JOURNAL SPORTS
Every coach loves to play at home, and there’s a long list of reasons for that.
Going on the road brings an unlimited collection of challenges, and often special duties, up to and including at some schools, driving a team bus. That’s not only to the game site, but back home after the game, sometimes for more than a few miles late at night.
Arranging for travel, meals, directions to the stadium, logistics at the game, and so many more responsibilities make road games complicated.
So the phrase “there’s no place like home” rings true in nearly every school’s case, even if the stadium isn’t on campus.
There are tasks that are anticipated. Then there are situations that crop up and make going on the road miserable.
This week’s Shreveport-Bossier Journal Coaches Roundtable question asked for memories of the most cringeworthy road trips.
MATTHEW SEWELL, Haughton
“When I was an assistant coach in 2016, we played John Ehret in the first round of the playoffs. There was a wreck on I-10 and we spent so much time in traffic that we didn’t pull in the parking lot until 6:45. We still kicked off at 7:00.
“Of the three straight years we went down there, that was the best we played.”
COY BROTHERTON, Parkway
“I have two that stick out in my memory. The first one was a quarterfinal game at West St. John. It was such a long trip and I was sick as a dog. You try to get comfortable on a long bus trip but there was nothing I could do.
The second one, I felt fine, but it was miserable. The trip was down south to Belle Chasse and it stunk because that place is at the end of the world.”
(He’s not exaggerating. Belle Chasse is on the Mississippi River south of New Orleans in Plaquemines Parish, about 330 miles south of Bossier City. Elevation six feet, it is about 40 miles away from where the Mississippi meets the Gulf.)
AUSTIN BROWN, Northwood
(While he was a graduate assistant coach at Northwestern State, Coach Brown got the longest ride of his career, after rushing out the door to start the journey.)
“The one that will never be beat is driving back all night after playing Texas Tech, getting off the bus and immediately start working in the office!
“We had to leave early because a hurricane was coming, so everything was rushed on both ends of the trip.”
JUSTIN SCOGIN, Airline
“The worst road trip I’ve been on ended up being a really nice one. When I was coaching at Leesville, we played at St. Martinville in one of the most memorable games in school history, in the state quarterfinals. We came back from down 10 with about a minute and a half to go, won the game, and everyone went crazy.
“It stormed all night, we scored 53 points, and after all was said and done our charter buses got stuck in the parking lot for about two hours. We finally got them out of the mud, but the win was worth it.”