By DOUG IRELAND, Journal Sports
There was no doubt as of about 9:30 Friday night.
Even with some games not complete, the next Shreveport-Bossier Journal Team of the Week spotlight was going to shine on the Plain Dealing Lions.
Halting a five-season-long skid, convincingly, while shutting out a team that scored 42 points a week earlier made headlines around the state and resulted in resounding cheers from peers, coaches and players from other local and area teams.
It would be wrong to not acknowledge another breakthrough Friday night, the first win in 11 games for the Southwood Cowboys. Their enthusiastic coach, De’Aumante Johnson is a Plain Dealing alumnus who was one of the first to congratulate Lions’ coach Jerry Byrd.
A cap tip should go to the Captain Shreve Gators, who were reeling from two straight District 1-5A losses and trailed Parkway 34-13 midway through a remarkable 61-48 triumph.
Direct another nod of respect to the Huntington Raiders, who notched their first win of 2026 in a hard-fought 33-28 victory over Byrd.
But Plain Dealing’s first postgame celebration in 50 games takes the cake.
In fact, as the game clock wound down near two minutes left, a couple of PDHS players were hugging on the field, drawing a gentle rebuke from Byrd. They had no experience at closing out a win.
This was a 22-0 triumph that will resonate. It’s the product of commitment and belief by the Lions players and coaches, and so much more widespread support around the school and community, along with a strategic decision made early last year, in Byrd’s first season back in coaching after spending several years as an administrator in Caddo Parish schools.
Plain Dealing withdrew from District 1-1A football competition this year and next, a provision that allowed the coach to find foes that were better competitive fits at this stage of the program’s recovery.
“Seeing what we had and what other teams had, knowing there were teams like us in similar situations across the state, we wanted our kids to be able to compete against them and have a little success,” said Byrd.
The move required agreement up the ladder, which was quickly granted, allowing Byrd to draw up the schedules for 2026-27 presenting some reasonable chances to win, or at least show signs of progress.
Those began to appear as the Lions personified Byrd’s mission statement for the program.
“My definition of success is playing and coaching the game to your fullest potential, using the gifts and abilities God has given you to perform at your very best, and to represent Plain Dealing High School and the community with class,” he said, “Playing with every fiber of your body.”
That was on display shortly after the opening kickoff.
A Pine Prairie running back broke loose, headed toward the south end zone. Senior Jemarion Baker-Shepard sprinted downfield, and although he wasn’t able to make the tackle, he dove and knocked the ball loose. The fumble skipped into and out of the end zone for a touchback.
“When we talk about giving total effort on every play, that’s the example. All those kids in our program saw what he did, and how it impacted the game,” said Byrd. “That’s success.
“These kids have so much fight in them. I tell them all the time, I could not do what you do. When I was a senior playing for Alan Carter at Byrd High School in 1990, if he asked me to play every play, I could not have done it. But they do, they have done it, they have stuck with it, and they are reaping the rewards of being the team and the young men who snapped the streak.”
Both seniors, Jerry Harris and Baker-Shepard, scored. The Lions led on Tyrone Davis’s 8-yard run and two-point conversion. Harris doubled the margin with a 6-yarder and a conversion run in the second period.
Appropriately, the last Plain Dealing points were a special delivery.
Eighth grader Tanner Soelle intercepted a pass and raced toward the end zone, but was getting tackled inside the 10. Before he went down, he handed Baker-Shepard the ball and it became a two-man pick six.
“That’s not something we practice,” said Byrd.
That made it 22-0 at halftime, and the Lions made enough defensive stands to preserve the shutout and ignite a postgame overflowing with hugs and tears and cheers.
“It started as soon as the clock hit zeroes, and the guys are chasing me with the water cooler. They didn’t execute that.”
Next time, Lions.
Contact Doug at sbjdoug@gmail.com