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Fast start has the positive energy flowing for Thompson’s Titans

/ Megan Lowe

By DOUG IRELAND, Journal Sports

The North Caddo Titans have topped last season’s win total and with a 3-1 mark heading into a Week 5 visit to Mansfield, there are nothing but good vibes around second-year head coach Chase Thompson’s team.

They took care of business last Friday night, routing winless Magnolia School of Excellence 46-6 in a game they led 30-0 at the half.

“We certainly executed our base offense very well,” said Thompson. “We got 17 yards per carry from Tray Morris and you can’t ask for much better than that.”

But the Titans’ hole card is their defense, naturally. Thompson was North Caddo’s defensive coordinator for three seasons before officially getting promoted to head coach last summer before the 2023 season.

This season, the Titans are allowing 17 points per game, a figure that is swelled by the fact that with a big lead in Week 3 against Southwood, North Caddo’s starting D watched the fourth quarter until the closing 90 seconds following three scores and two successful onside kicks as the Titans’ junior varsity failed to cool off the Cowboys.

“Our defense is really stifling at times,” said Thompson.

It’s that defense, and the soaring confidence around the North Caddo program that makes the Titans the Shreveport-Bossier Journal Team of the Week entering this Friday’s non-district visit to Mansfield (1-3).

The Titans turned up the heat against Magnolia. “We pressured the quarterback and picked up multiple interceptions, and brought a couple back to the house,” said Thompson.

While Morris, Mason Jackson and Antonio Nelson each scored twice, and have been in the spotlight all season with their offensive production, the Titans’ coach credited two down linemen for vital contributions.

“I’ve got to give a huge shout-out to Cory Brown. He plays offensive tackle, and started playing some nose tackle this year. He has really stepped up. He’s a heck of a down blocker, creating space for us on the line of scrimmage, and he’s really difficult for opposing centers to control,” said Thompson.

Put Brown alongside Michael Carroll, a second-year football player who is rising to the occasion, and North Caddo has anchors up front. “They’re both stepping up on the defensive line,” said Thompson, who cited the Titans’ run defense as their best attribute.

“We’ve held multiple teams under three yards per carry, which is really hard to do in high school football. We’ve controlled the line of scrimmage and we’ve tackled well. Our team tackling has gone up exponentially since last year,” he said. “It’s something we focused on in the offseason, and we stressed it in preseason. I’m glad it’s come to fruition that we’ve improved in team tackling. Our aggressiveness up front and our team tackling has really impressed me.

“Our kids expect to go out and be stifling on defense. Our DBs expect to play lockdown coverage on receivers. The expectation kids have been playing with on defense the last few years at North Caddo is continuing. They’re confident lining up they’re going to dominate,” he said.

While North Caddo’s offense is humming – other than a 14-6 loss at North Webster in Week 2 – it could improve, said Thompson.

“Where I think we have the most to grow is developing a consistent, productive passing game. We’ve been a little off here and there, a little lax in our routes, a little off on accuracy, and a little lax in protection. We’ve had some opportunities in the passing game, and we certainly have the athletes to make it work. When it starts to click, it’s going to be good for us.”

The fast start has fans. looking down the road. Postseason is a goal, but the Titans – with only 11 seniors — have more basic objectives for now.

“We stay pretty inward-focused. We want to be a playoff team and we’re working our way toward that goal. I’m more focused on our execution and ability to provide for our teammates, and to love one another,” said Thompson.  “I think that’s the most important part.

“As long as the kids are continuing to stay committed, work with their teammates, and stay together, it’s a win for us. All the victories will be awesome, but the primary measurements will be making the playoffs with the ability to have unity, stay together and work as a team. I think that makes these kids winners.”

Contact Doug at sbjdoug@gmal.com

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There’s a new trophy at stake in tradition-rich Northwestern-SFA series

/ Megan Lowe
RETURN OF ‘THE CHIEF’:  After the decades of “The Battle for Chief Caddo” were halted last year, football teams from Northwestern State and Stephen F. Austin will once again play for the world’s biggest sports prize when they meet Saturday night in Nacogdoches, Texas, with a redesigned trophy at stake. (File photo)

By DOUG IRELAND, Journal Sports

NATCHITOCHES – Sixty-four years ago, it seemed like a good idea. Monday, it was revived from apparent extinction.

In 1960, Northwestern State and Stephen F. Austin, universities two hours apart in communities with common heritage deeply influenced by Native Americans, commissioned a statue as a prize for the winning team in what became an annual football rivalry contest.

The statue, a huge wood carving of a mythical Native American chief, became a treasured tradition and a prized possession in the NSU-SFA series. But it also drew criticism, including from some members of the Caddo Nation tribe, for its appearance resembling a “cigar store Indian” that hardly resembled the actual native peoples. It was named “Chief Caddo” by the school’s leaders in an effort to pay tribute to the historic roots of their communities.

That six-decade tradition was surprisingly halted last year with a five-sentence press release issued three days before the teams met for the first time since 2019. The decision did not sit well with either school’s alumni, including former players, band members and spirit group participants.

Monday, the schools – notably led by new presidents who have taken over since the end of last basketball season – announced they are resuming a rivalry prize in the football series, which has resumed annual status with the return of SFA to join Northwestern in the Southland Conference following a relatively brief and ill-fated exodus in the now-crumbling Western Athletic Conference.

It’s no longer “Chief Caddo.” But the trophy that will be contested Saturday night when the teams collide commemorates the rivalry, and is tabbed “The Chief.”

Just like the mothballed “Chief Caddo” statue, reportedly sitting in an SFA warehouse, this will be the largest sports prize worldwide. And it might get bigger if plans come to fruition.

Officials are replacing “Chief Caddo” with a new wooden trophy designed by Texas chainsaw artist Della Meredith. The new trophy has the same 7-foot-6, 320-pound dimensions as the original. It is topped with a pitchfork on one end and an axe on the other, with scores from past games adorning the length of the trophy. The winning team will display the trophy with its representative logo facing upward.

Northwestern president Jimmy Genovese, who took over Aug. 5,  and SFA’s Dr. Neal Weaver, named to his post March 18, collaborated on a joint announcement issued Monday afternoon heading into game week.

“While the name and the design of the trophy will change, the great tradition endures,” Genovese said. “We have a wonderful relationship and a strong rivalry with our good friends at SFA, and this simply opens a new and exciting chapter to be enjoyed for generations to come.”

“We are excited to renew this rivalry and begin a new tradition with a redesigned traveling trophy,” Weaver said. “For decades, our universities have battled for bragging rights on the football field each fall in a game that we anticipate year-round. It generates not only a sense of pride in the outcome of the game but also pride in our common ground and the outstanding accomplishments of our students, faculty, staff and alumni.”

The announcement said the schools have engaged Caddo Nation leadership regarding plans to add a piece designed by the nation to the trophy. The additional piece will extend the original purpose of the trophy and could make it slightly taller. The Caddo people lived in the locations that later became the English-speaking communities of Natchitoches and Nacogdoches, Texas.

As cited in the Demons’ football media guide for years, “The purpose was to pay tribute to the Native Americans who not only first settled the region but provided safety for the early white settlers in the area. Some historians say that if not for the Caddo tribe, the Spanish and French colonists who came to the region would not have survived onslaughts of Apache and Commanche warriors from the west and the Natchez from the east. Also, French and Spanish writers of the era reported Caddo chiefs were master diplomats who made it possible for the two European colonists to live as neighbors while their mother nations were at war against each other.”

SFA’s football coach, Colby Carthel, and his counterpart at Northwestern, first-year head coach Blaine McCorkle, had reportedly conferred with mutual interest of reviving the rivalry prize in some form. When the teams met last year in Natchitoches in a non-conference contest for the first time in four years, Carthel and the Lumberjacks brought a large pine log to go to the winning team, in concurrence with former NSU coach and Demons’ career passing king Brad Laird. SFA won and the log, unadorned, returned to Nacogdoches.

There was no indication Monday if that was the same pine log that has been used to revive the trophy series. But it is undeniably a stride back toward normalcy and a revival of a prized tradition, said officials from both schools.

Contact Doug at sbjdoug@gmail.com

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Burns makes his mark helping lead USA to President’s Cup win

/ Megan Lowe
A WIN WITH A TIE: Choudrant resident Sam Burns (right) shakes hands with Tom Kim of the International Team Sunday after their President’s Cup singles match ended in a tie, a crucial outcome for Team USA on the way to retaining the Cup.

By DOUG IRELAND, Journal Sports

QUEBEC, Canada – Sam Burns’ Saturday successes helped the USA regain control in the 2024 President’s Cup golf competition, and his Sunday competitiveness muted the International team’s fiery leader.

His weekend excellence helped Team USA prevail 18 ½-11 ½ in the four-day, five-session competition at Royal Montreal Golf Club. Overall, Burns went 3-0-1, one of only two unbeaten Americans.

Burns, a 28-year-old Shreveport native and Calvary Baptist graduate, was perfect in three team matches Thursday and Saturday. He stayed undefeated Sunday while preventing Tom Kim from generating any momentum that was vitally needed to spark any International team rally from an 11-7 deficit beginning the final day.

Sunday, in a tense singles contest, the two-time LSU All-American took a 2-up lead on the front side with a string of four birdies in six holes. He stemmed the tide after Kim bounced back and drew even on the 15th hole.

Burns pulled off clutch shots on the final two holes and posted a crucial draw, earning a half point as the Americans edged toward the 15 ½ points needed to retain the Cup.

The 22-year-old South Korean looked poised to take a 1-up lead with a tee shot into 3 feet on the par-3 17th. Burns responded in style, hitting pitching wedge also next to the flag and draining the putt for matching birdies.

On 18, Burns hit a brilliant 20-foot pitch from a challenging lie to inside 3 feet and pured the putt to match Kim’s par and earn the half point for the Americans.

“I should have never put myself there. I struggled today with my irons, didn’t really strike it great,” said Burns, who now lives in Choudrant and plays out of Squire Creek Country Club. “It was a difficult chip. There were a lot of variables, up and over that slope, needed to put some spin and some height on it. It was a nice up and down.

“It was a tough match. I knew it would be against Tom. He’s a great player, a great competitor. The majority of the people out here were not rooting for us and we knew that coming in. We tried to embrace it, use it as fuel, and overall we did a good job of that. I’m proud of our guys.”

Burns sat out Friday’s alternate shot format, but rose to the occasion after the Internationals stunned the Americans with a 5-0 sweep on the second day. Entering Saturday with the competition tied at 5, Burns posted wins to score points for the USA in both sessions.

In the morning, he teamed with Patrick Cantlay, his Thursday partner, to score a 2&1 decision over Hideki Matsuyama and Sung-jae Im. In the afternoon, he and Collin Morikawa won 1-up over the Canadian duo of Corey Connors and McKenzie Hughes. Those two points helped lift the USA to a four-point advantage entering Sunday’s 12 singles matches.

It was his second victory in President’s Cup competition, following the USA’s win in 2022 on home soil. He was on the losing Ryder Cup team in Italy a year ago, and had a deceptive 1-5-2 mark in his first two international competitions as a pro (in 2022, he was paired with good pal Scottie Scheffler in the team matches and Scheffler admittedly played poorly).

Contact Doug at sbjdoug@gmail.com

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Burns’ timely birdie helps USA roll on Day 1 of President’s Cup

/ Megan Lowe
AT THE END:  Sam Burns and  Patrick Cantlay watch as Hideki Matsayuma can’t extend their match Thursday in the President’s Cup, capping a 5-0 sweep for the USA over the International team.

By DOUG IRELAND, Journal Sports

QUEBEC, Canada – A pivotal 10-foot birdie putt on the 13th hole Thursday put Sam Burns and Patrick Cantlay in control, and they did not waver down the stretch in winning their opening day four-ball match at the 2024 President’s Cup event.

Burns, a Shreveport native and Calvary Baptist alumnus, and Cantlay capped an historic 5-0 opening day rout by Team USA over the International squad. It was the first time since 2000, and the second time ever, in 25 President’s Cup competitions that a team swept all five matches. It has happened only once, in 1984, in Ryder Cup play.

The Americans prevailed 2&1, closing out the match against former Masters champion Hideki Matsayuma and Corey Connors on the 17th green with a par when Burns putted within gimme distance from 30 feet on an undulating green, and Matsayuma couldn’t convert a 12-foot birdie putt at Royal Montreal Golf Club.

Burns is one of two Americans who will sit out today’s alternate shot format, but USA captain Jim Furyk is expect to send him back in action Saturday as play will feature eight matches, with four-ball in the morning and foursome play in the afternoon. Singles play is Sunday. Coverage today begins at noon on Golf Channel before NBC provides wall to wall coverage Saturday and Sunday.

Burns provided the 224-yard par-3 13th hole birdie Thursday and changed the complexion of the match. The Americans fell behind early, but Cantlay birdied twice to get them 1-up going to the back nine.

“Typically, this format is going to come down to making a birdie on a really hard hole,” Burns said. “Fortunately for us, we did that there.”

The 28-year-old former LSU All-American, a Choudrant resident whose home course is Squire Creek Country Club, finished the 2024 PGA Tour season strongly with two top 5 finishes in the FedEx Cup playoffs and won $6.1 million in official purse money. This is his second President’s Cup and third international competition as a pro, along with last year’s Ryder Cup. Burns helped the USA win the 2022 President’s Cup.

Contact Doug at sbjdoug@gmail.com

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Unbeaten Yellow Jackets have shown they bring some sting

/ Megan Lowe

By DOUG IRELAND, Journal Sports

After a frustrating 2023, Byrd football coach Stacy Ballew admittedly had some uncertainty as this season kicked off.

Three games in, the Yellow Jackets are not just unbeaten, they’ve been undeniably impressive.

Opening down south at St. Amant, Byrd brought home a 26-10 triumph. Beginning the eight-game District 1-5A schedule in Week 2, the Jackets rolled by Haughton 49-14. Last Friday night, it was a 35-23 victory at Evangel.

The Yellow Jackets’ triple-option Wing T has been humming. Look past their collection of 300-yard rushing outputs. Byrd didn’t have to punt the last two games.

Their latest performance has earned Ballew’s crew the Shreveport-Bossier Journal’s Team of the Week distinction, as they prepare for another long trip south, to Marrero to face John Ehret.

“I didn’t know where we would be when the season started. Our district is very competitive, and I had anxiety about how we fit in,” the coach admitted. “That’s still to be determined, but right now, the kids are confident. There’s no doubt if we can play with anybody in our district.”

That was evident at Evangel, which has plenty of talent alongside highly-regarded sophomore quarterback Pop Houston and should be among the stronger teams in 1-5A. The Jackets admittedly left some points on the field settling for a 14-10 halftime advantage, then had to rally in the game’s final 20 minutes to take control.

The Yellow Jackets used a “bend, don’t break” defensive approach, coming up with red zone turnovers (a first-half, fourth-down fumble recovery at the Evangel 14 by Darell Cottonham, and a goalline interception with 6:43 remaining by Azariae Barfield) that denied the Eagles two scores that would have come in very handy.

Offensively, Byrd piled up 398 rushing yards, 171 from Desmond Simmons and 157 by Christian Maxie.

“The kids played extremely hard, and the kids played extremely well. They ran the offense extremely well. We did get some penalties, but we were able to overcome ‘em. We ran inside, we ran outside, we threw a boot pass for a touchdown. Offensively, that was a really good game,” said Ballew.

Not in the headline, but determining the storyline: the big guys up front.

“The whole offensive line deserves credit,” said Ballew. “They played very well against a pretty physical Evangel front.”

Namely:  Byrd O-linemen Mason Coenen, Tanner Murrel, Alijah Chembles, Aiden Boutte, Josh Hutson, Braylon Buckingham, Joshua Vienne and Jacob Martin.

It has been a September to remember for Ballew.

“St. Amant was a good win. They have good athletes. The kids played all four quarters, and both sides of the ball, that was a good showing for us. Against Haughton, we came out and played fast, and got up on them quickly. The kids played great, but it wasn’t a four-quarter game. Week 1 and Week 3, those were complete games by offense, defense and special teams, games we had to win in the fourth quarter.”

With six starters back on both sides of the ball from last season’s 4-7 ride on the struggle bus, Ballew thought Byrd had the right stuff to rebound.

“Last year, those guys on the field didn’t have a lot of experience. These guys were on the field last year, and now they do have the experience,” he said. “These kids went through that rough season, and that’s why it’s so much fun watching these kids play, because they are having some success. Seeing them go through that season last year, they kept coming to practice and working their tails off, and now all that is paying off.”

While their stock is rising after the 3-0 start, including getting some votes in the LSWA’s Class 5A Top 10 this week, the forward vision is restricted. “We are looking at John Ehret, and that’s it,” said Ballew.

But three strong performances have some around the City of Byrd recalling glory years.  Ballew likes how his club is trending, but points out there’s a lot of proving ground to cover. He recommends waiting several weeks to see how these Yellow Jackets compare to some of Byrd’s better teams.

No doubt, however, Byrd is off to an excellent start.

Contact Doug at sbjdoug@gmail.com

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They gave up 87 points? What the heck is going on with NSU football?

/ Megan Lowe

NATCHITOCHES — Time for a reality check on Northwestern State football.

The 2024 Demons aren’t ready for prime time. Not to say this is a hopeless season – in fact, it’s exactly the opposite. It is filled with optimism and belief, radiating from new coach Blaine McCorkle and his staff, and the 106 players who will never yield, like their fight song says. Fine if you don’t believe. They do. They’d appreciate your support now, but they are willing to earn it.

They’ll tee it up Saturday afternoon at nationally-ranked Southeast Missouri State in their fifth game, desperately seeking progress, and in a perfect scenario, a win. SEMO is on the other end, the playoff-contending end, of the Football Championship Subdivision, the NCAA Division I level where Northwestern also plays.

There is a massive gap between the programs. Here’s the stark truth, facts McCorkle does not shy away from as he talks to his team, or anyone else, as he did a couple of Sundays ago at the First United Methodist Men’s monthly breakfast gathering. 

As of this Tuesday morning, Sept. 24, it has been 689 days since the Demons won a football game. They didn’t play the last four of the 2023 season, meaning that the program was halted, suspended, shut down. You can count on no fingers any other Division I football program that stopped competition in midseason in at least a half-century, probably longer. Not here to dispute the decision made last fall to stop playing; but as a result, there was rampant speculation that football was finished at NSU.

It’s not. It’s back, but it’s now a startup team, with a rebuild nearly from scratch.

The Demons haven’t won a non-conference game in six years. Some of those non-conference games have been “paycheck games” such as visits to LSU and Texas A&M; other six-figure appearance fees have been collected from less prominent but much better resourced opponents such as Tulsa, Louisiana Tech, UL Lafayette, and Southern Miss.

It’s been since 2008 that the Demons had a winning season. There have been 15 consecutive non-winning seasons (.500 in 2013 and 2014), the third-longest skid in FCS.

The latest reality bite: in their Sept. 12 game at South Alabama, the Demons picked up about $350,000 for visiting, and were routed 87-10. Not going into all the distressing notes, but it was the worst drubbing for the purple-clad boys since leather helmets (LSU 78-0, 1921).

“We gave up 87 points,” McCorkle said to those early-bird Methodists, “and I’m fine. Because I know, without a doubt, who we are and where we are headed.”

As to where they are now: here’s perspective from an expert. Glenn Moore played tight end on the Demons’ 1988 Southland Conference championship team. His expertise, however, comes from nearly 30 years of college coaching, the last 25 as a head coach – in softball. He was the successful softball coach at LSU (winning two SEC championships) and since 2001, he’s been in charge of a Baylor program that has often been ranked in the top 10, and has made three Women’s College World Series trips.

Glenn knows all too well about the transfer portal and NIL and all the rip tides in college sports that are tearing at the core of the NCAA. He lives at the other end of that world. Baylor has money. Baylor plays bigtime football. Glenn and wife Janice, who’s from Natchitoches, have a son playing for the 2024 Demons. Ty is a tight end who signed in the spring. He began his college career at Baylor.

So is Glenn discouraged by that 77-point beatdown at South Al? Not a bit. He said so in a Facebook post:               

“As a former member of an SLC Championship team and a very proud alum (along with my wife) and also the father of a current Demon, I couldn’t be more proud of the players and coaches who have been chosen to bear the painstaking yet awesome task of reversing the path.  I promise if you saw behind the surface, this program would make you proud and honestly emotionally supportive. 

“To say this is a difficult task in today’s world of athletics is a major understatement — we all know that.  But the people are in place that can get it done. 

“Unfortunately unless donors can replace the money needed to run a program, FCS teams have to play the mismatched ‘money’ games.  We are not close to competing in them because of where the program is and has been, but we also don’t get back on our feet without those games and the revenue from them.

“I know it’s not in the nature of most fans but this situation calls for unusual patience and devotion, if one ever did. It’s very unrealistic and even unfair IMO to expect anything more than to just be competitive, and never quit, in the SLC this year.”

That’s not what McCorkle and his team are trying to do. It may be all they can do. Hope, faith and persistence may be their best assets this season. Along with doing things the right way, on and off the field. As to that, here’s another expert view:

Vance Morris lives in Natchitoches. He’s a retired football coach. He coached in the big time (Missouri as a young man, to name one job), and he coached at small colleges (Louisiana College, Austin College, to name a couple more).

He watched a Northwestern practice in August. He came away with two impressions:

“In all my years watching football, I’ve never seen a practice better organized, more efficient, more effective. There was no wasted time, no wasted effort,” he told me then. He added:

“Don’t be surprised if at some point this season, they beat somebody you’d never think they could. What’s going on there is really good.”

One more thing McCorkle will tell you. He took over a program that has won 12 conference championships.

“We’re gonna get this going again, and we’re gonna win Number 13,” he says, without a shadow of a doubt.

Contact Doug at sbjdoug@gmail.com

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Practice performances prefaced Bossier’s impressive outing

/ Megan Lowe

By DOUG IRELAND, Journal Sports 

For the Bossier Bearkats, practice made perfect.

After a sloppy Week 1 performance at North Caddo in which a halftime lead disappeared in a 22-point Titans’ onslaught, Bearkats coach Gary Smith and his staff challenged their team heading into last Friday night’s home opener against an explosive Glenbrook team.

The ‘Kats responded, and sparkled on both sides of the ball in a 28-9 victory over the Apaches. That bounceback earns Bossier the second Shreveport-Bossier Journal Team of the Week honor of the 2024 season.

Stinging after the opening 37-16 loss, the Bearkats didn’t sulk. They stood tall.

“We had a great week of practice,” said Smith, early in his second season as head coach at his alma mater after a successful run as defensive coordinator at Haughton. “We got on them pretty hard, and I thought they responded really, really well. The good week translated to playing well Friday night.”

He felt it coming. The team had a confident tone on game day, through pregame warmups and the final words the Bearkats heard from their coach before kickoff, Smith believed his players were primed to not only win, but to play well.

They did.

“We talked about it all week – the biggest thing was we won the turnover battle, which we hadn’t done since the first game of last year. We’ve been harping on that and we didn’t have a turnover.”

The message the Bearkats devoured was not a single focus, but it was very simple – three steps to progress and success.

“We talked about the discipline piece, being penalties and turnovers, and we talked about ‘we’re not very tough, gotta get tougher.’ We also talked about controlling the line of scrimmage, being tough on the O-line, being tough on the D-line, and winning those battles,” said Smith.

All three phases clicked. That made Monday morning’s team meeting an affirmation.

“I told them this morning, we have a long way to go, but we got better in all three of those aspects,” said the proud coach, whose team snapped a 10-game skid dating back to a 2023 loss to Glenbrook by nearly the same score (28-6 Apaches in Week 2 last season).

The progress was apparent. Going from allowing nearly 40 to North Caddo, to surrendering just single digits, was a prime example.

“Coach (C.J.) Morgan and coach (Marcus) Hudson run our defense, and defensively I thought we played lights out,” said Smith. “We had some injuries and were missing some guys who I thought we really needed, but I don’t know when was the last time we held a team to nine points. Glenbrook scores a lot, and for us to hold them to nine indicates what a tremendous job that group did and those co-defensive coordinators did.”

There were plenty of good performances, and Smith couldn’t help but chuckle about a few.

“We have a couple of freshmen and they’ve been playing great,” he said. “They’re fun to watch, seeing those guys compete against older guys and be successful.”

Those would be free safety/receiver Montrevell Lewis — “he made some big catches and scored a couple of touchdowns, and was very good on defense,” said Smith – and running back/outside linebacker Ray Davenport, who ran for a couple of TDs and was solid on the other side of the ball.

Then there’s new quarterback Tre Christor, who didn’t play that position in Week 1.

“We moved him to quarterback this week, and he had three days of practice there. Considering that he did a tremendous job running the offense,” said Smith, who couldn’t stifle another proud chuckle. “He played a lot of defense, also.

“He made some mistakes at quarterback, but not the level of mistakes I’d expect after three days. He did a whale of a job.”

Now the challenge is to continue the progress against another nearby small school power, the Logansport Tigers.

“Logansport’s good. Win or lose Friday night, I told them this morning, I want to see us get better in those three aspects: discipline on the penalties and turnovers, toughness, and controlling the line of scrimmage.”

Another great practice week would help the cause, and now, it won’t surprise Smith a bit.

Contact Doug at sbjdoug@gmail.com

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Bad weather produces really good matchup between Calvary, visiting Neville

/ Megan Lowe
TOP SHELF MATCHUP:  Calvary Baptist will square off against Neville of Monroe Friday night at home in a quickly-arranged contest that will feature Cavaliers’ senior tailback John Simon, a University of Texas commitment. (Journal photo by GAVEN HAMMOND, landgphoto.com)

By DOUG IRELAND, Journal Sports

During the pandemic, we all learned to pivot on a dime as circumstances changed quickly.

That ability to adjust on the fly has produced one of the more compelling matchups of the high school football season.

Calvary Baptist, the defending state Select Division III champions, riding a 15-game win streak, was already facing a stout opponent at home Friday night in Westgate, the No. 6-ranked team in Class 4A. But the approach of Francine, which was upgraded to a hurricane Tuesday evening, sent south Louisiana squads scrambling for shelter, not practice.

Westgate had to cancel its trip to Shreveport Friday night for a rematch of last season’s intense 32-22 loss at Calvary.

Meanwhile, Southside of Lafayette also had to scuttle a planned homefield battle with Neville of Monroe, the No. 7 ranked team in Class 5A. 

Opportunity knocked, and neither Calvary coach Rodney Guin or Neville’s Mike Collins blinked. Both coaches crave strong non-district competition. They’ll get it in Friday night’s hastily-arranged contest at Jerry Barker Stadium.

The Cavaliers (1-0), No. 1 in Class 2A after overpowering a strong second-ranked Oak Grove team 62-41 last Friday night, will step up to play one of the state’s premiere all-time powerhouses. Stepping up to 5A competition was no problem for Calvary in 2023, as the Cavs blasted a pair of good local 5A foes, Byrd and Captain Shreve, in their 14-0 championship season last fall.

But this is Neville (1-0), a perennial state power, which appears to be one of the top squads of 2024 in the state’s largest classification.

“You want to win every game,” said Guin, “but we’re not going to worry about a win streak and not play a good team when we get the chance. It’s one of those games we could play well and still not win, and we’re OK with that.

“We’re in it for the long haul, November and December,” he said in a KTBS Sports interview Tuesday. “This game will help us down the road regardless of what the outcome is.”

Guin said his players embrace the challenge. On a Friday night when many teams in south Louisiana will suddenly be sidelined, lots of eyes around Louisiana will focus on the Calvary-Neville battle.

The Tigers will make their second straight ride west on I-20 to Shreveport. Neville won 42-24 last Friday at Evangel, which a week before had topped West Monroe in the Bayou Jamb at Monroe. West Monroe is 10th in the Class 5A rankings this week.

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Near-perfect start bodes well for BTW

/ Megan Lowe

By DOUG IRELAND, Journal Sports

A wise coach once said, “you can’t win ‘em all if you don’t win the first one.”

There wasn’t much doubt going into the season opener last week that Booker T. Washington was going to beat an outmanned Class A Lakeview team.

The Lions left no doubt. It was 52-0, and not that close, last Friday night as the home crowd left happy at Leonard C. Barnes Stadium.

For that near-flawless performance, BTW is the first 2024 Shreveport-Bossier Journal “Team of the Week.”

Coach Gary Cooper’s second year in charge at BTW began as it was drawn up, because his players did not take their own performance for granted.

“We harped on them all week long about execution. Throughout the course of the game, do things the right way, the way we teach it, and our kids bought into it. They’re really trying to do what we ask them to do,” said Cooper.

“In a game like that, it’s repetitions against a different opponent, not a practice player. Just do the things we ask you to do. I was pleased with what the film showed. It feels good to get a win, sure enough, and evaluating the guys on film, 95 percent of the things were done correctly.”

There’s a basic checklist Cooper applies to each game film, and his squad made its marks against the Gators. Watching the film, the Lions’ coaches saw work pay off.

“The effort is there. The attempt to execute perfectly is there. So everything we ask for was done,” said Cooper.

There were standouts, even if they didn’t come close to playing all 48 minutes. The Lions dressed 55 players. Everybody got good time on the field.

The individual star was Aaron Dillard, just named to the National Football Foundation McNaughton Chapter North Louisiana Preseason Scholar-Athlete Watch List due to superior academic and competitive credentials, and extracurricular activity. The senior running back needed just eight carries to collect 154 yards and 2 TDs.

“Aaron ran the ball extremely well, and the O-line played very well,” said Cooper, acknowledging the unsung heroes. “For a running back to be that productive and explosive, something had to happen up front.”

Impossible to overlook: receiver D’Travion Mitchell, who scored twice as he “made two toe-tap catches, crazy catches, that got us going,” said Cooper.

Another strong element was obvious.

“Our defense has been really good for us the last couple of years, and those guys played well to get a shutout,” said Cooper.

All indicators are positive as BTW steps into the more arduous part of the season after a tune-up contest.

“The kids are doing great. They’re buying what we’re selling, and they’re accountable. We hold them accountable, they hold each other accountable, and as a coaching staff, we hold ourselves accountable as well,” said the coach. “We are trying to give them the best high school experience possible.”

This Friday, the price of poker goes up. BTW goes to Bastrop, a tradition-rich program that still has plenty of talent in Morehouse Parish north of Monroe. The Lions are reflecting back to how they started two weeks ago.

“We look at this like the jamboree, when we played Woodlawn and Southwood, teams that are going to be in our district, teams that are going be very, very well coached teams, highly competitive teams, teams that play fast. We got the experience from that, going to this,” Cooper said. “Our kids understand this is not going to be easy. It’s not going to be last week.

“This is a game of what have you done for me lately. Last week is over. We’re on to a new week now.”

But for this week, the Lions are the SBJ Team of the Week.

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Benton goes to Northwood as teams meet again in season opener

/ Megan Lowe

By DOUG IRELAND, Journal Sports

It’s a familiar matchup to kick off the season: Benton vs. Northwood. Tonight’s 7 o’clock contest at Jerry Burton Stadium is the fourth straight time the Tigers and Falcons have opened September on opposite sidelines.

Both teams were 5-6 last season, bowing in first-round playoff games. Reynolds Moore begins his 12th season as Benton’s coach. Austin Brown opens his fourth year in charge at Northwood, hoping for his first victory over the Tigers.

Last year, Benton staged a big comeback at home, rallying from 13 points down to win 28-26 as senior running back Greg Manning scored all four touchdowns and ran for 151 yards.

Manning’s tremendous career is over, but Benton won’t be hurting for ballcarriers. Moore has a trio of top-liners:  Greg Chambers, Maurice Goins and Conner Jeter.

“I’m pumped about our running backs and seeing who emerges as the guy, or top two guys,” he said.

The Tigers also have highly-regarded sophomore quarterback Malachi Zeigler and TCU commit Witten VanHoy (6-7, 300) up front. Linebacker Cole Austin led Benton with 113 tackles in 2023.

The Falcons will showcase a two-way standout, defensive back/receiver Jerimiah Johnson, said Brown.

“We have quite a bit of talent we didn’t have last year,” he said.

“Their strengths (offensive line and running backs) go against our question marks on the defensive line,” said Brown. “But I think this is the closest matchup we’ve had (with Benton) in 3-4 years. I expect this to be the best game in that stretch.”

“We know it’s always a tough game against Northwood,” said Moore. “I’m looking for our guys to come out with a different level of intensity than we’ve seen so far. We know Northwood is going to be ready.”

The contest will be available on the Benton Tigers Sports Network Facebook page with a listening link at network1sports.com/station/btsn as Travis Shurling, Judd Daniels and Nathan Hardin are the announcing crew.

The Tigers-Falcons clash and Loyola’s contest in Monroe against St. Frederick are the only two local high school games tonight.

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Weary Burns savors Presidents Cup selection

/ Megan Lowe
BOUND FOR MONTREAL:   Sam Burns was confirmed as a captain’s pick by Jim Furyk to compete for the United States at the Sept. 26-29 Presidents Cup at Royal Montreal Golf Club, the third straight international team event for the Calvary Baptist product after the 2022 Presidents Cup and the 2023 Ryder Cup.

By DOUG IRELAND, Journal Sports

There was little doubt around the golf world that Sam Burns would be announced Tuesday as one of Jim Furyk’s six captains picks for the upcoming Presidents Cup golf competition.

The Shreveport native and Calvary Baptist product, a two-time LSU All-American, made his third consecutive United States team roster when his status was confirmed during a live Golf Channel show  Tuesday afternoon. Burns was seventh-ranked overall in Presidents Cup standings – the top six, including his close friend and world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, were automatic selections going into last week’s Tour Championship.

Burns was flirting with his third straight top five finish in the FedEx Cup playoffs but a 1-under final round left him in 12th place at the final 2024 PGA Tour event, still taking home a $1 million payday, and it didn’t dampen his profile in Furyk’s eyes. Burns was the first player mentioned as the captain listed his six selections – who were the top six players (ranked 7-12) remaining in the Presidents Cup standings, including Max Homa, who didn’t qualify as one of the top 30 to play in Atlanta last week.

Burns, 28, was also already lined up by Golf Channel for a live interview from his home in Choudrant at Squire Creek Country Club. He admitted to a bit of relief about being a captain’s choice for the second straight year, after earning an automatic slot for the 2022 Presidents Cup event.

“That phone call is always one you look forward to getting, and hopefully it’s a call saying you’re getting on the team. Thankfully, this time it was,” said Burns. “I’m really excited. We’ve got a great team. We’ve got a great captain in Jim. I’m looking forward to getting up there.

“It does feel a little different in the sense that you don’t know for sure if you’re on the team or not, but with this group of guys, being around them so much, getting to play with them and hanging out with them, you have a good understanding of where you stand. After the last two weeks, I felt pretty good about my spot on the team, but it’s much easier when you’re in that top six, for sure.”

The late season push to strength his position, and to chase the big money in the FedEx playoffs, took a physical toll, he admitted. Getting back home for some rest before the Sept. 26-29 Presidents Cup at Royal Montreal in Canada is a relief, said Burns.

“I think for sure. You know the last two weeks of the year are going to be hot, and stressful at times. I was talking to Scottie this morning, and he was asking, ‘does everything on your body hurt?’ I said, ‘yeah!’ A group at home was going to play pickleball last night, and I usually like to attend that, and mentally I wanted to be there, but last night wasn’t the night for pickleball.

“I’m excited to be home and getting some rest, and I look forward to preparing for Montreal.”

That process officially starts Sunday, said Furyk, who noted the course becomes available for team practice Sunday at noon and “we’ll be there,” said the captain, who apparently hadn’t shared that with his team yet.

Oblivious to Furyk’s statement at that point, Burns said he has a plan for his own preparation, and it will take place in his backyard.

“I’ll try to have some good games at home. We have some good players here. I take those games at home as serious as I do when I’m out playing. I try to get in as many competitive games as I can at home, and pairing that with rest is going to be a good combination for me.”

Speaking of pairings, it’s widely expected that Burns and Scheffler will be a tandem in at least some of the matches late this month in Montreal. Wednesday Burns said that’s not set in stone by any means.

“We’re going to rely on Jim and the assistants, and the stats guys, to pair us up as they see fit. I’ve always enjoyed my time playing with Scottie. As everybody knows, we’re great friends. I feel like we have played well together. I don’t think our record really shows that. At the end of the day, you have to go out there and get points on the board for your team. Whatever those guys think, and whatever combinations they come up with, I think that’s what the game plan we’re going to stick to.”

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Centenary’s Louisiana-flavored football roster finally released

/ Megan Lowe
THIS TIME IT COUNTS:  Last fall, Centenary football coach Byron Dawson led the Gents through an exhibition schedule, but beginning Saturday, it’s official NCAA Division III competition for the program. (Photo courtesy Centenary Athletics)

By DOUG IRELAND, Journal Sports

Centenary’s first official football season in at least a half-century kicks off Saturday at home on Kings Highway and finally we can see who will be playing for the Gents.

Coach Byron Dawson held his cards tightly throughout the summer and into preseason. But with the first game looming, the roster popped up on GoCentenary.com Monday afternoon, showing at least 62 of 77 players are Louisiana natives. There are 11 whose hometowns are not yet posted.

Not indicated: how many are transfers from other institutions.

There are only four seniors and 13 juniors listed. Centenary has 29 sophomores and 27 freshmen.

Among the 62 in-state competitors, 19 are from nine Shreveport-Bossier high schools.

Dawson stressed as he built the squad from scratch that he wanted a strong local contingent of players.

There are three Gents each from Airline (freshman kicker/punter Preston Doerner, freshman linebacker Champ Endris, junior receiver Trent Smith), Calvary Baptist (junior linebacker Tanner Hooker, freshman receiver Christian Jackson, freshman defensive back Chaz Whitaker), Captain Shreve (freshman offensive lineman Jeremy Duncan, junior defensive lineman Zyon Lilly, sophomore tight end Cam Randolph) and Southwood (sophomore defensive lineman D’Quavion Lemons, sophomore defensive back Corinthian Walters, junior running back Josh Ware).

Two are products of Evangel Christian (freshman receiver Ryan Liles, freshman defensive back Jacob Wilson) and Parkway (sophomore defensive lineman Kris Mesloh, sophomore offensive lineman Jake Morton).

One each hails from Byrd (sophomore linebacker Devon Strickland), Green Oaks (freshman defensive back Delarrious Marshall) and Haughton (junior defensive lineman Demetrus Gladney Jr.).

Centenary hosts Hendrix College (Ark.) Saturday evening at 7 to officially join the ranks of NCAA Division III football-playing institutions. The Gents kick off their Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference schedule the following week at Texas Lutheran, beginning three straight road games.

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After earning $1 million Sunday, Burns expected to make Presidents Cup roster Tuesday

/ Megan Lowe
WRY GRIN:  Sam Burns reacts after dropping a 24-foot birdie putt Sunday on the 16th hole in the Tour Championship at East Lake Country Club in Atlanta after his approach shot struck the cup on the fly.

By DOUG IRELAND, Journal Sports

Sam Burns didn’t have a Sunday charge this time, but the Shreveport native earned a million-dollar paycheck with a 12th place finish at the Tour Championship in Atlanta.

The event at East Lake Country Club wrapped up the PGA Tour’s 2024 season but not the golf calendar. Tuesday, the Presidents Cup captains, Jim Furyk of the Unted States and Canada’s Mike Weir leading the International team, will announce their six picks to round out the 12-man rosters for the Sept. 26-29 competition at Royal Montreal Golf Club.

Burns, a Calvary Baptist graduate, is widely expected to be on Furyk’s list. He tied for second a week earlier at the BMW Championship after a tie for fifth two weeks ago at the FedEx St. Jude Championship, posting strong final rounds each time.

The two-time LSU All-American, who now lives in Choudrant, didn’t have a satisfying finish Sunday, carding a 1-over 70 with four birdies and three bogeys to post 15-under, including the bonus start of 4-under that he earned with his ninth-place standing in the FedEx Cups points system.

Burns shot an opening-round 67, with five back-side birdies, and followed up with two rounds of 68, posting five birdies on the back nine Saturday. He was 12-under on the final nine holes through the first three rounds but managed only even-par 36 Sunday.

The 28-year-old did have one of the day’s most memorable shots. His 146-yard approach to the par-4 16th hit the back right side of the cup on the fly, slightly damaging it, but the ball deflected back 24 feet. Burns, who plays out of Squire Creek Country Club in Choudrant, buried the putt for his final birdie.

Scottie Scheffler was the Tour Championship winner, capturing the $25 million top prize.

Tour Championship purse money does not count in the PGA Tour’s official totals. Burns has earned $6.2 million officially in 2024.

His season included eight Top 10 finishes and 12 Top 25s in 21 events, including the Tour Championship.

Burns played on the winning USA Team in the 2022 Presidents Cup and was on the losing side for the USA last September at the Ryder Cup. 

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Back nine goes mighty fine for Burns in first round of Tour Championship

/ Megan Lowe
MOVING UP:  Sam Burns shot 4-under 67 with a hot back nine Thursday to move up the standings in the lucrative Tour Championship.

By DOUG IRELAND, Journal Sports

ATLANTA – Sam Burns made a back-nine move Thursday in the opening round of the Tour Championship.

Trouble was, so did his best friend on the PGA Tour.

Already spotted to a 10-under score opening play, World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler fired the best round of the day, a six-under 65, and broadened his opening two-shot lead to seven entering today.

Burns, the Shreveport native and Calvary Baptist graduate, was no slouch. He posted five birdies on the back side while carding a nifty 31 for a four-under 67.

It moved him from his starting position in ninth place, at 4-under, to 8-under and a tie for fourth with Wyndham Clark, Keegan Bradley, Hideki Matasuyma and Adam Scott.

In between are Collin Morikawa and Xander Schauffle at 9-under, tied for second.

Today, Burns and Clark are paired with a 12:38 (CST) tee time. Golf Channel will have coverage beginning at noon, then give way to NBC for the final two rounds.

Burns, 28, opened with a bogey after a wayward drive on the first hole. He birdied the par-4 fourth to get even but promptly bogeyed the next hole and finished with a 1-over 36 on the first nine.

Then he caught fire, posting birdies at the par-4 10th, the par-3 11th, the par-4 13th, the par-5 16th and the par-4 17th.

That run and the fact that he had the lowest aggregate score of any of the 30 finalists over the two playoff events, the FedEx St. Jude Championship two weeks ago (tied for fifth) and last week’s BMW Championship (tied for second), improved his odds to 30-1 to win.

The top 12 finishers collect at least $1 million. The winner cashes $25 million while the runner-up takes home $12.5 and third place nets $7.5.

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Southwood’s Green adds spice to tonight’s jamboree, upcoming season

/ Megan Lowe
READY TO GO:  Coaches from Caddo Parish public schools were optimistic at a preseason gathering Wednesday morning to preview the 2024 season. (Journal photo by DOUG IRELAND)

By DOUG IRELAND, Journal Sports

Seven head football coaches of public high schools in Caddo Parish were predictably upbeat Wednesday at the school system’s Sixth Annual Football Media Day event.

It all followed a PR script until second-year Southwood coach Mike Green, stepped to the podium and changed the narrative.

“Make room,” he began. “Make room.

“We’ve been working with the kids, trying to get them to understand, respect is earned,” said Green. “They’re ready.

“We’re not the same program. The kids I have understand how to gain respect, and it’s through hard work.”

Southwood is mired on the struggle bus. Officially the Cowboys haven’t won a game since late in the 2019 season, an 18-16 victory over Parkway. They are on a 37-game tumble – aggravated by a 2-0 start in 2022 that was erased when the school had to forfeit those victories and didn’t win again.

Green took over before last season and although it ended winless, there were obvious signs of progress. Now, the landscape has changed and so has the outlook, he told the audience.

“We’ve dropped down to (Class) 4A. I think we’ll fit better. Not saying we’re going to win the state championship,” said Green, “but make room. We’re ready to win.”

Southwood has 28 seniors, the core of what gives the veteran coach confidence.

“Don’t sleep on the Cowboys,” Green concluded. “Make room.”

Their first test comes tonight in jamboree action against Booker T. Washington and Woodlawn at BTW’s Leonard Barnes Stadium.

Each school brought two senior standouts to Wednesday’s event. Perhaps not accidentally, Southwood’s duo of Cornelious Martin and Laquinton Tinkney were sitting across from the Woodlawn tandem of Brandon Henderson and Marcus Palmer.

“I think they just need to be quiet and be ready for the game Friday. That’s all I got to say,” said Palmer, smiling broadly at his rivals.

“He said ‘make room,’ so we’re going to make room. These past few years, Southwood hasn’t been known as a winning team,” said Tinkney, “but I feel like when (Green) got there it changed. All summer we’ve been working hard and we’re ready to show the world what we can do. It starts Friday night.”

“We’ve built up a lot of confidence between our team and our coaches,” said Martin. “It’s been good today eying down the competition.”

Whatever tonight’s outcomes at BTW’s Leonard C. Barnes Stadium, Southwood is taking aim at ending the losing skid in Week 1 next Friday night when Arcadia comes to town.

“Coach is straightforward,” said Martin. “Make room.”

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Burns an obvious favorite to contend at high-dollar Tour Championship

/ Megan Lowe
IDEALLY:  With his last win at the 2023 World Match Play Championship in Austin over an elite field, Sam Burns is aiming for his sixth PGA Tour victory and by far the most lucrative in this weekend’s Tour Championship.

By DOUG IRELAND, Journal Sports

Only two PGA Tour players, two-time 2024 major championship winner Xander Schauffele and Shreveport native Sam Burns, have posted top 5 finishes in both FedEx Cup playoff events heading into the first round of the Tour Championship today in Atlanta.

Obviously, that puts them among the prime golfers to watch, along with world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, as 30 qualifiers tee off in the Tour’s final 2024 event at East Lake Country Club.

Burns, now a Choudrant resident who plays out of Squire Creek Country Club, enters the 72-hole finale ninth in the 2024 FedEx Cup standings. He tied for second last weekend at the FedEx BMW Championship in Castle Rock, Col., on the heels of a fifth-place tie in the opening week of the playoffs two weeks ago at Memphis in the FedEx St. Jude Championship.

Qualifying for the Tour Championship for the fourth straight year, the product of Calvary Baptist Academy and LSU will start at 4-under par when he tees off today at 12:16 CST with Patrick Cantlay. Schauffele begins at 8 under and Scheffler starts at 10 below, with the top 10 finishers in the FedEx Cup standings given strokes to reflect their season-long elite performances.

Writing for SI.com, Golf Intelligence president Jim Straka listed the 28-year-old Burns as the third-ranked contender. Mark Schlabach, golf writer for ESPN.com, ranks Burns fifth.

The two-time LSU All-American drove the ball very well last week, and has been red hot with his putter, always the best part of his game. Burns ranks second among the 30 finalists in strokes gained, putting 1.89 over his eight rounds during the two playoff events.

The stakes are juicy. The winner this weekend collects $25 million. Burns’ career PGA Tour earnings are $27.9 million. Purse money in the Tour Championship is “unofficial” and doesn’t stack on to the PGA’s count, but banks very well.

The runner-up takes home $12.5 million, third place earns $7.5 million, and the top 12 finishers take home at least $1 million. A $550,000 check goes to the 30th-place finisher.

Golf Channel and NBC are sharing coverage of the Tour Championship, beginning at noon today on Golf Channel.

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It’s finally here, and don’t take it for granted

/ Megan Lowe

BUTLER, Pa. — From the North, let me confirm, football is different in the South.

More on that later. But that dateline caught your eye, I’m sure. This is my parents’ hometown. The Jeep was invented here in 1940; there’s a monument commemorating that fact downtown on the beautiful Veterans Town Square across from the historic county courthouse. 

Butler’s best-known sports figure is Terry Hanratty, who is recognized most places for leading Notre Dame to a share of the 1966 national championship as a two-time All-America quarterback. In our neighborhood, we recall Hanratty and Joe Gilliam as “the other” QBs who battled young Terry Bradshaw for the Pittsburgh Steelers’ starting job. 

Brett Michaels, frontman of the great rock band Poison, is also Butler born. Bret Sychak, 61, grew up in nearby Chicora and formed a group called Paris in 1983. The following year, he and the boys changed the name to Poison, moved to the other LA (Los Angeles) and found fame in 1987 with their Look What the Cat Dragged In album (remember those?).

Five of my cousins live here. Two of their wives were at the July 13 rally at the Butler Farm Show grounds when shots rang out as former President Donald Trump was speaking. Monday afternoon, a Congressional task force toured the site. Two cousins, my brother and I visited it Saturday afternoon. It was sobering, stunning to try to understand how the shooter could have settled unimpeded by security where he did, just 20-30 yards farther than goalpost to goalpost on a football field. As Cousin Jeff said, “Swiss cheese.” No matter what your political beliefs.

Back to sports. Last Friday night was the kickoff of the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League football season. Butler’s Golden Tornado bowed at home 20-14 to the Knights of Shaler Area High School.

It was not the talk of the town. And that’s my point this morning.

This week is jamboree time for LHSAA football. The college season kicked off last Saturday with a handful of “Week Zero” games, and Week 1 unfolds this weekend – Northwestern State starts Thursday night at Tulsa, then Saturday night, Louisiana Tech hosts Nicholls and Grambling goes to UL Lafayette. LSU plays USC in Las Vegas Sunday evening.

You probably knew all that. Football season is paramount in the South. Not a recent development. 

It’s just different elsewhere, even in the Allegheny Mountains. Driving downtown in Butler, city population 13,000, you don’t see any signs indicating excitement about the Golden Tornado. This is western Pennsylvania, legendary for the quality and intensity of prep football. 

Maybe it’s the fairly humid 86-degree weather today. Not exactly what we saw in the 1983 Tom Cruise movie All The Right Moves, focused on a high school football standout in a steel town much like Butler.

These people do love their football. Saturday in the tree-shrouded valley of Memorial Park, above a babbling creek, there was a day of “midget” football with kids in full gear running spread offenses, and little girls in cheerleader outfits lining the sidelines. The Steelers’ QB scramble is a much hotter topic than Pirates baseball – unless Paul Skenes is due to start. 

The excitement level just reaches a higher plane in area code 318.

We’ll see some saucy jamboree pairings this weekend; and every local prep team and fan base will be juiced up full throttle even for preseason battles. It’s going to somehow ramp up a notch next weekend for the regular-season kickoffs. If you don’t have a favorite to cheer, there’s still plenty to savor, from the bands and spirit groups to the talent on the fields and some high-caliber matchups.

LSU, Grambling, Tech and Northwestern are about to tee it up.

It’s football season in the South. It just doesn’t get better than this.

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Near-miss at BMW Championship puts Burns in prime position for Tour Championship

/ Megan Lowe
SIZZLING SAM:  After a closing 7-under 65 carried him to a runner-up finish Sunday at the FedEx Cup’s BMW Championship, Sam Burns is one of the hottest players on the PGA Tour at precisely the right time. (Photo courtesy PGA Tour)

By DOUG IRELAND, Journal Sports

With an incredible $25 million winner’s prize at stake next weekend in the PGA Tour’s Tour Championship at East Lake Country Club in Atlanta, there’s no better time for Sam Burns to be on a heater.

Sunday, the Shreveport native and Calvary Baptist graduate nearly won the FedEx Cup’s penultimate event, the BMW Championship, finishing in a second-place tie to follow a fifth-place finish a week earlier at the FedEx St. Jude Championship, the first in the Tour’s three-step playoffs.

Burns was the clubhouse leader Sunday on the Castle Pines Country Club course, a PGA Tour record 8,130-yard layout at altitude. He fired a seven-under 65, best among the 48 players, to zoom to 11-under.

It was nearly 12-under. Pitching out of a greenside bunker on the final hole, Burns finished a foot shy, on line, of draining the shot for a birdie.

“I knew it was a good line and I knew it was a pretty good weight. Sometimes they go in, sometimes they don’t,” he said, after falling to the ground in disappointment as the shot stopped short. “Yeah, (my reaction) was a little dramatic.”

That would have posted him at 12-under, the winning total by Keegan Bradley.  Burns, who now lives in Choudrant and plays out of Squire Creek Country Club there, had eight birdies Sunday but bogeyed the par-5 14th. 

His driving was best in the field Sunday, leading in fairway accuracy with 12 of 14 fairways hit. Burns was No. 2 in putting, holing 133 feet worth on the greens.

The strong finish jumped him into ninth in the FedEx Cup standings, same as his career-best finish last year after the Tour Championship. It means he will start at 4-under Thursday in Atlanta, with his pal Scottie Scheffler, the Cup standings leader, opening the tournament at 10-under.

Burns pocketed $1,503,333 with his three-way tie, matched by Adam Scott and Ludvig Amberg. It raised the former LSU All-American’s season winnings to $6.1 million and his career earnings to $27.9 million with his 16th career top five finish and the 36th Top 10 showing.

The 28-year-old will make his fourth straight Tour Championship appearance among the 30 most successful players of the season. Along with the $25 million winner’s share, the runner-up gets $12.5 million, third place earns $7.5 million and the top 12 finishers win at least a million. A $550,000 payout goes to the 30th-place golfer.

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Burns fifth in opening PGA Tour playoff event, the FedEx St. Jude Championship

/ Megan Lowe
BIRDIE LOOK:  Sam Burns rolled in one of his seven birdies Saturday at the FedEx St. Jude Championship.

By DOUG IRELAND, Journal Sports

MEMPHIS – Shreveport native Sam Burns jumped into contention Friday with a second-round 63 and battled through unusually erratic drives a day later in Round 3 to record a fifth-place tie and collect a $760,000 paycheck Sunday at the PGA Tour’s FedEx St. Jude Championship.

The event at TPC Southwind was the first in three steps to the FedEx Cup championship. Burns, who plays out of Squire Creek Country Club in Choudrant, finished with a 13-under score of 267 (67-63-70-67), four shots back of winner Hideki Matsuyama, the bronze medalist in golf at the Paris Olympics.

Burns entered the week at 29th in the FedEx Cup standings, and rose to 18th Sunday. The top 50 advance to the BMW Championship next weekend at Castle Pines (Colorado) and the top 30 after next Sunday go the final event at East Lake Country Club in Atlanta.

Burns, a product of Calvary Baptist Academy, upped his season winnings total to $4.7 million. The 28-year-old former LSU All-American, a pro since 2019, jumped over $26 million in career earnings to $26.4 million with his seventh top 10 finish of the 2024 season in 19 starts.

He had a volatile Saturday round, marked by a badly hit drive on the ninth tee that prompted him to slam his driver into the ground, breaking off the head. He played the back nine without a driver. Burns carded seven birdies, three on the back side, and had only four pars in Round 3.

Burns, who leads the PGA Tour this season with 15 eagles due in no small part to his typical control on long drives, eagled the par-5 16th on Sunday , but bogeyed No. 18 for the second straight day to miss tying his good friend Scottie Scheffler for fourth place at 14-under. The pals, their wives and infant sons shared a rented home on the 18th tee at the tournament.

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Former Flyer Smith nearly strikes a champion’s pose again in long drive contest

/ Megan Lowe
NEARLY BACK ON TOP:  A year after being crowned the World Long Drive Tour Kingsport champion, Shreveport native Jack Smith almost won an even bigger title. (Journal file photo)

By DOUG IRELAND, Journal Sports

Loyola graduate Jack Smith stunned the World Long Drive Tour last year by capturing the Kingsport championship as a rookie. Sunday, he very nearly won an even bigger WLDT title.

Competing all weekend in Atlanta, Smith worked his way to the World Long Drive Tour championship match, a showdown with former Ole Miss baseball player Sean Johnson, last year’s runner-up. 

Each finalist got to hit six drives, and the longest one inbounds was the winner. Smith went first, and delivered a 410-yard bomb. Johnson hit his fourth ball 409 yards, then on the next drive ripped it two yards farther and claimed the world championship belt.

The pair are good friends who train together in North Carolina, coached by Bobby Peterson at the One Stop Power Shop. 

After advancing through preliminary rounds, Smith won both his quarterfinal and semifinal rounds to reach the finals. Golf Channel is expected to carry a recap of the competition later this fall. 

A year ago, the 2018 Loyola graduate flexed his power off the tee in a shocking triumph. He didn’t sneak up on anyone this time around.

Contact Doug at sbjdoug@gmail.com

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Plenty of laughs downtown at Caddo football coaches supper

/ Megan Lowe
COLOR RUSH:  There were colors galore on school coaching gear Thursday evening at the third annual appreciation supper for high school football head coaches in Caddo Parish, hosted by Origin Bank in downtown Shreveport. (Journal photo by KEVIN PICKENS)

By DOUG IRELAND, Journal Sports

The first event in the Humor & Harmony Weekend downtown was a comedy show unfolding at nearby Municipal Auditorium Thursday evening, with more patrons in the “G Dome” a few blocks east of Origin Bank.

There were also plenty of laughs at the bank as most of the head football coaches and some of their assistants, and school administrators gathered for the third annual Caddo Parish high school football coaches’ appreciation supper, hosted by the Shreveport-Bossier Journal and Origin Bank.

The affable group exchanged handshakes and some hugs walking in as in-person meetings aren’t frequent in most cases, although there are plenty of phone calls and text messages exchanged throughout the year.

After the supper and brief program concluded, much of the group lingered to visit. New Captain Shreve head coach Jeremy Wilburn, who was offensive coordinator for veteran Huntington coach Stephen Dennis until taking the Gators’ post in January, hung around to chat with Dennis and companions.

Earlier, Wilburn said his new role at Shreve has been exciting – and tiring, in the best sort of way.

“Right now, I’m pretty tired. We’ve been going with 4:30 wake-ups, 5 o’clock locker room, 6 a.m. starts for four days straight now, with multi-hour practices. Today was the first day of school so the kids went to class and got back in the flow of things,” he said.

Renovations to Shreve’s facilities dislodged the coaches and team for spring and most of summer, but that hurdle is almost cleared now.

“We were out of the office for two months this summer, and had about eight days before we kicked off on Monday to get the locker room in order, get the gear in order, soft goods out and everything lined up. We’re still kind of in that process,” said Wilburn, “putting in long days right now. A lot of my coaches have put in many more hours than they planned on through this point of the summer.”

But that hardly outweighs the excitement, he said. And for him, attending the appreciation supper for the first time provided a very enjoyable step outside the blur of the daily routine.

“We don’t see each other in person much at all, but this evening, for all of us to be able to take a minute to pause, while the bands aren’t playing on Friday nights, we get to enjoy the camaraderie as a group. We’re always with our staffs, and don’t get to have this fellowship much, so that step outside our own circles to mingle with other coaches is what makes this event special.”

Elsewhere, Booker T. Washington coach Gary Cooper and Green Oaks’ James Bradford Jr. were trading laughs and barbs, mostly laughs, as they discussed the 2024 “Soul Bowl” battle between their teams. It’s set to cap the Week 3 local prep football slate with another Saturday kickoff.

“Oh, we talk all the time, but not that week,” said Bradford, chuckling.

But that hardly stops the players on both teams from communicating.

“You can’t shut that off, as much as you wish you could,” said Cooper. “We stress to our guys to be smart about what they’re saying. They’re gonna have fun, and we just want them to keep it in the right mindset. This is a great rivalry with a lot of interest and a lot of history, and you don’t want things to get too heated. You also don’t want to take the fun out of it.”

Some schools were unable to join the supper due to practice schedules or other prior commitments. That resulted in ample leftovers and plenty of to-go plates and boxes heading into the night, a nice way to wrap up a joy-filled evening at Origin Bank.

Contact Doug at sbjdoug@gmail.com

Shown below: Head coaches (seated, left to right) Gary Cooper, BTW; Jeremy Wilburn, Captain Shreve; John Sella, Loyola; (back row, l-r) Stephen Dennis, Huntington; Chase Thompson, North Caddo; James Bradford Jr., Green Oaks; Thedrick Harris, Woodlawn. (Journal photo by KEVIN PICKENS)

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Laird settling down, learning the ropes and his players in return to prep ranks at NCHS

/ Megan Lowe
LEADING THE CHIEFS:  New Natchitoches Central football coach Brad Laird is enjoying taking the Chiefs through preseason practice. (Journal photo by KEVIN SHANNAHAN)

By DOUG IRELAND, Journal Sports

NATCHITOCHES – For a third straight season, the Natchitoches Central Chiefs football program has a new head coach and that’s unsettling.

But with Brad Laird in charge, things are settling down fast.

Laird, who was head coach at Northwestern State for the past six seasons, took over this spring after former Class 2A championship coach Jess Curtis, who built a dynasty at Many, bolted to Lafayette’s Southside High. Curtis stayed only one season in Natchitoches after replacing James Wilkerson, now an assistant at reigning Select Division III champion Calvary Baptist.

NCHS finished 2-8 last season under Curtis but was consistently competitive with its Shreveport-Bossier rivals in District 1-5A, losing in the final minutes at Benton and Haughton, and on the last play to Parkway, among other bitter pills.

Laird was 28-18 as head coach at Ruston High from 2013-16. He helped establish the junior high feeder system that has fueled the Bearcats’ return among state powers in the LHSAA’s highest classification, and he hired current Bearcats’ coach Jerrod Baugh from east Texas. Baugh guided Ruston to the Non-Selection Division I state championship last December.

Since NCHS did not stage spring practice as Laird was building his coaching staff, the Chiefs got their preseason camp started a week ahead of most teams. It’s was a week filled with teaching new schemes and a new practice style. So the Chiefs, exactly 100 strong with freshmen through seniors, are already in full pads as they go through their paces this week on J.D. Garrett Field on campus.

“Just now being able to solidify, in the last couple of weeks, our coaching staff, so right now the biggest things we’re doing is 1) playing with great effort but 2) the install,” said Laird.

“Any time a new coaching staff is involved, you’re going to have schematically things that are different. School’s about to start, football season is about to be here, and these guys have shown their excitement with their work ethic.”

Classes start today for freshmen, Thursday for the students in grades 10-12. But for the team, they’ve learned a lot already as they’ve settled in under Laird and his staff.

For the last seven years, Laird has coached at Northwestern, where the roster was filled with players on scholarship and eager walk-ons hoping to earn scholarship money and playing time. Back in the high school ranks, Laird is enjoying a different motivation from the players, some who he’s watched for years since his son Brock is a senior baseball standout at NCHS.

“That’s what’s fun to watch, because they ultimately choose to come out here and be involved,” he said. “To me the biggest satisfaction is to be able to watch these young men from as early as third, fourth, fifth, sixth grade, and then ultimately when they graduate as seniors, to see how far they’ve come on, and off, the field.”

There’s a bigger picture, something he’s always kept in mind every step of the way since he entered coaching after wrapping up his playing days as a record-breaking QB at NSU after the 1995 season.

It’s obvious as the broad smile on his face and the sparkle in his eyes as he moves through the Eugene Christmas Fieldhouse, watching the Chiefs gear up for their evening practice.

“The field is the same, college or high school, just as long and wide. The hash marks are different, the goalposts are wider at this level,” he said. “There’s so much you can learn on a football field, outside of football, and that hasn’t changed. The opportunity to do this in Natchitoches at this level has been fun and I am looking forward to many more days of this.”

Contact Doug at sbjdoug@gmail.com

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Farris weighs in with powerful memories of three Olympics

/ Megan Lowe
WEIGHT OF THE WORLD:  Shreveport’s Kendrick Farris competed in three Olympic Games, including his last in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro. (Photo courtesy Christian Broadcasting Network/USOC)

By DOUG IRELAND, Journal Sports

No Shreveporter, and not many people anywhere, knows the Olympic Games experience better than Kendrick Farris. Not enough see it for what we should, he says.

It wasn’t long ago that Farris, 38, competed as a weightlifter for Team USA in three Olympic Games:  2008 in Beijing, 2012 in London and in Rio de Janerio in 2016.

He didn’t win a medal (yet*), but he did have impressive finishes, while setting an array of American records and personal bests. Because he was a staunch advocate and practitioner of drug free lifting, and due to advances in technology since he competed, Farris may eventually receive an Olympic medal. His best finish was eighth in the 85kg division in 2008, and a couple of disqualifications have moved him up to sixth currently.

But far be it for Farris, who rose to prominence under the guidance of LSUS’s Dr. Kyle Pierce,  to evaluate his Olympic career by competitive results. He’s proud of what he accomplished but far more ebullient about what he experienced.

“The concept of me even being an Olympian, when I graduated from (Byrd) high school in 2004, was unthinkable. I didn’t even qualify for the Olympic Trials, and that puts what has happened since in perspective for me,” said Farris, who was the top American in his class over a 12-year span, setting records that still stand.

It is the impacts away from competition that he treasurers most.

In Beijing, he said, “the experience was great. I met a lot of great people from all over, some I still converse with to this day.

“In London, it was tremendous because there was no language barrier, like there was in China. I had a phenomenal experience in both places, but I could see the differences and that’s taking out the language barrier in Beijing. In 2012 I was able to do a lot more that I considered fun, meeting more people and supporting them – folks on a day-to-day basis who just happen to be the best in the world at what they do. You can learn from anyone, but especially people like that, with different backgrounds, from different places.

“I was connected with people who were like-minded: who wanted to experience different things, ask questions, show respect toward one another. I learned a lot and sometimes got away from the tourist spots, got invited into homes for dinner, experienced the laughs and gestures of different cultures, and it was an incredible education. You have to be interested in learning new things, putting yourself in what some consider uncomfortable situations traveling, and then you factor in competing, the reason you are there,” he said. “But it’s about more. I believe interacting with people is something we have to do.

Farris’s first Olympics were in a restrictive Communist country. Four years later, he was in the extraordinarily blended British culture, and his last Games were in ebullient Brazil. He and teammates had guides at each stop. “There was always the list of do’s and don’ts, and we had a concierge with us each time to help guide us,” he said.

With the Games lasting just a couple of weeks, and held only every four years, Farris was determined to take in as much as he could.

“You can feel it. You know it’s a very, very unique environment with a very brief opportunity to make the most of it, and I believe I did,” he said.

Farris’ scope of Olympic sports interests began by reflecting on a favorite movie from his younger days.

“It’s funny now. When I was growing up, Forrest Gump was a popular movie and that character went to the Olympics as a table tennis player, so I was drawn to our athletes in that sport. One of them, Lily Zhang, is still competing (in her fourth Olympics, having reached the round of 16 in women’s singles). I love that sport.

“Track and field, field hockey, synchronized swimming, water polo … I met so many incredible athletes. Taekwondo players, some from judo and wrestling, who I met in training or in the dining hall, and I got to support them and appreciate a lot of sports I hadn’t heard about.”

Farris and his wife Brittany are raising six children, ranging from 18 years old to 8 months, four sons and two daughters. As he watches the Paris Games, his sense of family expands immensely.

“I can sit there and see it, exactly, for what it is. This moment in time, whatever game they’re doing, those are somebody’s children out there. It is a pretty cool moment.

“I’m hoping everybody is able to do what they’ve done to get to that moment, or even better. If you set a personal record, it doesn’t matter what place you finish, you did the best you’ve ever done on that stage. I can see inside the production, feel the sincerity, if people are frustrated or angry, or if they are in the moment and thrilled at the outcome. I just want the best for everybody. All these people competing, from countries around the world, and no matter how intense they are, at the end there is a sportsmanship and a mutual respect when it finishes, and that can last forever.

“Being a part of it is very surreal. It showed me the possibility of what we could actually do on Earth. If people could be still for that moment, none of this other negativity is going on, how can we not refocus on the universal spirit of the Games?

“I actually know it’s a possibility,” said Farris. “ I have friendships around the world now and it’s not something that happens every four years. Those continue every day, every week, every month. It’s encouraging. We need to sustain the Olympic spirit.”

Contact Doug at sbjdoug@gmail.com

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Two-time medalist Hollis Conway still feels the Olympic magic

/ Megan Lowe
SOARING TO GLORY:  Shreveport’s Hollis Conway celebrates after clearing 7-8 ¾ in the 1988 Olympic Games, which allowed him to capture a silver medal in Seoul. (Photo courtesy Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame)

By DOUG IRELAND, Journal Sports

Shreveport-Bossier’s most accomplished Olympian didn’t watch Friday night’s Opening Ceremonies of the Paris Games.

But not by choice.  “I was stuck in an airport all evening trying to get to Miami,” said Hollis Conway, who won a silver medal in the high jump in the 1988 Seoul Games and took bronze in Barcelona in 1992.

Heading to a family event, Conway did mark the occasion with a series of entertaining social media posts recorded earlier in his Lafayette home. He donned some of his Team USA gear, and playfully flashed the medals, which he uses in public speaking appearances all around the country.

The Fair Park High School graduate was the top-ranked American high jumper for seven straight years (1988-94) and was No. 1 in the world in 1990-91. He joins Dwight Stones (1972, 1976) and John Thomas (1960, 1964) as the only Americans to win two Olympic high jump medals. Conway and Thomas are the  only silver medalists among that royal trio – Stones has two bronze medals.

While he didn’t see the extravagant ceremonies from France, Conway couldn’t avoid the controversy over what many saw as a parody of the iconic “Last Supper” artwork by Leonardo Da Vinci. Conway’s Christian beliefs and athletic achievements have led him to extensive involvement in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes for all of his adult life.

“I followed a lot of the comments that came out of that. I really hated that because it shouldn’t be about controversy, it should be about unity,” he said. “I didn’t see it, so I can’t speak intelligently on it, but I hated the confusion that came out of it.”

There is no confusion about how he regards his Olympic experiences, particularly the 1988 Games.

“The first time, I really didn’t have an understanding of what the Olympics meant, how hard it was to get there. It happened early in my competitive career. For me, my first Olympics in Seoul, I was like a little kid in a candy store. The pageantry, I did everything,” said Conway, 57. “Throw out the mature, conservative approach of ‘I’ve got to be rested and ready for my competition.’ I did everything. I went everywhere, experienced every part of it, and it was soooo much fun.

“Being there with people from different countries, different uniforms, trading (national) pins, going to the different venues, exploring Seoul, things I’d never seen before. I took in the entire experience like a little kid – and I ended up getting second, so that was like a bonus for me. The whole experience, I had no idea what to expect, and I just enjoyed myself.”

Coming in as the gold medal favorite, and arriving in Barcelona a day after the first of his first child, 1992 was completely different. 

“I found I didn’t enjoy it as much. It was more business-like. I finished third, which really frustrated me. The ’88 Games were a much better experience for me. The further I get away from it, I understand how blessed I was to go to two Olympic Games, to win two Olympic medals, to represent our country.”

He reflected on what the USA team and the thousands of other Olympians were feeling Friday night, despite being soaked in a rainstorm while boating down the River Seine in Paris.

“The great thing about the ceremonies is you have thousands of stories, from all around the world, what they had to overcome, their families’ sacrifice, what they’re representing, it’s incredible. That’s the great thing about the Olympics,” Conway said. “When I walked through that stadium (in the opening ceremony) and I had that red, white and blue on, people were chanting U-S-A and calling my name. It didn’t matter what color I was, didn’t matter what political party I favored, what was my religious affiliation – none of those things. I represented the United States. There’s not many times you get to experience that.”

The days that followed, particularly in the ’88 Games, were thrilling, he said.

“To meet people from other sports and disciplines, representing our country and others around the world, was fascinating. I learned about Olympic ping pong – which was incredible —  taekwondo, synchronized swimming. People who would not ordinarily come together, and you recognize their skill, talent and ability. They come in all shapes, sizes and colors, just smiling, and you see that. It’s there for the world to celebrate and it’s an amazing experience.”

Contact Doug at sbjdoug@gmail.com

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