JOURNAL SPORTS
Four-time defending state champion Calvary has the best record in the state regardless of classification, 33-1, and gets the first week off in the LHSAA softball playoff brackets released Wednesday.
But there’s plenty of local action heading into Easter.
Evangel, Byrd, Captain Shreve and Caddo Magnet are in action locally this week in bi-district games. Byrd travels, but just a few miles west to Evangel.
Other Caddo-Bossier teams load up the bus for longer trips. Haughton, Huntington, Loyola, Parkway and Plain Dealing all hit the road for bi-district contests.
Idle until next week, along with Calvary, are Airline and Benton.
A dozen Caddo-Bossier teams qualified for the LHSAA playoffs announced Wednesday. Five play today.
Evangel (11-19), seeded 16th in Select Division I, entertains No. 17 Byrd (8-13) in a 6 o’clock contest.
Caddo Magnet (13-15), No. 13 in Select Division I, hosts 20th-seeded St. Scholastica (8-13) at Bossier Parish Community College today at 5.
In a Select Division II bi-district game, 17th-seeded Loyola (9-11) goes south to 16th-seeded Cabrini (9-9) in a 4:30 contest today.
Plain Dealing, 17th in the Non-Select Division IV bracket, makes perhaps the longest trip of any team in the playoffs when it visits No. 16th South Plaquemines (7-9) today at 4.
Locals play in three other bi-district matchups Friday and Saturday:
Captain Shreve (18-14), seeded 11th in Select Division I, hosts No. 22 Woodlawn-Baton Rouge at 1 p.m. Friday;
Haughton (18-15), 17th in the Non-Select Division I tournament, heads down I-49 to District 1-5A rival Natchitoches Central (13-15, seeded 16th) for a 5 p.m. Friday contest;
No. 21 Parkway (14-9) travels to 14th-seeded East Ascension (17-12) for a Saturday noon contest;
Benton (26-5) earned the No. 2 seed in Non-Select Division I and has a bi-district bye, as does No. 6 Airline (19-10). Both play home games next week in the regional round, along with Calvary, top-seeded in Select Division III.