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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By JERRY BYRD, Journal Sports

When C.E. Byrd head coach Stacy Ballew gathered his Yellow Jackets Friday night at Independence Stadium after a 58-0 thrashing of the Southwood Cowboys, he didn’t talk much about what had transpired over the previous two hours.

He did talk about where the Jackets are, and where they are headed.

“We’re right where we want to be,” Ballew said to his team. “We are 6-3 with a chance to be 7-3. We play Natchitoches Central next week, and I don’t need to remind you about what happened last year. We need a great week of practice this week.” 

Since taking over as Byrd’s starting quarterback Week 1 of his sophomore season, senior Lake Lambert has only lost three District 1-5A games. Two of those have come this season. The first was Byrd’s 23-10 homecoming loss to the Natchitoches Central Chiefs a year ago. 

“Yeah, motivation is not going to be a problem this week,” Lambert said, after rushing for 88 yards on six carries – all in the first half — against Southwood. 

Sixty of Lambert’s yards came on Byrd’s second possession of the night. For good measure, Lambert added a four-yard touchdown run with one minute left in the half to give the Yellow Jackets a 37-0 halftime advantage.

Sandwiched between Lambert’s touchdown runs, the Yellow Jackets found ways to score on offense, defense, and special teams. 

Dixon Poirier had an 8-yard touchdown run late in the first quarter. Fellow fullback Desmond Simmons added a 3-yard run midway through the second quarter. The Byrd defense recorded a safety by taking advantage of an errant Southwood snap. And senior defensive back Christian Jones returned the ensuing kickoff 61 yards for a score. 

Byrd’s junior kicker Abram Murray had a busy night, connecting on all eight point after attempts. 

In the second half, it was the Desmond Simmons Show for the Jackets as the sophomore added three more touchdown runs (1, 7 and 64 yards). Simmons ended the night with a game-high 106 yards on eight carries – half for TDs.

“It was really just the team coming together,” Simmons said. “We’ve been working hard at practice, really. I’m just thankful for my teammates, and I’m thankful for God, too.”

Of course, he couldn’t have done it without the offensive line opening holes for him.

“I love them,” Simmons said. “They are awesome. Every night!”

Byrd senior offensive guard Kyle Sprague was just one of the Jackets opening up holes for Lambert and Simmons. 

“It was a good game,” Sprague said. “We went out there and fought hard. We hit them in the mouth every single play and tried to get as many yards as we could, and in the end we came out on top.”

Simmons wasn’t the only non-starter to stand out for the Jackets Friday night. Senior Hunter Thrasher had two interceptions, including one late in the fourth quarter which preserved the shutout. He also caused a fumble recovered by teammate James Logan. 

Southwood, 0-9, will travel to Airline next Friday night with the Vikings trying to secure an outright district crown. The Jackets will head south on I-49, looking to avenge last year’s homecoming loss to the Chiefs.

Contact Jerry at sbjjerrybyrd@gmail.com

C.E. Byrd 58, Southwood 0 

Score by quarters

Byrd | 14 | 23 | 14 | 7 | – 58

Southwood | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – 0

Scoring summary

B – Lake Lambert 60 run (Abram Murray kick) 

B – Dixon Poirier 8 run (Murray kick) 

B – Desmond Simmons 3 run (Murray kick) 

B – Safety

B – Christian Jones 61 kickoff return (Murray kick)

B – Lambert 14 run (Murray kick)

B – Simmons 1 run (Murray kick)

B – Simmons 7 run (Murray kick)

B – Simmons 64 run (Murray kick)

Individual Leaders 

Rushing 

Byrd (39-378) – D. Simmons 8-106, Lambert 6-88, Poirier 5- 67, Devon Strickland 6-54. 

Southwood (21-6) – D. Williams 10- 34, C. Ross-Hall 1-4, C. Walters 4-(-5), C. Martin 4-(-8).

Passing 

Byrd – Lambert 1-1-0, 15 yards. 

Southwood – C. Martin 7-14-1, 65 yards, C. Walters 1-7-1, 10yards. 

Receiving

Byrd – Jackson Dufrene 1-15.

Southwood – Detonion Arkansas 3-18, D. Williams 2-30, J. Cawthorn 2-13, C. Ross-Hall 1-14.

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By JERRY BYRD, Journal Sports

Captain Shreve’s Evan Johnson ran a couple of 100-yard strides to warm up for the District 1-5A Cross Country Championships at South Bossier Park on Tuesday afternoon. On the final stride, he gave his father, who was making his way to the starting line, the “OK” sign.

Johnson, who has been “banged up” with a couple of leg injuries since running a personal record 15:43 to win the C.E. Byrd October Invitational on Oct. 8, was better than OK as he ran a new personal best 15:41.1 to barely beat his friend and summer training partner, Parkway’s Gabe Falting, who was less than a half second behind Johnson. 

“Obviously, it’s awful when you get injured, but you have to work with what you can do at the end of the season, I guess,” Johnson said. “I just dropped the mileage and did what I could. I was actually fresh today because I haven’t been running much; I guess that probably played a factor.”

Falting didn’t mind the company.

“Me and him linked up for the majority of the race, taking turns at different points of leading,” Falting said. “We were neck and neck the entire time, and at the end he just pulled ahead. It was really fun.”

In the girls’ race, Benton freshman Claire Allen won with a time of 19:16.7, more than 30 seconds faster than her teammate, senior Isabelle Russell, who was the runner-up with a season-best time of 19:48. 

“It feels really good,” Allen said. “Last year, I had no idea what to expect for my first high school cross country season. To see the outcome thus far, it’s really cool.”

While Allen is certainly happy to be the District 1-5A champion as a freshman, she is looking to get down in the mid-18:00s before the season is over. The next opportunity to reach her goal time will be the Division I Region I Meet in Ruston next Thursday, and then the LHSAA State Cross Country Meet in Natchitoches on Monday, Nov. 14.

C.E. Byrd made it a three-peat by winning its third straight District 1-5A title. It wasn’t that the Lady Jackets won, but how they won — with the absence of 2021 LHSAA Class 5A runner-up Jenna Key and fellow junior Hudson Roberts, who has missed the entire season due to an injury. 

Leading the Lady Jackets was junior Laila Wells, who finished fourth with a time of 20:07. Byrd won with 43 points, holding off Benton with 49.

“We did have some adversity, but I tell them all the time, it’s just like life – you have to adapt and move forward,” Byrd coach Juan Plaza said. “We have some committed kids who really put it out there today, and I knew, despite missing one or two, this team is deep enough to do some great things. Heck yeah, I’m proud of them winning today against some really good teams out here, like Benton and Parkway.”

Other Lady Jackets finishing in the top 10 included Spencer Frierson (No. 7, 20:37), Elizabeth Payne (No. 8, 21:14), and Mallory Swint (No. 9, 21:19).

Like the Lady Jackets, the Parkway boys were able to successfully defend their District 1-5A title from a year ago. They posted a convincing 28-52 margin over runner-up Benton.

“We were pretty excited today,” Parkway head coach Kent Falting said. “We had six or seven in the top 10. The goal was to come back and continue what we started last year. I’m glad nobody got hurt.

“We wore these pink shirts today because we wanted to represent those who are suffering from breast cancer, or know someone who is suffering from breast cancer,” he said. “We wanted to run for somebody else today, and I am very proud of what they did today in honor of those people.”

Other Parkway boys in the top 10 include Jesus Cordova (No. 5, 16:29), Alex Gomez (No. 6, 16:37), Noah Fox (No. 7, 16:39), Andrew Kent (No. 8, 16:44), and Charles Ernest (No. 10, 17:00).

Benton finished second in both the girls’ and boys’ divisions. Benton girls finishing in the top 10 included Allen, Russell, and Dominique Coore (No. 10, 21:40). Benton boys finishing in the top 10 included Brody Hutchison (No. 3, 16:21) and Dominic Helverson (No. 4, 16:25).

Other runners making the top 10 included Natchitoches Central’s Joe Duirden (No. 9, 16:55) in the boys’ division, and Airline’s Elena Heng (No. 3, 19:58), and Parkway’s Cheyenne Olson (No. 5, 20:13) and Ember Pierce (No. 6, 20:23) in the girls’ division. 

Contact Jerry at sbjjerrybyrd@gmail.com

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By JERRY BYRD, Journal Sports

It’s the “championship season” in Louisiana high school cross country, and it all begins with the District 1-5A Championships at South Bossier Park on Tuesday afternoon.

Training sessions will begin to ramp up with more speed work as teams look to put the finishing touches on their preparations before the LHSAA State Cross Country Championships at Northwestern State in Natchitoches on Monday, Nov. 14.

Going into Tuesday’s District 1-5A race, C.E. Byrd will look to extend its winning streak on the girls’ side. The Lady Jackets, led by 2021 LHSAA Class 5A state runner up Jenna Key, have won back-to-back District 1-5A titles.

On the boys’ side, Parkway hopes to begin a streak of its own as the Panthers won last year’s title, and this fall have proven to be not only one of the best teams in the area, but the entire state.

Byrd’s Juan Plaza has not had the luxury this season of having his team at full strength. Key missed the first few weeks of the season with a nagging injury, and the Byrd girls have missed fellow junior Hudson Roberts, who has spent most of her junior cross country season on crutches with a stress fracture.

Still, the Lady Jackets have enough depth to continue the streak.

“Winning another district team title is certainly a goal for our athletes, especially in a competitive district like 1-5A,” Plaza said. “But in the end, it’s just a prep meet for the state meet where we have bigger goals.”

If anyone is able to knock off the Lady Jackets, look for Benton to answer the call. The Lady Tigers have one of the best freshmen in the state in Clair Allen, and also have experienced runners – and leadership — from senior Isabelle Russell. 

Parkway’s Cheyenne Olson has been a regular in the Top 5 during her first two years of high school. Look for Olson to lead the Lady Panthers. 

Parkway junior Gabriel Falting and Captain Shreve senior Evan Johnson have been friends since they began running competitively in middle school. This summer, Johnson even trained with the Parkway team to gear up for the season. 

Falting and Johnson will battle it out for the District 1-5A individual title. Falting has a best time of 15:43. Johnson also has a best time of 15:43. 

But Falting isn’t the only weapon the Panthers have. Sophomore Andrew Kent (16:10), freshmen Ben Rulifson (16:25) and Charles Ernest (16:43) and sophomore Jesus Cordova (16:35) have all impressed this season. 

“Our boys are very excited for the district meet,” Parkway head coach Kent Falting said. “Winning it last year after not winning for four years was a huge relief. Now, they’re hungry for more. There are some great runners in our district but we hope to come out on top and injury-free so we can continue to chase our goal of being top five in this year’s state meet.”

Contact Jerry at sbjjerrybyrd@gmail.com

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BY JERRY BYRD, Journal Sports 

Woodlawn’s Quintin Wilson is a Knight to remember, and it was a night to remember for No. 14. The sparkplug of a running back turned heads in the first half of Woodlawn’s 34-14 district win over Bossier Friday night by rushing for 119 yards on five carries. 

Wilson finished with 162 yards on 24 carries.  

“We talk about yards after contact with him,” Woodlawn head coach Thedrick Harris said. “He did a good job of keeping his legs running and keep fighting for yards. That was a big improvement from what we have seen the last few weeks.” 

Bossier (0-8, 0-5 District 1-4A) didn’t make it easy for the Knights (3-5, 2-3) at Independence Stadium. The Bearkats drove down the field on the game’s opening possession and scored a touchdown — a 9-yard Christian Johnson run for a 6-0 lead. 

Woodlawn tied the game on the first play of the second quarter as Anthony Bryant scored from seven yards out. His touchdown was set up by runs of 13 and 37 yards by Woodlawn quarterback Isaiah Kennedy.  

With just under five minutes remaining in the half, the Knights got defensive. Defensive lineman Peter Johns had a big sack on third down from the Bossier 10. On fourth down, the Bearkat punter was under duress and threw the ball the away, which led to an intentional grounding.  

The penalty – from inside the end zone – resulted in a safety credited to the Woodlawn defense and gave the Knights an 8-6 lead with 4:49 remaining in the half. 

Enter Mr. Wilson — and a 44-yard run — setting up a 12-yard touchdown run by Kennedy. 

Woodlawn led 14-6 at halftime. 

Woodlawn leaned on the Bearkats with their running game in the second half. The Knights plodded down the field by gaining chunks of rushing yards, including a 14-yard reverse by D.J. Bates.  

After eight straight run plays, Woodlawn offensive coordinator Mike Green dialed up a pass play for Kennedy, finding Antonio Reynolds for a 33-yard touchdown to extend their lead to 20-6.  

On the very next drive, the Knights found the endzone again – another Kennedy touchdown pass. Joshua Kennon did the heavy lifting on the 36-yard screen pass as Woodlawn scored 28 straight points and led 28-6. 

Kennon impressed his head coach. 

“He was as disciplined running the football as I’ve seen,” Harris said. “He did a tremendous job, and our offensive line did a good job.”  

But Bossier head coach DeAumante Johnson’s Bearkats didn’t go down without a fight.  

Woodlawn was plagued with penalties in the second half, the most costly a pass interference call on third down at midfield. It gave the Bearkats the ball at the Woodlawn 35, and Bossier quarterback Latravio Christor found San’tavion Ball for a touchdown with 27 seconds left in the third quarter. 

With 8:21 remaining in the game, Woodlawn added one more score as Kennedy connected with Brandon Henderson on a fourth down from the Bossier 12.  

“The offensive line was blocking, and we were executing,” Wilson said in his first-ever interview. “I’m blessed. We knew they wanted to win bad, but we wanted it more. We are going to keep pushing forward.” 

Forward for Wilson and his Knights, who improve to 3-5, will be the Northwood Falcons. 

Bossier, who remains winless on the season, will host an undefeated North DeSoto. 

Woodlawn 34, Bossier 14

Scoring by quarter

Woodlawn | 0 | 14 |14 | 6 | 34 

Bossier    | 6 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 14 

Scoring summary

B- Christian Johnson 9-yard run (run failed) 

W- Anthony Bryant 7-yard run (run failed)  

W – Woodlawn defensive safety  

W- Isaiah Kennedy 12-yard run (run failed)  

W – Kennedy 33-yard pass to Antonio Reynolds (pass fail)  

W – Kennedy 36-yard pass to Joshua Kennon (Kennedy pass good)  

B – Latravion Christor 35-pass to San’tavion Ball (Lebrandon Davis run)  

W- Kennedy 12-yard pass Brandon Henderson (pass fail)  

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By JERRY BYRD, Journal Sports

When the high school volleyball season started, Calvary head coach John Casey expected his young Lady Cavaliers to experience some growing pains this season. However, Calvary remains at the top of the Division IV power ratings heading into the final match of the regular season. 

This year’s team is at 21-6, with all six losses coming to teams ranked in the top four of their respective divisions.

Currently, Calvary is the No. 4 seed in Division IV. Casey believes that is where the Lady Cavaliers will finish. 

Last year, the Lady Cavaliers finished 34-6,  ranked No. 3 in the power ratings and made it to the quarterfinals of the LHSAA Division V State Playoffs.      

“My coaches and I talked and decided to back off on the number of games this year,” Casey said. “It’s a fine line. You want to push them, but you don’t want to push them too hard.”       

The plan, so far, has worked as Calvary – despite its youth – has had the best season of any Caddo-Bossier team.

Casey will only lose one senior off his 2022 team. That’s a far cry from last year’s team which had six seniors to replace this season.  

Just because the Lady Cavaliers are young, doesn’t necessarily mean they are inexperienced.        

Brooklynn Morris, Allie Hutchings, Alexandra Campanella, and Kiya Casey are just a few of the Lady Cavaliers who have been exposed to club and travel volleyball, which have included participation in national tournaments.        

Campanella and Casey, a three-time USA Olympic National Development Team member, are sophomores. Morris and Hutchings are freshmen.

C.E. Byrd coach Breanne Saulsbury, who is in her second year as head coach of the Lady Jackets, knows what it is like to have a veteran team. She has nine seniors on the 2022 roster. 

“All of the seniors have really worked hard to be cohesive,” Saulsbury said. “but also to make the adjustments from game-to-game. Where normally we would just go in and play our game, we’re making adjustments based on teams, based off film, and just going week-to-week, and making those adjustments and that has helped our game a lot this year.”

Some of those adjustments are being made this week as Saulsbury prepares her team to travel to north Bossier on Friday evening to face Airline.

The two teams met late last month, and it came down to host Byrd edging out the Lady Vikings 18-16 in the fifth set. 

Saulsbury is a little concerned about the game falling on the day after a football game – versus Airline, especially since one of her most improved seniors, outside hitter Janiyah Vanderpool, doubles as the Byrd mascot, Jack the Jacket.

“She has come leaps and bounds from last year, where we had her on the right side where she was doing what she needed to do,” Saulsbury said. “Now, we have her on the outside and being a power hitter and just a great server, who is making crucial points.”

Vanderpool is not worried about having enough energy after a Thursday night football game.

“I’ll drink an energy drink,” she laughed. “I’ll be fine.”

What she is worried about is accomplishing something the Lady Jackets have never done – winning a district championship.

“We’ve talked about it all year,” Vanderpool said. “When we went to camps this summer, they would always ask us what our goals are, and it’s always to win the district. We keep that in the back of our mind. Our end goal is district.”

A road game at Airline, and a Senior Night game against Benton next week are all that stand in the way of making history. 

Contact Jerry at sbjjerrybyrd@gmail.com

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