JOURNAL SPORTS
In the middle of this season, dreams are still alive for several local teams to make 2026 a year that will be remembered forever by players, coaches, and fans.
For this week’s Shreveport-Bossier Journal Coaches’ Roundtable question, local head coaches were asked to remember their best teams, as coaches or players.
STACY BALLEW, Byrd: (The Yellow Jackets’ longtime defensive coordinator on Mike Suggs’ staffs before replacing him, Ballew cited the best defense he’s coached) “It was our 2014 defense. In 2013, we were in the ‘Dome in the state finals. The following year, we had a bunch of those kids back and we were really, really good on defense.
“We ended up losing to West Monroe in the quarters in a real battle, 19-7. We had gotten one running back hurt and West Monroe had a great team. The group we had, there were some dudes on that defense. (Byrd allowed only 12 points per game in an unbeaten run to a 12-1 finish)
COY BROTHERTON, Parkway: “The most talented team I’ve coached was probably last year’s Parkway team. It was a group of seniors that had been in the program a while and we were able to win 11 games, which was a great year, but …
“… I tell everyone the best TEAM (compared to who we had to play) was the 2014 group I had at Plain Dealing. We only had 29 players on the team but went 9-3 that year and got beat in the quarters by West St. John.
“That season was one of the best I’ve been part of with players like Logan Allen (QB), Keldrick Carper (played at Texas A&M) and Isaac Jacobs (WR who scored in 11 straight games). The players were awesome kids that worked so hard and made me a better person and coach.”
JUSTIN SCOGIN, Airline: “I’ve been a part of a few really good teams (as an assistant and now as the Vikings’ fifth-year head coach):
“2013 Parkway — we had a bunch of really good players led by QB Brandon Harris, Brodrick Jefferson, Dante Williams and many other great ones who got us to the ‘Dome for the state finals.
“2015 Parkway – QB Keondre Wudtee had a season for the ages. CJ Morgan and Robert McKnight were phenomenal.
“2018 Leesville – we were 13-1 after we got beat in the semifinals. Sophomore QB Jacob Mount was a beast along with Caleb and D’Ante Gallashaw, Duwon Tolbert along with some phenomenal OL/DL.
“Every team at Airline has been special.”
JOHN SIMON, Huntington: “The best team I coached was at Southern Miss. It was not the most talented team, but the best TEAM that played together for their teammates. We went from 1-9, to competing for the conference championship in Year 3. It was a different era, when you had time building from within, with pride for the program.
“The best team I played on was the 2002 Tennessee Titans, in my rookie season. We started 1-4 under Jeff Fisher and with his leadership and a great group of players, we came back to winning the division and falling short one game from the Super Bowl.
“That team had amazing talent, a high football IQ, and the leadership from top down was off the charts.”
KELLY YANCEY, Magnolia: “The best team I played for was the 1987 Lovington (New Mexico) High School Wildcats, a 13-0 team that caught everybody by surprise. No one gave us a chance, a team that didn’t have an offensive lineman over 200 pounds.
“We were led by a suffocating defense that shut out several teams. Coaches on the staff all went on to be head coaches around the state, including my WR coach Brad McCoy, the father of future NFL quarterback Colt McCoy.
“This team believed we were a family, led by all state quarterback Robert Aereola and all state linebacker Jerry Dodd. They led us to back to back state championships.”
DENNY DURON, Evangel: (A standout at Captain Shreve, his career zenith as a player was as the quarterback on Louisiana Tech’s 1973 unbeaten Division II national champion team, which is obviously the best team he’s played on).
(Left over from last week’s question about the best teams he’s faced) “In college the very best team we played against was Boise State (a 38-34 win in the 1973 playoff semifinal, decided by a 21-yard TD pass from Duron to future Pro Bowler Roger Carr with 12 seconds left). They were hard nosed and huge on defense and they were by far the most explosive offense we saw.
“The best team I’ve coached against is a toss up between John Curtis in 2018 and Ouachita Parish in 1999. We lost to that Curtis team, and barely slipped by OPHS. Both had so much talent and were so well coached.”