JOURNAL SPORTS
With All-State teams and other honors being announced, the 2025 high school football season is in the books.
So while awards are being handed out for what happened this fall, the Shreveport-Bossier Journal Coaches Roundtable has been reconvened. Over the Christmas break, several head coaches are sharing their thoughts on the season and what the future holds.
This Roundtable will use a multiple question format to get insight we will share during the final days of 2025.
What was your team’s best game this season?
DENNY DURON, Evangel: “The best game we played was against the best team in the city — Coach Coy Brotherton and his Parkway Panthers.” (The Eagles won the showdown for the District 1-5A title in a Week 10 meeting, In a surprising 55-27 romp.)
AUSTIN BROWN, Northwood: “The Minden game was our best overall in all three facets. We held a well-coached team to 140 yards. We were pretty balanced offensively and had over 400 yards (427, 241 rushing), and we were really good in the kicking game.” (It was a Week 9 home game, Senior Night, and a 42-0 Falcons’ win.)
STACY BALLEW, Byrd: “The Benton game was our best. Christian Maxie did everything on offense that he could. He ran it, threw it, caught it, and could not be stopped. It wasn’t a one-man effort, but it looked like it on the stats and scoreboard. A lot of our guys did good jobs in that game.” (Byrd won 49-40 as Maxie, a junior halfback, ran for 343 yards and a school-record six TDs on 32 carries and threw a 39-yard TD pass.)
JERRY BYRD, Plain Dealing: “The final game of the year against Pickering. It was one where we were able to compete, score a couple of touchdowns, create turnovers, and move the football.” (The Lions had their best defensive outing of the season and built momentum for next year despite their winless finish.)
What was the best finish you saw, either from your sideline or by other teams, on video or in the stands?
DURON, Evangel: “Our best finish was against the Airline Vikings (a midseason 51-49 district thriller at ECA). We were so evenly matched, and it really came down to the very end of the game. We were just lucky enough force a fumble and return it 100 yards for a TD and that was the difference.”
BYRD, Plain Dealing: “The best finish I saw was Haynesville vs. Mangham for the state 1A championship (Haynesville’s defense made a late goalline stand and scored twice in a 39-37 victory at the Prep Classic in New Orleans). Two small town North Louisiana teams getting after it in the Dome. Happy for the Tornado and the Franklin family after a tough year of losing two pillars of the community in Coach and Mrs. Franklin.”
Could you point out some breakout players, or a position group, who really stepped it up this season?
BYRD, Plain Dealing: “My only two seniors — Jeremy Fisher and Jonathon Baker-Shepard. I’m so proud of the way they led the 2025 Plains Dealing Lions and will be forever grateful for the opportunity I had to coach them. They are both GREAT young men.”
BROWN, Northwood: “Our defensive line played a lot bigger than they physically stand. Coming into the season, I thought that was the weak point of our team but they held their own. Braylon Levy and Devin McKenna led that group and I’m proud of that whole bunch.”
DURON, Evangel: “Our defensive front was suddenly a force in the middle of the season. It was just as if everything came together for those guys. Ashton Dawson was the biggest turnaround player for us this year and I honestly think he was unblockable. Damari Drake had a huge year on both sides of the ball. We could not have had the record we had (9-3, District 1-5A champions at 8-0) if he had not stepped up.
“The offensive line became exceptional run blockers, and our defensive backfield got better every single game.”