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FOOTBALL 2017 i 3
& FOOTBALL 2017
OLD NEW
♦
EIGHT COACHES WILL DEBUT WITH THEIR SCHOOLS, WHILE ANOTHER POWER RETURNS TO ITS ROOTS
T
ADAM HUNSUCKER AHUNSUCKER@THENEWSSTAR.COM
“Time runs together. You turn around and you’re starting a new season with a new group of kids.” ♦ Steven Fitzhugh is
approaching the 19-year anni-
versary of his first season as Oua-
chita Christian’s football coach; one
year short of platinum status. ♦ That’s
just fine with Fitzhugh. He’ll happily settle for another season under the lights, his 20th as a head coach, which makes him the dean of northeastern Louisiana’s LHSAA football coaches. ♦ Fitzhugh’s office in the corner of the OCS field house bares the fruit of nearly two decades of labor as footballs, plaques and various mementos commemorate 176 wins and four state championships.
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See COACHES, Page 6A
HANNAH BALDWIN/THE NEWS-STAR
Ouachita Christian's Steven Fitzhugh, the dean of northeastern Louisiana's LHSAA football coaches, enters his 20th season with the Eagles.
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FOOTBALL 2017 Battles win the war
Continued from Page 4A
Does Fitzhugh feel the weight of his new title? “No,” Fitzhugh said with a laugh as he leans back in his office chair. “It’s easy to lose track of time when you’ve been doing this long enough. Sometimes you wish your seniors would leave their brains behind so you don’t have to go through the growing pains again but that’s what makes coaching exciting.”
Turnover at the top
Don’t let the “fifth-year head coach” tag attached to Jerry Arledge fool you. No one else in the area boasts a resume that includes coaching in the heyday of the Southland Conference in the 1980s and in the wars of the original District 2-5A; the home of legends Charlie Brown, Chick Childress, Don Shows and Mike Vallery. Arledge was Shows’ right hand of a defensive coordinator at West Monroe from 1993 until his final season in 2012 and became the caretaker of Rebel football beginning with the 2013 season. “I remember Don making the statement years ago that he came to West Monroe because he wanted to coach against the best,” Arledge said. “I don’t think that’s changed. The competition in this area makes you a better football team and it’s one
Churches are the only structures in northeastern Louisiana that rival football stadiums in terms of sheer volume. Some may question the connection, but it’s doubtful those skeptics have ever watched the area’s masses assemble inside the sanctuary of their preferred denomination on a Friday Night. Eight teams — Ruston (Jerrod Baugh), Bastrop (Adrian Burnette), Franklin Parish (Whitney McCartney), West Ouachita (Matt Middleton), Sterlington (Lee Doty), Ferriday (Stanley Smith), Vidalia (Dee Faircloth) and D’Arbonne Woods (David Feaster) — enter the 2017 with new coaches leading their gridiron congregations. District 2-4A was hit the hardest with turnover. Neville’s Mickey McCarty, now entering his 16th fall leading the Tigers, is all that remains from what had been one of the state’s most stable lineup of head coaches. “This is one of those unique years,” McCarty said. “I think all the new coaches in our district are quality coaches that will bring some energy and new idea to their schools. “It’s very gratifying for me to look up and be "THE STANDARD HERE AND THE EXPECTATIONS ARE SET HIGH. a head coach in the area that’s held the seat for NO MATTER WHAT WE HAVE IN OUR LOCKER ROOM, WE’RE a long time — even if I don’t feel as good coming off the practice field as I used to.” GOING TO WORK TO MAKE THE MOST OF IT AND THEY’RE McCarty has been in that seat long enough now to see his former players join him on the HUNGRY TO GET ON THE FIELD AND PROVE THEMSELVES.” Neville staff. New offensive coordinator Taylor Burch and wide receivers coach Leonard CeasNEVILLE COACH MICKEY McCARTY er join offensive line coach Matt Dickerson, who also played for McCarty, this season. Neville has its own turnover to deal with on the field, of the reasons we’ve been successful here.” where 14 starters have departed from the defending Class 4A Living in the shadow of a dynasty is no easy task. West runner-up. The roster is stocked with talented, if unproven Monroe snapped a streak of four years without reaching the upperclassmen that watched the Tigers go 40-2 and win backMercedes- Benz Superdome — a drought unheard of since the to-back state championships over the past three years. program’s pre-Shows doldrums — by marching back to New “The standard here and the expectations are set high,” Orleans last season. McCarty said. “No matter what we have in our locker room, we’re going to work to make the most of it and they’re hungry See COACHES, Page 7A to get on the field and prove themselves.”
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Landry-Walker was there waiting on the Rebels and spoiled their homecoming in a 50-21 blowout of a Class 5A state championship game. West Monroe has its collective eye set towards New Orleans once again and nothing less than a 16th dome appearance and ninth state title since 1993. “We set that bar high a long time ago and it seems like if we don’t get to that dome it isn’t a good year. We know that isn’t always the case but that remains the goal,” Arledge said. “To me, football is a series of battles. You have to win enough battles to win the war and that’s what we want to do.”
Defending the crown Rarely does a new coach walk into a situation like Lee Doty has at Sterlington. Most programs that enter the coaching market have one thing in common —losing. That wasn’t the case when Jason Thompson stepped down at Sterlington, who brought the area’s lone state championship back last December in Class 2A. Enter Doty, previously Sterlington’s strength and conditioning coordinator and a successful head coach in his own right. St. Mary’s of Natchitoches won 24 games in two seasons and played in the 2015 Division IV state championship game under Doty’s direction. Doty opted for continuity by keeping the bulk of NEWS-STAR FILE PHOTOS the staff in place while he Lee Doty was introduced as the new puts his own touch on the football coach and athletic director at program. Sterlington, above. Steven Fitzugh “This program is in and OCS return to Class 1A, where it has great shape and I’m not won three titles, including in 2000, right. here to turn things upside down,” Doty said. “As far as taking over for a state championship team, I don’t know if that’s a good or a bad thing. It’s a lot of pressure but one of the main things we’ve talked about is last year’s team won the state championship. “This team has its own chapter to write and I want to be the guy these kids trust to help them get it done.” Sterlington won’t be defending its state title in Class 2A. The Panthers now reside in Class 3A and in a revamped District 2-3A with Carroll, Madison, Richwood, Wossman
and former rival Union Parish. The Panthers thrived as the underdog one year ago, beating playoff nemesis Kinder, winning on the road at Many and pulling off the biggest upset of the year over Madison Prep in the Superdome. “We’re the new kids in the 3A and we’re the homecoming game,” Doty said. “In my opinion, we’re the underdog again and always will be as long as I’m here.”
Prodigal return Reclassification spread down U.S. Highway 165 and claimed another program that knows what it feels like to hoist the big trophy. OCS returns to its traditional home this season in Class 1A, a place where it captured three state championships and won 34 consecutive games from 2011-13. While the Eagles held their own in Class 2A, capturing two District 2-2A championships, the 2015 and 2016 seasons both ended with early playoff exits in the Division III select bracket. “We competed in 2A but I think when the playoffs hit, it was a different animal,” Fitzhugh said. “When we hit the playoffs, we were either one of the five smallest schools in 2A and now we’re one of the five biggest in 1A.” The move back to 1A brings with it a few familiar names on the schedule. OCS is set to renew rivalries with Cedar Creek, Oak Grove and St. Frederick inside District 1-1A. Oak Grove, which has won four state championships in its own right, missed out on its first Superdome appearance since 2004 last season in the Class 1A semifinals. “That’s one exciting thing about going back to 1A is renewing those rivalries,” Fitzhugh said. “We’ve continued to play Cedar Creek but now that’s a district game and we’ve probably played Oak Grove and St. Frederick the most in our history. “It’s going to be a little bit of an adjustment, but that’s all part of coaching.”
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WEST MONROE REBELS CORY DIAZ BDIAZ@THENEWSSTAR.COM
Opposing coaches, players and fans all know Slade Bolden. West Monroe’s rising senior quarterback and do-itall athlete has made a name for himself at Rebel Stadium and on the recruiting trail, verbally committing to Alabama on Aug. 3. But much like it’s been for the duration of the Rebels’ incredible active run of 21 straight district championships, eight state titles and multiple state runners-up during that stretch, what matters and produces the most is the perfect mixture of all 11 players on offense, defense and special teams. “We try awful hard not to create superstars,” West Monroe head football coach Jerry Arledge said. “Slade Bolden, he’s a very talented young man, how far would he get without a real good offensive line and receivers? It all has to fit together.” The coaching staff at West Monroe places a priority every preseason camp to building up quality depth at every position. Bolden got his first opportunity to play his freshman season after the Rebels Continued on Next Page
3 KEYS TO SUCCESS IN 2017 ... 1. Developing consistent offensive options: Jairus Henry looks to factor a lot into where Slade Bolden goes to with the football, and big back Brandon Warren could bring a much-needed change of pace. 2. The youthful defense's psyche: The defense will be counted on, and placing them in successful situations will go a long way. 3. J.B. Gullat’s example: Gullat's guidance of a collectively inexperienced defense will be key as the Rebels try to return to the Superdome.
GO THE L ! AL WAY
WIN IN THE DOME
10 i FOOTBALL 2017
HANNAH BALDWIN/THE NEWS-STAR
West Monroe’s Slade Bolden avoids a tackle by Landry-Walker's Elvia Payton during the 2016 title game.
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became marred with injuries. Those lessons linger for Arledge, who enters his fifth year as head coach but coached under the late Don Shows and has been on staff since 1992. “That’s what you want out of your group of kids, next man up. Be ready, you be prepared because you’re one play away from becoming a starter,” the coach said. “We’re going to work two and three deep out there in team work. “All a kid has to do is show us in practice, if we get a little confidence in him in practice, we’re going to get him that game. Some guys don’t practice very well but are entirely different when they play, and vice versa. Some practice well and don’t play well. It’s usually a matter of maturity. Once they mature, get a little playing time under their belt.” It’s possible Bolden puts up bigger number in his final prep season with the Rebels as he’ll line up behind five veteran offensive linemen in Jacob Ingram, Scott David, Hunter Robinson, Logan Green and Austin Breen, as well as two senior tight ends Andrew Sellers and Tristan Boyce. Senior slot back Jairus Henry, returning from an injury, and running backs Cameron Wright and Brandon Warren, provide West Monroe’s offense even more weapons. When Bolden is in at running back or receiver, sophomore Garrett Kah-
mann will take some snaps at quarterback. Despite welcoming back senior linebacker J.B Gullat, who amassed 190 tackles last season, defense is where the depth the coaches have cultivated the last couple of years will reveal itself as the Rebels lost seven starters off the 2016 state runner-up squad. “We’re expecting some of these youngsters to step up. We want to win every ballgame, but realistically, if we can come out of those first five ballgames winning four ballgames, we’ve done a great job,” Arledge said. “With the youth that we have, youth isn’t always necessarily age, youth is lack of playing experience
sometimes. “Guys that have not been starters have not been out here while the bullets are flying. There’s big difference when you’re out here in practice and you don’t have pads on, but when bullets start flying some kids shy away, others look for that moment.” Senior cornerback Isaiah George and junior free safety Carson Jones bring some experience and leadership to a secondary that will feature three first-time starters in cornerback Latayeveon McFee, safety Brooks Miller and dime back Colton Harvey. West Monroe gets back Ethan Swanner back from injury on the defensive line, while juniors Andrew Gleason and Dalvin Hutchinson along with sophomore Malcom Moore have received playing time ahead of becoming starters this season. While they haven’t suffered many defeats during the program’s remarkable run, the Rebels aren’t satisfied and are fueled by the 50-21 loss to Landry-Walker in the Class 5A state title game last season. “Sometimes you just get your butt beat. Sometimes that other team, no matter what you do, is just better than you are,” Arledge said. “You’re never satisfied with where you are. I think if there’s one, fourletter word that we do, it’s spelled w-o-r-k. “Effort, overachieve, that’s what makes great football teams.”
District: 2-5A Coach: Jerry Arledge 2016 record: 12-2-1 Playoff streak: 21 years Home field: Don Shows Field at Rebel Stadium School phone: 318-323-3771 Tickets: $9 Radio: KLIP: 105.3 FM
2017 SCHEDULE Sept. 1 ............................John Ehret Sept. 8 ......Booker T. Washington (Tulsa, Oklahoma)* Sept. 15 ............................Wossman Sept. 22 ........Noxubee Co. (Miss.) Sept. 29 ............................at Neville Oct. 6 .....................................Ruston Oct. 13 ...........................Alexandria Oct. 20 ...........................at Pineville Oct. 27 .........................at Ouachita Nov. 3 .....at Natchitoches Central *Shreveport
2016 RESULTS beat Wossman 34-6 lost to John Curtis 27-13 tied Madison Central 17-17 beat Franklinton 43-6 beat Ridgeway 61-36 beat Ruston 33-17 beat Natchitoches Central 36-21 beat Ouachita 44-21 beat Pineville 36-0 beat Alexandria 40-14 beat H.L. Bourgeois 48-14 beat Ouachita 61-21 beat St. Amant 45-31 beat Zachary 35-14 lost to Landry-Walker 50-21
KEY NUMBER 9: Rebels seeking their ninth state football championship.
TABLE OF CONTENTS West Monroe ........................10
West Ouachita......................37
Carroll......................................47
St. Frederick..........................60
Riverfield ...............................70
Louisiana Tech......................82
Ouachita..................................19
Wossman................................39
Rayville....................................51
Cedar Creek...........................63
District Previews ................72
Grambling .............................84
Ruston .....................................26
Franklin Parish.....................42
Sterlington............................53
Mangham ..............................65
Schedules...............................74
LSU ............................................86
Neville .....................................32
Union Parish .........................43
Oak Grove ..............................55
River Oaks..............................67
ULM...........................................79
Saints .......................................91
Bastrop....................................35
Richwood ...............................45
OCS............................................57
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OUACHITA LIONS ADAM HUNSUCKER AHUNSUCKER@THENEWSSTAR.COM
Jeff Fitzgerald hasn’t gone more than a day without looking at the iPhone picture he snapped of Ouachita’s scoreboard in the aftermath of a second-round playoff loss. 61-21. Ouachita may have won its first playoff game in four years last season, but the memory of a blowout loss at home to rival West Monroe the next week still lingers in the collective memory of the Lions. “I hate to dwell on it but we’re better than that and can be better than that,” said Fitzgerald, who enters his fifth season as Ouachita head coach. “I feel like we have the opportunity to be successful regardless of who we play. I don’t like it, our kids don’t like it and it’s another reason for us to come back and get after it.” Those two numbers on both sides of the scoreboard carried Ouachita through workouts and provided the extra incentive needed during a long offseason. “We probably had the best summer we’ve had since I’ve
MICHELLE TRIPP/THE NEWS-STAR
Junior Dylan Roberts (9) led Ouachita with 1,486 yards rushing and nine touchdowns in 2016.
Continued on Next Page
3 KEYS TO SUCCESS IN 2017 ... 1. Defense: Safety Angelo Collins, defensive tackle Sir’Darrius Ellis and linebackers Chris Lewis and Jaden Harris give Ouachita the talent and experience necessary to field an improved defense. 2. Jabari Johnson: The ULM commit could be pressed into action on defense at cornerback. 3. Offensive line: The Lions have some big shoes to fill in the trenches without Central Arkansas signee Cameron Webb.
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OUACHITA LIONS District: 2-5A Coach: Jeff Fitzgerald (fifth season) 2016 record: 6-6, 2-3 2016 playoffs: second round Playoff streak: 12 years Home field: The Lion’s Den School phone: (318) 343-2769 Tickets: $8 for sections with chair backs, $7 without Radio: KXRR 106.1 FM
2017 SCHEDULE Sept. 1 .........................at Richwood Sept. 8 .................................Sulphur Sept. 15 .................................Neville Sept. 22 ........................at Carencro Sept. 29 .......................Plaquemine Oct. 6 .............................at Pineville Oct. 13 ..............................at Ruston Oct. 20 ........Natchitoches Central Oct. 27 .................at West Monroe Nov. 2 ............................Alexandria Continued from Page 19A
been here. There were no bad days of conditioning or lifting weights,” senior tight end Jake Hammond said. “We really want to bring a title back to this school and give the community something to cheer about.” The Lions enter the 2017 season with a new offensive coordinator and without dynamic quarterback Devion Warren, now an Arkansas Razorback. Senior Jabari Johnson moves from defense to behind center while Kevin Davis was hired from Carthage (Texas) High School to take over the Ouachita offense. Davis spent the offseason learning Ouachita’s spread system and adapted his own scheme to fit the Lions. “Coach Davis has brought some new concepts in the
passing game that we needed and fresh ideas in the run game,” Fitzgerald said. “He’s putting his twist on it, but schematically, it’s still the same.” Running back Dylan Roberts, who led Ouachita with 1,486 yards rushing and nine touchdowns in 2016, returns for his junior season. Johnson has two speedy targets in wide receivers C.J. Brown and Joshua Newton to throw the ball to. Former Bastrop head coach Marcus Yanez returned to Ouachita this offseason as defensive coordinator after a one-year absence. The Lions allowed 30.8 points per game last season, but aren’t hurting for talent on that side of the ball. Linebackers Chris Lewis and Jaden Harris — an Arkansas State commit — defensive tackle Sir’Darrius Ellis and ULM commit Angelo Collins at
safety are all experienced veterans. Johnson could move from quarterback to cornerback in certain situations. “This defense could be the best we’ve had since I’ve been here,” Collins said. “We all want it and we want nothing more than to get this team to the Dome.” Ouachita has set the bar high for 2017 and Fitzgerald said the Lions can be as good as they want to be. “We have a higher standard than everyone else’s expectations for us,” Fitzgerald said. “It takes more than talent to win a state championship. You have to have camaraderie and good team chemistry, which is something our kids are starting to understand even more. “I don’t think you can put a ceiling on this group because they can do whatever they set their minds to.”
2016 RESULTS beat Richwood 51-20 beat Marshall (Texas) 34-14 lost to Neville 26-14 beat North Webster 41-13 lost to Scotlandville 36-14 beat Natchitoches Central 54-35 lost to Alexandria 42-38 lost to West Monroe 44-21 lost to Ruston 34-28 beat Pineville 29-7 beat Walker 67-29 lost to West Monroe 61-21
KEY NUMBER 4: Ouachita’s schedule includes four teams (Carencro, Neville, Plaquemine and West Monroe) that advanced to at least the quarterfinals in their respective classifications.
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EXCELLING ON AND OFF THE FIELD • ACT Average of 26 or higher for the Class of 2016 • College preparatory school with 67% of seniors graduating with at least 30 college credits • Only school in the area offering a STREAM program • Jr. High students earn 3.5 high school credits at the completion of 8th grade • Every Warrior sport made the playoffs the last two years • Both boys’ and girls’ soccer teams made it to the semifinals in 2016 and 2017 • Girls’ Tennis Team won State Runner-Up or State Championship Titles from 2014 -2016 • 4 back-to-back winning football seasons including a trip to the Dome • Catholic High School with a student body comprised of 50% Catholic and 50% non-Catholic • Over 3,000 Community Service hours performed by our students each year
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RUSTON BEARCATS CORY DIAZ BDIAZ@THENEWSSTAR.COM
“All you got. All the time.” When Ruston Bearcat players completed their summer conditioning test, they received a Ruston red elastic wristband with those words etched on one side. Every single player passed the conditioning test, proving to firstyear head coach Jerrod Baugh that the Bearcats are mentally prepared to attack the 2017 season. “One of the big things we wanted to create this summer was have our workouts intense enough and create enough adversity that we were able to identify who the real leaders of our football team are,” Baugh said. “I think we’ve done that. Some guys have really stepped up to the plate and taken control of their football team.” Seniors and the returning starters off last season’s 8-3 team that finished second in District 2-5A behind West Monroe and was quickly bounced from the playoffs in the first round by East Ascension, 38-14, led the Bearcats throughout offseason workouts. After serving as offensive Continued on Next Page
3 KEYS TO SUCCESS IN 2017 ... 1.QB cohesion: If Ruston can find the right cohesion in rotating quarterbacks the Bearcats could provide opposing defenses nightmares. 2. Rebuilding the O-Line: The Bearcats lost four offensive linemen off last season's team, and in order for the offense to reach its full potential, filling the spots up front will be vital. 3. Staying focused: The Bearcats will need to stay mentally on track on the big picture goals they have set.
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Ruston’s Jessie Sawyer runs against the East Ascension Spartans during playoff action last season.
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RUSTON BEARCATS Continued from Page 26A
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coordinator the last two years under former head coach Brad Laird, now the defensive coordinator at Northwestern State, Baugh taking over as head caoch and the players’ transition to him has been smooth. He believes the Ruston players already trusted him taking over and that was proven by how they performed during the spring and summer. “Being here under coach Laird, knowing what things have already gone on. The kids were already working hard and knew what the expectations were, you don't have to overhaul or change a bunch of things. That has made it a way easier transition,” the coach said. “All of those (seniors) as a group have done it. It’s not just guys that are starters or returning all-district players, it the entire group that has taken control of team. It makes my job a lot of easier when the kids help control themselves like that.” The collective performance from the spring and summer proved to Baugh that the players trust him and his guidance. That coach-to-player relationship will be key this season as the new coach has already made some positional and schematic changes to try to give the Bearcats the best chance to win. Rising senior Deandre Marcus moved from linebacker to running back during the spring, a switch that immediately paid dividends as the big, 6-foot-1, 204-pounder, who hasn’t played a game at running back, earned an offer from Louisiana Tech for the position. The lone returning offense
District: 2-5A Coach: Jerrod Baugh 2016 record: 8-3 Playoff streak: 12 seasons Home field: L.J. "Hoss'' Garrett Stadium School phone: 318-255-0807 Tickets: $8 Radio: KXKZ 107.5 FM
2017 SCHEDULE Sept. 1 ...............................at Neville Sept. 8 .........................at Acadiana Sept. 15 .................................Airline Sept. 29 ..................West Ouachita Oct. 6 ...................at West Monroe Oct. 13 ...............................Ouachita Oct. 20 ...........................Alexandria Oct. 27 ...at Natchitoches Central Nov. 3 .................................Pineville
2016 RESULTS lineman rising junior Conner England will flip from right to left tackle in 2017. He’ll protect the blind side for potentially rotating quarterbacks in senior C.J. Willis and junior Eric Outley. Willis was the starter last season before breaking his ankle, and Outley picked up starts later in the year, after then senior starter Jacob Phillips dislocated his shoulder, before breaking his hand during the regular season finale. “That wasn’t good for (last) season, but it helps us this year because we come back with C.J. and Eric both having a lot of game-time experience. I don’t know how that’ll turn out,” Baugh said. "In the past, I haven’t been for rotating quarterbacks, but the way that these two are and way they compete, the way both can lead our team, I think that every-
GO BEARCATS!
body on our team is comfortable with either one of those guys.” Whoever’s playing quarterback will have some experienced weapons to throw to outside with Donald “Red” Johnson, a Grambling State commit, along with Reggie Williford, Zavier Cooper and Don Don McMurray. Defensively, rising senior Tahj Samuel will lead Ruston’s front seven, playing both defensive end and an edge-rushing linebacker, along with some fullback on offense. The undersized, 5-foot-11, 230pound defender has offers from McNeese State and Northwestern State. In the secondary, senior safety T.K. Evans will captain a young defensive backfield that will have a couple of new starters.
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lost to Neville 30-14 beat East Feliciana 45-18 beat Airline 29-19 beat Jonesboro-Hodge 49-7 beat Wossman 28-0 lost to West Monroe 33-17 beat Pineville 33-6 beat Alexandria 31-14 beat Ouachita 34-28 beat Natchitoches Central 34-7 lost to East Ascension 38-14
KEY NUMBER 28.8: Ruston averaged 28.8 points per game under Jerrod Baugh last season as offensive coordinator. With six opponents coming off playoff berths on the slate, the Bearcats will look to improve their offensive production to challenge for the District 2-5A title and return to the postseason.
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NEVILLE TIGERS ADAM HUNSUCKER AHUNSUCKER@THENEWSSTAR.COM
Transition is part of the cycle of high school football. Players graduate and coaches move on, leading to the inevitable question that even the best must answer; is the program rebuilding or reloading? Defending Class 4A runnerup Neville finds itself in this predicament after one of the most successful runs in school history. While the Tigers are far from talent deficient, 14 starters — the core of a team that went 40-2 in three years and captured back-to-back state championships in 2014 and 2015 — must be replaced. “This was our year to turn over after having so many players that played a lot of football the last few years,” said Neville coach Mickey McCarty, who enters his 16th season on Forsythe Avenue. “As a coach, new faces require you to certainly dot your i’s and cross your t’s, but it’s not like we have a bunch of new guys coming in here. In the position our program is in, when we graduate a good group of seniors, there’s another behind them that are looking forward to their chance.”
HANNAH BALDWIN/THE NEWS-STAR
Neville wide receiver Demaine Riley high fives fans after scoring the Tigers' second touchdown of the first quarter of their homecoming game against Grant last season.
Continued on Next Page
3 KEYS TO SUCCESS IN 2017 ... 1. Offensive line: Neville must replace four starters on the offensive line. 2. Secondary: Neville will be without multi-year starters JaCorion Andrews and Corey Straughter at cornerback and safeties Hershel Carter and Kenderick Marbles for the first time in three seasons. 3. Week 5: Neville and West Monroe renew what was once one of the hottest and most bitterly contested series in the area.
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NEVILLE TIGERS Continued from Page 32A
Neville is breaking in a new starting quarterback for the first time in two years now that workhorse Jaiden Cole has taken up residence at Louisiana Tech. The job falls to senior Payton Batteford, who hopes to follow in the recent lineage of Cole, Taylor Burch, John Diarse and J.T. Jackson by leading the Tigers to a state title. “Those guys set the standard by winning championships,” Batteford said. “As a player, you want to carry that on for the guys behind you. Our goal is to maintain that standard and hopefully raise it for years to come.” Multi-dimensional senior Demaine Riley takes over as Neville’s primary running back. Seniors Joe Bouie and Nick Guice at wide receiver and tight end Chandler Moses are expected to handle the pass-catching duties. Burch, who quarterbacked Neville to the 2009 Class 4A state championship, takes over as offensive coordinator. Leonard Ceaser, another former Tiger, joins the varsity staff as wide receivers coach. Defensive coordinator Benjy Lewis spent the offseason integrating the 3-4 into Neville’s traditional 4-2-5 scheme. The Tigers defense may look different cosmetically, but it remains a unit built on speed and getting to the football. “Defensive football is about lining up right, defending your gaps and adjusting when you need to — no matter what scheme you’re playing,” McCarty said. “The changes we made will help us take advantage of what we have in the locker room and put those guys in a posi-
District: 2-4A Coach: Mickey McCarty (16th season) 2016 record: 13-1, 5-0 2016 playoffs: Class 4A runnerup Playoff streak: 17 seasons Home field: Bill Ruple Stadium School phone: (318) 323-2237 Tickets: $6 in advance, $7 at gate Radio: KNOE 101.9 FM
2017 SCHEDULE Sept. 1 ....................................Ruston Sept. 8......at Warren Cent. (Miss.) Sept. 15 .........................at Ouachita Sept. 22 ..................................Carroll Sept. 29.....................West Monroe Oct. 6 ........................................Open Oct. 13 ......................at Franklinton Oct. 20................at West Ouachita Oct. 27.....................Franklin Parish Nov. 3...............................at Bastrop
2016 RESULTS
tion to be successful.” Senior Devin Phillips, a TCU commit, moves from the offensive line to the defensive front, where he joins seniors Anthony Freeman and Gerrico Goldman. Senior Tom McGee was the talk of spring practice and will line up next to senior Mahlon Markle at linebacker. Senior safety Luke Cagle is the only returning starter in the secondary, where Neville is replacing three FBS signees. While rival West Monroe returns to the schedule for the first time in seven years — which should be one of the
NEVILLE HIGH SCHOOL
hottest tickets in town — a rematch with Edna Karr inside the Mercedes Benz Superdome remains on the mind of the Tigers. Neville and Karr have split five of the last eight Class 4A state championships and are 2-2 head-to-head in title games. The Cougars topped the Tigers 34-21 for the championship last season. “We heard a lot about that game this offseason,” Goldman said. “It definitely motivated us and now the only thing we can do is make sure we’re there for the rematch.”
N
beat Ruston 30-14 beat Evangel 35-16 beat Ouachita 26-14 beat Carroll 40-14 beat Bastrop 48-18 beat Grant 56-14 beat Tioga 41-3 beat West Ouachita 45-7 beat Franklin Parish 58-14 beat Woodlawn (Baton Rouge) 44-7 beat Assumption 24-0 beat Carencro 42-15 beat Warren Easton 26-13 lost to Edna Karr 34-21
KEY NUMBER 6: Neville hasn’t been beaten by a team from northeastern Louisiana in six seasons.
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BASTROP RAMS ADAM HUNSUCKER AHUNSUCKER@THENEWSSTAR.COM
The Bastrop Rams will take the field this fall with a new head coach for the fourth time in as many years. Turnover of this magnitude was unheard of for most of the past 20 years at Bastrop, but the school wasted little time elevating another native son to the top spot. Offensive coordinator Adrian Burnette was promoted to head coach in February, and the former Ram has big plans for his alma mater. “My job is to get this program back to the old Bastrop,” said Burnette, who was an assistant coach during Bastrop’s run to three-straight Class 4A state championships under Brad Bradshaw in the mid-to-late 2000s. “Even though I left for a few years, I’m born and raised Bastrop. The opportunity to serve this community and these kids as the head coach speaks for itself.” The renewal project in Bastrop comes complete with new uniforms, helmets and a returned emphasis on defense and special teams. Burnette, the son of Carroll boy’s basketball coach Jesse Burnette, cut his teeth working for Bradshaw at Bastrop, Jackie Hamilton at Carroll and Cyril Crutchfield at St. Augustine in New Orleans. “Throughout the years, I tried to pay attention to the different coaches I’ve worked for,” Burnette said. “Coach Bradshaw, Cyril Crutchfield and my dad all have state
JANSEN A. NOWELL/ THE NEWS-STAR
Bastrop QB Quarterious Hawkins.
Continued on Next Page
3 KEYS TO SUCCESS IN 2017 ... 1. Passing game: Quarterious Hawkins turned heads in his first year playing quarterback and has the potential to be the next great Bastrop passer. Christian Smith emerged as an LSWA first-team All-State wide receiver last season as a sophomore. 2. Secondary: Defensive backs Marcus McClendon and Charles Mullens are the most experienced players on the Rams defense and are expected to hold the fort until an young group of defensive linemen and linebackers get up to speed. 3. Special teams: Adrian Burnette has placed a greater emphasis on special teams in his first year as head coach and Bastrop has the athletes to be dangerous returning kicks.
FOOTBALL 2017 i 35
BASTROP RAMS District: 2-4A Coach: Adrian Burnette (first season) 2016 record: 5-5, 2-3 Playoff streak: Five seasons Home field: Rams Stadium School phone: (318) 281-0194 Tickets: $6 in advance, $7 at the gate Radio: KMYY 92.3 FM
2017 SCHEDULE Sept. 1 ................................at Carver Sept. 8 ....................................Airline Sept. 15 ...................Calvary Baptist Sept. 22.......................at Richwood Sept. 29...........................at Menard Oct. 6 ......................Brother Martin Oct. 13 ......................................Open Oct. 20................at Franklin Parish Oct. 27.....................West Ouachita Nov. 3 .....................................Neville
2016 RESULTS lost to Parkway 49-20 beat Rayville 42-21 beat Mansfield 47-21 beat Richwood 21-20 lost to Neville 48-18 lost to Tioga 34-25 lost to Franklin Parish 34-27 beat Grant 53-12 beat West Ouachita 34-13 lost to Livonia 50-41
KEY NUMBER Continued from Page 35A
championship rings. “I’ve been lucky enough to be around people that have had success and tried to take as much as I can from them.” The trio of junior quarterback Quaterius Hawkins QB, senior running back Desi Holmes and junior wide receiver Christian Smith return to a Bastrop offense that averaged 32.8 points in 2016. Burnette hopes that Bastrop’s young array of skill talent can develop and prevent opposing defenses from set36 i FOOTBALL 2017
ting their game plans around stopping the Hawkins-to-Smith connection. “Quaterius did a great job last year. He had never played quarterback before and fell in line with the type of offense I run,” Burnette said. “He understands the scheme and this year we’re working to get him to master it.” Defensive coordinator Earl Thaxton inherits a unit that surrendered 29.4 points per game last season. Bastrop held three of its opponents to 14 points or less, but gave up
more than 30 points five times. The Rams lost several veterans in the front seven, but bring back defensive backs Marcus McClendon and Charles Mullens. “Coach Thaxton understands the mentality that goes into building a successful defense. We’re going to blend some of the old stuff we were doing with some new fronts that allow the kids to make more plays,” Burnette said. “We still have a ways to go, but we understand that and I can’t wait to serve this school as proudly as I can.”
4: Adrian Burnette is Bastrop’s fourth head coach in the last four years.
WEST OUACITA CHIEFS CORY DIAZ BDIAZ@THENEWSSTAR.COM
Embracing the process and a change in culture may be what sounds the alarm. West Ouachita has sleepwalked through recent years, managing just four winning seasons in the last 13 years. Entering his first year as head football coach with high energy and passion, Matt Middleton plans to take the Chiefs’ hands off the snooze button. “I always thought this was a place that was a sleeping giant,” Middleton, a West Monroe native and graduate, said. “What I mean by that is the growth of the area that the school covers, the growth that has taken place out here in the community as far as people moving and the school growing has always been a positive to me. And this is where we live. This is home. “I was at West Monroe as a youngster when my dad was hired by (Don) Shows in ’89 and I saw the blueprint that happened there. By no means am I saying we’ll be West Monroe, but I see a lot of the same qualities early on as I did back then. So, I believe this is a sleeping giant.” First on the list is getting
JANSEN A. NOWELL/ THE NEWS-STAR
West Ouachita will run a new offense in 2017.
Continued on Next Page
3 KEYS TO SUCCESS IN 2017 ... 1. Adjust to new offense: How quickly can the West Ouachita offensive players can pick up the new, hurry-up no-huddle scheme will be one of the tell-tale signs for how the season will go. 2. Buying in: . The players "embracing the process" early can make a difference. 3. Steal some wins: If they can find a win or two in those games with playoff teams, momentum could turn the Chiefs way.
FOOTBALL 2017 i 37
WEST OUACITA CHIEFS Continued from Page 37A
the team to buy in and mold the players from his personality and approach to practice. “Kids feed off the energy you bring to practice every day. I love the game, I love what I do. I come out here with excitement, with the mindset that they will feed off of us,” Middleton said. “To me, kids are different today, energy is different. But as long as you establish it early, the expectations are to be wide open all day long and it’s important for us as coaches to run from drill to drill with our kids because I want them to see passion and intensity and understand how to play hard because we’re going to coach hard. I hope the kids will eventually emulate my personality and the team will.” Under former coach Joey Pender, the Chiefs operated out of a huddled option scheme. Huddles will be a thing of the past when the team kicks off 2017 Sept. 1, as West Ouachita will now run an up-tempo attack. The switch from the option to the hurry-up no-huddle has been hard, Middleton said, but he hopes the excitement stirred up among the players will help ease the growing pains. “I want to play as many snaps as we possibly can in a game and they’re accustomed to huddling, running the option. What’s fast to them is not fast enough for me, and I don’t think we can ever be fast enough,” the coach said. “That’s the thing for us, it’s about snaps and as many as we can get. If we get more snaps, we have more opportunities to make explosive plays. We want to snap as quick as we can and get the ball in our playmakers’
38 i FOOTBALL 2017
District: 2-4A Coach: Matt Middleton 2016 record: 4-6 Playoff streak: 0 Home field: “Red’’ Sims Stadium School phone: 318-249-2117 Tickets: $7 at the gate Radio: KRLQ, 94.1 FM
2017 SCHEDULE
hands to make plays. “Year two is when you see the biggest difference in up tempo, year one is always difficult.” Seven total starters return off last season’s team, and in any other year, that few a number would be a tall mountain to climb. But with Middleton installing a new offense, everybody enters with a clean slate and the coaches get an earlier opportunity to teach the fresh faces a new scheme. Senior running back Kaleb Nolan, senior center Shae Henderson and junior right guard Garrison Lowder come back and will help usher in firsttime starter junior quarterback Peyton Parker, three new linemen as well as new corps of receivers. The Chiefs get more experience back on its defense led by senior safety Kam Harris and senior cornerback Kameron Miller and both linebackers Colton Bigelow and Montana King, but must break in an entire new front four. West Ouachita doesn’t get a
break though with its District 2-4A schedule, with Middleton calling it “one of the toughest schedules (the team’s) had in quite a while.” “Biggest thing is finding our identity and what that is. Finding out who fits the puzzle pieces where. There’s a process and a time to get the kids in place. Thank God for spring practice, that gave us a leg up on that,” Middleton said. “What we want for year one is to play extremely hard, play fast, be physical run to the ball. We’ve got to learn how to play that way. We’ve got some depth issues. We’ve got some situations where we need to stay completely healthy. “Early on in our schedule, we need something positive that hasn’t happened around here before. We need a couple of big wins early. Will it happen? Don’t know. It’s be great for our program and where we want to be. Confidence is everything. Anything can happen when you win a few that you’re not supposed to, I think that’s crucial for us.”
Sept. 1............................Sterlington Sept. 8................................at Loyola Sept. 15 ..........................at Pineville Sept. 22...................North Webster Sept. 29..................................Ruston Oct. 5 ............................at DeRidder Oct. 13 .................................Buckeye Oct. 20...............................at Neville Oct. 27 .............................at Bastrop Nov. 5 ......................Franklin Parish
2016 RESULTS beat Buckeye 48-21 lost to Loyola 19-18 beat Bolton 42-0 lost to Natchitoches Central 26-14 beat Caldwell Parish 39-19 lost to Tioga 42-35 lost to Franklin Parish 49-13 beat Grant 34-22 lost to Neville 45-7 lost to Bastrop 34-14
KEY NUMBER 7 or 8: West Ouachita's offense will look to snap the ball seven to eight seconds into the play clock. For Matt Middleton, the more snaps his offense gets a game, the more chances it has to score.
WOSSMAN WILDCATS CORY DIAZ BDIAZ@THENEWSSTAR.COM
Inside the Wossman locker room, there are big brothers and cousins, little brothers and cousin. Even crazy uncles. It’s the familial setting head football coach Dean Smith envisioned for the Wildcat program when he took over four years ago. This past December, he and his coaching staff installed a new mantra for the team. Family. Faith. Discipline. “Family, this is your football family. We’re with these kids for eight hours a day, we’re together all the time. A coach has a real strong position in a kid’s life. You have a chance to affect kids every day,” Smith said. “No matter how you respond to them, you’re teaching them something, good or bad, they’re learning something from a coach. This is really a true family atmosphere, we’ve got big brothers, big cousins, little cousins inside this family and locker room. We’re proud of that. “Faith is believing in the program and believing in each other. Believe when I hike the ball, you’re going to block for that quarterback who’s going to throw the ball to the receiver. Faith in knowing when coach asks you to do something, do it. Touch the line. Do things right, be disciplined. Let’s not talk back to the referees in a game, not get in an arguing match on the side-
JANSEN NOWELL/THE NEWS-STAR
The Wossman Wildcats took a close win over Union Parish in the playoffs last season.
Continued on Next Page
3 KEYS TO SUCCESS IN 2017 ... 1. Road warriors: Wossman has struggled on the road in recent years. Facing seven away games this season while the new field house is being built, the Wildcats will desperately need to find ways to win road games if they plan to get back to the Class 3A playoffs. 2. Offensive development: A new and youthful quarterback will take the reins of the Wossman offense in 2017. Sophomores Antrell Green and Nick Traylor will compete all fall practice long for the right to start, but the coaching staff believes in both players' abilities. Timing and development with receivers and running backs will be key. 3. Improve defense: To win on the road, defense plays an integral factor into that. And with only four returning starters back from last season's second-round playoff squad, the fresh faces will need to learn from their miscues and mature early and often, as the inexperienced defenders will contend with seven different raucous home crowds.
FOOTBALL 2017 i 39
WOSSMAN WILDCATS District: 2-3A Coach: Dean Smith 2016 record: 8-4 Playoff streak: Four seasons Home field: Grady James Memorial Stadium School phone: (318) 343-2769 Tickets: $9 at the gate
2017 SCHEDULE Sept. 1...............................at Benton Sept. 7........................at Oak Grove Sept. 15 ................at West Monroe Sept. 22..............................St. James Sept. 30 .........................at Peabody Oct. 6..............................at Madison Oct. 13............................Sterlington Oct. 20.........................at Richwood Oct. 27....................................Carroll Nov. 3 .....................at Union Parish
Continued from Page 39A
lines. Let’s not have the locker room dirty, all of that is discipline. Let’s be in the hallways, classrooms, cafeteria setting examples. We’re excited about those three words, they’re the staple of the program going forward.” Smith now has a team full of “his guys,” players that were bright-eyed freshmen when he came in and have grown up in the program. A handful of guys enter their senior season, players that Smith and his coaching staff developed to be leaders they need and expect. Senior Johnathan West steps into a leadership role, playing both ways at cornerback and wide receiver. For the first time, senior Otego Carter will be counted on to line up on both sides of the ball at defensive tackle and will take snaps on either the line or at fullback for the Wildcats. Senior Josh Jones, the captain of the offensive line, returns at center, where he’ll be instrumental in ushering in two sophomores, Antrell Green and Nick Traylor, competing for the quarterback spot. Running back Jarrett Johnson takes his place in the backfield, returning for his 40 i FOOTBALL 2017
junior campaign. Along with Carter and West, the Wildcats get back just four starters on that side of the ball, with senior Will linebacker Jaylen Jones coming back and junior Kadorian Dougans playing the hybrid jack linebacker, strong safety role in the 4-2-5 scheme. Everyone is already familiar with these names and are aware of the multiple signees to Division I schools the program has produced the last couple of years, but what excites Smith is the emergence of the players that people don’t know about yet. “We got players we’re really excited about. I’m excited because not having big-time recruits coming in, you know at some point you’re going to have to call me and ask me who’s that guy that scored two or three touchdowns. You don’t know his name yet,” Smith said. “Nobody knows what’s going to happen, but we planted the seed in spring, summer time working out and once we’re blossoming I’m excited.” That guy this season is rising senior Jarvis Roberson. “He’s going to make our team go. He’s 5-foot-8, plays like he’s 6-foot-4, 225,” the
coach said. “He’s very physical, great hands. Going to play defense, can tackle, can lay you down. He’ll be our preseason offensive and defensive MVP. He’s a true program kid. Came in, wasn’t strong at all. Over three, four years playing for me, I’m proud of him. I think he’s going to be a heck of a job for us.” In each of Smith’s first three seasons, the Wildcats have improved from winning five games in 2014 to capturing their first home playoff victory in a decade the next season to winning eight games last year. This season, the team wants to raise the bar. “We’re trying to win more than seven games. Some teams want to go undefeated. That’s cool, but that’s not reality,” Smith said. “Every year, we lost on the road. Lost to Lutcher two years in a row, blown out first year, last year lost by touchdown in fourth quarter, 23-15. Now we have expectations of winning home playoff games. “It’s a gift and a curse to have seven away games, but we’ve got to learn how to win on the road. We’ve won big games, but we’ve haven’t won on the road yet.”
2016 RESULTS lost to West Monroe 34-6 beat Franklin Parish 21-0 beat General Trass 46-0 beat Rayvile 39-12 lost to Ruston 28-0 beat Madison 33-14 beat Union Parish 14-7 beat Caldwell Parish 35-7 lost to Carroll 33-20 beat Richwood 14-7 beat Union Parish 26-22 lost to Lutcher 23-15
KEY NUMBER 8: Head coach Dean Smith wants to keep his team on the trajectory it's been traveling since he took over before 2014. After winning home playoff matchups in back-to-back seasons and earning seven regular season victories last year, the Wildcats elevate their sights higher and want to win the outright District 2-3A championship.
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FRANKLIN PARISH PATRIOTS JIMMY TOUCHET SPECIAL TO THE NEWS-STAR
The Franklin Parish Patriots are looking forward to entering a new era in Winnsboro as Whitney McCartney takes the reins of the Patriots’ football program from Barry Sebren who will remain as the Franklin Parish athletic director. Having served as an assistant coach at Franklin Parish in years past, McCartney is a good fit for the Patriots’ football program. McCartney comes to Franklin Parish following a very successful stint as the Jena Giants offensive coordinator. Under McCartney’s leadership, Jena averaged more than 40 points scored on offense per game. In his first season at the helm at Franklin Parish, McCartney will have a virtual blank canvas to develop a new crop of players as the Patriots only return one starter on offense and two starters on defense. McCartney is embracing the changes while establishing the three keys for a successful season at Franklin Parish High School. “Our first key is the fact that we have to start changing the culture of this program,” McCartney said. “Secondly, we need to eliminate bad football. Finally, we must be fundamentally sound in everything we do.” If ever there was a case of the record not fitting the team, it would have to be the 2016 Franklin Parish Patriots' 3-8 record last year. After all, four of the eight games lost by Franklin Parish last season were by a field goal or less. Even the Patriots’ other three losses last season by more than three points were to 2016 Louisiana High School Athletic Association’s Class 2A state champion Sterlington (27-18), the LHSAA’s Class 4A state runner-up Neville Tigers (5814) and the Class 3A regional playoff qualifier Wossman (21-0). Still last season was last season, the 2017 Franklin Parish Patriots must prepare with 10 new faces on offense. The lone returning starter 42 i FOOTBALL 2017
HANNAH BALDWIN/THE NEWS-STAR
L.T. Major is back to run the Franklin Parish offense in 2017.
on offense is junior quarterback L.T. Major (6-2, 190 pounds). Over the course of last season, Major developed into a dangerous mobile quarterback with a good arm in his sophomore season. Now, Major will be counted to provide leadership as the Patriots gear up for the challenges ahead in 2017. Joining Major in the Patriots backfield will be a trio of running backs in senior fullback Coby Hillman (5-2,155), junior running back Stephon Hardin (5-8,168) and junior running back Curtarious Shaw. Junior wide receiver Carter Banks (5-10,145) and senior wide receiver Tanner Roberts (5-10,140) round out the skill positions on the Patriots’ offense. The Franklin Parish offensive line will consists of junior offensive tackle Christian Jackson (6-2,190), senior offensive tackle Jazz Adams (6-5, 290), senior offensive guard Keldrick Thomas (5-5,165), sophomore offensive guard Jacob Herrod and junior center Sam Parker. On defense, Franklin Parish will go with a 4-3-4 defensive alignment to stop opposing
offenses. Up front, the Patriots’ defensive line will feature junior defensive lineman Billy Johnson, senior defensive lineman Tyler Lane, junior nose guard Roderick Bingham and junior defensive end Samonte Bryant (6-0, 205). Junior Henry Jackson (510), junior B.J. Mathews (511,195) and junior Kyle Bell (5-4, 150) will round out the Franklin Parish linebacker corps. The Patriots defensive secondary will consist of junior cornerback Michael Boley (5-9, 158), junior cornerback Derrick Payne, junior strong safety Ezell Gaines (5-9,155), junior strong safety Chris Moffitt (5-8,132) and junior free safety Jacody Sarpong (5-11,163). On special teams, Franklin Parish will have Carter Banks handling the punting duties while Stephon Hardin will be the Patriots’ punt returner. Curtarious Shaw will be the Franklin Parish kickoff returner while Billy Johnson will be the Patriots long snapper on punts, field goal and extra point attempts. Franklin Parish will see plenty of top tier talent throughout their entire 2017 pre-district schedule, which has the Patriots playing seven pre-district games due to District 2-4A only having four teams for the next two seasons, before heading into the brutal rigors of District 2-4A action. “We will see several division one recruits in the first six weeks of the season,” McCartney said. “District 2-4A is one of if not the toughest district in the state with Neville, Bastrop and West Ouachita.”
District: 2-4A Head coach: Whitney McCartney 2016 record: 3-8 Playoff streak: One season Home field: Patriots Stadium School phone: (318) 435-5676 Tickets: $6 Radio: KMAR 95.9
2017 SCHEDULE Sept. 1..............................at Rayville Sept. 8.............................at Ferriday Sept. 15 ............................Richwood Sept. 22...........................Kentwood Sept. 29.......................Union Parish Oct. 6...........................at Haughton Oct. 13 ...........................Green Oaks Oct. 20 ..................................Bastrop Oct. 27...............................at Neville Nov. 3 .................at West Ouachita
2016 RESULTS lost to Sterlington 27-18 lost to Wossman 21-0 lost to South Beauregard 29-19 lost to Richwood 21-18 lost to Natchitoches Central 33-30 beat Grant 58-36 beat West Ouachita 49-13 beat Bastrop 34-27 lost to Tioga 30-27 lost to Neville 58-14 lost to Minden 36-34
KEY NUMBER 4: Franklin Parish lost four games by a field goal or less last season. Turning around those outcomes will be pivotal for the Patriots to have a successful season.
3 KEYS TO SUCCESS IN 2017 ... 1. Change the culture: Franklin Parish has struggled through some tough times. The Patriots are looking to develop a winning mindset. 2. Eliminate bad football: Mistakes and turnovers can be death sentences to a team struggling to regain its footing. 3. Be fundamentally sound: The Patriots lost several close games last season. Being fundamentally sound could turn around some of those outcomes.
UNION PARISH FARMERS CORY DIAZ BDIAZ@THENEWSSTAR.COM
To bring Union Parish backthis year to where it should be, head football coach Joe Spatafora can think of two Fwords. Focus and finish. Saying 2015 and 2016 didn’t go the way the Farmers had hoped would be an understatement. After seven straight seasons of winning doubledigit games, and capturing a state championship trophy as recent as four years ago, Union Parish has dipped to nine wins over the last two years, a large part of that due to self-infliction, Spatafora said. “The thing going in is just having a big focus,” he said. “We’ve got from August to December to play football and we need to focus for those five months, take care of business and just focus. That was our big deal over last couple of years is focusing to finish games. The big F-words we’re talking about is focusing and finishing.” Over the last two years, Union Parish has lost seven games by single digits, five of those slipped away in 2016. Lack of focus issues such as false starts and offsides, among others, have haunted the Farmers. “That’s why that’s been a key word. Every day when we do drills, we talk up focus and finishing. Offensively, we
JANSEN NOWELL/THE NEWS-STAR
Union Parish’s Jaylon Gales returns to the Farmers offense this season.
Continued on Next Page
3 KEYS TO SUCCESS IN 2016 ... 1. Clean up: Limiting mental errors will be crucial to the success of this year's version of the Farmers. Untimely procedural penalties have kept them from winning games the last two years, but with experience all across the field, that may not be a problem this season. 2. The offensive line: It's rare that a team returns all five of its starters and Union Parish must capitalize. The line paved the way for 2,578 rushing yards in 2016, but needs to give Glosson more time to throw the ball. With Brian Fine running the offensive attack, expect improvements. 3. District hopes: District 2-3A gained reigning state champion Sterlington, Class 2A, during realignment in the offseason. Winning district and getting a playoff contest at home will go a long way for the Farmers, and to do that, they'll need to get by the Panthers Week 9.
FOOTBALL 2017 i 43
UNION PARISH FARMERS Continued from Page 43A
know the snap count, we shouldn’t be jumping offsides and defensively we’re watching the ball,” Spatafora said. “We can’t hamper ourselves in those situations. We have to keep ourselves in the positive instead of putting ourselves in the negative.” For Spatafora, entering his 12th season as head coach, the first big step he took to alleviate the miscues is hire two ex-head coaches and four that have coached or played in a state title game in the last 16 years. Former Farmerville High School head coach Brian Fine, who won the state championship in 2001, returns to the sidelines along with his longtime assistant Jerry Ginn, who was part of that staff, and his state title-winning quarterback Kenneth Haulsey. On the defensive side, Spatefora convinced his former player Deangelo Gaston, who was a senior on the 2013 state champion squad, to join his staff coaching the defensive line alongside Blaine Beck. Former River Oaks coach Lance Labeff came on board as well. “We’re getting some more experience on the offensive side of the ball especially. Some guys that’s been in the heat of the battle. It adds a lot of experience to our staff and that’s what I had lost after the 2013 season,” Spatafora said. “Getting back to guys that have a lot of experience and know what’s going on, know how to coach these young men and put the pieces to the puzzle together is going to be big and vital for us this year.” The Farmers have 15 returning starters on both sides
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District: 2-3A Coach: Joe Spatafora 2016 record: 4-7 Playoff streak: Eight seasons Home field: Doc Elliott Stadium School phone: (318) 368-2661 Tickets: $8 Radio: ESPN 97.7 FM
2017 SCHEDULE Sept. 1................................at Airline Sept. 8 ...................................Calvary Sept. 15.................................Rayville Sept. 22 ....................................Many Sept. 29 ..............at Franklin Parish Oct. 6 ...........................at Richwood Oct. 13.................................Madison Oct. 20 ...............................at Carroll Oct. 27 ......................at Sterlington Nov. 3................................Wossman
2016 RESULTS of the line of scrimmage, including the entire offensive lineman to lead the way for rising senior and dual-threat quarterback Lawrence Glosson, who takes the reins of the offense. Rising junior Mike linebacker and leading tackler from last season Jered Singleton is back in the middle of Union Parish’s defense, while Travontae Wayne returns on the defensive line giving the team a stout front seven. Glosson is expected to play at one of the safety spots, shoring up the defensive backfield. “Both sides of the ball we return the front and that’s going to be a big key factor. These guys taking that gut feeling that they had after last season and putting it into play and remember it,” Spatafora said. “We got to do our jobs this year, but we need to re-
member deep inside what happens when we don’t do our jobs.” The veteran group of players he’s got back, plus the additions to the coaching staff, and Spatafora believes he’s found the recipe to get Union Parish back to its standard this season. “I think this team is one of my most athletic and hungry teams I’ve had here in a long time. That’s saying a lot with these guys. I think the sky’s the limit. Our goal every year is to win district, win a state championship and nothing changes this year. Everything is there in front of us, we’ve got to take care of business each and every week, make sure we get better each week and continue to gain focus. I think we’ll be right there in the mix when it’s all said and done.”
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lost to Airline 27-6 lost to Haynesville 26-20 lost to De La Salle 44-8 lost to Many 14-12 beat Calvary 43-40 beat Richwood 21-7 lost to Wossman 14-7 lost to Carroll 14-13 beat Madison 28-6 beat Caldwell Parish 36-19 lost to Wossman 26-22
KEY NUMBER 10: This is the number this season's Union Parish will be looking toward all season long. Head coach Joe Spatafora and the Farmers want to lift the program back to where it was four years go where it was winning 10, 11, 12 games each year. The amount of experience Spatafora has coming back, this could be the team to erase the agony of the last two seasons.
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RICHWOOD RAMS ADAM HUNSUCKER AHUNSUCKER@THENEWSSTAR.COM
Richwood coach Robert Arvie has had the 2017 season circled on his calendar for some time. Arvie’s first year at Richwood produced an 8-4 record and second-round Class 3A playoff appearance in 2013. Despite the early success, the veteran coach knew that graduation was about to hit the roster hard. Richwood fell on hard times over the next two years, but rebounded to 6-5 last season. The Rams entered last October in the thick of the District 2-3A title race before a loss to Wossman knocked them from contention. Expectations at Richwood are high now that the underclassmen who took their lumps in 2014 take the field this fall as seniors. “I was trying to get it done while they were juniors but we just couldn’t score offensively last year like we needed to,” Arvie said. “It was disappointing we couldn’t get an offensive coordinator hired until last August and that put us behind the eight ball. “For the first time in three years, we had an offensive Continued on Next Page
3 KEYS TO SUCCESS IN 2017 ... 1. Hidari Caesar: The do-it-all threat has the skills to make an impact for the Rams on offense, defense and special times. 2. Linebacker: Deione and Deivone Reed both earned All-District 2-3A honors last season smothering the opposition’s running attacks. 3. Quarterback: The Rams don’t need Ashley Holmes to be a superstar. Improving his completion percentage and getting the ball to Geor’quarius Spivey will be enough to increase the potency of the offense.
MICHELLE TRIPP/THE NEWS-STAR
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RICHWOOD RAMS District: 2-3A Coach: Robert Arvie (fifth season) 2016 record: 6-5, 3-2 Playoff streak: One season Home field: Mackie Freeze Stadium School phone: (318) 361-0467 Tickets: $6 Radio: KXRR 106.1 FM
2017 SCHEDULE Sept. 1................................Ouachita Sept. 8 .......at Northwood (Shrev.) Sept. 15 ..............at Franklin Parish Sept. 22 ................................Bastrop Sept. 29.............................Red River Oct. 6...........................Union Parish Oct. 13 ...............................at Carroll Oct. 20 ..............................Wossman Oct. 27 ...........................at Madison Nov. 2.............................Sterlington
2016 RESULTS lost to Ouachita 51-20 beat Northwood (Shreveport) 15-9 beat Franklin Parish 21-18 lost to Bastrop 21-20 lost to Union Parish 21-7 Continued from Page 45A
coordinator in place during the offseason and the kids understand the system and what to do.” LaVelle Wilson Jr. moved across the street from Richwood Middle School to take over as offensive coordinator. Arvie would like to see Richwood be more efficient passing the football to complement its ground attack. “We completed around 38 percent of our passes last season. If we can get that up to around 55 percent with our running game, we’ll be very effective,” Arvie said. Senior tight end Geor’quarius Spivey gives Richwood a versatile target at 6-foot-6 and 220 pounds for junior quarterback Ashley Holmes. LSU, Lousiana Tech, Mississippi, UL Lafayette and TCU have all 46 i FOOTBALL 2017
offered Spivey. “I think I can bring a lot to the team with mismatches and things like that,” Spivey said. “I’m ready to do whatever the coaches want me to so we can win.” On defense, Richwood allowed 15.9 points per game last
year while giving up nine points or less in four games. Twins Deione and Deivone Reed give the Rams one of the area’s best one-two punches at linebacker. TCU commit Hidari Caesar, a versatile defensive back and kick returner, could also be called upon to give the offense a shot in the arm. Ceaser scored four touchdowns in the first six quarters of the 2016 season before a broken ankle cost him the rest of his junior year. While Richwood should once again be stout on defense, Arvie said the key to the Rams’ season remains on offense. “We know what we have on defense and special teams,” Arvie said. “If we can be more productive on the offensive side of the ball then it could be a big year for us.”
beat Carroll 19-14 beat Madison 13-6 beat Caldwell 6-3 lost to Wossman 14-7 lost to North Webster 18-0
KEY NUMBER 15: Richwood’s defense allowed just 15.9 points per game last season.
CARROLL BULLDOGS JIMMY TOUCHET SPECIAL TO THE NEWS-STAR
At Carroll High School, the Bulldogs have gone from mutt of the District 2-3A liter in 2014 with an uncharacteristic 0-10 season to “Tri-Top Dawg” as a three-way District 2-3A champion alongside Wossman and Union Parish in 2015 and “Co-Top Dawg” in a co-district championship with Wossman in 2016. Now, the 2017 Carroll Bulldogs are looking to take another step forward and claim the outright District 2-3A championship with a veteran team that saw action as freshmen and sophomores in the 2014 season. Veteran Carroll coach Jackie Hamilton has three keys that his Bulldogs need to execute for a successful 2017 Carroll Bulldogs season. “Our first key to being successful this season is that we must stay healthy,” Hamilton said. “Our second key is our offensive line playing well. Finally, our defense must win on first and third downs.” On offense, the Bulldogs return six starters from last season. Carroll will look to sophomore quarterback Cedric Woods (5-foot-10, 160 pounds) to lead the Bulldogs’ offensive attack. Senior running back Fantoryian Pendleton (5-8, 165) returns to give Woods an experienced skill player in the backfield to lean on early in the season. Rounding out the Carroll skill positions are senior wide receiver Sirtimothy Hollins (5-7, 155), junior tight end Xylon Kirkpatrick (6-1, 175), sophomore wide receiver
MICHELLE TRIPP/THE NEWS-STAR
Carroll's Sir Timothy Hollins (7) carries the ball for Bulldogs against the Wossman Wildcats last season.
Continued on Next Page
3 KEYS TO SUCCESS IN 2017 ... 1. Stay healthy:The Bulldogs have six starters returning on offense and five on defense, so there is mixture of experience and inexperience. Injuries could alter that mix. 2. Offensive line must play well: Everything starts up front for Carroll. Strong play on the line will lead to a potent offense. 3. Win first and third downs: Offensively, Carroll wants to stay out of long yardage situations on third down. Defensively, it is crucial for the Bulldogs to get off the field.
FOOTBALL 2017 i 47
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CARROLL BULLDOGS District: 2-3A Coach: Jackie Hamilton 2016 record: 9-3 Playoff streak: Two seasons Home field: Thomas-Blade Memorial Stadium School phone: (318) 387-8441 Tickets: NA
2017 SCHEDULE Sept. 1 ............................Woodlawn Sept. 8 .........................at Mansfield Sept. 15 ...................at Lincoln Prep Sept. 22.............................at Neville Sept. 29 ....................................Many Oct. 6.........................at Sterlington Oct. 13 ..............................Richwood Oct. 20.........................Union Parish Oct. 27 .........................at Wossman Nov. 3..................................Madison
2016 RESULTS beat Ferriday 18-16 beat Rayville 21-14 beat BTW 21-6 lost to Neville 40-14 beat General Trass 36-6 beat Caldwell Parish 42-7 lost to Richwood 19-14 beat Union Parish 14-13 beat Wossman 33-20 Continued from Page 47A
LaDarrius Goldsberry and wide receiver Dakorrion Jackson. One of the returning fouryear starters for Carroll is senior left guard Isaac Ellis (6-3, 320). Ellis is a player that colleges have been keeping their eyes on as one who could possibly be playing on Saturdays next season. Ellis will be joined on the Carroll offensive line by senior right guard Xavier Guy (6-4), sophomore center Isaiah Taylor, junior left tackle Russell Brown and sophomore right tackle Kevin Hamilton (5-10, 235). On defense, Carroll will utilize a 3-3-5 alignment, which 50 i FOOTBALL 2017
returns five starters, to contain opposing offenses. The Carroll defensive line will feature a trio of seniors in defensive end Michael Cameron (6-1, 193), defensive tackle Jermiah Coleman (5-3, 150) and defensive end JaMarcus Coleman (6-1, 200). Senior linebacker Derrick Logwood (5-11, 200) will anchor the Carroll linebacker core alongside Marcus Keys and sophomore CharTavion Arrington (6-0, 185). The Carroll secondary will be manned by sophomore strong safety Pakoyrie Goins, junior free safety Xylon Kirkpatrick (6-1, 175), sophomore defensive back Cedric Woods (5-10, 160), defensive back Zion Parker and senior defensive back Fantoryian Pendleton (5-8, 165).
On special teams, Hollins will be the Carroll field goal and extra point kicker. The Bulldogs’ punter will be Logwood while sophomore CharTavion Arrington handles the long snapping for Carroll. Woods will man the holder position on field goals and extra points. If Carroll is to be successful this season, Carroll will have to battle through a tough 2017 schedule that features one state champion (Sterlington), one state runner-up (Neville), a Class 2A semifinalist (Many) and nine of 10 teams on the schedule that advanced to the 2016 football playoffs. “Our pre-district schedule is tough,” Coach Hamilton said. “Hopefully playing a tough pre-district schedule will prepare us for a very tough District 2-3A.”
beat Madison 39-18 beat Albany 47-23 lost to Marksville 38-22
RAYVILLE HORNETS ADAM HUNSUCKER AHUNSUCKER@THENEWSSTAR.COM
Rayville’s 2016 season was a two-act production on the football field. The opening months of the season were brutal for the Hornets, who opened the schedule with four straight losses and sat at 1-6 in midOctober. While things seemed dark from outside the program, Rayville caught fire and closed the year with a 4-2 finish that included a berth in the Class 2A quarterfinals. The Hornets showed off the firepower to win a 66-60 shootout over North Caddo in the opening round of the playoffs and the defensive chops to beat Welsh 20-13. Entering the seventh year of coach Lent Bursey’s tenure, Rayville hopes that this fall has more in common with the end of 2016 than the start. Quarterback James Powell stepped into the big shoes left by Kahmod Naylor and improved as the season went along. Powell, now a junior, and the passing game should be potent again with the return of senior wide receiver Rashad Naylor. Junior running back Nick Gee will get the first shot at replacing All-District 2-2A performer Sadeq Wilson. Graduation also leaves the Hornets without dependable offensive lineman J.W. Jones. On defense, Rayville allowed 28.2 points per game on the season, but cut that figure to 24.6 over its 4-2 finish. Seniors Xavier and Zachary Griffin and Sherman Watkins Continued on Next Page
3 KEYS TO SUCCESS IN 2017 ... 1. Defense: Rayville traditionally fields a high-octane offense, but it needs to pair that with an improved defense this fall. The Hornets allowed 28.2 points per game in 2016. 2 Running back: The Hornets could count on running back Sadeq Wilson to pick up tough yards on the ground. Now that Wilson has graduated, junior Nick Gee needs to assume that role. 3. Quarterback: While James Powell improved over the course of the 2016 season, Rayville needs him to take the next step at quarterback. Getting Rashad Naylor the ball consistently should help Powell in that department.
JEANETTE ROBINSON/THE NEWS-STAR
The Rayville Hornets are in their seventh year under coach Lent Bursey.
FOOTBALL 2017 i 51
RAYVILLE HORNETS District: 2-2A Coach: Lent Bursey (seventh year) 2016 record: 5-8, 2-3 Home field: Hornets Stadium School phone: (318) 728-3296 Tickets: $8 Radio: KGGM 93.5 FM
2017 SCHEDULE Sept. 1......................Franklin Parish Sept. 8 ........................................Jena Sept. 15 ..................at Union Parish Sept. 22 ..........................at Ferriday Sept. 29..................................Vidalia Oct. 6 ...............................Mangham Oct. 13........................Delhi Charter Oct. 20...........at Beekman Charter Oct. 27 ......at Loyola College Prep (Shreveport) Nov. 3 .........................General Trass
2016 RESULTS lost to Woodlawn (Shreveport) 39-38 lost to Carroll 21-14 lost to Bastrop 42-12 lost to Wossman 39-12 beat Block 34-6 lost to Ferriday 38-29 lost to OCS 34-0 beat General Trass 33-0 lost to Sterlington 34-13 beat Mangham 26-21 beat North Caddo 66-60 beat Welsh 20-13 lost to St. Helena 20-0
KEY NUMBER 4: Rayville finished the 2016 season by winning four of its final six games and advancing to the Class 2A quarterfinals. Continued from Page 51A
gives the group some size and athleticism along the defensive line. All-district standout Loftin Keys leaves behind a big void in the Rayville secondary but 52 i FOOTBALL 2017
the Hornets aren’t hurting for athleticism in the defensive backfield. Senior cornerback Fredrick Lee stands at 6-2 and runs a 4.45 in the 40-yard dash. Beekman Charter, Delhi Charter and Vidalia join Ray-
ville in a revamped District 2-2A, replacing defending Class 2A state champion Sterlington and OCS. Sterlington moved to Class 3A while OCS dropped to Class 1A, leaving Rayville, Ferriday, General Trass and Mangham.
STERLINGTON PANTHERS ADAM HUNSUCKER AHUNSUCKER@THENEWSSTAR.COM
The Sterlington Panthers could do nothing but sit in disbelief. What just happened? Jason Thompson, the coach who unleashed Sterlington’s full potential by leading it to the 2016 Class 2A state championship, had just stepped down to move into administration. While there was cause for concern among the players, it was all put to rest when the school announced Thompson’s successor. Lee Doty spent more time among the Panthers than anyone as the strength and conditioning coach last season. The bond Doty created with the locker room, and a successful resume in the Louisiana and Mississippi prep ranks, made him the ideal choice to take over as head football coach. “Everybody was pretty pumped,” senior quarterback Carson Clowers said. “It’s sad that coach Thompson left but coach Doty is perfect for this team and we were happy he got the job.” Now sitting in the big chair, Doty hasn’t tried to reinvent the wheel. Sterlington will continue to run downhill at opponents in offensive coordinator Bobby Breen’s I-formation scheme while incorporating some spread looks as needed. Doty has made a few tweaks on the defensive side of the ball, where the Panthers will incorporate more man-toman coverage and multiple fronts out of the 4-2-5. Former
JEANETTE ROBINSON/THE NEWS-STAR
The Sterlington Panthers defense stuffs a Mangham runner during last season’s game.
Continued on Next Page
3 KEYS TO SUCCESS IN 2017 ... 1. Running back: Sterlington must find a new pair of bell cow runners after the graduation of tailback DeVante Douglas and fullback Tyler Muse. Senior C.J. Colvin is the favorite to start at tailback. 2. Secondary: The Panthers lost a valuable piece of its 2016 state championship in free safety Semaj Colvin, a four-year starter now at Delta State. Sterlington has incorporated more man-to-man coverage into its defense. 3. Transitioning up: Overall enrollment has Sterlington leaving Class 2A behind for its new home in Class 3A. With the move comes a new district and new opponents in Carroll, Madison, Richwood, Union Parish and Wossman.
FOOTBALL 2017 i 53
STERLINGTON PANTHERS District: 2-3A Coach: Lee Doty (first season) 2016 record: 13-2, 4-1 Playoff streak: seven seasons Home field: Panther Stadium School phone: (318) 665-2725 Tickets: $7 Radio: KBYO 92.7 FM
2017 SCHEDULE Sept. 1.................at West Ouachita Sept. 8 .........................................OCS Sept. 15 ...........................Oak Grove Sept. 22 ....at Loyola College Prep (Shreveport) Sept. 29..............at Calvary Baptist Oct. 6 ......................................Carroll Oct. 13..........................at Wossman Oct. 20 ................................Madison Oct. 27.........................Union Parish Nov. 2 ..........................at Richwood
2016 RESULTS Continued from Page 53A
Northwestern State and ULM assistant Adam Waugh joined the staff in the offseason as linebackers coach. “I guess you could say I’m more of a gambler,” said Doty, who joined Sterlington’s staff last season after leading St. Mary’s of Natchitoches to the 2015 Division IV state championship game. “My philosophy has always been to put the kids in the right position and let them play. We’re going to take more chances and we might give up a few more big plays, but to run the type of defense we want to run, you have to live with that.” Dawson Snell, a tackling machine and the reigning
All-NELA Small School Defensive Player of the Year, returns for his senior season at linebacker. Senior Brooks Rushworth and junior Chandler Moncrief gives the Panthers a pair of bookend defensive linemen. “Everything is faster in practice,” Snell said. “Speaking for myself, I like the aggressive mentality and we’re excited about getting on the field.” On offense, the graduation of running backs DeVante Douglas and Tyler Muse leaves Sterlington without the bulk of its backfield production. Versatile senior C.J. Colvin will get first crack at dotting the I-formation at tailback behind Clowers. Senior Whit Buffington and junior Trey Rugg return on the
offensive line. The fall marks Sterlington’s inaugural venture into Class 3A, where the Panthers will compete in District 2-3A alongside Carroll, Madison, Richwood, Union Parish and Wossman. Despite 2017 being its first season in Class 3A, Sterlington can feel the metaphorical target on its back as the defending Class 2A state champion and has embraced that role. “We are the defending state champs but that was last year’s team,” Doty said. “We’re the new kids in 3A and we’re the homecoming game. “In my opinion, that makes us the underdog again. That’s a role our kids are used to and we’re looking forward to the challenge.”
beat Franklin Parish 27-18 beat Oak Grove 19-6 beat Caldwell 40-14 lost to Loyola College Prep 48-28 lost to OCS 35-0 beat Mangham 35-12 beat Ferriday 34-30 beat Rayville 34-13 beat General Trass 49-14 beat Capitol 59-29 beat Pickering 48-20 beat Kinder 49-42 beat Many 40-37 beat Madison Prep 28-27
KEY NUMBER 11: Sterlington won its final three playoff games and the Class 2A state championship by a combined 11 points.
54 i FOOTBALL 2017
OAK GROVE TIGERS JIMMY TOUCHET SPECIAL TO THE NEWS-STAR
No doubt, graduation hit the Oak Grove hard as the Tigers must replace three 2016 Louisiana Sports Writers’ Association Class 1A All-State first teamers in running back Sam Philley, offensive lineman Joshua Mote and linebacker Nate Jennings. At a Louisiana football power like Oak Grove, tradition never graduates and the 2017 Tigers will just need to next man up when replacing those departed seniors from a year ago which saw Oak Grove advance to the Louisiana High School Athletic Association’s Class 1A semifinal round of the playoffs. For Oak Grove head coach Ryan Gregory and his coaching staff, the Tigers must accomplish three keys in order to be successful in 2017. “First, we must stay healthy,” Gregory said. “We need to be patient because we have so many new starters. We expect our seniors to carry the load. Finally, we have to take care of the football.” On offense, Oak Grove will look to sophomore quarterback Kameron Holloway (5foot-7, 140 pounds) to lead the
EMERALD MCINTYRE/THE NEWS-STAR
Oak Grove looks to make another deep playoff run in 2017.
Continued on Next Page
3 KEYS TO SUCCESS IN 2017 ... 1. Avoid injuries: Depth can be an in issue in Class 1A and injuries can affect a team's season. 2. Practice patience: Tigers are breaking in several new starters this season and patience will be a must. 3. Take care of the football: Winning the turnover battle is always a recipe for success.
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FOOTBALL 2017 i 55
OAK GROVE TIGERS District: 2-1A Coach: Randy Gregory 2016 record: 10-4 Playoff streak: 33 seasons Home field: Tiger Stadium School phone: (318) 428-2308 Tickets: $8
2017 SCHEDULE Sept. 1 ...................at Delhi Charter Sept. 7...............................Wossman Sept. 15.....................at Sterlington Sept. 22 .....................Delta Charter Sept. 29...................at St. Frederick Oct. 6.......................................Tensas Oct. 13 .........at Ouachita Christian Oct. 20.......................................Delhi Oct. 27 ......................at Sicily Island Nov. 2 ...........................Cedar Creek
2016 RESULTS lost to Mangham 27-21 lost to Northwood 42-36 lost to Sterlington 19-6 beat Delta Charter 54-13 beat Sicily Island 47-6 beat St. Frederick 31-0 beat Beekman Charter 52-0 beat Delhi Charter 18-12 beat Tensas 62-14 beat Delhi 60-28 beat Merryville 64-30 beat Delhi 61-8 Continued from Page 55A
Tigers’ offensive attack. Joining Holloway in the Oak Grove backfield will be senior running back Donald Gray (6-0, 190) and junior running back Wyatt Rawls (5-7,190). Gray was a Louisiana Sports Writers Association’s Class 1A All-State honorable mention running back in his junior season last year. Senior wide receiver Trey Newton, sophomore wide receiver Otis Moore (5-8, 155) and freshman tight end Dalton Allen (6-3, 215) round out the Oak Grove offensive skill positions. Oak Grove will look to re56 i FOOTBALL 2017
turning 2016 LSWA Class 1A honorable mention senior offensive lineman John Bolding (6-4, 300) to anchor the Tigers’ offensive line. Joining Bolding on the Oak Grove offensive line will be senior center Isaac Cupples (5-9, 230), sophomore offensive tackle Cole Pennock (6-0, 270), sophomore offensive guard Nick Sciara (5-10, 280) and freshman offensive guard Kade Klink (5-7, 245). On defense, Oak Grove will look to its 4-3-4 defensive alignment to keep opposing offenses off of the scoreboard. The Tigers' defensive line will feature senior defensive lineman Kenny Turner (6-2,
245) and senior defensive end Fred Middleton (5-11, 205), junior nose guard Wendell Brown (6-2, 285) and sophomore defensive lineman Kenean Caldwell (6-3, 305). A trio of juniors will make up the Oak Grove linebacker core as David Bruce (6-0, 200), Wyatt Rawls (5-7, 190) and Patrick Hagan (6-0, 170) play the linebacker positions for the Tigers. The Oak Grove defensive secondary will consist of senior defensive back L.J. Woodruff (5-7, 160), senior free safety Donald Gray, sophomore defensive back Otis Moore and freshman strong safety Ladarius Ward (5-8, 150).
beat Plain Dealing 46-20 lost to Haynesville 21-14
KEY NUMBER 6: Oak Grove scored 50 or more points six times during the 2016 season. The Tigers will try to pick up where they left off last season as an explosive football team.
OCS EAGLES JIMMY TOUCHET SPECIAL TO THE NEWS-STAR
If the Ouachita Christian School Eagles are to be successful in 2017, the Eagles will need to accomplish the three keys of success - play solid defense, play with discipline and execute as a team throughout the season. “For us our three keys to success, it all starts with playing good defense and defense wins championships,” OCS coach Steven Fitzhugh said. “Secondly, we have to have team discipline. Thirdly, we have to execute as a team.” With OCS’ focus on defense as its first key to success, the Eagles will utilize a 3-3-5 defensive scheme to stop opposing offenses. Finding those players to man the OCS 11 man defensive unit is something that the coaches have been evaluating throughout the offseason and summer. “We are looking for guys that play with intensity and passion,” Fitzhugh said. “Throughout our offseason workouts, we grind on them and we are looking for the toughest 11 guys. Those 11 that are the last man standing, we find them a spot to play defense.” The OCS defensive line will consist of junior Carter Autin (6-foot-1, 245 pounds), Connor McKoin (6-0, 240) and sophomore defensive end Christian Gray (6-0, 175). 2016 All-District 2-2A first team linebacker John Waldrop (5-10, 170) returns for his senior season and will lead an OCS linebacker corps that features sophomore linebacker Ethan Hogan (5-9,185) and senior linebacker Reece Pitson
HANNAH BALDWIN/THE NEWS-STAR
Ouachita Christian will renew some old rivalries in 2017.
Continued on Next Page
3 KEYS TO SUCCESS IN 2017 ... 1. Defense first: The Eagles figure to go as far in the playoffs as their defense takes them. There is some experience so OCS has a foundation with which to build in 2017. 2. Execute on offense: It sounds simple, but OCS needs a disciplined approach to offensive football. With that approach, execution should follow. 3. Play together as a team: A disciplined approach on offense and a sound defense comes together as a successful team.
FOOTBALL 2017 i 57
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OCS EAGLES Continued from Page 57A
(5-11, 225). Waldrop was the leading tackler for OCS last season with 95 total tackles (55 solo tackles, 40 assists), 14 tackles for loss and two fumble recoveries. The Eagles’ defensive secondary will have senior defensive back Bryce Wallace (6-2, 190), freshman defensive back Dillon Dougan (5-10, 175), junior strong safety Jacob Bridges (6-0, 180), senior strong safety Troy Luke Smith (5-8, 165) and sophomore free safety Will Fitzhugh (5-11, 175). On offense, the Eagles are looking to play disciplined football and execute the game play devised by the OCS coaching staff. “We have to maintain team discipline,” Fitzhugh said. “We have to execute correctly offensively, making sure that we have the right assignments blocked and taking care of the football. We have to come together as a team and execute properly.” Entering fall camp, OCS has two capable options at the quarterback position in juniors Turner Carr (5-10, 210) and Ty Pankey (6-0, 170). Senior running backs Skylor Wilhite (5-9, 190) and Pitson, who will be called upon to play both sides of the ball like many OCS Eagles, offer the Eagles a nice one-two-punch for the OCS rushing attack. Wilhite has the more rushing experienced of the two having rushed for 643-yards on 95 attempts with nine rushing touchdowns while hauling in 22 receptions for 409 yards with six receiving touchdowns which earned Wilhite firstteam All-District 2-2A honors as a running back and return specialist last season while Pitson was an All-District 2-2A defensive player. OCS returns senior wide receiver Wallace and sophomore Will Fitzhugh to the Eagles’ receiving core. Wallace, who was also an All-District 2-2A wide receiver last season, and Fitzhugh will be joined by junior Gavin Shepherd (5-10,150) to round out the OCS receivers. The OCS offensive line looks to be a solid unit averag-
District: 2-1A Coach: Steven Fitzhugh 2016 record: 10-2 Playoff streak: 14 seasons Home field: Eagle Stadium School phone: (318) 325-6000 Tickets: $7 Radio: KHLL (100.9 FM)
2017 SCHEDULE Sept. 1...................................Arcadia Sept. 8.......................at Sterlington Sept. 15.................at Delhi Charter Sept. 22 ....................at Sicily Island Sept. 29.....................................Delhi Oct. 5.......................at Cedar Creek Oct. 13.............................Oak Grove Oct. 20 ...............................at Tensas Oct. 27 .........................St. Frederick Nov. 3 .....................at Delta Chater
2016 RESULTS beat Block 52-6 beat D'Arbonne Woods Charter47-0 beat Cedar Creek 48-38 beat Lakeside 56-6 beat Alexandria 22-12 beat Sterlington 35-0
ing just under 6-feet and 237 pounds per man across their front five. The Eagles offensive line will consist of junior Cole Hathaway (5-10, 260), senior offensive guard McKoin, junior offensive tackle Connor Branch (6-0, 230), junior offensive tackle Autin and sophomore center Garrett Folds (6-0, 210). Hathaway was selected to the 2016 All-District 2-2A second team last season. On special teams, senior Gannon Malone (6-0, 150) will handle the kickoff and field goal/extra point kicking duties while freshman Connor Mulhearn (5-11, 175) is slated to be the OCS punter. Will Fitzhugh and Wilhite will handle all return duties in both punts and kickoffs while sophomore Caleb Bridges (5-10, 160) will be the long snapper and Shepherd will be the Eagles holder on extra points and field goal attempts.
OCS enters the 2017 football season returning to new district and Division for the postseason as the Eagles will compete in District 2-1A and Division IV this year. OCS’s previous appearance in Division IV resulted in the Eagles picking up the 2014 Louisiana High School Athletic Association’s DivisionI IV state title, which was the final season OCS competed in District 2-1A and Division IV. Still with a new district and division for the playoffs, Fitzhugh and his coaching staff are excited about the challenges that lie ahead of his Eagles this season. “It will be fun to renew some old rivalries,” Fitzhugh said. “For the first time since I have been here, we start district in week four which means those we have to get ready in those pre-district games to play seven district ballgames.”
beat Rayville 34-0 beat Mangham 35-12 beat General Trass 50-12 lost to Ferriday 42-32 beat Haynes Academy 49-6 lost to Riverside Academy 48-17
KEY NUMBER 237: The average weight of the offensive linemen who are expected to start for OCS this season.
FOOTBALL 2017 i 59
ST. FREDERICK WARRIORS CORY DIAZ BDIAZ@THENEWSSTAR.COM
Explosive plays on offense may be few and far between this season for St. Frederick, and head coach Jeff Tannehill is OK with that. Quarterback Barrett Coon graduated in May and took 3,300 total yards of offense with him. Instead of lighting the fuse, the Warriors aim to grind things down in 2017 until sparks fly. “Last year’s offense was pretty explosive. We hit a lot of big plays in games,” said Tannehill, entering his fifth year at the helm. “This year I think we’re going to be a little more ball control with the run game and our offensive line has to be very good all the time. Keep the ball away and give our defense a little rest because this year have few more guys going both ways.” Receiver-turned-quarterback Tyler Harris will now guide the offense, after spotstarting there a few games since his sophomore season. “He’s going to be a lot more of an athlete, a runner, not as much of a thrower. But he knows the offense, he’s been in it four years,” Tannehill said. “It’s a pretty smooth transiContinued on Next Page
3 KEYS TO SUCCESS IN 2017 ... 1. Building depth: Depth will be vital for St. Frederick as several standout players will be asked to play both ways. 2. Control the ball: The Warriors will relay on their run game for the most part this season, and ball control will be the biggest goal. 3. Control the line of scrimmage: St. Frederick wants to control the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball.
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St. Frederick's Tyler Harris (19) scores a touchdown last season.
60 i FOOTBALL 2017
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FOOTBALL 2017 i 61
ST. FREDERICK WARRIORS District: 2-1A Head coach: Jeff Tannehill 2016 record: 7-5 Playoff streak: Five seasons Home field: Chip Luffey Field School phone: (318) 323-9636 Tickets: $7 Radio: KBMQ 88.7 FM
2017 SCHEDULE Sept. 1 .........at D’Arbonne Woods Charter Sept. 8 .............................Mangham Sept. 15...................................Loyola Sept. 22..............................at Tensas Sept. 29...........................Oak Grove Oct. 6 .......................at Siciliy Island Oct. 13 .....................at Cedar Creek Oct. 20 .......................Delta Charter Oct. 27.........at Ouachita Christian Nov. 3 ........................................Delhi
Continued from Page 60A
tion. He was our backup quarterback when we had injuries there last year. He’s probably played at quarterback seven varsity games over the last two years. He’s experienced and he’s looking forward to the challenge. That’s where he’s always liked to play is quarterback. “Tyler is a natural leader on our team, he’s quiet but leads by example, works hard in practice. He’s a guy that on a bad snap, something good might pop out of it.” Seniors and multi-year starters Seth Tresize and Bobby White return at right and left tackle, respectively, on the offensive line, and will be important grinding rocks in the Warriors’ revamped ground game plan. “We took a couple of our defensive guys and put them on the offensive line that we lost last year. I think we’re going to be a little more physical up front, we’re a lot bigger than we’ve been being in the past up front,” the coach said. “That has to be the key of what we’re doing offensively and defensively, our O-line and D-line have got to be much improved. 62 i FOOTBALL 2017
I think that’s going to be one of our strengths this year.” As many as seven players, most of those seniors, could line up on offense and defense for St. Fred this year, making the ball control approach all the more important for precious rest for its defense that welcomes back rising senior tackling machine Weston Swanner. The middle linebacker amassed 148 tackles last season, increasing his number each of the three seasons he’s anchored the Warriors defense. Swanner will have leadership assistance at every defensive level this season in Demarco Collins, who has started three years at defensive tackle, and Devin Gordon, a three-year starter at cornerback. Ladell Brown and Gavin Corder return on the defensive line and safety, respectively, with two years of starting under their belt. “Weston Swanner, he’s our go-to guy. He’s led the area in tackles the last two, three years. He’ll play a little offense at tight end, but he’s one of the stalwarts of our team,” Tannehill said. “He’s our leader, everybody gets behind me and follows him. Of course, he’s the toughest guy on our team, too.
He doesn’t say a whole lot, but when he does talk, everybody listens.” Going 7-6 last year and falling the LHSAA Division IV quarterfinals against Ascension Episcopal, St. Fred gave up 40 points or more in four games. The coaching staff have placed an emphasis on the defensive side of the ball during fall camp. All that Swanner and company have seen and heard over the last few seasons, Tannehill believes his defense will dramatically improve. “That experience factor is going to get us there, and now when we go through the wars they’ve been battle-tested a few times and hopefully they be able to react to it differently than we did last year,” Tannehill said. “We’re going to put our best 11 on defense every Friday night in order to stop guys or hold them to least amount of points they can score. “I don’t think anything will surprise them. These guys have been in our system. Good thing about this time of year, if we’re already that far along, it’s always going to be a little quicker for those guys picking up those things.”
2016 RESULTS beat Strong (Arkansas) 37-6 lost to Sterlington 54-21 lost to Loyola 49-20 beat Beekman Charter 31-6 beat Delta Charter 45-20 lost to Oak Grove 31-0 beat Tensas 50-14 beat Delhi 20-18 lost to Delhi Charter 40-10 beat Sicily Island 34-0 beat St. Mary’s 41-29 lost to Ascension Episcopal 58-35
KEY NUMBER 32: The jersey of number of Weston Swanner. Opposing coaches will desperately want to know where the senior linebacker is at all times and will try to gameplan away from him. Starting since his freshman season, Swanner has meant a lot to St. Fred and for its defense to find its groove in 2017, he'll play a big part in that.
CEDAR CREEK COUGARS CORY DIAZ BDIAZ@THENEWSSTAR.COM
Despite having only installed a brand new offensive scheme during the summer prior, Cedar Creek fought through the growing pains to reach the LHSAA Division IV semifinals last season. With a full season and a full offseason of learning the insand-outs of the complicated triple flexbone offense, the Cougars have entered fall camp performing at the same level they were by the end of last season. “Last summer was real hectic, real stressful,” Cedar Creek head football coach Ben Haddox said. “We swapped coordinators over, the offensive and defensive coordinator swapped roles and there was a lot of stuff that had to be done off the field. “This year, we’re a lot more laid back and relaxed is probably not the right word, but a lot more confident offseason from the standpoint of coaching and being secure in what we’re doing and the schemes that we have. Seeing these kids out here, we’re running things that we were running in the semifinals round last year. Knowing we haven’t taken a Continued on Next Page
3 KEYS TO SUCCESS IN 2017 ...
MN-1000664043
1. Offensive efficiency: The departure of Tanner Disotell hurts but all of the Cougars skill players have a season of experience in the offense and will look to take it to the next level. 2. Reads are key: The speed and timing of decisions made by quarterback Jace Moss with backs Parker King and Tripp Marcus will have the Cougars flowing flawlessly or sputtering. 3. Up front: The front seven has the potential to be difference makers.
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Cedar Creek’s defense posted four shutouts last season.
AREA TEAMS FOOTBALL 2017 i 63
CEDAR CREEK COUGARS District: 2-1A Coach: Ben Haddox 2016 record: 8-5 Playoff streak: Two seasons Home field: Cougar Stadium Tickets: NA Radio: 97.7 FM
2017 SCHEDULE Sept. 1.....................................Loyola Sept. 8..............D'Arbonne Woods Charter Sept. 15............................at Arcadia Sept. 22................................at Delhi Sept. 29..............................at Tensas Oct. 5................Ouachita Christian Oct. 13..........................St. Frederick Oct. 20 ...........................Sicily Island Oct. 27 ..................at Delta Charter Nov. 2 .........................at Oak Grove
2016 RESULTS lost to Loyola 21-19 beat Delta Charter 45-21 lost to Ouachita Christian 48-38 beat Lincoln Prep 38-0 beat Ringgold 51-0 Continued from Page 63A
step back, taken our systems and done nothing but add to them, it’s been good.” While they lost quarterback Tanner Disotell, last season’s leading rushing and scorer, to graduation, the Cougars welcome back their entire offensive line with a year of experience in the flexbone, and 14 seniors, a large class by CCS’s standard. Rising senior Jace Moss slides into that role after lining up at running back last year and was the team’s secondleading rusher. Parker King comes back to claim the running back spot, while fullback Tripp Marcus fills out the experience-laden backfield. All-State defensive tackle Ben Slusher leads the interior of the defensive line and looks to improve off the season he had as CCS defense begins its second season running a 4-3 front, while behind him, senior middle linebacker Eli Brown 64 i FOOTBALL 2017
anchors the Cougars’ front seven that won’t have Nick Slusher, a West Point signee. “I think we’ll see every bit as efficient quarterback as Tanner, I don’t know if Jace can put up the same type numbers. You can’t predict that kind of stuff. I think he’ll be efficient running this offense and I think you’ll see the same production from the backfield,” Haddox said. “That quiet confidence. They fly around the football, they complement each other, they don’t care if I make the sack or if you make the sack, as long as they guys goes to the ground. It’s a race to get to the football. Watching them fly to the football and understand the pressures they can put on people offensively is going to be fun to watch.” Most of Cedar Creek’s senior class has been starters since their freshman season, and each year have seen the team’s win total increase through hard work and experi-
ence. From 3-7 their freshman season to winning nine games as juniors, the hashmarks the class of 2018 have gained on the football field hopefully leads all the way to the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. “We talked about having a vertical approach and a horizontal approach to our football team. Winning games, being state champions, district champions, this is our vertical approach,” Haddox said. “Our individual walk with our team, ‘Is my walk with my team helping those around me?’ Making sure that our goals are aligned with the goals of everybody else’s. As long as we can continue to be unselfish and understand that what I’m doing for myself and this team, as long as it’s for everybody else, we’re making good decisions. “Having a larger senior class, they shoulder that load a lot easier leaning on each other.”
beat Homer 55-12 lost to Haynesville 33-18 beat Plain Dealing 32-6 lost to Arcadia 36-20 beat D'Arbonne Woods Charter 42-8 beat Vermilion Catholic 33-0 beat Covenant Christian 42-0 lost to Southern Lab 56-0
KEY NUMBER 4: The Cougars' 2016 season ended four quarters shy of clinching a berth in the Division IV state championship game. Head coach Ben Haddox has used his team's last game as motivation this offseason and as the team has opened fall practice. With the experienced senior class, if Cedar Creek gets to the semifinals, will they remember the 56-0 loss to Southern Lab?
MANGHAM DRAGONS ADAM HUNSUCKER AHUNSUCKER@THENEWSSTAR.COM
The Mangham community wasn’t sure what to do with itself last November. The entire populace was used to following their beloved Dragons down to the Superdome, but for the first time in three seasons, Mangham did not make the pilgrimage to New Orleans for a state championship game. Class 2A runner-up Madison Prep ended Mangham’s season in the second round of the playoffs. Now that the 2017 season is here, all is right once again in the best little village the state of Louisiana has to offer. “I really think we were good enough to legitimately be a quarterfinal team,” said Mangham coach Tommy Tharp, who led the Dragons to three straight runner-up finishes in two different classifications. “I’m not sure we were much better than that, but we happened to catch one of the big ones in the playoffs.” Running back Jakarie Nichols — one of Mangham’s top playmakers over the last three seasons — graduated, but brothers Donovan and Tyler Haynes are ready to handle the backfield duties. Donovan, a senior, was one of the team’s leading rushers in 2016. Quarterback Adam Eley takes the reins of the intricate “Dragon Wing” offense; the first sophomore time to get the starting nod since Mangham great Ridge Heisler. “We think Adam is going to Continued on Next Page
3 KEYS TO SUCCESS IN 2017 ... 1. Offensive line: The “Dragon Wing” requires the offensive line to make calls and checks as a fine tuned machine. If Mangham’s O-line evolves into a cohesive unit, the Dragons will once again have one of the deadliest running games in the area. 2. Quarterback: Mangham coach Tommy Tharp and offensive coordinator Mike Wilson are confident sophomore Adam Eley can do the job behind center. Eley will have playmakers Jimmy Criff, Donovan Haynes and Tyler Haynes at his disposal. 3. The Haynes trio: Brothers Brandon, Donovan and Tyler Haynes are vital to Mangham’s entire operation. The Haynes boys will play on both sides of the ball, but will spend most of their time on defense.
HANNAH BALDWIN/THE NEWS-STAR
Mangham looks to rebound in 2017.
FOOTBALL 2017 i 65
MANGHAM DRAGONS District: 2-2A Coach: Tommy Tharp (ninth season) 2016 record: 6-6, 2-3 Playoff streak: 20 years Home field: Lobrano Field School phone: (318) 348-2485 Tickets: $7
2017 SCHEDULE Sept. 1...................................at Delhi Sept. 8.....................at St. Frederick Sept. 15.........................at Pickering Sept. 22 ................at Delhi Charter Sept. 29.........at Beekman Charter Oct. 6 ...............................at Rayville Oct. 13 ...................at General Trass Oct. 20 .................................Ferriday Oct. 27...............................at Vidalia Nov. 3 ..................................Varnado
2016 RESULTS beat Oak Grove 27-21 beat St. Thomas Aquinas 24-7 beat Block 34-12 lost to Pickering 26-15 beat General Trass 14-0 lost to Sterlington 35-12 lost to OCS 35-12 Continued from Page 65A
be fine and we have several freshmen that could get some playing time on offense,” Tharp said. “We don’t have that home run hitter that we’ve had in the past, but we’re more balanced than we’ve been as far as talent as each position. “That being said, we’re going to be as good as our offensive line is. That’s the way it works for us.” Junior Hayden Hutson is experienced at center, while junior Bradley Cleary is versatile enough to play multiple positions up front. Mangham is experimenting with senior blocking back Madison Wood66 i FOOTBALL 2017
ward at offensive guard. Tharp called Jimmy Criff the best athlete on the team and the senior will see time at wide receiver, running back and cornerback. Senior Brandon Haynes, the third of the Haynes clan, will be a big part of the Mangham defense alongside brothers Donovan and Tyler. Defensive coordinator Scott Wilcher has adjusted the Dragon’s base under front to allow Donovan and Tyler Haynes to chase the football at the safety positions. “Those guys make us go and they’ll have to play both ways,” Tharp said. “Hopefully we’ll have some folks to step in and give those guys some breathers but we’ll probably leave them
out there on defense.” Mangham began Phase 1 of renovations to Lobrano Field over the summer, but weatherrelated delays have left the home portion of the schedule in doubt. The Dragons aren’t scheduled to play in their own stadium until Week 8, but even that remains up in the air. “I apologized to our seniors because it’s not fair to them, but what do you do?” Tharp said. “I like being on the road. I’m not sure I like being on the road seven straight weeks but luckily we aren’t traveling too far. “We aren’t going to make a big deal out of it. Wherever we’re supposed to play, we’ll line up and play.”
lost to Ferriday 14-8 lost to Rayville 26-21 beat Red River 31-0 lost to Madison Prep 42-0
KEY NUMBER 11: Mangham has 11 total returning starters back from last year’s team.
RIVER OAKS MUSTANGS JIMMY TOUCHET SPECIAL TO THE NEWS-STAR
At River Oaks School, the Mustangs have a case of “good news and bad news” when preparing for the 2017 Mississippi Association of Independent Schools’ season. The good news is the fact that River Oaks is returning 18 out of 22 starters from a year ago. The bad news is there are fewer than 30 players on the Mustangs’ roster. River Oaks fans should not be worried as Mustangs coach Robert Hannah (entering his 31st season at River Oaks) has the experience to lead a limited roster. Hannah and his coaching staff have put the Mustangs’ football team through a rigorous conditioning program to keep the team competitive throughout four quarters. For Hannah’s continued devotion, years of service and accomplishments brought to the River Oaks School athletic program, the field that the Mustangs play their home games on now bears his name. Still with limited roster depth, experienced players and successful coaching staff, River Oaks has put together three keys to a successful 2017 season. “First, we have to stay healthy,” Hannah said. “Secondly, we need to gain experience in a hurry. Finally, we need create big plays and also stop big plays.” On offense, River Oaks will need to find a replacement for multi-year quarterback starter Tyler Pommier, who graduated last May, to lead the Mustangs Continued on Next Page
3 KEYS TO SUCCESS IN 2017 ... 1. Health: With many athletes playing on both sides of the football, the Mustangs need to stay as healthy as possible, With fewer than 30 athletes on the roster, depth is a huge issue. 2. Grow up fast: While there are eight returning starters on offense, the quarterback isn't one of them. Ideally, River Oaks will be able to bring along its quarterback -- and offense -- quickly. 3. Explosive plays: The Mustangs are looking for big plays on offense and stopping them on defense. If they are successful, then winning games becomes more likely.
JIMMY TOUCHET/SPECIAL TO THE NEWS-STAR
River Oaks plays Riverfield Academy in Rayville last season.
FOOTBALL 2017 i 67
RIVER OAKS MUSTANG VARSITY FOOTBALL 2017
August 18 August 25 September 1 September 8 September 15 September 22 September 29 October 6 October 13 October 20
Claiborne East Rankin Acad. Riverfield Copiah UCA Deer Creek St. Joseph Tri-County Acad. PVA Glenbrook
Away Home Home Home Away Away Home Away Away Homecoming
All games start at 7:00 PM
RIVER OAKS COACHES
VARSITY FOOTBALL
JV FOOTBALL
YOUTH FOOTBALL
COACH MIKE JONES, COACH DALTON LEBLEU, HEAD COACH ROBERT HANNAH, STUART HANNAH, KEVIN COPE
68 i FOOTBALL 2017
RIVER OAKS MUSTANGS Continued from Page 67A
offense. Sophomore quarterback Drake Tannehill (5-foot-9, 135 pounds) appears to be the heir apparent to lead the Mustangs’ offense which returns eight starters from a year ago. In 2016, Tannehill was 14-of-35 passing for 162 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions in limited time as a freshman backup to Pommier. While the bad news is River Oaks will be breaking in a new quarterback, the Mustangs should take solace in the good news that the Mustangs have plenty of experience at the skill positions for Tannehill to rely on early on to help his development. The River Oaks’ stable is full of horses as the Mustangs return their entire running back unit, which features three different running backs (senior Cody Tindall, junior Tyler Hitt and junior Tyler Avery) and one slot back (sophomore Trinton Smith), from a season ago. Last season, Tindall (5-8,150) led the Mustangs in rushing with 95 rushes for 889 yards on 95 carries with 11 touchdown runs while Hitt (6-2, 230)was a workhorse with 145 carries for 652 yards with two touchdowns. River Oaks’ third leading rusher was Avery (5-8, 210) with 93 rushes for 530 yards with four touchdowns while slot back Smith (6-0, 160) rounded out the Mustangs’ top four running backs with 328 yards on 66 carries and six touchdowns. Joining Smith in the Mustangs’ receiving corps are junior wide receiver Johnethan Hughes (6-0,190), Sam Harrington (5-10,155), Brandon Dorsey (6-0,160) and junior receiver Bradley Black (59,150). The River Oaks offensive line features offensive tackle Michael Hollman (6-0,190), offensive tackle Will Orten (6-1, 255), offensive guard Lowell Ashbrook (5-8, 235), offensive guard Alec Keomalithong (5-10, 260) and center John David Roberson (5-8, 165). With a limited number of
District: 5-AA Coach: Robert Hannah 2016 record: 3-7 Playoff streak: None Home field: Robert Hannah Field at Woody Boyles Stadium School phone: (318) 343-4185 Tickets: $7 adults, $6 students Radio: KMLB 540 AM
2017 SCHEDULE Aug. 18 ........................at Claiborne Aug. 25 .......................................ERA Sept. 1 ...............................Riverfield Sept. 8....................................Copiah Sept. 15...............................at Union Sept. 22.....................at Deer Creek Sept. 29 ............................St. Joseph Oct. 6 ........at Tri County Academy Oct. 13...at Prairie View Academy Oct. 20 ............................Glenbrook
2016 RESULTS lost to Washington 35-0 beat Riverfield 44-32 lost to Tallulah Academy 50-28
players, River Oaks will again look to several players playing on both sides of the ball. On defense, River Oaks returns an impressive 10 starters from last season to run their 4-3-5 defensive scheme. Defensive lineman Hitt, nose guard Samuel Alexander (6-0, 225), defensive end Avery (5-8, 210) and defensive end Bryce Hanson (6-3, 225) will make up the Mustangs’ defensive line. River Oaks’ 2016 season’s leading tackler (128 total tackles with 103 solo tackles, 23 assists), middle linebacker Rico Gonzalez (6-3, 225), returns for his junior season. Gonzalez will be joined at linebacker by Hollman and Sam Conti (5-6,170). Defensive backs Dorsey and Black (5-9, 150), strong safety Smith, strong safety Harrington and free safety Tindall will round out the Mustangs’ defensive secondary unit. On special teams, Hanson will serve as the River Oaks’
kickoff, field goal and extra point kicker while Alexander will be the Mustangs’ punter. Black is slated to handle both kickoff and punt return duties alongside Tindall for punt returners and Smith for kickoff returns. Long snapper duties will be handled by Hitt while Black will be the River Oaks holder for field goals and extra points this season. With only three teams competing in the MAIS’s District 5-2A, River Oaks’ schedule will have eight non-district games and only two district games in their 2017 varsity schedule. “We will have to weather a brutal schedule with two AAAA schools (East Rankin and Copiah Academy), a perennial AAA rival with Riverfield, and two powerhouse programs in Greenville St. Joe, and state runner up TriCounty,” Coach Hannah said. “The district should be competitive with Glenbrook and PVA, both of whom beat the Mustangs last year.”
lost to Central Hinds Academy42-16 lost to Tri County Academy 39-0 lost to Glenbrook 34-26 OT lost to Wilkinson County C hristian L 36-19 lost to Prairie View Academy 32-6 beat Claiborne Academy 51-20 beat Union Christian Academy 54-28
KEY NUMBER 10: The number of returning starters on defense. The experiences from a year ago should help the Mustangs get off to a solid start.
FOOTBALL 2017 i 69
RIVERFIELD RAIDERS JIMMY TOUCHET SPECIAL TO THE NEWS-STAR
The Riverfield Raiders are looking to put a disappointing 2016 campaign in the rear view mirror and move forward along the road to success as the Raiders take on their 2017 Mississippi Association of Independent Schools’ football season. After capturing the District 3-AAA championship with an undefeated 4-0 district record in their inaugural season in MAIS’s Class AAA in 2015, the Riverfield Raiders experienced the harsh reality of moving up from the MAIS Class AA-A to Class AAA as the Raiders earned an uncharacteristic 2-8 overall record and district record of 0-4 which denied the Raiders a playoff spot in 2016. Riverfield head coach Boyd Cole is preparing the Raiders for the 2017 football season by accomplishing by laying out three keys to success for Riverfield Academy. “Our three keys to a successful season are senior leadership, establishing a quarterback and development our offensive line,” Cole said. Cole and his coaching staff are excited about the group of
HANNAH BALDWIN/THE NEWS-STAR
Riverfield Raiders' head coach Boyd Cole blows the whistle as players push tackling dummies during practice.
Continued on Next Page
3 KEYS TO SUCCESS IN 2017 ... 1. Find a quarterback: The Raiders began fall practice with three quarterbacks. Coach Boyd Cole would prefer to settle on one and not use a two- or three-quarterback system. 2. Get better up front: Riverfield's offensive success will go hand in hand with the development of the team's offensive line. 3. Senior leadership: After suffering through a 2-8 season last year, Riverfield looks to its seniors to help turn the team back in the right directions.
Forest Land Management
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70 i FOOTBALL 2017
Owner: Shane Abercrombie Cell: 318-245-2565
RIVERFIELD RAIDERS District: 3-AAA Coach: Boyd Cole 2016 record: 2-8 Playoff Streak: None Home field: Meeks Stadium Phone: (318) 728-3281 Tickets: $10 adults, $5 students
2017 SCHEDULE Aug. 18....................................Bayou Aug. 25.......Porter's Chapel Acad. Sept. 1.........................at River Oaks Sept. 8 ...........at Hillcrest Christian Sept. 15 .................at P.V. Academy Sept. 22 .....................Central Hinds Sept. 29...at Park Place Chr. Acad. Oct. 6...............................Glenbrook Oct. 13..........................at Claiborne Oct. 20 ...........................St. Aloysius
2016 RESULTS lost to Bayou 33-28 Continued from Page 70A
seniors on the Raiders’ roster for the 2017 season. “First, leadership is the main area that we are focusing on in preseason,” Coach Cole said. “Seniors dictate which direction your team will go and we have a great group of seniors this year.” On offense, Riverfield returns four starters from last season’s team. Headed into the 2017 season, Riverfield has three quarterbacks battling for the starting position. Those three potential Riverfield starting quarterbacks are sophomore Braxton Shelton, sophomore Garrett Brakefield (5-foot-8,140 pounds) and freshman Ty Skeldon. “We have three young quarterbacks, and all three of them have leadership ability,” Cole said. “I need one of them to separate themselves from the others. I don’t like a two- or three-quarterback system, but I am going to do what is best for this team to be successful.” With inexperience at the
quarterback position, the Raiders return their two running backs in senior Zach Carnegie (5-8,145) and senior Cole Garrett (6-0,175). Senior wide receiver Zach Rockett (5-10,185), senior tight end John Michael Whatley, senior wide receiver Kyle Bolton and senior wide receiver Travis Rawls (5-11,165) round out the Raiders’ skill positions. The Riverfield offensive line features three seniors with center Cody Clark, left guard Kaleb Clark and right tackles Alex Bolton (6-3, 215) being joined by sophomore right guard Noah Greer (5-10, 220) and freshman left tackle Samuel Hoychick. Even with three seniors on the Raiders’ offensive line, Cole says the “Buck stops with him as the line coach” and looks at the Riverfield O-Line as being inexperienced, a work in progress and capable of coming around to help the team win some ball games. “I have a very inexperienced offensive line,” Cole said. “Our offense could be
very good this year if these young men come around. The coaches say that if the line coach does his job, we will win. I am the line coach. I feel really good about our team, and I am looking forward to a great year.” The Raiders defense has veteran leadership with seven returning starters to anchor Riverfield’s 4-3-4 defensive scheme. Up front, the Raiders’ defensive line will consist of senior defensive end Luke Williams (5-11,175), senior defensive tackle Clark, sophomore defensive tackle Greer and sophomore defensive end Chase Miller (6-0,197). Senior middle linebacker Josh Prine (5-9,172), senior outside linebacker Bolton, sophomore outside linebacker Jackson Shelton will comprise the Riverfield linebacker unit. The Raiders’ defensive secondary will feature senior cornerback Kincaid Ryan (6-2, 210) senior safety Carnegie, senior safety Garrett and sophomore cornerback Brakefield.
lost to River Oaks 44-32 lost to Manchester Academy 34-6 beat Claiborne Academy 52-30 beat Glenbrook 14-7 lost to Hartfield Academy 28-6 lost to Washington 48-6 lost to Central Hinds 49-32 lost to Wayne Academy 36-28 lost to St. Aloysius 48-12
KEY NUMBER 7: Riverfield gave up at least 30 points in seven losses last season. If the Raiders can bring down their points allowed, then they should have enough offense to improve on their win-loss record.
FOOTBALL 2017 i 71
USA TODAY NETWORK
David Feaster.
DISTRICT PREVIEWS
D’Arbonne Woods season may hinge on coach Feaster 72 i FOOTBALL 2017
JIMMY WATSON USA TODAY NETWORK
In the topsy-turvy world of 1A and 2A football fans can usually expect the unexpected and that’s certainly true with this group of schools hoping to improve on their 2016 finishes. Delhi Charter at 9-4 was the only school among this offering coming off a winning record. D’Arbonne Woods Timberwolves A new era is underway in Farmerville with former Parkway coach David Feaster taking over the reins of the football program. The Timberwolves’ punter can expect to be a lonely fellow this fall as Feaster prefers a kick-free offense. But one thing fans of the program can expect is an up-tempo attack that is sure to Continued on Next Page
DISTRICT PREVIEWS
NEWS-STAR FILE PHOTO
Delhi Charter reached the Class 1A quarterfinals last season. Continued from Previous Page
make waves in District 1-2A. D’Arbonne Woods was 1-9 last year under Brian Fine, who saw his team forfeit four games due to using an ineligible player, according to the LHSAA. Feaster said the football team graduated 21 seniors last spring and a number of additional athletes transferred schools with the departing athletic director. Delhi Charter Gators Things could be rosy again for the talented Gators after the team advanced to the LHSAA Class 1A quarterfinals last season before losing to state runnerup Haynesville. But winning will
be a little tougher this fall with the Gators moving to District 2-2A along with Ferriday, Mangham and Rayville, three 2A playoff teams. Both Ferriday and Rayville advanced to the quarterfinals. Delhi Bears Coach Toriano Williams is in the midst of a one-year suspension by the LHSAA for playing athletes with academic issues and for recruiting a player according to a release by the LHSAA. The Bears were required to forfeit two regular season games but advanced to the 1A playoffs advancing to the second round. They finished 4-8 on the season. Wil-
liams is suspended until Oct. 28, but remains at the school, according to school spokesman. Lincoln Prep Panthers A promising 2016 season saw the Panthers advance to the Class 1A playoffs last season before falling 49-0 to eventual state champ Logansport and finishing 5-7. Coach Glen Hall has some talent returning, especially 6-foot-3, 300-pound OL/ DL Taviughn Turner, who is getting looks from Louisiana Tech, ULM and Grambling. Sicily Island Tigers The 2017 season can only get better than 2016 for the Tigers, who finished 1-9 last fall with their only victory coming from
a 2-0 forfeit from Delhi. Sicily Island was held to one touchdown or less in six games and scored in double digits only twice. Beekman Charter Tigers Coach Wade McDonald hopes to usher in some positive vibes for the Tigers this fall after the team won just two games on the field in 2016. There was a forfeit win over Delhi to make the Tigers 3-7 before losing in the opening round of the playoffs. Unfortunately, an increase in numbers is moving Beekman from 1A to 2-2A where the competition gets even stiffer. Twitter: @JimmyWatson6 FOOTBALL 2017 i 73
2017 TEAM-BY-TEAM SCHEDULES
District 2-5A Alexandria
Oct. 20 at Ouachita
Sept. 29 at Tioga
Sept. 8 BTW-Tulsa, Okla.
Oct. 6 Brother Martin
Oct. 27 Ruston
Oct. 6 Ouachita
(BOB)
Oct. 13 OPEN
Sept. 1 Ferriday
Nov. 3 West Monroe
Oct. 13 Natchitoches
Sept. 15 Wossman
Oct. 20 at Franklin Parish
Oct. 20 West Monroe
Sept. 22 Noxubee County,
Oct. 27 West Ouachita
Oct. 27 at Alexandria
Miss.
Nov. 3 Neville
Nov. 3 at Ruston
Sept. 29 at Neville
Sept. 8 Benton Sept. 15 Peabody Sept. 22 Red River Sept. 29 at Jena Oct. 6 at Natchitoches Oct. 13 at West Monroe Oct. 20 at Ruston Oct. 27 Pineville Nov. 2 at Ouachita
Ouachita Sept. 1 at Richwood Sept. 8 Sulphur Sept. 15 Neville
Ruston
Sept. 22 at Carencro
Sept. 1 at Neville
Sept. 29 Plaquemine
Sept. 8 at Acadiana
Oct. 6 at Pineville
Sept. 15 Airline
Oct. 13 at Ruston
Sept. 22 OPEN
Oct. 20 Natchitoches
Sept. 29 West Ouachita
Natchitoches
Oct. 27 at West Monroe
Oct. 6 at West Monroe
Sept. 1 at North DeSoto
Nov. 2 Alexandria
Oct. 13 Ouachita
Sept. 8 Green Oaks Sept. 15 at Southwood Sept. 22 DeRidder Sept. 29 at Breaux Bridge Oct. 6 Alexandria Oct. 13 at Pineville 74 i FOOTBALL 2017
Pineville Sept. 1 Southwood Sept. 8 at Peabody
Oct. 6 Ruston Oct. 13 Alexandria Oct. 20 at Pineville Oct. 27 Ouachita Nov. 3 at Natchitoches (BOB) Battle on the Border, in Shreveport
Franklin Parish Sept. 1 at Rayville Sept. 8 at Ferriday Sept. 15 Richwood Sept. 22 Kentwood Sept. 29 Union Parish Oct. 6 at Haughton Oct. 13 Green Oaks Oct. 20 bastrop
Oct. 20 Alexandria
District 2-4A Bastrop
Oct. 27 at Natchitoches
Sept. 1 at Carver
Nov. 3 at West Ouachita
Nov. 3 Pineville
Sept. 8 Airline Sept. 15 Calvary
Sept. 15 West Ouachita
West Monroe
Sept. 22 at Richwood
Sept. 22 Leesville
Sept. 1 John Ehret
Sept. 29 at Menard
Oct. 27 at Neville
2017 TEAM-BY-TEAM SCHEDULES Neville
Sept. 15 at West Monroe Sept. 22 St. James Sept. 30 at Peabody Oct. 6 at Madison Oct. 13 Sterlington Oct. 20 at Richwood Oct. 27 Carroll Nov. 3 at Union Parish
Sept. 1 Ruston Sept. 8 at Warren Central Sept. 15 at Ouachita Sept. 22 Carroll Sept. 29 West Monroe Oct. 6 OPEN Oct. 13 at Franklinton Oct. 20 at West Ouachita Oct. 27 Franklin Parish Nov. 3 at Bastrop
District 1-2A D’Arbonne Woods Sept. 1 at St. Frederick Sept. 8 at Cedar Creek Sept. 15 OPEN Sept. 22 Lincoln Prep Sept. 29 at Delhi Charter Oct. 6 Mansfield Oct. 13 at North Caddo Oct. 20 Calvary Oct. 27 at Lakeside Nov. 3 OPEN
West Ouachita Sept. 1 Sterlington Sept. 8 at Loyola Sept. 15 at Pineville Sept. 22 North Webster Sept. 29 at Ruston Oct. 5 at DeRidder Oct. 13 Buckeye Oct. 20 Neville Oct. 27 at Bastrop Nov. 3 Franklin Parish
District 2-2A Beekman Charter Sept. 1 at LaSalle Sept. 8 at Homer Sept. 15 Lakeside Sept. 22 at Vidalia Sept. 29 Mangham Oct. 6 at Delhi Charter Oct. 13 OPEN Oct. 20 Rayville Oct. 27 at General Trass Nov. 3 Ferriday
District 2-3A Carroll Sept. 1 Woodlawn Sept. 8 at Mansfield Sept. 15 at Lincoln Prep Sept. 22 at Neville Sept. 29 Many Oct. 6 at Sterlington Oct. 13 Richwood Oct. 20 Union Pairsh Oct. 27 at Wossman Nov. 3 Madison
Delhi Charter
Madison Sept. 1 Bossier Sept. 8 Delhi Charter Sept. 15 Delhi Sept. 22 at General Trass Sept. 29 Country Day-MP Oct. 6 Wossman Oct. 13 at Union Parish Oct. 20 at Sterlington Oct. 27 Richwood Nov. 3 at Carroll
Sept. 15 at Franklin Parish Sept. 22 Bastrop Sept. 29 Red River Oct. 6 Union Parish Oct. 13 at Carroll Oct. 20 Wossman Oct. 27 at Madison Nov. 2 Sterlington
Sept. 15 Oak Grove Sept. 22 at Loyola Sept. 29 at Calvary Oct. 6 Carroll Oct. 13 at Wossman Oct. 20 Madison Oct. 27 Union Parish Nov. 2 at Richwood
Sept. 15 Rayville Sept. 22 Many Sept. 29 at Franklin Parish Oct. 6 at Richwood Oct. 13 Madison Oct. 20 at Carroll Oct. 27 at Sterlington Nov. 3 Wossman
Richwood
Sterlington
Union Parish
Wossman
Sept. 1 Ouachita Sept. 8 at Northwood
Sept. 1 at West Ouachita Sept. 8 Ouachita Christian
Sept. 1 at Airline Sept. 8 Calvary
Sept. 1 at Benton Sept. 7 at Oak Grove
Sept. 1 Oak Grove Sept. 8 at Madison Sept. 15 Ouachita Christian Sept. 22 at Mangham Sept. 29 at D’Arbonne Woods Oct. 6 Beekman Charter Oct. 13 at Rayville Oct. 20 General Trass Oct. 27 at Ferriday Nov. 3 Vidalia
FOOTBALL 2017 i 75
2017 TEAM-BY-TEAM SCHEDULES
Ferriday Sept. 1 at Alexandria Sept. 8 Franklin Parish Sept. 15 at LaGrange Sept. 22 Rayville Sept. 29 at General Trass Oct. 6 at Denham Springs Oct. 13 Vidalia Oct. 20 at Mangham Oct. 27 Delhi Charter Nov. 3 at Beekman Charter
General Trass Sept. 1 at Caldwell Parish Sept. 8 Tensas 76 i FOOTBALL 2017
Sept. 15 Delta Charter Sept. 22 Madison Sept. 29 Ferriday Oct. 6 at Vidalia Oct. 13 Mangham Oct. 20 at Delhi Charter Oct. 27 Beekman Nov. 3 at Rayville
Mangham Sept. 1 at Delhi Sept. 8 at St. Frederick Sept. 15 at Pickering Sept. 22 Delhi Charter Sept. 29 at Beekman Charter
Oct. 6 Rayville Oct. 13 at General Trass Oct. 20 Ferriday Oct. 27 at Vidalia Nov. 3 OPEN
Rayville Sept. 1 Franklin Parish Sept. 8 Jena Sept. 15 at Union Parish Sept. 22 at Ferriday Sept. 29 Vidalia Oct. 6 at Mangham Oct. 13 Delhi Charter Oct. 20 at Beekman Charter
Oct. 27 at Loyola Nov. 3 General Trass
Vidalia Sept. 1 at Sicily Island Sept. 8 at Delhi Sept. 15 Homer Sept. 22 Beekman Charter Sept. 29 at Rayville Oct. 6 General Trass Oct. 13 at Ferriday Oct. 20 Tioga Oct. 27 Mangham Nov. 3 at Delhi Charter
District 1-1A Arcadia Sept. 1 at Ouachita Christian Sept. 8 at Red River Sept. 15 at Cedar Creek Sept. 22 Homer Sept. 29 Haynesville Oct. 6 Ringgold Oct. 13 at Plain Dealing Oct. 20 at JonesboroHodge Oct. 27 OPEN Nov. 3 at Lincoln Prep
2017 TEAM-BY-TEAM SCHEDULES Jonesboro-Hodge Sept. 1 Logansport Sept. 8 at Tioga Sept. 15 Winnfield Sept. 22 Haynesville Sept. 29 at Lincoln Prep Oct. 6 Plain Dealing Oct. 13 at Homer Oct. 20 Arcadia Oct. 27 at Ringgold Nov. 3 at Green Oaks
Lincoln Prep Sept. 1 Red River Sept. 8 at Delta Charter Sept. 15 Carroll Sept. 22 at D’Arbonne Woods Sept. 29 JonesboroHodge Oct. 6 Homer Oct. 13 at Haynesville Oct. 20 Ringgold Oct. 27 at Plain Dealing Nov. 3 Arcadia
Ringgold Sept. 1 Lakeside Sept. 8 Northwood Sept. 15 at Tensas Sept. 22 Plain Dealing Sept. 29 at Homer Oct. 6 at Arcadia Oct. 12 at Mansfield Oct. 20 at Lincoln Prep Oct. 27 Jonesboro-Hodge Nov. 3 Haynesville
District 2-1A Cedar Creek Sept. 1 Loyola Sept. 8 D’Arbonne Woods Sept. 15 Arcadia Sept. 22 at Delhi Sept. 29 at Tensas Oct. 5 Ouachita Christian Oct. 13 St. Frederick Oct. 20 Sicily Island Oct. 27 Delta Charter Nov. 2 at Oak Grove
Delhi Sept. 1 Mangham Sept. 8 Vidalia Sept. 15 at Madison Sept. 22 Cedar Creek Sept. 29 at Ouachita Christian Oct. 6 Delta Charter Oct. 13 Sicily Island Oct. 20 at Oak Grove Oct. 27 Tensas Nov. 3 at St. Frederick
Delta Charter Sept. 1 Homer Sept. 8 Lincoln Prep Sept. 15 at General Trass Sept. 22 at Oak Grove Sept. 29 Sicily Island Oct. 6 at Delhi Oct. 13 Tensas Oct. 20 at St. Frederick Oct. 27 Cedar Creek
Nov. 3 Ouachita Chrisitan
Oak Grove Sept. 1 at Delhi Charter Sept. 7 Wossman Sept. 15 at Sterlington Sept. 22 Delta Charter Sept. 29 at St. Frederick Oct. 6 Tensas Oct. 13 at Ouachita Christian Oct. 20 Delhi Sept. 27 at Sicily Island Nov. 2 Cedar Creek
Ouachita Christian Sept. 1 Arcadia Sept. 8 at Sterlington Sept. 15 at Delhi Charter Sept. 22 at Sicily Island Sept. 29 Delhi Oct. 5 at Cedar Creek
Oct. 13 Oak Grove Oct. 20 at Tensas Oct. 27 St. Frederick Nov. 3 at Delta Charter
Sicily Island Sept. 1 Vidalia Sept. 8 at Block Sept. 15 LaSalle Sept. 22 Ouachita Christian Sept. 29 at Delta Charter Oct. 6 St. Frederick Oct. 13 at Delhi Oct. 20 at Cedar Creek Oct. 27 Oak Grove Nov. 3 at Tensas
St. Frederick Sept. 1 at D’Arbonne Woods Sept. 8 Mangham
Sept. 15 Loyola Sept. 22 at Tensas Sept. 29 Oak Grove Oct. 6 at Sicily Island Oct. 13 at Cedar Creek Oct. 20 Delta Charter Oct. 27 at Ouachita Christian Nov. 3 Delhi
Tensas Sept. 1 OPEN Sept. 8 at General Trass Sept. 15 Ringgold Sept. 22 St. Frederick Sept. 29 Cedar Creek Oct. 6 at Oak Grove Oct. 13 at Delta Charter Oct. 20 Ouachita Christian Oct. 27 at Delhi Nov. 3 Sicily Island
FOOTBALL 2017 i 77
COLLEGE FOOTBALL 2017
USA TODAY SPORTS AND ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTOS
78 i FOOTBALL 2017
ULM WARHAWKS
ULM PHOTO SERVICES
Matt Viator led ULM to a 4-8 record in his first season.
ADAM HUNSUCKER AHUNSUCKER@THENEWSSTAR.COM
Matt Viator’s first year at ULM was a case study in adjustment. The Warhawks were not only getting acclimated to a new coach, but Viator was also a stranger in a strange land after spending the last 16 seasons at McNeese State. Those pitfalls and first-year hiccups are gone now that Viator enters the second year of his rebuilding project at ULM, which was picked to finish ninth in the Sun Belt Conference. “When you’re new, everybody is feeling their way around a little bit,” Viator said. “That wasn’t the case this year. Everybody just showed up and went to work. Our talent level has definitely improved and so has the overall operation and the trust factor in the locker room.” While the improvement on the field and in the win-loss column was evident, ULM finished 4-8 and outside the bowl picture for the third-straight year in Viator’s first season on the job. Viator continued his makeover of the Warhawks by signing the Sun Belt’s topranked recruiting class per Rivals.com. A combined five points kept
Coach: Matt Viator (second year) Career mark: 82-41 2016 record: 4-8, 3-5 Home field: JPS Field at Malone Stadium Phone: 318-342-5417 Radio: KJLO 104.1 FM
2017 SCHEDULE Aug. 31 at Memphis, 8 p.m. (CBS Sports Network) Sept. 9 at Florida State, 6 p.m. (ACC Network) Sept. 16 Southern Miss, 6 p.m. Sept. 23 at UL Lafayette, TBA Sept. 30 Coastal Carolina 6 p.m. Oct. 7 at Texas State, TBA Oct. 14 Georgia State, 4 p.m. Oct. 21 at South Alabama, TBA Oct. 28 at Idaho, TBA Nov. 4 Appalachian State, 2 p.m. Nov. 18 at Auburn, TBA Nov. 25 Arkansas State, 2 p.m.
ULM from bowl eligibility last season in losses to Georgia Southern and Idaho. The Warhawks beat South Alabama, which appeared in the Arizona Bowl, at home in overtime. “We were competitive in all the conference games but Arkansas State, the second half at Appalachian State and UL Lafayette to an extent,” Viator said. “You hope that gives the guys some confidence but we need to be better starting third quarters to have a chance in
those games.” Improving a defense that allowed 39 points and 260 yards rushing per game was first on ULM’s offseason checklist. Tackling was emphasized in spring drills and the defense responded by allowing just 104 yards on the ground during the Maroon and White Game. Junior David Griffith (78 tackles) and sophomore Chase Day (70 tackles) return after leading the Warhawks in tackles last season. ULM addressed its issues in the secondary by signing seven defensive backs. “We wanted to create competition at that position,” defensive coordinator Mike Collins said. “Those were positions that we lacked enough players to make it through the season. At the same time, we were going to force guys to become better football players or they were going to get replaced.” ULM forged a new identity as a running team last season under offensive coordinator Matt Kubik, averaging 181 yards rushing per game. The offensive line, once a sore subject around the program, was the most improved position group in the program and dropped its sack total to 19 on the year. Injuries cost quarterback Garrett Smith (1,237 yards, nine
touchdowns, seven interceptions) playing time again in 2016, but the junior once again showed the ability and toughness that makes him the favorite to start this season. ULM won two of its final four games with sophomore Caleb Evans behind center. “Garrett can do some great things back there if we can keep guys off him,” senior offensive lineman Frank Sutton said. “What we have to do is take what we improved on last year and continue to build on top of it.” ULM’s path to its first bowl game since 2012 is hindered by a schedule that includes nine bowl teams from one year ago. Road games at Memphis, Florida State and Auburn highlight the schedule, while Southern Miss and defending Sun Belt co-champions Appalachian State and Arkansas State visit JPS Field at Malone Stadium. ULM doesn’t have a bye week until Nov. 11. “Anytime you go into a year with nine bowl teams on the schedule, that’s as salty as it gets right there,” Viator said. “No doubt it’s going to be challenging but I’m more concerned with how we’ve improved. “Our focus is on continuing to get better every day and not looking at the schedule.” FOOTBALL 2017 i 79
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Garrett’s gig If it was all about his play on the field, junior Garrett Smith would be ULM’s unquestioned starter at quarterback. But the problem is how much Smith has been able to stay on the field. Smith has missed nine games over the past two seasons. The Warhawks' struggles to score points in the aforementioned games were real, which makes keeping him upright a priority. Sophomores Will Collins and Caleb Evans split six starts last season in Smith’s absence and will compete for backup duties. Evans fared better, passing 639 yards with three touchdowns and five interceptions in four starts, including wins over South Alabama and Georgia State.
Nowhere to go but up ULM’s run defense was one of the worst in country in 2017. Opponents ran at will on the Warhawks, who allowed 260 yards on the ground per game and more than 5 yards per carry. ULM hopes some experience in the front seven, and the addition of some size on the line, will offset its problems. Three of ULM’s top-five tacklers — linebackers David Griffith, a rising junior, sophomores-to-be Chase Day and Cortez Sisco — are all back. The Warhawks added defensive tackles Demonde Harris (6-2, 283) from Class 4A state champion Edna Karr and Livonia’s Johnathan Hawkins (6-2, 270) in the offseason. Redshirt freshman Mason Husmann, a converted defensive end, and junior Tyler Johnson, a JUCO signee from last year, have worked themselves into the tackle rotation.
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Crowded backfield Running back was once one of the leaner positon groups on the roster, but now ULM finds itself with plenty of options to tote the football. The headliner of this group is Alabama transfer Derrick Gore, a redshirt junior who enrolled early but was limited during spring practice. Gore is immediately eligible and will push junior Ben Luckett, last year’s leading rusher with 120 carries for 450 yards and five touchdowns.
New-look secondary A talent infusion from the junior college and high school ranks will give the defensive backfield a new look when the Warhawks open the season against Memphis. The expectations around three-star Southwestern (California) College cornerback JJ Dallas are high. Safety Rhoy Williams, another JUCO signee from Copiah-Lincoln (Mississippi) Community College, enrolled early and turned heads during spring drills. Freshmen Austin Hawley, a safety from Gladewater (Texas) High School, and threestar cornerback signee Corey Straughter, a local product from Neville, could push for playing time. Cornerback Juwan Offray returns for his senior season.
New kids on the block
JANSEN A. NOWELL/ULM MEDIA RELATIONS
Junior Marcus Green (3) led ULM in receptions (36) last season.
ULM turned heads on National Signing Day by putting together its best recruiting class in decades; a talent haul that was rated as No. 1 overall in the Sun Belt Conference by Rivals.com. Now Viator is tasked with turning that potential into production on the field. Dallas, Straughter, threestar JUCO offensive tackle Jo’Quarius Savage and three-star Ponchatoula running back Jakyle Holmes are the highestranked signees in the class. In addition to Gore, ULM added Texas Tech transfer Trace Ellison at offensive tackle. FOOTBALL 2017 i 81
LOUISIANA TECH BULLDOGS SAMANTHA BAKER/ AP
Louisiana Tech's J'Mar Smith looks for an open receiver after breaking a tackle during the fourth quarter of last year's game at Arkansas.
CORY DIAZ BDIAZ@THENEWSSTAR.COM
RUSTON — Energy and momentum inundating the Louisiana Tech football program has steadily grown to arguably an all-time high as the 2017 season arrives. Three straight nine-wins seasons loudly punctuated with three straight victories in bowl games for the Bulldogs has validated and sparked the athletic department’s effort to fundraising $40 million to facility upgrades at Joe Aillet Stadium. The Davison Athletic Complex opened before the 2016 season, a $22 million end zone building that houses the team’s new locker room, weight room, team meeting rooms, as well as outdoor seats and patios for a few hundred supporters, and this year, Tech’s new press box and executive suites, a $16.7 million upgrade, are on schedule to open in time for the season opener Sept. 2 versus Northwestern State. Headlining the programrecord seven home-game slate in 2017, the SEC’s Mississippi State travels to Ruston in Week 2, not only gives the team a chance to sell out the Joe for the first time, but provides Louisiana Tech with an earlyseason quality opponent where head coach Skip Holtz and his 82 i FOOTBALL 2017
Coach: Skip Holtz 2016 record: 9-5, 6-2 in Conference USA Home field: Joe Aillet Stadium, Ruston Radio: KXKZ 107.5 FM
2017 SCHEDULE Sept. 2 Northwestern State 6 p.m. Sept. 9 Mississippi State 6:30 p.m. Sept. 16 at WKU 6 p.m. Sept. 23 at South Carolina TBA Sept. 30 South Alabama 6 p.m. Oct. 7 at UAB TBA Oct. 21 Southern Miss 6 p.m. Oct. 28 at Rice 2:30 p.m. Nov. 4 North Texas 2:30 p.m. Nov. 11 Florida Atlantic 2:30 p.m. Nov. 18 at UTEP 2 p.m. Nov. 25 UTSA TBA
coaching staff hope lingering lessons, win or lose, can help the squad in its pursuit of a Conference USA championship late in the year. No other program in C-USA has had a more successful three-year run than the Bulldogs. And support for the program reflects that. While Tech has won the Western Division twice in those three seasons, more remains out there for Holtz and company to accomplish. “A lot of people are patting a lot of people on the back right now,” Holtz said this offseason.
“’Great job, three bowl games, first time in school history.’ We got Mississippi State at home, we’ve never sold out the stadium out, we’ve got a chance to do it twice this year. There is just a lot of positive things going on. “We’re still looking at it saying that elusive conference championship is still out there. That elusive 10-win season is still out there, that elusive Power Five win is still out there,” he said. “We lost to Kansas State in triple overtime, Arkansas, 2120. We’ve been right there, but it’s always one of the things stopping us from enjoying some of the successes that we’ve had because of that bitter taste in how close we’ve been.” The Bulldogs nearly marked the Power Five win off their checklist in last season’s opener at Arkansas, and almost pulled the upset with a redshirt freshman quarterback starting for the first time in his collegiate career in J’Mar Smith. Louisiana Tech fell just shy, 21-20, but Smith’s performance in his first outing has fans expecting a lot from this season’s team as he enters his sophomore campaigns as the starting quarterback. “I think the time has come and I think I’m ready to take the task, understanding what coach Holtz wants and (quarter-
backs coach Tim Rattay) wants,” Smith said. “Just understanding the offense better, understanding defenses and what they’re trying to do. Understanding situations of the game and just doing the best I can. Go out there, do what I have to do, get the ball to the receivers or the running back, control the offense and don’t turn over the ball.” Smith won’t be expected to make all the plays himself, Holtz said, but the offensive players around him believe in him and what he’s shown he’s capable of doing. “His composure, his poise, what he was able to do out there on that field in a 21-20 loss. It probably was a confidence boost as much as anything. He went out there, he handled himself incredibly well,” Holtz said. “I think we have an obligation to make sure that we put him in a position of success. I don’t think we’re going to go out there as a redshirt sophomore walking out as the first starter of the season to go in this, put a saddle on J’Mar and see how far we can ride him. I think J’Mar is going to grow and continue to develop as a quarterback. I think J’Mar has still got a lot of good football ahead of him.”
CORY DIAZ
Replacing three NFLbound defensive backs The highest priority for Louisiana Tech this fall camp is replacing the three NFLbound defensive backs it has lost the last two seasons. Head coach Skip Holtz and defensive coordinator and safeties coach Blake Baker addressed that this past recruiting cycle, signing big safeties Jacorien Andrews and Jaiden Cole, both north of 200 pounds. Senior DeMarion King, junior Aaron Roberson, redshirt sophomore Ephraim Kitchen and freshmen Amik Robertson, Trace Spencer, Kollin Hurt, among others will all compete for starting positions and fill out the depth chart. Tech gave up 275 passing yards per game, coming in at 116th in the country, and 33 passing touchdowns all season. Improving those numbers could mean the difference between winning and losing the Conference USA Championship game.
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Time to break through This must be the year the Bulldogs break through. Support for the football team has reached an apex and Louisiana Tech somehow needs to find a way to bottle up that enthusiasm to make a run for that elusive conference title. The media picked Tech to repeat as West Division champions and selected WKU to come out of the East, predicting a rematch of last year’s shootout as the Hilltoppers pulled away late, 58-44. Winning the West won’t be easy, but the schedule still lays out somewhat of an advantage as Tech gets its two toughest divisional games in Ruston against Southern Miss Oct. 21 and UTSA in the regular season finale, Nov. 25.
Another offensive threat J’Mar Smith brings another threat to the Bulldogs’ wellknown potent offense with his feet and ability to extend plays. Under Jeff Driskel and Ryan Higgins the last two seasons, success was not hard to come by as both relied on their arms to pass for more than 4,000 yards, with Higgins tossing 41 touchdowns. In his first time starting, Smith cannot be expected to put up those gaudy numbers, but can be effective with the added dimension of tucking and running. The 6-foot-1, 222-pound Meridian, Mississippi, native will have to be judicious when running, as his two backups have no collegiate experience in Blinn College (Texas) transfer Westin Elliott and 2017 signee Elijah Walker.
The future of Holtz
Looking for receivers Who will first-year redshirt sophomore quarterback J’Mar Smith throw the ball to? As weird as it sounds, the
Bulldogs’ leading returning receiver from last season’s aerial assault that ranked second best in the nation at 363 yards per contest is junior running back Jarred Craft with 42 receptions for 340 yards and four scores. Trent Taylor and Carlos Henderson, who combined for 31 touchdowns last year, have gone on to the NFL, leaving a huge void. During the preseason, Holtz has mentioned redshirt freshman Adrian Hardy, redshirt sophomores Rhashid Bonnette and Javonte Woodard as guys to watch. These young guys will be counted on to make big plays in their first year getting significant playing time.
TIM HEITMAN/USA TODAY SPORTS
Skip Holtz holds up the Armed Forces Bowl championship trophy.
If Tech does indeed break through and captures the Conference USA title this season on its way to winning doubledigit games, will that spell the end of the Skip Holtz era in Ruston? The head coach has guided the Bulldogs to the top of CUSA in four years and has remained consistent in not only getting to bowl games, but winning them. Louisiana Tech and Holtz agreed to a five-year contract extension in April for a total of $3.5 million, but after sustained success for multiple seasons, if a Power Five program calls after a 10- or 11-win and conference title campaign in 2017, would he say no? FOOTBALL 2017 i 83
GRAMBLING TIGERS
BRETT DAVIS/USA TODAY SPORTS
Grambling quarterback Devante Kincade (1) .
CORY DIAZ BDIAZ@THENEWSSTAR.COM
GRAMBLING — Talking heads can speak it, media can write about it and fans can believe it will happen. Just about anyone you ask undoubtedly predicts Grambling State will repeat as HBCU national champions and Southwestern Athletic Conference champions this season. The Tigers were selected to win the Western Division again this year and compete for another SWAC title, while rising senior quarterback DeVante Kincade headlined the team’s seven All-SWAC selections being named the Preseason Offensive Player of the Year. Everyone has proof to expect that the Tigers remain atop the SWAC and capture a second straight Celebration Bowl victory. What all the fans and media don’t understand, Grambling State head football coach Broderick Fobbs said, is their expectations don’t register with his team. “The key to it is you set your own expectations and you always focus on your own expectations,” Fobbs said. “Our expectations are to not focus on the scoreboard, that’s the worst thing you can do. We’re focusing on the climate, not allowing 84 i FOOTBALL 2017
Coach: Broderick Fobbs 2016 record: 11-1, 9-0 in the SWAC Home field: Eddie G. Robinson Stadium, Grambling Radio: KGRM (91.5 FM)
2017 SCHEDULE Sept. 2 at Tulane 7 p.m. Sept. 9 Northwestern State 6 p.m. Sept. 16 Jackson State 6 p.m. Sept. 23 at Miss. Valley 6 p.m. Sept. 30 Clark Atlanta 3:30 p.m.* Oct. 7 Prairie View 4 p.m. ** Oct. 21 Alcorn State 2 p.m. Oct. 28 Texas Southern 2 p.m. Nov. 4 at UAPB 2:30 p.m. Nov. 11 at Alabama State 2 p.m. Nov. 25 Southern 4 p.m. *** *Chicago **Dallas ***New Orleans
the climate to determine how you act or your personality. It’s about how we play every play. We grade every play. We play with max effort and perfect technique every play. “It’s about us, we’re critiquing film and it’s about our expectations of how we grade ourselves. Our expectations are greater than any expectation that anybody could put on us.” GSU set the bar for the program last season, Fobbs’ third year as head coach. The wealth of achievements cemented a standard for what the Tigers will be expected to do within the confines of their own locker
room, and the team realizes they squarely placed the target on their own back. For them to sustain that success and have a chance to play for championships, they can’t afford to take a game off, a practice off or a play off. “We won it last year, so we’re going to get everybody’s ‘A’ game. This is a race, everyone starts at the same point and no one has the advantage. If you’re going to win and win big, then you better play better than you did last year,” Fobbs said. “That’s what we try to do, improve every day and I’ve been pleased with the fact that we’ve been improving every season. “That’s always our goal. If you don’t think that way and you don’t visualize that for yourself, I don’t know how you expect to get there.” Having Kincade back at quarterback, along with AllSWAC senior running back Martez Carter as well as senior offensive tackle Trent Scott and sophomore right guard William Waddell blocking up front, brings belief that the Tigers will continue to move the ball efficiently on offense. The key will be working in three new starters on the line and finding fresh-faced targets to line up opposite of Devohn Lindsey for Kincade to pitch the ball out wide.
Grambling lost talent offensively, but lost a lot more from last season’s defense that allowed just 16 points per game in 2016. Defensive Player of the Year Donovan McCray graduated, along with defensive end Samuel Reese, linebacker Arkez Cooper, defensive backs Jameel Jackson and Guy Stallworth, first-team All-SWAC picks. Leading tackler De’Arius Christmas returns to his inside linebacker position and Derrick Dixon will lead an inexperienced secondary from his strong safety spot. Junior Brandon Varner and Golden West College senior transfer Caleb Wells will factor into starting on the defensive line, while junior safety Percy Cargo and Texas transfer Montrell Meander, who both played sparingly last season, are primed to fill the holes in the defensive backfield. “There are some guys that weren’t out here during spring drills,” Fobbs said. “I think we’re a bigger football team than we have been in the past, and I think we have the same speed. At the end of the day, you want to be better than you were. It’s going to be close, it’s going to be hard, but we’re looking forward to it.”
CORY DIAZ
An even better offense? It seems like the day after Grambling State's season ended last season hoisting the Celebration Bowl trophy and winning the HBCU national championship last December, the talk immediately swirled about if the offense was only going to get better. Here we are eight months later and the speculation still remains. DeVante Kincade comes back after a 3,000-yard, 30plus touchdown junior campaign and is arguably one of the best at the FCS level. Not only Kincade's success, but as a whole the offense's effectiveness relies on how quickly the receiving corps can develop. Devohn Lindsey is GSU's leading returning receiver with 17 catches for 248 yards, only 8 percent of the receiving yardage from 2016. Coaches expect big things from Devante Davis and sophomore Raylon Richardson has shined in preseason drills, but neither one has significant game time experience. Getting the young wideouts involved early maybe the offense's biggest priority.
New-look defensive line A major factor in the Tigers' defense giving up more than three touchdowns in a game just three times in 12 games last year was the presence and effect their defensive line had on opponents. Donovan McCray and Samuel Reese graduated, taking 28 combined sacks with them and leaving a crater in GSU's de-
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fensive front. The defensive line will be littered with first-time starters in 2017, but this season's bunch packs a different feel and physicality to them. Transfer Caleb Wells stands 6-foot-7, GSU's tallest player, and will line up on the edge to provide another obstacle for quarterbacks to throw around with his long arms. Mississippi State transfer Anfernee Mullins and East Mississippi Community College transfer Rodney Jackson also bring athleticism and toughness to the unit. Defensive line coach Everett Todd will be working all fall camp to find the brand new two-deep rotation that can sustain the group's ability from a year ago.
Dominating the SWAC
Can Grambling State continue its dominance against SWAC competition? The Tigers have finished the last two seasons undefeated in conference play, taking a win streak of 18 games into 2017. As evident of the team beating 18 conference opponents in a row, GSU has fielded more talented football teams than its SWAC opponents the last two years, and this year looks no different. Grambling had the most preseason individual selections in the conference at Media Days with 14 players landing on the first or second team. In the order of finish, the Tigers also earned the highest point total in the league at 85, signifying the
prediction of the team claiming its second straight SWAC title, a feat the team hasn't accomplished since 2002.
One last SWAC title game appearance SWAC Commissioner Duer Sharp announced this offseason that 2017 will be the last season for the foreseeable future that the league will hold a conference championship game, citing the rising popularity of the Celebration Bowl. Whatever the reason may be, this year will the last opportunity for any program to capture the SWAC Championship trophy and Grambling wants to win it. While coach Broderick Fobbs said he thought it was in every league team's best interest that the conference will forego the title contest, the coach said his team still aims for championship football.
Upset watch To open last year, GSU went to Tuscon and nearly knocked off Pac-12 and Power Five foe Arizona. The Tigers led 21-3 at halftime, but lost DeVante Kincade for the rest of the game right before the half. The Wildcats ultimately came back to win, 31-21. Had Kincade not got hurt, would Grambling State have pulled off the shocking upset over a FBS school? We'll never know. But the Tigers will get another shot down in New Orleans to kick off 2017 at Tulane on Sept. 2. The Green Wave, out of the American Athletic Conference, a Group of Five conference, probably won't be as talented as Arizona. Like it did in the first 30 minutes in Tucson, GSU's high-powered offense will surely cause Tulane's defense fits. Of course, Kincade's health will play a major part in any potential upset.
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LSU TIGERS
USA TODAY SPORTS
LSU offensive coordinator Matt Canada
GLENN GUILBEAU USA TODAY NETWORK
BATON ROUGE – Regardless of how LSU does in 2017 – eight wins, nine wins, 10 wins, college football final four, national championship, whatever – one thing will we know will happen. The passing offense will be new. Really. No, really. Since about this time in 2014 and on and on, then LSU coach Les Miles, then offensive coordinator Cam Cameron and others promised a new aerial attack. It never happened. “We always talked about it, but it never changed,” former LSU wide receiver Travin Dural – now a New Orleans Saint — said last year. It actually changed somewhat last season under interim offensive coordinator Steve Ensminger, who helped put together impressive 54-39 and 29-9 victories over Texas A&M in the regular season finale and Louisville in the Citrus Bowl to the tune of 1,016 yards. Then again, Miles and Cameron and company put up 965 in 19-7 and 56-27 wins over A&M and Texas Tech to end the 2015 season. Ensminger’s attack also resembled that of Miles-Cameron in netting all of one touchdown 86 i FOOTBALL 2017
Coach: Ed Orgeron Career record: 22-29 2016 record: 8-4 Home field: Tiger Stadium Phone: 1-800-960-8587 Radio: KNBB 97.7 FM
2017 schedule Sept. 2 BYU, 8:30 p.m.* Sept. 9 Chattanooga, 6:30 p.m. Sept. 16 at Mississippi State, 6 p.m. Sept. 23 Syracuse TBA Sept. 30 Troy TBA Oct. 7 at Florida TBA Oct. 14 Auburn TBA Oct. 21 at Ole Miss TBA Nov. 4 at Alabama TBA Nov. 11 Arkansas TBA Nov. 18 at Tennessee TBA Nov. 25 Texas A&M TBA
in 10-0 and 16-10 losses to the real defenses of Alabama and Florida last season. But with new offensive coordinator Matt Canada, it really will be different. Really. And maybe better. His quarterback at Pittsburgh in 2016 – Buffalo fifth-round pick Nate Peterman – finished eighth in the nation in passing efficiency last season at 163.4. LSU has had two quarterbacks finish in the top 10 in the nation in passing efficiency in the last decade – JaMarcus Russell in 2007 and Zach Mettenberter in 2013. Russell, who was the first pick of the ’07 NFL Draft, is one of only two LSU
quarterbacks to be drafted before the fourth round in more than a quarter of a century with Tommy Hodson going in the third in 1990. “I think every offense is its own, but this one just has its own aspects that are kind of new to me and to all the other guys,” said LSU quarterback Danny Etling, who finished 53rd in the nation in passing efficiency in 2016 at 135.6 for the highest finish since Mettenberger. “I think that coach Canada can really suit any type of player in any type of system,” Etling, who is a drop-back passer like Peterman. “It’s getting guys in space and trying to let guys make plays one-on-one.” Etling completed 160 of 269 passes for 2,123 yards and 11 touchdowns with five interceptions last season while significantly hampered by a back injury that he had surgery for after spring drills. He feels and is throwing better than ever. “He couldn’t feel his leg,” Canada told a Baton Rouge radio station recently. “He really wasn’t comfortable all last fall.” Canada is proven at making defenses uncomfortable. He has put together strong and decently ranked pass offenses at Pittsburgh, North Carolina State, Wisconsin and Northern
Illinois with varied quarterbacks and talent levels. He uses a true spread – something rarely seen at LSU. There will be more motion and movement than LSU fans have likely ever seen from their team. “But it’s the easiest offense in the world to learn,” Canada said. Really? “Matt runs a very diverse offense,” LSU coach Ed Orgeron said. “A lot of shifts, motions, use of personnel, fly sweeps. He makes it difficult to defend. I think he is going to do an outstanding job.” For the first time in many years, LSU’s offensive players are speaking with specifics about offense – not just promising it will be better and different. “Yeah, it’s definitely different from what we’ve done in years past for sure,” said senior fullback John David Moore, who no longer has that position. “Fullback” for the most part is no longer offered at LSU. Canada uses a fullback-tight end hybrid called an F-Back or Fs. LSU’s pass offense has had “Fs” before, but it was not a nice word. “I’m real excited because it’s so diverse,” Moore, an architecture major from Ruston, said.
FOOTBALL 2017 i 87
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GLENN GUILBEAU
BATON ROUGE – The decision was made last November by LSU athletic director Joe Alleva – likely by default over choice as it is believed he did not speak to one head coaching candidate face-to-face other than LSU assistant turned interim coach Ed Orgeron – to not change the culture. This culture went from 13-1 Southeastern Conference champions at 8-0 and national champion runner-ups in 2011 to 10-3 and 6-2 in the SEC for second in 2012, to 10-3 and 5-3 for third in 2013, to 8-5 and 4-4 for fifth in 2014, to 9-3 and 5-3 for fourth in 2015 and finally to 7-4 and 5-3 for third in 2016 when Alleva promoted Orgeron from interim to the head coach on Nov. 26. Apparently, Alleva believes LSU just needs some tweaking at a bargain price. Enter Orgeron, who came to LSU as defensive line coach in January of 2015 and became recruiting coordinator a year later before getting the interim job when Les Miles was fired after a 2-2 start. He is one of the lowest paid SEC coaches at $3.5 million a year, and his hiring was one of the lowest ranked of all hires in the country by several national publications. A brand new coach likely would have meant a virtually complete new staff and likely several new support staff members, which is usually the case. This changes culture. Orgeron, on the other hand, has retained four assistants from Miles’ staff – defensive coordinator Dave Aranda, secondary coach Corey Raymond, offensive line coach Jeff Grimes and tight ends coach Steve Ensminger. Aranda was a no brainer. He is one of the best. Raymond is a great recruiter. Grimes has been marketed as one, but there has not been much proof and his line has not been as good as that of predecessor Greg Studrawa. Ensminger is a solid coach, an LSU guy and a good friend of Orgeron. Some of Orgeron’s hires, like offensive coordinator Matt Canada and defensive line 90 i FOOTBALL 2017
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coach Pete Jenkins are great. Others like receivers coach Mickey Joseph and linebackers coach Dennis Johnson are soso. He quickly fired special teams coach Bradley Dale Peveto, whose unit had been struggling, but he strangely never replaced him, opting instead for a consultant in fired Saints special teams coach Greg McMahon. Was tweaking all a slipping program needed? How the following five story lines develop will answer that question as far as the first full season of the O Era:
1.OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR MATT CANADA At last, LSU has a real offensive coordinator with many years of experience at that position on the collegiate level. The last time LSU made such a hire was 2007 with Gary Crowton, who was very good when he had a quarterback. Canada has a better quarterback in Danny Etling than anyone Crowton had after Matt Flynn his first year. Etling is good enough to win with proper coaching. Finally, LSU has the type of coordinator/quarterback coach in Canada who can actually make a quarterback better and build an offense
around that quarterback instead of contribute to their demise. Quarterbacks have not truly been coached well at LSU since Jimbo Fisher rejuvenated the falling careers of Josh Booty and Rohan Davey, then wonderfully developed Matt Mauck, JaMarcus Russell and Flynn. Hell, Fisher even got Marcus Randall to play winning football. Watch Canada perform similar magic with Etling.
2. OFFENSIVE LINE The academic loss of junior starting guard/tackle Maea Teuhema is huge. In addition, senior left tackle K.J. Malone, junior center Will Clapp and junior right tackle Toby Weathersby nursed minor injuries early in preseason practice. Often, LSU practiced with eight scholarship linemen with several of those freshmen. This is not an overly talented group and it has little depth. Teuhema had the best chance of being a high draft choice. Much recruiting needs to be done here. Orgeron said it best after his offense never threatened to score in a 10-0 loss to Alabama: “We need first rounders on our offensive line to block the first rounders on their defensive line.” At the moment, they do not appear to be in the program.
3. QUARTERBACK DANNY ETLING With good coaching and better offensive game plans, this smart, tough, adequately talented senior can win and be as good as a Matt Flynn. Not to mention the fact that he is not in pain and able to throw normally after having back surgery following spring drills. It’s amazing he performed as well as he did last season as he was usually either in pain or discomfort.
4. TRUE FRESHMEN DEFENSIVE PLAYERS Defensive end Arden Key – a likely top-10 first-round NFL Draft pick in 2018 – is sidelined with a shoulder injury until perhaps the second or third game. And the Tigers are without two starters who went in the first round last year in safety Jamal Adams and cornerback Tre’Davious White. But this side of the ball is still loaded, particularly with true freshmen. Look for K’Lavon Chaisson to become another Key on the edge. And linebackers Jacob Phillips, Tyler Taylor and Patrick Queen will soften the loss of Kendell Beckwith. The play of early enrollee Grant Delpit at safety may be the main reason Jacoby Stevens – the No. 1 prep safety in the country — moved to receiver. Cornerback Kary Vincent quickly moved into the No. 1 spot at nickel back and could push veterans Kevin Toliver II or Donte Jackson at cornerback.
5. NUMBER TWO QUARTERBACK There is no battle for the starting quarterback job, and there never was one. But it will be interesting to watch true freshman Myles Brennan at No. 2 should he continue to push toward that slot. Etling should get most of the snaps as long as he is healthy, but Canada should keep an eye toward the future by giving Brennan as many as he can here and there. In the meantime, Orgeron and Canada need to go sign a highly ranked quarterback for 2018 or at least get one ready for 2019. Much like the offensive line – not a lot here. PREDICTION: An extra road game for five in the SEC will mean an extra loss. That equals 9-3 with losses at Florida, to Auburn at home and at Alabama.
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS
USA TODAY SPORTS
New Orleans Saints running back Adrian Peterson.
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5 storylines to watch for the Saints STEVEN RUIZ USA TODAY SPORTS
1. Peterson arrives with much to prove Adrian Peterson has to be the biggest wild card in the NFC South. But which version are the Saints getting? The one who averaged 1.9 yards on 37 carries in 2016 or the one who ran for 1,485 yards the year before? The answer to that question could help decide whether the Saints are postseason contenders or headed for a fourth consecutive 7-9 finish. One thing is clear: Sean Payton is going to get the most out of his new running back. The veteran coach is known for airing it out, but he often does so from condensed formations with extra blockers in the box. Peterson will fit right into New Orleans’ offense. 2. Cooks is gone from the receiving corps The Saints added one star but lost another when they traded disgruntled wide receiver Brandin Cooks for the New England Patriots’ firstround pick. Cooks grew unhappy when rookie Michael Thomas became Drew Brees’ favorite target down the stretch and was unlikely to re-sign with the team when his contract expired. New Orleans remains deep at receiver, though. Thomas is a star in the making. Willie Snead is an underrated No. 2 receiver. And Ted Ginn Jr. should step into the deep-threat role that Cooks vacated. This group is more than good enough to make up for the loss with Payton calling the plays and Brees throwing the ball. 3. Brees might be nearing his end in New Orleans The Saints might not have the luxury of having No.9 behind center for much longer. Brees is entering the final year of his deal, and if New Orleans fails to make the playoffs, the front office might start from scratch. Those plans will not include a 38year-old quarterback who takes up a significant chunk of the salary cap. 92 i FOOTBALL 2017
DERICK E. HINGLE/USA TODAY SPORTS
Michael Thomas became the Saints top receiving option last year and is a star in the making.
Don’t expect an extension to get done before then. Brees has said he’ll play out his current contract and go from there. Barring a playoff run, all signs point to this being the final year of the Brees era in New Orleans. 4. The offensive line looks to be improved When the Saints have been good in the past, the offensive line has been great — especially up the middle. That could be the case in 2017 if Andrus Peat, a 2015 first-rounder, takes a step forward at left guard. The rest of the line is solid, and now it’s deeper after the team drafted former Wisconsin standout Ryan Ramczyk in the first round in April. The rookie will compete with for
the starting left tackle spot now and could compete later with veteran Zach Strief for the starting right tackle job. Terron Armstead is a stud at left tackle, but he will miss the first part of the season with injury. Max Unger, if healthy, is the rock in the middle. And free agent pickup Larry Warford is a good, all-around guard. 5. The defensive turnaround will depend on the front four As in years past, offense is not the problem in New Orleans. The defense will be the only thing holding back this Saints team from making a run at the NFC South Division crown. And the unit will only be as good as its front line.
Division: NFC South Coach: Sean Payton 2016 record: 7-9 Home field: Mercedes-Benz Superdome Ticket office: (504) 731-1700 Season tickets: Sold out Radio: KMLB 540-AM
2017 Schedule Sept. 11 at Minnesota, 6:10 p.m., ESPN Sept. 17 New England, Noon, CBS Sept. 24 at Carolina, Noon, Fox Oct. 1 Miami, 8:30 a.m., Fox* Oct. 15 Detroit, Noon, Fox Oct. 22 at Green Bay, Noon, Fox Oct. 29 Chicago, Noon, Fox Nov. 5 Tampa Bay, Noon, Fox Nov. 12 at Buffalo, Noon, Fox Nov. 19 Washington, Noon, Fox Nov. 26 at L.A. Rams, 3:05 p.m., Fox Dec. 3 Carolina, Noon, Fox Dec. 7 at Atlanta, 7:25 p.m., NBC, NFLN Dec. 17 New York Jets, Noon, CBS Dec. 24 Atlanta, Noon, CBS Dec. 31 at Tampa Bay, Noon, Fox * game played in London
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