This is a fabulous day to showcase high school football. Give the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl credit for doing it.
At a time when the Gucci class of college football is being twisted by its own unbridled greed, its reliance on Congress to do what it can’t do itself, and the judicial system’s whims, today’s second annual I-Bowl High School Football Media Day is a reminder that at its purest level, football is a game, not a business.
In one-hour blocks sandwiched around lunch, running from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Club Level reception area behind the south end zone at Independence Stadium, 76 players and coaches of 38 North Louisiana teams will be unabashedly optimistic.
All 19 teams from Caddo and Bossier parishes are represented along with those from these nearby parishes: DeSoto, Webster, Red River, Sabine, Natchitoches, Claiborne, Bienville, Union, Jackson and Winn, along with three from Ouachita Parish. The I-Bowl appropriately expanded the reach of last year’s inaugural Media Day, basically doubling the invitation list.
There are blue chip seniors – Evangel’s Peyton “Pop” Houston, Braylun Huglon of Calvary, Parkway’s Gary Burney, and Malachi Zeigler of Benton from the local schools – and 2025 breakout stars Bryce Restovich (Loyola) and Montrevell Lewis (Bossier). There are plenty more blue-collar tone-setters who have earned the respect of their coaches, teammates and opponents.
There are four former college head coaches – Natchitoches Central’s Brad Laird (Northwestern State), Dennis Dunn (Louisiana Christian) of North DeSoto, Huntington’s John Simon (interim at Grambling) and Mike Collins (ULM) of Neville. Quite a few more have been part of college coaching staffs.
There are three coaches who have won state championships (Calvary’s Rodney Guin, Richie Casey of Homer, Logansport’s Kevin Magee) and many others who have led deep playoff runs.
They will be no more upbeat than second-year head coaches Plain Dealing’s Jerry Byrd and Kelly Yancey of Magnolia School of Excellence (a.k.a. Magnolia Charter), whose teams scored a combined 100 points and were winless last fall. Those guys were beaming with enthusiasm at this event last year – and they each saw lots of progress in the past 12 months.
Every one of those 38 coaches is just as concerned about the boys and young men on their teams, and the other kids, boys and girls who are student trainers and managers, as they are about their teams’ win-loss records. A chosen few players will go forward into college football but all those teenagers standing on a sideline this fall have a bright future within reach, although inevitably with some hurdles to clear.
They’ll chase the thrill of victory, hoping to avoid the agony of defeat, wearing school colors and running through hand-crafted banners behind cheerleaders, with buddies in the band cranking out the fight song.
Many have dreams of playing college ball. With the launch of a Division III program at Centenary, the maturation of an NAIA program down I-49 at Louisiana Christian, the range of Division II football in neighboring states, and the many community colleges near and far, there are more opportunities than ever.
At the same time, getting a shot at Division I, ranging from LSU to Louisiana Tech, ULM, NSU and Grambling, is tougher than ever. The power brokers have instituted roster limits and narrowed the path for walk-ons. The transfer portal has placed a premium on actual college experience over raw potential. Coaches don’t like it, but there are financial borders that for the time being are aimed at keeping some level of equitable competition – but smothering lifelong goals of those pulling on unis not just in football, but all sports.
For all but a few of the kids at today’s I-Bowl event, and their teammates, even those who will not run a play in a varsity game this year if ever, there’s not a lot of thoughts wasted on NIL or the transfer portal.
They are just proud to be getting ready for their time under the Friday night lights. Whether their teams win it all, or don’t win at all, this fall is not a given — but it is a gift, a treasure to savor. The Independence Bowl is helping celebrate that today.
Contact Doug at sbjdoug@gmail.com