By DOUG IRELAND, Journal Sports
The Haughton Buccaneers are a new arrival on the list of contenders in District 1-5A.
And Monday, they got a new arrival. Morgan Sewell, wife of third-year head coach Matthew Sewell, gave birth to the couple’s second little girl. Annie Barnes joins precious big sister Olivia, who was roaming around Dak Prescott Field in a Haughton cheerleader outfit and telling anyone who would listen, “Go Bucs!” in the aftermath of Friday night’s 50-36 win over Captain Shreve.
Now there’s a bundle of joy to cradle while the Bucs, the school and the community soak in the excitement of a 4-0 start – and a successful district debut against a Shreve program that has a 2023 1-5A crown to its credit and is a perennial playoff entry, with a 67-45 record over the past 10-plus seasons.
Just ahead: Thursday’s visit to nearby 1-5A rival Parkway, which played in the state quarterfinals last season and is 3-1. The winner of that game will be a prime challenger to defending district champion Evangel.
Getting in position to contend is quite the storyline shift for Haughton, 5-15 over the last two years with only two district wins. The 1-5A coaches preseason poll slotted Haughton in last place, ninth, but now their profile shines much brighter.
For that transformation, the Bucs are the Shreveport-Bossier Journal Team of the Week.
In Sewell’s first two seasons as coach, the Bucs were leaning on younger players who are now upperclassmen, mostly seniors. Sewell is proud of how they’ve hung tough.
“We’ve been through a lot the last couple of years, and most of what we’ve been through is not those guys’ fault. We got a lot of guys over there on that sideline who’ve played a lot of football the last three years and it’s been great for them, but it’s been hard. Our league’s hard, and the schedule we play is hard, It’s just been so rewarding watching them stick through and just say, trust us.
“Every time I’d come back after we lose, I’d go, ‘God, please just keep coming back’ and every Monday they came back. And so I’m just proud of them. They’re just so resilient and tough,” he said Friday night.
Exemplifying that approach is senior defensive end Luke Hensley, who tied a school record with five sacks of Shreve quarterback Maddox Parrott. More remarkable: Hensley was watching from the sideline last season, down on the depth chart. A third-generation Buc, whose grandfather Dude Hensley was a Haughton head coach, his passion to contribute was not to be denied.
Hensley’s offseason work earned him his shot under new defensive coordinator Greg Baswell.
“I just didn’t get many opportunities to prove what I was capable of. I worked over the offseason to get where I am and I feel like now it’s showing,” he said.
“There was a chip on my shoulder. I’ve been thinking about all last year and me not playing. I’ve been ready to prove (his value) to everybody in the district, because they don’t know about me,” said Hensley, “but they will now.”
Said Sewell, himself a Haughton product: “I can promise you, Haughton football means a lot to him. Being able to watch him go out there and make plays like that in critical situations, it’s really cool.”
The hometown crowd was there in force, and the Bucs’ sideline was electric.
“It was emotional, it definitely was. There’s been a lot going on at our school,” said Sewell. “Haughton’s a family, and that’s one of the things that makes it special. It’s not just the football team, and it’s not just this and that. It’s the whole school that gets behind each other.
“That’s why I’m here. I love this place and I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. I’m really happy for us to come together tonight and have a great night of football.”
Contact Doug at sbjdoug@gmail.com