Transforming a Family Legacy into Regional Banking Excellence

Executive Summary

Ken Hale, President and CEO of BOM Bank, exemplifies the evolution of community banking through strategic vision and generational leadership. As the 5th generation of the Wardlow family to run the bank, Hale has transformed what began as a small-town institution into a regional powerhouse. Under his leadership spanning three decades, BOM Bank has grown from a single location with $18 million in assets when he joined in 1995 to twenty-seven branches and $1.5 billion in assets today, achieving an average return on assets of 1.5 percent over the past fifteen years.

Celebrating his 30th anniversary with BOM Bank in 2025, Hale’s leadership extends beyond banking to the national stage, where he serves as Chairman of the Safety and Soundness Committee for the Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA), positioning him as a thought leader in community banking policy and regulation.

From Inheritance to Innovation

Ken Hale’s journey began in 1994 when he inherited a third of his grandfather’s 55 percent stake in the Bank of Montgomery, Louisiana, serving the town of Montgomery (population 600) on a bend in the Red River. A Northwestern State University graduate, he joined straight out of college and demonstrated the business acumen that would drive unprecedented growth. Today, Ken owns 40 percent of the renamed BOM Bank, having significantly increased his ownership stake through strategic expansion.

Strategic Growth Through Acquisitions

Hale’s growth strategy has centered on thoughtful acquisitions that strengthen BOM Bank’s market position while maintaining community banking values.

2016 – Bank of Ringgold, Traber Agency & TriState Bank: BOM acquired the Bank of Ringgold and TriState Bank in Haughton, Louisiana, growing to nine branches across Louisiana, while BOM Financial Services acquired The Traber Agency, a local 100-year-old independent insurance agency.

2017 – MidSouth Bank Branches: BOM completed acquisition of two MidSouth Bank branches in Alexandria, expanding its Rapides Parish presence with approximately $385 million in assets.

2018 – Strategic Rebranding: The bank changed its name from Bank of Montgomery to BOM Bank, reflecting expansion to 14 branches with assets of $400 million.

2019 – First State Bank of Hemphill: BOM’s first full-service entrance into Texas, acquiring the Hemphill branch and reaching approximately $500 million in total assets.

2024-2025 – American State Bank: BOM completed acquisition of nine American State Bank locations across Texas, including branches in Haslam, Timpson, Center, Lufkin, Huntington, Chester, and Conroe.

Expanding Services: BOM Financial Services

In 2006, Hale launched BOM Financial Services as a full-service independent insurance agency and investment consultant firm to offer comprehensive insurance and investment opportunities beyond traditional banking. This wholly owned subsidiary acquired The Traber Agency in 2016 and will celebrate its 20th anniversary in 2026, having grown to serve over 3,500 customers, demonstrating Hale’s vision for comprehensive financial services.

Community Investment and Service

Under Hale’s leadership, BOM Bank has demonstrated exceptional commitment to community development, donating over $1.2 million back to the communities they serve in 2024 alone. Beyond financial contributions, BOM employees have donated over 5,000 hours of community service, reflecting the bank’s philosophy that successful community banking requires active participation in the economic and social development of the communities it serves.

Business Excellence and Leadership Philosophy

Hale’s success stems from balancing aggressive expansion with relationship-focused service. The bank’s asset growth from $18 million to $1.5 billion represents exceptional performance that few community banks achieve while maintaining profitability through various economic cycles. Under his leadership, BOM Bank combines personal service with cutting-edge technology, positioning it to compete effectively with larger institutions across twenty-seven branches.

National Leadership and Community Commitment

Hale’s influence extends well beyond BOM Bank. He was elected to the ICBA Federal Delegate Board in 2021 and appointed Chairman of the Safety and Soundness Committee in March 2025. His extensive community involvement includes:

• Northwestern State University Foundation (Past Chairman)
• Louisiana Bankers Association (Board Member, Treasurer, Chairman, Past Chairman)
• Community Development Bankers Association (Board Member)
• Natchitoches Parish Hospital Foundation (Board Member)
• Central Louisiana Community Foundation (Board Member, Executive Committee)
• Boys and Girls Club, Women’s Resource Center, Holy Cross Catholic Church
• Natchitoches Area Chamber of Commerce and Historic Foundation
• Northwestern State Business Round Table Member

Upon his ICBA election, Hale stated: “I am honored to represent our industry and help share the positive story of community banking with policymakers. Community banks are trusted, relationship-based lenders that deliver personalized service and invaluable financial expertise to local consumers and entrepreneurs.”

Conclusion

Ken Hale represents the best of modern community banking leadership, combining generational wisdom with innovative thinking and local commitment with regional ambition. His transformation of BOM Bank from an $18 million single-branch institution to a $1.5 billion regional powerhouse with comprehensive financial services demonstrates exceptional business acumen while maintaining community banking values.

However, Hale is quick to credit BOM Bank’s success to its people. “Without our wonderful employees, supportive Board, and loyal customers, BOM wouldn’t be what it is today,” Hale emphasizes. This collaborative approach to leadership recognizes that sustainable growth requires the dedication of every team member, the guidance of experienced board members, and the trust of customers who have made BOM their banking partner for generations.

As BOM Bank continues expansion and Hale’s national influence grows through his ICBA leadership role, his story exemplifies how traditional institutions can evolve and thrive in the modern financial landscape while staying true to their foundational mission of serving communities and building lasting relationships.

BOM Bank, headquartered in Natchitoches, Louisiana, operates 27 branches across Louisiana and Texas under President and CEO Ken Hale’s leadership.

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As part of its ongoing mission to support military-connected students, the Northwest Louisiana Military Support Foundation, in partnership with the Bossier Chamber of Commerce and Bossier Parish Schools, presented a donation to the Military Club at Apollo Elementary.

The presentation marked the first in a series of contributions planned through an initiative aimed at supporting military clubs throughout the Bossier Parish School System.

Apollo Elementary is designated as a Purple Star School, a recognition given to schools that demonstrate a strong commitment to meeting the unique needs of military students and their families. The donation will help fund the club’s activities and programs that foster connection, resilience, and understanding among students whose families serve in the armed forces.

Through this collaborative effort, the Foundation and its partners continue to strengthen community support for local military families and ensure that Bossier Parish remains a leading example of military-friendly education in Louisiana.

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The Caddo Parish District Attorney’s Office has launched its 5th Annual Purple Box Project, a community initiative dedicated to supporting survivors of domestic violence. The campaign, which runs through November 10, encourages residents to collect and donate essential items to help individuals and families in crisis.

Through the Purple Box Project, participants are invited to decorate or use a purple box and fill it with personal care and household essentials such as hygiene products, soap, toothpaste, socks, underwear, diapers, and baby wipes. Once filled, boxes may be delivered to the District Attorney’s Office or scheduled for pickup.

All donated items are distributed directly to local partner organizations, including Providence House, Project Celebration, and the Caddo Family Justice Center.

District Attorney James E. Stewart Sr. said the initiative reflects the office’s continued commitment to helping survivors rebuild their lives with dignity and hope.

“Every purple box represents compassion and a community standing together against domestic violence,” Stewart said. “When survivors leave dangerous situations, they often have nothing. This project ensures that they have immediate access to the essentials they need.”

The Purple Box Project began four years ago and has since grown through the partnership of local residents, organizations, and businesses united in the effort to fight domestic violence and support victims throughout Caddo Parish.

For more information or to arrange a donation, contact the Caddo Parish District Attorney’s Office.

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JOURNAL SPORTS

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The LSU Tigers have been here before, but it’s still special.

No team like the LSUS pilots has ever commanded the White House spotlight before.

Both national champion college baseball teams, along with travel parties filled with dignitaries, will be saluted at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue this afternoon at 3 Central time.

The ceremony, expected to feature President Donald Trump and Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, can be streamed live at the White House’s website https://www.whitehouse.gov/live/

Earlier today, the Pilots will tour the U.S. Capitol building, despite the federal government shutdown.

They are the first NAIA champions – in any sport – to receive acclaim at the White House. LSUS earned its trip with an historic undefeated season, going 59-0, a feat never achieved at any level of college baseball.

Johnson delivered the invitation to visit the White House during a June 2 community celebration of the Pilots in downtown Shreveport.

Speaking on a cell phone call played live over the sound system at the event, Johnson shared the happy news.

“As a Shreveport native and double alum to LSU in Baton Rouge, and as a kid who used to play on the fields at LSUS when we lived in south Broadmoor, I couldn’t be more proud,” Johnson said.

Soon afterward, the Pilots, led by head coach Brad Neffendorf, traveled to be honored at the Louisiana state Capitol by the Senate and House.

Other recognitions have followed, although much of the 2025 team roster scattered quickly once the season was complete, some going to professional baseball opportunities and others returning home. No players are Shreveport-Bossier natives but those who are back in school this fall are on the trip to D.C., along with plenty of local VIPs led by Shreveport Mayor Tom Arceneaux and LSUS Chancellor Robert Smith.

The Tigers won their eighth College World Series championship in Omaha. It was the second NCAA crown in three years for coach Jay Johnson’s program.

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NASHVILLE – They were lurking in the background all week, the invisible keyboard warriors who were boldly champing at the bit to give their “hot takes.”

Even though they couldn’t believe once-upon-a-time SEC doormat and 17th-ranked Vanderbilt was favored to beat No. 10 LSU here on Saturday afternoon, they were ready to fire everyone if the Tigers lost to the once-upon-time Comical-dores.

And LSU did, 31-24.

Kudos to Vandy’s fans for not tearing down the goalposts and marching 2½ miles through the heart of downtown Nashville so they could heave them in the Cumberland River as they did after last year’s upset of then-No. 1 Alabama.

The Vandy fan base has already learned you don’t remove goalposts unless you beat a good team.

The final horn had barely sounded in FirstBank Stadium when poisonous purple pus began oozing through every form of social media.

Fire e’erbody. Bench the rest.

Now.

Before LSU even gets on its charter jet heading back to Baton Rouge.

Please find an extra $53.4 million gift bag for Brian Kelly and immediately fire LSU’s fourth-year head coach because the fanbase believes he gets outcoached every time he loses and because. . .uh. . .that Yankee ain’t one of us and he doesn’t realize Baton Rouge’s whole existence and way of life relies on Tigers’ football wins and losses.

Send athletic director Scott Woodward packing because he hired Kelly from Notre Dame and gave him a 10-year, $95 million deal. Never mind that Woodward also hired two head coaches (baseball’s Jay Johnson, women’s basketball’s Kim Mulkey) and promoted another to head coach (gymnastics’ Jay Clark) who have combined for four national titles.

Terminate or demote co-offensive coordinator and playcaller Joe Sloan, of whom nobody ever says during a game, “That was a GREAT playcall.” He should be nowhere near a press box coaching booth headset when LSU’s offense enters the red zone.

Lop offensive line coach Brad Davis’ salary off the payroll because his offensive lines haven’t run blocked anyone in the last two seasons and continually commit the stupidest, most ill-timed penalties.

Yank quarterback Garrett Nussmeier’s starting spot and NIL endorsements because he was seen physically and emotionally spent and crying after the Vanderbilt loss, in which he got steamrolled almost every time he attempted a pass.

Bench running back Caden Durham, gamely playing on an injured ankle, ran 51 yards and was tackled from behind the Vandy 2 on what could have been a TD to cut the Commodores’ lead to 31-28 early in the fourth quarter. LSU’s usual disastrous red zone offense led to the Tigers being forced to kick a field goal.

Flog LSU defensive coordinator Blake Baker for not getting his defense to follow a game plan to stop Diego Pavia. Vandy’s nifty dual-threat QB accounted for 246 yards (160 passing, 86 rushing) and three TDs.

LSU fans are up in arms. They say, “This should never happen to a program of our stature.”

Well, Boudreaux on the Bayou, let’s define stature.

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, stature means “a quality status gained by growth, development, or achievement.”

Stature isn’t LSU winning four national championships in the last 67 years, including the last three since 2003.

Stature is annually contending for and frequently winning national championships.

Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State and Oregon are on that current short list.

Those programs have had a few things in common, such as coaching continuity with head coaches following a flexible plan of understanding how to maintain and build on success, along with having a core of loyal, patient boosters with deep pocketbooks.

There are other schools on the verge of obtaining championship stature. But they don’t quite get there because they have impatient boosters who expect a return on investment within two or three seasons.

College football has changed so much in the last five years that the only NCAA rule is having no rules.

Once the NCAA started getting taken to a merry-go-round of litigation, it decided it was okay to buy players with unregulated amounts of money through the phony guise of name, likeness and image.

Then, they abolished the transfer rule so that players could pimp themselves every year to a new school. Then, at the start of the current school year, the NCAA approved revenue sharing, saying schools should budget to start paying all athletes (a $20.5 million cap for the 2025-26 academic year).

So, what does this have to do with LSU and Brian Kelly?

Kelly was the first Tigers’ head football coach facing the NIL explosion. LSU, like many others, was poorly prepared for how to handle this brave new world of legalized cheating with no boundaries.

In the beginning, programs that already had huge amounts of athletic donations, such as Oregon, Ohio State, Texas and Texas A&M had an edge in recruiting.

Then, those schools that organized NIL quickly such as Ole Miss, Alabama and Miami also joined the highest bidders club.

Six of the 10 teams mentioned in the above two paragraphs are ranked in the latest Associated Press top 10 poll.

LSU is nowhere in sight in the top 10. Why?

Because it wasn’t until the end of the 2024 season that the school stepped up its NIL game, which was woefully behind. And in January 2024, Kelly reorganized his scouting and recruiting department like an NFL front office.

While Kelly proclaimed in August that this was “my most talented team yet,” it’s still not complete because the school is just now finding its footing in NIL and its scouting setup.

Kelly’s biggest flaw as a coach is perhaps his reluctance during a season to shake up any part of his coaching staff when it continues to fail.

Like wasting then-LSU QB Jayden Daniels’ 2023 Heisman Trophy-winning season by not making any defensive staff changes after the year concluded.

It was during that same time Kelly promoted Sloan from quarterbacks coach to offensive coordinator when Mike Denbrock returned to Notre Dame, where he had previously coached with Kelly.

Because Kelly concentrated so much on firing and hiring a defensive staff, Sloan’s becoming the OC was a hire of convenience. His only qualification seemingly was his good relationship with the then-new starting QB Nussmeier.

Combine that fact LSU’s offense hasn’t cracked the 30-point barrier in eight of its last nine SEC games which the Tigers are 4-5, it’s obvious Sloan’s playcalling duties need to be put immediately on ice.

LSU doesn’t have the money to fire Kelly, and it would be a drastic mistake at this point. But it’s clear Kelly has to get rid of Sloan, Davis and maybe receivers coach Cortez Hankton, whose receivers drop far too many balls.

Woodward is busting his butt, exploring every possible revenue stream so it can compete on a fairly level recruiting playing field. He’s one of the best LSU athletic directors in history during the most turbulent times in college sports.

As for the rest of LSU’s season, starting with No. 3 Texas A&M this Saturday, followed by an open date and the expected Tuscaloosa beatdown by No. 4 Alabama, try to revel in the small victories.

Those can either be defined by minuscule win and loss margins or just enjoying the pageantry and spectacle of cash-and-carry college football.

Can’t wait to see the Fightin’ Texas Aggie Band in Tiger Stadium next Saturday.

Hullabaloo, Caneck Caneck e’erbody.

Contact Ron at ronhigginsmedia@gmail.com

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By DOUG IRELAND, Journal Sports

Braylun Huglon was four years old in 2012, when it began.

Rodney Guin was coaching at Haughton then, a couple of years after his quarterback signed with Mississippi State. That worked out very well for Dak Prescott, although he was the backup QB in  his redshirt freshman season at Hail State in 2012.

Calvary Baptist won its last district game in Week 10 that year. The Cavaliers haven’t lost in league play since. Their streak is 68 in a row, most of them not very competitive, like Friday night’s 48-0 takedown of Union Parish, in a matchup of teams that carried 3-0 marks in District 1-2A into homecoming night at Jerry Barker Stadium.

This one was expected to be closer than the Cavaliers’ other district contests, this year or most any other. It was not.

“I didn’t see us giving up a scoop and score on the first series, and continuing to go downhill from there,” said Farmers’ coach Joe Spatafora. “That’s things you can’t do against a good team.”

“We came out fast. We came out quick,” said Cavaliers’ senior safety Luke Miller, “and we really made some plays on both sides of the ball.”

Yes they did. Rapidly. It looked like a vintage Mike Tyson fight. Most of those 68 straight have.

“I didn’t think this would happen. The turnovers (six, two for touchdowns) were such a difference,” said Guin. “We played well on defense, we (Ty Knight) kicked the ball well and kept them pinned on their end when we scored.

“We did a lot of stuff right,” he said. Such as …

Just 52 seconds into the game, senior safety Garrett Lee fielded a fumble and scooted in from 8 yards. Calvary (6-1, 4-0) doubled the lead on its third offensive play with Z’Ryan Miles sweeping 41 yards, unimpeded down his team’s sideline.

The Cavs made it 21-0 on their fifth snap, less than eight minutes since the game kicked off.  Huglon dashed past a defender and gathered a well-thrown toss by first-year starter Hudson Price for a 50-yard TD.

On Calvary’s very next play, following a long, fruitless Farmers’ drive, Huglon and Price connected again. It was an 80-yard strike, the most spectacular moment of the night, with Huglon overcoming double coverage down the Union sideline.

“The one I caught over two people, I ain’t gonna lie, I thought I wasn’t going to catch it,” said the junior receiver, cornerback and returner who is already among the state’s elite Class of 2027 recruits. “But if I see ball, I’m gonna get ball.”

Calvary ran 10 offensive plays – just 10 — and led 35-0 at halftime. Three more snaps into the second half, a 38-yard Miles dash made it 41-0, and cued the running clock.

The Homecoming ceremony, introducing nearly three dozen senior girls, took a half-hour at halftime. With only a few brief stops after scores and the quarter change, the second half lasted only a couple minutes longer than the procession did.

What will be remembered from that truncated last two quarters? Miller time.

He halted Union’s best chance with an interception, and housed it – length of the field, 100 yards, matching one by Huglon three weeks earlier in a win over Class 4A Franklin Parish.

“I’ve been waiting for one of those all season. I caught it in the end zone and part of me felt like going down right there,” said Miller, “but with a game like this and the atmosphere, I wanted to run that one back. My boys were blocking for me, and really sacrificed it for me.”

He got a clearing block near midfield from middle linebacker Jacob Tibbett and cruised the rest of the way. It had unintended consequences, however. It denied the second-team offense some extra action.

“We were going to put them in on the next series,” said Guin, “but then we got Luke’s interception and we were back on defense. We didn’t get the second offense as many plays as we wanted. But our JV kids, their game’s on Monday and they play the whole game on Monday. These starters work hard and they’re going to play the majority of the varsity games.”

The backups got in on some snaps. The vaunted Calvary concession stand still had a line 15-20 deep throughout the final minutes. The starters contemplated the biggest remaining questions – could they cap homecoming by rolling Guin’s house? Did they dare?

Maybe after such an overwhelming performance, the coach might tolerate such an incursion.

“We did really good in both – rolling a lot of great houses (during the week), and making a lot of great plays out here,” said Miller. “We haven’t hit coach Guin yet but we just broke it down on ‘rolling coach!’ so maybe tonight.”

That turned out to be the only thing the Cavaliers didn’t get done.

Contact Doug at sbjdoug@gmail.com

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By JOHN JAMES MARSHALL, Journal Sports

There are a lot of statistics that are getting thrown around about the undefeated Loyola football team, but if there is one you should pay absolute zero attention to, it would be time of possession.

Football coaches love to take about controlling the ball and keeping the opposing offense off the field. However, the Flyers don’t seem to give the opposing offense enough time to find a seat on the sideline before they are back on the field.

Earlier this year, there was a game in which the Flyers scored 10 touchdowns and all 10 of their drives were less than 120 seconds.

A week ago, six of Loyola’s eight touchdown drives were completed in five plays or less.

And they were at it again Friday night at Messmer Stadium in a 62-14 win over Woodlawn at Messmer Stadium. The Knights had twice the time of possession that Loyola had in this game.

This week, the Flyers had six scoring drives that lasts than a minute. If earning a letter jacket were based on playing time, there are some offensive players at Loyola who might need to go shopping for outerwear.

Just to show that they can slow it down occasionally, the Flyers did have two scoring drives that were nine plays or longer.

Still, this was not exactly a video that Loyola head coach John Sella will want to display as an artistic success.

“Ugly,” is the word the second-year coach used afterward to describe it.

Among the issues were a blocked punt, dropped passes and getting flagged so many times that referees needing to ice down their arms after the game.

Pretty much a recipe for disaster for many teams, but when you have an offense averaging 58.7 points per game, that tends to make up for a lot of mistakes.

“I was disappointed in our lack of discipline throughout the game and a lack of focus early in the game,” Sella said. “It will get fixed Monday. But I was happy with how we reacted to adversity and worked through it with the confidence we have in our offense and defense.”

Hard to believe, but the Flyers did trail in this game … for eight seconds

After Woodlawn (2-5, 0-4) scored on a Jeremiah Gustain 6-yard run and two-point conversion, the Knights led 8-7 before Loyola quarterback Bryce Restovich responded.

But not in the way you might expect.

Not with one of his five touchdown passes, which gives him 34 for the season and broke his own school record.

Instead, the junior rattled off the longest run of the season by any Flyer with a 50-yard touchdown scamper.

From there, it was business as usual with touchdown passes to Charlie McKenzie, Ty Walsworth and Brock Geter as Restovich completed 15 of 24 for 302 yards. McKenzie had five catches for 117 yards and three scores.

The Loyola defense had 16 tackles behind the line and two turnovers.

“I was proud how the defense kept them out of the end zone in the second half and giving us some short fields,” Sella said. “But we’ve got to get rid of the penalties (10 for 139 yards). We thought we had that fixed earlier in the season but apparently not.”

The Flyers, who are 7-0  (4-0 in district)  and are No. 1 in the LHSAA’s Division II Select power ranking, will head to Leonard C. Barnes Stadium Friday night to take on Booker T. Washington (4-3, 1-3).

Contact JJ at johnjamesmarshall@yahoo.com

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JOURNAL SPORTS

Only three of the 14 games involving local high school football teams last weekend came down to the closing minutes.

The other 11 had an average margin of 41 points.

Driving an incredible 17 plays without its starting running backs due to injuries, Byrd took the lead on Trenton Henderson’s 3-yard run with 2:28 to go at Turpin Stadium, but Natchitoches Central responded by going 80 yards in seven snaps and scoring a game-winning 15-yard TD run by quarterback Owen Smith with 1:21 left for a 35-31 triumph.

Airline held off a fierce effort from Haughton for a 36-28 win in another District 1-5A nailbiter. The Bucs were within 22-21 at halftime, but the Vikings got touchdown runs from D.J. Allen and Kenny Darby for a 15-point lead. The Bucs closed late on Taylor Weathersby’s 61-yard strike to Brandon Craig and made a bid to tie the game in the closing seconds. Weathersby threw for 354 yards and three TDs.

Green Oaks continued to show toughness, bowing 22-14 to Homer in a hard-fought 1-2A contest.

Although it came in a 48-14 loss. Bossier sophomore quarterback Montrevell Lewis recorded a milestone Friday night against 1-4A power Northwood.

Lewis became the first local player documented in 21 years to post 1,000 yards passing and rushing in the regular season. He ran for 141 yards and both Bearkat touchdowns, including a 45-yarder, and threw for 151 yards. He topped the 1,000 mark in both categories during the game.

Northwood got two rushing touchdowns from Kyran Johnson and John Sneed, while Nathan Cervantes threw for a pair of scores. The Falcons led 34-7 at halftime.

Parkway built a 30-7 lead over Huntington and was not seriously threatened late in its 1-5A victory over the Raiders.

Scores from games involving Shreveport-Bossier teams in Week 7:

 

District 1-5A

Airline 36, Haughton 28

Natchitoches Central 35, Byrd 31

Destrehan 68, Captain Shreve 28

Evangel 59, Benton 0

Parkway 30, Huntington 19

District 1-4A

Northwood 48, Bossier 14

Loyola 62, Woodlawn 14

Minden 55, Booker T. Washington 30

North DeSoto 56, Southwood 0

District 1-2A

Calvary 48, Union Parish 0

Homer 22, Green Oaks 14

Ringgold 30, Magnolia School of Excellence 6

D’Arbonne Woods 56, North Caddo 26

District 1-1A

Arcadia 47, Plain Dealing 0

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JOURNAL SPORTS

Week 7 results didn’t provide for much movement in this week’s Shreveport-Bossier Journal Top 10 poll.

The top five teams were winners, and their positions didn’t change. Parkway (7-0) maintained the top spot for the fourth straight week and Evangel (6-0) is a close second. Unbeaten Loyola (7-0), Class AA power Calvary (6-1) and Northwood (6-1) are still tied for third.

Airline (4-3) edged past Captain Shreve (4-3) for sixth.  Although the Gators beat the Vikings 66-56 three weeks ago, since then Shreve has suffered lopsided losses to a pair of state powers, Evangel and Destrehan. The Vikings ended a three-game skid – the losses came by a combined 17 points to ECA, Shreve and Parkway – by pushing back a feisty Haughton squad in Week 7.

Huntington (3-4) held Parkway to its lowest point total of the season in a 30-19 defeat and kept its No. 8 ranking.  The Raiders will square off against Calvary this week in an interesting late-season non-district contest.

Bossier (3-4) and Booker T. Washington (4-3) rounded out the top 10 despite defeats. BTW hung in at No. 10 while Bossier regained a ranking for the second time.

The Week 8 SBJ Top 10:

1. Parkway (3 first place votes), 5 points
2. Evangel (1), 7
3. (tie) Calvary, 16

              (tie) Loyola, 16

              (tie) Northwood, 16

      6, Airline, 24,

      7, Captain Shreve, 28

      8, Huntington, 32

      9, Bossier, 38

      10, Booker T. Washington, 40

Receiving votes – Green Oaks, 42.

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By CURTIS FORD, Grambling Sports Information Director

PINE BLUFF, Ark. — Grambling State forced three turnovers and made crucial stops to help will the Tigers to a hard-fought 20-16 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff in a Southwestern Athletic Conference contest on a rainy Saturday at Simmons Bank Field.

GSU defensive backs Markel Linzer and Blake Davis accounted for all the takeaways for the G-Men. Linzer picked off two passes while Davis snagged one in the first quarter. 

Linzer, Cisco Caston and Isaac Washington were GSU’s leading tacklers. All three registered six total tackles with Linzer adding a tackle for loss. 

Grambling State (4-3 overall, 1-2 SWAC) put up 300 yards of total offense. Starting quarterback C’zavian Teasett, hampered by an injured ankle, went 18-for-29 for 148 yards with one touchdown and one interception.

GSU gained 152 on the ground, with Tre Bradford going for 100 yards for the second week in a row. Bradford rushed for 123 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries.

Arkansas-Pine Bluff (3-4, 1-2 SWAC) cracked the scoreboard first, taking a 7-0 first period lead. The Golden Lions tried to extend the edge on a 45-yard field goal attempt in the second quarter, but Patrick Marshall blocked the kick.

Linzer set up Grambling’s first scoring drive when he intercepted at the Golden Lions’ 49-yard line. Bradford quickly delivered with a 12-yard TD run, tying the game 7-7 with 4:02 remaining in the first half.

With 5:31 left in the third quarter, Teasett connected with Jordan Bride for a 6-yard TD pass, giving the Tigers a 14-7 advantage. 

Following a nearly two-hour lightning delay that began with 14:38 to play in the fourth quarter, UAPB got a 26-yard field goal to make it a 14-10 Tiger lead with 12:23 to go. 

GSU fumbled the ball away on its next two series, both miscues deep inside Tiger territory. The Grambling defense came up with stops on both of UAPB’s chances, limiting the Golden Lions to a pair of field goals.

Trailing 16-14 with 7:16 to play, Grambling staged an 11-play, 65-yard drive capped by a 3-yard scamper by Bradford to retake a 20-16 lead with 1:42 remaining.

The Tigers’ defense clamped down on UAPB’s final drive of the game, keeping the Golden Lions out of the end zone and successfully defending a Hail Mary pass on the final play.

Arkansas-Pine Bluff gained 320 yards of total offense with 204 coming through the air.

Next, Grambling travels to Las Vegas to take on Jackson State Saturday afternoon in the inaugural Las Vegas HBCU Classic.

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By JASON PUGH, Northwestern State Sports Information Director

HAMMOND – The Northwestern State football team’s search for consistency continues.

The Demons could not sustain drives offensively, struggled to slow Deantre Jackson on defense and saw their special teams units surrender points in a 49-0 Southland Conference loss to No. 22 Southeastern Louisiana at Strawberry Stadium on Saturday evening.

“First thing, I want to give Southeastern a lot of credit,” second-year head coach Blaine McCorkle said. “What coach (Frank) Scelfo has built in his eight years is really impressive. They’re good. They’re every bit of that No. 22 ranking, and they’re probably better than that when it’s all said and done. That’s a good football team, and I give them their due.

“As far as us, now we know what that feels like. We know what a championship-level football team in the Southland Conference looks like, and hopefully, we learn from that. The biggest frustration was we gave up 21 points in the kick game. We had a punt blocked that led to a touchdown on the next play. We had an atrocious punt that led to bad field position and a touchdown a couple of plays later. We gave up the kickoff return coming out of halftime. Twenty-one points to a team like that, you’re not going to overcome that. We have to do better.”

Northwestern (1-6, 0-3) started the game with its best special teams play, a 71-yard punt from Zack Stone that pinned Southeastern (5-2, 3-0) at its 2-yard line. Stone’s boot was the longest by a Demon since Scotty Roblow’s 71-yarder against Southeast Missouri State on Oct. 22, 2022.

The Demon defense played its complementary part early, forcing the Lions to punt after a 23-yard drive.

The ensuing drive, however, is where the Lions began to flip the game on special teams, blocking a punt and recovering at the Demons’ 27-yard line. One play later, Jackson caught a short pass from Carson Camp and weaved his way 27 yards for the first of his three first-half touchdowns.

Jackson’s play set the tone for a 28-point first half in which Southeastern outgained the Demons 213-18 with the Lions’ defense holding Northwestern to a 2-for-9 mark in third-down conversions.

Jackson’s score also started a run of four touchdowns in five possessions for the Lions. The lone stop in that stretch came when Demon defensive lineman Ke’Shawn Reed chased down a Cade Collier fumble that was forced by Je’Careon Lathan at the Demons’ 3-yard line.

Reed pounced on the ball after Southeastern’s Brandon Hayes nearly recovered it around the 10-yard line.

“One thing I don’t think I’ve been able to complain about all year is their effort,” McCorkle said. “We have a lot of things we need to get better at – we all know it and we know what they are – but the play hard. They really do. We said it against East Texas A&M a couple of weeks ago. The game looked ugly, but we looked at the tape and saw some good efforts. We’ll see some from this game, and Ke’Shawn’s is one of them. Ke’Shawn loves this team, and he gives us everything he’s got, and I like the way he plays.”

Hayes’ 83-yard touchdown return of the second-half kickoff added to the Lions’ lead and was the first kick return score surrendered by the Demons this season.

Northwestern scuffled offensively until late in the fourth quarter when senior quarterback Eli Anderson, who made his first start as a Demon due to an injury to Abram Johnson, led a march into the red zone that was aided by a key third-down catch by Amaaz Eugene and a 34-yard swing pass to Jeremiah James. The drive ended with an end-zone interception.

“Consistency has been the theme this year,” McCorkle said. “We show, in spurts, that we have the ability to be a good football team and do good things, but we have to be more consistent and do it on a more regular basis. Part of that comes with youth and part of that comes with experience. Those two things go together. We have to fid a way to simplify, which we have the last couple of weeks, and put our guys in position to play more consistently.”

The Demons return home next Saturday to face Lamar. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. inside Turpin Stadium.

Contact Jason at pughj@nsula.edu

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JOURNAL SPORTS

BATESVILLE, Ark. – A game-ending goalline stand and superior execution in rainy weather Saturday secured Centenary’s first win of its second intercollegiate football season this century.

The visiting Gents went to overtime where Zane Wyss’ 21-yard field goal combined with that goalline stand allowed them to prevail 23-20 over the Lyon Scots in a Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference game on Saturday at Bad Boy Mowers Stadium.

The Gents improved to 1-4 overall and 1-1 in SCAC play while the Scots fell to 1-4 and 0-2 in the SCAC. 

Centenary scored a defensive two-point conversion on a blocked PAT return by Jay Scott to build a 20-13 lead early in the third quarter, but a storm forced a 90-minute stoppage. It was still raining hard when play resumed, and both offenses struggled before Lyon drove 61 yards and forged a tie with 4:11 left.

The Scots threatened to win on their last shot in regulation, reaching the Gents’ 8 in the closing seconds, but a short field goal try went awry on miscues on the snap and hold, and kicker Jesus Romero-Castillo was tackled.

In OT, led by former Calvary Baptist quarterback Abram Wardell and sparked by a 14-yard run from Obadiah Butler, Centenary moved 18 yards on eight plays but had to settle for the Wyss field goal, moving the visitors on top.

Lyon quickly reached first-and-goal at the 2, but two runs were repelled by Jirus Guy Jr. and Rhema Getter just shy of ending the game. On third down, the Scots fumbled the shotgun snap and recovered back at the 11.

Again, Lyon’s field goal unit was unable to execute, the ball popped loose, and the kicker was hauled down by Getter at the 7 to seal the outcome.

Centenary bolted to a quick 6-0 lead on a 70-yard Butler dash less than 90 seconds into action. Lyon popped on top five minutes later, but the Gents took charge with a pair of scores late in the first period: a 47-yard pass from Zin’Tavious Smith to Theo Dunn, and another long run, an 80-yarder, by Butler. He finished with a career-best 234 yards on 17 carries.

Lyon drew within 18-13 by taking the second-half kickoff and driving 12 plays, but the weather conditions hampered both teams until the Scots managed their late march to the tying points, including a successful PAT from Romero-Castillo.

Centenary’s offense had its best day of 2025 with 531 yards, 304 passing. Lyon threw for 313 of its 426 yards. Smith, in his first start this season in place of apparently injured QB Vance Feuerbacher, went 15 of 27 for 226 yards and the TD before evidently being hurt himself midway through the fourth quarter. Wardell got his first collegiate action and went 3 for 6 for a net of 1 yard.

Centenary got 18 tackles by Getter and 11 apiece from Dwayne Mills Jr. and Gideon Bowman.

The Gents are back home next Saturday to face McMurry in a conference contest.

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Dr. Raymond Edward Dennie of Shreveport, Louisiana, died on October 14, 2025, following a recent illness. He was born in Copper Cli Ontario Canada on April 9, 1936.

Funeral services will be held on Wednesday, October 22 at 11:00 a.m. at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Shreveport. O ciating will be Fr. Jerry Daigle and Fr. Peter Mangum. Pallbearers will be Gerard Dignard, Bob Nickelson, John Michael Giglio and Rex Johnson.

Ray graduated from Ottawa School of Medicine in 1961. He then completed a residency in orthopedics in Elyria Ohio, followed by a fellowship in pediatric orthopedics at the Cleveland Clinic. He entered private practice at Manitoulin Hospital in Little Current, Ontario Canada prior to moving to Jackson Parish, Louisiana where he had a private practice for thirteen years. Ray and his wife Monique then moved to Shreveport LA where he completed thirty years at Willis-Knighton Work Kare.

Dr. Dennie loved adventure, and enjoyed sailing, traveling, snowmobiling, and flying to various destinations with his wife and friends. He was an avid reader, and studied medical journals, even after he retired. Always an a able gentleman, Monique says Ray will always be her “Ray of sunshine.”

He is predeceased by his parents, Frank and Aurore Dennie, and his brother, Gerry. Surviving Dr. Dennie are his wife and friend of fifty-plus years, Monique Dennie. He is also survived by his sisters Jacqueline and Cecile. He was loved by so many friends and relatives, including many nieces and nephews.

Ray’s family wishes to express their deepest gratitude to Drs. Mohammed Syed, Scott Howard and Ryan Masters, along with the nursing sta in stroke ICU and sixth floor at WK Pierremont.

In memory of Dr. Dennie, donations may be made to the Caddo-Bossier Cancer Foundation League, 3300 Albert Bicknell Dr., Suite 3 Shreveport LA 71103, or the charity of your choice.

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Elizabeth DeLaite Nordberg passed away peacefully Friday, October 17, 2025, born September 17, 1935. A memorial service in her honor will be held at St. John’s Cathedral, with the date to be determined.

Elizabeth was born in Revere, Massachusetts near Boston at the height of the Depression and moved to Hawaii during World War II when her father was called to help rebuild American warships following the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor. It was on the beaches of Oahu that she met a ruggedly handsome Marine rotating back from the Korean War, and who would become the love of her life and father of her two children. Known to her friends as Betty, she was a world-class gardener, loyal friend, devoted wife, and a fierce and loving mother. With the passing of her beloved husband, Elizabeth moved to Shreveport upon the arrival of her beautiful granddaughters – thus beginning the “Nana Bananas” phase of her long and fruitful life. She proved herself indispensable and vastly influential in shaping the lives of all who loved her – that is – all who know her.

Preceded in death by her daughter, Deborah DeLaite Nordberg; her husband, Robert James Nordberg Sr.; her sister, Nancy Petrucci; and her parents, Milli and Frank Boyd.

She is survived by her son, Col. (Ret.) Robert James Nordberg II, and his wife, Dr. Mary Lowery Nordberg; her granddaughters, Alexandra Fultz, Mary-Elizabeth Nordberg, and Grace DeLaite Nordberg; and her great-grandsons, Harrison Brooks Fultz, Jack Lowery Fultz, and Millard Banks Fultz.

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Jimmy Ray Protho
October 6, 1953 – October 17, 2025
Service: Tuesday, October 21, 2025, 11am at Rose-Neath Funeral Home, Bossier City.

Barry Eldon Franklin Sr.
October 21, 1959 – October 15, 2025
Service: Friday, October 24, 2025, 2pm at Aulds Funeral Home, Shreveport. 

Dr. Raymond Dennie
April 9, 1936 – October 14, 2025
Service: Wednesday, October 22, 2025, 11am at St. Joseph Catholic Church, Shreveport.

Leonard “Lenny” Joseph Lewis
May 29, 1942 – October 14, 2025
Service: Monday, October 20, 2025, 1pm at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, Shreveport.

Lenora Mae Henning
November 29, 1932 – October 10, 2025
Service: Saturday, November 1, 2025, 10am at Rose-Neath Funeral Home, Bossier City.

Susan “Sue” Elizabeth Schloss
June 25, 1941 – October 4, 2025
Service: Monday, October 20, 2025, 2pm at Rose-Neath Funeral Home, Shreveport. 

Dennis K. Beckman
October 11, 1942 – September 25, 2025
Service: Sunday, November 9, 2025, 12pm at the Woman’s Department Club, Shreveport.

John Davis Walton
June 12, 1949 – September 9, 2025
Service: Saturday, November 8, 2025, 1pm at Carver Memorial Cemetery, Shreveport.

Sharon McCaskill
October 22, 1943 – August 20, 2025
Service: Saturday, October 25, 2025, 2pm at Osborn Funeral Home, Shreveport. 

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In a move aimed at enhancing development across the parish, the Bossier Parish Police Jury officially approved the Haughton Metropolitan Planning Commission’s (MPC) application to amend the Unified Development Code (UDC), specifically regarding permanent utility easements.

The approved amendment allows front-yard utility easements with a 35-foot building setback and at least 10 feet from the public right-of-way, ensuring safety and accessibility while offering developers more options for utility placement.

“This is a positive development for our growing communities,” said District 3 Juror Philip Rodgers, who chairs the Police Jury’s Road/Subdivision Regulations Committee. “We’ve worked closely with the MPC to ensure these updates reflect the needs of both developers and residents.”

The Haughton MPC initially proposed the change during its August 11 meeting, citing the need for more adaptable utility layouts in unincorporated areas. The Police Jury’s approval marks the final step in the amendment process.

For residents and developers, the updated UDC regulations represent a shift toward smarter, more responsive growth management in one of Louisiana’s fastest-growing parishes.

Bossier Parish Police Jury Receives Federal Land Patent for 0.5-Acre Tract

The Bossier Parish Police Jury has officially received a land patent from the United States Department of the Interior, granting full ownership of a 0.5-acre tract of land to the parish government.

This land patent is a formal document that transfers permanent ownership from the federal government to the Police Jury. It ensures that the Jury—and future parish leaders—will hold the land forever, along with all the rights and privileges that come with it.

As part of the agreement, the Police Jury has committed to being a responsible steward of the land. That includes following all environmental, legal, and safety regulations. The Jury also agrees to protect the federal government from any future claims or costs related to the land’s use—whether those involve environmental issues, legal disputes, or other liabilities.

What Is a Land Patent?

A land patent is the highest form of land ownership in the United States. It’s issued directly by the federal government and gives the recipient full and permanent rights to the land. This includes the ability to use the land, manage its resources, and make improvements.

The Police Jury’s acceptance of the patent means it now has full responsibility for the property and any impacts that may arise from its use.

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The Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office is inviting parents and guardians to enroll their teens in the next C.H.O.I.C.E. (Choosing Healthy Options Instead of Criminal Engagement) class, a free youth diversion program designed to guide young people toward better decision-making.

The class will be held on Saturday, Oct. 18 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Community Relations and Crime Prevention Office, located at 1501 Corporate Drive, Shreveport, LA 71107.

Developed in response to rising concerns over youth involvement in fighting, vaping with THC, weapon possession, and gun violence, the C.H.O.I.C.E. program targets young people ages 12–17 who are at risk, have faced disciplinary issues at school, or have prior arrests.

The program’s goal is to educate participants on how to avoid future infractions, understand the consequences of illegal or risky behavior, and identify positive alternatives through effective decision-making strategies.

For more information, contact Deputy Vernita Williams at 318-681-0869.

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By JOHN JAMES MARSHALL, Journal Sports

Kinda crazy, isn’t it, that the best wide receiver on Bossier’s team is one of the top rushers in the city.

The best Bearkat receiver also is closing in on 1,000 yards passing, which would make him a rarity in high school football: to run and throw for 1,000 yards. That hasn’t been done in more than 20 years in Shreveport-Bossier.

But that’s how things have worked out this year for Bossier and sophomore Montrevell Lewis.

“He is, by far, our best receiver,” said Bossier coach Gary Smith. “So we wanted to be able to play him at receiver.”

Until necessity got in the way.

Even though Lewis will admit that he still thinks of himself as a receiver, he’s not. He’s the Bearkats quarterback and has been one of the biggest surprises for Bossier and in the Shreveport-Bossier area.

Heading into tonight’s game against Northwood, Bossier is 3-3 this season, averaging 37 points per game, and a big reason why is Lewis, who didn’t even start the season at quarterback.

Suffice it to say, he’s made up for lost time.

Lewis is second in the city with 999 yards and already has 20 rushing touchdowns. There are entire teams that don’t rush for 20 touchdowns in a full season, much less in fewer than six games.

He has passed for 912 yards, completing 67.7 percent of his passes.

“It’s all right,” Lewis said of his time at quarterback. “But I still want to play receiver.”

At some point, somebody’s going to actually tell Lewis that this quarterback gig is working out pretty good so far.

But that sure wasn’t the plan from the start.

The Bearkats have had an unsettled quarterback situation for the last couple of years and Smith tried to piece together something to start this season by having a football-turned-basketball-turned-football player at that spot.

But in the opener against North Caddo, there were fumbles, fumbles and more fumbles, so it was time for Plan B. To be honest, Smith wasn’t quite sure how that plan was going to work out.

“Out of frustration, we just went to Montrevell and told him let’s just try to win this game,” Smith said “And so Montrevell went in and did a great job. Then the second week he did a great job. We wanted him to play receiver. But we know we are way better with Montrevell at quarterback.”

“It was surprising when that happened since I hadn’t played quarterback since last year,” Lewis said.

By the time it was halftime in the opener, Smith knew he had his man. All he had to do was look at the scoreboard and see that the Bearkats had scored six touchdowns on the way to a 63-25 win.

Bossier then scored at least 40 points in each of the next three games.

“After every week, I’ve seen improvement,” Lewis said. “Both in me and the whole team.”

It was wise to snap the ball to him every play because once he has the ball in his hands, there’s no telling what he might do.

Loyola found that out last week.

Even though the Flyers won, Lewis ran for 236 yards and threw for 108 more. The Bearkats scored four touchdowns, all by the feet or the arm of Lewis, who has an uncanny knack of doing the most basic thing an offensive player can do: Avoid tacklers.

“What are you going to do?” Loyola coach John Sella said. “He makes you miss and he never stops his legs. And it doesn’t seem like he ever gets tired. It makes it tough when you cover everything perfectly and he gets out in space and there’s nothing you can do.”

So maybe Lewis could find a way to play quarterback and catch his own passes, so that he could still scratch that receiver itch.

“You never know,” he said. “I might try that.”

Contact JJ at johnjamesmarshall@yahoo.com

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JOURNAL SPORTS

Calvary faces its toughest hurdle on the path to a 13^th-consecutive undefeated district record when the Cavaliers, ranked on. 4 in Class 2A, host Union Parish tonight at Jerry Barker Stadium.

Both teams are 3-0 in District 1-2A.

The Cavaliers (5-1 overall) haven’t lost a district game since late in the 2012 season. Last week they rolled 41-12 at Homer. Union Parish (3-3) played a very tough non-district schedule, losing to North DeSoto, Alexandria Senior High and Airline, playing the visiting Vikings to 34-19 on Sept. 19.

The Farmers hammered Homer on the road, 48-16, a week before the Pelicans hosted Calvary. They have allowed only five touchdowns in their three league wins, their last three games.

Junior cornerback/receiver Braylon Huglon is the catalyst for the Cavs with 13 TDs, including nine receiving and two on kickoff returns.

In 1-5A, unbeaten Parkway (6-0, 4-0) plays at Huntington (3-3, 3-2) as the top district matchup.

Captain Shreve hosts Destrehan in a non-league contest pitting 4-2 teams with explosive offenses. Last year’s meeting ended 46-42 Destry when the Wildcats stopped the Gators inside the 5 in the closing seconds.

In the only game involving local teams Thursday, 1-5A pacesetter Evangel blanked and blew away Benton on the road, 59-0.

The Eagles (6-1, 6-0) led 42-0 at halftime so the second half was played with a running clock. The Tigers (2-5, 1-4) were shut out after averaging 49 points in their last four games.

The Week 7 schedule for Shreveport-Bossier high school football:

 

THURSDAY’S SCORE

District 1-5A

Evangel 59, Benton 0

 

TONIGHT’S GAMES

District 1-5A

Haughton (1-5, 1-4) at Airline (3-3, 1-3)

Byrd (1-5, 0-4) at Natchitoches Central (3-3, 1-3)

Parkway (6-0, 4-0) at Huntington (3-3, 3-2), Independence Stadium

 

Non-district

Destrehan (4-2) at Captain Shreve (4-2, 4-1), Lee Hedges Stadium

 

District 1-4A

Northwood (5-1, 2-1) at Bossier (3-3, 1-2)

Booker T. Washington (4-2, 1-2) at Minden (2-4, 1-2)

Woodlawn (2-4, 0-3) at Loyola (6-0, 3-0)

Southwood (3-2, 1-2) at North DeSoto (6-0, 3-0)

 

District 1-2A

Union Parish (3-3, 3-0) at Calvary (5-1, 3-0)

D’Arbonne Woods (5-1, 2-1) at North Caddo (1-5, 1-1)

Homer (1-5, 0-2) at Green Oaks (1-5, 0-2), Jerry Burton Stadium

 

Non-district

Ringgold (2-4) at Magnolia School of Excellence (0-5)

 

District 1-1A

Arcadia (2-4, 1-1) at Plain Dealing (0-5, 0-3)

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Famed Scottish songstress Annie Lennox once had a beautiful song titled “Why?” Simple and to the point. Annie wasn’t in the mood for any foolishness and didn’t care who knew it.

When it comes to the sports world, we should all take the hint.

Why do we insist on having a new Top 10 quarterback list in the NFL every week? It’s as if a guy misses an out route on third-and-three, he’s immediately demoted to a spot normally reserved for whoever is playing quarterback for the New York Jets. Is Dak Prescott a Top 10? Is he not a Top 10? Tune in next week!

Why do we have to decide whether the Los Angeles Dodgers are the greatest team in baseball history before they even make it to the World Series? They appear to be really, really good. You know who else was really, really good? The 1990 Oakland A’s, who were the defending champions and won 103 games. And then promptly got swept in four games by the Cincinnati Reds, no one’s idea of the ’27 Yankees.

Why do we pay so much attention to recruiting rankings, particularly in football? Think about it – coaches will eventually get fired because the concept that they have not achieved as much as they should because of the perceived talent level on the team. Who says so? Some talent evaluator looking at some grainy film or holding a stopwatch at a summer camp? There are waaaaaay too many examples of players who never were all that good but had a bunch of stars by their name for how they performed in a three-cone drill. Those guys get coaches fired.

Why are there so many more lighting delays in football games that there used to be? Doesn’t it seem like trying to fit 80,000 people onto a narrow concourse isn’t a great idea either? Isn’t there a better chance of getting trampled than getting hit by lighting when the bad weather is 15 miles away?

Why on earth are we so consumed with projecting the College Football Playoff teams one month into the season? First of all, a monkey could make these projections, based on the rankings. Gotta love that “if the season ended today” tag line they throw out there. Well you know what? It doesn’t end today. Or next week. Or the week after that. And it’s as if they think there will be no upsets for the entire rest of the season.

Why does the NFL continue to give other professional sports the one-finger salute? Answer: Because they can. NBA thinks it owns Christmas Day? Hold my beer, says Roger Goodell. Here’s three games – all featuring high-profile teams – to stuff in your stocking. Baseball playoffs going on? How about a Monday night NFL doubleheader, just for good measure. They’ve already made the PGA run home to its mother and forced a change in the golf calendar that no one thinks is a good idea.

Why do we allow ourselves to be stat-hammered to death? If a team is down 28 in the fourth quarter, it’s pretty obvious that there’s a 99 percent chance they are going to lose. No need to flash that on the screen. Baseball just keeps throwing letters together to make up new stats (wOBA, FIP, DRS). Freddie Freeman can hit. Paul Skenes can pitch. That’s all I need to know.

As Annie sang in that masterpiece of a song “Some things are better left unsaid.”

Let that be a lesson to us all.

Contact JJ at johnjamesmarshall@yahoo.com

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By RON HIGGINS, Journal Sports

NASHVILLE – Brian Kelly’s football team is ranked No. 10 nationally, quite an accomplishment for a squad that has considerably more punts (25) than offensive touchdowns (17).

LSU’s fourth-year head coach was encouraged by the positive bits and pieces he witnessed in the Tigers’ 20-10 win over South Carolina last Saturday in Tiger Stadium.

“(Quarterback) Garrett (Nussmeiier) plays better with a swagger,” Kelly said.

And?

“We’re at the point now where we can talk about sustaining blocks, which is simply determination,” Kelly said.

And?

“Our guard/center play was the best it’s been all year, and it happens in the triangle,” Kelly said. “That group right there has got to get off the ball and get you some initial movement.”

And?

“So, we’re at the next stage if we continue to do what we’re doing, which puts us in a really good place,” Kelly said.

But?

The problem for the Tigers (5-1 overall, 2-1 SEC) in Saturday’s 11 a.m. CT game against No. 17 Vanderbilt (5-1, 1-1 SEC) here in First Bank Stadium is that they can’t sustain any offensive success

It’s not just game-to-game. It’s series to series.

Against its five FBS (Division 1-A) opponents this season, LSU has yet to score touchdowns on consecutive offensive possessions.

For the most part, it’s been a perfect storm of bad offense – a quarterback who has been playing hurt, an offensive line that hasn’t gotten push in the running game, and an offensive coordinator whose playcalling became stale as he desperately tried to find plays that would work.

Some of the problems seemed to be solved last week when healthier starting quarterback Garrett Nussmeier showed the ability to make every pass, even deep ones.

“There is a little bit of confidence booster there when I’m starting to feel better,” said Nussmeier, who threw for 254 yards, two TDs, and two interceptions. “I’d be lying if I said differently.”

While the two picks were disconcerting, it may be something LSU has to survive with the rest of the season if Kelly wants Nussmeier to play with “swagger.”

“The stuff I was dealing with in the first couple of weeks was definitely frustrating,” Nussmeier said. “The biggest thing for me was just allowing myself to go out there and have fun playing football again. Whenever I do that, I play a lot more freely and play better.”

While Kelly doesn’t condone Nussmeier committing turnovers, he might be willing to live with the mistakes more because LSU has one of the best defenses in the nation.

The Tigers are No. 5 nationally in scoring defense (11.8 points allowed) and No. 21 in total defense (297 ypg allowed). Last weekend, they held South Carolina’s 6-3, 240-pound dual-threat QB LaNorris Sellers to 143 yards total offense. They sacked him five times.

LSU’s defensive challenge vs. Vandy is against a smaller, yet just as explosive package.

Diego Pavia, a 6-foot, 207-pound slithering signal-caller, has spearheaded the Commodores’ remarkable turnaround since transferring from New Mexico State a year ago.

Since Pavia took over as the starting QB, Vanderbilt is 11-7 overall and 4-6 in the SEC, including last year’s 40-31 win over then-No. 1 Alabama.

One of the Commodores’ losses last season was a 24-17 decision at LSU on Nov. 23. Pavia entered that game slowed by injuries, but still finished with 229 total offense yards (186 pass and 1 TD, 43 rush and 1 TD).

This season, Pavia leads the team in passing (115 of 164 for 1,409 passing yards, 14 TDs, four interceptions), rushing (352 yards and two TDs on 50 carries), and total offense (293.5 ypg).

“You’re in trouble with those dual-threat quarterbacks if they can do both,” Kelly said. “Not to say that he can’t throw the ball, because he can.

“If you are trying to choose one or the other, he’s going to kill you if he runs. So, we’re going to take the path that we need to be really good against the run, and then put him in predictable situations.”

Vanderbilt head coach Clark Lea, who had once been an assistant on Kelly’s Notre Dame staff before Kelly took over at LSU in 2022, said he expects an even-tempo game.

“This is going to be two methodical offenses, and so possessions are going to be hard to come by,” Lea said. “We need to fight for those possessions with our defense, getting the ball back to our offense so that we can get in rhythm and hopefully have success that way.

 

GO FIGURE

1: Sack allowed by LSU in three SEC games

6-1: Vanderbilt’s home record vs. LSU 

10: Second-half points allowed in SEC games this year by LSU.

16: Consecutive field goals made by Vandy’s  Brock Taylor, the fifth-longest streak in the country.

36:  Passes defended by LSU, most in the SEC (eight interceptions, 28 passes broken up)

1947: The last time LSU and Vanderbilt played each other as ranked teams

Contact Ron at ronhigginsmedia@gmail.com

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By BRAD WELBORN, Northwestern State Sports Information

HAMMOND – The progress for Northwestern State’s football team, the youngest in the country, is there week-over-week. It’s in the tape, in the huddle, in the way it keeps pushing a little closer each week. The next step — the hardest one — is turning that progress into a breakthrough.

The Demons (1-5, 0-2) have grown through the grind, with the latest step forward coming in last week’s narrow loss at HCU, a game that saw them dominate the final 23 minutes, allowing just 52 yards of offense and putting themselves in position to pick up a road win.

“We’re making tremendous progress and we are getting better,” head coach Blaine McCorkle said. “It’s frustrating that we’re not getting over the hump yet, but at the same time it’s encouraging with where we’ve been to see where we’re going. I thought Saturday was probably as good as we’ve played in the year and a half that we’ve been here.”

That performance — gritty, balanced, and physical — set a tone the Demons hope to carry into this weekend’s trip to No. 22 Southeastern (4-2, 2-0). 

Kickoff Saturday is set for 4 p.m. at Strawberry Stadium and the contest can be seen on ESPN+. A live Demon Sports Network radio broadcast will be available in Natchitoches on 100.7 FM KZBL, and on Baldridge-Dumas Communications stations in Leesville, Many and Winnfield, as well as on www.nsudemons.com and the free NSUDemons app.

Three-point losses in the last two road games, while painful, provide encouragement and fuel determination.

“You’ve just got to find those little moments to put ourselves over the edge,” McCorkle said. “Our margin is razor thin, and we recognize that. You have to continually learn and grow from them.”

The Demons’ growth was on full display in the run game against HCU. Northwestern State rolled up 206 rushing yards against the Huskies — the most in McCorkle’s tenure and the program’s best total since 2021. Three different rushers carried the ball 10 or more times, each topping 50 yards, a rare feat that speaks to the offensive line’s continued development.

“We want to run the football,” McCorkle said. “Our offensive line is getting better all the time. They’re still really young and really small compared to other teams we play. We don’t have a 300-pounder in the starting five while most people don’t have anyone under 300. But they’re growing, they’re working, and when you have several guys being productive running the ball, that’s when you know you’re doing something right.”

That commitment to balance extended through the air, where eight different Demons caught passes — the sixth time this season that seven or more players have done so. Tight end Joseph Moreland led his position group and all receivers with two catches for 37 yards.

“I think it keeps the defense guessing,” Moreland said. “You don’t really know who the ball is going to, and it gives all of us a chance to prove ourselves and show what we can do. It’s a lot of fun to be a part of.”

The tight end group of Moreland, Tyler Siddons and Luke Carter combined for six grabs for 68 yards in the game.

For Moreland, the next step is about momentum — stacking good weeks on top of one another and trusting that the work being done behind the scenes will translate to Saturdays.

“They’re a great team, and we’re going to do everything we can to prepare,” he said of Southeastern. “But really, we just have to piggyback off of last week and the success we had at HCU. Stay physical in the run game. Stay sharp in the pass game. Know our assignments and what to do. If we can do that, we’re going to keep getting better each week.”

Defensively, the Demons saw steady strides of their own. The secondary has forced timely stops, and the front continues to learn how to handle  blocking schemes allowing the ability to make plays around the line of scrimmage. For linebacker Danny Sears, success this week starts with discipline on all levels.

“They can work up to you in a snap,” Sears said of Southeastern’s offensive front. “They move gaps around when they’re pulling and it can be tough on a defense. If we can stick with our jobs, at the end of the day, a defensive win as a whole is better than one guy having 20 tackles.”

Southeastern, McCorkle said, is as complete a team as Northwestern has faced since he arrived, a perennial favorite in the Southland and the “godfather” of the league in eighth-year head coach Frank Scelfo.

“In all three phases, this Southeastern team might be the best FCS team we’ve played since we’ve been here,” McCorkle said. “They are big. They are fast. They are physical. They have great schemes and are really well coached. It’s going to be a great challenge — and another great opportunity to show more of that improvement.”

Contact Brad at welbornb@nsula.edu

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By T. SCOTT BOATRIGHT, Lincoln Parish Journal

GRAMBLING — Mickey Joseph spent four seasons as a quarterback for the University of Nebraska powerhouses in the late 1980s and early ’90s.

You couldn’t blame him if he’s wishing he still had a little eligibility left today.

The second-year Grambling State football coach leads the Tigers into Simmons Bank Field to take on Arkansas-Pine Bluff in a Southwestern Athletic Conference game set for a 2 p.m. kickoff on Saturday.

And he does so still somewhat unsure who will be his quarterback against the Golden Lions.

The Tigers (3-3 overall and 0-2 in the SWAC’s West Division) are coming off a 21-20 Homecoming loss to Texas Southern last week as the Tigers had to use three different quarterbacks due to injuries.

This weekend GSU could play its fourth quarterback of the year. Joseph said earlier this week that he planned to practice running back Byron Eaton, Jr., who played quarterback at Lincoln High School in Dallas, at QB to have him available there if needed.

That seemingly nightmarish scenario started before the Texas Southern game, when GSU starting quarterback C’zaian Teasett spent pregame warm-ups and the first half in street clothes and wearing a “boot” on his left foot.

Back-up Ashton Frye started the game, even scoring the Tigers’ first touchdown on a 15-yard run. 

When Frye went down in the third quarter with an injury of his own and the Tigers on top 20-14, he was replaced by true freshman A’myne Darensburg, who lasted three series that resulted in a pair of punts and an interception on his final play of the night.

After Frye was injured, Teasett went to the locker room and suited up, then hustled to the GSU sideline.

And after Darensburg was picked off, Teasett took the field for GSU’s next possession with 11:52 remaining in the contest.

Joseph said putting Teasett into the game was about trying to pull out a win.

Frye has a right shoulder injury and is expected to be out for at least two games. But Teasett’s status remains unclear.

“Teasett, it’s strange,” Joseph said during his weekly press conference earlier this week. “I had ruled him out. I said ‘you know what,

I’m going to hold you (out).’ And then when all this happened, the kid (said), ‘I’m not going to stand back and let this go on. You’re going to have to cut my leg off.’ That’s how much he believes in his teammates and Grambling.

“Remember Byron Leftwich, when then they had to carry him? That’s what you were going to have to do with Teasett. Teasett knew he was going to be in pain if he went out there but he couldn’t let his teammates and Grambling down, so he tried to help the situation. I take my hat off to the kid. And it’s probably a setback but I’m going to push him to day-to-day (this week) because it’s going to be what he can take as far as pain tolerance.”

When asked during the press conference if he still agreed with his decision to play Teasett after his previous decision to sit Teasett,

Joseph admitted that he probably didn’t.

“When I was at Nebraska, I was ruled out and that I wasn’t supposed to play on a Friday and Saturday. But I got dressed and I played and told Coach (Tom) Osborne I was gonna play. It probably doesn’t make sense.

“But you gotta put yourself in this kid’s shoes. The old-school world philosophy was if you can walk, you can play. But that’s changed. We’re soft on them these days. But it probably wasn’t the smartest thing, but you know me, if the kid says he was able to go, he can go. But I ruled the kid out because I didn’t want him playing banged up. But he decided that he wanted to go, so when he was able to go, he did the best that he could do. But no, it probably wasn’t smart from a coach’s standpoint. But we got through it. We got through it, so now we’ve got to move him to day-to-day.”

So to start the game at quarterback against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, it could be Teasett, it could be Darrensburg, a 6-2, 190-pound true freshman out of New Orleans’ John F. Kennedy High School,  or it could be an unlikely darkhorse waiting in the wings — Eaton, who has rushed for 212 yards and three touchdowns on 36 carries so far this season.

Contact Scott at tscottboatright@gmail.com

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