Laken Vennard and Dylan Nauck are like most couples when it comes to the decision of having more children. With daughter Skylar turning 9 and son Konner at 8, they decided to have one more child.

In February, sensing that she was pregnant, Laken made an appointment to see Obstetrician/Gynecologist Lauren Harris, M.D. of Women’s Health Center at Rapides Women’s and Children’s Hospital.

The sonographer performed an ultrasound and then left the room quickly to show the results to Dr. Harris.

“We thought something was wrong,” admitted Laken.

There was nothing wrong. The ultrasound showed she was pregnant with triplets!

“It was a shock,” said Laken.

“We expect three (children) and went to five real quick!” said Dylan.

According to Perinatalogist Scott Barrilleaux, M.D., “About 80 percent of all triplets are usually something with assisted reproductive technologies. The incidence of triplets otherwise, there’s about 32 per 100,000 live births. It is very rare.”

Even rarer are the lack of major complications associated with triplets. Laken saw Dr. Barrilleaux, who specializes in pregnancy complications, but her pregnancy was rather uneventful.

“Triplets always just surprise you with the expected complications and pre-term labor,” said Dr. Harris. “Laken had a very straightforward pregnancy with no problems. Never had any issues at all.”

About the only issue for Laken and Dylan was telling their family. They decided to do it at Skylar’s birthday party.

“We waited until she was opening gifts,” said Dylan. “She unwrapped a gift with a sign telling them. They were freaking out.”

The sign read, “Our family is growing by 6 feet and 3 little heartbeats. The Nauck triplets are due October 2023.” Included with the sign were 4 images of the sonogram – 1 for each triplet and 1 showing all 3 in the womb.

“Skylar was crying and excited when she found out,” said Laken.

While Laken’s due date was in October, the triplets were born at 34 weeks on Sept. 6 at RWCH. Bellamy came first at 8:23 p.m. He weighed 5 pounds, 2 ounces. Octavia came a minute later and weighed 4 pounds, 15 ounces. Oliver decided to wait a few more minutes before his arrival at 8:27 p.m. He was 4 pounds, 13 ounces.

“It was an amazing experience to deliver the triplets and especially get them that far along,” said Dr. Harris. “We got them to 34 weeks, which was really awesome and pretty much unheard of. It is sometimes hard to get twins that far.”

To ensure enough help during delivery, it was scheduled at shift change, allowing both the day and night crew to assist. The triplets were then sent to the Newborn ICU to assist with breathing and eating before being discharged.

In all, 10 departments – Admitting, Laboratory, Labor & Delivery, NICU, Respiratory Therapy, X-ray, W2, Social Services, Rehab Services and Occupational Therapy – at Rapides Women’s and Children’s Hospital have played a role in their care.

“Delivering triplets doesn’t happen every day,” said Julie Fontenot, administrator of RWCH. “I can’t say enough about our whole team’s preparation to make this miraculous event for mom, dad and babies safe, organized and beautiful.”

Dr. Harris’ WHC colleagues, Joel Hall, M.D., and Gary Manuel, M.D., have delivered triplets in the past.

“It’s been a while since our group has delivered some,” said Dr Harris. “Besides the fact she delivered triplets, she had a really easy pregnancy and we are all very thankful for that.” 

About Rapides Women’s and Children’s Hospital

Rapides Women’s and Children’s Hospital is part of Rapides Regional Medical Center, a 380-bed acute care facility located in Alexandria, La., providing healthcare on a higher level for families in approximately 16 central Louisiana parishes. Our mission is to provide high quality, efficient and compassionate health care services for our patients and community through the efforts of our employees, physicians and volunteers.

Rapides Regional Medical Center has provided state-of-the-art, comprehensive medical services to our community for 120 years. In addition to Rapides Women’s and Children’s Hospital, it is home to Rapides Cancer Center, Rapides Outpatient Center, Rapides Regional Trauma Center, 51-bed emergency department, NICU, PICU and ICU. Read about these services and more at rapidesregional.com.

Missions aren’t just across the seas. They are also across the street.

The Rev. Derek Griffon, youth pastor at Bayou Church in Lafayette, urged Louisiana Christian University students to share Jesus everywhere they go.

Griffon was the speaker for the LCU fall revival Tuesday through Thursday this week.

“You talk about what you love,” he said. “Do you go out of your way to love people who don’t look like you, smell like you, act like you?”

Speaking from Galatians I, he offered attendees passages from the life and testimony of the Apostle Paul that are still relevant today.

In Galatians, Paul speaks very honestly about his own struggles. Griffon spoke of his struggles with anxiety and encouraged students to deal with their issues—rather than constantly being distracted by the world’s offerings.

“You are the most connected generation of all time but also the most lonely,” he said. “Our problem—we don’t sit still long enough to deal with our souls. Distractions are constant now. We never deal with our issues and problems.”

He asked the crowd: “When is the last time you took a walk with Jesus? Had a one-on-one with Jesus? No music, no noise, just you.”

The truth, he said, is that many of us are scared because when we are quiet and still, we have to deal with our hearts and our consciences. It’s necessary though.

“If you were never broken in the wilderness, you’ll never be who you are meant to be,” Griffon said. “Adversity never ends. Sometimes it’s in our wrecked moments that God wants to move.”

Without a test, there is no testimony, he said.

Griffon encouraged students to be distinctive—as Paul was. Paul was not concerned about being famous. He only wanted to show the difference Jesus Christ had made in his life. Paul did this through his words and deeds.

“It’s impossible to share the Gospel without words,” Griffon said. “Sharing Jesus is not just for professionals. Wherever you are, that’s your mission field.”

And when you’ve changed from the inside out, you will behave differently. Paul went from persecuting and murdering Christians to being Christianity’s utmost advocate.

“When you’ve been transformed, your actions will show. When Paul changed, the world was set on fire.”

President Dr. Rick Brewer said “Derek Griffon is a gifted communicator of Gospel Truth, which we were blessed to experience this week at LCU. His authenticity immediately captured the minds and hearts of our students, faculty and staff. Undoubtedly, we will invite Derek back to LCU in the years ahead.”

LSU is playing football at Ole Miss Saturday. This once was a rivalry that squeezed into the status of “one of the great rivalries in college football.”

Understand, the series may be too lopsided in LSU’s favor (64-41-4) to be a premier rivalry, but there have been some pillars of greatness. Back-to-back top-10 matchups in 1958 and ’59 start the list. In LSU’s first national championship season, 1958, both teams were 6-0 entering the contest. LSU was ranked first in the AP poll and Ole Miss ranked sixth and the game was the first sellout in the history of Tiger Stadium, which then had 67,500 seats.

It almost seems charmingly quaint now, but these two fan bases use to yell “Go to Hell” to each other with regularity in the 1950s when that was pushing the envelope of vulgarity. For a while, it wasn’t uncommon to have “Go to Hell, LSU” leaflets bombed on campus, motivating 3,000 students to march to practice and cheer on the Tigers.

One of the heroes in LSU’s 14-0 shutout in ’58 was Max Fugler of Ferriday. He made key tackles on to two plays of a legendary goalline stand that saw the Rebels get as close as 12 inches from the end zone. Fugler was praised afterwards by coach Paul Dietzel for once making two tackles on the same play.

All these years later, the 1959 Halloween night match between No. 1 LSU and No. 3 Ole Miss at Tiger Stadium might be the top game of the entire rivalry. Somewhere this week, someone is listening to a tape of J.C. Politz’s radio call of Cannon’s epic 89-yard punt return and then the defensive stand he led in the closing seconds of LSU’s 7-3 victory. That Herculean effort cemented Cannon’s winning that year’s Heisman Trophy.

Another Halloween night matchup of note took place in 1964, and LaSalle High School product Billy Masters of Olla played a key role. He scored the touchdown -– on a 19-yard pass from backup quarterback Billy “Captain Easy” Ezell – that set up Ezell’s two-point conversion pass and fingertip, edge-of-the-end zone catch by Doug Moreau that gave LSU an 11-10 victory. 

Mention of Ole Miss-LSU football cannot go without the mention of the name Manning. Archie Manning earned the nickname “SuperManning” as a sophomore at Ole Miss for directing the Rebels to a 27-24 victory over LSU at Tiger Stadium. The following year, he put the Rebels on his back in Jackson, Mississippi, and led them to a comeback 26-23 victory over LSU. Notably,  Manning’s heroics cost LSU a major bowl invitation, the conference championship and at least, a perfect season. That LSU team gave up less than 40 yards rushing per game.

LSU finally turned the tables on Ole Miss in 1970 with a 61-17 trouncing in a night game at Tiger Stadium on ABC that included three scoring punt returns, two by Tommy Casanova. Manning struggled, wearing a seven-pound cast on his broken left arm, as he was intercepted twice and rushed for minus-25 yards. The victory gave the Tigers the SEC championship and a trip to the Orange Bowl.

A generation later, Manning’s youngest son, Eli,  led Ole Miss to a victory over Nick Saban and LSU as a sophomore, passing for 249 yards and three touchdowns in a 35-24 victory, but he lost the next two seasons. That included a 17-14 setback at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium to third-ranked LSU as a senior in 2003. That kept the 15^th-ranked Rebels from the SEC Championship game in a year when LSU won its second national championship.

Probably the craziest LSU victory in the rivalry was in 1972 at Tiger Stadium. Bert Jones to Brad Davis. That’s all that needs to be said. Final play. One second left. Much controversy that there was one second left. Davis temporarily lost the 10-yard pass from Jones in the lights, juggled it and caught it in the southeast corner of the end zone to tie it 16-16. Rusty Jackson ensured the moment would become legend by kicking the extra point for a 17-16 victory.

There have been other memorable games in the series, but I am out of space and out of time. Not even one controversial second left.

By RON HIGGINS, Journal Sports

BATON ROUGE – Rewind just more than three weeks ago, and LSU head coach Brian Kelly and his team had a long plane ride home from Orlando after a stunning 45-24 season-opening loss to Florida State.

The most puzzling thing to Kelly was the Seminoles outscored the Tigers 31-7 in the second half. LSU had 15 returning starters – 8 on offense, 7 on defense – from its 2022 SEC West Division championship squad that came back for wins vs. Auburn, Mississippi State and Ole Miss by 17, 13 and 17 points respectively.

With those returning players, why did LSU roll over and play dead in the final two quarters vs. FSU? Where was their fight, their hunger to win?

After two blowout wins over Grambling and Mississippi State, the Tigers had to battle back from a late-second quarter deficit last Saturday in a 34-31 SEC victory over the Arkansas Razorbacks. Kelly liked how his team climbed out of a 10-point hole by scoring in the last 30 seconds of the first half and the first minute of the second half.

“We really didn’t have the right mix of mindset going into the Florida State game, so this (the Arkansas game) was our first chance really to identify who we were when we got down,” Kelly said at his weekly Monday press conference. “We immediately responded. We came out in the second half and played the kind of football that I expect.

“Never flinching, knowing that we were going to take some more shots. And when we gave up a play, we forgot about it. We’re starting to see some resiliency from last year to this year.”

Heading into Saturday’s game between No. 13 LSU and No. 20 Ole Miss in Oxford, Kelly is happy with the Tigers’ offense that leads the SEC in scoring (42.75 points per game) and total offense (530 yards per game).

LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels won the co-SEC Offensive Player of the Week for a second consecutive week, totaling 356 yards including 5 TDs vs. Arkansas. The Tigers had two 100-yard receivers (Malik Nabers 8 catches for 130 yards, 2 TDs and Brian Thomas (5 receptions for 133 yards, 2 TDs). Running back Logan Diggs almost had his second 100-yard rushing game in the last three weeks, running for 97 yards and 14 carries.

There was a lot to like offensively.

Defensively, not so much.

Arkansas gained 426 total offense yards. QB KJ Jefferson totaled 337 yards and 3 TDs passes. His constant escapes from a collapsing pass pocket consistently sent the Tigers’ defense into a tizzy, especially LSU’s defensive backs who ran around like their jerseys were on fire.

One play in the first minute of the fourth quarter – Jefferson’s scrambling 59-yard TD pass off a scramble to wide-open Luke Hasz – illustrated what Kelly believes is the crux of LSU’s defensive woes.

“This is about staying focused all the time and doing your job,” Kelly said. “He (LSU cornerback Zy Alexander) lost sight of what he should have been doing on that particular play.

“He saw the quarterback as a run threat. That’s not his (Alexander) job. His job was to be the deep half-defender. Go do your job. There was somebody else assigned to him. (Jefferson)

“We are trying to chase too many plays on defense. We’re trying to make plays that aren’t really our place to make. We need to do our job. Once we settle down and do the ordinary things extraordinarily well, this can be a really good defense.”

KNOW YOUR ENEMY

LSU (3-1 overall, 2-0 SEC West) at Ole Miss (3-1, 0-1 SEC West), Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, Saturday, 5 p.m. (ESPN)

Last game for Ole Miss: Lost at 24-10 at Alabama last Saturday. After trailing 7-6 at halftime, Alabama was dominant on both sides of the ball in the second half as the Tide racked up 241 total offense yards compared to 148 for Ole Miss.

Series record and last meeting: LSU leads the series 64-41-4. Last season in Tiger Stadium, unbeaten Ole Miss led 17-3 in the second quarter before LSU scored 28 unanswered points in a 45-20 win. Tigers’ quarterback Jayden Daniels completed 21 of 28 passes for 248 yards and 2 TDs and ran for 121 yards and 3 TDs on 23 carries.

Ole Miss head coach: Lane Kiffin (87-48 in 12 seasons, 26-14 in his third season at Ole Miss)

THIS AND THAT

Early betting line: LSU opens as a 2½-point favorite

Number of Louisiana natives on Ole Miss roster: 1

Number of Mississippi natives on LSU roster: 6

Number of transfers on Ole Miss roster from 4-year schools: 40 players from 37 schools including 19 players from 15 Power 5 Conference schools

OLE MISS PLAYERS TO WATCH

QB Jaxson Dart (65 of 103 for 1,096 passing yards, 7 touchdowns, 2 interceptions, 219 rushing yards and 3 TDs on 44 carries), WR Tre Harris (8 catches for 188 yards, 5 TDs), WR Jordan Watkins (24 catches for 347 yards, 1 TD), RB Quinshon Judkins (201 rushing yards and 4 TDs on 57 carries)

FS Trey Washington (25 tackles, 2 TFL), MLB Khari Coleman (19 tackles, 2½ TFL, 1½ sacks), SS John Saunders Jr. (18 tackles, 1 sack, 4 PBU), PK Caden Davis (7 for 9 FG, 16 of 16 extra points), P Fraser Masin (43.1 ypk, 3 fair catches, 3 inside the 20, 1 plus 50 yards), KO Caden Davis (31 KO for 63.4 average, 23 touchbacks, 1 out of bounds), KR Ulysses Bentley IV (6 for 113 yards), PR Jordan Watkins (4 for 72 yards, 1 TD)

HIS-TO-RY QUIZ

1. The last time Ole Miss clinched an SEC championship. . .

    A. Current head coach Lane Kiffin wasn’t yet born

    B. The Beatles hadn’t made their first U.S. appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show

    C. Was eight days after the assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy

    D. All of the above

2. What is the highest finish for an Ole Miss player in Heisman Trophy voting?

    A. 3rd

    B. 2nd

    C. 1st

    D. 4th

3. Who was the former Ole Miss quarterback from the New Orleans area first to see game action in a Super Bowl?

     A. John Fourcade

     B. Eli Manning

     C. Norris Weese

     D. Pee Wee Reese

ANSWERS: 1. D, 2. A, 3. C.

Contact Ron at ronhigginsmedia@gmail.com

Rapides felony arrests. An arrest is an accusation, not a conviction. 

September 24
Marcellus Gilmore, 27, Pineville — carnal knowledge, CDS first 14, possession paraphernalia, illegally carrying firearm with drugs. 

Rapides Jail felony drug bookings. An arrest is an accusation, not a conviction. 

September 21
Leslie Dauzat Jr., 39, Alexandria — possession CDS II < 2 grams;

Nathaniel Poston, 35, Alexandria — possession CDS II 2-28 grams, <2 grams, possession paraphernalia, contempt of court;

Emanuel Robert, 33, Lecompte — possession CDS I < 2 grams, II < 2 grams, unauthorized use of motor vehicle, contempt of court 3 counts. 

September 24
Kevin Peters, 55, Alexandria — possession fentanyl, carfentanyl < 2 grams, possession CDS II < 2 grams, felony flight from officer, possession first 14, switched license plate, no driver’s license, safety belt violation, no vehicle insurance. 

Keep Louisiana Beautiful (KLB) is pleased to announce the 2023-2024 Healthy Communities and Community Affiliate grant recipients. Both KLB grant programs, totaling $236,046, reduce litter and waste, educate citizens, increase recycling, and/or strengthen litter enforcement.

“The people of Louisiana don’t want to live in a dirty state,” said Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser. “My office is proud to support Keep Louisiana Beautiful’s grant programs, which lead to cleaner, greener communities in which residents can enjoy and thrive.”

“Since 2004, Keep Louisiana Beautiful has awarded over $4.7 million in grants for community improvement projects in Louisiana,” said KLB Executive Director Susan Russell. “Thanks to the hard work of our grant recipients, communities throughout the state are experiencing a reduction in litter, improved recycling, and increased public awareness around the issues of litter and waste.”

The Healthy Communities Grant program has approved up to $193,066 for 31 organizations in 16 parishes. Eligible were Louisiana non-profit organizations, governmental agencies, schools and universities, and KLB Affiliates.

The Community Affiliate Grant program has approved up to $29,473 for 17 cleanup supplies grants and up to $13,507 for six program grants. Eligible for these grants were KLB’s Community Affiliates in good standing. Cleanup supply grant recipients receiving litter grabbers, trash bags, safety vests, gloves, and volunteer shirts include Abita, Baker, Bossier, DeRidder, DeSoto, Eunice, Jefferson, Livingston, Madisonville, Mandeville, New Orleans, Ouachita, Slidell, St. Mary, Tangipahoa, West Monroe, and Shreveport Green. Program grant recipients include Abita, Algiers, DeSoto, Slidell, St. James, and Shreveport Green.

Current grant opportunities include the KLB Greener Grounds Grant for outdoor events, KLB Trash Receptacle Grant, and KLB Beautification Grant. Online applications and more information can be found at KeepLouisianaBeautiful.org.

Keep Louisiana Beautiful (KLB) is the state’s leading anti‐litter and community improvement non-profit organization focused on achieving a cleaner, greener Louisiana through education, enforcement, public awareness, and community engagement. KLB is affiliated with the national organization, Keep America Beautiful, and is supported by a robust statewide network of 43 Community Affiliates and 10 University Affiliates. Learn more at KeepLouisianaBeautiful.org.

By Doug De Graffenried

Did you ever have one of those moments?

The other evening, I decided that supper would include steaks. I did the early morning preparation for the late afternoon cooking ritual. Those steaks were well prepped.

The other part of the steak ritual involves the grill. I have one of the wood pellet grills. It is spiffy. My cooking has improved. Once upon a time, hamburgers that I grilled were not palatable and later used as official hockey pucks. I’m much better now. The wood pellet grill needs several minutes to warm up to steak temperature. It gets very hot but helps me avoid hockey puck cooking accidents.

The cover came off. I checked the inside of the grill. Verified the nice little drip bucket would have adequate room for drippings. The wood pellets were checked and determined to be adequate. 

I reached around back to turn the grill on. Nothing! The switch glows orange when the grill is on. This switch was dark. I checked the plug, after all I had wired it with my redneck electrician method of designing an outdoor circuit. The GCFI plug was tested and verified to be working. It has a nice green light showing it’s functioning.

Never trusting the one outlet, I grabbed an extension cord and plugged everything into the other GCFI outdoor outlet. Nothing! Tried a couple of other outlets inside the shed. Nothing!

In my rapidly filling up mind, I decided the switch had gone bad. The steaks were begging to be cooked, so I reverted to the broiler inside. The steaks were marvelous. I was a little bummed about the grill though. It is not that old.

After the sumptuous steak supper, I grabbed the manual that came with the grill and turned to the troubleshooting chapter. Nothing! The switch would not light up. The grill would not come on, although clearly my redneck circuits were supplying power to the outlets.

I resolved to call and check the warranty. I walked back outside to put the cover on the grill and roll up the extension cord. That’s when I learned that I’m a dumb donkey. OK, I’m the other thing, but I can’t use that language in this family friendly publication.

The cord for the grill not only plugs into the wall, but it also plugs into the grill. The end of the cord plugged into the grill had worked its way loose. When I unplugged the grill cord from the extension cord, the other end fell to the ground.

I had to confess my stupidity. I resolved to check that end of the cord each time. But here’s the deal, I should have thought of it. Who would have thought that the other end of a power cord could come loose from where it plugged into the grill? The answer is, just about everyone!

In a conversation last week, a person said, “I don’t feel like I’m connecting with God very well these days.” I know who is unplugged. When God seems distant, you need to check both ends of the spiritual connection. If you don’t know about the two directions of a spiritual connection, come see me on Sunday, I’ll explain it to you. We might have steak!

By RON HIGGINS, Journal Sports

BATON ROUGE – There are so many facts and figures and numbers that tell the story of how the Battle of the Golden Boot went down to the wire here Saturday night.

But here’s the one – neither 12th-ranked LSU or feisty underdog Arkansas had to punt in the final 43½ of 60 minutes.

Dual-threat quarterbacks Jayden Daniels of LSU and KJ Jefferson of Arkansas combined for 693 yards and 7 TDs in a tit-for-tat shootout decided by a 186-pound placekicker who drilled the first game-winner  of his life.

Parked on the doorstep of the Razorbacks’ goal line after a near-perfectly timed 72-yard drive, Damian Ramos calmly made a 20-yard field goal with five seconds left for a 34-31 victory.

“I was ready for it,” said Ramos, who kicked just a handful of field goals in his last two seasons in 2019 and 2020 at St. Paul’s High in Baltimore. “I hit a couple balls in the net. I continued my mental routine. I use a lot of visualization. I already saw it go through (the uprights) before I even kicked it.”

Even then, the Tiger Stadium crowd of 99,648 didn’t exhale until LSU cornerback Zy Alexander intercepted Jefferson’s last-gasp Hail Mary heave at the LSU 19 as time expired. It was the fourth straight season the LSU-Arkansas rivalry was decided by a field goal. The Tigers have won three of those nailbiters, but the 16-13 2021 loss to the Hogs in overtime was the last time LSU lost to an unranked team in Tiger Stadium.

The Hogs entered Saturday’s game – the first time the Tigers-Hogs battle royal had been contested in September – unranked and as a 17½ -point underdog. But LSU head coach Brian Kelly, whose team improved to 3-1 overall and 2-0 in the SEC West, wasn’t buying that.

“We told our team that they (Arkansas) were going to play their very best, and I thought they played their very best,” Kelly said. “It’s one of those games where we were the last ones to have the football. These are the games you have to find a way to win.”

Offensively after LSU punted twice and Daniels threw an interception on the Tigers’ first three possessions, LSU scored on its final six series – a 24-yard field goal, four Daniels TD passes with two each to wide receivers Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr., and finally Ramos’ game-winner.

Daniels, who completed 20 of 29 passes for 320 yards and those four scoring strikes and had 36 yards rushing on 10 carries, said he overcame his slow start by being true to himself.

“Just keep being me,” Daniels explained how he suddenly found his rhythm ending the first half and opening the second half with a pair of 49-yard TD bombs to Thomas. “Everybody believes in me, the coaching staff and the entire team. So, they knew I was going to come around.”

So did Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman.

“Jayden Daniels played a great game,” Pittman said. “Once he was on, he was on. I thought both he and KJ got better as the game went on. Both got in rhythm and were hard to stop.”

The scoreboard and the stats didn’t lie. Arkansas led 13-10 at halftime, fell behind 17-13, cut the lead to 17-16, got down 24-16, tied the game 24-24, and trailed 31-24 before tying it at 31-31 on Jefferson’s 11-yard TD pass to Luke Hasz.

Though LSU outgained Arkansas 509-426 in total yardage, the Razorbacks held a 34:22 to 25:38 advantage in time of possession.

The Hogs’ scoring drives were methodical and physical, highlighted by the 6-3, 252-pound Jefferson completing 21 of 31 for 289 yards with 3 TDs and 2 interceptions as well as 48 yards on 16 carries despite being sacked four times.

Three consecutive plays Jefferson made in a sequence in the first minute of the fourth quarter to tie the game at 24-24 spoke volumes. He played most of the night like a man among boys.

He got Arkansas out of a second-and-20 hole at the Hogs’ 27 by first scrambling for a 14-yard gain. He followed that by dancing out of harm’s way, relocating to an open space and finding a wide-open Hasz for a 59-yard TD. Then, Hasz caught a Jefferson two-point conversion bullet pass in the back of the end for the tie with 14:11 left in the fourth quarter.

“He’s bigger than a defensive tackle,” marveled LSU linebacker Greg Penn III, who had a team-high 12 tackles along with safety Major Burns.

When LSU linebacker Harold Perkins Jr. was flagged for a roughing the passer penalty that kept alive Arkansas’ final drive, Kelly took umbrage with the nearest member of the officiating crew.

“There was no blow to the neck or head (by Perkins), but he (the official) thought it was unnecessary,” Kelly said. “My response was, `He’s 252 pounds, you try to tackle him.’ We couldn’t get him down on the ground. You can’t bring a rope out there.”

LSU’s final 10-play balanced Daniels completing 3 of 4 passes for 42 yards and running back Logan Diggs gaining 30 of his game-total 97 yards rushing on 14 carries.

At the end, after Kelly milked the clock down to next-to-nothing before Ramos’ field goal, there was just enough time for Jefferson to launch a desperation heave that didn’t really have a chance.

“That’s what you come to the SEC for, two quarterbacks battling and leaving it all out on the field,” Jefferson said. “Even after the game, we shook hands, gave each other respect and moved on.”

While Arkansas (2-2, 0-1 SEC West) next faces Texas A&M in Arlington, LSU plays at Ole Miss in the first of two straight road games. The Rebels suffered their first loss of the season Saturday in a 24-10 loss at Alabama.

“We played well offensively at the end of the first half and in the second half,” Kelly said. “Defensively, there is a lot that has to continue to get better. Most of them are self-inflicted wounds that are going to have to improve as we go on the road these next two weeks.”

Contact Ron at ronhigginsmedia@gmail.com

JOURNAL SPORTS 

LSU 34, ARKANSAS 31 

Score by quarters 

Scoring summary 

Ark – Cam Little 23 field goal, 12 plays, 51 yards, 6:53 

Ark – Little 23 field goal, 12 plays, 75 yards, 6:51 

LSU – Damian Ramos 24 field goal, 8 plays, 68 yards, 2:31 

Ark – Tyrone Broden 19 pass from KJ Jefferson (Little kick), 8 plays, 75 yards, 3:14 

LSU – Brian Thomas Jr. 49 pass from Jayden Daniels (Ramos kick), 3 plays, 75 yards, 0:18 

LSU – Thomas 49 pass from Daniels (Ramos kick), 3 plays, 75 yards, 1:00 

Ark – Little 40 field goal, 15 plays, 53 yards, 8:16 

LSU – Malik Nabers 8 pass from Daniels (Ramos kick), 9 plays, 75 yards, 4:04 

Ark – Luke Hasz 59 pass from Jefferson (Hasz pass from Jefferson), 6 plays, 75 yards, 2:29 

LSU – Nabers 20 pass from Daniels (Ramos kick), 9 plays, 75 yards, 4:28 

Ark – Hasz 11 pass from Jefferson (Little kick), 10 plays, 75 yards, 4:37 

LSU – Ramos 20 field goal, 9 plays, 72 yards, 5:01 

TEAM STATISTICS

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS 

RUSHING 

Ark –  Rashod Dubinion 15-78; Jefferson 16-48; Max Fletcher 1-8; Dominique Johnson 2-3; AJ Green 3-0. 

LSU – Logan Diggs 14-97; Josh Williams 1-41; Daniels 10-36; Kaleb Jackson 2-12; John Emery Jr. 2-3. 

PASSING 

Ark –  Jefferson 21-31-2-289, 3 TDs. 

LSU – Daniels 20-29-1-320, 4 TDs. 

RECEIVING 

Ark – Hasz 6-116, 2 TDs; Andres Armstrong 6-76; Dubinion 3-35; Isaac Teslaa 3-31; Broden 3-31, 1 TD. 

LSU – Nabers 8-130, 2 TDs; Thomas 5-133, 2 TDs; Mason Taylor 3-33; Aaron Andreson 2-14; j. Williams 1-7; Diggs 1-3. 

TACKLES 

Ark – Jaheim Thomas 3-10—13; Alfahiym 5-3—8; Chris Paul 3-5—8; Hudson Clark 5-2—7; Cameron Ball 1-5—6; Lorando Johnson 1-2—3; Dwight McGlothern 3-0—3; Jaheim Singletary 2-1—3; Eric Gergory 0-2—2; Taurean Carter 0-1—1; Landon Jackson 0-1—1; Jashaud Stewart 0-1—1; Keivie Rose 1-0—1. 

LSU – Major Burns 7-5—12; Greg Penn III 3-9—12; Whit Weeks 2-7—9; Andre Sam 3-4—7; Harold Perkins Jr. 3-2—5; Denver Harris 5-0—5; Zy Alexander 2-3—5; Mekhi Wingo 2-2—4; Sai’vion Jones 0-4—4; Jordan Jefferson 0-3—3; Maason Smith 1-1—2; Bradyn Swinson 0-2—2; Da’Shawn Womack 2-0—2; Duc Chestnut 0-2—2; Jayden Daniels 0-1—1; Sage Ryan 1-0—1; Miles Frazier 0-1—1; Jacobian Guillory 0-1—1; Paris Shand 0-1—1. 

By BRET H. MCCORMICK, Journal Sports 

East Ascension had stymied the vaunted ASH Trojan offense for the majority of the first three quarters Friday night, but Thomas Bachman had a trick up his sleeve.

Trialing by 7 just over a minute into the fourth quarter, Bachman dialed up a halfback double pass that the Trojans executed to perfection. 

Senior quarterback Ty Feaster tossed a backward pass to Jimmie Duncan, who caught the ball and immediately launched it downfield in stride to senior EJ Scott for a 66-yard touchdown to tie the game at 14. 

“He threw a great ball,” Bachman said of Duncan, the junior utility player who sees action as a running back, receiver and defensive back.

It was a huge momentum swing for an Alexandria Senior High team that had moved the ball well offensively but had struggled to finish drives and find the end zone. 

Two possessions later, the Trojans (2-2) took the lead for good when junior JT Lindsey bust a run up the middle for a 29-yard touchdown to give ASH the decisive 21-14 advantage. 

East Ascension (0-4), which boasts the state’s toughest schedule with losses against Zachary, Destrehan, West Monroe and ASH, had taken 7-0 and 14-7 leads on two passing touchdowns by Hudson Browning. 

The first came late in the first half when Browning connected with senior Jacorey Mitchell for a 29-yard touchdown. After the Trojans tied it on a 3-yard Lindsey touchdown, Browning found senior Brennon Thompson running free up the seam for a 66-yard TD. 

Aside from those two plays, Bachman said the Trojans’ defense played extremely well, particularly bottling up EA’s running game. Bachman highlighted the play of seniors Jeremiah Jeffers-Wright and Aayden Walker on the ASH defensive line.

“You take those two explosive plays away and we played really, really good, knowing that they struggle to throw the football,” Bachman said. “I was really proud.”

The Trojans made two huge turnovers that helped lead to the victory. EA looked destined for a 67-yard TD pass, but the ASH defense forced a fumble near the goal line that was recovered by sophomore Jay Frazier to keep the Spartans off the scoreboard. Frazier also later intercepted Browning and helped flip the field position in favor of the Trojans.  

“That’s a good road win for us,” Bachman said.

Lindsey continued to carry the ASH offense, eclipsing the 100-yard  mark for the third straight game as he carried the ball 36 times for 169 yards and two touchdowns. Although the Trojan passing game struggled with efficiency, Scott had four receptions for 80 yards and a TD while Darius Washington had five catches for 61 yards.

The Trojans, who have traveled to Carencro, St. Thomas More and East Ascension over the first four weeks, return home to Butch Stoker Stadium next week for Homecoming against Green Oaks. 

Menard and Peabody both were shutout victors on Friday night, while Northwood-Lena and Bolton both remained winless. 

Menard’s offense showed no signs of stress as the Eagles broke in a new quarterback and improved to 2-2 on the season with a 31-0 win over Sacred Heart. 

Sophomore Jake Vaughn brought a new dimension to Menard’s offense as he ran 20 times for 68 yards and a touchdown as the Eagles’ ground game piled up over 250 rushing yards.

Sophomore Aidyn Moran rushed for 105 yards and two touchdowns, and the Eagles scored on their first three drives as they cruised to victory. 

Senior Ryan Hicks made a 37-yard field goal to get Menard on the board late in the first quarter. Senior Cooper Scott scored a 10-yard touchdown, and Moran raced 39 yards off left tackle with just over two minutes left in the first half to give the Eagles a 20-0 lead.

Vaughn scored on a 3-yard keeper late in the third quarter, and Moran scored his second TD from 28 yards out midway through the fourth quarter. 

Peabody was a runaway 49-0 winner over Green Oaks as the Warhorses improved to 3-1. Junior TJ Hullaby caught two passing touchdowns and also had a pick-six to lead the Warhorses. 

Northwood-Lena came up just short of a Homecoming victory as the Gators fell 21-20 to Beekman Charter. 

Bolton, meanwhile, was a 44-6 loser against Arcadia. Senior quarterback Connor McLain found the end zone for the second time this season on a 3-yard sneak for the Bears’ only score. 

By BRET H. MCCORMICK, Journal Sports

 It was billed as the area’s top Week 4 game and a battle of unbeatens.

Tioga wasn’t hearing any of that, however. 

The Indians made quick work of Marksville, which lost quarterback Elidrick Murray on the fourth play of the game, as Tioga raced to a 42-0 halftime lead and defeated the Tigers 42-14 to improve to 4-0 on the season. 

Tioga needed just four plays to take the lead it would never relinquish. Junior Travis Adams ran untouched for a 20-yard touchdown one play after Ja’Corian Norris broke a 37-yard catch-and-run on an end-around. 

Three plays later, Norris gave the Indians a 13-0 lead on a 26-yard interception return – his third pick-6 over the past two games. 

After a blocked punt, it was 20-0 following Tioga’s next offensive play when Josh Loyd scored an 8-yard TD reception from Cace Malone. 

Following a Loyd interception, the Indians’ 10th of the season, Tioga took a 27-0 lead after a 28-yard Adams touchdown run just over two minutes into the second quarter. 

Another Norris big play, this one a 47-yard punt return, set up the Indians’ fifth score of the first half. After two incompletions, Malone rushed twice for eight yards, including a 1-yard score. 

After a safety put Tioga ahead 36-0, the Indians added six more points on a 13-yard touchdown by Loyd from Malone – on the same end-around touch pass as Loyd’s first score. Tioga needed just 17 offensive plays in the first half to tally their 42 points. 

Tioga coach Kevin Cook said the execution played out to near perfection for the Indians in the first half. 

“For our situation it was obviously wonderful,” Cook said. “I do hate it really bad that they lost their quarterback and their lineman broke his leg. I felt bad for them. They lost their quarterback in the jamboree, and then they lost this one last night on the third play and it was demoralizing.”

Marksville came into the game boasting a 1-2 punch of Murray and running back Kyreon “Monk” Prier, but after Murray’s injury the bulk of the production fell upon Prier’s shoulders. The Indians did an outstanding job of shutting him down in the first half. 

Prier did break loose in the second half against Tioga’s backups, getting Marksville (3-1) on the board with 97- and 93-yard touchdown runs early in the third and fourth quarters.

It wiped out what could have been a third shutout in four games for the Indians, who have only been tested in Week 2 against Breaux Bridge. 

“I don’t know if it’s the best defense we’ve ever had,” Cook said. “I think it has some of the best players in different positions. In the quarterfinal run (in 2020) our secondary was really good. Is this secondary better? It’s a tough debate. They’re really good as a group.”

Cook also singled out the play of junior inside linebacker Kaleb Andrus and defensive linemen Jayden Padgett, AJ Adams and Brodi Goudeau.

It wasn’t a great night for offensive statistics for the Indians as they played backups almost exclusively in the second half with a running clock following the 42-point lead. 

Travis Adams rushed for 72 yards and two touchdowns on just six carries, while Malone finished with 86 yards on 6-of-12 passing with two TDs and an interception. 

BARBE 20, PINEVILLE 13

The Rebels (1-3) battled back from a 20-point deficit to get within one score thanks to TD runs by sophomore Ayden Tate and senior Ty Sanders, but they were unable to complete the rally. 

After trailing 7-0 at halftime and 20-0 at the end of the third quarter, Pineville got on the board thanks to a 3-yard run by Tate with 10:17 left in the game. Sanders had a 34-yard run and Tate a 26-yard run on the drive to set up the score.

Witty extended the second scoring drive with two fourth-down scrambles to move the chains and get Pineville into the red zone. Sanders powered his way into the end zone for a 4-yard touchdown with 5:30 to play in the game. 

Pineville wasn’t able to get the defensive stop it needed at the end of the fourth quarter to get the ball back for a chance to tie or win, as a couple of penalties and hard running by Eric Jones Jr. allowed Barbe to run out the clock. 

“We showed fight there in the second half, but we just squandered too many opportunities in the first half that put us behind the eight-ball,” Bell said after the game.

The Rebels marched inside the red zone on their first and final possessions of the first half but came away with no points, and they also had two drives ended by interceptions. 

Tate had the best game of the season for a Rebel running back as he totaled 145 yards and a TD on 18 carries, and Sanders added 74 yards and a score on 10 carries. 

BUCKEYE 55, VIDALIA 18

Jim Burlew continued to pile up yards and touchdowns, and Adam Brodnax turned in his most efficient performance of the season to lead the Panthers (3-1) to a Homecoming victory.

Brodnax finished 8-of-10 passing for 213 yards and three TDs, including two to Haidyn Boone, while Burlew rushed for 156 yards and three touchdowns for his fourth straight 100-yard performance. 

The Panthers led 19-0 after one quarter thanks to two Brodnax TD passes and a Burlew score, and Brodnax’s second scoring pass to Boone put Buckeye ahead 26-0. 

Buckeye, which came up three yards shy of 500 on the game, also got touchdown runs from Kolt Vercher and Jesse Standlee, and the Panther defense held previously unbeaten Vidalia to 255 yards of offense in the game. 

PINEVILLE –The Louisiana Christian University football program posted its first three wins primarily running the ball but the unbeaten Wildcats took to the air on Saturday, racking up 360 passing yards and 46 points in the first half alone to put the game away within minutes in a 60-14 drubbing of Wayland Baptist. 

LCU (4-0, 3-0 in the Sooner Athletic Conference) has won nine straight games dating back to last season. The visitors dipped to 1-3 overall, 0-2 in the SAC.

Sal Palermo III led the Wildcats in both passing (369) and rushing yards (39), putting up all but nine of his yards with his arm plus each of his team-high five touchdowns (3 passing, 2 rushing) in the first half alone. 

Sammy Feaster must have seemed invisible to the Pioneers defenders in the first quarter because every time Palermo looked up, he was wide open deep downfield with nobody around him. His first quarter stat line ended up being his total, but it was video game worthy with a trio of catches for 195 yards plus a pair of scores to average an insane 65 yards per reception. 

Taevion Cunningham received six touches for the evening, five rushes and one catch, scoring on four of them. The Tennessee-Martin transfer ran for three short TDs and his one reception going 25 yards for six points.

Andre Reed topped the Wildcat defense with seven tackles including five solos, registered two tackles for loss, and dropped the signal-caller 19 yards behind the line of scrimmage for a massive sack. D’Mario Weathersby was in on seemingly every play in the first half, cataloging six takedowns (five solo) to finish just behind Reed for the club lead.

 Both Nate Sullivan and Jahiem Mitchell showed off acrobatic interception grabs with Sullivan nearly taking his to the house on a 35-yard return that set the Cats up at the WBU 5-yard-line.

Wildcats fans got a possible glimpse into the future late in the matchup as sophomore quarterback River Thompson put his skills on display, completing 3-of-4 passes for 28 yards on top of 30 rushing yards on just five carries. 

Among other LCU players that stood out in the box score were Glenn White with 25 rushing yards and a touchdown, Jacob Ganote (4 catches for 66 yards) and Ethan Christman (2 catches for 57 yards) finding open space in the receiving game. Defensively, Logan Brimmer picked up a pair of tackles for lost yards including another sack, Ernest Simon and Jayden Davis tallied a sack and tackle for loss, respectively, and Kavin Touriac forced an incompletion with the game’s only QB hurry. 

The reigning LSWA Special Teams Player of the Week, Mason Ingram, has a chance to repeat after connecting on four punts including a 50-yard blast and one downed inside the 20, adding up to another stellar average of 44 yards per punt. 

The Wildcats play their next two games on the road in Oklahoma. First up will be Panhandle State at 6 p.m. on Saturday in Goodwell.

Rapides Jail felony arrest bookings. An arrest is an accusation, not a conviction. 

September 21
Blaze Carter, 24, Pineville — carnal knowledge, contributing to delinquency 2 counts, molestation victim older than 13 younger than 17 3 counts, 3rd degree rape;
Caitlin Grossie, 24, Pineville — battery aggravated 2nd degree; 
Krystal Peters, 34, Alexandria — criminal conspiracy, malfeasance sexual conduct, contraband to/from penal facility.

September 22
Prentice Benjamin, 38, New Iberia — battery aggravated, battery simple;
Edward Williams, 46, Colfax — kidnapping 2nd degree, resisting officer.

September 23
Robert Fink, 58, Alexandria — parole violation, aggravated arson, contempt of court;
Corey Harrison, 33, Alexandria — aggravated assault with firearm, contempt of court 2 counts.

By JIM BUTLER

Rapides Assessor Rick Ducote and BESE candidate Lance Harris have opponents in the primary election who are apparently running word-of-mouth campaigns.

Ducote and Harris have filed reports showing minimal spending, while Josh Pace reports no funds received or spent in his bid for Ducote’s post. As of Sept. 21, Toby Brazzel, opposing Harris, had filed no report.

Ducote reports $14,000 in contributions and a $7,500 loan by him to the campaign. He had spent $5,900 at the reporting date. Combined with $2,000 on hand at the start of the period Ducote had $17,500 on hand when filing the report.

Harris, term-limited in the Louisiana House, was destined for non-public life when the BESE District 5 incumbent decided in early July to not seek re-election in the sprawling district.

The report filed by Harris begins at that point. Harris raised $32,700 in the 10-week period covered and spent $900. He had $25,400 on hand at the start, left from earlier fundraising, creating a balance of $57,100.

Contributors of $2,500 included Hayes Manufacturing, Pineville; Lane Grigsby, Baton Rouge, and Haynie & Associates, Lafayette.

Paul Rainwater, Baton Rouge, is listed as a $5,000 contributor.

By JIM BUTLER

They’ve had “enough” of what they consider the city going in the wrong direction so Shicola Jones and Natosha Parker want “enough” signatures to force a recall vote on Mayor Jacque Roy and at-large city council members Lee Rubin and Jim Villard.

In this instance “enough” is just over 6,300 handwritten and certifiable John Hancocks. Petitions starting the clock were filed Sept. 17, making the six-month deadline to collect them St. Patrick’s Day 2024.

Jones said at the announcement that “Project Enough” is disenchanted with how the city is addressing issues, including the crime rate and vacant city police positions.

Handling of electricity disconnects during the swelter of mid-summer is another sore subject with the recall organization.

The targeted trio has not publicly responded.

Maybe you can’t be at the game tonight. Or you are in the stands, and you want to know how the other schools are doing.

We’ve got you covered, in real time, thanks to the High School Football Scoreboard.

Every local team’s game has the latest updated score for you, available simply by clicking on the Scoreboard graphic. You will see tonight’s menu of games and the current score as reported from the stadium.

It’s free, it’s easy, and it’s available to you from your phone, your laptop or your I-pad. Wherever you are, sitting in the stands at a game or sitting at home, you can get the scores you need right here throughout this high school football season.

(You can also bookmark this link so you can quickly access it all night and every week.)

PINEVILLE – The 19^th-ranked Louisiana Christian University football program is picking up steam on the national level as the Wildcats prepare to host Wayland Baptist in a Sooner Athletic Conference contest Saturday evening at 6.

Winning its last eight games, including all three this season, LCU has broken through the top 20 barrier of the College Football Network Poll.

The Orange and Blue are 3-0 with landslide victories over East Texas Baptist, Arkansas Baptist, and Langston, averaging a margin of victory north of 23 points while retaining the Border Claw Trophy with their opening domination of ETBU. 

Most of the damage LCU has inflicted has come via a devastating rushing attack which has seen six different players find paydirt including four of those that have multiple scores. Wildcats ball carriers have put together nearly 1,000 yards on the ground alone through the first quarter of the campaign, producing 964 for a per game median of 321.

On defense, the Cats surrender only 18 points a night, racking up seven sacks, four forced fumbles, and a pair of interceptions over that span with just five red zone trips ceded during that timeframe.