House Dist. 25 candidates Jason DeWitt and Trish Leleux have filed new finance reports for their October 14 contest.
Both are Republicans vying for the seat vacated by term-limited Rep. Lance Harris.
Leleux’s report is a required one detailing any contributions of $1,000 or more within 20 days of the vote.
It lists Amo Title Services of Alexandria, $1,500.
DeWitt’s report is one required no later than 10 days before the primary. It covers contributions and expenses from September 5 through 25.
The campaign raised $34,000 and spent $7,000. It had $37,000 on hand at the period’s start, creating an on-hand balance of $64,000 on the 25th.
Using the $1,000 threshold, contributors included:
Antoon Enterprises, Charlie DeWitt Jr., Lexington House, Roy O. Martin III Family Trust, all $1,000, and Ross Bus Sales , $2,000, all Alexandria;
M&D of Kolin, $1,000, and Mike Johnson for State Representative, $2,500, both Pineville;
Braxton Butler and Iviana Stewart, both Woodworth, Brett Geyman Campaign Lake Charles, Jason Hebron, Ball, Lagniappe Home Care Alexandria, Winnfield, Murphrey Oil, Tullos, all $1,000;
Joseph Lamartinierre, Boyce, Central Management, Winnfield, and Friends of Daryl A. Deshotel, Mansura, all $2,500.
DARTING BY TIGERS: Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart hurdles LSU safety Andre Sam for a 27-yard gain and one of the Tigers’ 34 missed tackles in Saturday’s loss to the Rebels. (Photo courtesy LSU Athletics)
By RON HIGGINS, Journal Sports
BATON ROUGE — There’s likely not a college football team almost halfway through this season living in two statistically opposite universes like LSU.
The 23rd-ranked Tigers, 3-2 overall and 2-1 in the SEC West heading into Saturday’s league game at No. 21 unbeaten Missouri (5-0, 1-0 SEC East), are ranked in the top 10 in five offensive categories among the 130 FBS (Division 1-A) teams.
Individually, quarterback Jayden Daniels is ranked second nationally in total offense. Wide receiver Malik Nabors and Brian Thomas are second and eighth nationally respectively in receiving yards. Thomas leads the nation in TD catches.
But LSU’s embarrassingly poor defense is ranked 100th or worse nationally in five categories and has allowed the second most points (155) in the first five games of the season in the history of the program.
After LSU gave up the most-ever yardage in last Saturday’s 55-49 loss at Ole Miss, 18 of 23 questions asked Tigers’ head coach Brian Kelly at his weekly press conference Monday centered on the Tigers’ missing-in-action defense.
“We’ve got to get the guys on our roster playing at a higher level,” Kelly said. “We had 34 missed tackles (vs. Ole Miss) for 284 (Rebels’) yards. We have to tackle the football and we have to create a new line of scrimmage. If we do those two things, we’re going to be better on defense.”
The challenge for Kelly and defensive coordinator Matt House is improving a defense that looked like a disorganized laughingstock against an Ole Miss offense that gained 706 yards (389 passing, 317 running).
Kelly claims there are growing pains in LSU’s secondary because of the young cornerback rotation that includes true freshman Ashton Stamps, sophomore Laterrance Welch Texas A&M sophomore transfer Denver Harris and Southeastern Louisiana junior transfer Zy Alexander.
That foursome entered this season with no starts on the FBS level though Alexander had almost 30 starts on the FCS (Division 1-AA) level for SLU.
“We’re playing a combination of 15 freshmen and transfers (on defense),” Kelly said. “We’re going to have to go through these growing pains, but we’re going to keep fighting and we’re going to keep teaching. We’re going to keep coaching.”
The fact LSU had no sacks vs. Ole Miss and was gouged so badly by the Rebels’ rushing attack led to Kelly confirming Monday he’s hired 82-year-old former Tigers’ defensive coordinator and line coach Pete Jenkins as a consultant. Jenkins, who has previously worked under former LSU head coaches Jerry Stovall, Bill Arnsparger, Mike Archer, Nick Saban and Ed Orgeron, is considered one of the best defensive line technicians in college and pro history.
“Pete gives us the expertise and the ability to help us with technique and some technical things that we want to be able to do on a day-to-day basis,” Kelly said.
Last game for Missouri: Won last Saturday 38-21 at Vanderbilt. Mizzou QB Brady Cook completed 33-of 41 passes for a career-high 395 yards and four touchdowns. He also extended his streak of pass attempts without an interception to an SEC record 348.
Series record and last meeting: LSU leads 31-24-1. In 2020 after the game was moved a few days before kickoff from Baton Rouge to Columbia, Missouri won a 45-41 offensive shootout. LSU’s offense failed to score the game-winning TD despite having four snaps from the Missouri 1-yard line in the game’s final minute.
Missouri head coach: Elijah Drinkwitz (34-20 overall in five seasons, 22-19 in three seasons at Missouri)
THIS AND THAT:
Early betting line: LSU opens as a 6½-point favorite.
Number of Louisiana natives on Missouri roster: 8
Number of Missouri natives on LSU roster: 1
Number of transfers on Missouri roster from 4-year schools: 36 players from 30 schools including 20 players from 14 Power 5 Conference schools
MISSOURI PLAYERS TO WATCH
QB Brady Cook (105 of 141 for 1,468 passing yards, 11 TDs, 0 interceptions), RB Cody Schrader (463 yards rushing and 3 TDs on 81 carries), WR Luther Burden (43 catches for 644 yards, 5 TDs), LB Ty’Ron Hopper (27 tackles, 2½ TFL, 3 PBU, 6 QB hurries), PK Harrison Mevis (7 of 10 FG, 19 of 20 extra points), Riley Williams (12 for 40.3 ypp, 2 fair catches, 5 inside the 20, 2 50 or more yards), KO Harrison Mevis (31 for 64.2 ypko, 25 touchbacks), PR Luther Burden (5 for 350 yards), KOR Nathaniel Peat (5 for 95 yards)
POP QUIZ
What Missouri star who later became a Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee scored a TD in Mizzou’s20-15 win over LSU in the 1978 Liberty Bowl?
A. Kellen Winslow
B. Kellen Winslow II
C. Kellen Winslow III
D. Kellen Winslow IV
What SEC championship game record does Missouri hold?
A. Most points allowed
B. Most rushing yards allowed
C. Highest completion percentage allowed
D. All of the above
What did former Missouri basketball center Steve Stipanovich, the No. 2 overall pick in the 1983 NBA draft, do in December 1980?
A. Accidentally shot himself in the shoulder with a loaded firearm.
B. Then, initially told police that a masked intruder, wearing cowboy boots and a flannel shirt, broke into his apartment and shot him while screaming obscenities about basketball players.
AWAITING THE VOTE: Huntington is one of five Caddo Parish schools whose playoff designation will likely be determined by today’s LHSAA meeting where principals around the state will vote to choose a format. (Journal file photo by GAVEN HAMMOND, landgphoto.com)
By BRET H. MCCORMICK, Journal Sports
The Louisiana High School Athletic Association will hold a long-anticipated special meeting today in Baton Rouge to discuss lingering issues defining playoff formats that need quick resolution.
A majority (at least 203) of the state’s 400-plus principals who make up the LHSAA membership must decide on a definition for “select” schools, and that definition will determine the makeup of the playoff brackets in the sports of football, boys and girls basketball, baseball and softball. The football playoffs are slated to begin next month, six weeks from now.
The meeting will be held at 1 p.m. at the Marriott hotel, located at 550 Hilton Ave. in Baton Rouge near the College Drive exit off Interstate 10. Principals can delegate their voting rights to their athletics directors.
North DeSoto High School principal Tamela Phillips, who sits on the LHSAA’s executive committee, sent a letter to LHSAA principals on Sept. 25 urging them all to attend the meeting, saying it was “critical for us to settle this issue.”
“Please let’s put the student-athletes first,” Phillips wrote. “It is our responsibility as adults to make the decisions that will best serve all of the student-athletes in Louisiana.”
In June 2022 the LHSAA’s executive committee elected to change the definition of what classifies a “select” school for playoff designation.
Originally, a select school meant any “private or public schools that have an established academic criteria that is used in order to determine the admission and/or retention of its students.” Roughly one-quarter of the LHSAA membership fell under that category.
The updated definition changed the designation of a select school to any “private or public schools that have a state or parish approved designation as a lab school, magnet school(s) with one or more magnet component(s), approved charter schools, parish wide approved open enrollment, state recovery district (RSD) application-based parish schools, tuition-based schools and/or any established academic and/or retention-days based criterion schools.”
That much broader definition brought an additional 85 schools under the select umbrella and made what was once a 75-25 split into a much more even 53-47 split with the majority remaining non-select schools.
LHSAA members delayed a vote on the issue last January in anticipation that a special meeting would be called in June. However, that meeting never occurred, and a group of nine schools in Rapides Parish and Monroe filed suit against the LHSAA, saying the executive committee couldn’t change the definition of select without a vote of the entire organization.
Alex Goodling, the principal at Northwood-Lena in Rapides Parish, said many principals feel like their voices were not heard during the process and that decisions were being made by a small group of principals on the executive committee along with LHSAA Executive Director Eddie Bonine.
“In my opinion, we were led to believe this meeting was going to happen during the summer, it did not happen during the summer, and this is what needed to happen,” Goodling said.
Northwood principal Shannon Wall has contended for many months that today’s anticipated vote was the only proper resolution. He testified to that point in an Aug. 21 hearing in Baton Rouge’s 19th Judicial District which produced a temporary injunction halting the LHSAA from using its current playoff system until a vote of principals determined what course would be followed.
Natchitoches Central principal Micah Coleman is a new member of the LHSAA executive committee and said he could not represent that body’s perspective. However, he agreed with Wall and Goodling that having principals vote to decide the issue was proper.
Goodling sent out a memo to LHSAA principals last week in an attempt to clarify the position of the schools who filed suit against the LHSAA. Along with that were five amendments the group submitted to the LHSAA’s executive committee for consideration but were rejected.
Several amendments attempted to add language clarifying the executive committee does not have the power to amend the LHSAA constitution, and another amendment offered an alternate definition for a select school.
Under this group’s proposal, select schools would be defined as “tuition-based schools, private schools, charter schools, and magnet schools approved by the Louisiana Department of Education.”
Goodling said there are larger issues at play – some of which date back over a decade before many of the current principals were a part of the LHSAA – and while he doesn’t believe today’s vote will in any way will fix the elephant in the room, it could open the door for further discussions.
“I don’t begrudge the executive committee or Mr. Bonine because they’ve been battling select/non-select for years and they did at the time what they thought would be the best for the organization overall,” Goodling said. “But there’s a right way and a wrong way to go about it.”
No matter what happens today, Goodling said the fact that everybody will have a say in the matter is a positive development. Even if principals decide to adopt the 2022-23 definition and Rapides Parish schools remain classified as select schools, Goodling said most principals in his area and statewide would be pleased that proper procedure was followed.
“While I would not agree that we are a select school, at least the correct process has played out and we would live with it,” Goodling said.
Calvary Baptist football coach Rodney Guin, whose team is a leading state championship contender, echoed sentiments of many observers who foresee the current playoff system being ratified.
“I expect it to be voted ‘yes’ to keep what we have now,” he said. “I think most people are in favor of that. It evens up all the divisions with about the same number of teams. If we go back to the old way, we’ll have a bunch of 0-10 teams in the playoffs and I don’t think anyone wants that.”
Rapides Parish Sheriff’s deputies and firefighters from the Rapides Parish Fire District #7 and the Deville Fire Department responded to H. Brown Road in Deville to what was reported as a brush fire on Oct. 2.
The fire was contained but did damage to an abandoned trailer in the 20 block of H. Brown Rd. Fire investigators responded to conduct their investigation. Please remember there is still a Parish Burn Ban in effect and burning is not allowed.
The Alexandria Police Department responded to the 400 block of Twin Bridges Road on Oct. 2 around 1:25 pm in reference to a person suffering from a gunshot wound. The victim sustained a non-life-threatening injury and was taken to a local hospital for treatment.
This is currently an ongoing investigation.
If anyone has any information about this incident or any other type of crime in the Alexandria area, please contact the Alexandria Police Detective Division at the phone number (318) 441-6416, or APD Dispatch (318) 441-6559. You may also email information to detectives at: APDDetectives@cityofalex.com.
For a cash reward, call Crime Stoppers of CenLa at (318) 443-7867. The Crime Stoppers P3 Tipster App can also be downloaded to leave tips and get a claim number for a cash reward at http://www.p3tips.com/community/mobile.
Pickleball in Alexandria, as in lots of other cities across the country, is becoming a thing.
The first thing pointed out to me when I arrived at Frank O’Hunter Gymnasium to check out this relatively new local phenomenon – the game itself is not that new — was an apparatus with three sets of different colored cup holders to keep track of who’s next on the court. In this case, there are two indoor courts open for play, on Tuesdays and Fridays from 9 a.m. to noon.
Doubles matches are usually the rule here, and there were several more than eight players wanting to play – as is usually the case. It’s called open play, which is basically a free-for-all in which everyone is invited to play against everyone else. Incidentally, these morning sessions are geared more for beginners. There are night sessions (4-7 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays) at this same gym twice a week geared more for advanced players.
Picklers, or pickleheads, rotate courts and partners using a “paddle” rotation system, with the goal being fair amount of playing time for all.
“Nobody, at least in this group, cares that much about winning,” said retired banker Wayne Denley about the morning crowd. “It’s all about having fun.”
But they do keep score, and scoring can be confusing. It’s similar to ping pong but more complicated. It’s something you learn as you go, with prompting from those who know.
The sport combines elements of badminton, tennis and ping pong. The racquets are like oversized ping pong racquets and a court has the same dimensions as a standardized doubles badminton court. For those of you measuring, it’s 20-feet wide and 40-feet long. Four pickleball courts could fit in one tennis court.
The game was born in 1965 on Bainbridge Island, Washington when Joel Pritchard, Bill Bell and Barney McCallum wanted to create a game that could be fun for all ages. Within days, Joan Pritchard had come up with the name “pickle ball”— a reference to the thrown-together leftover non-starters in the “pickle boat” of crew races. Over the decades since, the game evolved, gained a national association and rules and tournaments and what have you.
“What’s comforting to me is even the good players make mistakes,” said Patsy Tudor Shaw, “so I don’t feel so bad when I make one.”
Speaking of mistakes and pickleball, I am right there with you, Patsy, after my debut at the sport last week. I tended to sweep at the ball – a whiffle ball without much bounce — like a tennis racket, and that’s a no-no, I was instructed. It’s more about wrist action.
Lefty Paul Turregano, Menard Class of ’66, is one of the first locals who picked up the game.
“I’d been reading about it for about a year and didn’t know anybody playing it in town. Then I found out some were playing at the (former) Boys and Girls Club in City Park.” He started playing and has been hooked since, even though there’s no longer any action at the old Boys and Girls Club since it is under construction. His wife, Ileen, showed off some athletic talent when she played, even though she didn’t play organized sports in high school or beyond.
“Maybe it’s in my genes,” she said. “My dad played football at Jennings High and (Louisiana) Tech, and my brother, John Wiley Matthews, played football at ASH and Tech for a while.”
There are not many venues where you can play around here. Besides the Frank O’Hunter Gymnasium, there are courts at the Louisiana Athletic Club in Pineville, when the basketball courts (lined off for pickleball) are available on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to noon and 5:30-8:30 p.m., or they can be used at other times if nobody is playing basketball at the time. Also, Pineville First United Methodist welcomes anyone to play on its courts at its Family Life Center on Sundays from 6-8 p.m.
Former New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees hosted a huge fund-raiser pickleball tournament in August on 24 tournament-quality courts in New Orleans, and NBA great LeBron James and former NFL star quarterback Tom Brady recently bought or invested in professional pickleball teams.
I wondered if the City of Alexandria had any plans to open any more pickleball courts.
“We are looking at developing pickleball programs and hopefully bringing in some tournaments because it’s big,” said Tiffany Chelette, in charge of the city’s athletic programming. She said they are looking at possible outdoor sites they can convert to pickleball but couldn’t say which. “I can’t promise anything.” She did say the old Boys and Girls Club, when renovated, will be available again for pickleball, but declined to estimate when that might be.
For the local pickleheads, it can’t happen soon enough.
Cledith Miller Smetak June 13, 1947 – September 28, 2023 Service: Tuesday, October 3, 2023, 10 am at Hixson Brothers, Marksville.
John F. Rhoad December 25, 1954 – September 26, 2023 Service: Tuesday, October 3, 2023, 9 am at Kramer Funeral Home, Alexandria.
John Floyd Rhoad December 25, 1954 – September 26, 2023 Service: Tuesday, October 3, 2023, 9 am at Kramer Funeral Home, Alexandria.
Trudy Louise Troquille December 31, 1943 – October 1, 2023 Service: Thursday, October 5, 2023, 1 pm at Chapel of Rush Funeral Home, Pineville.
Lashonda Nicole Lonnette June 27, 1976 – September 24, 2023 Service: Friday, October 6, 2023, 11 am at Zion Hill Church Family, Pineville.
The Rapides Parish Journal publishes paid obituaries – unlimited words and a photo, as well as unlimited access – $95. Contact your funeral provider or RPJNewsla@gmail.com . Must be paid in advance of publication. (Notice of Death shown above are FREE of charge. You may email them to RPJNewsla@gmail.com)
A March election has been called to fill the unexpired term of 9th Judicial Judge John C. Davidson, whose resignation was effective Sept. 1.
A special vote, rather than a gubernatorial executive appointment, is required when more than two months remain in the term.
Davidson’s term was to expire in 2025.
Davidson joined the court, which has seven jurists, in 2004, elected from Election Section 2, Division D.
Qualifying for the March 23, 2024 primary will open Dec. 13 and close at 4:30 p.m. Dec. 15.
If a runoff is necessary will be on April 27.
About 10,400 cases were filed in 9th District Court last year, according to the Louisiana Supreme Court Annual Report, about 300 fewer than the previous year.
Statewide, 507,000 cases were filed in district courts across 64 parishes.
The 2022 Rapides case breakdown: 800 juvenile, 3,400 civil, 2,900 criminal, 3,200 traffic.
According to the report, there were 20 trials in the 9th District last year — 3 civil and 17 criminal.
The report does stipulate but it is most likely none of the 20 cases tried were 2022 filings.
A man accused of first-degree murder in the wake of a domestic home invasion two years ago is back in jail, accused of sexual battery and contempt of court.
Coby Whatley, 22, of Philadelphia Road, Pineville, was arrested Saturday. His current bond is set at $55,000.
Whatley posted $166,500 bond in February 2022 after being arrested on amended charges from a January 2021 incident and arrest.
At the time of the Fendler Parkway home invasion Whatley was charged with attempted murder and and an assortment of other violent felonies. Police also charged his parents in relation to that altercation.
At the time police said a shot/shots had been fired inside the house. Indications are someone died as a result.
In relation to that Whatley, free on $241,000 bond, was recharged.
He had posted that January 2021 bond on April 6 and was back in jail in May 16, charged with violating a protective order and resisting an officer. He posted $1,500 bond.
When re-arrested on the homicide follow up in February 2022 his other charges included felony flight, simple kidnapping, home invasion aggravated assault, violation of protective order, resisting, aggravated criminal damage, obstruction of justice, illegal use of weapon/dangerous instrumentality.
Released on Valentine’s Day, he was arrested in November 2022 on two counts of contempt.
Whatley’s alleged rage first surfaces in available records in July 2020, when accused of aggravated battery, aggravated battery domestic abuse, aggravated battery with child present, domestic abuse battery with child present, aggravated strangle domestic abuse battery strangulation.
Mark DeClouet Jr. made $11,000 bail less than an hour after his arrest Friday on conspiracy and unlawful prescribing charges.
Those accusations are added to a rap sheet initiated in February 2022 when he was charged with human trafficking and offenses linked to allegedly providing drugs for sex.
DeClouet, 42, posted $218,000 bond in that case.
His alleged procurer, Kyle McCall, 24, of Boyce, was in the parish jail until April of this year when bill of information listed only two relatively minor drug charges.
In the current case DeClouet, a psychiatric nurse practitioner whose license was suspended after the 2022 arrest, has 11 criminal conspiracy counts and 11 unlawful prescribe, distribute, dispense, or assist of prescription other than by physician counts.
His 2022 arrest sent shockwaves through the addiction-treatment community in which he has been a leader in the campaign for progressive approaches to curbing the opiod abuse epidemic.
Records indicate he entered a not guilty plea as of December. A February pre-trial hearing was continued.
ASH senior linebacker Jaylon Kirk (13) blocked a punt Friday night that was recovered for a Trojans touchdown during their 54-0 Homecoming victory over Green Oaks. (Journal photo by BRET H. MCCORMICK)
By BRET H. MCCORMICK, Journal Sports
Friday was a good night for Homecoming in Rapides Parish.
Alexandria Senior High and Pineville both capped their Homecoming festivities with runaway victories with the Trojans (3-2) defeating Green Oaks 54-0 and the Rebels (2-3) beating Jonesboro-Hodge 48-8.
Junior JT Lindsey rushed for two touchdowns and senior Ty Feaster added two passing TDs as the Trojans made short work of Green Oaks (1-4), invoking the mercy-rule running clock in the first half for the second time in the past three weeks.
The Trojans scored in all three phases of the game, blocking two punts and recovering one in the end zone for a touchdown while also getting a defensive touchdown on a 96-yard interception return by sophomore Jay Frazier.
Because of the defensive and special-teams TDs as well as the running clock, the Trojans didn’t amass gaudy offensive numbers. ASH finished with just 277 yards of offense on only 32 plays.
Feaster completed 9 of 12 passes for 113 yards with TD passes to EJ Scott and Darius Washington, while Lindsey was the Trojans’ leading rusher with 80 yards on five carries, including TD runs of 40 and 2 yards.
ASH coach Thomas Bachman said after the game that Feaster continues to get more comfortable running the Trojans’ offense in his first year in the program.
“Every day that goes by, (Feaster shows) he’s a worker,” Bachman said. “I noticed that from the first day that he showed up. … I’ve never seen him not compete.”
Jimmie Duncan added a 1-yard rushing TD for the Trojans, while senior linebacker Omarion Ford recovered a blocked punt by fellow senior Jaylon Kirk for a touchdown.
The lone second-half touchdown came when third-string quarterback Jacob Montegut hit senior Jacob Ray for a 3-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter.
Bachman said he made attempts to replace Green Oaks (1-4), which has lost four straight games, with a tougher opponent but was unable to do so. The light night wrapped up an otherwise difficult non-district schedule as the Trojans begin District 2-5A play next week with a trip to Ruston.
The Bearcats (5-0), who finished as Division I Non-Select state runner-up last season and entered this year as one of the strongest state-title contenders, are ranked No. 5 in Class 5A by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association and have the highest power rating among all Division I schools.
“I’m glad to have this one behind us and ready to get into district play,” Bachman said.
Pineville coach Bryant Bell has been looking for some explosive plays out of his offense, and the Rebels found some through the air against Jonesboro-Hodge (2-3).
Senior Jaylan Witty tossed two touchdown passes, while sophomore Garrett Jackson caught one and threw another as Pineville opened a 35-0 halftime lead and cruised to victory.
It didn’t take long for the Rebels to jump on top. On their first offensive play, Witty dropped the ball perfectly into the hands of Jackson at the goal line behind two defenders for a 33-yard touchdown.
Witty later connected with senior tight end Sebastian Molette for a 5-yard touchdown, and Jackson, who entered as a dual-threat option at quarterback near the goal line, found senior Landen Roberts on a 1-yard TD pass.
Witty completed 8 of 13 passes for 132 yards and two touchdowns for a Rebel offense that compiled 235 yards of offense.
“I told him (Friday) night that I was proud of him after the game,” Bell said. “That’s his strength, chucking the ball down the field. We feel like we finally found a handful of receivers who can make plays and he can throw to them.”
Sophomore Ayden Tate’s 12-yard run gave the Rebels a 28-0 lead, while senior Ty Sanders added a 5-yard touchdown to cap the first-half scoring.
Jackson led the Rebels with 70 receiving yards and also had 12 rushing yards, while Tate was Pineville’s leading rusher with 61 yards on 15 carries.
Hy’keem Mix got in on the scoring fun with a 3-yard touchdown in the third quarter, and senior safety Jacob Miranda scooped up a fumble and returned it 26 yards for a score to give the Rebels a 48-0 lead in the third quarter.
The schedule gets a lot tougher for the Rebels with the start of District 2-5A play this week with West Monroe coming to town and then a trip to Ruston the following week. Bell said this victory was important for his team’s confidence.
“It’s a win that we needed here at home in our Homecoming game,” Bell said. “What you see now for the most part is we’re winning the games we should win and are expected to win. It gives us a little more confidence to punch through and beat one of those teams that nobody gives us a chance to win.”
GOODWELL, Okla. –The Louisiana Christian University football team went the distance to stay unbeaten Saturday night, while posting its 11th straight win dating back to last season.
The Wildcats were backed up on their own 1-yard line with a five-point lead and just over 11 minutes remaining. In a pressure-packed situation on the road in a hostile environment, LCU marched 18 plays while chewing up 9:09 off the clock and turned a nerve-wracking final quarter into a two-score contest, securing a 29-17 victory at Oklahoma Panhandle State.
Louisiana Christian stayed unbeaten this season, 5-0 overall and 4-0 in the Sooner Athletic Conference. Oklahoma Panhandle (2-3, 2-2) gave the Wildcats their toughest test so far in 2023 and avenged a 28-16 loss to OPSU last season in Pineville.
It’s not often that a placekicker gets the spotlight, but Levi Hilborn deserved it, going a perfect 3-for-3 on field goals with makes from 30, 25, and 20 yards. His foot gave the Wildcats a 9-7 halftime edge.
Daylon Charles was the leader of the ground game with a season-high 128 yards on 18 carries for a 7.1 average per rush. Taevion Cunningham was next in line with another season-best of 80 which included a personal-long rush of 37 yards and his third multi-touchdown game of the year, hitting paydirt from 15 and 8 yards out.
Sal Palermo III set a new campaign-best in the rushing category as well with 72 yards and the game-icing score ending the 99-yard drive that ate up most of the final quarter. The LCU signalcaller was also 14-of-18 passing for 146 yards.
Ethan Christman had a career evening in terms of receiving yards, posting game highs in both receptions (5) and receiving yards (65).
Ernest Simon topped the defense with seven tackles while adding an additional 1.5 tackles for loss to his line and also registering his first career pass breakup.
Andre Reed kept his TFL streak intact by the slimmest of margins, contributing a half-TFL to give him at least 0.5 in each contest.
Detavius Eldridge took part in both quarterback takedowns as he collected 1.5 sacks against the Aggies with Logan Brimmer chipping in the other half-a-sack.
Defensively, the Orange and Blue put together statistics as if they were playing Madden on rookie mode, surrendering only four OPSU catches for 27 yards over 22 attempts for a completion percentage of merely 18 percent.
The Wildcats lost three fumbles and had a minus-3 turnover margin but still earned the decision, claiming a victory despite that poor a deficiency for the first time in seven seasons.
LCU’s 70 carries and 364 rushing yards were the most in a Sooner Athletic Conference matchup in school history while the latter is the second-highest total since rejoining the NAIA.
The first day game of this season beckons on Saturday when the Orange and Blue hosts North American at 2 p.m.
Buckeye junior Jim Burlew (right) posted his second 200-yard performance and fifth straight 100-yard rushing game in the Panthers’ loss to Grant on Friday. (Journal photo by BRET H. MCCORMICK)
By BRET H. MCCORMICK, Journal Sports
Jim Burlew continued to carry the load for Buckeye Friday night, but even his special performance couldn’t dig the Panthers out of a 32-point halftime deficit.
Burlew carried the football 50 times for 211 yards and scored three touchdowns, but Buckeye couldn’t slow down the Cougars in a 59-34 loss at Grant.
Grant senior quarterback Jackson Hedrick rushed for four touchdowns and threw for a fifth as he compiled over 200 yards of offense (140 rushing, 72 passing). D’Michael Perry rushed for 123 yards, including a 74-yard touchdown, as the Cougars (3-2) scored seven times on the ground.
Perry’s touchdown gave the Cougars a 25-0 lead in the second quarter after Hedrick rushed and passed for a first-quarter touchdown. Hedrick’s second rushing TD put Grant ahead 32-0 before the Panthers (3-2) finally got on the board on a Burlew 5-yard run.
“If you dig yourself a (32-0) hole, it doesn’t really matter what you do,” Buckeye coach Ben McLaughlin said.
Hedrick’s third rushing TD, a 69-yard run, gave Grant a 39-7 lead at the half, and the Cougars pushed that lead to 45-7 in the third quarter on another Hedrick rushing score.
Adam Brodnax, who passed for 250 yards in the game, threw his lone touchdown pass in the third quarter to Bryce Warthen, who caught five passes for 163 yards. Burlew added two more rushing TDs in the fourth quarter, and Buckeye also got a 6-yard rushing score from Kolt Vercher.
Grant rushed for nearly 400 yards in the game and also got rushing TDs by freshmen Keith McKinney and Aymaud Sykes.
McLaughlin said the Panthers simply couldn’t get enough stops against the Grant offense after some poor early execution put them behind. However, he added, he was proud of the Panthers’ effort.
“When Buckeye and Grant play – I don’t care if they’re playing marbles – when these two teams play any competitive sport, both sides are ready to go,” McLaughlin said.
Burlew is averaging over 180 yards per game and has scored 15 rushing touchdowns this season.
JENA 28, TIOGA 6
Zerrick Jones ran for two touchdowns and Zach Barker passed for two more – one each to Zy Hunter and Braden Oakes – to lead Jena (5-0) to a victory in a battle of two unbeaten teams.
A defensive battle flipped in a matter of seconds late in the first half as Jena scored two touchdowns to break open a tie game.
Jones, the Giants’ senior tailback, took an option pitch from Barker, raced down the left sideline, ran through a shoulder tackle, and finished off a 58-yard touchdown run to take a 14-6 lead.
After a Tioga fumble on its next offensive play, Jones scored his second touchdown as he outran the Indian defense to the pylon for a 10-yard score and a 20-6 lead at the half.
Jones, who rushed for more than 100 yards in the first half, finished with a game-high 147 rushing yards on 20 carries.
Tioga’s only touchdown came on a 73-yard interception return by Ja’Corian Norris, who had two kick return touchdowns wiped off because of penalties.
Travis Adams led the Indians (4-1) with 57 rushing yards, while Cace Malone finished 9-of-19 passing for 78 yards.
OPELOUSAS CATHOLIC 35, MENARD 3
A Ryan Hicks 30-yard field goal in the fourth quarter kept the Eagles (2-3) from being shut out as they struggled to muster any offense Friday night.
The Vikings (2-3) held Menard to just 3 rushing yards and 29 yards of total offense as the Eagles gained more yardage off Opelousas Catholic penalties than they did on offense.
Cooper Scott forced a fumble late in the third quarter, and Asher Davis pounced on it to set the Eagles up with good field position and lead to the Hicks field goal.
The Eagles had just three first downs in the first half, two of which came via penalty, and compiled only 4 yards of offense as they trailed 21-0 at the break.
Senior quarterback Mark Collins passed for two touchdowns to Rod Tezeno and ran for two more scores, while Rowan Rergeron also had a touchdown run for Opelousas Catholic.
NORTHWOOD-LENA 38, NORTH CENTRAL 6
The Gators (1-4) went on the road and brought home a convincing win to snap a four-game losing streak to start the season.
Northwood was close last week, dropping its Homecoming contest by one point, but the Gators left no doubt against North Central. Coach Tommy Moore said he did not have any individual stats but praised his entire team for its performance.
“Great team win,” he said. “Our players competed for four quarters and limited our turnovers. I’m very proud of our defense for keeping their athletes bottled up and playing physical football. Special teams did a great job as well. Hopefully, this will give us some confidence starting district play.”
BLOCK 42, BOLTON 36
Senior running back Darrian Nelson returned for the first time since suffering a preseason ankle injury and provided an immediate spark to the Bolton offense.
Nelson rushed for more than 80 yards and scored two touchdowns, while senior quarterback Connor McLain also added two rushing touchdowns as the Bears (0-5) scored more than six points in a game for the first time all season.
Bolton led 36-30 in the fourth quarter and looked poised to pick up its first victory of the season, but Block scored two late touchdowns to pull out the win.
Sophomore Tyler August also scored a rushing touchdown for Bolton.
LSU receiver Brian Thomas Jr. caught three touchdown passes Saturday at Ole Miss. (Photo courtesy LSU Athletics)
By RON HIGGINS, Journal Sports
OXFORD, Ms. – Once upon a time, Jayden Daniels was Arizona State’s starting quarterback for two seasons in the Pac-12, a conference where high-scoring offenses rule and playing defense is optional.
But he’d never played in a game like he did here on Saturday in which he had 513 of his team’s 637 yards total offense, accounted for five touchdowns and led his team to almost a half a hundred points and still lost.
“It was a true shootout,” said Daniels, LSU’s starting quarterback, after his final pass of the game into the end zone sailed incomplete as time expired with the 12th-ranked Tigers suffering their first SEC loss in the season, 55-49 at the hands of No. 20 Ole Miss.
Daniels did his best to get his team across the finish line for the win.
He completed 27 of 36 passes for 414 yards and four TDs including three to wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. He also ran for 99 yards and a TD on 15 carries. He led LSU to seven TDs, six on drives of 75 yards or longer.
Yet it wasn’t enough as the Tigers’ defense, consistently missing tackles and failing to make stops, never slowed Ole Miss’ offense, which piled up more total yards than any LSU opponent ever has.
The Rebels (4-1 overall, 1-1 in the SEC West) gained 706 total offense yards in 88 plays, powered by 389 passing yards and a career-high four TDs from quarterback Jaxson Dart and 317 rushing yards headed by running back Quinshon Judkins’ 177 yards and 1 TD on 33 carries.
“We felt we had to make a statement to the whole conference,” Judkins said. “We were going to do whatever it takes to win the game.”
The combined 1,343 yards of total offense between the Rebels and Tigers ranks as the fifth-most in SEC history and the third-most between SEC schools. The combined 104 points between Ole Miss and LSU ranks tied for seventh-most in SEC history in non-overtime games and the third-most between SEC opponents.
From the jump, LSU (3-2 overall, 2-1 SEC West) was behind the 8-ball because its defense simply couldn’t get the Ole Miss offense off the field even when the Rebels were in dire-and-distance situations.
“I’m angry, I’m disappointed,” LSU head coach Brian Kelly said. “If you like a lot of points, I guess you liked the game. I didn’t like it. It’s not the way I like to play football.
“We need to get pissed off about what happened and have some resolve about our circumstances. That’s not a standard of play that’s acceptable.”
The largest crowd in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium history – 66,703 – witnessed a lethal combination of unstoppable offenses and embarrassingly porous defenses, the latter more suited to backyard touch football.
The only time the Tigers forced first-half Ole Miss punts was on the Rebels’ second and seventh final possessions.
At one point, Ole Miss scored 24 points on four straight possessions including three consecutive TDs.
After LSU’s first two offensive series ended in a punt and a Daniels fumble, the Tigers scored TDs on four straight first-half possessions. Only a missed 56-yard field goal by LSU placekicker Damian Ramos as time expired in the first half allowed Ole Miss to hold a 31-28 halftime lead.
The halftime offensive stats were ridiculous.
The teams combined for 760 total offense yards (LSU 373 yards on 41 plays (9.1 yards per play), Ole Miss 387 yards on 43 plays (9 yards per play). The Tigers and the Rebs had five plays each of 20 or more yards.
All the gaudy numbers made you wonder if any defensive adjustments at halftime could diffuse either offense enough to take and maintain a lead.
Apparently not.
LSU scored on its two third-quarter possessions – the aforementioned Daniels QB sneak and a Diggs’ 12 yard TD run sandwiched a 48-yard Davis’ field goal for a 42-34 Tigers lead entering the fourth quarter.
It seemed like LSU had a hint of momentum. But the Rebels, who opened the game outscoring the Tigers 21-7 in the first quarter, closed the night with another 21-7 run in the fourth quarter.
The Tigers’ lone fourth-quarter score was Daniels’ perfectly placed 34-yard TD pass to Thomas with 8:34 left for a 49-40 lead.
“We were down two scores in the fourth quarter to arguably the best personnel offense in the country and it would be easy to fold,” Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin said. “Our defense had to stop them twice and our offense had to drive the length of the field. Not easy plays.”
Just less than 3½ minutes later, the Rebels scored again. Dart’s 1-yard TD sneak edged Ole Miss within 49-47 with 5:06 left.
After Ole Miss forced LSU’s offense to a three-and-out series, the Rebels took over at their 12-yard line with 2:36 left.
They opened the drive with five straight running plays that gained 34 yards. Dart got the final 54 yards with three straight completions, including a 13-yard TD pass to Tre’ Harris in what proved to be the game-winner with 39 seconds left.
Daniels quickly got LSU back in position to steal a win. A 42-yard first-down pass to Chris Hilton Jr. advanced the ball to Ole Miss 33. Three plays later, a horsecollar tackle penalty against the Rebels gave LSU a first down at the Ole Miss 16.
But two false starts by the Tigers in the next three plays moved the ball back to the Ole Miss 26 with five seconds left. On LSU’s final play, Daniels was forced to scramble to his left. He stopped and fired an incomplete pass to Hilton in a crowd of Ole Miss defenders in the back of the end zone.
“I was hoping somebody would pop wide open, just give one of the playmakers a chance to make a play,” Daniels said.
LSU moves on to play at unbeaten No. 23 ranked Missouri (5-0 overall, 1-0 SEC East) next Saturday at 11 a.m. Mizzou opened league play Saturday with a 38-21 win at Vanderbilt.
“We’re playing with young, inexperienced players,” Kelly said referring to LSU’s freshmen and sophomore cornerbacks and safeties who contributed heavily to missed tackles and busted assignments.
“That’s who we have. Nobody else is walking through that door.
“These are the guys that have to play for us and we’re going to continue to develop them.”
Rapides felony drug arrests are accusations, not convictions.
September 28 Kevin King, 49, Pineville — possession CDS II 2-28 grams, bicycle lamps, reflectors required, $600 bond.
September 29 Stephen Butler, 41, Alexandria — La. fugitive, possession with intent CDS III 2 counts and CDS II < 28 grams 2 counts, no bond set;
Rontarius Sewell, 28, Pineville — possession with intent CDS IV, possession CDS II 2-28 grams, possession paraphernalia, resisting officer, disturbing peace drunkenness, $2,500 bond;
Christopher Vizena, 30, Pineville — possession CDS II 2-28 grams, possession paraphernalia, criminal trespass, $2,000 bond.
September 30 Gregory Hardie, 37, Sibley — possession first 14, possession flunitrazepam, possession CDS IV, driving under suspension/revocation, improper lane usage, OWI 2nd, contempt of court 2 counts, $20,600 bond.
A Rapides Police Jury committee will hear a proposal today to reduce by two-thirds the time devoted to individual public comment, as well as one to contain the community cat population.
The Courthouse, Coliseum and Legal Committee agenda includes Juror Joe Bishop’s motion to cap individual comment time at three minutes and group time at 10 minutes.
The current parish ordinance stipulations are 10 and 20 minutes respectively.
Those have been the standard for more than 30 years and exceed by several minutes the allowances at most public bodies in the parish.
The jury’s committee meetings begin at 3 p.m., one after the other.
Public comment, 10 minutes for individuals, is accepted on any item to be voted on.
Another proposal on the committee agenda is authorizing a parish-wide spay, neuter, vaccinate and release program for community (feral) cats.
The Trap, Neuter, Vaccinate and Release program would be fully funded by a grant, according to the posted agenda.
Cledith Miller Smetak June 13, 1947 – September 28, 2023 Service: Tuesday, October 3, 2023, 10 am at Hixson Brothers, Marksville.
John F. Rhoad December 25, 1954 – September 26, 2023 Service: Tuesday, October 3, 2023, 9 am at Kramer Funeral Home, Alexandria.
John Floyd Rhoad December 25, 1954 – September 26, 2023 Service: Tuesday, October 3, 2023, 9 am at Kramer Funeral Home, Alexandria.
The Rapides Parish Journal publishes paid obituaries – unlimited words and a photo, as well as unlimited access – $95. Contact your funeral provider or RPJNewsla@gmail.com . Must be paid in advance of publication. (Notice of Death shown above are FREE of charge. You may email them to RPJNewsla@gmail.com)
