By TEDDY ALLEN, Journal Sports

Haven’t we seen this before?

Well, yes — and probably no.

District 1-5A cousins Haughton (5-5, 3-4) and Airline (7-3, 7-0) go at it again tonight at 7, a first-round Non-Select Division I playoff game at M.D. Ray Field at Airline High Stadium. Some people are old enough to remember when these two teams played before — a whole 29 days ago.

Airline won it, 55-42, the closest winning margin in the Vikings’ 7-0 district sweep and turnaround from last year’s 1-9 season. That first meeting on Oct. 13, a Thursday night, was closer than the final 13-point gap: Airline led 27-21 at the half and also by just six early in the fourth quarter.

But in reality, and in metaphor, this is a whole new ballgame.

The Vikings eventually overwhelmed the Bucs in mid-October with speed and were “a little faster getting to the edge than we were prepared for,” Haughton head coach Jason Brotherton said.

“We’re going to try some different things (tonight), some different personnel: you’d be crazy to give up 55 points to a team and play them a second time the exact way.

“Will that be a magic formula?” he said. “I doubt it. But hopefully we can get enough stops to give ourselves a chance to outscore them, because I don’t think you can shut them down; they’re too talented on offense. But if we can get a couple of turnovers and make them punt a couple of times, I think we’ll be right there.”

Like Airline, Haughton can play offense too, but in a much different way. Senior backfield mates Colin Rains and Tyler Rhodes are a bruising 1-2 punch: among SBJ-area teams, quarterback Rains is seventh in passing yardage and in the top 20 in rushing yardage, while Rhodes is second in rushing yardage.

“The biggest thing with Haughton is that duo; they’re really good,” Airline defensive coordinator Zack Pourciau said. “And they’re able to do just enough in the passing game to hurt you.”

In the first meeting, the Bucs had a pair of wideouts with more than 100 yards each receiving in Jalen Lewis (6-158) and Rashard Douglas (3-101).

Airline likes to play fast and, with all that talent in all the skill positions, there’s little reason not to.

“We knew we’d be solid at the skill spots on offense,” Pourciau said of preseason expectations. “I think the surprise has been on the offensive and defensive lines, defense for sure because we’re so undersized compared to who we play against. We’ve got to use our speed to slant and move and that’s what we’ve done; we haven’t gotten pushed around like I thought we might.”

After an 0-3 start, the Vikings are the ones doing the pushing. Pourciau, in his first year at Airline, and head coach Justin Scogin, the Vikes’ rookie head coach, figured in preseason that 7-3 would be about right.

“Felt we’d start slow and then get better,” Pourciau said. “We might have gotten here in a little different way than we thought. Justin said at the beginning to give him three games to get the offensive going; he definitely didn’t lie about that.

“We’re still battling with some guys, still getting things figured out. But they’re steadily learning and we’ve been winning and it’s been fun for sure.”

Contact Teddy at teddy@latech.edu

27-Haughton (5-5) at 6-Airline (7-3) 

Where: M.D. Ray Field at Airline Stadium 

Series: Airline 27-12 

Last week: Haughton lost to Captain Shreve 42-7; Airline beat Southwood 42-14 

Rankings: Haughton is 10^th in Shreveport-Bossier Journal Top 10 poll; Airline is No. 1 in Journal Top 10, and 10^th in the LSWA’s Class 5A Top 10 statewide poll 

Radio: Airline (Miracle, 89.1 FM, http://69.64.65.171:8192/kflo) 

Notables: Fighting through some defensive injuries, the Bucs have lost three of their last four games, all in bruising District 1-5A … LB Conner Blank is second among SBJ-area teams in tackles with 113 … Senior RB Tyler Rhodes is second in rushing yardage with 1,079 and 15 TDs on 169 carries … Senior QB Colin Rains is seventh in passing yardage with 1,639 (104-171-5, 16 TDs) and is in the Top 20 among area rushers … The mid-October loss to Airline wasn’t decided until late: midway through the final quarter with Haughton trailing 48-35, Bucs senior receiver John Ecot slipped a yard short of a first down on a fourth-down play; Airline then scored and Haughton went on a 9-play, 80-yard drive to close out the scoring.

Vikes’ sophomore QB Ben Taylor leads SBJ-area teams in passing yardage with 2,730 … He’s also thrown 34 TDs … Senior receiver Daxton Chavez is first in TDs caught with 18, third in receiving yardage with 1,044, and fourth in number of receptions (50) … Cam Jefferson is third in number of receptions (53 for 627 yards and 5 TDs) … Junior RB Tre Jackson is seventh in total catches (41 for 442 yards and 6 TDs), and he’s also eighth in rushing yards (670 and 13 TDs on 104 carries) … In Airline’s 55-42 win over Haughton Oct. 13 at Airline, Jackson scored six TDs, five rushing — the longest was from 8 yards out — and one on a 28-yard pass play … Taylor was an efficient 24-31-1 for 314 yards and 3 TDs.

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By TEDDY ALLEN, Journal Sports

Captain Shreve’s 42-7 undressing of Haughton Friday night wasn’t like watching a TKO as much as it was like watching the winners stretch the losers out on a primitive torture rack and gradually turn the wheel.

Death, slowly but surely.

Haughton could never get up and resurgent Shreve, high as the threatening clouds that moved in over Lee Hedges Stadium in the second half of a game that started at 5:30 to dodge weather, would never come down.

The Gators, who’ll see where they’ve landed in the playoff picture when the brackets are released Sunday morning at 10, have now won two of their last three, the loss a 22-21 setback against high-flying Benton last week. The Tigers came into the game averaging 55 points and had been held to less than 400 yards in only one contest; Shreve, 5-5 overall and 2-5 in District 1-5A after Friday’s regular-season finale, held them to three touchdowns and 250 yards.

Against Haughton, the Gators defense seemed never to be out of position, stacking the box, playing tight coverage, hardly allowing the Bucs to breathe. Haughton could manage just 217 yards, 67 passing and a bruising 150 on the ground.

The Bucs, 5-5, 3-4, will find out Sunday if their 25-years playoff streak is either extended, or ended.

“They whipped us up front, on both sides of the ball,” Haughton coach Jason Brotherton said. “I didn’t think it’d be like that. We’ve been able to hold our own up front every game other than Many (a 35-3 loss). We knew they were talented and thought before the season they could win district. We knew they were getting back to full strength (after some midseason injuries). But I still didn’t think it would be that big of a mismatch up front.”

Shreve coach Adam Kirby said it was as physical as his team has played all year—and just in the nick of time.

“I told our team the challenge tonight would be, ‘Can we be the more physical team?’” the rookie head coach said. “I wanted to make sure we set the tempo early and got it going. To the kids’ credit, they took it personal. They wanted to send a statement heading into the playoffs; that’s just what they did.”

The Gators won the toss and elected to receive, a wise call since sophomore running back Jamarlon Otis ran off right tackle and was never touched on his way down the west sideline and into the south end zone for a 76-yard touchdown. The kick from senior John Chance was good; he was a perfect 5-for-5 on PAT’s, and sophomore Zane Wyss nailed the final one when Shreve scored its sixth touchdown with substitutes and 1:07 left to play.

In between, the two teams played a first half that settled little. What probably determined the game was what happened between 3:02 left in the second quarter and 4:02 left in the third.

Following a Haughton punt and one of Shreve’s 11 penalties (for 110 yards), the Gators rallied for a first down from an unfavorable first-and-26 from its own 16. Shreve got a rush from Jayden Edwards for four yards, a scramble from quarterback Kenyon Terrell for 13, then Terrell hit Edwards in the flat for a first-and-10 near midfield.

Next came the killer, a Terrell pass to Keaton Flowers on a crossing route for 49 yards to the Haughton 4. On first-and-goal, Terrell found Flowers all alone for the score and a 14-0 lead.

With 1:28 left in the half, Haughton drove from its own 20 to a fourth-and-9 at the Gator 29 but couldn’t convert. 14-0 Shreve at the half.

Haughton started the second half with the ball at midfield after a pooch kick and Shreve penalty, but the Gators forced a three-and-out and the offense put together an 80-yard, 14-play drive that ended with junior wideout Jordan Wiggins rushing from 16 yards out and spinning into the end zone for a 21-0 lead that seemed to break the Bucs with 4:02 left in the third.

That final Haughton first-half drive that ended on a fourth-down stop by Shreve was one of three fourth-down chances the Bucs couldn’t make good on; one was a fourth-and-one that turned into a fourth-and-six and punt attempt after a procedure penalty. A bad snap then gave Shreve a first down on the Buc 21 and led to the fifth TD of the night, a Terrell keeper from 8 yards out, to make it 35-0 early in the final quarter.

Too many little things added up to too many big things for the Bucs to overcome on a night that belonged to the Gators.

“We were in the game in the first half,” Brotherton said. “We had some misreads and we dropped a crossing route we maybe score on to make it 7-7. We had our chances. If we get any of those plays early, the whole game might be different.”

Instead, the Gators racked up 463 yards — 98 passing, 365 rushing — then crowd-surfed their first-year head coach above the home field turf only a few minutes after the final horn.

“Meant the world to me,” Kirby said. “Been a long year for all of us. But these kids, they’re still fighting.” 

Contact Teddy at teddy@latech.edu

Captain Shreve 42, Haughton 7

Score by quarters

Haughton | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | – 7

Shreve | 7 | 7 | 14 | 14 | – 42

Scoring summary

CS – Jamarlon Otis 76 run (John Chance kick)

CS – Keaton Flowers 4 pass from Kenyon Terrell (Chance kick)

CS – Jordan Wiggins 16 run (Chance kick)

CS – Jayden Edwards 21 run (Chance kick)

CS – Terrell 8 run (Chance kick)

H – Rashard Douglas 17 pass from Colin Rains (Carter Ebarb kick)

CS – Javen Thomas 2 run (Zane Wyss kick)

Individual leaders

Rushing 

Haughton – Tyler Rhodes 18-66, Colin Rains 8-25, Davontay Moss 4-23, Jamarion Montgomery 1-22, John Ecot 3-7, Rashard Douglas 1-5, Marlon Montgomery 1-2. 

Captain Shreve – Otis 10-115, Edwards 15-96, Terrell 9-80, Thomas 2-34, Wiggins 1-16, Scotty Simo 3-14, Brodie Savage 1-8, Flowers 1-2. 

Passing 

Haughton – Rains 7-19-0-67. 

Captain Shreve – Terrell 7-8-0-98.

Receiving

Haughton – Jalen Lewis 2-24, Douglas 1-17, Jam. Montgomery 2-15, Ecot 2-11. 

Captain Shreve – Flowers 4-68, Edwards 1-14, cam Wilson 1-9, JT Hester 1-6.

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By TEDDY ALLEN, Journal Sports

HAUGHTON — As long as linemen love bacon, as long as quarterbacks date cheerleaders and running backs wear bruises like badges of honor, all who were here and all who’ll hear about it will never forget Benton 78, Haughton 71. 

“That was a basketball game,” said Benton senior quarterback Gray Walters, who was responsible for much of the madness by completing 23 of 33 passes for 248 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions, and either rushing or scrambling for 107 yards.

“Been doing this 26 years,” said Haughton quarterbacks coach Kyle Wilkerson, “and I’ve never seen anything like it.” 

“Might never see anything like it again,” Haughton assistant Josh O’Nishea said. 

“We got in a shootout and lost to Newman, 54-52,” Benton coach Reynolds Moore said, “but that was nothing like this.” 

“I knew during warm-ups (it would be this type game),” Haughton head coach Jason Brotherton said afterward in the calm of his office, a world away from what had finished less than half-hour ago out the back door on a perfect October night for football at Harold E. Harlan Stadium. 

“I just knew,” he said. “I know what we can do on offense. I know how they play offensively. I’m not saying I knew it would be in the 70’s, but it was gonna take a bunch to win.

“I think I said yesterday we might need 70 to win. I was wrong. We needed 80.” 

Well … 79, anyway. 

Benton is 5-3, 4-1 in District 1-5A and has scored more than 50 points in its past six games. Haughton is 4-4, 2-3, and has the odd sensation of having scored 10 touchdowns in one game — that’s a good month for some teams — and losing. 

Just as a quick starter-kit glance, the score was 14-14 after the first quarter, 35-28 Benton at half, and 56-42 Haughton going into the fourth when Benton outscored the Bucs, 36-15. 

The Tigers and Bucs traded touchdowns and extra points until 6:51 was left in Friday night’s game. Benton’s Ethan Johnson scored on a pick six to pull his team within a point of a tie, 63-62. Moore decided to go for two, and senior Landon Duggan scored from the wildcat formation for Benton’s 64-63 lead. 

“I thought maybe we could change the momentum,” Moore said. “I’d told our coaches if we scored again we were going to go for two and try to put this thing away.” 

It seemed the Tigers finally had when a fumble recovered by Benton set up junior running back Greg Manning for the seventh of his school-record eight touchdowns on the night and pushed Benton’s lead to 71-63 with 2:34 left. 

But … Haughton’s Jalen Lewis returned the ensuing kickoff 75 yards for a score, his second kickoff return for a touchdown of the night. Crazy. 

Then Haughton went for two and the tie, and got it on a pass from Colin Rains to Jamarion Montgomery in the left flat to make it 71-71 with 2:20 left — in this game, an eternity. 

It took the Tigers nine plays to go 84 yards, the final 30 on a burst by Manning, who earlier in the game had begged his coaches, “Don’t throw the ball! Give it to me!” 

They did, for a school-record 278 yards on 32 carries. After his final touch and Peyton May’s 10th extra point kick, Benton led 78-71 with 0:48 left.

It wasn’t decided until Benton’s Johnson picked off a deep-ball try from Rains around the Tigers’ 35, where their victory formation put an exclamation point on the night.

“We made one more play than they did,” Moore told his team afterward. “We made enough mistakes for two or three games, but you kept fighting, and made one more play.”

Haughton workhorse Tyler Rhodes and the offensive line combined for 279 yards on 27 attempts, a 10.3 yards-per-rush average. Rains rushed 11 times for 126 yards and three scores.

With all those scores, with all the onside kicks and kick returns for touchdowns, with all the drive-stopping interceptions and fumbles, this classic came down to two or three plays, same as your ordinary, everyday 14-10 brawl — (if anyone remembers those).

Haughton had stolen a couple possessions early with successful onsides kicks turned into touchdowns for a 28-14 lead when Benton faced a fourth-and-9 from its own 34. The Bucs had a scrambling Walters hemmed up as they did much of the night, but each time he ran and weaved and stayed on his feet, all so unrehearsed. He threw passes to receivers who didn’t as much run routes as they ran to open spots, where Walters would find them.

“Just trying to make a play,” he said.

On this crucial fourth down, he finally pitched the ball forward over two leaping defenders to Manning, like a shortstop’s pitch to a second baseman, and Manning spun and ran 42 yards.  Benton scored three plays later and trailed by only a touchdown, 28-21.

“I heard (Manning) yelling my name and I just pitched it,” Walters said. “He did the rest. He’s the best back I’ve ever played with.”

Huge play. 

“Stop them there up by two scores, and you have a chance to go up by three touchdowns,” Brotherton said. “That’s a big one. We just couldn’t get off the field a couple of times.” 

Benton was 7-of-10 on third down, 1-1 on fourth. But Haughton was good too: 4-of-6 on third down and 1-of-1 on fourth. 

Everything was just razor thin. 

“Once they got up by two scores, we knew we were in a dogfight,” said Benton senior offensive lineman Cameron McCormack, whose back Manning ran up much of the night. “I felt like I had to make every block, every time. It felt like every single play was pivotal.” 

“You don’t really know what to tell your guys after a game like that,” Brotherton said. “I told them it hurts, I know. But if it means anything to you right now, you’ll never forget this game. It might not be a great memory, but you’ll always be a part of something really special. People around here are gonna be talking about this game forever.” 

Contact Teddy at teddy@latech.edu

Benton 78, Haughton 71

Score by quarters

Benton | 14 | 21 | 7 | 36 | – 78

Haughton | 14 | 14 | 28 | 15 | – 71

Scoring summary

B – Greg Manning 4 run (Peyton May kick)

H – Tyler Rhodes 57 run (Carter Ebarb kick)

H – John Ecot 8 pass from Colin Rains (Ebarb kick)

B – Manning 4 run (May kick)

H – Rhodes 1 run (Ebarb kick)

H – Ecot 7 pass from Rains (Ebarb kick)

B – Manning 7 pass from Gray Walters (May kick)

B – Landon Duggan 1 run (May kick)

B – Andy Lim 4 pass from Walters (May kick)

H – Rhodes 6 run (Ebarb kick)

B – Manning 32 run (May kick)

H – Jalen Lewis 78 kickoff return (Ebarb kick)

H – Jamarion Montgomery 10 pass from Rains (Ebarb kick)

H – Rhodes 26 run (Ebarb kick)

B – Manning 20 run (May kick)

H – Rashard Douglas 57 kickoff return (Ebarb kick)

B – Manning 11 run (May kick)

B – Ethan Johnson 40 interception return (Duggan run)

B – Manning 28 run (May kick)

H – Lewis 75 kickoff return (Montgomery pass from Rains)

B – Manning 30 run (May kick)

Individual leaders

Rushing

Benton (50-387) – Manning 32-278, Walters 15-107, Duggan 1-1, Cole Austin 1-1.

Haughton (38-349) – Rhodes 27-279, Rains 9-74.

Passing

Benton – Walters 23-33-3, 248 yards, 2 TDs.

Haughton – Rains 11-18-2, 126 yards, 3 TDs.

Receiving

Benton – Russell 10-113, Jeffrey King 4-55, Manning 4-52, Lim 3-23, Brady Blaylock 2-5. 

Haughton – Lewis 2-49, Douglas 2-50-38728, Montgomery 2-23, Ecot 4-22, Trent McGowen 1-4.

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By TEDDY ALLEN, Journal Sports

Haughton football coach Jason Brotherton is old enough to remember when scoring 42 points would most likely win you any game.

But the Bucs scored 42 last week at Airline — and lost by two scores, 55-42.

“And that’s not even the crazy thing,” Brotherton said.

No, it’s not. This is …

Haughton goes into each game with a prescription that would usually work for any team. Be able to run the ball. Don’t turn it over. Convert on third down.

Against the Vikings, the Bucs exceeded their rushing-total target, didn’t turn it over, were 7-of-11 on third down. Lost by 13.

“Our defensive coordinator is ready to jump off a bridge,” Brotherton said. “I’m not gonna let him because eventually we’ll lose a game, 7-0. Two years ago, we beat Benton, 7-0; it won’t be 7-0 this year, that’s for sure.”

Unless they play the game with a bowling ball, probably not when Benton visits Haughton tonight at 7 in yet another big District 1-5A game.

“Might need 62 to win,” Brotherton said.

That’s not unchartered waters for the Tigers. Benton (4-3, 3-1) has scored 63, 62, and 56 points in its current three-game win streak.  But Haughton, (4-3, 2-2) is at home, has maybe the best athlete on the field in its quarterback, Colin Rains, and maybe learned some lessons in the Airline loss.

Four times the Vikings went for it on fourth down. Four times they were successful; once Haughton was called for encroachment on a 4^th-and-1 from the 2.

“If we win those four plays, we probably win the game,” Brotherton said. “We said all last week that Airline was going to score; they were going to get their yards. So is Benton. So on defense, you can still give up points, but there are gonna be three or four big plays in a game, and you gotta win those to win it. We don’t need 10 stops; we need three or four.”

Benton senior quarterback Gray Walters is one of several three-year starters at the position in the district. “Seems he’s been playing there 11 years,” Brotherton said. “I’m ready for him to graduate.”

Walters’ favorite target is Pearce Russell, who caught four of Walters’ five TD passes in last week’s 62-15 rout at Natchitoches-Central.

“He reminds me of (former Haughton star) CJ McWilliams,” Brotherton said. “CJ is faster, Pearce is bigger, but everything looks so easy for them. I don’t know if (Benton coach) Reynolds (Moore) even needs to go to the games anymore.”

Contact Teddy at Teddy@latech.edu

Benton (4-3, 3-1) at Haughton (4-3, 2-2) 

Where: Harold E. Harlan Stadium 

Series: Haughton 20-8 

Last year: Benton 42-21 

Last week: Benton beat Southwood 56-12; Haughton lost to Airline 55-42 

Rankings: Benton is No. 2 in Shreveport-Bossier Journal Top 10; Haughton is 7^th in Journal poll 

LHSAA Power Ratings: Benton is No. 17 in Non-Select Division I; Haughton ranks 21^st in Non-Select Division I 

Radio: Benton (The Light 92.1 FM) 

Notables: The Tigers are on a roll, putting themselves back in the District 1-5A race by winning three straight since an early-season three-game losing skid … Benton has scored at least 50 points in five straight games. Haughton allowed 55 points to Airline last week. Benton is 2-9 in their last 11 against Haughton, but ended an eight-game losing streak to the Buccaneers with a 42-21 victory last season … Tigers receiver Pearce Russell leads Bossier Parish with 54 catches (second statewide, per GeauxPreps.com, 3 behind Howard Kinchen of Patterson) and 1,041 yards receiving yards (also second statewide, 82 yards behind Kinchen). His 14 touchdown receptions are tied with Airline’s Daxton Chavez.

The Bucs were 5-6 last season and lost in the first round of the playoffs to Chalmette, 21-20, but are much better offensively this season. “It’s weird because we have a lot of the same kids (this year) who were on that team,” Brotherton said. “We didn’t have as much speed when they were younger as we do now. We weren’t very explosive. We run it a lot better this year” … For Haughton against Airline, Rains was 13-of-18 for 289 yards and 3 TDs, no picks … Tyler Rhodes rushed 22 times for 119 yards and two scores, and Rains rushed 14 times for 88 yards and a TD … Jalen Lewis caught six passes for 158 yards and a score … Rashard Douglas had three catches for 101 yards, including a 75-yard catch-and-run TD.

Natchitoches Central (3-4, 2-2) at Parkway, (6-1, 3-1) 

Where: Preston Crownover Stadium 

Series: Natchitoches Central 12-10 

Last year: NCHS 38-21 

Last week: Natchitoches Central beat Captain Shreve 30-17; Parkway lost to Byrd 39-14 

Rankings: Parkway is No. 4 in Journal poll 

LHSAA Power Ratings: NCHS stands 35^th in Non-Select Division I; Parkway is No. 13 in Non-Select Division I 

Radio: Natchitoches Central (95.9 FM Kix Classic Country) 

Notables: Panthers licking their wounds after their first loss of the season – 39-14 to Byrd … Parkway running back Jaylan White has 1,124 yards from scrimmage (895 rushing, 229 receiving) and 12 touchdowns … Chiefs are coming off a surprising 30-17 victory at Captain Shreve … Natchitoches Central has allowed at least 46 points three times this season … Parkway is 2-2 against the Chiefs since 2015 … NCHS quarterback Brian Young, who injured a shoulder early in the jamboree, finally regained form last week at Shreve and is a dual threat along with productive tailback Jeremiah Miles.

Southwood (0-7, 0-4) at Captain Shreve (3-4, 0-4) 

Where: Lee Hedges Stadium 

Series: Shreve leads 31-21 

Last year: Shreve won by forfeit 

Last week: Southwood lost to Benton 56-12; Captain Shreve lost to Natchitoches Central 30-17 

Rankings: none 

LHSAA Power Ratings: Shreve is No. 15 in Select Division I; Southwood is 33^rd in Select Division I 

Radio: Shreve (klkl.fm, 95.7 FM) 

Notables: Despite the 56-12 loss to Benton last week, Southwood coach Jesse Esters thinks the Cowboys handled the Tigers “pretty well” until late in the game … “Our defensive backs missed a couple of assignments and they scored late,” he said … While the Cowboys started with a strong rushing attack against Benton, penalties killed first-half drives … Senior DB Marrio Stevenson filled in at RB and had 157 yards on 27 carries with 2 TDs … Junior Shamichael Johnson also filled in at RB … “We’re finding special players that (maybe) should have been heavy contributors early in the season,” said Esters … WR’s Dantonio Arkansas and Zamarian Tageleri continue to be threats on offense. “They’re the offensive threats we need to beat some of these teams in our district,” Esters said of the receiving duo … There is great news for the Cowboys as senior RB/DE Melvin Coleman will be back from an injured knee – along with two junior LBs, Caleb Nunsant and Jathon Skinner … “We are very positive about this week,” said Esters. “We’ll get back to the drawing board and prepare for a good Captain Shreve team.”

The Gators are dealing with a rash of injuries. It’s hard to build depth in high school football, especially along the offensive line. “You need those five guys playing as one unit,” said Shreve coach Adam Kirby. “There has to be a level of trust that can only be built by playing beside someone rep after rep. Offensive line is a position where if one guy messes up, it makes the entire unit look bad … Because of injuries, Shreve had to play a lot of young players in last week’s loss to Natchitoches Central. But, there is a bright spot. “They gain the experience needed in order to build a program,” Kirby said. “That way, they’re not caught in the moment when they’re older” … A win over Southwood would give their Gators their first district W. “Execute at a high level, give great effort, and have a great attitude when things don’t go our way,” Kirby said, when asked what the keys are to beating the Cowboys. “If we can do those three things, I like our chances.”

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By TEDDY ALLEN, Journal Sports

After a dominating 39-14 road win over previously unbeaten District 1-5A leader Parkway last Friday, C.E. Byrd football, back in the hunt after two straight losses, must have enjoyed a pretty sweet week.

“Sweet?” Byrd coach Stacy Ballew said. “Well not real sweet. We got Airline now and they’re averaging, what, 50 points a game?”

In district play, that’d be 52 points game, and All Those Points have helped the Vikings, 4-3, get to 4-0 in 1-5A and No. 1 in the Shreveport-Bossier Journal  Top 10 poll.

The Vikings and Byrd (5-2, 2-2) meet at 7 tonight in Lee Hedges Stadium.

“It might not look like it to the average fan in the stands, but they’re very balanced in what they do,” Ballew said of Airline’s wide-open, up-tempo, stretch-the-field offense. “Defensively (at practice) this week, yes, we’re saying ‘Get back’ a lot to our defensive backs and ‘Watch the vertical,’ because (the Vikings are) throwing the ball deep.”

In last week’s 55-42 win over Haughton, Airline passed for 314 yards, rushed for 221, and had 22 plays of 10-plus yards.

“They’re so multiple in what they do,” Ballew said. “They’re throwing it, but they’re running the ball well. Inside runs. Outside runs. Shovel passes. Bombs. Not just one thing … they do quite a few things, and right now, they’re doing them all good.”

Byrd will counter with a triple option that Airline coach Justin Scogin says the Yellow Jackets “run to perfection.”

“The way they do stuff on offense, it’s so well-timed,” Scogin said. “Been telling our guys all week, it’ll catch you by surprise. And the way they play defense is very precise and they play extremely hard. That’s what I’ve told our guys will stick out, how efficient they are and how hard they play.”

Byrd quarterback Lake Lambert returned from concussion protocol to engineer an efficient passing game — 5 of 8 for 76 yards — and rushed for 121 yards on 16 carries in last week’s win at Parkway; the Yellow Jackets finished with a healthy 309 yards on 50 carries.

While Byrd figures to show Airline more of the same with its efficient option, the Vikings “always want to add stuff in,” Scogin said. “Our assistant coaches do such a good job of suggesting something we haven’t done before with this player or that one; they figure out the blocking scheme and the skill side of it. Makes it easier for me.”

Something will have to give as Byrd’s Purple Swarm defense is coming off its best performance of the season.

“We played so well on defense; did a great job of stopping their running back (Jaylan White) who’s so good,” Ballew said. “And offensively, we didn’t turn it over; that was the key. Coming off a two-game losing streak, our kids never gave up. There was no quit in them, they had a great week of practice, and then they performed well. And Parkway is a good football team. They’ve got athletes and lots of them. They’re not hurting; it’s just that on both sides of the ball, we played well.

“We’ve got a bunch of kids playing hard every single play.”

Contact Teddy at teddy@latech.edu 

Airline (4-3, 4-0) vs. Byrd (5-2, 2-2) 

Where: Lee Hedges Stadium 

Series: Byrd 29-17 

Last year: Byrd 51-27 

Last week: Airline beat Haughton 55-42; Byrd beat Parkway 39-14  

Rankings: Airline is #1 in SBJ; Byrd is #3 in SBJ poll 

LHSAA Power Ratings: Airline #11 in Non-Select Div. I; Byrd #3 Select Div. I 

Radio: Byrd (The Tigers, 1130 AM, 103.3 FM) 

Notables: Airline played Haughton on Thursday last week, but Scogin didn’t attend the Byrd-Parkway game Friday night. “I don’t get enough time to spend with my family as is,” he said, “so I was with them. If I go to a game, my family is usually with me, or I’ll go with my dad. Really, if you show up for a game (to scout), it’s for something like trying to figure out how fast they go. I can get the rest of what I need on film.” Team Scogin is expecting its second child soon after football season … Against Haughton, the Vikings’ heralded wide receiver, Daxton Chavez, was held to one catch for 37 yards — a fly pattern and he stretched to make the catch with his fingertips — but that left Cameron Jefferson (10-107), Tre Jackson (8-93), Bryson Broom (3-46), and tight end Bob Patterson (2-31) open for business. “Anybody who knows anything much about football knows people try to take your best players away,” Scogin said. “On the sideline, Dax was saying, ‘Hey, they’re taking me away. It’s y’all’s time to shine.’ One, it’s a badge of honor (for him) that they’re trying to stop him, and two, he was thrilled for Cam and Tre and Bob and Kylin (Jackson) and the rest of the guys. All we heard from him was, ‘Y’all keep it up. Keep the ball rollin’ and keep playin’” … For his part, Scogin calls himself an “Equal Opportunity Touchdown Guy. When we get to the goal line, I’m not thinking, ‘Let’s make sure Cam scores’ or ‘Let’s make sure Tre scores.’ I call the best play I can think of and whoever is on that side, out of all these different guys, that’s the guy who’s gonna score. I never go into a game thinking, ‘Dax or anyone else has got to touch the ball 15 times.’”

This is the 47th meeting between C.E. Byrd and Airline. The series began in 1964. The Yellow Jackets lead the series 29-17. Airline’s 36-20 win over Byrd in 2017 snapped a 14-game win streak. Byrd has won 18 of 19 games against Airline since 2005 … The return of offensive skill players Lake Lambert and Josh Allen aided the Jackets in their 39-14 win over previously unbeaten Parkway. Lambert, Byrd’s quarterback, rushed for a game-high 114 yards, including two touchdowns, and Allen, a wingback, added a couple of touchdown runs … Byrd’s All-City linebacker Brooks Brossette led the Yellow Jacket defense last week with 10 tackles. It’s the third week in a row that Brossette has had double-digit tackles, and the fourth occurrence this season. In the last 20 years, only five Byrd players have recorded more tackles than Brossette.

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By TEDDY ALLEN, Journal Sports

Hang on. Pretty sure something’s about to happen …

Yep. Here it is right here: “Haughton at Airline, tonight, 7 p.m.”

The sun coming up, death and taxes, and a huge mid-October game in District 1-5A.

“We feel like we’re tough; I didn’t feel like that a month ago,” said Jason Brotherton, head coach of Haughton (4-2, 2-1), a game back of Airline (3-3, 3-0).

After a last-second loss to Parkway—Haughton didn’t trail until the final two seconds—and wins over Southwood and Byrd, something has changed a bit for the Bucs, who seem to be getting better at what they do best.

“We’ve almost gone all the way in on lining up and running the ball right at you with our 210-pound running back (Tyler Rhodes) and a quarterback (Colin Rains) over 200 pounds,” Brotherton said. “They’re both big. Our offensive line has bought into it.”

Haughton rushed 35 times for 264 yards in its 37-24 win over Southwood two weeks ago, then got 150 yards from Rhodes, 92 of those in the second half, in last week’s 23-14 win over Byrd.

“I think it’s helped our defense,” Brotherton said. “We’re not asking as much out of them. We’ve won the time of possession the past three weeks.

“We were more physical than Byrd, and that’s usually not the case when we play them,” he said. “Physicality can make up for a lot of shortcomings. Our kids have started to believe in that.”

Logic suggests it would help Haughton’s cause to keep off the field an Airline offense that’s scored 163 points the past three weeks. The Vikings are matching that flair on defense: in Airline’s 42-14 win last week over Captain Shreve, the Gators’ offense managed just 45 yards in the first half and had only 75 total when their backup quarterback took over for the game’s final two series.

“(Rains) is similar to (Shreve quarterback Kenyon) Terrell; they’re both athletic and can move around,” Airline defensive coordinator Zack Pourciau said. “You don’t want to let him leave the pocket. Rhodes is really good too, just a solid, solid player.”

“Problems all over the place,” Scogin said of the challenges Haughton brings to the field. “They’ve been to the playoffs for, what, a quarter-century straight? Pretty good program.”

By this back half of the season, everyone knows who has what. Few secrets. So, it’s more about sweeping off your own porch.

“Our worries aren’t so much about Haughton or Parkway or Byrd,” Airline senior linebacker Mark Engelke said. “We know we’re a good team. If we execute, we’re gonna win games.”

“We feel like if we play well, we can beat anybody in our district,” Brotherton said. “Thursday night (against Byrd) was like that. If we play well, we have a chance; we’ve got some tough guys.”

Contact Teddy at teddy@latech.edu

Haughton (4-2, 2-1) at Airline (3-3, 3-0) 

Where: M.D. Ray Field at Airline Stadium 

Series: Airline 26-12 

Last year: Haughton 10-7 

Last week: Haughton beat Byrd 23-14; Airline beat Captain Shreve 42-14

Rankings: Haughton is No. 4 in SBJ poll; Airline is No. 2 in SBJ poll  

LHSAA Power Ratings: Airline is No. 17 in Div. I Non-Select; Haughton is No. 15 in Div. I Non-Select 

Radio: none 

Notables: Is 1-5A a joy or a gauntlet? It’s fun for fans of high school football, that’s for sure. In his first year as Airline’s head coach, Justin Scogin said he was “ready for it,” meaning the excitement and challenge of it, because no one can really BE ready for today’s 1-5A. “Best in the state,” Scogin said. “No other district in the state can match it top to bottom. Every single week is just brutal. As good as Southwood has gotten, there’s no game you can look at and say it’s a 100 percent win. Any team can beat any other team on any given night” . . . after early-season hiccups, the Vikings are putting their sophomore QB, Ben Taylor, in more favorable positions to be successful; his being five games older than he was in the 8-turnover opener has something to do with it too. “He’s surrounded by good skill players,” Haughton HC Jason Brotherton said. “He’s got big talented receivers around him. He’s done a good job himself and he doesn’t have to be great. Just get the ball close to (Daxton) Chavez and he’ll catch it” . . . Chavez and his “huge catch radius” is one problem for defenses, and his strength running it after the catch is another, Brotherton said. “Then if you roll to the side of Chavez, you have to worry about Cam Jefferson on the other side and he’s good.”

Green Oaks (2-4, 0-1) at Calvary (4-2, 1-0)

Where: Jerry Barker Stadium 

Series: Calvary 2-0 

Last year: did not play 

Last week: Green Oaks lost to Loyola 30-12; Calvary beat North Caddo 56-26 

Rankings: Calvary is tied No. 5 in SBJ, tied No. 5 in Class 2A LSWA poll 

LHSAA Power Ratings: Green Oaks is No. 17 in Div. III Select; Calvary is No. 6 in Div. III Select 

Radio: Calvary (Promise 90.7 FM) 

Notables: Giants’ head coach Chadwick Lewis is still hoping his players can clean up the mistakes – penalties, bad reads, forcing the ball — as they continue district play this week . . . the Giants have been without standout DL Kashaun Green since he suffered a knee injury in Week 2’s “Soul Bowl” victory over BTW . . . Lewis points to DB/WR Delarious Marshall and DE Phillip Hayes as the leaders on defense . . . Marshall also had nine catches for 119 yards in last week’s 30-12 loss to Loyola . . . Amarion Dorsey leads Green Oaks receivers with 14 catches for 281 yards and 3 TDs . . . QB Tovoras Lee is closing in on 1,000 passing yards . . . after going 14-for-25 for 199 yards last week, Lee is 177 shy of the mark.

This marks the first matchup between the Cavaliers and Giants in 12 years. Calvary won 59-18 in 2010 and 49-8 in 2009 . . . since a Sept. 15 loss to Captain Shreve, Calvary has scored at least 50 points in three straight against Wossman, Mansfield and North Caddo and the Cavs boast an average winning margin of 53-17 . . . running back James Simon IV has scored 12 touchdowns this season (eight rushing, four receiving). Six different Cavaliers have hauled in a touchdown pass this season.

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By TEDDY ALLEN, Journal Sports

Both Airline and Captain Shreve will be directionally challenged when they meet tonight in a District 1-5A scrap at 7 at Lee Hedges Stadium.

Airline (2-3, 2-0) lost its first three games and won its last two.

Captain Shreve (3-2, 0-2) won its first three games and lost its last two.

Tonight will end with either a continuing trend or a couple of U-turns.

So does either coach change his message?

Not a chance.

“The message is the same,” Shreve’s Adam Kirby said. “The focus is on ourselves and not on who we’re playing. We try to take the other team out of it and instead ask ourselves, ‘Is this our best effort? Is this your best technique?’ We want to play fast, physical, and furious. And focus on us.

“There’s definitely disappointment,” Kirby said, “but not any panic. We lost to two really good teams.”

“Shreve is plenty dangerous without us having to say anything in regard to their record,” Airline’s Justin Scogin said. “They’ve had two losses and by, what, a touchdown each game? We don’t have to introduce them to our team; our players know.”

Plagued by turnovers early in the season, Scogin said that’s a thing his players have gotten past. The scoreboard agrees: the Vikings have scored a total of 121 points in their consecutive wins.

“Now we’re down to working hard on the small things,” Scogin said. “Practice the right way and leave the locker room (on game night) the right way. I think the way we’ve rebounded, the way we’re practicing, is a testament to how well our guys have bought in.”

Airline quarterback Ben Taylor has thrown for 11 touchdowns in the past two games and just one interception in the Vikings’ past four. The passing game has been so explosive that a Viking three-or-four-headed running game led by Tre Jackson has been overlooked a bit.

“Run off the pass is what we want to do,” Scogin said. “But some nights, things might go better on the ground.”

The Gators’ literal first line of defense will be a line that loves a challenge.

“A group of really good players and good kids who enjoy each other,” Kirby said about the Shreve defensive line. “Guys like Bryce Lopez and Greg Webb, Terrence Greene, Landon Mosley … the list could go on. They play hard, they don’t miss weights, they make their grades … This is a bunch that gets along well together and has the mentality of putting their head down and going to work. They’re willing to do whatever it takes.”

Tonight determines whether or not that will be enough.

Contact Teddy at teddy@latech.edu

Airline (2-3, 2-0 in 1-5A) vs. Captain Shreve (3-2, 0-2)

Where: Lee Hedges Stadium

Series: Airline leads 29-22-1

Last year: Captain Shreve 33-0

Last week: Airline defeated Natchitoches Central 46-0; Captain Shreve lost to Parkway 25-13

Rankings: Airline is No. 5 in Shreveport-Bossier Journal poll; Shreve is No. 4 in SBJ poll.

LHSAA power ratings: Airline is 22^nd in the Division I Non-Select ratings; Shreve is No. 7 in Division I Select

Radio: Captain Shreve (The River 95.7 FM, klkl.fm)

Notables: Captain Shreve head coach Adam Kirby says his players are handling well the disappointment of starting 0-2 in district play. “We’re fine. The kids are resilient and are working hard to right the ship. We still have a chance to go 8-2 and possibly get a first-round bye in the playoffs, so we’re focusing on that”… linebacker Scotty Simo leads the Gators with 43 tackles (28 solo). “We encourage our kids to play fast, physical, and fearless,” Kirby said. “He lives by that and plays like that every game. He’s got a mind like a coach, so he’s able to process information quickly and react to it. He was a unanimous first-team All-District selection last year and he’s on pace to have another great season” … Airline is averaging 60.5 points in its last two games. “Trust your coaching,” Kirby said, when asked about the Gators’ defensive approach. “We need to play hard for 48 minutes and not get down on ourselves if and when something happens. Football games are up and down, and we need to learn how to stay even-keeled and trust what we’ve been coached to do.”

Friday in Airline’s shutout of Natchitoches-Central, Braylen Smallwood had nine of the Vikings’ 94 yards rushing, which doesn’t seem like a big deal until you realize he plays offensive guard. The play ended up so pretty, it looked as if it were designed. It wasn’t. “We call it ‘The Snap Is Fumbled And The Guard Picks It Up And Runs With It’ play,” coach Justin Scogin said. Smallwood had a host of blockers around left end — a power sweep, it appeared — and rumbled around the corner as if he’d done it dozens of times before. Teammates and coaches claimed he was the happiest man in Bossier at that moment as he lived the offensive lineman’s dream … speaking of clean living, the Vikings were the beneficiary on a holding call on the Chiefs — on a Chiefs kickoff that was a touchback. Go figure … Vikes have found a new handyman in receiver and special teams regular Bryson Broom, who started at safety Friday, the first time he’d played defense in — ever. With Ladarius Epps injured, Broom stepped into the position at last Monday’s practice and did so well Friday that, even with Epps back tonight, Broom will play defense somewhere. He almost scored Friday on offense, too; look for him to be on the field most all the time … LB Justin Epps has been hurt since spring but should return in late October … Friday’s win was on Homecoming 2022 and was the first on the new turf installed late last summer at M.D. Ray Field at Airline Stadium.

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By TEDDY ALLEN, Journal Sports

Airline scored a school-record 75 points last week against Benton and won by only two touchdowns, 75-59.

Last night the Vikings scored 46 and won by — 46, a 46-0 whitewashing of visiting Natchitoches-Central (1-1, 2-3).

Of course while this was going on, a one-win Benton team that scores more often than a pinball machine was up the road at Mason-Newman Field at Tiger Stadium mauling previously unbeaten Byrd, the Shreveport-Bossier Journal’s No. 1-ranked local team, 63-28.

And Parkway was having a little bit easier of a time than most expected in its 25-13 win over the Gators, while Haughton was having a little bit tougher of time than most expected in its 37-24 win over Southwood.

But … this is the District 1-5A world we live in.

All that mattered to Airline (2-0, 2-3) on Homecoming night was winning its second game in a row after a turnover-filled 0-3 start and a 1-9 season last year. The Vikings needed an exclamation point on last week’s 75-point total and a defensive effort from start to finish.

That’s what they got.

“I knew we’d play well,” head coach Justin Scogin said, “but I didn’t think in my wildest dream it’d be like this. Defensively, we just dominated.”

By the time the visiting Chiefs had gotten their third first down — two of those were by penalty — Airline had built a 26-0 first-quarter lead.

After opening the game with two three-and-out efforts, the Viking defense scored when Jeremiah Boudreau snapped up a three-hop fumble after a vicious Viking hit and returned it 27 yards down the sideline for a touchdown.

Other first-quarter scores were Viking quarterback Ben Taylor passes to Bob Patterson for 28 yards and Daxton Chavez for 18, and a 3-play, 51-yard drive that ended in a one-yard scoring run by Tre Jackson.

The score was 39-0 at half and much of the second half was played with a running clock; the Chiefs just never came close to scoring, something that put some pep in the step of defensive coordinator Zach Pourciau, who had to wear a semi-fake smile after last week’s victory when his unit gave up 59.

“The maddest I’ve ever been after a win in my life,” he said. “I was not happy. The problem was the lapse we had (last week) after we pulled the 1’s out.

“Tonight we came out fast, we started fast, we played fast, and we finished fast,” he said. “The big thing was to make sure we kept the intensity up for the entire game. Doesn’t matter what time in the game it is or what the score is or who’s playing. And I think we did an excellent job of that tonight. We finished.”

Taylor finished 14-of-24 passing (with four drops) for 253 yards and four touchdowns, three of those on the only three balls Chavez caught in the game — for 18 yards in the first quarter and deep posts for 60 and 33 yards in the second quarter. Play-action helped on the last one, but on both, Chavez just basically ran past the secondary and Taylor dropped it to his receiver on the run.

“We felt they’d try to take Dax away early on, and they did,” Scogin said. “But when they do that, you just throw to Cameron (Jefferson) or Bob (Patterson) or Tre; all of them. There’s no drop off at all. I think we loosened them up with some good passing plays to those guys, and we were able to hit Chavez late for a couple.”

Not unnoticed was Friday’s win marked the Vikings’ first on their new turf, which was installed just before last year’s winless-at-home season.

The grass is looking a lot greener now.

Contact Teddy at teddy@latech.edu

Airline 46, Natchitoches Central 0

Score by quarters

NCHS | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – 0

Airline | 26 | 13 | 7 | 0 | 46

Scoring summary

Air – Bob Patterson 28 pass from Ben Taylor (kick failed)

Air – Jeremiah Boudreaux 27 fumble return (Ben Jump kick)

Air – Daxton Chavez 18 pass from Taylor (kick blocked)

Air – Tre’ Jackson 1 run (Jump kick)

Air – Chavez 60 pass from Taylor (Jump kick)

Air – Chavez 33 pass from Taylor (kick failed)

Air – Cameron Jefferson 10 run (Jump kick)

Individual Leaders

Rushing – Airline (15-85), Ben Taylor 2-2, Tre Jackson 5-32, Kylin Jackson 1-9, Cameron Jefferson 3-16, JoJo Johnson 3-8, Preston Doerner 6-(-5). NCHS (33-118), BJ Young 4-19, Jeremiah Miles 16-55, Lannon Collum 1-6, Zecarious Thompson 7-14, Jaiden Medlock 3-23, Camryn Davis 2-1.

Passing – Airline, Taylor, 14-24-0-253. NC, Young 6-10-0-12.

Receiving – Airline, Bob Patterson 2-50, Jackson 5-38, Daxton Chavez 3-111, Cameron Jefferson 3-47; Kylin Jackson 1-7.

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By TEDDY ALLEN, Journal Sports

Parkway jumped from the ice chest into the frying pan last week when District 1-5A play opened against Haughton.

Didn’t take but a few minutes into what would be a nail-biting 17-14 Panthers win to knock off the chill and feel the heat.

“It was the first time we’d faced any adversity,” said Parkway coach Coy Brotherton, whose team had beaten its first three opponents by a combined score of 131-20 and had pitched two straight shutouts. “Felt it was a little easy for them. We got woke up the first half against Haughton, that’s for sure; that really brought us back to reality.”

It keeps on being for real tonight when Parkway, 1-0, 4-0, welcomes Captain Shreve, 0-1, 3-1 to newly-turfed Preston Crownover Stadium at 7. 

While Parkway won a close one last week, Shreve rallied from being down 17-0 at the half to Byrd before losing, 25-20. That’s old news now to the Gators, who’ve had to think on their feet just to get through a challenging pre-district schedule.

“One thing about this team is they buy into the ‘one play won’t win you the game, and one play won’t lose you the game; one game won’t win district for you, and one loss won’t lose it for you,’’’ Shreve coach Adam Kirby said. “This week we’ve had three of our best practices so far. They’re focused, and our goals are still in reach.

“I’m so proud of their effort in the second half (last week),” Kirby said. “They could have folded. I’m seeing the hunger, the desire to want to get back at it.”

To do it, the Gators will have to slow the fastest player on the field in running back Jaylan White (43 carries, 495 yards, 7 TDs), who finished tied for No. 17 in the state in the 100 meters.

“He’s electric,” Kirby said. “Coy does a fantastic job of getting the ball into his hands in all sorts of different ways. Fans are going to see two of the fastest players in the state between him and (Shreve receiver) Macho (Stevenson, 10 catches, 177 yards, 2 TDs).”

Parkway’s defense has its own challenges, starting with containing Gator quarterback Kenyon Terrell, who’s thrown just one interception in 86 attempts.

“He extends a lot of plays and can hurt you either running or throwing,” Brotherton said. “You think you’ve got him bottled up and, somehow, he makes a good play.”

Whatever happens, it will be in an atmosphere that illustrates “big boy football,” Kirby said.

“It’s tough over there man,” Shreve’s rookie head coach said. “They’ve done a good job. Hat’s off for finding something and getting it really going. They’ll have fireworks before the game, a deejay … It’ll be a playoff atmosphere. I’ve told our guys, you’ve got to treat this like a district title game. (The Panthers) play hard and it’s tough.”

“There’s the new turf, a lot of buzz, 4-0, and we’re playing a team we’re familiar with, separated by only a river,” Brotherton said. “I think a lot of people are going to be there. It’s a big game, our band is top notch … it’s going to be loud. For even the casual football fan, I believe this will be the place to be.”

Contact Teddy at teddy@LaTech.edu

Captain Shreve (0-1, 3-1) at Parkway (1-0, 4-0), Bobby Marlow Field at Preston Crownover Stadium

Series: Captain Shreve 30-16

Last year:  Parkway 30-23 in playoffs

Last week: Captain Shreve lost to Byrd 25-20; Parkway beat Haughton 17-14

Rankings:  Captain Shreve is No. 3 in SBJ Top 10; Parkway is No. 2 in SBJ poll

Radio: Captain Shreve (KLKL 95.7 FM)

Notable:  Head Coach Adam Kirby insists losing the district opener has not put any additional pressure on the Gators. “Our job is to control what we can control. We’ve got six weeks of football left. As long as we continue to play hard, our goal is still within reach” … the last two weeks, Shreve has shown they have two productive running backs in Jayden Edwards and Jamarlon Otis. “I think it’s a huge advantage, because both are extremely talented,” Kirby said. “It helps you in-game, and in game preparation, to have two guys that can get you positive yards every time they touch the ball” … Friday’s game is against the team that knocked Shreve out of last year’s playoffs (second round). “None,” Kirby said, when asked about the loss being motivation for this year’s team. “We treat each game the same, regardless of who it is. We really try to focus on ourselves and how we play, and focus on what we can do better day-to-day. It’s 2022, and what happened last season doesn’t affect this season.”

Parkway quarterback Ashton Martin will face his former team … the teams split last year – Shreve won 46-21 in the regular season, but the Panthers took a 30-23 second-round playoff victory … running back Jaylan White needs 262 rushing yards to break the school’s career record … White is averaging 11.5 yards per carry this season.

Natchitoches Central (1-0, 2-2) at Airline (1-0, 1-3), M.D. Ray Field at Airline Stadium

Series: Airline leads 24-15

Last year:  Natchitoches 28-7

Last week: Natchitoches Central beat Southwood 27-0; Airline beat Benton 75-59

Rankings:  Airline is No. 5 in SBJ Top 10 poll

Radio: NCHS (95.9 FM, Kix Classic Country, http://69.64.65.171:8192/kixstl)

Notable: Airline set a school record for points scored in the Vikings’ 75-59 victory at Benton last Friday night and earned the title of “Team of the Week” by the Shreveport-Bossier Journal … QB Ben Taylor threw seven TDs and Daxton Chavez caught five … Junior RB Tre’ Jackson had 15 carries for 173 yards and 1 TD … Sr RB Kylin Jackson had 120 yards on six carries with 1 TD … but the Secret Weapon was an offensive line that did the dirty work: LT Jackson Warren, LG Reid Hawsey, C Hunter Kendrick, RG Hunter Howard, RT Artis James, and backups Malik Word and Nathan Hill. SBJ Hat Tip … Special teams got in on the scoring too: JoJo Johnson returned a kickoff 85 yards for a TD … not to be dismissed, the Vikings gave up 59 points, but that’s something Airline HC Justin Scogin wasn’t overly concerned about. “One (TD) was a kick return, and there was kind of a lull in the game when we got a little too comfortable,” he said. “And there are still a few things schematically we’re trying to get installed. Our defensive coaches were upset, but minus a handful of things, I think we’ve been pretty good defensively all year. Our defensive staff does a fantastic job.” … Scogin also isn’t worried about a letdown after last week’s record-setting result. “Practice has been upbeat and all that, but not any more than usual,” he said. “I think they understand last week was just one game and we’ve got to keep our foot on the pedal as far as getting better to build this program.” … Taylor ranks third in the state with his 1,090 passing yards, according to GeauxPreps.com … the Chiefs have been playing a pair of sophomore quarterbacks since senior standout B.J. Young suffered a shoulder injury early in the jamboree against Loyola.

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By TEDDY ALLEN, Journal Sports

Haughton head coach Jason Brotherton spent the evening before the Haughton-Parkway football game playing football with his 9-year-old son in the front yard. Then he camped out in his pickup at the end of his driveway to ward off toilet-paper rollers.

“Three years in a row they’ve got me,” he said. “It’s a rivalry game, so …”

Little brother Coy, the head coach at Parkway, was at a high school football game Thursday but he was “playing football” too. How can football not be on your mind when you’re stepping on the field against your rival in less than 24 hours?

“Their quarterback (Colin Rains) is so good,” Coy said. “We can’t let him extend plays. Got to keep him in the pocket.”

The brothers won’t catch a pass or make a tackle or score a touchdown tonight. But some of their players will, and each is hoping their guys play better than the other guys. Parkway beat Haughton, 13-0, in the preseason jamboree.

Brotherly love aside, the tale will be told tonight when Parkway (3-0) meets Haughton (2-1) Between the Pines at Harlon E. Harlon Stadium at 7.

“It’s a tough place to play,” Coy said. “It’s hard to go in there and win. A rival game like that, you’ve got to throw everything else out the window. We’ve got to stay focused and let our players do the talking.”

“We’ve got to run the ball better and create some turnovers,” Jason said. “Can’t let them make any explosive plays. And they can kill you on special teams. We’ve got to make two more big plays than they do to be able to win.” 

Contact Teddy at teddy@latech.edu

Parkway (3-0) at Haughton (2-1), Harold E. Harlan Stadium

Series: Haughton leads 35-15

Last year: Parkway won 17-3

Last week: Parkway beat Bossier 49-0; Haughton lost to Many 35-3

Rankings: Parkway is No. 2 in SBJ poll

Radio: none

Notable: It’s time for another version of the Bro Bowl — head coaches and brothers, Coy (Parkway) and Jason (Haughton) … The brothers have split the first two meetings … The Panthers were the only Bossier Parish school to win last week … Haughton and Parkway have split the past 10 meetings.

Evangel (1-2) at Bossier (0-3), Memorial Stadium

Series: Evangel 6-0

Last year: Did not play

Last week: Evangel lost to Westgate 37-21; Bossier lost to Parkway 49-0

Rankings: Evangel is No. 10 in SBJ poll

Radio: none

Notable: Bossier head coach DeAumante Johnson presented Parkway head coach Coy Brotherton with a plaque before last Friday night’s game. Brotherton was the head coach at Plain Dealing when Johnson was the quarterback for the Lions … Brotherton also attended Senior Day at Grambling State University to honor Johnson. Brotherton was the first to call Johnson and invite him to be a part of Bryant Sepulvado’s staff at Captain Shreve High School … The Bossier offense only managed to earn one first down against the Parkway defense last week. Two of Bossier’s first downs were attributed to Parkway penalties … Bossier’s Cristobal Cruz had a 60-yard punt in last week’s game against Parkway …. Kameron Manning provided the Bearkats with a bright spot in the first quarter with an interception. … The 0-3 start for the Bearkats marks the first time since 2018 that Bossier has lost three games in a row. The Bearcats were 1-9 in 2018. 

Evangel boasts the top three positions on Shreveport-Bossier City’s tackles leaders. Jacob Wilson leads the way with 43 while teammates Gabriel Reliford and Jamal Jordan have posted 42 apiece. Four other Eagles are listed with 20-plus tackles. Those seven Evangel players have combined for 212 tackles and own seven of the top 18 spots.

Peabody (2-1) vs. Green Oaks (1-2), Jerry Burton Memorial Stadium

Series: Green Oaks 4-0

Last year: Did not play

Last week: Peabody lost to Logansport 46-13; Green Oaks beat BTW 28-6

Rankings: none

Radio: none

Notable: The good news from last week’s Soul Bowl was Green Oaks getting the 28-6 victory for the Giants’ first victory on the field since Nov. 20, 2022. The bad news is their star defensive lineman, Kashaun Green, was injured in the first quarter and will be out for a couple of weeks … “We told Kashaun, ‘We want you to play, but we need you for district,’” said Green Oaks coach Chadwick Lewis. “It’s no big deal if he has to sit out a couple of games” … The Giants are working hard to get the offense going. “We will have to be able to get some points on the board to help the defense,” said Lewis … The defense was the star of the game last week, recovering a fumble in the BTW endzone, coming up with a 14-yard scoop-and-score, and a 35-yard interception return for a score … “This is Military and First Responders Appreciation Night,” said Lewis, “so we want to acknowledge and thank them for their hard work and dedication to serving and protecting” … After breaking the losing streak, the Giants “want to be and remain hungry for more,” according to Lewis.

North Caddo (3-0) at Neville (2-1)

Series: Neville 2-0

Last year: Did not play

Last week: North Caddo beat Bolton 44-20; Neville beat Huntington 49-12

Rankings: North Caddo No. 5 in LSWA 2A poll, No. 7 in SBJ poll; Neville No. 4 in LSWA 4A poll

Radio: North Caddo (KNCB 1320 AM, K104FM)

Notable: Last time the schools played was in 1958 won by Neville 20-7 … North Caddo running back K.J. Black did not play in the 44-20 road win against Bolton last week … North Caddo has scored no fewer than 40 points in the first three games of the 2022 season … North Caddo’s University of Nebraska commit, Omarion Miller, only had two catches in last week’s win, but still managed to get over 100 yards receiving (116 to be exact). Both catches went for touchdowns. To finish things off, Miller caught the two successful two-point conversions on both touchdowns to finish the night with 16 points. 

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By TEDDY ALLEN, Journal Sports

Airline was 1-9 last year. Airline is much better this year—but 0-3.

The Vikings know that. Not easy to swallow. Too many turnovers. Poor tackling.

Do that better and who knows?

Benton? 1-2. Special teams mistakes. Gave up two kickoff returns for touchdown in back-to-back games. Pass coverage problems. Like Airline, poor tackling. Fix that and who knows?

Some answers will come tonight when Airline and Benton meet at Mason-Newman Field in Tiger Stadium. An argument could be made that this is the best matchup tonight in the state of teams with a combined 1-5 record.

Benton’s Tigers are coming off a heartbreaking loss in New Orleans in a game they led by 18 points to Newman, 54-52. Yes, that many points.

“Mentally, I think we’re in a good place (after the loss),” Benton coach Reynolds Moore said. “Still some fatigue. We’re not the freshest we’ve ever been. We have a lot of guys who played a lot of snaps.”

Cramping was usually a problem for the other team, not for Benton. Friday night in New Orleans was a different story. But a match with Airline suddenly clears the cramping air.

“It’s a big rivalry game,” Moore said. “We have to do whatever it takes to win this game. Airline is not a typical 0-3 team. If it were a team that nobody thought was good, our kids would be in a different mindset. But this is Airline. It’s a lot easier to be focused.”

“If we eliminate turnovers and if we tackle, we’ll be fine; I don’t worry that much about intensity if we do that,” Airline head coach Justin Scogin said. “We’re 0-3, but the good thing is they understand what they’re doing wrong. They’ve stayed true to who I thought they were. I know they’ve never gotten to the point where they’ve said, ‘Man, we’re giving up.’ They’ve continued to compete.

“We’re tired of people telling us how good of an 0-3 team we are,” he said. “Our kids understand; they get it. This has been the best part—nobody’s giving up. It’s never fun to lose, but the process of the whole thing, learning how to win, is fun.” 

Contact Teddy at teddy@latech.edu

Airline (0-3) at Benton (1-2), Mason-Newman Field at Tiger Stadium

Series: Airline 2-1

Last year: Benton 28, Airline 7

Last week: Airline lost to Northwood 35-28; Benton lost to Newman 54-52

Rankings: Benton is No. 5 in SBJ poll

Radio: Benton (The Light, 92.1 FM)

Notable: Tigers receiver Pearce Russell ranks third Caddo-Bossier with 18 receptions and 351 receiving yards … Benton is coming off a wild 54-52 loss to quarterback Arch Manning and Newman in Week 3 … Benton defeated Airline 28-7 last season and lost 31-28 in 2020.

Natchitoches Central (1-2) at Southwood (2-1), Lee Hedges Stadium

Series: Natchitoches 22-9

Last year: Natchitoches 37-6

Last week: Natchitoches lost to ASH 54-6; Southwood lost to Carroll 40-12

Rankings: none

Radio: Natchitoches (95.9 Kix Classic Country; http://69.64.65.171:8192/kixstl)

Notable: After starting the season 2-0 for the first time since 2006, the Cowboys fell to Carroll 40-12 in Week 3 … They hope to get back in the win column when they open District I-5A play against the Chiefs … Southwood coach Jesse Esters said the Cowboys will regroup and get back to the basics … “We had become distracted with the two wins that we didn’t perform well,” Esters said of last week’s loss … The Cowboys will be without three players tonight – workhorse running back Melvin Coleman, safety Jathon Skinner, and left guard Jayden Stevenson.

Calvary (1-2) at Wossman (2-1)

Series: First meeting

Last year: Did not play

Last week: Calvary lost to Byrd 14-7; Wossman beat Mentorship 67-0

Rankings: Calvary is No. 8 in LSWA 2A poll, No. 4 in SBJ poll

Radio: Calvary (Promise 90.7 FM)

Notable: So much for that quarterback competition. This week, Calvary Baptist Academy quarterback Bryce Carpenter, who had shared time with Abram Wardell, withdrew from the school and enrolled at Loyola College Prep … on the season, Carpenter has completed 39 percent of his passes (11-for-28) for one touchdown and one interception. He also added 29 rushing yards and a score. Wardell is 11-for-16 passing for three touchdowns and an interception … Barring a special reprieve, Carpenter won’t be eligible to play until Week 4 of his senior season.

 

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By TEDDY ALLEN, Journal Sports

Tonight in Many, Haughton has a home game on the road.

“Heard it’s an experience,” said Haughton head coach Jason Brotherton, whose 5A team known for its own interesting gameday experience is expecting a playoff atmosphere when the Bucs visit John W. Curtis Tiger Stadium at 7 o’clock.

“Heard about the Harley-Davidsons, the fireworks, the tailgating,” Brotherton, a Many gameday rookie, said. “We’re excited about that. Heard if you want to steal anything in Many, do it during a home football game. Sounds familiar; sounds like my kinda place.”

While Brotherton and the Bucs haven’t been there, they’ve “been there.”

“We have a unique (home) atmosphere too,” he said. “Many might even be a step up from us. But our guys are used to playing in big-game atmospheres.”

Both teams have playoff pedigrees. Many has won two Class 2A state titles in five title game appearances since 2013 and finished as runner-up last year. Haughton’s been a playoff regular for the last 25 years, including in every season since the Bucs have been in 5A.

“Our kids know Many’s good; they know Many’s not your typical 2A team,” Brotherton said. “Shoot, they’re gonna have more guys get scholarship offers for college on their team than we’ll have on ours, so we’re not gonna overlook them.

“There’s a lot of interest in the state in this game — how will the top team in Class 2A play against a 5A team. Our guys know that, and we always hope to represent 5A well.”

Many is fast and furious; the Tigers outscored their first two opponents, each in a higher classification, by a combined 88-10.

“We like playing in big games like this,” Brotherton said. “If you don’t find yourself playing in a big game, you must not be very good. Parkway is our biggest rival, and we’ve got them next week — another big game. So Friday night’s not going to be anything too out of the ordinary.”

Contact Teddy at teddy@latech.edu

Haughton (2-0) at Many (2-0), John W. Curtis Tiger Stadium

Series: Haughton leads 6-2

Last year: Did not play

Last week: Haughton beat LaGrange 44-14; Many beat DeRidder 50-7

Rankings: Haughton is ranked 4th in the Journal Top 10; Many is No. 1 in LSWA 2A Top 10

Radio: none locally; 99.9 KTEZ FM, Many (BDCRadio.com)

Notable: Last time they played was in 1969, won by Haughton 35-0 … Haughton Athletics’ Twitter, @HbucsAthletics, has named senior DL Hayden Ramey, 3.75 GPA, as its Scholar Athlete of the Week … Haughton QB Colin Rains is No. 5 in SBJ passing yardage: 358, 23-29-0, 5 TDs … Many QB Tackett Curtis is not much of a passer but is a special runner/safety/linebacker/return man; returned two punts for TDs this season and a third was wiped out by penalty … RB Jeremiah James is Many’s primary back, but look out for Jamarlyn Garner too, and others … defense returns 10 of 11 starters, including LB Keaton Montgomery and DB Tylen Singleton, from last year’s very good unit … Many coach Jess Curtis: “Playing some spread offenses earlier this season definitely helped us prepare and showed us some things we need to clean up. Third down on defense is a down we want to win. And then we want to control the time of possession on offense because Haughton likes to go up-tempo; we want to hang on to the ball.”

Loyola (0-2) at North DeSoto (2-0)

Series: Loyola leads 12-7

Last year: Did not play

Last week: Loyola lost to Logansport 44-42; North DeSoto beat Center, Texas 71-42

Rankings: None

Radio: none

Notable: Loyola has recovered more onside kicks (2) than it has fumble recoveries and interceptions combined (1) … Loyola will be trying to avoid its first 0-3 start since 2006 … Last week’s game against Logansport is the first time the Flyers have scored 42 points and lost since a 2007 playoff game against St. John’s-Plaquemine (46-44) … This is the first meeting between the Flyers and Griffins since 2014 … The previous 19 meetings were all as a district or playoff game.

Magnolia (0-2) at East Iberville (0-2)

Series: First meeting

Last year: First meeting

Last week: Magnolia lost to General Trass 49-18; East Iberville lost to East Feliciana 33-0

Rankings: none

Radio: none

Notable: Magnolia is looking for its first win since a 30-26 victory over Ringgold on Sept. 24, 2021 … despite scoring only one touchdown in their Week 1 loss to Lake Charles College Prep, the Mariners were able to get into the endzone three times last week … Magnolia quarterback Mark McCray – who ran for the Mariners’ only TD in Week 1 – threw two TDs last week (to DeAndre and DeVondre Johnson) … East Iberville is trying to break a three-game losing streak that started with last season’s final game.

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