JOURNAL SPORTS

Sam Greer has graduated with honors from Byrd High School after finishing his high school football career with a senior season filled with accomplishments.

Wednesday, one more big one got added to his resume.

Greer was named as one of 82 members of the 2025 National Football Foundation Team of Distinction.  Chosen from a pool of 3,500 scholar-athletes identified by the nationwide NFF Chapter Network, the Team of Distinction includes elite members of high school football’s Class of 2025.

Greer owns a 4.69 GPA and is a National Honor Society member, an AP Scholar with Distinction, and made the LHSAA Composite All-Academic Team. On the field, Greer was first team All-District, the co-Defensive MVP in District 1-5A, first team Shreveport-Bossier Journal All-Metro, and honorable mention Class 5A All-State.

He broke Byrd’s single-season tackles record, making a staggering 136 stops as the Yellow Jackets reached the Division I Select state quarterfinals and nearly upset top-seeded Alexandria Senior High, a team that reached the state finals.

Due to his academic excellence and leadership skills, Greer was chosen as a Top Jacket by the faculty. Top Jackets are elite seniors who serve as mentors for the freshman class and as ambassadors for Byrd High School.

The only other Louisiana player honored was Desmond Beasley, a defensive back at Salmen High School in Slidell.

Part of the NFF’s mission to promote the scholar-athlete ideal, the initiative honors the top high school football players from across the country for their all-around excellence—while also highlighting the vital work of the NFF Chapter Network at the grassroots level.

Criteria to make the team include (but are not limited to) academic achievement, athletic accolades and community involvement. Each chapter is limited to one honoree, distinguishing them as the top scholar-athlete from all the high schools covered by the chapter. The S.M. McNaughton NFF Chapter based in Shreveport covers all of north and central Louisiana in its annual Scholar-Athlete recognition program that awards about $10,000 annually since 1980 to superior senior competitors.

“Each year, the NFF Team of Distinction represents the very best of what high school football has to offer — young men who lead with character, perform with excellence, and give back to their communities,” said NFF Chairman Archie Manning. “These 82 honorees exemplify the scholar-athlete ideal that is at the heart of our mission, and we are proud to celebrate their achievements. We are equally grateful to our NFF Chapter Network leaders, whose tireless efforts ensure that the values of football continue to thrive at the grassroots level.”

Since 1954, the NFF Chapters have played an integral role in supporting and promoting the game of football at the amateur level while honoring the top scholar-athletes in their local areas.

The centerpiece of the NFF Chapter Network’s efforts are the annual chapter awards banquets, which recognize more than 3,500 of the nation’s top scholar-athletes and distribute more than
$1 million in scholarships.

Among the 82 Team of Distinction honorees, 40 states are represented. The group has a 4.15 average GPA and includes 74 team captains, 44 All-State selections, 10 valedictorians and 54 National Honor Society members.

By ROBIN FAMBROUGH, Written for the LSWA

Years melted away in an instant as Dale Weiner told the story that shaped his life

“I watched Jimmy Taylor score a winning touchdown,” Weiner recalled, motioning with his hands. “It was just the way he angled his body to get between two defenders. I had never seen anything like that.

“He scored and Baton Rouge High won. I was so excited. That was it – I knew football was something I had be part of.”

Weiner was a 5-year-old standing in the back of the BRHS end zone that night when Taylor, who went on to stardom at LSU and all the way to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, scored that fateful touchdown.

Not every boy who grows up loving football becomes a 300 wins high school football coach. Weiner did and it not only shaped his life, it changed the trajectory of the athletic program at Baton Rouge’s Catholic High School.

Weiner, who amassed a record of 317-109 as a high school head football coach, is part of the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2025. Enshrinement occurs culminating the Induction Celebration in Natchitoches this weekend. Events begin today with a press conference and the free admission Welcome Reception at the LSHOF museum from 5-7 p.m.

All induction information can be found at LaSportsHall.com.

Weiner’s impact cannot be overstated, says a prior LSHOF inductee who worked alongside him.

“Dale Weiner is the most the most consequential coaching hire in the history of Catholic High,” said Pete Boudreaux, the school’s former athletic director, and a 2014 LSHOF inductee for his track and cross country coaching career. “Some people might question that, but I don’t.

“When you look at a high school in Louisiana, one of the first things people ask about is the football team. Before Dale came, we might have a good season here or there. Once Dale got here, the program took off. He was the right man for the job. It changed not just football, but the entire school.”

Hyperbole or truth? The fact that Boudreaux, who collected 52 state titles in track/cross country, could make such a statement points to the latter. Others, including former Baton Rouge High classmate/teammate and longtime Catholic assistant Don Hood, shoot down that notion.

“We were bad … everybody wanted to schedule us for their homecoming game,” Hood said. “We were called a lot of things that weren’t very nice that I won’t repeat. When Dale got there, I knew things would change because I knew Dale. He was always that guy … bright, could motivate people and knew football.”

Long before Catholic, there was Baton Rouge High. Weiner grew up within walking distance of the school, so watching games like the one he saw as a 5-year-old were common. His dream was to play for the Bulldogs and he did that as a lineman. When he met the late Murrell “Boots” Garland, Weiner saw a career path.

“Coach Garland had a way of drawing people to him,” Weiner said. “He had a sense of humor and a way of getting a point across. He could be tough when he needed to be. I loved playing for him. I knew I wanted to be a coach after watching him.”

His career move to Catholic High, just a couple of miles away – across Government Street – was more than a decade away after he graduated from LSU.

But his first job as an assistant coach, at Catholic High of Pointe Coupee in New Roads in 1975, was both eye-opening and helped earn the “cradle of coaches” moniker for the school.

Jim Hightower, the Hornets’ first-year head coach, was previously a baseball graduate assistant coach at LSU. It was the first head coaching job for Hightower, now the legendary coach at St. Thomas More, second on Louisiana’s all-time wins list with 482 wins and a 2016 LSHOF inductee. Over the years, CHSPC has been the proving ground for many coaches, including Weiner’s son, Neil, head coach at The Dunham School in Baton Rouge.

“Dale was and has always been such a positive person,” Hightower said. “He was a hard worker and eager to learn. He was that guy who was always in the lab, trying to figure out which plays and systems would work in which situation. He was always working on something.”

There was one notable misstep in the Hornets’ 1975 debut. Catholic-PC won its jamboree game on the final play. Weiner was in the press box.

“Our player was running down the field to score the winning touchdown and I started jumping up and down in the press box,” Weiner said. “I was so excited.”

Everyone wanted to relive and review that play once the film was developed in Baton Rouge. It was not meant to be. Weiner was next to the camera when he started jumping up and down. It distorted the images.

“We laugh about it now,” Lindy Weiner said. “In that moment, Jim was so mad at Dale.”

Soon enough, Weiner got his first head coaching job. He was a head coach St. John-Plaquemine, Catholic-PC and Trafton Academy, now known as The Dunham School. The first time he applied at Catholic, Weiner was turned down.

A couple of years later, the job was open again and Weiner was hired. During the second interview process, Weiner pointed out that he grew up in the neighborhood and boldly stated that was why he wanted to coach.

It’s fair to say the rest is history. In 30 seasons at Catholic, Weiner was 282-81, including a runner-up finish in Class 4A in 1990 and a Division I select title in 2015, along with 18 district titles with just one losing season.

More than 140 of his former players have competed on the college level and 16 have earned spots on NFL rosters. Weiner’s attention to detail in all things, including strength and conditioning, also contributed to 17 Olympic weightlifting team titles.

“To this day, I am thankful to the Brothers of the Sacred Heart, the administration, Pete Boudreaux and all the coaches and faculty members I worked with at Catholic High,” Weiner said. “I ended up where I was supposed to be. I am blessed.”

Contact Robin at rfambrough@theadvocate.com

By PATRICK MEEHAN, Centenary Sports Information Director

Director of Athletics and Recreation David Orr has announced the hiring of several assistant coaches – Destiny Duhon (Cheer and STUNT), Merlinn Campagna (women’s soccer), and Joe O’Sullivan (men’s soccer).

Duhon, a Shreveport native, brings a wealth of experience and success to Centenary and will assist head coach Kaylee King with both programs.

“I’m thrilled to welcome Coach D to our program for both Cheer and STUNT,” said King.

“Her background in cheer at multiple levels will provide our teams with a variety of perspectives and insight to help us continue to grow in skills and technique. She brings such a positive personality that will be able to help us continue to build on our program values and continue to elevate our team, not only in the sport of STUNT but also have it recognized throughout the state of Louisiana and nationally through recruiting and networking. I look forward to working with Coach D and witnessing all she will bring to our program.”

Duhon, who owns Southern Elite Cheer, also serves as head coach for Linwood Public Charter School and was previously the head coach for Keithville Middle School, Southwood High School, and Cheer Glitz All-Stars.

Duhon, a former cheerleader at Huntington High School, was nominated for the 2023 Louisiana Coach of the Year presented by Nfinity Sports and was part of the 2005 Coaching Staff of the Year for Cheer Power.

She has two children who are both all-star athletes. Her daughter won NCA All-Star Nationals in 2016 and last season claimed third place at Cheerleading All-Star Worlds in Orlando, Fla. She now coaches both school and at LA Spirit with one elite team and two prep squads.

Her son is a cheerleader at ULM and coaches at Xstreme Cheer. He is currently on Shadow, an International Small co-ed Open team that competes at Cheerleading Worlds. While on Louisiana Rebels he won third at NCA and placed ninth in the world.

Campagna, who will assist head coach Morgan Dorsey, comes to Shreveport from the University of Colorado Colorado Springs where she was the head women’s soccer of the Club team.

Campagna played collegiately at Appalachian State in Boone, NC, as a four-year starter and team captain from 2012-15. She played professionally in Brazil for Nacional A.C. in 2021.

O’Sullivan, a native of England, relocated to Florida at the age of 14 where he quickly found his stride on the soccer pitch. His collegiate career spanned four programs, each showcasing his consistent impact and competitive drive.

STUNT ACADEMIC HONORS: Three Centenary College STUNT student-athletes were named to the College STUNT Coaches Association Academic Honor Roll for the 2025 season.

Senior Avery Cauley, junior Jo Hoffman, and sophomore Alli Ledoux were honored with the prestigious academic distinction on Tuesday. The College STUNT Coaches Association recognizes these outstanding student athletes for their success in the classroom. Nominated student-athletes have a cumulative GPA above a 3.50 and have completed a minimum of 24 credits/units at their current STUNT institution.

“I’m really proud of these three athletes who not only showcased their athletic ability on the mat but their academic ability in the classroom,” said Centenary head coach Kaylee King. They put the student in student-athlete and are more than deserving of this recognition.”

The Ladies finished eighth in the country in the Division III rankings out of 13 teams this season as the first and only NCAA Varsity STUNT team in the state of Louisiana and the only DIII team in the South.

Contact Patrick at pmeehan@centenary.edu

Well, shoot.

I hate it when the game’s over.

Legendary broadcaster Dave Nitz loved being around the ballpark, loved being around the guys, loved being close to a microphone and a scorebook.

More than anyone I’ve ever known.

He also loved being around a Wendy’s single and a chocolate Frosty.

More than anyone I’ve ever known.

Oh, and the French fries. Forgot the French fries. Usually ate them first.

“That’s just Dave being Dave.”

Few people I’ve known have enjoyed being themselves as much as Dave enjoyed being Dave. And he loved loved LOVED being “Freeway” Dave, a nickname Leon Barmore hung on him in the late ’70s when a road trip sent Barmore, the Lady Techsters and Dave to Los Angeles, where Dave rented a car with “unlimited mileage” — and managed to exceed it.

Just Freeway being Freeway.

Dave. For a half century, the Voice of the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs.

A man entirely home at any ballyard, Dave Nitz was appropriately born in the middle of baseball season — July 10, 1942 —and sadly died the first week of summer, June 24, 2025, a Tuesday around 1 a.m.

For those who knew Dave, either in person or by following his thousands of broadcasts, the news of the passing of a pro whose signature call was “You Gotta Love It!” is just the opposite.

You gotta hate it.

All day Tuesday it was the same. Sad.

Calls from old ballplayers.

Sad.

Calls from colleagues.

Sad.

Calls from friends and family.

Sad.

But it was Dave, and Dave was fun for all those years, Dave being Dave, so there was this story or that, either about him being stubborn, being talented, being from West Virginia, being a guy who could embellish a story with the best of them.

I remember road trips in his old van — a VAN — when we were young. Country music concerts (well, hello!, Mr. Merle Haggard!) Gassing up and checking into hotels and strapping on press passes and then Dave getting quiet and no longer laughing but straightening his headset, knocking back a slug of Crystal Light lemonade, and saying, “OK. Here we go … ‘Hello, everybody!’”

Dave being Dave.

His passing is another tough reminder that time is undefeated, that we aren’t really built for life down here, that reality is unavoidable, an acquired taste.

He officially retired only a year ago this month — but diabetes was the thing. And time. All those road trips. Nearly 40 years of professional ball and a calendar of college ball. No one will ever do that again.

One. Of. A. Kind.

So the diabetes, then the arthritis, the creeping in of dementia. We just couldn’t get the traction to turn things around.

But in his prime … well, in his prime, different ballgame. He was a Shirts vs. Skins regular, a force who ran on no sleep, a guy who could broadcast as well as anyone, and that’s with one vocal cord tied behind his back.

One. Of. A. Kind.

Major Stud Alert.

He got older and reflexes slowed, gifts faded, but his voice was the same, the voice of a couple of generations, and down deep in there, in his Dave heart, there was still the little boy, a kid who loved ball, and I will always be grateful that, until time robbed him and he just couldn’t do it anymore, he faithfully shared that little-boy Dave with the rest of us.

Trust me when I tell you, if you heard Dave broadcasting to you from press row or a radio booth, there was no where else he would have rather been, and no one else he would have enjoyed talking to more, right then, than you.

Contact Teddy at teddy@latech.edu

Three fun-filled days and nights make Natchitoches the festive focal point in our state Thursday evening, Friday and  Saturday with the 2025 Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Induction Celebration and you and yours are invited.

The LSHOF’s Class of 2025 will be enshrined Saturday night at the Natchitoches Events Center to culminate the 66th Induction Celebration. A seating reconfiguration last week created additional seating up to 900 and a few dozen tickets remain available at LaSportsHall.com.

The Induction Celebration will kick off Thursday with the free admission Welcome Reception from 5-7pm at the Hall of Fame museum at 800 Front Street.

The Friday schedule begins with the Mardi Gras Bowling Bash presented by BOM at Four Seasons Bowling Center in Alexandria. There’s still room for individual and team entries with participants enjoying lunch catered by Walk-On’s while warm up for the competition takes place at the 40-alley facility.

Two of south Louisiana’s hottest musical acts from the Baton Rouge area will take the stage for the coolest concert for miles around, the absolutely free Rockin’ River Fest party Friday evening.

The Lauren Lee Band will get the party started and The Chase Tyler Band is the featured act on the Rue Beauport stage bordering Cane River Lake smack dab in the middle of the City of Lights’ historic and beautiful downtown district.

In conjunction with the Rockin’ River Fest is the VIP Taste of Tailgating party, a ticketed indoor-outdoor event that is approaching capacity on the Front Street bricks and inside Mama’s Oyster House, Papa’s and the Blues Room.

The slate on Saturday kicks off with the free LSHOF Junior Training Camp led by community relations personnel from the New Orleans Saints and Pelicans, along with Northwestern State coaches and this year’s Hall of Fame inductees, on the NSU campus at the Webb Wellness and Recreation Center and Turpin Stadium. This event is presented by Natchitoches Regional Medical Center and is nearing capacity. Free registration for kids ages 7-16 is required and can be easily accomplished at LaSportsHall.com.

At noon Saturday, the Round Table Luncheon presented by the Tiger Athletic Foundation is set for Riverside Reserve on Mill Street. Fox Sports broadcaster Tim Brando emcees an entertaining program.

Festivities culminate Saturday evening with the Induction Reception at the LSHOF museum beginning at 5pm, followed at 7pm by the Induction Ceremony at the Natchitoches Events Center. Northwestern State University and State Farm Agents of Louisiana are presenting sponsors Saturday evening.

Louisiana Public Broadcasting will televise the ceremony live from 7-9:30pm.

The VIP Taste of Tailgating, the Bowling Bash, the Round Table Luncheon and the Induction Reception and Ceremony are ticketed events requiring purchase in advance through LaSportsHall.com or by calling 318-238-4255.

The Thursday reception, the Friday evening River Fest and the Junior Training Camp are free.

The Class of 2025 is headlined by two men pivotal in LSU’s 2003 football national championship – coach Nick Saban and Andrew Whitworth, a champion at West Monroe High School, LSU and in the NFL during a 16-year pro career. More sparkle is provided by pro basketball All-Stars Vickie Johnson and Danny Granger, the state’s winningest all-time college baseball coach Joe Scheuermann and Danny Broussard, one of the nation’s most successful high school basketball coaches, in this year’s induction class.

It also includes LSU gymnastics great and NCAA individual champion April Burkholder, transformational Catholic-Baton Rouge high school football coach Dale Weiner and George “Bobby” Soileau, a four-time high school and 1956 NCAA boxing champion at LSU who also won a state crown as a football coach at his alma mater, Sacred Heart High School in Ville Platte.

LSU graduate Herb Vincent, now a longstanding associate commissioner of the Southeastern Conference, is receiving the Hall’s Dave Dixon Louisiana Sports Leadership Award with his enshrinement.

Also being honored: Ed Daniels, a generational television sports broadcaster in New Orleans, and Glenn Guilbeau, one of the nation’s more decorated sportswriters in a career that has seen him cover LSU, state college, high school and pro sports along with stories across the South and around the SEC. They are being inducted as recipients of the Louisiana Sports Writers Association’s Distinguished Service Award in Sports Journalism.

Doug McGuire was the Senior Minister of Trinity Methodist Church through the 1960’s. He was a great guy. In his retirement he acquired his private pilot’s license. Years ago, I was known to spend hours in the air with Doug. Doug has gone on to his reward. He was filled with preacher aphorisms. His advice was wise. He encouraged, “Always enter the pulpit with a full heart and an empty bladder. And don’t get them reversed!” He also said, “If a sermon is worth preaching once it is worth preaching again.” I wonder if that holds true for these articles.

To wit.

A dog was on a safari with this master, but he got lost chasing butterflies. He then noticed out of his peripheral vision that a lion was slowly sneaking up to attack him. He saw a pile of bones nearby. Pretending not to see the lion, the dog started chomping on a bone. He hollered, “Boy, the lion sure tasted good!” The lion decided that this must be a very ferocious dog, so he left.

But a monkey watched all of this. He chased down the lion and told him the truth. Furious, the lion turned around to go eat the dog. The monkey jumped on the lion’s back intending to watch the whole thing unfold before him. Realizing what had happened, the quick-thinking dog grabbed another bone and hollered, “Where is that stupid monkey? He should have brought me another lion by now!”

It is a great story. Don’t you wish you could be like that dog and be that quick witted?  Sure you do! When someone zings you at work, you stew about it all that night and you finally figure out what you could have said to that person. Or after an argument you stew until you finally think of what you should have said. 

In my line of work, I want to be comforting and Godly when someone seeks my wisdom or advice. Often, I am neither and I toss and turn until I come up with a better answer to a person’s question or concern.

Most of us wish we could think faster and say the right word at the right time.

I wonder how many of us read this story and thought, “maybe it is best not to get lost in the first place.” I think that was the ultimate point.

By MALCOLM BUTLER, Lincoln Parish Journal

Louisiana Tech lost a legend Tuesday and Bulldog fans lost a friend when legendary broadcaster Dave Nitz passed away following a lengthy illness.

Known for his love of his home state of West Virginia (his flip phone ringtone was John Denver’s song Take Me Home, Country Roads), Dave brought his family to Louisiana in the early 1970s as he took over as the Voice of the Bulldogs.

And the rest is history, a rich Tech Athletics history that Dave stamped his vocal mark on for five decades.

“It didn’t take long for me to realize how much Dave loved sports and broadcasting,” said Jack Thigpen, who met Dave in 1975 when the two became neighbors on Bittersweet Drive and who serve as the color analyst on many Bulldog basketball games. “His goal then, and for many years, was to become a major league baseball announcer. In my opinion Dave was as good as, and better than most, big league announcers.

“Louisiana Tech has been very fortunate to have had Dave as the voice of the Bulldogs all these years. Dave lived to broadcast games and was the ultimate professional. He was as good a broadcaster as there is.”

During his Hall of Fame career at Tech, Dave broadcast more than 3,000 sporting events, mostly with football, men’s basketball and baseball. He also served as the voice of the Lady Techster basketball team in the late 1970s and much of the 1980s.

Dave was inducted into both the Louisiana Tech Athletics Hall of Fame and the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame during his illustrious career.

“Even though Dave was a West Virginian through and through, Tech meant a lot to him,” said longtime friend and radio booth partner Benny Thornell. “He had received his degree from Tech and had raised his family here. For 50 years his life revolved around Tech.

“A lot of people grew up listening to him broadcasting Tech games. It was always interesting to see people tell him how much they enjoyed listening to him on the radio. He had no idea who most of them were, but to them he was part of their family. To them he was Tech, and he will definitely be missed.”

Appropriately enough, Dave’s first ever broadcast was of a Bulldog baseball game in the NCAA regionals in Arlington. His real love was baseball, and he never tried to hide it. Tech fans were blessed with his knowledge of the game, and his storytelling abilities.

His talent behind the mic was admired by all, including his radio colleagues.

“Dave was a broadcaster…pure and simple,” said Chip Walters, longtime voice for Middle Tennessee Athletics. “He was the eyes and ears of Tech fans everywhere. In addition to being a pro’s pro, he was a prince of a guy. I’ll miss a great friend and Tech fans will miss the soundtrack of so many great moments for over 40 years.”

“Dave was a broadcaster I always admired,” said Randy Lee, longtime Voice of WKU. “His passion for our special profession and longevity was remarkable. We developed a special friendship over the years. Dave always greeted us with a smile, and he had that special way of making you feel better. I’ll miss Dave a great deal.”

“I met Dave Nitz early in my career and never will forget him taking me under his wing and showing and telling me how to do broadcasting things that I had no idea how to do,” said Southern Miss broadcaster John Cox. “Most of those things he taught me so long ago – I still utilize today. I will cherish the times I was around him. He always made me smile, he always made me laugh and he always made you feel better.”

Every Tech fan has their own stories and memories of Dave. Although he never wavered from the side of professionalism, his love for the Ole Red and Blue was exact.

He allowed emotions into calls at the appropriate times and even produced a few tears during the years.

His call of “Stallworth to Cangelosi” that beat eventual SEC champion Alabama at Legion Field in 1999 is one of the most memorable for Tech fans — his voice cracking with the immensity of the moment for the Bulldogs.

That call was worthy of inclusion in Heart Stoppers and Hail Marys: 100 of the Greatest College Football Finishes.

It was just one of so many over the years.

“Dave Nitz will forever be remembered as an iconic figure in Tech Athletics history,” said former Tech AD and friend Jim Oakes. “Dave was on the call for so many memorable moments for Tech sports over the past 50 years. When the Tech family hears the words “Ya gotta love it” we will always smile and think fondly of Dave and his great legacy.”

Personally, I grew up listening to Dave. I would go to sleep with the sound of his tonsils bringing the game to my bedroom – a story that so many Tech fans can probably share.

My career at Tech allowed me to get to know him more than just as a voice. He became my friend.

In 2015, the Bulldogs traveled to Huntington, West Virginia, to play Marshall in the CUSA football championship game.

Talk about a kid in a candy store. Dave was giddy every time he got to go back to his home state.

The morning of the game, several of us in the travel party got up at 5 a.m. to drive an hour or so to his hometown of Milton to have breakfast at one of those hole-in-the-wall establishments. We met a few of Dave’s old friends from high school, who showered us with stories of our venerable pal.

Dave was all smiles.

Although he had lived in Ruston for four decades at that point, Milton and the mountains of West Virginia were still his true home.

Tech fans were just fortunate enough that those “Country Roads” took him south for the past 50 years.

Now, those roads are taking Dave back home.

Contact Malcolm at lpjnewsla@gmail.com

(EDITOR’S NOTE: Addison Evans is a 17-year-old photographer based in Louisiana with a growing portfolio in sports media, including her just-completed coverage of LSU at the College World Series for the Shreveport-Bossier Journal. She recently completed a six-month internship with Northwestern State Baseball and has covered high school baseball across north Louisiana. Evans is a recent high school graduate and incoming freshman at LSU.)

By ADDISON EVANS, Special to the Journal

Four years ago, as a high school freshman picking up a camera for the first time, I never imagined it would lead me to Omaha – photographing LSU Baseball’s historic eighth national championship win.

Over a week before claiming the national title, LSU opened its College World Series run against Arkansas. I arrived nearly eight hours before first pitch, eager to get a feel for where I would be shooting. One wrong turn landed me in the UCLA dugout – right in the middle of their warmups.

That simple mistake sparked an unexpected connection with a UCLA staff member – another woman passionate about working in baseball. At the time, I thought: Wow, this might be the coolest accidental turn of my life. I had no idea just how right— and wrong — I would be. 

That one turn sparked 10 days of once-in-a-lifetime experiences most 17-year-olds only dream of: capturing team arrivals, game action, postgame celebrations, and press conferences at the ultimate destination for a college baseball team or fan — Omaha.

I met Kayli Hartzell and Claire Ryerson, college students working with the NCAA’s CWS media staff, who shared the same passion for sports. Though I had prior sports media experience, Omaha offered something different – mentorship and guidance at a very high level. Every question I asked seemed to land in the hands of the right person.

As the road to the championship unfolded, so did my vision for how I wanted to document it. My personal mantra became “explore to get creative shots.” I did just that – experimenting from the upper concourse levels, behind players on deck, and even in the dugout. A brief, accidental visit to the Murray State bullpen reminded me that not every boundary is meant to be crossed.

Playing it safe for LSU’s Game 2 against UCLA led to a clean, but uninspired gallery. That’s when I recognized that the best shots come from trusting my instincts and pushing creative boundaries.

From that point on, I treated every game like any other – focused on the essence of baseball: the fans, atmosphere, player interactions, and everything in between.

With every resource imaginable at my fingertips, I made sure to use them. When a media opportunity came up in the LSU locker room, I took it — introducing myself to staff, chatting with players, and shooting pregame and postgame from the field. I learned that if you act like you know what you’re doing, eventually, you start to believe it — and others do, too.

 As a longtime fan of disposable cameras, once the finals were set, I handed out a few to players from LSU and Coastal Carolina. I had done something similar during my internship with Northwestern State Baseball on a road trip to Pepperdine and it was a hit. I wanted to give players the chance to document their experience from their own perspective, using a creative outlet I love.

After LSU’s second win over Arkansas sealed the Tigers’ ticket to the finals, the pressure to get creative shots increased. The team had to beat Coastal Carolina twice for the title, giving me up to three games to capture the full story.

Following the 4-6-3 double play that ended the championship game, my lens went straight to the iconic dogpile forming near the mound. To document it as a photographer was incredible, and as a lifelong LSU fan and incoming freshman there, it was deeply personal.

After heading inside the media workroom to start editing, I heard music echoing in the hallway. Tiger Baseball was on the move, Turtlebox speakers blaring. Wherever they were going, I was, too. I quickly grabbed my camera and followed them to the Road to Omaha statue. Watching the team celebrate together, blasting their favorite songs, was a special moment to capture.

That reminded me why I fell in love with photography in the first place. It’s never just about the game — it’s about telling the story: the energy, the emotion, the moments few notice, or no one sees.

Being at the College World Series gave me the perfect chance to do that. And for a Louisiana girl who grew up supporting LSU in the stands at Alex Box Stadium, photographing the Tigers claiming their eighth national title was more than just a career milestone. It was a celebration of years spent supporting LSU Baseball – a moment where my younger self could see how far that love has carried me.

• To check out Evans’ portfolio from the College World Series, visit her AE Photography Instagram account — addionfilm.

Contact Addison at sports@journalservicesllc.com

By KEVIN FOOTE, Written for the LSWA

Sometimes it’s a good idea to listen to the advice of your older brothers.

There was one particular decision, though, when St. Thomas More boys basketball coach Danny Broussard is certainly glad he opted for his gut feeling instead.

After graduating from Meaux High in rural Vermilion Parish in 1977, Broussard’s first thought was to become a coach.

After all, his two older brothers Rickey and Brent were already coaches and the family was always heavily involved in athletics.

“They were kind of trying to talk me out of it,” Broussard said. “They said things like, ‘Oh, it’s tough, you don’t make a whole lot of money and it’s long hours, so why don’t you do something else?’”

So Broussard spent his entire freshman year at then-USL in Lafayette in general studies, hoping to decide what his future would hold along the way.

He thought about being a pharmacist. He always had a big personality and loved talking to and helping people.

“The only problem with that was pharmacy school was in Monroe and I didn’t want to go way up there and also there were too many chemistry courses,” Broussard said. “I was good at math, but not chemistry.”

After the second semester, his advisor came to him demanding a decision.

With no other favorable options in mind, Broussard said, “I’m going to education.”

Indeed, Broussard’s first thought was right on target.

Over four decades later, Broussard is entering the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame as one of the nation’s most successful coaches in the history of high school basketball. The three-day Class of 2025 Induction Celebration begins Thursday in Natchitoches, with event information available at LaSportsHall.com.

It wasn’t that his brothers didn’t think young Danny could coach. In fact, he had already proven he could.

As a senior at Meaux High, Broussard coached the school’s 4H basketball team to a tournament title in Kaplan.

“I found guys at Meaux,” he remembered. “We put together a little team of fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth graders and we won. That’s kind of when I got hooked. I remember thinking, ‘This is fun. I love this.’ Getting them together and preparing them and then seeing the results.”

Two years later, Broussard helped Tommy Picard coach a Babe Ruth youth baseball team to the state championship and before the team’s ace pitcher punctured a lung during the series, “I “I think we could have won regionals.”

Big brother Rickey wasn’t surprised by those early signs of success.

“I never had any doubt that Danny could accomplish great things,” said Rickey, who led Nicholls State’s basketball team to two NCAA Tournament appearances. “There was just something about him.”

Upon graduating college, young Danny faced another big decision.

Incredibly, he got an offer from Hanson Memorial in Franklin to be the program’s head basketball coach. Broussard asked for the weekend to ponder his options, although he was ready to accept the offer.

Once again, his older brother had other ideas. While Danny was communicating with Hanson, a math teacher at the new Lafayette school St. Thomas More where Rickey was the head basketball coach decided to run the math department at Fatima instead, just weeks before the start of school.

So Rickey implored his younger brother to talk to STM’s administration before accepting the Hanson Memorial job.

“They offered me $3-4,000 more a year to be a freshman baseball, basketball and football coach,” Broussard laughed. “That’s a lot of money to a kid right out of college, so I took it.”

As a football coach, things didn’t go very well. The Cougars’ freshman squad went 0-8 and didn’t score a point, but he showed promise in basketball.

Amazingly, another big decision was right around the corner.

Rickey’s assistant coach from Fatima, Stephen Rees, decided to head to medical school, so now Danny moved into the spot as the Cougars’ top basketball assistant.

Then early in year two, Rickey got a call from Ragin’ Cajuns head coach Bobby Paschal with an offer to join his staff. He accepted.

“I remember asking Rickey, ‘So who is going to coach St. Thomas More?’ and he said, ‘You are.’”

Naturally, the 22-year-old’s stomach got real tight in a hurry, but big brother knew he was doing.

“I had no doubt in my mind that he could do it,” Rickey said. “The only question was, would they give him the job? There was a contingent of people (on the STM board) that wanted to go after a coach from New Orleans. I had to go to the board.

“I told them, ‘Just give him a shot. He knows all the plays and the players like him.’”

Fast-forward 41 years and Broussard ranks as the No. 6 coach nationally in wins with 1,162 – that’s 171 wins from being the winningest coach ever. He’s led the Cougars to six state championships, five state runners-up, 20 Top 28 appearances, 27 district championships and 18 30-win seasons.

“It’s a testament to his longevity and consistency and success,” former player Lyle Mouton said of Broussard’s Hall of Fame induction. “The way he tells it, he became a coach by default. I guess sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good. He has proven it was a great decision and it wasn’t luck.

“You don’t do it for this long with so much success if it was just luck all the way.”

Any remaining doubters were proven wrong when Broussard led the Cougars to the state championship in 1986.

“By that year, I had settled into my own,” Broussard said. “I could see the program developing.”

By 1987, the Cougars were ranked No. 21 nationally in the USA Today poll, led by Mouton, the future LSU basketball and baseball player, and future UL Lafayette point guard Eric Mouton.

Broussard’s actual glory years on the floor were yet to come.

Finally in 2013  came that second state title, followed by four more since then.

Many believe this past season might have been the best coaching job of his career.

One year after being briefly benched by triple bypass surgery, Broussard guided his 2025 Cougars to the state championship game and then led the STM coaching staff to a victory coaching the West All-Stars in the McDonald’s All-American game in New York.

“This is one great year for Danny Broussard,” Lyle Mouton laughed.

Contact Kevin at kfoote@theadvocate.com