JOURNAL SPORTS
Nine Class of 2026 high school scholar-athletes from north and central Louisiana are winners of $1,000 college scholarships from The National Football Foundation, S.M. McNaughton Chapter to be presented next Wednesday, March 4 in Shreveport.
The scholarship recipients exceeded standards for the annual scholarship grants including a cumulative grade point average of 3.20 or better, earning at least all-district honors on the football field, and extracurricular involvement.
The winners include four standouts from Caddo and Bossier parishes: Jeremiah Epps of Airline, Loyola’s Hayden Horton, Luke Miller of Calvary Baptist, and Northwood’s Justin Thomas.
The other NFF scholarship winners are Ty Curtis of Buckeye, Luke Delafield of North DeSoto, West Monroe’s Hunter Fox, Micah Moser of Ouachita Christian School and North Webster’s Hudson Smith.
Six – Curtis, Delafield, Horton, Hudson, Moser, and Thomas – earned All-State honors as seniors. Smith carried a perfect 4.0 GPA and several others were close to academic perfection.
One of the nine student-athletes will be recognized as the McNaughton Chapter’s nominee for the National Football Foundation’s nationwide scholar-athlete of the year honor, and will be spotlighted for the 2026-27 year in the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta.
Another of the student-athletes will be recognized as the KTBS/Griffin’s Game Ball Scholar-Athlete of the Year. The winner and 13 other outstanding 2025 seniors were spotlighted during the season on Tuesday segments on the KTBS 6 and 10 p.m. sportscasts and on the station’s award-winning Johnny’s Pizza House Friday Football Fever weekly highlight show. The honor pays tribute to the late, longtime NFF McNaughton Chapter board member Bob Griffin, who finished his lengthy and accomplished TV career at KTBS.
McNaughton Chapter president Toni Goodin said the winners and other special awards will be recognized next Wednesday at the annual Scholar-Athlete Banquet at East Ridge Country Club in Shreveport. Doors open at 6 with dinner served about a half-hour later.
“These nine young men are tremendous representatives of-all the high school football teams in North Louisiana, and especially their teams, their schools and communities,” said Goodin. “They have been remarkable examples of academic and athletic excellence along with service and involvement in extracurricular activities.”
The McNaughton Chapter has awarded scholarships to senior scholar-athletes since 1981. A Coach of the Year Award has been presented occasionally in the past two decades and will be announced later this week, along with the winners of the annual Contributions to Amateur Football Award and Distinguished American Award.
Tickets are $45 each. Tables seat eight and are $360. Proceeds go to support the scholarships awarded.
For individual tickets and table sales, contact Goodin at 318nffchapter@gmail.com or by calling 318-347-4453.
Continue your article here…