By T. SCOTT BOATRIGHT, Lincoln Parish Journal

GRAMBLING — Mickey Joseph doesn’t need to see more effort, but he does expect to see more focus and better execution as his Grambling State Tigers play host to East Texas A&M in a contest set to kick off at 6 p.m. Saturday at Eddie G. Robinson Memorial Stadium.

The Tigers stand at 2-1 after squeaking out a 37-31 overtime home win over Division II Kentucky State last weekend in a victory Joseph wasn’t particularly happy with other than the final outcome.

He expects to see a different GSU football team out on the field this weekend — a more focused team.

“After watching the tape, you take your hat off to Kentucky State,” Joseph said. “They did some things that if we would have done what we were coached to do, those things wouldn’t have happened. And that’s on me. And we assure you we’re going to fix it.

“We’re going to find the players that want to listen and take instruction from their coaches, and make sure those kids are on the field. We’ll do a better job with our rotation, but the main thing is getting these kids to do what we asked them to do. I’ll take the blame. We’ll get it fixed.”

After starting the season with a romp over NAIA member Langston in Shreveport before being predictably smothered by FBS No. 1 Ohio State, Joseph feels his team took Kentucky State lightly and didn’t play with the focus coaches had sought leading to that contest.

“You go from playing the No. 1 team in the country to a D-II team, so the way that generation thinks, and I know because I have daughters that age, they can’t process that,” Joseph said. “They’re like, this is the No. 1 team, now we have to go play a D-II team, so I’m going to try to get some stats.’ That wasn’t the case. We play football around here doing things the right way.”

East Texas A&M comes into the contest at 0-2 with big losses to SMU (42-13) and Florida State (77-3).

After edging the Lions 35-28 in overtime last year in Commerce, Texas, Joseph said his Tigers won’t overlook the Southland Conference member – a Division II national champion last decade before moving up to the FCS.

“They’re a well-coached football team,” Joseph said of the Lions. “People are looking at them after the first two games — you can’t compare because they played SMU and they played Florida State. Then they had a (bye). So, you can’t compare and say they’re not a good football team because of the scores. They’re a good football team. They do a good job over there. We were in a dogfight with them last year.

“They do a lot of different things on defense and a lot of different things on offense that we’ve got to get ready for. But it’s a solid football team. They just played two Power 5 teams. They had to play two money games. We only had to play one.”

Joseph also knows the Lions he’s seen on video this week probably won’t be the same team his Tigers will be facing this weekend.

“No, we haven’t seen who they are,” Joseph said. “This playing field for them is even for the first time this season. They played two really good opponents. Their speed of the game is going to be there.

“We’re going to have to catch up to them because they played a team, two teams, that are very good and then had a week off. So that’s still in them. The speed of the game is still in them. So now we’ve got to practice a little faster this week to get things going. When you think freely, you play freely.”

Contact Scott at tscottboatright@gmail.com

By BRAD WELBORN, Northwestern State Sports Information

PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas – A year ago, Northwestern State’s season-opening game against visiting Prairie View A&M ended in heartbreak for the Demons. 

An untimed down and a goal line play that was ruled short left the Demons with a painful reminder of how close they had come to finishing the job.

That memory has lingered for some, but for second-year head coach Blaine McCorkle and his team, Saturday night’s rematch in Texas isn’t about revenge. It’s about proving how far they’ve come since that night.

“I think the guys will be excited to play this game,” McCorkle said. “Not so much because it’s about Prairie View and what happened last year but when that game rolls around you go back to the lessons you learned. What have we learned since that moment.

“Last year we were not a mature enough team. We did not have the culture, character or mindset to have earned the right to win that game. Now, we could have won that game, but had we done that it actually might have slowed down the progress of the growth of the program. Sometimes with success you relax a little. We might have done that and missed some of the lessons we needed to learn along the way.

“What this game does is allows us to reflect on all those lessons and go show it. What better opportunity to do that than against the same opponent. It’s not about Prairie View. It’s about us and how much we’ve grown and learned, and I think our guys will be excited to show the NSU faithful that on Saturday night.”

The Demons (1-2) enter this year’s matchup following back-to-back losses against Power 4 opponents from the Big 12 (Cincinnati) and Big Ten (Minnesota). 

Kickoff is scheduled for 6:05 p.m.  The contest will air on SWAC TV (available through a free app) with a radio broadcast through 100.7 KZBL FM in Natchitoches, along with stations in Many, Leesville and Winnfield,  and through www.nsudemons.com and the NSUDemons app.

While the scoreboards weren’t kind to the Demons the past two weeks, team captain and offensive lineman Caleb Billiot’s message as one of the leaders on the team is one of progress and forward motion.

“Don’t get discouraged,” Billiot said. “We played two really good opponents – Big 12 and Big 10 – and we knew what we were getting into but it’s not that we didn’t train hard or slacked off or anything. We played our game regardless of what the score was. So it’s who do you want to be. We showed our fight and played our game.”

Even with a return to FCS competition, that fight will be just as tested by a Prairie View squad that has been vulnerable on the ground, allowing 210 rushing yards per game. Rice’s Wing-T attack piled up nearly 350 yards a week ago, but even Texas Southern and UTRGV found success with nearly 150 apiece in the other two games.

An exciting prospect for the senior lineman and the stable of hard-nosed Demon running backs, all of which will look to play within themselves on Saturday, not letting last year’s ending dictate this year’s approach.

“We have to have a healthy aggression,” he said. “You can’t over psych yourself and you can’t underestimate any team. Last year’s team is completely different from this year’s team. 

“So we just have to go out and treat it like any other game, any other day of the week. Go out, work hard throughout the week and execute on Saturday. Last year was last year. We can’t go back and change it. Have we had this game circled since then – yes. But it’s still another game, another week and we have to go out and do our job. Play fast, physical and execute up front.”

For the second straight week the Demons will face off with a dual-threat quarterback. Both signal callers that have seen action for the Panthers this season, Cameron Peters and Tevin Carter, ranked second and third on the team in rushing.

Linebacker Fernando Washington burst onto the scene against Alcorn State with his ability to combat a mobile quarterback, earning a Southland Conference Player of the Week honor in the process, and will look to rehash some of that again on Saturday.

“Running sideline to sideline and never quitting on plays because anything can happen when it comes to football,” Washington said. “Playing whistle to whistle is how you stop mobile quarterbacks because if you get lazy that’s when they really activate and get all those yards.”

As kickoff approaches, the focus lies equally on the Xs and Os of producing a winning game plan and displaying the growth and maturation of a program than can be done in a year. One season ago, Prairie View slipped away with the win on the final play. This time, the Demons head to Texas ready to take the next step in the program’s evolution.

Contact Brad at welbornb@nsula.edu

JOURNAL SPORTS

Centenary is early in its second official season of NCAA Division III football.

Not only has East Texas Baptist won 151 games at that level, the Tigers have been playing football for 101 years.

History is one thing. Current year results are more compelling: ETBU is 2-0, routing Lyon College 47-8 and blanking NAIA member Oklahoma Panhandle State 28-0 last week.

Meanwhile, Centenary officially kicked off its nine-game schedule on the road last week and was overwhelmed 56-14 at Millsaps.

The Gents host the Tigers Saturday evening at 6 at Atkins Field next to the Gold Dome on the south end of the Centenary campus.

It will be the officlal home debut for accomplished Gents’ offensive coordinator Hal Mumme, who will look for improvement from his side while head coach Byron Dawson will be zoning In on shorting up the Centenary defense.

Junior Vance Feuerbacher was all over the field for the Gents last week as he completed 18-25 for 115 yards through the air and rushed seven times for 32 yards and a TD. He led the Gents on an 18-play, 99-yard drive and capped it with a 1-yard TD run to tie the game at 7-7 early in the second quarter. He also punted seven times for 234 yards (33.4 average) with a long of 44.

Senior Zin’Tavious Smith  completed 10-15 passes for 55 yards and rushed seven times for 57 yards.

Sophomore linebacker Collin Watkins led the Gents with 10 total tackles, five solo and five assisted, 1.5 tackles for loss, and one pass breakup. 

In a prior homefield outing earlier this month, Centenary rolled past Westgate Christian 42-7 in an exhibition contest.

By DOUG IRELAND, Journal Sports

Parkway’s Panthers are warmed up for District 1-5A competition.

Haughton’s Bucs are sky high after an overtime triumph over Byrd made them 1-0 in district, for the first time in six years.

Add in the intensity of a (very friendly) neighborhood rivalry, and tonight’s collision at Preston Crownover Stadium in Bossier City has some sizzle.

Parkway is 2-0 with dominant wins over two Class 4A foes, Carroll (43-13) and Woodlawn (56-6), and will play on its homefield for the third straight week. Veteran Parkway coach Coy Brotherton likes how his team has come out swinging.

“We have a lot of guys back, and we’re pretty experienced in our skill positions and on the defensive line. Having Kaleb Williams back at quarterback after missing him (because of injury) for almost all of last season is a real boost, as good as he is,” said Brotherton.

For the Panthers, now come the eight games that matter most.

“It’s a big district, with nine teams. Regardless of the talent, all the teams are well coached and everybody has some good athletes. It’s very deep, no off weeks. Anybody can beat anybody,”  Brotherton said. “We were fortunate enough that our first two games were non-district, but it’s a grind from here on out.”

Parkway’s progress report card has a lot of check marks, but Brotherton sees need for improvement.

“On offense, we need to finish blocks better, finish plays better. We don’t need to rely on the big play – we’ve had some, those are great – but I want to see us put clean drives together, 7-8-9 plays. On defense we’ve got to continue to find the football and make the tackle. We missed a tackle, loafed on pursuit, and gave up a 70-yard touchdown run last week. That should ever happen.”

The Buccaneers always have the Panthers’ attention – because there is no shortage of bonds between the schools, their football teams and their coaching staffs. Haughton head coach Matthew Sewell was Brotherton’s offensive coordinator four years ago, and Bucs’ OC Cody Taylor was also on the Parkway staff.

After an agonizing opening 36-34 loss at home to Homer, Haughton used a walk-off two-point conversion pass to knock off the visiting Yellow Jackets in the Bucs’ district opener last Friday.  Ethan Johnson set a Haughton record with 290 receiving yards on 12 catches, while quarterback Taylor Weathersby threw for 309 yards on 16 of 30 aim, not including the game-winning two-pointe to Case Corkern.

“We finished early last Friday night and they were still going at it, so we pulled it up in the office and watched. We were excited for those guys. We pull for them,” Brotherton said. “Me and Matthew are close.”

“We share a (school) district border. We have a lot of kids who know each other; the coaches know each other really well,” said Sewell. “You have to expect we’ll have a pretty good crowd from both schools.”

The Week 3 games involving Shreveport-Bossier teams:

TONIGHT

Haughton (1-1 overall, 1-0 in 1-5A) at Parkway (2-0, 0-0)

FRIDAY

Evangel (1-1, 1-0) at Byrd (0-2, 0-1), Lee Hedges Stadium

Benton (0-2, 0-1) at Huntington (0-2, 0-1), Independence Stadium

Captain Shreve (1-1, 1-0) at Natchitoches Central (1-1, 0-1)

Airline (2-0) at Union Parish (0-2)

Bossier (2-0) at Logansport (0-2)

Cedar Creek (2-0) at Loyola (2-0)

Mansfield (2-0) at Northwood (2-0)

Woodlawn (1-1) at Lakeview (0-2)

Southwood (1-0) at North Caddo (0-2)

Franklin Parish (2-0) at Calvary (1-1)

Lakeside (1-1) at Plain Dealing (0-1)

Magnolia School of Excellence (0-2), open

SATURDAY

Green Oaks (0-2) at Booker T. Washington (2-0) – 5 p.m. kickoff

Contact Doug at sbjdoug@gmail.com

If you have no allegiance to a local team, and you’re willing and able to take in a nearby high school football game this weekend, there’s an interesting collection of matchups to consider.

Tonight’s Haughton at Parkway contest, a District 1-5A battle, is the friendliest neighborhood rivalry you can find with close bonds between the coaching staffs, friendships among the players, and a short jaunt from the country (Haughton) to the (Bossier) City.

Friday night, the No. 1 team in Class 4A, Franklin Parish, visits one of Class 2A’s elite, Calvary Baptist. It was a four-point final last year in Winnsboro, and although the Cavs had some major graduation losses, they are tough to top at home (where the concession stand alone is reason to visit).

At Independence Stadium, there’s a different kind of hungry. Benton and Huntington meet, both 0-2. Benton’s coach is Stephen Dennis, who for the last few seasons was the successful head man on Rasberry Lane. A win will be extra sweet for the survivor.

Down the road in Logansport, the Bossier Bearkats roll in with a 2-0 record, having scored 122 points. The host Tigers are a perennial Class A power, but have some key injuries and are out to a 0-2 start with not-close losses to Many and Loyola.

Mansfield is 2-0, thanks to erasing a 35-0 deficit in Week 1 to stun Minden. The Wolverines come to 2-0 Northwood, who looks primed to give North DeSoto a serious challenge for the 1-4A crown.

Another 2-0 vs. 2-0 matchup takes place at Messmer Stadium when Class A Cedar Creek rolls in from Ruston to visit Loyola. The Flyers have handled two smaller schools easily and this should be no different, but they’ll aim for a sharper performance than last week at Logansport.

Having escaped the state’s longest losing streak by holding off Class A Arcadia, Southwood (1-0) goes to 0-2 North Caddo. Somebody who needs a win goes home happy. This could be as entertaining as any game this weekend.

That’s saying a lot considering it’s Soul Bowl Saturday. For the 52^nd time, Booker T. Washington and Green Oaks square off with year-long bragging rights at stake. You know it’s a biggie when they name a game MVP, and some Lion or Giant will have that claim to fame Saturday evening. The game even rates a special kickoff time, 5 o’clock, will have a sensational pregame tailgating scene and a high-octane halftime.

Those are your best options, but not the only ones, if you stay local in Week 3. Evangel-Byrd at Lee Hedges Stadium and Lakeside at Plain Dealing have some merit – plenty of college prospects headed by this week’s Class of 2027 LSU commitment Pop Houston for the Eagles; rugged fullback Collin Deere and kicker Asher Murray of Byrd; and the noble efforts of the Plain Dealing Lions, now saddled with the state’s longest skid (36 straight) but home again, hopeful always.

Not a shabby slate to choose from, not in Week 3, when anything seems possible.

Contact Doug at sbjdoug@gmail.com

By LEE BRECHEEN, Louisiana Football Magazine

Defensive line is a hard position to recruit for all colleges, especially the bigger programs. Coaches are evaluating three different types of linemen: ends, tackles and nose guards and each position requires different attributes.

Then comes the challenge of projecting where a really good high school lineman will fit at the next level.

It is really hard to find kids who are tall and carry anywhere from 230 pounds playing end in high school, 300 pounds or more playing inside. Recruiters’ eyes light up when they see a 270-310 pounder who can run sideline to sideline and be ready to play right away in college. The big fellas also have to be strong and agile and give high effort to be recruited by the bigger schools.

There’s not a deep group of sure-fire D-line prospects in Shreveport/Bossier this year – but  there are quality players coming out in the Class of 2026.

My favorite local linemen to watch in my lifetime have been Huntington DE Kenny Davidson (6-5, 265), who played at LSU and in the NFL;  Evangel DT Stevie Lee (6-4, 310), a Texas Longhorn who played on Sundays; Airline nose guard O.J. Smith (6-3, 305), who played at Alabama; the late, great Evangel DE Cole Pittman (6-4, 265) who went to Texas; and a guy who is prominent today locally, Centenary head football coach Byron Dawson, who was 6-0, 300 when he starred at Evangel before lining up at LSU. He once was on the cover of Louisiana Football Magazine – I picked him as a sleeper and boy, that was on target.

A special case was Woodlawn’s James Gillyard. This 6-2, 230-pound athlete was a quarterback for the Knights but everyone knew he would switch to another position in college. He fit up front on defense at LSU.

That was then. This is now.

My list of the top three local D-linemen coming out begins with Ashton Dawson at Evangel, a 6-2, 285-pound tackle who has commited to Arkansas. Dawson has good feet and the ability to start in the SEC.

Ian Gray (6-2, 255) at Byrd can play both end and tackle in college. With college weight added Gray should get to over 270 easily and play inside. He’s a tough kid, strong and gives coach Stacy Ballew all out effort every snap.

Another Evangel Eagle, Christian Speight (6-3, 300) plays up front both ways for coach Denny Duron’s ballclub. He could play nose in college because he is so agile and strong – as demonstrated by the fact he’s an All State wrestler.

Of course, I have some sleepers, players who are earning good looks from colleges and should find a roster spot at the next level. One of my favorites, who was profiled here a couple of weeks back, is  Parkway’s Nathaniel Kemp (6-2, 250) who has good feet for his size because of his boxing, MMA and wrestling experience.

Woodlawn DE Adonnus Smith (6-2, 235) has the frame and feet to add even more weight in college. Right now he is lean and quick. Calvary Baptist noseguard Conner Brookshire (6-0, 265) is a tough, all-out player. Southwood DE Winfred Avant (6-2, 225) is quick and lean, and Parkway’s Korde Sharp (6-0, 290) is a nose guard at the college level. He’s a smart kid who gives relentless effort.

There is also a kid who I think is much improved and caught my eye already this year — Byrd tackle Tayvious Washington (6-1, 290) looks like a nose at the next level. He gives high effort and moves well for a big guy.

Evangel has lots of talent on the defensive front. Here’s another ECA sleeper, Nick Lopez (6-2, 250), a defensive end who was mostly a tight end and is getting to show his upside playing defense. Lopez has great feet and hands, which is a big plus for the trench warfare.

A lot of game tape will be watched by dozens of college coaches and analysts, and as usual,  they’ll find a good group of prospects on the defensive front among the Shreveport-Bossier talent pool in the Class of 2026.

Contact Lee at lbrecheen@aol.com

(Lee Brecheen is the longtime publisher of Louisiana Football Magazine, covering all of the state’s high school teams each year since 1997.  Free content can also be found at the website lafootballmagazine.com. District previews with scouting reports on every team are posted now. Lee hosts a podcast with guests from around the state — The Sports Scouting Report with Lee Brecheen, available on YouTube)

The Milwaukee Brewers are enjoying what will likely be the best season in the franchise’s history, and former Milwaukee All-Star Jonathan Lucroy recently learned he will be among the Class of 2026 inductees next summer in the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame.

But today I’ve got a Louisiana-bred story about one of Milwaukee’s all-time baseball greats, albeit when their nickname was the Braves — slugger Joe Adcock from Coushatta.

I’m retelling the story because it was first told to – and reported by — me some 26 years ago. But with the Milwaukee baseball team riding high, it seems timely.

Adcock, who went to LSU on a basketball scholarship after being a star for Coushatta High School, led the Southeastern Conference in scoring for the 1945-46 season, averaging just better than 18 points a game. The late Bobby Lowther of Alexandria, his LSU roommate and, like Joe, a member of the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame, was among Adcock’s teammates on that LSU basketball team. The other starters were Baton Rouge’s Bill Walters and Frank Brian – another luminary from the state’s sports shrine — and Bubba Webb of Hanna, in Red River Parish.

When Adcock died at age 71 in May of 1999, he had an impromptu ride to the cemetery that his old LSU teammates thought was kind of poignant.

The funeral procession along the five-mile stretch from the church to Holly Springs Cemetery in the Red River Parish village of Martin was about a mile from its destination when the hearse had a flat.

Walter said a deputy sheriff riding in the procession in a pickup truck was summoned for emergency help.

Adcock’s coffin was taken from the hearse, and Joe Bill Adcock, who spent his post baseball years raising thoroughbreds on his Coushatta farm, rode down the stretch to his personal finish line in the back of a pickup truck.

Walters, Lowther, Brian and Webb were all there for the service and afterwards they were talking to Joe’s sister from Baton Rouge, Mary Ann Brown, about how they were sorry about what happened with the hearse.

Walters said Joe’s sister answered, “You’re not going to believe this, but before he got real ill, he told us when he passed along, he’d just as soon we put him in the back of a pickup truck and take him to the cemetery.”

And that’s what happened.

“It didn’t surprise me when she said that,” Walters said. “That sounded just like what Joe would say. All the fame he had, (it) never did go to his head. He always drove a pickup truck around when he raised thoroughbred horses.”   

By BRAD WELBORN, Northwestern State Sports Information

NATCHITOCHES – When Fernando Washington arrived at Northwestern State in the spring of 2025, he wasn’t sure what to expect, a not uncommon feeling for any transfer stepping into a new locker room.

While the junior college transfer from Copiah-Lincoln (Miss.) braced for the usual period of adjustment to a new chapter in his life and football career, he was met with something far more meaningful.

“When I first got here, they let me in with open arms,” Washington said. “They wanted to get to know me and not just the football side of me. They wanted to know me off the field. So just hanging out with everybody and getting to know everybody really translated to the football field. Because if I’m able to trust them off the field then I can definitely trust them on it.”

That trust has already turned into production for Washington and the Demons.

Through the first three games of the season, Washington ranks among team leaders in tackles, piling up 17 total stops, including 3.0 tackles for loss and a sack resulting in 16 negative yards for opposing offenses.

In just a few months, Washington has gone from newcomer to one of the defensive cornerstones. He’ll look to add another big performance when the Demons visit Prairie View A&M on Saturday night.

His sideline-to-sideline speed showed up in the opener against Alcorn State, when he recorded a team-leading eight tackles, six of them solo stops, as the Demon defense held the Braves without an offensive touchdown in a 20-10 win. It was the first time NSU had done that since 2022 as they snapped a 20-game losing streak in the process.

That effort helped secure Washington a Southland Conference Player of the Week honor following his first game as a Demon.

The on-field impact has been obvious, but Washington’s value extends to the offensive side of the ball too with how he sharpens those around him. Offensive lineman Caleb Billiot said Washington’s intensity makes every practice more game-like.

“Fernando is a high caliber player,” Billiot said. “He gives us a lot of good looks on the show team and team third downs. Having him here at practice really helps us a lot. He likes to run sideline to sideline. He’s really aggressive. He’ll come in and fit the run for sure. Having a guy like that, and really anybody in that linebacker room. They all work really hard but having a guy like Fernando do what he does to challenge us throughout the week, then we feel like we can block anybody, any given day.”

Second-year head coach Blaine McCorkle said what separates Washington is that his identity as a player fits perfectly with the position he plays.

“The best compliment that I think I can give Fernando Washington is that he is a football player,” McCorkle said. “He was born to play linebacker; there is no doubt about it. He can rush the passer. He can get in the box and stop the run. He can drop into coverage. He can make a play at a lot of different levels on the field, and he loves the game. He loves his teammates and comes to work every single day with a smile on his face. He’s quickly becoming one of our favorites around here.”

That growth, McCorkle added, has been steady and obvious since Washington first arrived on campus. The exciting part of it for McCorkle is there are even greater heights to be reached.

“He was here during the spring so we got to see him and what he could do and we knew we had a pretty good football player then,” McCorkle said. “But for me it was watching him all summer work with (Director of Strength and Conditioning) coach (Jason) Smelser, bond to his teammates and the attitude he came to work with, I knew then he had the chance to be really special. 

“He’s still young in our defense but I think he’s one that as he learns and grows in his football I.Q., develops and matures a little, he can be as good as he wants to be within our defense. It’s going to be fun to watch the rest of the year how much he grows and continues to make plays for us.”

Contact Brad at welbornb@nsula.edu

Archery season for deer begins in less than a month. It seems fitting that we shine the spotlight once again on Sterling Harrell, a man who pioneered bow hunting in our part of the country.

Pine Bluff, Ark., native Ben Pearson, was a pioneer and innovator when it came to promoting the sport of archery way back when. Pearson started the first company in the U.S. to mass-produce archery sets and equipment which ultimately led him to be inducted into the Archery Hall of Fame.

The company Pearson started would eventually be sold to a large corporation and by 1988 had 360 employees with an annual payroll of $100 million…big time stuff.

There was another archery aficionado who became not only a fan of Pearson but a trusted friend. His name was Sterling Harrell and he lived in Ruston.

When Harrell passed away in 1995 at the age of 71, he had engaged the assistance of Pearson in a number of projects in Louisiana, the most notable of which was to try and convince the state Wildlife and Fisheries Commission to start a new program for hunters in Louisiana. When bow hunters climb into their stands in a few short weeks, they have Harrell to thank for his part in our state having an archery season for deer.

An internet search of Harrell’s name reveals some fascinating and interesting information. For one, the search revealed a tribute to Harrell by associates of Pearson in Pine Bluff. Watching the tribute, I learned that Harrell would often take busloads of kids to visit Pearson in Arkansas and later was instrumental in implementing a successful archery program at Louisiana Tech in 1960. Harrell was affectionately referred to in the tribute as “Mister Longbow.”

In order to gather more information on this area’s pioneer in archery, I visited with Harrell’s son, Van, who shared memories of growing up with a father consumed with the love for shooting a long bow.

“Before moving to Ruston, we lived in Shreveport in a heavily populated neighborhood but there was a golf course just down the street and dad would take us down there so we could shoot our bows,” said Harrell.

“After moving to Ruston in the 1950s, dad organized a group of youngsters and taught them how to shoot bows. They’d go out once a week and he’d let them pop balloons and other targets. Ben Pearson came down and helped him develop an archery range out on the east side of Ruston out past Woodland Park,” he said.

During my internet search, I found a fascinating clip of Sterling Harrell doing something he became known for around the area, “trick” shooting with his bow. He would roll discs out in front of him and would put an arrow through them as they rolled and incredibly, he would often shoot the rolling discs while holding the bow behind his back. Remarkable skills the man had.

However, Sterling Harrell was not perfect. I once stopped by his home for an interview and he invited me to shoot a long bow, something I had never done. He strapped the guard on my arm to protect me from injury when releasing the bow. However, he strapped it on the wrong arm – I didn’t know the difference – and when I shot, all the hide was peeled off my arm from elbow to wrist. A red faced Sterling apologized. I shoot right handed; Harrell shoots left handed.

When I visited Ruston’s new 3-D archery range at Lincoln Parish Park recently, my thoughts were on my friend Sterling Harrell and the impact he had on scores of kids, many of whom are now grandfathers who are likely to visit the new archery range.

Had such a range been available when he was still alive, there is no doubt that Harrell would be one of the first to give the new range a try. Thanks to Sterling Harrell for instilling the love for shooting bows and arrows to so many who are active archers today.

Contact Glynn at glynnharris37@gmail.com

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