 to go – and held off the Eagles, staving off disaster with a stop four yards shy of the end zone to finish a 47-42 District 1-5A triumph.
Airline (4-0, 3-0 in 1-5A) got 338 yards and four touchdowns passing from Taylor, including the decisive 23-yard connection with Kenny Darby. They combined on a 55-yard touchdown that ignited an amazing spurt of three TDs in three plays as the focal point of a first quarter with a combined 47 points.
Evangel (1-3, 0-2) led 26-21 after the first 12 minutes, overcoming a pair of early two-TD deficits. When Houston scrambled 16 yards for a fourth-down score with 1:14 left in the first period, that was the first of three lead changes.
It was unthinkable that the teams would combine for only four TDs in the second half – or that Airline would stage a goalline stand, stopping Evangel on two downs a foot from the goalline late in the third quarter.
But with an instant classic finishing with a flourish, after a string of four series midway through the second half without any offensive scoring, Evangel punched first, Airline answered, and then held off the Eagles at the end.
“It was just a great night of high school football, maybe the best overall game I’ve ever been a part of,” said third-year Vikings coach Justin Scogin, who has been part of plenty of score wars since becoming Airline’s pilot.
“It really was a wonderful football game,” said Evangel coach Pastor Denny Duron. “I’m very impressed with the Vikings tonight, and also incredibly impressed with the Eagles. We came very close to winning.”
Not just four yards away on the final play, either – a desperate 37-yard heave by Houston that may, or may not, have been caught by Charley Abraham, who was definitely smothered by Vikings’ receivers turned defensive backs Jarvis Davis and Darby as the final horn sounded.
Earlier, on their pointless visit to the brink of the Vikings’ goalline, Houston tried to sneak in on third down — “I still think on that first one, I got in,” he said – and Evangel power back Dae Dae Drake slipped before taking the handoff on fourth-and-goal, and the left side of the Airline defense stacked him up. Later, an Eagles receiver had hands on a 36-yard pass at the goalline early in the final quarter, but couldn’t hold on.
“We’re a slip and a drop away from being really happy tonight,” said Duron. “But here’s the thing about the Vikings; if we don’t have a slip and a drop, they’re probably going to figure a way to score a couple more themselves. Those two plays were the most significant as we came down the stretch.”
The Eagles took their last lead, 42-41, on a 67-yard, eight-play drive capped by Nate Green’s 26-yard grab on a post route with just under four minutes to go.
Watching on the home sideline, Taylor was unfazed.
“I was telling the guys we had four minutes left, and we still had a timeout, and all we needed was a field goal,” he said. “Coach Scogin said he wanted to score, so that’s what we did. I’ve gotten better at keeping calm the entire game. The whole offense stayed calm. We went out and scored like we always do.”
Nine plays and 78 yards later, Darby snatched the last of his seven catches for 100 yards, leaping along the Evangel sideline at the goalline, outfighting a defender for the ball.
“I knew it was coming to me, and I just went up and got it,” said Darby.
Then it was Evangel’s turn. An 11-yard Houston-to-Green throw followed immediately by a 15-yard Houston scramble got the Eagles to Airline’s 41 with 19 seconds showing. The next play required another scramble, but it finished with an incompletion among three defenders at the back of the end zone with six seconds left.
One more snap, one more instance of Houston (345 yards passing, 121 rushing, producing four TDs) weaving away from tacklers, before he lofted an off-balance effort downfield toward Abraham, and it didn’t get the desired result.
Airline, ironically, prevailed with a clutch defensive play.
“We say all the time, we don’t just try to outscore people. We put together a great plan. The first half was crazy. The second half we settled down and played great,” said Scogin. “But 47-42 is good with me. We did a great job pulling it out.”
Contact Doug at sbjdoug@gmail.com
AIRLINE 47, EVANGEL 42
Evangel 26 0 9 7 – 42
Airline 21 14 6 6 – 47
A – Ayden Baker 41 pass from Ben Taylor (Benjamin Jump kick), 10:08 1st, Airline 7-0
A – Jarvis Davis 29 pass from Taylor (Jump kick), 9:53 1st, 14-0
E – Pop Houston 50 run (Kaegen Kent kick), 7:05 1st, 14-7
A – Kenny Darby 55 pass from Taylor (Jump kick), 5:31 1st, 21-7
E – Demarkus Evans 65 pass from Houston (kick failed), 5:20 1st, 21-13
E – Kadarius Thurman 31 fumble return (pass failed), 4:31 1st, 21-19
E – Houston 16 run (Kent kick), 1:14 1st, Evangel 26-21
A – Micah Johnson 5 run (Jump kick), 11:04 2nd, Airline 28-26
A – Derrian Milligan 13 run (Jump kick), 2:48 2nd, 35-26
E – Ashton Dawson 23 run (Kent kick), 8:56 3rd, 35-33
A – Davis 4 run (kick failed), 7:09 3rd, 41-33
E – Safety, Nick Lopez, Dawson tackled Taylor in end zone, 0:12 3rd, 41-35
E – Nate Green 26 pass from Houston (Kent), 3:54 4th, Evangel 42-41
A – Darby 23 pass from Taylor (pass failed), 1:00 4th, Airline 47-42
Big plays buoy Captain Shreve at Benton
By MATT VINES, Journal Sports
BENTON — Captain Shreve had more points than offensive plays (39) Friday as the visiting Gators outdistanced Benton in a 53-35 District 1-5A win.
Shreve quarterback Brodie Savage threw for four touchdowns and 293 yards on 11-of-16 passing, averaging nearly 30 yards per completion.
Jamarcea Plater had his second straight 200-yard rushing total for the winners, posting 249 yards on 21 carries with TDs of 3 and 1 yards to go with a 10-yard score on a Savage pass.
The Gators averaged 13.9 yards per play, piling up 542 yards. Benton had 507 total yards on an astonishing 95 snaps.
Receiver Cardarrian Devers was on the other end of two of those explosive passes. He scored from 78 yards to boost the Gators to a 14-7 edge, then snared a 75-yarder to put Shreve on top to stay, 20-14, midway through the second period. He finished with 175 receiving yards on four catches.
Benton (0-4, 0-3 District 1-5A) sliced the lead to 27-21 in the third quarter, but Captain Shreve (3-1, 2-1) scored four of the next five touchdowns to pull away.
“Benton came out in a different defensive structure than we were expecting, and we had to make some adjustments each drive once we got into the flow of the game,” said Shreve coach Jeremy Wilburn. “Our passing game came alive tonight in some one-on-one situations because they were focused on stopping (Plater).
“We had some guys step up to the plate in the passing game, and that made an impact.”
A balanced Shreve attack rushed for 249 yards and passed for 293.
The Benton offense got 32 first downs, but the Tigers struggled to finish drives. Quarterback Malachi Zeigler ran for 132 yards on 21 carries, including a 10-yard TD, and threw for two more scores (21, 4 yards) on 12 of 24 aim for 140 yards.
“Defensively, we are starting to find our identity as we have a lot of new starters settling into their roles,” Wilburn added.
According to the Benton radio crew, it’s the first time in program history for the Tigers to start 0-4.
Benton steps out of 1-5A and will face one of the state’s top running backs in Xavier Ford next Friday when the Tigers host Leesville. Captain Shreve will do battle with unbeaten Airline next week at Lee Hedges Stadium.
Contact Matt at sports@journalservicesllc.com
Flyers’ first quarter sets tone in rout of Southwood
By JOHN JAMES MARSHALL, Journal Sports
It’s been 48 years since Southwood and Loyola last played each other – in fact, Loyola wasn’t even known as Loyola at the time (the school’s name was Jesuit) — and it might another 48 years until you see anything like the wild and craziness of the first quarter Friday night at Messmer Stadium.
There were more possessions in the first quarter – an amazing 13 of them — than you see sometimes in an entire game.
It took the Flyers all of 18 total plays to score five touchdowns in the first quarter as (almost) everything went right for Loyola. Meanwhile, almost everything went wrong for Southwood (three fumbles) in that same time frame.
Loyola set a school record for points in a quarter (36) as the Flyers raised their record to 3-1 with a 50-0 win over the Cowboys to open District 1-4A play.
The Flyers even busted out the ol’ Statue of Liberty play and got a 34-yard scoring run by Ben Brewer to punctuate the onslaught.
“I thought we played well,” said Loyola coach John Sella. “I told them I wanted to get on them fast and keep our foot on the gas and create some turnovers and we did that.”
Indeed they did as all the highlights weren’t just on offense. In the first quarter alone, Alex Mitchell, Carter Ward and Jack Budziszewski all caused and recovered fumbles. It was part of a never-to-be-forgotten night for Ward, a senior cornerback, who went on to have as many interceptions in the game (three) as the entire Flyer team had a year ago.
Thomas Gosslee also had an interception.
That helped lead to a shutout that the Flyers were pretty determined to get in a game that was played with a running clock for the final 2 ½ quarters.
The Homecoming presentation at halftime took up more total time than the second half.
Mason Drake had his second straight three-touchdown game with scoring runs of 3, 2 and 59 yards as he ran for a career-high 136 yards on 13 carries.
The Flyers showed good balance as quarterback Bryce Restovich threw for 192 yards, completing 9 of 15 passes and three touchdowns.
“If you are balanced, that makes it very difficult for teams to stop you,” Sella said.
Jake Black led the Loyola receiving corps with three catches, all of the spectacular variety, for 135 yards. Black had an over-the-shoulder catch in the corner of the end zone for a 30-yard score; an amazing, full-out dive on a 38-yard catch that set up another touchdown; then ran the wrong route but turned it into a 67-yard catch as he outraced the Cowboy defense to the end zone.
Loyola threw a number of deep balls with good success. “They kept walking their safeties down and playing man-to-man, so we had to win those one-on-one battles,” Sella said.
Loyola had 363 yards in total offense and held Southwood to 93.
The Flyers are 3-1 for the first time since going 4-0 to start the 2019 season. They will travel to 4-0 Minden next week.
“That’s going to be a real test,” Sella said. “We will see where we are next week.”
Southwood (0-3, 0-1) will be at Bossier next week.
Contact JJ at johnjamesmarshall@yahoo.com
LOYOLA 50, SOUTHWOOD 0
Scoring Summary
L – Safety, ball snapped out of the end zone
L – Mason Drake 3 run (run failed)
L – Jake Black 30 pass from Bryce Restovich (Evan Lirette kick)
L – Drake 2 run (Lirette kick)
L – Ben Brewer 34 run (Lirette kick)
L – Brock Geter 45 pass from Restovich (Lirette kick)
L – Black 67 pass from Restovich (Lirette kick)
L – Drake 59 run (Lirette kick)
Individual Statistics
RUSHING – Southwood, Dylan Turner 11-40, Javious Washington 5-8, Jamil Green 2-4, Team 1-minus-18. Loyola, Drake 13-136, Brewer 1-34, Dominic Rinaudo 6-15, Restovich 2-minus-14.
PASSING – Southwood, Cornelious Martin 8-21-4-59-0. Loyola, Restovich 9-15-0-192-3.
RECEIVING – Southwood, Roderick Bates 4-19, LeQuinton Pinkney 4-40. Loyola, Black 3-135, Geter 2-43, Brewer 1-7, Colby Hamilton 1-5, Drake 2-2
No stress as Huntington, Parkway stay unbeaten in 1-5A; Byrd wins on road
By MATT VINES, Journal Sports
After a defensive stop, Huntington took command early and rolled past visiting Haughton 56-27 in a District 1-5A contest at Independence Stadium Friday night.
The Raiders (3-1) moved to a perfect 3-0 in the league with a dismantling of the young Bucs (1-3, 0-3).
Huntington scored the game’s first 19 points and led 40-7 early in the third quarter.
After stopping a deep Haughton drive to the start the game, Raiders’ quarterback Landon Gibbs threw a 45-yard pass to start the scoring.
Kamron Davis rushed for an 8-yard touchdown before reeling in a 40-yard pass from Gibbs to lead 19-0 late in the first quarter.
Haughton answered with an Ethan Johnson four-yard scoring run, but the Raiders scored the three touchdowns to construct the insurmountable lead.
The Bucs did recover two onside kicks in the second half and pulled as close as 40-21 with a chance to make it a two-score game, but the Raiders defense settled and the Bucs would come no closer.
Huntington heads to west Shreveport next week to face an Evangel squad that’s lost its last two games. Haughton and Natchitoches Central will each be looking for their first district win between the pines next Friday night.
Parkway 40, Natchitoches Central 12: At Turpin Stadium on the Northwestern campus, the visiting Panthers remained undefeated (4-0, 2-0) by scoring the game’s first 26 points and never looking back.
Parkway did it largely without quarterback Kaleb Williams, who was injured on the third play of the game.
Coach Coy Brotherton said they’ll know more about the severity today.
Without its starting quarterback, Parkway by and large stuck to its running game as the offensive line created gaping holes in the Natchitoches Central defensive front.
Carmaro Mayo (two), CJ Dudley, Antonio Gladney and Jayden Lewis all scored rushing touchdowns to supply Parkway its points.
“We were able to establish the run and had some chunk plays.” Brotherton said. “The defense made stop after stop.”
With Natchitoches Central (1-3, 0-3) feverishly trying to make a game of it early in the third quarter, Mark Copenhaver intercepted an Owen Smith pass and returned it about 50 yards for the touchdown to quell any thoughts of a comeback.
Byrd 35, John Ehret 14: The unbeaten Yellow Jackets never trailed despite the lengthy road trip to the West Bank south of New Orleans.
Byrd (4-0) scored the first two touchdowns and staved off a couple of turnovers and several Patriot surges to come away with the road win.
Leading by two scores, the Yellow Jackets made a goal-line stand at the 1-yard line to end the third quarter.
Byrd marched 99 yards capped by a Collin Deere 23-yard touchdown run that chewed up the vast majority of the fourth quarter.
Byrd rolled up 382 rushing yards led by Desmond Simmons (17-177, two touchdowns). Deere, Quinton Hilliard and Christian Maxie all scored touchdowns against the Patriots (1-3).
“We have some things that we have to improve on, but we sure are glad to make a long road trip and get a win,” Byrd coach Stacy Ballew said on the postgame radio show. “We’ll continue to get better each week.”
The Yellow Jackets will next face fellow undefeated Parkway (4-0) in Bossier as they step back into District 1-5A play.
Contact Matt at sports@journalservicesllc.com
Northwood spots North DeSoto big early lead, can’t recover
STONEWALL — Things did not go the way previously unbeaten Northwood planned Friday night.
The visiting Falcons spotted the North DeSoto Griffins a 21-point lead in the first eight minutes of the game and that proved to be a hole too deep to overcome in a 38-21 loss that was a District 1-4A tone setter. The teams usually meet later in the season and he winner of the matchup has often claimed the league title.
It didn’t help that a premature whistle denied a potential Northwood touchdown on a return of an apparent fumble as the Griffins were going in for their second score.
After falling behind in the first quarter, the Falcons rallied over the next three. They got a 17-yard touchdown reception from Jayden White, a 7-yard scoring catch from John Sneed and a 24-yard rushing touchdown from Kyran Johnson, who piled up 210 rushing yards. But the comeback ultimately fell short.
“We expected to win this game,” a disappointed Northwood coach Austin Brown said. “It was an unfortunate turn of events.I thought we were better than them, but the better team won.”
Northwood fell to 3-1 with the loss in the district debut and will face Woodlawn (1-3, 0-1) next week. North DeSoto drew even at 2-2 overall as running back Kenny Thomas ran for 193 yards and three touchdowns.
Minden 28, Woodlawn 6: Quinton Wilson’s touchdown capped the Knights’ only successful scoring drive of the night in this 1-4A opener at The Pit in Minden, but Woodlawn coach Thedrick Harris praised the play of his defense.
“We had some big stops,” he said. “The defense battled all over the field all night. I’m really proud of my kids.”
Woodlawn falls to 1-3, 0-1 and will host Northwood (3-1, 0-1) next week.
Booker T. Washington 38, Bossier 6: The Lions won their sixth game in a row in the series against the visiting Bearkats to improve to 3-1 on the season with a win to kick off the 1-4A season. Bossier slipped to 1-3.
Senior running back Aaron Dillard scored three touchdowns to lead the Booker T. Washington offense. On defense,Jaylen O’Neal scored on a fumble recovery and Devondre Johnson scored on a 75-yard interception return ending the first half to give BTW a 30-0 lead.
North Caddo 46, Magnolia School of Excellence 6: After missing last week’s game with a hamstring injury, Titans running back Tray Morris returned to action this week to help lead his team to an easy homefield win in the District 1-2A opener.
Morris averaged 17 yards on eight carries and scored two touchdowns. Mason Jackson added two touchdowns, including an interception return that covered more than 70 yards. Antonio Nelson also scored two touchdowns
The Titans led 30-0 at halftime.
“We had some penalties early in the game that we had to clean up, but overall I’m pleased,” coach Chase Thompson said. “We’re very talented on defense. We have some really athletic guys on the perimeter. It’s hard for guys to get the edge on us, and we have some really big defensive linemen inside. People try to go north-south on us and it’s really difficult on them. So I’m very excited about the way we’re playing on defense and I expect us to continue to be really good there.”
The Titans (3-1) travel to Mansfield (1-3) next week. Magnolia (0-4) visits Calvary.
Union Parish 28, Green Oaks 0: The Giants couldn’t get untracked against the Farmers, who won for the first time this year after ending last year as the Non-Select Division III state champions. Green Oaks (1-3) was blanked for the first time this fall.
The Giants travel to meet D’Arbonne Woods Charter (3-1, 0-1) next Friday.
Haynesville 51, Plain Dealing 0: The Golden Tors (4-0), ranked third in Class A, rode home happy after rolling over the outmanned Lions, who lost for the 29th consecutive game. It opened District 1-1A play for both teams.
Contact Lori at sportslyons@gmail.com
Faster start allows Calvary to blow by D’Arbonne Woods
By MATT VINES, Journal Sports
Calvary Baptist coach Rodney Guin wanted his Cavs to generate quicker starts.
When the Cavs actually had the ball, it was mission accomplished Friday against D’Arbonne Woods Charter in a District 1-2A opener.
After dropping two straight contests, notably a loss last week on the road at Franklin Parish when the Cavs fell behind quickly, Calvary scored the game’s first 35 points en route to a 56-7 romp against the previously undefeated Timberwolves (3-1, 0-1).
The Cavs (2-2, 1-0) scored on their first possession and running back James Simon IV punched in the first of his four touchdown runs. His four rushing touchdowns Friday is more than his three in the first three games.
The Timberwolves preceded to eat the next 10 minutes of the first quarter on a drive that didn’t reach the red zone.
The Cavs revved their engines and sprinted away from D’Arbonne Woods in the second quarter.
Calvary’s Trey McDaniels blocked a punt and scored in the second quarter before Simon found paydirt twice in the period, scoring on runs of 14 and 45 yards for a 28-0 lead. McDaniels added an interception to boost his performance.
Kolby Thomas got in on the action with a 70-yard touchdown from quarterback Abram Wardell, building a 35-0 lead late in the second quarter. It’s Thomas 10th receiving touchdown this season.
“Once we got the ball back, we played really well after that,” said Guin. “They maybe had just one or two first downs after that.
“We corrected our mistakes offensively and didn’t have any self-inflicted penalties like we’ve had so far. We were pretty sharp offensively tonight.”
The Timberwolves did get on the board late in the second quarter (35-7), but Wardell had an answer with a touchdown pass to Braylun Huglon to go into halftime leading 42-7.
Calvary supplied the two second-half touchdowns with a Simon 40-yard run and a Daylen Wilson 5-yard scoring reception from Wardell, who has 16 passing touchdowns this season.
Calvary’s defense handcuffed a Timberwolves offense that averaged nearly 46 points per game in its first three contests.
“It was good to get back on the winning side tonight and see the kids smiling and having fun on the sideline,” Guin said.
Calvary needed to get back into the win column after consecutive four-point losses to Neville and Franklin Parish, and the Cavs got another shot at a team from Northeast Louisiana.
Flashing back to the 2023 season, the Calvary-D’Arbonne Woods matchup was the defacto District 1-2A championship game with Cavs coming away with a 35-0 win.
While the addition of Union Parish and Homer deepened the contender pool in the district, Friday’s matchup was a still a chance for the Timberwolves to measure themselves against the district favorite.
Calvary, who plays five of its first six games at home this season, remains home to host Magnolia School of Excellence (0-3) this coming week.
Contact Matt at sports@journalservicesllc.com