By JERRY BYRD, Journal Sports

BATON ROUGE — For the first time in 30 years, an LHSAA Track & Field championship trophy will be sitting in the foyer at 6801 Rasberry Lane.

“We are tremendously proud of the young ladies,” Huntington head coach Joan Catanese said. “They worked tremendously hard. And we’re excited for our school.”

Huntington scored 87 points, 35 points more than runner-up West Feliciana, to claim the Class 4A girls’ crown on a stormy Saturday at LSU.  

Three Lady Raiders – junior Demetria Harris and seniors Serenity Palmer and Rondisia Williams – led Huntington, scoring 18 points each by winning one event and finishing as a runner-up in the other. 

As crazy as it sounds, Huntington’s outdoor championship started indoors at the Carl Maddox Fieldhouse where Palmer won the triple jump with a personal best of 36-3 and finished second in the high jump (5-1.75).

Those field events were held indoors because of rain and lightning, which caused a four-hour delay. Running in the classes 5A and 4A divisions didn’t start until shortly after 6 o’clock at LSU’s Bernie Moore Track Stadium and competition finally concluded at 11:15 Saturday night.

Before racing began, Huntington also picked up eight points in the girls’ long jump from Demetria Harris, who finished second in an effort of 17-9. West Feliciana’s Tristen Harris, who ended up winning the MVP Award, won the long jump with a jump of 18-0.25.

It didn’t take the Lady Raiders long to get things started on the track as Huntington’s Harris, Williams, Aniyah Jackson, and T’La Dewitt won the 4x200m by breaking their own school record with a 1:38.66. The Lady Raiders were in a tight battle with Ben Franklin up until the final exchange when Dewitt, the anchor leg, separated from the rest of the field. 

Huntington also captured the 4×100 relay (47.45).

From there, points came in bunches for the Lady Raiders, who scored 18 points in the 100m hurdles with a 1-2 finish by Harris (14.47) and senior Catina Davenport (15.00). Williams, who finished third in the 100m last year in Class 5A, came from behind in the 100m to edge out Tristen Harris with a time of 11.92. Class 4A’s best sprinters reversed the roles in the 200m as Williams finished as the runner-up with a 24.78 time.

Caddo-Bossier was represented well in throwing events on Saturday. Parkway sophomore Devon Oliver claimed the 5A boys’ discus championship on his last throw (162-3). 

In the 4A girls’ shot put, Woodlawn sophomore Shelunda Brooks won with a throw of 36-6.25. 

In the 5A boys’ javelin, Benton’s Jeffery King finished second with a throw of 173-10. In the 5A girls’ javelin, Parkway junior Chloe Larry finished as the runner-up (130-11). 

Other local athletes making the podium included Airline junior Jeremiah Boudreaux’s second place in the 5A boys’ high jump (6-7.5), Benton’s Jamie Willis, second in the 5A girls’ 100m hurdles (14.84), Airline’s Elena Heng, third in the 5A girls 800 (a school record 2:20.05), Captain Shreve’s Evan Johnson, third in the 5A boys’ 3200m (9:28.98), and Northwood’s Maurea Hudson, third in the 4A boys’ long jump (21-11).

Calvary’s Jackson Burney left Bernie Moore Stadium on Friday after the LHSAA Class 2A State Championships with three gold medals and the meet’s MVP trophy. He edged Loyola’s Tripp Roemer in an epic 1600m race with both runners coming through the line in 4:22. Burney also won the 800m (1:59.37) and ran a leg on Calvary’s winning 4x400m (3:26.27). Other members of the championship relay team were John Simon, Landon Sylivie and Kolby Thomas. 

Roemer bounced back to win his first state championship in the 3200m (9:57.96). 

“I knew it wasn’t going to be a PR (personal record),” Roemer said. “It was hot out there. Although I didn’t win the mile, I felt really good about it. That 4:22, I didn’t think that was in the books. I just wanted the win in the two mile. Being a state champion…I never thought I would be able to say that about myself.”

Contact Jerry at sbjjerrybyrd@gmail.com

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By JERRY BYRD, Journal Sports

BATON ROUGE — Last year, it was the Mansfield Wolverines who made history by winning the school’s first state track and field championship in 35 years. This year, it’s the Huntington Lady Raiders who have some unfinished business as they make their way to LSU’s Bernie Moore Stadium on Saturday for the LHSAA Class 4A State Championships.

“Have your shirt already made.”

That was the message last month when Huntington track and field legend Teresa Foster, who was on Huntington’s state championship teams in 1987 and 1988, was asked if she had any advice for this year’s Lady Raiders.

And while Huntington coaches Joan Catanese and LeRonn Burris hope their team carries that type of swagger into the state outdoor meet, they will hold off on placing the T-shirt order. However, they are expecting their Lady Raiders to put the icing on the cake on what has already been a prolific season on Rasberry Lane.

“We are extremely excited about the opportunity to compete at such a high level versus so many talented Louisiana teams,” Catanese said. “Throughout the year, our team has been concentrated on the work at hand and our staff has reiterated to them to be confident yet remain humble.”

Huntington is favored in five events. Those No. 1 seeds include Rondisia Williams in the 100m (12.00), Serenity Palmer in the triple jump (36-0.5), Demetria Harris in the 100m hurdles (14.67), and the Lady Raiders relay foursomes in the 4×100 (47.63), and 4×200 (1:39.97).

In two other events – the girls’ long jump and 100m hurdles – Huntington has the No. 2 seed.

Harris, who won the LHSAA Outdoor Meet’s MVP Award a year ago, is seeded No. 2 in the 4A long jump (18-3.5). Senior Catina Davenport (15.32) is seeded No. 2 behind Harris in the girls’ 100m hurdles.

The only other Caddo-Bossier athlete who is favored to win Saturday at the LHSAA Class 5A is Devon Oliver of Parkway, who is the top seed with his winning regional mark of 164-5.

Today, Caddo Parish has two distance runners who look to make some noise in the LHSAA Class 2A Meet. Calvary sophomore Jackson Burney, who won his first state championship last year in the 800m at the LHSAA Class 1A Meet, is the No. 1 seed in both the 1600m (4:32.66) and 800m (1:57.14).

Burney will be very familiar with one of his main competitors in the 1600m. It will be Loyola junior Franklin Roemer, who is seeded No. 3 with a 4:38. Sullivan Hanna from Rosepine is the No. 2 seed with a 4:33.

Roemer, who is looking for his first state title, has the No. 1 seed in the 3200m with a 10:10.46.

Contact Jerry at sbjjerrybyrd@gmail.com

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By JERRY BYRD, Journal Sports

Something special is brewing in the girls’ track and field program on Rasberry Lane as evidenced by Huntington’s third straight Region 1-4A Meet championship at Lee Hedges Stadium on Thursday.

The Lady Raiders scored 150 ½  points, almost 50 more than runner–up Leesville.

Huntington was led by the dynamic duo of junior Demetria Harris and senior Rondisia Williams. Both left the meet with four gold medals.

Harris won 100m hurdles (14.67) and long jump (18-3.50) and ran legs on Huntington’s winning 4×200 (1:39.97) and 4×100 (47.63).

While Harris is the LHSAA Class 4A defending champion in the hurdles, lately it is the long jump which Harris is enjoying the most.

“I’m having fun with it,” Harris said. 

Williams won both the 100m (12.00) and 200m (25.14) as well as joining Harris on the winning sprint relays. 

Earlier this week, Williams, affectionately known as “Minnie” to her friends, signed with Colorado State.

Last year, Williams was competing for Southwood and finished third in the Class 5A 100m. Next Saturday, she will be looking to earn her first state championship in her final high school meet. 

Other Huntington regional winners were Serenity Palmer in the high jump (5-2) and triple jump (36-0.5), and Aniyah Jackson in the 400m (1:00.62). 

Jackson battled Leesville’s Shyann McCummings and edged her out by .02 of a second. 

“I was just thinking I didn’t make it this far for no reason,” Jackson said. “I just had to keep pushing, pump my arms and get my knees up and it was worth it.”

Jackson feels like she has a fairly good idea of why the Lady Raiders have been so successful. 

“We have a relationship on and off the track,” Jackson said. “I’ve never had that in my seven years of running track. They are so encouraging. They push you all the time.” 

One of those encouraging teammates is Williams. The senior gave the younger Jackson a pep talk before her win in the 400m. 

Like Huntington, Tioga’s boys outdistanced the competition on the way to its third consecutive Region 1-4A Meet team title. The Indians scored 128 points. Neville was the boys’ runner-up with 69 points. Evangel, which scored 34 points and finished sixth, had the highest finish of any local team.

Locals won two events in the boys’ division. Northwood’s Maurea Hudson captured the long jump (22-5.5), and Woodlawn’s 4×200 relay won with a 1:29.77. 

Contact Jerry at sbjjerrybyrd@gmail.com

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Tomorrow night, at East Ridge Country Club, former Byrd head coach Mike Suggs will make his way to the podium to accept the Outstanding Contributions to Amateur Football Award given annually by the local S.M. McNaughton Chapter of the National Football Foundation. 

I’ll be there.

If I had to guess, Coach will not have a long, drawn-out speech. He will probably shoot straight from the hip while he is at the lectern. You wouldn’t expect anything less from a football coach who put in serious thought when giving Lonesome Dove a slight nod over The Outlaw Josey Wales for greatest country and western movie of all-time. 

When Alan Carter was hired by Lynne Fitzgerald in 1990 to turn around C.E. Byrd football, Carter knew that he needed the best offensive coach available to help a program that had won only three games in the previous two years. Carter had one coach to hire and no room for error. 

He called Northeast Louisiana University’s (now ULM) legendary head coach Pat Collins. Suggs, who had played wide receiver for Collins after starring at Southwood High School, and served as a graduate assistant coach on Collins’ staff in 1987 when the Indians won the FCS (then Division I-AA) national championship, was Collins’ adamant recommendation. 

Collins told Carter, “Do whatever you have to do to get him.”

Some claim that Byrd is haunted. You wouldn’t have a hard time of convincing Carter of that. He heard strange noises as he burned the midnight oil to spruce up the dungeon-like Byrd coaching offices, on the night before Suggs interviewed.

Carter doesn’t know if it was the epoxy paint getting the best of him or the ghost of C.E. Byrd himself making the strange noises in the midnight hour, but when the 4×8 whiteboard crashed to the ground just outside the coaching office, Carter didn’t bother looking around to find out who did it. He was too busy running to his truck. 

The next day, Carter hurried Suggs past the half-empty paint cans and the white boards, still lying on the concrete, and told the young coach that a construction crew was working to fix up the place. 

That was how it started. It ended with Carter and Suggs changing the culture at the school, building the foundation which would propel the entire athletic program into decades of excellence. To this day, a long-time opposing coach in District 1-5A refers to the Yellow Jackets as “the standard.”

The duo’s first win in 1990 came at Northwood at a stadium which would later bear the name of the opposing coach – Jerry Burton. The Yellow Jackets beat the Falcons 27-17. When the bus arrived at 3201 Line Ave., players filed off the bus and started sprinting to the front of the school to raise the victory flag. Carter and Suggs just looked at each other. They didn’t get the memo on this Byrd tradition — raising the victory flag on the school’s front lawn after every win.

I had the pleasure of being one of those players, but, truth be told, I was probably walking, not sprinting. 

When Carter moved into administration in 1998, Suggs took the helm and became the winningest coach in C.E. Byrd history. In 2013, he was named Louisiana’s Coach of the Year by the Louisiana Football Coaches Association. The Louisiana Sports Writers Association honored him twice with its Louisiana Coach of the Year award, in 2002 and 2011. 

Suggs finished with a record of 167-89 after moving into third place on Caddo-Bossier’s all-time wins list in 2018. 

Suggs’ first win as head coach came in his first game in 1998 against the Parkway Panthers, a 36-14 Yellow Jackets victory. 

I don’t remember the details, but as a Byrd assistant coach, I was there.

His last on-field victory came in December of 2020 when the Yellow Jackets knocked off John Curtis in the state semifinals on a cold, rainy night at Lee Hedges Stadium. It was a long ride back to River Ridge for the Patriots and J.T. Curtis, who is the winningest football coach in Louisiana and is closing in on the national all-time wins record. 

I was there on that night, as well, this time as a Byrd assistant principal. After the game, I went to interview him and posted it on the school’s Facebook page. 

To say that I’m proud to have been a player and assistant coach for Mike Suggs would be an understatement.

I’m also proud to be a limb on the coaching tree which includes names like the late Richard Lary, Scott Abernathy, James Wilkerson, Byrd’s current head coach Stacy Ballew, Bryant Sepulvado, Chad Lewis, Brian Taylor, Marvin Harris, and Christopher Wilson. 

For some athletes and coaches, things come easy. It never really came easy for Suggs. As a player, he wasn’t blessed with God-given natural ability. But he loved the game, and he worked hard at it. What he lacked in speed, he made up for with precise routes.

The same could be said about his coaching-style and tenure at Byrd High School. He had some great athletes, but the Arnaz Battles, Chris Beards, Kevin Stevensons, Leon Murrays, and Jonathan Stewarts were few and far between. It took hours and hours of hard work. Perfect practices. Meetings and walk-throughs to get it right for Friday nights.

Like Suggs — and cowboys – know, it takes what it takes when you’re giving it your all. 

Contact Jerry at sbjjerrybyrd@gmail.com

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By JERRY BYRD, Journal Sports

The best laid plans of defending state champions often go awry. Such was the case for Calvary sophomore Jackson Burney as he went to the line for the D-II boys’ 1600 meter run at Saturday’s LHSAA Indoor Track and Field Championships in Baton Rouge. 

Burney, who was competing in the first of his two races Saturday — the second would be in defense of his state title in the 800m — wanted to stay with the pack and then catch the lead at the end. It would have worked had it not been for fellow sophomore Aiden Monistere from Parkview Baptist, who won his first state championship with a 4:30.13. 

“The game plan was to sit behind the leaders and pass them at the end,” Burney said. “I let Aiden get too far in front of me.”

Monistere spent most of the race behind Burney before passing him with 300 meters to go. On the bell lap, Monistere came through in third place and Burney was in fifth place.

The kick was on – and Monistere had just enough foot speed to hold off the Cavalier, who finished with a 4:30.32. It was a personal record for both runners. Monistere dropped two seconds off his previous best. Burney improved his personal record by five seconds.

Burney had to wisely manage the hour recovery between his 1600m race and his 800m. 

Despite the intense 1600m race, Burney “felt good” as he checked in for his specialty – the 800m, where he won his first state championship last May as a freshman.

The plan was similar to that of his previous race, and it worked to perfection as Burney powered home during the last 100m to win his second consecutive state championship in the event. 

While Burney did come away with the victory, he came up just shy of his goal of breaking 2:00. His winning time was 2:00.12.

Even the post-race meal didn’t go exactly as planned for Burney. His family wanted to try a new seafood place in Baton Rouge, but the wait was 90 minutes so Burney opted for a couple of chicken sandwiches from Chik-Fil-A instead.

While Burney won his second consecutive state championship 800m race, Captain Shreve’s Marquez “Macho” Stevenson won his third consecutive 400m state title (48.80).

It’s the second straight LHSAA Indoor Meet where Stevenson has been the only runner in the state to break 49 seconds in the 400m. Last year, he won with a 48.93.

“It was a good race, a competitive race,” Stevenson said. “In the first meet I ran a 50. I wanted to run a 48.3. I just gave it all I had. I feel like nobody works as hard as me. I know my top end speed is faster.” 

While things went Stevenson’s way in the 400m, that was not the case in the boys’ 60m where he was looking to break the record. Instead it was Warren Easton’s Germain Smith-Mata who took home the state championship with a field house composite record time of 6.76. Stevenson finished fourth with a 6.86. 

Other Caddo-Bossier athletes making podium appearances included Airline junior Jeremiah Boudreaux, who jumped 6-3.5 to take third in the Division I boys’ high jump. Huntington’s Demetria Harris and Catina Davenport both made the podium in the Division I girls’ 60m hurdles. Harris, a junior, finished second with a time of 9.23. Davenport, a senior, clocked a 9:46.

Harris also finished second in the Division I girls’ long jump (18-3.25) and helped the Lady Raiders to a second-place performance in the 4×200. Other members of the team included Rondisia Williams, Aniyah Jackson, and T’La Dewitt. 

Huntington had the highest finish of any Caddo-Bossier team, finishing third in girls’ competition with 35.5 points. Scotlandville (71 points) took home the championship trophy. St. Joseph’s Academy (55 points) was the runner-up. 

Contact Jerry at sbjjerrybyrd@gmail.com

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By JERRY BYRD, Journal Sports

When Byrd juniors Jenna Key and Hudson Roberts step to the line tomorrow evening in the girls’ 3200m at the LHSAA State Indoor Track and Field Championships in Baton Rouge, they probably won’t be thinking about how far they’ve come, or the life lessons learned. And they probably won’t be thinking about the 2022 LSU Last Chance Qualifier, where the teammates put on a show for the Carl Maddox Fieldhouse crowd.

Instead, they will be thinking about the task at hand and implementing the race strategy given to them by Byrd head coach Juan Plaza.

Although she has state championship experience, Key will be competing in her first indoor state championship. She missed it a year ago due to a freak accident at practice when she suffered a severe sprain after her foot landed on an errant lacrosse ball. 

Roberts did run at last year’s LHSAA State Indoor Meet. She finished fifth with a time of 11:44.18, but it wasn’t as fast as she ran two weeks before the state meet, at the LSU Last Chance Meet where she lunged past Key in the last meter of the 3200 meters. She won with a school record time of 11:26.95. 

Key broke Roberts’ record earlier this month, running an 11:23.21. 

Although she missed the entire regular outdoor season last spring as she worked to return from her ankle sprain, Key was able to win the District 1-5A 3200m championship (12:06), and finished as the runner in the Region I-5A meet behind the Gatorade Louisiana Cross Country Player of the Year award winner, Ruston’s Lily Garrett, (11:49). But it was the third-place finish at the LHSAA Outdoor Meet which brought tears of joy and gave Key a bronze medal more meaningful than any gold she has ever received.

Cross country brought more adversity for the Byrd duo to overcome. Roberts was completely out after suffering a stress fracture which caused her to become acquainted with crutches and then a boot for the better part of four months. 

Key limped through the better part of the cross country campaign before ending the season with gutsy performances at both the regionals and then the LHSAA State Cross Country Meet at Natchitoches in November.

“I’m so excited,” Key said. “I’ve enjoyed indoor so much this year. I have a really good mindset going in. I’m going to have fun and see what I can do. It’s my junior year and it’s my first indoor state meet, so I’m excited.”

Her teammate shares in her excitement. 

“It has definitely been a long road of recovery and it’s definitely not over but it’s so good to be back racing – especially being out for so long – it just makes it that much sweeter to be back,” Roberts said.

Roberts has used the indoor season as a means to an end. 

“Indoor season has been about getting back to where I was and training and preparing for outdoor state a lot more,” Roberts said. “So to be able to qualify for state indoor is a gift and I am really excited to race this weekend.” 

Perhaps the only person more excited to watch the two Lady Jackets run is their coach. 

“It has been a journey of regaining confidence as well as physical strength,” said Plaza. “Despite all the adversity, they both find themselves in the state finals. As far as I’m concerned, they have already won at the game of perseverance. I love both ladies like my own daughters. We will continue on this exciting rebuilding journey.  Their story certainly will not end on Saturday in Baton Rouge.”

Key is scheduled to run the 1600m, where she is the No. 4 seed (5:21), and the 3200m, where she is the No. 3 seed. Roberts is seeded No. 10 (12:16) in the 3200m and will run a leg on the Jackets’ 4×800 relay. 

Plaza had one male qualify, triple jumper Xavier Anderson, who is seeded No. 7 with a best jump of 42-4.75.

Contact Jerry at sbjjerrybyrd@gmail.com

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By JERRY BYRD, Journal Sports

Since November’s LHSAA State Cross Country Meet, Parkway junior Gabe Falting has had a good run of bad luck. If it could possibly go wrong, it has. Everything from sickness to someone picking up his spike bag at last month’s LSU High School Qualifier meet. 

His father, Kent Falting, who doubles as his head coach, thought last Saturday’s LSU Last Chance Qualifier would be different. 

“We thought all of those things were behind him,” Coach Falting said. “And this would be the weekend that he could just run and have fun.”

Then the 1600m happened and Falting took an elbow to the mouth from Catholic’s David Lemann during the race’s waterfall start.

Who says distance running isn’t a contact sport?

Bruised, but not broken, Falting joined the Parkway 4×800 later in the meet. The squad had a new member — freshman Ben Ruliffson, who was running the 800 distance for only the second time in his career.

“He asked me, ‘How do I run this,’” Coach Falting said. “I said, ‘Hey man, just stay with the pack. Don’t think about the pain. Just stay with the pack.’”

Ruliffson followed the coach’s orders. Next on the relay for Parkway were junior Gary Smith and sophomore Jesus Cordova. Their job was just to keep Parkway within striking distance for the anchor — Falting.

As Smith was running, Falting used the wait  time to follow in his father’s coaching footsteps and give his teammate Cordova some motivation. 

“I was telling him to get back up with the main pack,” Falting said. 

Once Falting got the baton (in fifth place) he had one mission — to catch the runners in front of him. While he passed a runner from East Ascension on his first 200 meter lap, Falting was still in fourth place. 

With 100 meters remaining, Falting made his move to pass the anchor leg from Brother Martin. A battle ensued and Falting pulled away with 50 meters remaining, crossing in a school record time of 8:24. 

“It’s not about where you are when you get the baton,” Falting said. “It’s all about where you finish at the end of the race. The timing is important because you’ve got to make sure you can hold them off once you pass them.”

Falting’s split was 1:59.2 — the fastest  split run of any runner in the relay or the open 800m, which was won by Calvary Sophomore Jackson Burney with a 2:00.15.

“It feels great,” Falting said. “We were joking with Ben that we were glad he was on the team which set a school record, but we told him we are going to break it again in two weeks.”

The coach was proud of the team. And the father was proud of the son.

“I’m just so happy for all of those guys,” Falting said. “To put the pain aside and to be able to run a school record time is really special. Listen, the 800 hurts. Those guys put the pain aside and did a really great job.”

And the father?

“For Gabe to put all of those unfortunate things behind him and have the confidence to motivate his teammates, it’s a testament to the positive spirit he brings to the team every day,” Falting said. 

And now Parkway will wait until the LHSAA State Indoor Meet on Saturday, February 18th and go after yet another podium finish and school record.

Contact Jerry at sbjjerrybyrd@gmail.com

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By JERRY BYRD, Journal Sports

Captain Shreve sprinter Marquez Stevenson wasted no time in putting his stamp on his senior track season.

The two-sport star, who signed with Texas Tech last month, opened up with a record-breaking performance at the LSU High School Qualifier last Saturday. His time of 6.85 in the 60m was good enough for the win –- and the meet record.

Edna Karr’s Ra’hji Dennis, who shared the old record of 6.86 with Warren Easton’s Leon Elloie, was in the stands watching Stevenson. Dennis will open his season Feb. 4 at the LSU Last Chance Qualifier. 

Stevenson’s time was the same time Dennis ran at the 2022 LHSAA Division I State Indoor Meet, beating Stevenson, who finished third (6.94).

“It felt good,” Stevenson said of his first record-breaking win of the season. “I’ve been working. I sat out the first couple of meets to get back in shape after football. I feel healthier than ever.”

While Stevenson started his senior track season faster than he ended his junior indoor campaign, he will have work to do over the next few weeks to defend his 400m state indoor title.  On Saturday, Stevenson finished third in the 400m with a time of 50.15. West Feliciana’s Imani Coleman (49.77) won the event.

“I got out hard and then I started relaxing my body,” Stevenson said. “I could have run harder. There’s always next time. I’ll get ‘em.”      

Byrd’s Jenna Key, who opened up her season Jan. 14 at the Arkansas High School Invitational, finished second in the 3200m at the LSU High School Qualifier, running an 11:32.91. Houma Christian’s Emma Bourg, who was named Gatorade’s Cross Country Player of the Year earlier this week, won the event at 11:11.82.     

“There are pros and cons,” Key said of the two SEC venues. “Obviously, Arkansas was a really cool experience, but I love racing here. I know everyone, and it’s good to talk to everyone.”     

It has been a great start for Key, who battled different injuries during both the track and cross country season in 2022.      

“I’m feeling pretty good,” Key said. “I’m glad I’m getting better each race. I’m learning every race.”   

Huntington had two girls make the podium at the High School Qualifier. Senior Serenity Palmer finished second in the high jump (5-3) and Demetria Harris took third in the 60m hurdles (9.29).       

The Lady Raiders ran fourth in the 800m relay with a 1:46.32. Byrd’s 3200m relay finished fifth but ran a school record 10:48.83.        

One of the biggest highlights of the meet was Zachary’s Rhen Langley’s running a 4:13.92 in the 1600m. The time is currently ranked No. 4 in the nation.

Three Caddo Parish distance runners had a front row seat to see Langley break the Carl Maddox Fieldhouse composite record. Calvary sophomore Jackson Burney finished fourth with a 4:35.72, Loyola’s Franklin Roemer was fifth with a 4:35.80, and Captain Shreve’s Evan Adcock took sixth (4:35.85).   

Woodlawn and Southwood will join a group of teams who will open their 2023 seasons this weekend in Lake Charles at the McNeese Indoor No. II Meet. 

Contact Jerry at sbjjerrybyrd@gmail.com

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By JERRY BYRD, Journal Sports

Getting in a car at 5 a.m. and driving four hours south after playing in a basketball game the night before isn’t an ideal situation to open your track and field season, but it didn’t seem to bother Airline’s Jeremiah Boudreaux, who competed at the McNeese Indoor No. 1 on Saturday.

Boudreaux won the high jump (6-0) and finished second in both the triple jump (42-0) and 55m hurdles (8.47).

“I’m proud of myself coming straight out of basketball and not really having much work in high jump to come out here and do my best,” Boudreaux said. “I have a lot to work on and I’m just ready for the competition.”

His coach was proud, too.

“He had a phenomenal day today,” Airline head coach Schirra Fields said. “Really, this is his first opportunity to get to compete. I told him to go out and do the best he can. We weren’t trying to set records or anything. The tough part for me is deciding what events to put him in. He is a great kid. Great athlete, and I’m super excited for his season.”

It was a great way for Boudreaux to start his season and get the bad taste out of his mouth from the way his sophomore season ended. He finished ninth with a jump of 5-10 at the 2022 LHSAA Class 5A Outdoor Championships just a week after qualifying for the meet with a personal record jump of 6-4 on his way to a win at the Region I-5A Meet in Natchitoches. 

As far as getting up and traveling after a Friday night basketball game, Boudreaux said there are considerations he has to take into account. 

“It’s a little tough,” Boudreaux said. “It’s a lot of fatigue, but you just have to rest and recover a lot and make sure my body is intact.”

One Caddo-Bossier track and field athlete who finished her sophomore season on a high note was Huntington junior Demetria Harris.

Harris was the MVP of the LHSAA Class 4A State Championships after picking up two golds and two bronze medals. She won the 100m (12.11) and the 100m hurdles (14.49) while finishing third in the long jump (16-11.5) and 200m (25.08). 

The Raiders were in Lake Charles opening their 2023 season and Harris had a strong showing in the debut for her junior season. She finished second in the long jump (16-7.50) and third in the 55m hurdles with a time of 9.12 in the finals.

In the prelims, Harris ran a 9.08, a school record.

Harris wasn’t the only Raider making noise in Lake Charles. Fellow junior Preston Summage won the boys’ 400m with a time of 52.86. 

Both 4x200m relay teams performed well for the Raiders. The boys’ team finished second with a 1:35.76 and the girls took third in 1:47.92.

Other Raiders coming away with T-shirts included Oshamar Hall, who finished second to Boudreaux with a 5-10 clearance, and Serenity Palmer, who finished second in the high jump with a 5-2. 

This week, most area teams will be headed to Baton Rouge to compete in the LSU High School Qualifier. Athletes from across the state will be looking to improve their performances, hopeful for a qualifying bid to the LHSAA State Indoor Meet set for Feb. 18 at the Carl Maddox Fieldhouse on the campus of LSU.

Contact Jerry at sbjjerrybyrd@gmail.com

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By JERRY BYRD, Journal Sports

METAIRIE – With just under a minute left in C. E. Byrd’s 35-14 loss to John Curtis in a LHSAA Select Division I quarterfinal playoff game, Yellow Jacket senior linebacker Brooks Brossette read his keys, attacked the line of scrimmage, and made a tackle. 

It was the final play of Brossette’s high school career.

It was a fitting end for Brossette, but not the one he wanted for his team … or for his coaches.

No. 9 trotted to the sideline and hugged the neck of Byrd defensive coordinator Jason Pope, then headed to the bench and found another neck to hug.

“Man, that’s my guy from day one,” an emotional Brossette said of his defensive coordinator. “Since my freshman year, he has been there for me. I look up to him a lot and he expects a lot from me.” 

In his final game, Brossette recorded 21 tackles, 13 unassisted. It gives the linebacker 233 tackles for his career and moves him to No. 2 on the all-time Byrd list behind only Paul Dupee and his 265 tackles.

But football is a team game, and the John Curtis Patriots made plays in all three phases on their way to a 28-7 halftime lead and a dominant win Friday night at Joseph S. Yenni Stadium.

“We had a great week of practice,” Brossette said. “We thought we had a plan to get it done, but it didn’t work out for us tonight.”

On the other sideline, things worked out well for Patriot Marlon Prout, the game’s leading rusher, who scored on the game’s third play – a 42-yard run up the middle of the Jacket defense. 

Prout, who finished with six carries for 120 yards — all in the first half — would add another score with a 39-yard run around left end with 1:27 left in the first half. 

“Prout has done a good job for us all year,” John Curtis head coach J.T. Curtis said. “A couple of those he had some decent blocking. Some of that he did it on his own. He is just that kind of back. When he can perform like that he makes me look good as a play caller – or I should say, Jeff (Curtis, offensive coordinator) as a play caller.”

Byrd could not get a first down on its next possession and the Patriots made the Jackets pay as John Curtis quarterback Dagan Bruno found Michael Turner on a deep post for a 61-yard touchdown pass with :15 remaining in the half.

“Defensively, I told them not to give up the big play,” Byrd head coach Stacy Ballew said when asked about the message to his team at halftime. “Make them drive it. Big plays killed us. You cannot give up big plays, and that’s at any level of ball. Hats off to them. They’re a great team.”

The Jackets’ only score in the first half came on a 4-yard touchdown run by Desmond Simmons, which came on Byrd’s first possession of the second quarter and tied things up, 7-7. The score was set up by Byrd’s biggest play of the night, a 48-yard pass from Lake Lambert to Jackson Dufrene.

But the Patriots’ defense scored on 24-yard scoop-and-score by cornerback Jermall Callio with 6:04 left in the first half, a haunting turnover that began a disastrous stretch for Byrd as a 7-7 tie ballooned into a 28-7 John Curtis halftime lead.

On special teams, the Patriots blocked a 55-yard field goal attempt by Byrd junior Abram Murray. 

The only other time John Curtis and Byrd played was in a 2020 semifinal at Lee Hedges Stadium. On a rainy night, it came down to a missed extra point by the Patriots as the Yellow Jackets won 14-13.

J.T. Curtis did not talk to his team much this week about getting revenge for the loss, but he did talk to them about the importance of special teams. And disappointment. 

“It was a one-point loss (in 2020) and very disappointing,” the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame coach said. “The emphasis was that we didn’t want to put ourselves in a position where it would come down to a field goal, because they have a good guy (Murray). That blocking the field goal was huge, huge for us. We didn’t want to put it in the hands of a special teamer.”

Curtis also credited the defense for stifling the Byrd offense.

Byrd’s Lambert, who had the most prolific night of any quarterback in school history with his 267 yards against Alexandria Senior High in last week’s 49-10 regional win, was held in check by the Patriot defense. Lambert finished with 65 yards rushing on five carries.

Jacket running back Tyler Nichols scored on a 1-yard run with 10:35 left in the game to make it 28-14, but it was too little, too late for the Jackets.

John Curtis had the final score of the game, a 1-yard run by Bruno with 3:42 left.

Curtis finished with 321 yards rushing on 52 carries. Byrd had 199 yards on 36 attempts.

Ballew’s message to his seniors after the game was heartfelt.

“No. 1, we love them to death,” Ballew said. “No. 2, Byrd High School is always their home. This is their team.” 

Contact Jerry Byrd at sbjjerrybyrd@gmail.com 

Curtis 35, Byrd 14 

Score by quarters

Curtis | 7 | 21 | 0 | 7 | – 35

Byrd | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | – 14

Scoring summary

JC – Marlon Prout 42 run (Jaden Alphonso kick)

B – Desmond Simmons 4 run (Murray kick)

JC – Jermall Calllio 24 fumble return (Alphonso kick)

JC – Prout 39 run (Alphonso kick)

JC – Michael Turner 61 pass from Dagan Bruno (Alphonso kick)

B – Tyler Nichols 1 run (Murray kick)

JC – Bruno 1 run (Alphonso kick)

Individual leaders 

Rushing 

Byrd (36-199) – Lambert 13-159, Jackson Dufrene 1 16, Devon Strickland 8-15, Simmons 2-5. 

Curtis (52-321) – Prout 8-120, Kaheam Smith 6-78, Aaron Johnson 13-42, Bruno 12-34.

Passing 

Byrd – Lambert 2-6-1-54. 

Curtis – Bruno 4-7-0-90.

Receiving 

Byrd – Dufrene 2-54. 

Curtis – Turner 2-68, Tyler Mitchell 2-22.

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By JERRY BYRD, Journal Sports

The Big Question heading into C.E. Byrd’s regional playoff game against visiting Alexandria Senior High was whether or not the Yellow Jackets would be able to move the football against the Trojans’ big defensive front. 

Byrd quarterback Lake Lambert answered the question in the game’s first three minutes when he raced 97 yards for the second-longest touchdown run in school history, on Byrd’s first possession of the game.      

It was only the beginning for Lambert, who finished with one of the most prolific nights in school history. He finished with 267 yards on eight carries and scored five touchdowns to lead the Yellow Jackets, 8-3 and seeded sixth in Select Division I, to a 49-10 win over No. 22-seeded ASH, which finished its season 5-7.    

“It was our great offensive line,” Lambert said of his performance running the football. “Great blocking by our wingbacks and receivers. That’s on them. I didn’t get touched on a couple of those because we had great blocking down the field. Great blocking at the second level. I think that was a difference maker in this game.”        

The Lake Show at Lee Hedges Stadium ranks No. 6 all-time in single-game rushing in Byrd football history, the best-ever by a quarterback.       

Lambert wouldn’t entertain any questions about his name in the school record books.

“We can talk about records when the season is over,” Lambert said. “The job is not finished. I’d like a ring on my finger whenever we are talking about records.”       

Byrd head coach Stacy Ballew thinks his quarterback caught the Trojans off guard.     

“I don’t think they knew what he could do, obviously,” Ballew said. “He was running up and down the field. I’m trying to talk to linebackers, then all of the sudden, it’s time for kickoff again. I don’t know what all he did, I didn’t see it all, but he was running up and down the field.”      

As a whole, Byrd’s offense finished with 475 yards rushing. It’s the fourth-highest rushing total in school history.       

The game was not as close as the score indicated.       

Byrd led 35-0 at halftime.    

After his first touchdown run of the night, Lambert added three touchdowns in the second quarter on runs of 56, 19, and 34 yards.       

Byrd’s other score in the first half came in the second quarter on Tyler Nichols’ 10-yard touchdown run.      

Alexandria’s first points, a 25-yard field goal by Bodie Van Dyke, came early in the third quarter after Byrd’s only miscue of the night, a fumble on a pitch play from Lambert to Malachi Johnson on the first offensive play of the second half.      

Lambert answered ASH’s field goal with his fifth and final touchdown run of the night, a 50-yarder. 

Byrd fullback Devon Strickland got in the act with a 68-yard run — Byrd’s final score of the night — with 3:37 left in the third quarter. 

Byrd kicker Abram Murray was a perfect 7-for-7 on all of his point-after attempts.      

ASH’s J.T. Lindsey scored the Trojans’ only touchdown on a 42-yard run with 2:49 left in the game.       

“The kids came out and I think they missed not playing last week,” Ballew said. “They want to play. They’re competitors. They were ready to go, and we did everything right tonight. We didn’t get a bunch of penalties. We had one turnover. We got fourth-down stops. Two interceptions. Our kids played their butts off, and our coaches did a good job getting them in position. I’m proud of our kids, they deserve it.”      

Defensively, Byrd was led by All-City linebacker Brooks Brossette, who had eight tackles. Three Purple Swarm defenders – Isaiha Ford, Christian Jones, and Ben Martinson – had seven tackles each. Jones had an interception, as did cornerback LaMichael Taylor.

Taylor returned his interception for a touchdown, but it was called back on an illegal block, which had no influence on the play.   

“Good teams are going to go out there and punch the other team in the mouth and the other team is not going to respond,” Brossette said. “I think that’s what happened tonight. We got them from the get-go and they never wanted to get back in. Every game we play in, we expect to win by a reasonable amount. This game, we just came together. That’s what we can do.”         

What the Jackets will do next is prepare to go on the road for the quarterfinals and play John Curtis in River Ridge on Black Friday. The Patriots defeated Jesuit Friday, 35-7.   

“I’ve said from day one, we want to be practicing during Thanksgiving,” Ballew said. “When you get to practice during Thanksgiving, that’s something special. You’re always going to remember that as a player. As coaches, we love having that week where we do more football than we usually do. It’s always a special week.”     

Contact Jerry at sbjjerrybyrd@gmail.com  

Byrd 49, ASH 10 

Score by quarters

Byrd | 14 | 21 | 14 | 0 | – 49

ASH | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 | – 10

Scoring summary

B – Lake Lambert 97 run (Abram Murray kick)

B – Tyler Nichols 10 run (Murray kick)

B – Lambert 56 run (Murray kick)

B – Lambert 19 run (Murray kick)

B – Lambert 34 run (Murray kick)

A – Brodie Van Dyke 25 FG

B – Lambert 50 run (Murray kick)

B – Devon Strickland 68 run (Murray kick)

A – J.T. Lindsey 42 run (Channing Meche kick)

Individual leaders 

Rushing 

ASH (32-216) – Cunningham 24-149, Lindsey 4-60, Mingo 1-6, Bordelon 1-4. 

Byrd (41-475)– Lambert 8-267, Strickland 4-87, Simmons 5-61, Nichols 4-44.

Passing 

ASH – Bordelon 12-21-2-131.

Byrd – Lambert 0-2-0.

Receiving 

ASH – Mingo 7-46, Johnson 3-60, Cunningham 2-25.

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By JERRY BYRD, Journal Sports

NATCHITOCHES — Ninth place never felt so good. Just ask C.E. Byrd junior Jenna Key.

She has bigger medals from more impressive state meet performances, but the one she swung back and forth around her neck after finishing ninth on Monday at the LHSAA State Cross Country Championships is more special than any other medal she has won in her high school career. 

“It means so much more because I had to work so hard to even race,” Key said.

For the second straight season, Key has had to battle back from injury to compete on the sport’s biggest stage. Last spring it was a sprained ankle from a freak accident at practice which sidelined her for most of the outdoor track season. This fall, sciatica was the culprit, which kept Key from performing at an elite level most of the season. 

“Last year, my season was perfect,” Key said about her 2021 LHSAA Class 5A state cross country runner-up sophomore season. “I got a medal – great, but even finishing third in outdoors (3200-meter run) at state, I was balling my eyes out. I’m about to cry now. I am just so happy I was able to run.”

Key finished No. 9 Monday with a time of 18:44 in cold and muddy conditions. 

St. Joseph’s Academy’s Hannah Vaughan led the Stickers to a seventh-consecutive team championship by winning the individual title with an 18:05. Ruston’s Lily Garrett, who beat Key last year to win the 2021 state championship, finished second in 18:11.

Key’s performance at Northwestern State’s Walter P. Ledet Track Complex on Monday morning was a stark contrast from her effort at the D-I Region I Championship at Lincoln Parish Park in Ruston on Nov. 3, where she finished in eighth place with a 19:17. 

“I just had to trust all of the training I did this summer,” Key said. “I don’t know what happened at regionals. I just think physically and mentally – I wasn’t ready. I told myself to just race, and I think I did the best I could.”

C.E. Byrd finished fourth in the team competition with 140 points. It’s the highest finish in school history. The winner, SJA, scored 40 points while runner-up Ruston scored 77. 

Key gave her teammates and coach credit for the program’s historic state meet results. 

“They make practice so much better,” Key said of her teammates. “They make the environment so positive. The whole team, we’re all young. We will all be back next year. We’ll have Hudson (Roberts) next year. I know she is excited about coming back.”

“He (Byrd coach Juan Plaza) is the most positive person ever,” Key said. “He is like having a second dad. I tell him everything. He is always there checking in on us, making sure we are ready, hydrated.”

Key wasn’t the only Byrd runner overcoming adversity during the state championship race.

Fellow junior Spencer Frierson lost her shoe in the first 800 meters of the race. She was spiked on the back of her right heel, causing the shoe to come off. Flesh dangled from the back of Frierson’s right heel as she made her way through the muddy three-mile course on her way to a personal record time of 20:14.

Loyola’s Tripp Roemer, a junior, had the highest finish of any local runner. The Flyer finished second in the Division III boys’ race’ with a time of 16:14. Loyola, which won the Division III Region I Meet, finished eighth with 248 points.

Parkview Baptist, the defending LHSAA Class 3A state champion, won the Division III boys’ team competition with a score of 52 points, 27 points under University Lab, who was led by senior Blayton Bernard, who won the first state championship of his high school career with a time of 16:05.

Mother Nature saved her worst for last at the state meet. The final race of the day was the Division IV Boys’ race. The runners had to battle a muddy course, which was quickly deteriorating after accommodating the previous nine state championship races throughout the day. 

To add insult to injury, She added a bone-chilling downpour for the runners to endure. 

“I cannot feel anything,” said Calvary sophomore Jackson Burney after his race, where he finished sixth with a time of 17:06. “This was by far the worst race I’ve ever run in. There was so much mud and I almost fell a few times. I just had to fight through the conditions, the mud, and the rain.”

Burney thawed out on his return to Shreveport and made it back to Calvary Baptist Academy in time for his 7 p.m. National Honor Society induction ceremony. 

It was indoors.

And dry.

Contact Jerry at sbjjerrybyrd@gmail.com

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By JERRY BYRD, Journal Sports   

Jesuit-New Orleans head coach Ryan Manale expected his Blue Jays to have to overcome some adversity in the LHSAA playoffs, but he didn’t think it would come before kickoff in his team’s first-round Division I Select playoff game against the Huntington Raiders. 

“We were supposed to come in three buses,” Manale said. “We got here in two. And we were an hour late getting to Shreveport.” 

No matter. The Blue Jays rolled the Raiders 45-9 in front of a handful of spectators on a cold and soggy night at Lee Hedges Stadium, blasting out to a 35-point halftime lead.

On the fourth play of the game, Huntington’s quarterback Jamarion Washington ran the ball up the middle of the Jesuit defense for 63 yards and set up a Dany Cuat 21-yard field goal.  

Jesuit answered with an eight-play drive which ended with a Patrick Berrigan 1-yard touchdown run to take a 7-3 lead. 

After a 30-yard run by John Solomon on Huntington’s next possession, Washington was picked off by Jesuit’s Nick Jacobs. 

The Blue Jays put the ball in the hands of running back Jaron Duplesis and Berrigan. Duplesis carried the ball for 27 yards on three touches before Berrigan took over and added 16 more yards on three carries. Jesuit quarterback Beau Perez then found Hollis McDaniel for a 9-yard touchdown pass with 1:03 left in the first quarter as Jesuit led 14-3. 

Jesuit kicker Aidan Corbello was good on his second consecutive point after attempt before demonstrating his versatility with a sky kick, which was fumbled by the Huntington return team and recovered by Jesuit’s Tucker Schibler. 

The Blue Jays got as far as the Huntington 6, but the Raider defense stiffened and Jesuit had to settle for a 32-yard Corbello field goal to build a 17-3 edge. 

Special teams miscues continued throughout the remainder of the first half for the Raiders, who struggled to punt the football. Those were unforced errors on Huntington’s part which allowed Jesuit to have short fields.  

Perez found Jace Larsen on a third-down 21-yard touchdown pass with 8:16 to go in the first half to give the Blue Jays a 24-3 lead.  

Jesuit scored two more touchdowns – a two-yard Jasper Parker run and another touchdown pass from Perez to Harry Reinhardt with 12 seconds left in the half. The Blue Jays led 38-3. 

“He did a great job of managing the offense,” Manale said. “Our guys executed and made plays in all three phases of the game early. It’s always good to advance and win playoff games.”   

In the second half, Berrigan scored on 14-yard touchdown run, and the Jesuit coaching staff began mass substitutions. 

Huntington’s only other score came on 32-yard yard John Solomon run with 9:30 left in the game. 

“I told our kids I was proud of the way they came out in the second half and played hard,” Huntington head coach Stephen Dennis said. “I told them at halftime I wanted them to play hard for the next 24 minutes and be able to look themselves in the mirror after it was over. And they did that. I also told them that it is a privilege to be their coach.” 

As for Huntington’s season, which comes to an end at 6-5? 

“I am proud of what we accomplished,” said Dennis, whose Raiders were seeded 14^th to the No. 19 seed of Jesuit. “It’s hard to lose one of the best quarterbacks in the state and try to replace that amount of offense.” 

Dennis was referring to Huntington’s Kam Evans, who has been out with a shoulder injury for the last three weeks.    

The Blue Jays advance to face a familiar foe, John Curtis in the second round. Jesuit, 5-6, suffered a Week 4 loss, 28-10, to the Patriots on Sept. 23. 

The outcome may be a little different this time around.  

“You want to be playing your best football at the end of the season,” Manale said. “And I think we are doing that right now.” 

Contact Jerry at sbjjerrybyrd@gmail.com

Jesuit 45, Huntington 9

Score by quarters

Jesuit | 14 | 24 | 7 | 0 | – 45

Huntington |3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | – 9 

Scoring summary

H – Danny Cuat 21 FG

J – Joashua Washington 3 run (Aidan Corbello kick)

J – Hollis McDaniel 9 pass from Beau Perez (Corbello kick)

J – Corbello 32 FG

J – Jace Larsen 17 pass from Perez (Corbello kick)

J – Jasper Parker 2 run (Corbello kick)

J – Harry Reinhardt 13 pass from Perez (Corbello kick)

J – Patrick Berrigan 14 run (Joseph Barber kick)

H – John Solomon 32 run (pass failed)

Individual leaders 

Rushing 

Jesuit (35-158) – Jaron Duplesis 12-73, Berrigan 9-69, Parker 6-12. 

Huntington (16-117) – Jamarion Washington 3-63, Solomon 4-43, Lorenzo White 3-17, Jamarion Mims 3-8.

Passing 

Jesuit – Perez 7-11-0, 83 yards. 

Huntington (9-19-2, 80 yards) – White 7-14-2, 76 yards; Washington 2-5-0, 4 yards. 

Receiving 

Jesuit – Reinhardt 2-33, Jace Larsen 2-24, Jason Thompson 1-11, Hollis McDaniel 1-9, Washington 1-6. 

Huntington – Tre Carter 6-40, Solomon 2-33, Jarvis Davis 1-7.

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By JERRY BYRD, Journal Sports

The goal of every cross country runner in Louisiana is to be healthy and running his or her best at the end of the season – when it counts. That is why Loyola junior Tripp Roemer is all smiles after winning the D-III Region I Meet in Lafayette’s Acadiana Park last week.    

“It felt great,” Roemer said. “I won the race by over a minute. It was a pretty hard course. It wasn’t a day for PRs.”     

Roemer, who has a personal record of 15:53.80 at Byrd’s October Invitational, ran a 16:35.90 for the three-mile course. St. Louis’ Deacon Stantz was second with a 17:31.90.     

But the best part for Roemer wasn’t winning the individual title; it was the fact that he led his Flyers to the team championship. The Flyers scored 35 points. St. Louis was second with 67 points.      

“That was great, honestly,” Roemer said. “They have really brought me up. The best part of my day is going to practice and running with my teammates.”     

He will get one more opportunity to run competitively with his teammates at the LHSAA State Cross Country Meet at Northwestern State University on Monday, Nov. 14th.     

For Roemer, it will be an opportunity for him to see how far he has come in the last 365 days. 

Last year, Roemer finished No. 17 in the LHSAA Class 3A state cross country meet with a time of 18:10.90.    

“I didn’t place well last year,” Roemer said. “I wasn’t in the right mindset and just really starting to learn how to race competitively.” 

The maturation for Roemer hasn’t included any magic tricks or shortcuts — only good, old-fashioned hard work.      

“All this summer I was training really hard,” Roemer said. “It’s the hardest I’ve trained for any sport. It was far beyond the competitiveness I’ve experienced with soccer. I was really focused. That was new for me. I just hoped to be great this year. I’m proud of myself. I just want to end the season on a good note.” 

Roemer should certainly be in the mix for a Division III state championship. With his best time of the season, Roemer is ranked No. 4. The favorite is Episcopal’s Sacha Dernoncourt, who has best of 15:31.52.  

Just behind Roemer at No. 5 is the defending Class 3A state champion John Hall Hays of University Lab. Hays has a best this season of 16:03.24.

In other regional action, Parkway’s Gabe Falting led the Parkway Panthers to a runner-up finish at the Division I Region I Meet at Lincoln Parish Park in Ruston last Thursday. 

Falting finished second overall, chasing Ruston’s regional champion Bryar Madden. Falting ran a 15:39, two seconds behind Madden. 

Ruston won the team title with 35 points and Parkway finished as runner-up with 48 points. 

Other Parkway Panthers making the all-region team by finishing in the top 25 include: Andrew Kent, Jesus Cordova, Noah Fox, and Alex Gomez, who finished No. 10-No. 13 respectively.

Freshmen Panthers Ben Ruliffson and Charles Ernest were also named to the all-region team. Ruliffson finished No. 15 with a time of 17:07, and Ernest finished No. 20 with a 17:20.

In the Division I Region I Girls’ division, C.E. Byrd was the runner-up to Ruston for the third straight year.

The Lady Jackets were led by junior Jenna Key, who has been battling with a nagging leg injury since the start of the season. Key finished No. 8 with a time of 19:17. Other Lady Jackets who made the All-Region team include: Laila Wells (No. 12, 20:07), Spencer Frierson (No.16, 20:29), and Mallory Swint (No. 23, 21:17).

Contact Jerry at sbjjerrybyrd@gmail.com

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By JERRY BYRD, Journal Sports

It didn’t matter that the District 1-4A title battle between heavyweights North DeSoto and Northwood was moved up to a 5:30 p.m. start to beat bad weather.

Fans in both Stonewall and Keithville got the message as spectators parked cars and trucks on any spot or piece of grass in DeSoto Parish between Griffin Stadium and Highway 171 well before the early kickoff.

The Falcons and Griffins collisions, sport-by-sport, never seem to disappoint, and the 2022 football version was no different as Austin Brown’s Falcons came back from a 13-6 halftime deficit to spoil North DeSoto’s perfect season with a 20-19 win. 

All it did was forge a tie for the district championship between the teams, just as Northwood envisioned way back after its early season loss to Huntington. The Falcons flew to 8-2 overall with the upset, and NDHS fell to 9-1, both with 6-1 league marks, one ahead of the third-place Raiders.

The Northwood approach worked.

“We just thought that nobody had kept swinging on them,” Brown said. “We got down 13, but we knew the game plan was to keep swinging. Jab, jab, jab. We reminded them at halftime, the game plan is still here. We took their best punches, and we’re still in the game, now go make them tap out.”

The one delivering the most blows in the second half was Falcon senior running back Quintavion White, who accounted for all three Northwood touchdowns with runs of 6,11, and 8 yards. The latter two came during a momentum-changing third quarter.

Northwood’s third-quarter swing started with plays on both special teams and defense. The Northwood punt team downed a punt on the North DeSoto 1. On the Griffins’ first play, Falcon defensive lineman Taderius Collins tackled North DeSoto’s John Lewis in the endzone for a safety to close the Griffin lead to 13-8. 

Northwood received the ball from the Griffins and went 47 yards on five plays with White getting his second touchdown of the night from 11 yards out. That score gave the Falcons their first lead of the night with 6:52 remaining in the third quarter. 

It was at that point in the game when the much-anticipated rain began to fall, and it was not good timing for the Griffin offense, which was poised to put North DeSoto back on top before a Griffin fumble was scooped up by Northwood’s Camron McCullough. 

That was followed by more ground and pound from the Falcons, except on a fourth-and-4 from the North DeSoto 27 when Northwood quarterback Mason Welch found Desmond Harris on a middle screen for 11 yards. White finished the drive with an 8-yard run with 2:21 remaining in the third quarter to extend Northwood’s lead to 20-13. 

“We had a chip on our shoulders,” Welch said. “We were the underdogs coming into this game. We haven’t played like we should have all year long. We knew that if we just came out and played our game of football and we trust our training in the offseason and we trust the game plan these coaches put on us, be the more physical team and have no quit in us that we would enjoy victory.”

But the Griffins, who finished the season with a 9-1 record, didn’t tap out as Brown had hoped. 

Lake Bates returned the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown, but it was called back due to a holding call on the Griffins’ return unit.

Freshman quarterback Luke Delafield connected with wide receiver Cole Cory on passes of 35, 13, and 15 yards to set up North DeSoto’s John Lewis, who disappeared in the mass of offensive and defensive lineman before breaking through for a 12-yard scamper to bring the Griffins within a point of the lead.

The extra point attempt was wide left.

North DeSoto had a final chance on their one meaningful drive of the scoreless fourth quarter. The Griffins reached the Northwood 18 and, on fourth-and-1, they were penalized for a false start. The pass on fourth-and-6 was incomplete, and Northwood took over and held the lead it would keep.

In the first half, North DeSoto running back Brian Banks scored the Griffins’ first touchdown of the game on a 2-yard run with 7:18 to play in the first quarter. A pass on the two-point conversion failed.

The Griffins extended the lead in the second quarter when Delafield found Sam Odom on fourth-and-8 from nine yards out. Landon Falls’ point after kick gave the Griffins a 13-0 lead. 

Northwood would answer with an eight-play 65-yard touchdown drive capped by White’s first score of the night. 

“I love my O-line,” White said. “They were amazing. They block with their heart.” 

White said that his coach told the Falcons to keep fighting at halftime.

“He (Brown) told us that we’re not down,” White said. “Keep our heads up. We were only down six points. Normally, they have a running clock by halftime. They’ve had seven running clocks all season. We were like, we’re going to come play with our hearts, and we’re never going to give up.” 

Contact Jerry at sbjjerrybyrd@gmail.com

Northwood 20, North DeSoto 19 

Score by quarters

Northwood  | 0 | 6 | 14 | 0 | – 20

North DeSoto | 6 | 7 | 6 | 0 | – 19

Scoring summary

ND – Brian Banks 2 run (Pass failed) 

ND – Sam Odom 9 pass from Luke Delafield (Landon Falls kick)

NW – Quintavion White 6 run (kick failed)

NW – Safety

NW – Quintavion White 11 run (kick failed)

NW – Quintavion White 8 run (pass failed)

ND – John Lewis 12 run (kick failed)

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By JERRY BYRD, Journal Sports

The LHSAA State Volleyball Playoffs begin today with two local schools hosting first-round matches.

In the top half of the Division IV bracket, Loyola, the No. 9 seed, will host No. 24 Delcambre at 5:30 p.m. in the school’s gym.  

In the bottom half of the same bracket, Calvary, the No. 4 seed, is set to host the International High School of New Orleans at 5 p.m.

Hosting a home playoff game is a feather in the cap for Loyola head coach Laura Woolbert and her team.

“It’s always great to have a home playoff game,” Woolbert said. “You get to play in your own gym. Kind of in your comfort zone. You get your home crowd. Our home crowds have been pretty enthusiastic and a lot of fun to play in front of. Hopefully we can put it all together on the floor.”

If the Lady Flyers are to survive and advance in the playoffs, they will need returning first-team all-district players Abbie Anderson and Taylor Nash to continue what they have been doing all year.

But Anderson and Nash aren’t the only weapons at Woolbert’s disposal. 

“This year, Emma Sipes has stepped up and done a real good job,” Woolbert said.

The Lady Flyers may get a little help from Makayla Horton, who Woolbert said should return after missing the last month with a knee injury. 

Don’t let the Lady Flyers’ 15-18 record fool you. LCP has recorded big road wins over Class 5A schools like Captain Shreve, Benton, and Parkway.

“We’ve had a great season overall,” Woolbert said. “We’ve played a lot of high-quality teams, and I think that has really prepared us well for where we are right now.” 

Even though they are going on the road, the No. 21-seed North Caddo Titans add even more northwest Louisiana flavor to the Division IV bracket. The Lady Titans will travel south to No. 12 Patterson, where they will play at 4 p.m.

C.E. Byrd, the No. 30 seed in Division I, will travel to Dutchtown, the No. 3 seed, for a 5:30 p.m. match.

Caddo Magnet, the No. 20 seed in the Division II bracket, will travel to George Washington Carver; the match is at 5 p.m.

Evangel is the No. 21 seed in the Division V bracket. The Lady Eagles will travel to play No. 12-seed Crescent City at 5:30 p.m.

Contact Jerry at sbjjerrybyrd@gmail.com

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