Each year on December 18, Answer the Phone Like Buddy the Elf Day encourages fans of the hit movie Elf to embrace their inner Buddy with his signature greeting: “Buddy the Elf, what’s your favorite color?” This playful tradition brings laughter and festive cheer to the holiday season.

Modern holiday films like Elf have sparked quirky traditions that add a sense of joy to December. From dressing up as Buddy to organizing themed watch parties, these activities remind us to embrace the magic and silliness of the season.

So, pick up the phone, channel Buddy, and let the holiday spirit ring through your words—it’s a simple way to spread joy.

Once heard a football coach tell his team he wanted each player to fight as if he were the third monkey on the ramp to Noah’s Ark and it had just started raining.

Old Testament encouragement. Nothing quite like it.

This is the kind of fight and fever I expect to see from Louisiana Tech when the Bulldogs take on No. 19 (AP) Army in the 48^th Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl Saturday, Dec. 28, at 8:15 p.m. in Independence Stadium and on ESPN.

If ever there were a team playing with house money, it’s this Tech team, and I could not be happier for them.

Thank goodness and Walter Camp, Tech fell bass ackward into the 2024 BowlFest Ark when Marshall, the Sun Belt champ, decided Saturday it couldn’t compete in the game. After accepting the invite last Sunday. Sigh …

(We’ve said for years this sport needs a commissioner like rice needs gravy but … whole other story.)

THIS story is that while much of the media was wearing out the Thundering (Except For In The 2024 I-Bowl) Herd for backing out, I was packaging up chocolates and roses and Slim Jims and John Denver CDs to send to Huntington, West Virginia. Taped up boxes ’til my hands bled.

Thank you, Marshall! Your administrators fumbled. Been in a similar spot, and it’s no fun. (I’m thinking of a long-departed Tech AD who said “Thanks but no thanks” to the I-Bowl in 2012, leaving the NCAA’s highest scoring offense with no bowl to play in. Some of us still haven’t fully flushed that…)

But this time, Tech at 5-7 was the beneficiary of grownups doing silly grownup things. A Bulldog team that waded upstream through a weird year gets one more chance to be together and to play together.

This Tech team lost five games by one score, three of those in overtime. Beat the Conference USA runner-up on the road, lost to the CUSA champion on a Hail Mary. Commercials for nerve pills should have run on jumbotrons and TV sets during game breaks.

But now … one more Saturday night.

Tech coach Sonny Cumbie will address the media today a bit after noon and have some solid information on the roster, little things like who might be playing and who might be gone, this being the day of the portal and transfers and rules that bend like willow trees in a hurricane. The suspicion is that the roster’s a liquid situation going into Tuesday night’s first bowl practice.

(Important Roster Note: The good news is that we want all of you who can to come to the game; the bad news is, you might have to play flanker or nose tackle; I’m ‘out’ as it would take me until at least Groundhog Day just to get loose.)

The early line on this game was Army by 14.5, now up to 16.5. Sounds about right. But a couple things I know and don’t have to bet on:

• Tech’s defense, even minus a couple of guys, should keep this team in the game as it’s done all season, and;
• Cumbie, Athletics Director Ryan Ivey and President Dr. Jim Henderson will make sure the Bulldogs are competitive. I know how much it means to them. And they know that, even coming off an upset to Navy, the Black Knights, 11-2 and American Athletic Conference Champions, would be a handful for any team this season.

But here’s the great news for you and for me as college football fans: it has never mattered who the teams were; the I-Bowl Team has never, in my experience, had an off year.

This is an organization that helps the community all year. This is a bunch of people who make sure the players and their families, year after year, have a fun few days on the river. Since its start in 1976, this is the 11^th most historic bowl game and will be played in a historic stadium that’s welcomed its share of Hall of Famers and is hosted by people who work all year to give you this experience to share.

Love, love, love the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl. A lot of us have been lucky enough to watch it grow up. Been fun. Too bad the grownups in charge of Marshall’s team made a decision that will keep those players from this once-in-a-lifetime bowl opportunity.

Marshall fumbled. Tech recovered. Let’s see what the ’Dogs can do with it.

(I-BOWL INFO: RadianceTechnologiesIndependenceBowl.com has it all, or follow the bowl on Facebook, X and Instagram at @IndyBowl. Tickets? Easy as falling off a porch: email info@independencebowl.org or call the bowl office, 318.221.0712.)

Contact Teddy at teddy@latech.edu

By DAVID ERSOFF, Journal Sports

Benton’s girls soccer team went 4-0 last week, remaining undefeated on the season, and earned a promotion.

The Lady TIgers received seven of 10 first-place votes and are now atop the Shreveport- Bossier Journal Coaches Poll for the first time.

Benton started last week by defeating Magnet 5-1.  The Lady Tigers then traveled to the Copa Acadiana Tournament and beat H.L. Bourgeois 5-0, Barbe 3-2 and lastly Division II power Lakeshore 2-1.

Benton, along with North DeSoto, will be hosting Ursuline Academy and Episcopal of Baton Rouge this weekend.

The former top-ranked team, the Byrd Lady Jackets, fell to No. 2 in the poll for the first time this season, but still secured three first-place votes. Byrd had a light week, playing only Airline, winning 8-0.

Monday evening, Byrd defeated Captain Shreve 2-0 in front of a large home crowd. The Lady Jackets are off until the Lakeshore Tournament in Mandeville Dec. 26-28.

Captain Shreve’s Gator Cup this past weekend received an unwelcome guest, strong rains that caused some game cancellations. The biggest of those was Shreve’s matchup with Division III state contender Vandebilt. Byrd did get in one game, beating Northwood 7-0.

After their 2-0 loss to Byrd Monday, the Lady Gators look to rebound tonight against Huntington. Shreve will travel to Baton Rouge this weekend to face University Lab and Zachary.

Loyola started last week struggling to score, first tying Alexandria 0-0, then at the Copa tying Zachary 0-0 as well. The Lady Flyers fixed that issue against St. Thomas Aquinas, winning 4-1. Loyola finished the Copa with a 1-0 victory over Baton Rouge.

The Lady Flyers finished their 2024 against Airline with a 5-0 triumph Tuesday night.

North DeSoto held onto the No. 5 spot in the coaches poll despite a 3-3 tie with Parkway last week. The Lady Griffins defeated Ruston 2-0 on Thursday to finish out their week.

North DeSoto traveled to No. 6 Calvary Tuesday night and was outplayed 4-1. NDHS will face Episcopal and Ursuline this weekend. The Lady Griffins will end their 2024 at the Mandeville tournament Dec. 27-28.

The Lady Cavaliers had no games last week. They defeated Natchitoches Central 8-0 on Monday, before their impressive performance against North DeSoto after poll voting was done. Calvary is off until the New Year.

Airline held off Magnet to stay at No. 7 in the poll despite losing both games last week, 8-0 to Byrd and 1-0 to Neville. The Lady Vikings defeated Haughton 1-0 Monday. They completed their 2024 with that 5-0 loss Tuesday night to Loyola.

There will be no SBJ Coaches Poll on Christmas week. We will pick up coverage the following week to wrap up 2024.

Contact David at dersoff@bellsouth.net

Shreveport-Bossier Journal Girls Soccer Coaches Poll

Rank      Team (1^st)            Record                 Pts          Last week

1             Benton (7)           12-0-1                  67           2            

2             Byrd (3)                7-1-3                     63           1

3             Shreve                 7-2-2                     49           3            

4             Loyola                   8-3-2                     40           4

5             North DeSoto     6-3-2                     27           5

6             Calvary                 5-3-3                     16           6

7             Airline                   7-2-0                     10           7

Also receiving votes — Caddo Magnet (6), Parkway (2)

By DOUG IRELAND, Journal Sports

As tough as it was to break the news to his Huntington High School football players that he was leaving to become Benton High’s new head coach, Stephen Dennis had unwittingly laid the groundwork throughout the eight years he was the Raiders’ coach.

Tuesday morning, he had no doubt that they understood his decision. The message was simple and pure, he recalled a few hours later.

“For eight years I’ve talked to y’all about the kind of husbands and fathers and community leaders I expect you to be, with the foundation we provide in this program,” Dennis, 40, said he told the Raiders. “This is an opportunity for me to be a better dad, a more present dad. I’m not practicing what I preach if I don’t take advantage of this.’

“It’s genuine to what we’ve preached to them. Kids know the truth, who you are as a person.”

Replacing Reynolds Moore in Benton, at a program that has been among the more successful locally this century, was an enticing prospect. But the pivotal motivation for Dennis was more family time.

“It’s an opportunity to be on the same campus as my kids. I have a boy who will be in high school in two years, and my younger son will be in high school in four years. They both play football.

“For the first time, I’ll be able to drive my kids to school. I’ve never been able to do that consistently. That 30 minutes there, that 30 minutes back, it’s a lot to me,” he said.

It’s also a return to his roots. Dennis graduated from Parkway High in Bossier City and moving to the east side of the Red River had special appeal.

“Benton is a great community. Seeing the commitment to excellence here, the sustained success, the continued growth of the school, those are things I want to be a part of,” he said. “They’ve had three football coaches in 31 years, which is remarkable and speaks to their commitment in this day and age. I’m thankful they’ve entrusted the leadership of the football program to me.”

He took over a Huntington program that won just seven times in three seasons, and finished with an overall 44-41 record. It included four winning seasons and this year’s 6-6 slate in the past five years. Benton went 83-54 in 12 seasons under Moore, but was 1-9 this year after a losing record in 2023.

Dennis is a veteran of 17 years in coaching after graduating from Louisiana College, where he played for current North DeSoto coach Dennis Dunn. He heard from his old coach and many, many more friends Tuesday.

“It’s been awesome, the response, but it’s also bittersweet,” said Dennis. “I love Rasberry Lane, I love the kids at Huntington. Caddo Parish was such a good place and so supportive of me as a coach and employee.

“I’m very thankful to Nick Smith, our principal at Huntington, who has been wonderful to me and especially through this process, and to Mrs. (Whitney) Clark at Benton,” he said. Clark was able to contain the news so that Dennis shared it first with the teenagers who have looked up to him, some for 3-4 years.

“That meant the world to me. I was able to get in front of the kids that I love and give a message that was hard to say, but they heard it from me, not reading it on the internet somewhere.”

Huntington beat Benton this season, the first for the Raiders in District 1-5A, where Benton was the newbie a few years earlier. The Tigers have over 100 players, 80 in their offseason program, and others playing basketball and baseball. Their offense revolves around highly-regarded Class of 2027 quarterback Malachi Zeagler, who has been recruited by SEC programs.

Dennis, noted as an innovative offensive coach, looks forward to assessing the talent on hand and designing a scheme to maximize it.

“Our job as coaches is to put kids in position to be successful with their skill set. Malachi has a very specific skill set,” he said, “and we’re going to put him in position to be very successful.”

Contact Doug at sbjdoug@gmail.com

By PATRICK MEEHAN, Centenary Sports Information Director

Name, Image and Likeness management is reality even at the NCAA Division III level, so Centenary Athletics has entered that space.

Centenary has officially partnered with Opendorse to create an all-in-one NIL platform for the department.

Opendorse is a recognized leader in the student-athlete NIL marketplace, providing technology and services to the athlete endorsement industry. More than 130,000 athletes use Opendorse to build and monetize their name, image, and likeness with support from hundreds of colleges and thousands of brands, fans, donors, and partners including Team USA, LEARFIELD, Keller Williams, and more.

“Centenary Athletics is excited to provide NIL opportunities to the valued student-athletes of Centenary College,” said Centenary director of athletics and recreation David Orr. “Opendorse is a NIL leader and will provide the education, resources and training for Ladies and Gents student-athletes to build and benefit their brand.”

Opendorse maximizes NIL opportunities for student-athletes, while delivering security and simplicity for all involved parties. The Opendorse-powered marketplace is built on a decade of athlete marketing technology and experience. Opendorse has facilitated hundreds of thousands of NIL deals and endorsements with athletes at every level of sports. The marketplace is used by over 130,000 athletes to manage deals from pitch to payment, and even tax prep, every day.

In addition to industry-leading NIL content, compliance and education solutions, every Centenary student-athlete will receive an Opendorse profile, which they can customize and promote to fans on their personal social media channels. Athletes review opportunities, receive deals, accept compensation, and disclose NIL activities to their institution, all within the Opendorse app.

As part of the partnership, Centenary College will receive a branded marketplace. Centenary fans, brands, sponsors and donors will be able to browse, book, pitch and pay any Centenary student-athlete for NIL activities in one compliant platform, built specifically for the athletes’ needs. 

The marketplace promises to mobilize the fan base and local organizations to best-support its student-athletes.

BASKETBALL:  The 2024 portion of Centenary’s basketball seasons wrapped up at home last Friday with an encouraging victory by the men’s team.

The Gents reversed their fortunes against Millsaps, winning 72-57 in a non-conference contest inside the Gold Dome. It was a 27-point turnaround, flipping a 75-63 loss at Millsaps on Nov. 23.

The Gents (2-7) snapped their five-game losing streak and improved to 2-4 at home.  Senior guard Craig Collier scored a game-high 20 points for Centenary.

The Gents have won 48 of their last 59 at the Gold Dome. 

The Ladies (1-8) fell 64-52 to the Majors (9-1), but the margin was much closer than an 81-59 loss at Millsaps last month.

Junior forward Layla Powell led Centenary with  13 points. Freshman forward Shyanne Phillips scored 12 and grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds for her third double-double with the Ladies.

The season resumes Jan. 4 in an SCAC doubleheader at University of the Ozarks. A three-game homestand begins Jan. 7 against LeTourneau.

FOOTBALL: Junior receiver Kobe Chambers, a Mississippi Valley State transfer, and sophomore defensive lineman D’Qavion Lemons of Shreveport and Southwood High School have been named to the D3football.com All-Region Team.

Chambers and Lemons were on the All-Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Team chosen last month. 

Contact Patrick at pmeehan@centenary.edu

Today I come to you with concerns about the state of mind of so many Americans due to our recent Presidential election results and other issues. Over my 63 years of being on this earth, I’ve never seen an election carry so much weight in terms of how Americans have reacted, or should I say overreacted. I’m not here to say that your reaction was right or wrong, but rather to suggest how you might possibly move forward in life and maintain your mental wellness.

Athletes are taught very early in our careers how to handle a big win or a disappointing loss. My coaches always said that you have 24 hours to celebrate a victory or regret a loss. Then you must move forward and prepare for the next game. Don’t dwell on the loss of a game you can no longer play.

Another saying I’ve heard over the years: “Once the hay is in the barn, it’s time to move on to the next chore.” Today many Americans need to move on to the next chore and exercise their right to either celebrate or stew in their loss, but only for 24 hours. Sometimes we must accept things we can no longer change or control. The first step to moving forward is accepting the results.

Whether it’s a game, an election, or in my case a bass tournament, no matter if it was a victory or a loss, I must move on and get ready for my next tournament. Sure, I’ll evaluate what maybe went wrong or how I made a bad decision on tournament day and then I’ll do my best to NOT make the same mistake moving forward.

Nothing is more important than our mental health, as it can affect not only our own personal wellness, but those around us daily. How we handle defeat or victory can impact our family and friends in a negative or positive way. It’s all about how you as an individual recognize the situation and choose to move on. But it is a choice!

Years ago, a former boss of mine gave me some great advice on how to handle “butt chewings” from the man who was the CEO of the company I worked for. This CEO was a former Marine and could peel the paint off the wall once he got bent out of shape on a particular issue. My boss told me, “you can’t control what he says to you, but you can control how you receive it.”

This resonated with me, and even though I only had a couple of chewings from this CEO over my 14 years of working with him, it made a huge difference on how I reacted to him. I think my athletic background played a huge role in how I handled any blunt critiques because a few of my coaches were famous for their hard style of coaching.

So many kids today that play athletics, don’t or can’t handle hard coaching. Kids have gotten soft in the last 20 years and take criticism personally and will often choose to walk away from the team even though the coach is only trying to make them a better player. They think the coach doesn’t like them and would rather quit the sport rather than be coached.

We, as a society and parents, need to get back to tough love with our kids and do a better job of preparing them for life’s challenges. Stop teaching them to quit just because an election, a game, or their job didn’t go the way they wanted. Teach that everybody does not get a trophy! Instead, teach them how to handle and overcome a loss, a tough coach or maybe a hot-headed boss. Teach them that you don’t play the game for the coach, you play because you love the game!

All the above has been on my heart recently now that I’ve seen how distraught some people are after the recent Presidential election. People have literally lost their minds over something they have very little control over other than a single vote. Here’s some food for thought … no matter who is the sitting President of the United States, when we wake up tomorrow, we will still go about our daily lives and routines the same way we have for years.

While we might not ALL agree on certain polices or who is running our country, one thing is for certain; trials and tribulations are headed our way and it’s up to us as Americans on how we handle them. Tonight, when you lay down for a peaceful night’s rest, just remember, everything is going to be OK.

May God bless each of you and this great nation we live in. He owes us this because we have never turned our back on Him. Ha!

Contact Steve at sgraf26@yahoo.com

BOM is proud to sponsor the Peyton Stovall Winter Hitting Camp with the Mudbugs on December 19 & 20 hosted by  Low Key Boat Tours Charitable Foundation. Pictured left to right: Courtney Stephens and BOM’s Wendy Thomas.

In January 2023, the Louisiana State Police Bureau of Investigations/Bossier Field Office received information regarding allegations of malfeasance in office involving a former Deputy Chief with the Bossier City Police Department. The investigation resulted in the arrest of 57-year-old Richard McGee of Shreveport.

Investigators learned that McGee committed the crime of felony carnal knowledge of a juvenile with at least one victim from 1994 to 1999. As a result of the investigation and information obtained, an arrest warrant was obtained through the 1^st JDC, charging McGee with felony carnal knowledge of a juvenile. At approximately 11 a.m. Monday, McGee was arrested and booked into the Caddo Correctional Center on the above charge.

To report suspicious or criminal activity in your community, the Louisiana State Police online reporting system is available to the public through a convenient, anonymous, and secure reporting form that is submitted to the appropriate investigators. The form can be accessed by visiting lsp.org and clicking the Report Suspicious or Criminal Activity.

Each week, the Shreveport-Bossier Journal’s Tony Taglavore takes to lunch a local person – someone who is well-known, successful, and/or influential, and asks, “What’s Your Story?”

By TONY TAGLAVORE, Journal Services

Like most college freshmen who don’t have a clue about their future, she took the basics – mostly arts and science classes.

But one summer evening, she and her father – a banking executive turned Episcopal minister – were in their home’s kitchen. Dad wasn’t much for beating around the bush.

“What’s your plan?” He asked. “What are you going to major in? What’s your career? Where are you going?”

Hmmm . . . .

“I like my sociology class,” his daughter responded. “I like my English class.”

Yeah, that wasn’t the answer Pops was looking for.

“He was very black and white,” his daughter said. “While he was a priest, he came from a family that didn’t have a lot. His concern, having two daughters, was that they would be able to manage on their own. That they would be able to take care of themselves. He wanted to make sure he led the way down that path.”

So, her father (strongly) made a suggestion.

“How about nursing?”

Four years later, his daughter graduated Vanderbilt University with a nursing degree, and began what is now a 39-year career with Willis-Knighton Health.

“I think my father knew me better than I would have ever thought he did. I think he knew nursing would be something I would love and excel in.”

Claire Rebouche, the 62-year-old Chair of this year’s Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl (December 28^th at 8:15pm), told me that story – and her story – during lunch at a place she chose, Silver Star Grille. Claire had a Caesar salad with grilled chicken, and an unsweet tea. I had the Strawberry Pecan salad with grilled chicken, and water.

“Tony, when I tell you that the first time I held a newborn, that I worked with a mother and a baby, teaching the mom how to take care of the baby, it was my soul. It was what I loved doing. I don’t know if I knew it at the time, but now, I know it was a ministry. It was a passion and ministry for loving on the newborns and the new moms.”

After eight years of bedside nursing, Claire was offered an opportunity to move into health system management as Education Director. Even though it would mean giving up what she loved, Claire said, “Yes”.  

“The one thing I have done consistently in my life is accept challenges. I’ve always said “Yes”. . . . It was tough leaving the bedside, but I had two small children. I had a husband who – I don’t know if you know – worked evenings. Taking my first management job where I could be home every evening, didn’t have to take call, didn’t have to work weekends, just worked out better for our family.”

Yes, I was aware Claire’s husband, Darrell, used to work nights. He was a television sports anchor/reporter at our local NBC affiliate.

“It turned out to be a really good move.”

Claire kept saying “Yes”. She became the health system’s Patient Safety Officer, Vice President of Quality, and is now Senior Vice President of Quality and Clinical Performance.

But along the way, Claire has kept something on the down-low. Her great grandfather was Dr. Joseph E. Knighton. Yep. That Knighton.

“I wanted to come home (from Vanderbilt). I wanted to start my nursing career, and I didn’t want either the pressure of being Dr. Knighton’s great granddaughter, or the expectation of any privileges. I wanted to start as a staff nurse and earn the respect of the people I worked with.”

Even though she had a full-time, often times stressful job, Claire looked for ways to give back to her community. For 10 years, she was the coordinator of Vacation Bible School at St. Mark’s Cathedral, where her two children attended and where Claire had attended. She was also a member of the Junior League of Shreveport.

“It was always instilled in me to do more – to give back, however you can. It may be at work. It may be at church. It may be in the community. You have been given talents and riches, and you need to give those back. I feel like it’s part of my faith.”

Claire’s “faith” led her to join the Independence Bowl Foundation almost 20 years ago. Once again, she kept saying “Yes”, when asked to take on more responsibility. For the past year, Claire has been the face of one of America’s longest-running (48^th year) college football bowl games, traveling the country, selling athletic directors and head coaches on everything Shreveport-Bossier has to offer.

Not bad for a kid who grew up watching ball with her dad.

“I grew up loving college football. My father had two girls, and I was the oldest (by six years). I was his football-watching buddy. He was a Dallas Cowboys fan, so I grew up watching the Cowboys. He was very much a teacher, so he would talk to me about positions and plays. Then, I went to Vanderbilt. At Vanderbilt, the most exciting thing was getting to see the other teams which came to Vanderbilt. I saw (Heisman Trophy winner) Herschel Walker and all the big names the SEC brought to town. When I came back here and my husband was a sportscaster, I started attending Independence Bowls with him.”

So, imagine the thrill when last June at the Big 12 Conference meetings in Scottsdale, Arizona, Claire – from across a hotel ballroom – made eye contact with Texas Tech head coach Joey McGuire. Mc Guire’s team played in last year’s Independence Bowl.

“He stops what he’s doing, gestures with his hands (as to indicate he will be right back), and quickly walks over to us. He hugs my husband and he hugs me. ‘Independence Bowl, I can’t thank you enough for the experience my (players) got to have, being in Shreveport and being part of the Independence Bowl.’ We talked a long time about what he enjoyed and why he enjoyed it. He said it was the people. It was the hospitality. It was the food. It was everything we offer that other bowls might not.”

Wonder what Claire’s old football-watching buddy would have thought?

Claire’s lips quivered. Her eyes became red. A tear fell onto her left cheek.

“I think he would be very proud. I think he would be very proud.”

Guessing Claire had other things to do – she is Chair of a bowl game, for cryin’ out loud – I thought it time to ask my final question. As always, what is it about her story that can be inspirational to others?

“Take advantage of any opportunity that is presented. Say “Yes” if somebody asks if you would like to take on a challenge. Don’t question yourself. Trust that those who are asking you know that you can do it, or feel you have the gifts and talents to be successful. If I worried too much, or questioned too much, I think of all the opportunities I would have missed – particularly with this. It had been quite a while since a woman had been involved. Certainly not somebody who played football or worked in football. But they trusted me, and it’s been an incredible experience. Say “Yes”.

Do you know someone with a story? Email SBJTonyT@gmail.com.

The Journal’s weekly “What’s Your Story?” series is sponsored by Morris & Dewett Injury Lawyers.