PrepsBeat blog

Sulphur bound

2008-04-18T22:59:00.002-05:00

So we'll have Byrd in the Class 5A softball state tournament next week and Benton in the Class 4A tournament. After that, it will be area schools in smaller classifications as top-seeded Evangel didn't make it out of the second round.

Amazingly, Byrd, Benton and the rest of the Sulphur-bound teams are just getting to the hard part. There are still three games to be won over two days to win a state championship.

Still, anytime you make a state tournament it's a big deal. Congratulations to those teams.

Big man on campus

2008-04-17T12:59:00.002-05:00

If you don't think the times have changed consider Mansfield junior defensive tackle Chris Davenport. He is receiving between 40 to 45 mail items daily from colleges around the country recruiting him.

There was a time when a 6-3, 320-pound defensive tackle at a Class 2A school in northwest Louisiana would have slid under the radar.

Not anymore.

His scholarship opportunities look like a who's who of college football -- LSU, USC, Oklahoma, Florida, Florida State, we could go on and on.

This is a good thing for the players. It's a good thing for the big schools. But not so much for smaller schools that could find the hidden gems and build around them.

It's the pitching

2008-04-16T13:02:00.002-05:00

I was talking to a couple of DeSoto Parish softball coaches who have teams still playing in the playoffs.

It's no coincidence that Logansport and Stanley are still playing. Both shut out their opponents in the first round.

In fact, Logansport has allowed only two runs in its last four games. That would be a .50 runs per game against average.

Logansport coach Alan Bagley joked that if his team gives up .50 runs on Thursday he'll win.

He's right. If you've got good pitching -- and Logansport does with Shondra Smith -- then you can go a long way.

The busiest time of year

2008-04-15T20:08:00.001-05:00

It's that time of year. When everything it seems comes together -- softball playoff games, district track meets, crucial baseball games, state golf tournaments, city lacrosse championships, just about everything seems to be played now.

It's a challenge to get everything covered. Yet it is fun to watch the competition and the genuine emotion that comes out.

After Northwood's 2-0 softball playoff loss to DeRidder, some of the Northwood players were in tears. That's what happens when the reality of a season's conclusion sets in.

The bad side of seeding

2008-04-14T19:05:00.002-05:00

Second-seeded Byrd put up double digits in the first inning of its first-round playoff game.

While I'm generally in favor of seeding, some of these 1-32, 2-31 games are just a joke.

I realize the Huntington boys basketball team had a tough 1-32 game. But on the whole, you pretty much know the outcome before you get there.

And that was the case with Byrd in this game.

Playoff time

2008-04-13T23:37:00.002-05:00

The state softball playoffs start on Monday and Byrd will be at home for the first round.

If you go by the seeds, Evangel and Byrd are the best chances for Shreveport-area teams in the playoffs. Evangel is a No. 1 seed in Class 2A while Byrd is No. 1 in Class 5A.

The setup of the softball playoffs requires only two wins to reach the state tournament. With the seeding setup, Byrd and Evangel will likely need only one win to get to Sulphur because their games on Monday and Tuesday figure to relatively easy.

It's at Sulphur where these teams will find out if they have what it takes to win a championship.

Under the radar

2008-04-12T23:04:00.002-05:00

One baseball coach dropped perhaps the line of the year Saturday, saying scouting high school sports is tough because "it's a whole lot of hype."

We're partly responsible for that, I'll admit. That also means we're partly responsible for the "under the radar" players.

I saw one of those while covering a game at Airline on Saturday.

Andrew Shamsabady is the third pitcher in the Vikings' weekend rotation, but you wouldn't have known it Saturday.

The fast-working (we love those in journalism circles, by the way) right-hander was at his best when his team needed it, two-hitting Byrd as Airline clinched a share of the district crown.

Shamsabady's coach, Toby Todd, said he uses his fastball mainly as a show pitch and he did just that Saturday, getting Byrd to hit several lazy fly balls and slow rollers.

A few more starts like that and Shamsabady may become a hard-to-spell household name.

New look to 1-5A football

2008-04-09T22:23:00.000-05:00

It will certainly be a different look to District 1-5A football next season.

Huntington already has a new head coach in Jerry Byrd from North DeSoto. Now, Southwood is in the market for a new coach after Scott Abernathy left the school for the North DeSoto job.

Abernathy's departure puts Southwood in a bit of a bind since spring practice starts up in a couple of weeks.

Southwood principal Ken Wood said tonight he will likely name an interim coach for spring. He said he doesn't want to make a quick hire over a quality hire.

New coach at Huntington

2008-04-08T10:08:00.001-05:00

The Caddo Parish School Board made it official with the unanimous approval of Jerry Byrd as the Huntington High School football coach.

Byrd turned the program around at North Caddo in his first stint. He was making progress at doing the same at North DeSoto.

He'll have another challenge at Huntington. The school has been loaded with athletes through the years -- Troy Edwards and Kenny Davidson to name a pair -- but has never really reached its potential.

Byrd will take his turn at seeing if he can make Huntington a perennially strong football team.

He says he won't bring the Wing-T offense with him, but rather fit his philosophies around the talent on hand.

It should be worth watching.

Building in Zwolle

2008-04-06T00:22:00.000-05:00

There's more than just basketball in Zwolle.

The Hawks are ranked No. 3 in the state in baseball. They're on the verge of wrapping up a district title.

This is a nice complement to a basketball town.

Rainy days

2008-04-04T21:03:00.002-05:00

Say one thing about rainy spring days, it makes it awfully quiet around here. There were few baseball/softball calls today. Just a game or two that weren't called in on Thursday.

That means we'll have lots of doubleheaders this weekend and next.

As for Saturday, Loyola is having its baseball centennial celebration on Saturday with former players being honored between games of a doubleheader. It should be a lot of fun for those former players.

A down year

2008-04-02T22:51:00.002-05:00

If you don't think it's a down year for high school baseball around here, just check out this week's state top 10 polls.

There are exactly three teams from Caddo and Bossier parishes ranked in the different classification top 10s.

Airline is ranked No. 9 in the Class 5A poll. Calvary is ranked No. 3 in the Class 2A poll and Evangel is No. 6.

That's a far cry from last year when Shreve was No. 1 in the 4A poll and Calvary was No. 1 in the 1A poll.

Good day for Byrd

2008-04-01T22:49:00.000-05:00

Tuesday was a great day to be a Byrd Yellow Jacket.

The school's softball team went on the road and won at Airline, 6-1. It was a lot closer than the score with Airline having base runners in every inning except the seventh.

Then in the nightcap, the baseball team rallied from six runs down to score seven times in the final two innings for a 7-6 win over 18th-ranked Arkansas High.

Yep, it was a good day for the Yellow Jackets.

District races heat up

2008-03-27T22:27:00.001-05:00

There is no spring break for district baseball and softball races.

While Caddo and Bossier parish schools are out this week, the teams play on.

It was a busy Thursday night for prep sports with some notable accomplishments.

Evangel scored a 12-2 baseball win over Arkansas High, ranked 18th in the country. Elsewhere in District 1-2A, a pair of Lakeside pitchers combined to no-hit North Caddo.

On the softball side, the blustery wind certainly accounted for several runs in Captain Shreve's 10-9 District 1-5A softball victory over Airline. After all, the box score called in for that game resembled something from a Sunday SEC baseball game -- all offense, little pitching.

Shreveport well-represented on 5A squads

2008-03-24T23:40:00.002-05:00

So none of our boys basketball teams in Shreveport-Bossier City won a state title. One player came home with a bigger personal award.

Huntington's imposing junior center, Kendrick Washington, The Times' All-City Player of the Year, was named the Class 5A Player of the Year by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association.

Washington's numbers were impressive, averaging a double-double in points and rebounds. But it's the stats that don't show up in the box score that are even more important.

Washington -- along with teammate Eddie Bolden -- were Huntington's defensive erasers this year. They could fluster a team's inside game without blocking a shot. The number of shots they changed spoke for itself.

Another Shreveport representative -- Southwood coach Steve McDowell -- took home girls Coach of the Year honors. McDowell won the acclaim after leading the Lady Cowboys to their 10th state title -- all under his watch.

Unlike Washington, McDowell wasn't our Coach of the Year on the All-City team. That speaks to how high a bar he has set for himself.

It also speaks to the supremely consistent winning program he has built out on Walker Road although you'd never hear those words coming from his mouth.

Kudos to Dukes

2008-03-23T22:47:00.001-05:00

Parkway's Brittney Dukes was honored today as the area's lone representative on the girls Class 4A All-State team.

We at The Times know how good she is -- we named her our city Player of the Year.

Dukes is only a junior and figures to be even better next year.

1-4A looks competitive

2008-03-22T23:52:00.001-05:00

Popped out to Parkway on the way into the office Saturday afternoon and caught the final inning-and-a-half of the Panthers' game against Minden.

Sure Minden lost 4-1 despite giving up two hits. I'm not sure if Josh Minter, Minden's touted starter pitched, but there was a left-hander on the mound when I arrived and he looked outstanding.

Mixing in a hard fastball with a loopy breaking curve, he kept the Parkway hitters off-balance. I don't think I saw Minter on Saturday and, if indeed I did not, than Minden has a pretty good chance to make some noise in District 1-4A.

Benton's Flattmann is flat-out fast

2008-03-21T20:23:00.001-05:00

When I wrote a story previewing the high school track and field season a few weeks ago, one of the questions I proposed was this:

Would Benton freshman Kaitlyn Flattmann be as fast on the track as she was in winning the state cross country title last fall?

Not surprisingly, the answer is a resounding yes.

Flattmann finally got to run her first 3,200 of the outdoor season in the Gator Relays last Thursday at Lee Hedges Stadium after the event was cancelled in the first two meets at Airline because of poor weather conditions.

All Flattmann did was run an 11:23.11.

Consider this. The winning time in Class 4A state meet in Baton Rouge was 11:47.98.

Flattmann’s time was better than all but two times in the entire seven-class state meet. Two girls in Class 2A ran 11:16.08 and 11:18.53, respectively.

And Flattmann’s time is not all that far behind the all-time state meet record of 10:59.66 run by Ruston’s Jakia Williams in 2005.

It will be very interesting to watch Flattman the rest of the season. If she stays healthy, there’s not telling what she might accomplish.

Becoming apparent

2008-03-19T22:41:00.002-05:00

If it wasn't apparent before today, then it should be now - Byrd has the best softball team in the city.

Byd beat Shreve, 9-3, today. That gives the Jackets win over both Airline and Shreve, the two teams thought to contend with Byrd this year in District 1-5A.

The greater question may be how will Byrd do in the playoffs next month?

That seems to be the bigger issue at the moment.

Early blows

2008-03-18T23:03:00.002-05:00

It's way, way early in prep baseball. I mean district play just started. But Evangel and Benton struck some early blows tonight.

Benton went on the road and won at Minden. Evangel won easily over Lakeside.

Both of those games were between teams that are considered to be contenders in those respective districts.

So at this point, Evangel and Benton look like they might be able to separate themselves.

Talking baseball

2008-03-17T23:21:00.002-05:00

So I'm up at Benton today and talking to Greg Bryant the Tigers' baseball coach. We talked about his team for a few minutes and when the interview is winding down, I ask him about the lack of dominant baseball teams in the area.

Bryant's theory is this: Several teams have really good No. 1 pitchers, but lack the real good No. 2 pitcher.

Think about it. In Class 1A last year, Calvary won the state title with Gip Hendrix and Randy Zeigler doing the bulk of the pitching. Captain Shreve reached the 4A title game, but the Gators had Austin Ross, Austin Tolliver and Brandon Charrier. Benton may have been the the exception. The Tigers made the 3A final with Jamie Gilley handling a lot of the mound duties.

It's a pretty good theory and one that makes sense. The hope for area teams is for some No. 2 pitchers to develop between now and May so a deep playoff run can be possible.

On the track

2008-03-16T23:53:00.002-05:00

Homer High School's track program was already going to be in transition after three-time state champion Demonte Willis graduated and moved on to run at Louisiana Tech.

The Pelicans were dealt another blow when all-everything Richie Casey had surgery for an ACL injury.

This is a young team that figures to get better as the season goes along.

All-Area boys were a challenge

2008-03-15T23:42:00.002-05:00

Putting together an All-City or All-Area team seems easy, right?

Call a few coaches, get the numbers, crunch said number and, voila, the pieces fit and you have nicely delineated teams.

Sometimes it happens like that. This year, not so much.

Take our All-Area boys basketball team.

When we put names up on the dry erase board that hangs in our department, we had 20-plus names from the area. I'm not kidding, 20-plus.

And, of those 20-plus names, it's a same assumption that no fewer than 11 or 12 merited serious consideration for the FIRST TEAM.

The problem? They were all too good. There were district MVPs. All-State players. All-State Players of the Year.

Somehow, we put together a five-man first team, a five-man second team and an honorable mention list that was longer than we actually had room for.

You can see the finished product in Sunday's Times.

Tough one for Byrd

2008-03-14T23:49:00.002-05:00

Byrd had a chance to pull off a statement win Friday night in New Orleans.

Instead, the baseball Yellow Jackets were left heartbroken.

Rummel, long a Class 5A power, pulled off an eight-run seventh inning to erase a seven-run deficit and beat the Jackets 8-7 in the Westbank Optimist Classic.

Still it was a good learning experience for Byrd and another strong outing for Chris Cotton. Cotton, who is having a great start to the season, struck out seven and allowed one hit in six shutout innings.

Unfortunately for him, his bullpen could not hold it.

Hopefully for Byrd, this is a game in May they can look back on and say they learned from it.

On the road again

2008-03-13T21:05:00.002-05:00

The Minden Press-Herald is reporting that former Minden coach David Feaster won't be back as Sabine (Texas) High School football coach next season.

Feaster took over a team that was 0-10 and finished 1-9.

You'd like to think a coach would get more than one year. And hey, it was progress over the previous season.

Here's hoping Feaster finds a place to land.

Big week in track

2008-03-12T22:52:00.001-05:00

If you're a fan of high school track, this is shaping up as a pretty good week.

At Airline on Thursday, several Bossier Parish and area teams will be running in the Viking Relays.

Also on Thursday, the field events will be held at Lee Hedges Stadium for the Caddo Relays with the running events set for Friday.

Emerging trends

2008-03-11T23:56:00.001-05:00

We're starting to see some trends emerging in the spring sports.

In softball, it appears Byrd has the best team in the city. The Jackets are 20-1-1 and swept through their bracket at the Sulphur tournament. There's still a month to go, but this looks like a state tournament team.

In lacrosse, Loyola looks particularly strong. The Flyers dispatched Byrd tonight.

But what about baseball? Which team is the best in the city? Last year at this time, Captain Shreve and Calvary had separated themselves. Not so much this year. At the time, there is plenty of debate over the best prep team in the city.

Rainy days

2008-03-10T23:44:00.000-05:00

It's been hard getting any rhythm to the spring sports this season because of weather.

Take Monday's rainy day.

I went out to Parkway High School to talk to Torian Lindsey from the Panthers' track team. Only there was no Torian Lindsey. Rain wiped out the practice session.

He didn't get to run the 200 at his last meet because weather cancelled that portion of the meet.

Then there was the ridiculous cold that baseball teams played in over the weekend.

Hopefully, warmer, dryer weather will allow some of these teams to develop and flourish. As it is, this has been a stop-and-start beginning of the spring sports season.

Big weekend for Ruston

2008-03-09T23:11:00.002-05:00

A 7-5 record may not be that impressive to some, but for Ruston High's baseball team, it marks a great improvement.

Coach Toby White really wasn't sure what to expect from his club this year. After all, he lost a pair of pitchers who are seeing significant action at LSU.

It seems the Bearcats are putting it together.

This weekend, Ruston scored big wins over Captain Shreve and Airline. In the Airline victory, Ruston scratched out a 2-0 win over Albert Lafitte, one of Shreveport-Bossier's top pitchers.

There's still plenty of baseball to be played, but it appears White's less-than-experienced Bearcats are heading the right way.

O-for Top 28

2008-03-08T23:35:00.002-06:00

There will be no boys basketball championship banners hanging in northwest Louisiana celebrating state titles this season.

Zwolle lost by two points to Rapides, 69-67; while Athens was crushed by Reserve Christian, 92-48.

It's a disappointing end to what appeared to be a successful season.

But in the end, you're judged by wins and losses. And this will be a year remembered for no teams bringing home the hardware.

Track and field season off to flying start

2008-03-07T19:29:00.003-06:00

Two weeks into the track and field season, one performance easily stands out -- Booker T. Washington’s Bobby Mosley’s high jump of 6 feet, 8 inches in the Caddo Magnet Mustang Rally on March 1 at Lee Hedges Stadium.

To put that in perspective, the winning jump in the Class 3A state meet in Baton Rouge last year was 6-6. It will be interesting to see what Mosley does the rest of the year.

Of course, the goal of all track athletes is to be performing at their peak come district, regional and state time in late April and early May. Even so, there have been some other interesting performances early.

At the weather-shortened Benton meet on Friday at Airline, defending Class 4A state champ Giorgio Bryant got off a decent winning jump of 22-9 in the long jump considering it was his first meet this season. He won at state last year with a 24-2.75.

Parkway’s Matt Wolfe also had a good time of 4:41.17 in winning the 1,600. That’s only about six seconds off his fourth-place finish in the state meet last year.

Airline’s Alexis Holt showed why she will be a state title contender in the 100 hurdles. She crushed the field at Airline with a 15.61. Considering it was hand-timed that’s about as fast as her 15.75 fourth-place finish in the state meet last year.

Parkway’s Torian Lindsey (Douglas Collier photo above) won the first of what should be one of many duels with Benton’s Emmett Stephens in the 100. Lindsey ran a 10.85 to Stephens’ 10.91.

Airline sophomore Rebecca Blubaugh and Benton freshman Kaitlin Flattmann also went head-to-head for the first time in the 1,600 with Blubaugh coming out on top by four seconds.
Blubaugh’s time of 5:25.28 was faster than her fourth-place in the Class 5A state meet last year. Flattmann’s time of 5:29.38 would have been good enough for a fourth-place finish in Class 4A last season.

Once again, considering this was Blubaugh’s first meet and Flattmann’s second (she competed in relays in the NSU Relays on March 1), that’s pretty impressive. Judging by her phenomenal cross country success last fall and her success in local runs, Flattmann’s best event will likely be the 3,200. We’ll have to wait and see.

The next meet in Caddo Parish is the Southwood/Northwood meet at Lee Hedges Stadium on Friday, March 14. The next Bossier Parish meet is the Viking Relays hosted by Airline on Thursday, March 13.

The track season is pretty much a sprint this season. District meets are scheduled for the week of April 14-18 with the regional and state meets the following weeks.

Class 5A semifinals blog

2008-03-06T19:14:00.007-06:00

Times sports writer Brian Vernellis is blogging live from the Class 5A semifinals between Huntington and H.L. Bourgeois.

Final

Huntington falls to Bourgeois 71-59 thanks to a Top 28 Class 5A-record 43 points by Stevie Howard.

Kendrick Washington had 22 points and 16 rebounds to lead Huntington.

Third quarter

Stevie Howard's 3-pointer with 2 seconds to play in the third lifted H.L. Bourgeois to a 46-45 lead after three quarters.

Corey Ellis has 16 points and Kendrick Washington 14 for the Raiders.

Halftime

H.L. Bourgeois leads 29-25 at the half. The Braves put together a 17-6 run to start the second quarter.

Corey Ellis leads Huntington with nine points at the half. Kendrick Washington has 8.

First quarter

Huntington leads 15-10 after the first despite drawing two technical fouls. Shamir Davis drew one for throwing a forearm and Kyle Jones was assessed a technical for jawing with the referee.

The Raiders opened the game with a 13-4 spurt before H.L. Bourgeois closed the quarter on a 6-2 run.

Huntington's Kendrick Washington leads the Raiders with 5 points in the first quarter.

-- Brian Vernellis

Zwolle, Athens march on

2008-03-05T23:59:00.002-06:00

At the very least, we'll have some area boys basketball teams playing for state championships this weekend.

Zwolle rolled into the Class B finals and Athens made it to the Class C title game.

You can make a case that Bradley McLaren has done a better job coaching this Zwolle team than he did in winning two previous state titles. He had a team with just two players - Eric Cutright and Joevoskie Mitchell - that had played significant roles last season. And he brought this team along to its usual 40-plus win season.

As for Athens, the Trojans will get another shot at Reserve Christian in the finals. Last year, Athens lost by two points (61-59). This year, there should be no shortage of motivation for Athens.

Long wait for Top 28

2008-03-04T23:27:00.001-06:00

Huntington may have the longest wait of any team in the Top 28.

For starters, the Raiders play on Thursday -- the final day of semifinals play.

And, to make their wait longer, Huntington coach Mack Jones doesn't plan on taking his team down to Lafayette until Thursday morning.

Jones said his reasoning is to try to keep everything as normal as possible for his players.

That's a good thought. But it won't make any difference if the Raiders don't play well.

Just a week ago, Parkway girls coach Aaron Megee took his team to Hammond a day before the game, but on a yellow school bus. He wanted to keep things as normal as possible for his team.

Parkway didn't play well and lost in the semifinals to Ellender.

So the key for Huntington likely won't be keeping the routine the same, rather it will likely be shooting well and playing good defense.

Tough end for Arcadia

2008-03-03T23:53:00.002-06:00

Maybe you didn't expect the Arcadia Hornets to win the Class 1A state championship, but it's likely you expected a better performance in the state semifinals.

I'm sure coach Shane Lee did as well.

The bottom line is Arcadia lost by 22, but it should be back next year.

What became apparent Monday is Kortney Roberson needs to develop some killer instinct. Roberson, who is being recruited by such schools as UCLA, was torn apart by a player he dominated in AAU ball.

He'll need to bring that same fire to the court every game next year if Arcadia wants to hoist the Class 1A state championship trophy.

Busy times in prep land

2008-03-02T23:32:00.002-06:00

Here in prep sports land, we have one more week of the most serious overlapped schedules of the year.

Girls basketball wrapped up, leaving only the boys Top 28 in Lafayette for prep hoopsters. Baseball and softball are still heavy into tournament season while track and field cranked up this past weekend.

Throw in golf and tennis matches throughout the week -- weather permitting of course -- and it makes it a very good, if busy, time to be a prep sports fan.

St. Michael makes me look smart

2008-03-01T21:38:00.002-06:00

And that's not an easy thing to do when it comes to prognostication (witness my MLB, NFL, et al picks).

For once, however, I was right. Thank you St. Michael.

I voted St. Michael No. 1 in the LSWA Girls Top 10 poll throughout the season. For a while, I was the lone first-place vote the Lady Warriors received.

Normally, I don't pat myself on the back for stuff like this, but in this case vindication is sweet.

On to Lafayette

2008-02-29T23:17:00.003-06:00

There will be solid representation of northwest Louisiana next week at the Top 28 tournament in Lafayette.

Huntington, the No. 1 seed in Class 5A, advanced with a win over St. Augustine.

Northwest Louisian will have half the field in Class 2A. Both Lakeside and Many reached Lafayette and could meet in the finals with a win next week.

Arcadia will play in the Class 1A semifinals against Country Day.

In Class B, Zwolle will play Runnels and in Class C, Athens and Pleasant Hill both reached the Top 28.

Tonight's biggest upset, though, may have been Lakeside defeating Springhill. Springhill had won the three previous meetings and was the No. 2 seed in Class 2A.

End of the line

2008-02-28T23:50:00.002-06:00

The Parkway Lady Panthers' season came to an end tonight in Hammond with a loss to Ellender.

Losing to Ellender is no shame. This is a team that returned all five starters from last season's Class 5A state championship team that defeated Southwood.

The good news for Parkway is the Lady Panthers have gained some experience. They'll never have to make that first trip to the Ladies' Top 28 again. And if they get back next year, they should have a better showing.

Parkway's turn

2008-02-27T22:59:00.003-06:00

The Parkway girls will step on to the stage on Thursday, making their first appearance at the Ladies' Top 28 in Hammond.

Unfortunately, they will be playing one of the best teams in the state -- in any class -- in Ellender.

A win on Thursday and Parkway immediately becomes a favorite to win a state title.

A loss on Thursday and the Lady Panthers will be left with the memories of a great season.

Good recovery

2008-02-26T23:16:00.000-06:00

Give the Huntington Raiders credit, they didn't lay an egg two games in a row.

They went to Hammond and took care of business and now they'll be home on Friday night against St. Aug.

That's what No. 1 seeds and No. 1-ranked teams do. They take care of business. They don't fool around with No. 32 seeds.

Apparently, Huntington got the message. The Raiders are 32 minutes away from the Top 28.

Ho hum

2008-02-25T23:18:00.000-06:00

I got in my truck after eating dinner, turned on the radio and heard Southwood was tied at the half with West Monroe in the girls 5A title game.

I was a little surprised Southwood was tied. But the 19-19 score suggested some defense was being played.

By the time I got to Target, Southwood was pulling away. By the time I reached the office, it was a 16-point Southwood lead.

The point is simple: Southwood is a defensive-minded team with a potent offense.

The only way Southwood surprises me at this point is to NOT win the state title on Friday night.

Upon further review

2008-02-24T23:18:00.002-06:00

One day later and Caddo Magnet's soccer state championship is no less impressive.

Consider this little fact, some of the players on Magnet's state championship team weren't even in school when a Shreveport team last won a state championship.

And with the exception of Jesuit, Magnet defeated all of the top teams in the state this year.

Twice, Jesuit lost before getting to play Magnet. Once, in the St. Paul's tournament and then again in the playoffs.

So kudos to Radi Baltov and his state champion Mustangs.

Division I boys soccer championship

2008-02-23T18:07:00.016-06:00

Woodlawn-Baton Rouge vs. Caddo Magnet

Final
Caddo Magnet 2, Woodlawn 1
The Mustangs are Division I state champs.

74th minute
Marcus Dyer has just made things interesting. Dyer scores off a throw-in to make it a 2-1 game.

72nd minute
Less than eight minutes left and the Mustangs can taste the state title. Woodlawn has attacked Caddo Magnet and stepped up its offense in the second half. The Mustangs are in lockdown mode keeping everything away from keeper Chris Hilario.

64th minute
Caddo Magnet can start celebrating...A miscue on defense for Woodlawn freed Alex Blandin to score, making it 2-0 for the Mustangs. A loose ball in the crease left Blandin 1-on-1 with the Woodlawn keeper.

60th minute
20 minutes remaining in the game and the Panthers have considerable life still left in them. A free kick was just glanced over the Magnet crossbar. Magnet better tighten up defensively.

52nd minute
Woodlawn has its best offensive opportunity of the night, sending a ball just wide of the Mustangs' net off a free kick.

47th minute
Caddo Magnet is flirting with getting its second goal, and Woodlawn has shown some life as well. Magnet keeper Chris Hilario hasn't been challenged nearly as much as Woodlawn's Sterling Perryman.

Halftime
Magnet 1, Woodlawn 0

28th minute
It's been all Mustangs through the first half. Woodlawn coach Andrew Barnes needs to make an adjustment and start taking some chances for the Panthers to have a shot.

15th minute
Adam West! What an amazing goal! West just scored the most beautiful goal of the tournament, getting a long feed from Steven Bush, West headed it past the Woodlawn keeper who had no shot at it.
Magnet 1, Woodlawn 0.

14th minute
Woodlawn is counterattacking for the first time. The Panthers' offense gets a corner out of it, but Magnet sends them back.

10th minute
The Mustangs are continuing to threaten. Victor Leuck just missed a wide-open net from an awkward angle. Caddo Magnet is hungry for a goal.

4th minute
The Mustangs look good in the opening minutes. Woodlawn is dropping back what looks like an army on the defense. The Mustangs are dominating through the midfield and playing good possession ball.

Kickoff
I'm stunned by the crowd that is waiting to get in. The line stretches from the ticket office back to the parking lot, nearly 100 feet.

Pre-game
The game will kick off in about 15 minutes, and already we've got the largest crowd of the four games ready to see woodlawn and Caddo Magnet. There's a nice line of traffic leading up to Independence Stadium and a lengthy line of fans waiting to buy tickets.

Division I girls soccer championship

2008-02-23T15:30:00.015-06:00

Barbe vs. St. Thomas More

Final
STM 3, Barbe 0.
There's a little shoving and pushing between teams as they line up to shake hands. STM accused a Barbe player of kicking a player and then slapping one during the postgame hand shake. Wow.

73rd minute
Danielle Murphy gets her second goal putting this game out of reach from Barbe.

68th minute
Barbe's Jana Barrow is in behind the STM defense and sends a shot sailing over the crossbar. It's the best chance for the Lady Bucs all game.

64th minute
It's not looking good for Barbe who has had problems getting over midfield.

53rd minute
Barbe is having problems cracking the STM defense. They need some solutions to its offensive struggles quickly, or this game is over.

38th minute
Kate Corley makes it 2-0 for STM, getting a great through ball from Danielle Murphy. Corley slips past her mark and flips it into the net.

29th minute
Danielle Murphy gets STM on the scoreboard with a terrific goal. She beat two Barbe defenders from the right wing and buried a shot into the left corner of the net from about 8 yards out. STM 1, Barbe 0.

20th minute
Another great scoring chance for STM. Danielle Murphy is wide open in front of the Barbe net, but her shot goes right to Cahumont.

18th minute
STM has had several quality chances at getting the game's first goal. Barbe needs to step up its offense in a hurry.

4th minute
St. Thomas More nearly gets the first goal of the game as Barbe keeper Makenzie Cahumont has to dive on a loose ball in the crease.

Pre-game
Introductions are underway, and we should have soccer in a few minutes. Barbe is wearing jerseys with light blue and white vertical stripes with white shorts while St. Thomas More is in matching dark blue jerseys and shorts.

Division III boys soccer championship

2008-02-22T19:14:00.003-06:00

Newman vs. St. Thomas Aquinas

38th minute
This has been a terrific soccer match with both teams having quality scoring opportunities in the last couple of minutes. Michael Harris of Newman just missed wide left in a 1-on-1 chance while St. Thomas Aquinas Alex Cervantes released a quick shot that barely hit a Newman defender.

5th minute
Friday's second game is underway and neither team has gained much of an upper hand on the other. It appears the teams are measuring their opponent up to analyze a weakness.

Division III girls soccer championship

2008-02-22T16:18:00.016-06:00

Sacred Heart vs. St. Louis

Final
St. Louis 2, Sacred Heart 1
St. Louis' Grace Stulb is credited with the game-winning goal late in the second overtime to give the Saints their first state title.

98th minute
St. Louis misses an amazing opportunity. Grace Staulb's corner kick is nearly redirected into the net by Maddie Landry. Landry's shot hits the crossbar then deflects out-of-play. A second OT is coming up.

End of regulation
Sacred Heart 1, St. Louis 1

79th minute
Looks like we're heading to overtime tied at 1...

64th minute
Sacred Heart defender Sarah Parkerson has tied the score. Her chip shot from about 30 yards out fooled the St. Louis keeper, who misplayed it. St. Louis has had few counterattacks this half.

50th minute
Sacred Heart has begun the second half like it did the first, pressing St. Louis. Sacred Heart's starting keeper has been sidelined since colliding with a St. Louis player on the Saints' goal. The Cardinals' defenders have really moved forward to shorten the field and help out their offense.

Halftime
St. Louis 1, Sacred Heart 0

38th minute
St. Louis has poured it on in the closing minutes of the first half, looking to go up 2-0. Sacred Heart has had problems getting the ball past midfield, opting for long balls over their midfielders.

23nd minute
Rasheema Clark gives St. Louis the 1-0 lead off a free kick. The kick came from just outside the penalty area and drifted wide of the goal. The Sacred Heart keeper slid over to play the ball but collided with Clark.

The keeper hit the turf, but Clark stayed on balance and chipped the ball into the net.

18th minute
A terrific opportunity for Sacred Heart hits the left goal post. Set up off a corner kick, the Cardinals fired a shot that glanced off the outer edge of the goal post. St. Louis is trying to counter.

14th minute
We are underway here at Independence Stadium with the first of four state soccer finals to be played this weekend. Fifteen minutes into the D-III girls final, and Sacred Heart has come out strong.

The Cardinals applied some early pressure on the St. Louis net, clanking one off the crossbar. St. Louis has had little offense thus far.

The more things change

2008-02-21T23:23:00.002-06:00

Well, well, well, Southwood's headed back to the Ladies' Top 28.

The faces change, but Steve McDowell's teams do not.

Thursday night was vintage Southwood -- defensive pressure, balanced scoring and a dominating playoff victory.

Yes, the names have changed. Yes, times have changed.

But Southwood remains a constant success in Louisiana girls high school basketball.

Has Huntington been tested?

2008-02-20T23:29:00.002-06:00

As the boys basketball brackets came out today,it became fairly obvious that District 1-5A wasn't much of a threat for the Huntington Raiders.

Yes, Huntington is the No. 1 seed. But the only other 1-5A teams in the playoffs are No. 20 seed Southwood and No. 31 seed Byrd.

That's hardly being pressed in the district race.

Hopefully for Huntington's sake, the Raiders won't need that toughening up that comes from playing in a brutal district. But there's always the possibility of playing in that close after having not been challenged for two months and having things go wrong. And then a weak district could hurt a team with title aspirations.

System needs tweaking

2008-02-19T23:17:00.002-06:00

The boys basketball playoff qualifers were announced tonight and Booker T. Washington is nowhere to be found.

That just shows you the playoffs aren't about the best 32 teams.

Because a 20-win BTW win IS one of the best 32 teams in the state. But because the Lions play in a really strong district, they finished 5-5 in the district and in fourth place.

So some third-place teams are in the playoffs even though they are not nearly as good as BTW and the Lions are staying at home.

Here's a concept the LHSAA should consider. Automatic bids to the district champion, wild cards to everyone else. Then fill out field with the best remaining teams. Whether it's through a selection committee or power points, anything to get as close to the best 32 teams as possible in the playoffs.

Baseball off and running

2008-02-18T23:18:00.002-06:00

When baseball schedules starting rolling in to us at The Times, opening day looked to have some pretty stout matchups.

In reality, it did.

Captain Shreve's 8-2 victory over Benton was closer than it the final score indicated. Alex Garcia and Jamie Gilley traded hard fastballs and crisp breaking pitches before Shreve broke through against Benton's bullpen.

Calvary's Randy Zeigler, meanwhile, just does what he does. Zeigler beat Lufkin, Texas, with his arm and hit two home runs in the Cavaliers' 4-2 win.

The revelation from what I saw in the Shreve-Benton matchup was Casey Elkins.

I've seen a lot of baseball -- from high school to the big leagues -- and Elkins, for a high schooler, has one of the best cut fastballs you will see.

Shreve coach Todd Sharp called him a "mini Mariano Rivera" after Elkins threw two perfect innings Monday. I don't know if I'd go that far, but I do believe you'd be hard pressed to find as good a cutter as Elkins flashed Monday.

Early seeding returns

2008-02-17T23:51:00.002-06:00

The first round of the girls basketball playoff games showed, for the most part, the coaches knew what they were doing with the seedings.

Plain Dealing, a No. 5 seed, was the highest-seeded knockout.

Airline had one of the upsets, but an 18 over a 15 isn't a huge upset.

"If you look at all of the brackets, I think 18 beat 15 like four times," Airline coach David Duhon said. "The upsets were few and far between.''

And that means the coaches did a pretty good job with the seeding.

"I was real pleased,'' Duhon said. "I would have liked to have been a little lower so I wouldn't have had to play No. 2 in the second round. But I think it was a positive. I think it's a lot better than the power ratings.''

On to the finals

2008-02-16T23:51:00.002-06:00

The Caddo Magnet Mustangs are headed to soccer's Division I boys state championship after their 1-0 win over St. Paul's today in Covington.

Everybody and their brother figured Caddo Magnet would play Jesuit in the finals at Independence Stadium.

Caddo Magnet held up its end of the bargain by winning. Jesuit couldn't do the same. Jesuit lost to Baton Rouge Woodlawn 1-0.

That's the same Baton Rouge Woodlawn that is 13-10-4. Magnet is 27-1.

But talking to Magnet coach Radi Baltov tonight, you get the feeling he won't let his team get overconfident.

"They made it all the way to the state finals so that means they're a very good team,'' Baltov said. "I want to make sure they realize that. But they all know it anyway.''

Southwood gets mention in Sports Illustrated

2008-02-15T15:18:00.002-06:00

Sometimes it's hard for us journalist types to admit we don't know everything.

But I'll freely admit this. When it comes to basketball strategy, I'm far from an expert. Don't get me wrong. I can tell the difference between a man-to-man and zone defense. But if you asked me to describe the intricacies of the motion offense, well ...

Even so, I read a fascinating story in this week's Sports Illustraed about the so-called Dribble-Drive Motion offense used by No. 1 ranked Memphis. It's an offense that uses four perimeter players and one post player who sets up on the opposite side of the ball. It puts emphasis on dribble penetration and gives the perimeter players a wide variety of options.

Apparently, the offense was invented by a former JUCO and high school coach named Van Walberg. According to SI, Calipari first heard about it from Walberg about five years ago while having dinner with him in Memphis.

Appaently, the offense is taking the nation by storm according to SI. Jersey City St. Anthony, the No. 1 ranked high school boys team in the nation, uses a form of it. And an SI survey found that 224 junior high, high school, college and pro teams in the U.S. use it.

The only two Louisiana teams in the survey are Lafayette St. Thomas More boys -- and Southwood boys.

Interestingly enough, Southwood has a new coach in Norm Picou. Also rans last year, the Cowboys have improved five games in the win column this season so far and can wrap up second place in District 1-5A with a victory over Captain Shreve tonight.

Of course, it helps when you have a player like Louis Ellis to run the offense. As Calipari said, "Whatever you're running, you'd better have guys who can play." That, of course, is true of any sport.

Nobody knows that better than Walberg. He is currently unemployed after resigning at Pepperdine on Jan. 18 in his second season. Wildy successful in the high school and JUCO ranks, Walberg was 14-35 at Pepperdine.

Good luck Mustangs

2008-02-14T15:46:00.003-06:00

The Caddo Magnet boys soccer team is on the verge of creating some history. The Mustangs are two wins away from becoming the first Division I boys team from Shreveport-Bossier City to claim the state title.

Only one girls team has won a state title - Byrd won the Division I title in 1996 - and only one boys team has won it all - Loyola took the Division II title in 1996.

The Mustangs head down to Covington to play St. Paul's on Saturday. The teams have met earlier this season when Caddo Magnet beat St. Paul's at its tournament.

A win in Covington means Caddo Magnet will play for the state championship in its backyard - Independence Stadium. There may not be rabid Alabama or Oklahoma fans in the stands like there are for Independence Bowls, but you got to figure the Mustangs will have plenty of supporters.

For more on the club, check out their video.

Here come spring sports

2008-02-13T23:53:00.000-06:00

So it's 30-something degrees outside and the first of the softball linescores are being called in to The Times.

Yes, it's that overlapping time of the year. Next week, we'll have baseball, softball, boys basketball, girls basketball playoffs and soccer playoffs all going at the same time.

Golf, track and tennis can't be far behind.

But for fans of prep sports, it's soon to be a great time of the year.

On seedings

2008-02-12T23:34:00.002-06:00

Well, well, well.

The LHSAA has its first girls basketball playoff with teams seeded 1-32.

And the reaction was, well, about what you would expect. Teams that got good seeds (Southwood, Parkway, etc.) thought the system worked just fine. Teams that weren't so fortunate (Evangel), thought the system stunk.

If you're looking just at paper, you've got to figure Evangel coach Wendell Delaney has a point about being seeded behind a John Curtis team that finished second in its district.

Unfortunately, we'll probably never know if that district with Curtis and St. James is so tough that both of those teams are thought to be better than Evangel.

Here's one thing you can count on: There is probably little sympathy for Evangel around the rest of the LHSAA.

Hopefully this seeding has nothing to do with football.

The beauty of the playoffs is we'll find out how good all of these teams are. It's just now Evangel's road is a little tougher than maybe Delaney and his team thought it would be.

Patton may be the key for Bossier

2008-02-11T23:12:00.000-06:00

Everyone knows the importance of a good point guard in postseason basketball. If you don't, just ask Jerry Tarkanian about how important Anderson Hunt was to that devastatingly dominant UNLV team in 1991.

For Bossier High, that point guard is Tevin Hall. The key to the Bearkats' playoff run, however, may be big man Justin Patton.

The versatile Patton stands 6-foot-6 and, according to coach Jeremiah Williams, "has all the talent in the world."

Patton has put that talent and work ethic together lately and is a big reason Bossier put a 37-point margin between itself and Fair Park on Friday night.

More of the same for Patton would be a welcome sight for the Bearkats.

Long reign ahead in Bossier?

2008-02-09T23:37:00.000-06:00

Two sophomores from Bossier City took their place atop the state wrestling mountain Saturday night.

Airline's Matt Rabinowitz and Parkway's Matt Vetkoetter won their first state titles in Kenner and one can only imagine, should they stay healthy, they will be back next February to defend them. And the February after that.

Both had to overcome physical setbacks late in the season. For Rabinowitz, it was battling through a brief illness Friday at the state meet. For Vetkoetter, it was a hyperextended knee shortly before the city and regional championships.

All things being equal -- including health -- you should hear quite a bit out of these two for the next two wrestling seasons.

Happy sad day for Benton

2008-02-08T23:47:00.000-06:00

Caleb Guidry is probably the happiest and saddest man around right now.

Guidry's father, longtime Benton boys basketball coach Phillip Guidry, died Thursday because of complications from diabetes. On Friday, Caleb Guidry's Benton wrestling team started their first state wrestling meet as members of Division II.

I'd say both Guidry and the Tigers are doing OK right now. At the halfway point of the meet, Benton is in fifth place, 31 points behind Northside and 6.5 points ahead of parish rival Parkway.

Caleb Guidry did not attend the first day of the meet. He is, however, expected to be in Kenner for Saturday's semifinals and finals.

Caleb Guidry told me in an interview last week one of the Tigers' goals this season was a top-five state finish.

The Tigers are in perfect position to achieve that goal. And you can bet there is someone upstairs watching these Tigers -- along with his beloved LSU Tigers -- along the way.

Look for big things in Kenner

2008-02-07T23:02:00.000-06:00

Bossier Parish is full of powerful wrestling programs who battle each other throughout the season.

As far as the head-to-head matchups between Parkway and Airline or Bossier and Haughton or Benton and Bossier, etc., etc., coaches like to think those improve their chances at high-profile meets.

We'll find out in less than 24 hours how true that holds at the state meet.

The area has a bevy of seeded wrestlers including a pair of No. 1 seeds (Airline's Matt Rabinowitz and Parkway's Matt Vetkoetter). Many of them have gone head up with some of the wrestlers in their brackets.

Check out the Division II 171-pound bracket. Benton's Delanie Hall is the No. 4 seed, Northwood's William Copes is seeded fifth and Haughton's Daniel Doran is the No. 6 seed.

That's half of the seeds in the bracket who hail from the Caddo-Bossier area and another example of how good the wrestling is here.

Tale of two signing day announcements

2008-02-06T22:57:00.000-06:00

Wednesday afternoon at Calvary was a special day. It was the first "big" signing for the school as wide receiver Khiry Cooper inked his national letter of intent to play for Nebraska.

Yes, Calvary sent a baseball player (Derek Blankenship) to a Big 12 school (Baylor), but Blankenship signed in the summer in front of a small crowd. On Wednesday, Cooper signed in front of a sizeable crowd of students, family, friends and media members.

It was, as major signings go, a tame affair. There was the video package of Cooper's highlights and brief speeches from football coach Doug Pederson, Alex Lee, a friend of Cooper's, Cooper's mother, Yolanda, and Calvary chancellor Ed Hearon. It was a ceremony befitting of Cooper's personality, always smiling yet reserved.

Contrast that with Pennsylvania prep quarterback Terrelle Pryor, considered by some as the top recruit in the nation. Pryor's Wednesday included a room full of journalists who had descended on his school causing a circus-like atmosphere.

And they came for what? To listen to an 18-year-old kid tell them he wasn't going to sign just yet.

Therein lies the long and short of national signing day. One athlete completes his recruiting process to cheers while another drags it out, seeking out another couple of days or weeks in the spotlight.

UCP update

2008-02-05T23:50:00.000-06:00

We finally got the ruling from the LHSAA on the UCP case.

Besides having a student/fan sitting on the bench and then getting involved in a fight, there were a couple of other highlights. UCP's girls basketball coach hadn't been registered with the LHSAA. UCP also didn't complete the game with Sarepta that night.

We would love to hear UCP principal Carmen Heflin's thoughts on the situation or even if she plans to appeal. But Heflin has been dodging our phone calls for a week now.

Considering the careless way UCP has run its athletic program, let's just say, I'm not surprised.

Haughton girls soccer making waves

2008-02-04T17:11:00.000-06:00

For all the attention that Caddo Magnet, Captain Shreve, Byrd, Parkway and Loyola get for their soccer programs, there's one program that gets lost in the shuffle - Haughton.

Haughton's girls program has become one of the best stories of the tournament. The Lady Bucs had one of the biggest upsets of Division II, stunning New Orleans-Cabrini. Cabrini won District 7 while Haughton was the wild card.

Still, the Lady Bucs came through with a dominating 5-1 performance to advance to the regionals - the first time they've made it to the regionals in school history.

Haughton is home on Tuesday for their regionals game with St. Michael, the District 5 champion. It's another tough game for the Lady Bucs.

Cooper a Cornhusker

2008-02-03T23:57:00.000-06:00

Khiry Cooper has decided on Nebraska as the place he will spend his college athletic career.

He committed Sunday after visiting the campus over the weekend and Cooper seems genuinely happy to join the Big Red.

He said the offense installed by coordinator Shawn Watson and coach Bo Pelini will be eerily similar to the one he ran at Calvary even down to the terminology.

We will have more on Cooper in Wednesday's Times as area athletes prepare for signing day.

How far will they go?

2008-02-02T23:40:00.000-06:00

Kudos to top-ranked Caddo Magnet's boys soccer team for winning its playoff opener today.

You may not think that is much of an accomplishment for the No. 1-ranked team in the state to win its playoff opener, but the first round has been a major obstacle for Magnet in the past.

With that out of the way, look out for Magnet.

And kudos to Byrd. The Yellow Jackets have played in the shadows this year of Magnet and Shreve. Yet Byrd went to Lafayette on Saturday and pulled off one of the biggest upsets in the first round.

Usual suspects prevail in girls basketball

2008-02-01T22:30:00.000-06:00

I wrote in the girls basketball season preview last November that some new teams could emerge as playoff contenders this year.

A few new contenders did emerge, but for the most part the usual suspects prevailed

Southwood won its 12th District 1-5A title in the last 13 years and reached 30 wins for the 15th season in a row. Byrd, which has struggled recently and was 14-17 last season, improved, though. The Lady Jackets are 19-11 and contenders for a playoff spot.

Southwood, last season's state runner-up, should make a run at its 10th state title.

Parkway won its fourth straight District 1-4A title despite losing four starters off last season's team. Haughton, which was 11-18 last year, had a breakthrough year. After Friday's loss to Bossier, the Lady Bucs (24-8) are tied with the Lady Kats for second place in the district.

Evangel moved up to District 1-2A and had little trouble winning the title after representing District 1-1A as the third-place team in the playoffs last season. Vashni Sharp followed up her fine 2006-07 season with another great season.

Plain Dealing, a perennial power in District 1-1A, has clinched a share of yet another title. Arcadia, the Class 1A state runner-up last season, is also having another successful season.

UCP mess

2008-01-31T23:39:00.000-06:00

University Christian Prep's first season in the LHSAA will be a memorable one but not for the right reasons. It is memorable because the school's athletic program was shut down by the LHSAA before completing its first season.

The LHSAA's report comes out on Friday, but it likely won't be pretty. Besides ineligble players in football,there was an ugly altercation in basketball at Sarepta in January.

Hopefully, this will serve as a proper wake-up call to UCP - either get with it in regards to LHSAA rules or get out.

Where were the people?

2008-01-29T23:22:00.000-06:00

So I pull up at Fair Park tonight, find a parking place and walk toward the gym.

This is a big night in boys basketball. Two teams tied atop the District 1-4A standings.

I walk in and - where are the people?

The gym wasn't half full.

For those who were there, they saw an entertaining overtime win for Minden. Neither team led by more than eight points at any point in th game.

For those who weren't,you missed some good high school basketball.

Cooper down to two

2008-01-28T23:51:00.001-06:00

Calvary wide receiver Khiry Cooper is down to Nebraska and Arkansas for destination's for his college athletic career.

Sure an MLB team could possibly make college football a moot point for the toolsy center fielder, but Cooper is keeping an open mind about his options.

Some may find it hard to do that as Cooper is busy starting in three sports at Calvary. Factor in schoolwork, these official visits and months of visual poking and prodding by pro baseball scouts and that makes for a hectic year. However, Cooper has kept his wits about him.

"At times you find it hard to balance it," he said. "You think about it and how lucky you are. I get stressed out and I become in awe. A lot of people want to be in my position. When you're a top recruit, you’re honored and realize how blessed you are. Some weekends I could have gone to visits and I went to church camps. I put God first and it will all work out."

I realize factoring God into any athletic equation has become cliched and seems disingenuous, but the few times I've spoken with Cooper, it seems to come from the heart.

I'm sure Cooper could be one heck of a college receiver. He could probably be a good college basketball player. Personally, I'd love to see him try his hand at baseball.

Black major leaguers are bemoaning the lack of blacks coming up in the game. Cooper's skills and personality are a Torii Hunter-like mix and everyone saw how popular Hunter was in Minnesota.

Regardless, wherever Khiry Cooper ends up, that team or school is getting a quality athlete and a quality individual.

Good news for Byrd soccer

2008-01-27T23:19:00.000-06:00

The Byrd girls soccer team clinched the Division I District 1 championship with Sunday's victory over Caddo Magnet in a staggeringly long matchup that took two overtimes and seven penalty kicks to decide.

But there is plenty of good news for the Jackets outside of their title. One is Megan Wilder.

The goalkeeper is just a sophomore, but she plays like someone much older and much more experienced. For instance, in nine district games, Wilder is unscored upon. Yes she got beat four times in the penalty kick portion of Sunday's game, but none of those count as goals.

Assuming she stays healthy, Byrd coach Lisa Levermann's last line of defense seems set for the upcoming playoffs and for the next two seasons.

Good to see some friendliness

2008-01-26T22:49:00.000-06:00

I covered my first wrestling meet during my Times tenure today and I was surprised to see the camaraderie between the competitors.

There was a Bossier wrestler exhorting an Airline competitor during the Viking's championship match. There were other exhibitions of the same sportsmanship throughout the Bossier High gym.

It's a shame more sports and athletes don't share the same view of friendly competition.

Good idea, LHSAA

2008-01-25T23:48:00.000-06:00

The Louisiana High School Athletic Association's decision to go to a power-points system for the 2009 basketball playoffs is one that will serve everyone well.

And that includes the prep basketball fans.

As part of the amendment, coaches will be required to report their records at four points during the season. Coaches who do not report their records will cost their school money in fines.

So how does this help the fans? For one, you, in theory, will be able to see accurate and timely records reported in The Times and at shreveporttimes.com.

The casual fan would be surprised to know exactly how many coaches don't know their records off the tops of their heads. Now, thanks to the LHSAA, that won't be the case anymore.

A busy week

2008-01-24T23:42:00.000-06:00

It's been a busy week in the preps world.

We've had the usual basketball schedule. But it's the final week of soccer so you have teams jockeying for playoff position. We've had Airline win the Bossier City wrestling championship and Huntington do the same in Shreveport. We've got the regional meet coming up Saturday.

It's a great prelude to the always busy spring sports season.

An amazing athlete

2008-01-23T17:03:00.001-06:00

Airline wrestler Matt Rabinowitz may not get all the publicity of Calvary's Jake Booty or Fair Park's Morris Claiborne, but the kid deserves consideration as one of the best athletes in the city.

At the Bossier City wrestling championship, he proved why. He won both of his 112-pound matches with pins, getting one pin in 32 seconds and the other in 12!

His 12-second pin was amazing. He grabbed his Bossier opponent with a hold around his torso, flung him to the ground and curled the poor Bearkat kid into a ball for the pin. All in 12 seconds.

He's unbelievably quick and built like a fire hydrant. He really is an talented athlete who deserves some more pub.

Sweet home

2008-01-22T23:15:00.000-06:00

I covered my first game in the new Northwood High School gym tonight and I must say, it's pretty nice.

The lighting is good (not great) and the floor appears to be outstanding. The seating is about right for a school that size.

You've got to figure with a nice building Northwood might be able to keep some students from leaving the district.

The BTW gym is a year older and it's a nice one as well.

I'm looking forward to seeing the new Minden gym this year.

Here's where small districts help

2008-01-21T23:09:00.000-06:00

Three girls basketball teams in District 1-5A will battle down the stretch for playoff berths.

Of course, they're all playing for second in the district behind Southwood, but Byrd, Huntington and Airline are in a three-way battle for their postseason lives. And that battle is huge this week as Airline faces both teams.

Thanks to a five-team district alignment -- instead of the massive nine-team football district the schools play in -- the playoff spots are easier to attain.

And no one has a shorter distance to look to for motivation than the Lady Vikes. After all, it was just a year ago the Airline boys snuck into the playoffs with a less-than-spectacular record and reached the quarterfinal round before falling.

Good news for Pleasant Hill

2008-01-20T22:35:00.000-06:00

Pleasant Hill boys basketball coach Rusty Johnson did not have a very merry Christmas.

Instead, he was wondering how to lift the morale of a team that had 18 wins taken away from it by the Louisiana High School Athletic Association. Then came Jan. 12 and Johnson was able to smile.

That's when the LHSAA informed him it would no longer make the team forfeit the 18 games in which D'Ante Youngblood played.

It is a seemingly rare instance in which the LHSAA admits to making a mistake, especially of this magnitude, but it certainly made for some heartache in Sabine Parish.

Now, Pleasant Hill gets to keep its 27-3 record and will probably be ranked in the Class C top 10 when the polls are released later this week.

Coaches like new playoff setup

2008-01-19T23:49:00.001-06:00

The Louisiana state basketball, baseball and softball playoffs will have a different look this year.

And most coaches up here like it.

I spoke with several basketball, baseball and softball coaches and they seem to think letting playoff-bound coaches seed the brackets will work out better than the old system of matching certain districts with one another.

"To me, I feel like it’s a good change," Parkway coach Brian Rayner said. "The way it is now, sometimes you get put in a situation where you may be faced with a lot of adversity in the first round. It’s been so much the same year after year. We know if Bossier makes the playoffs, where they're going."

Only time will tell if the results back up their faith, but, for now, the coaches are happy.

Evangel's secret weapon

2008-01-18T23:28:00.000-06:00

The Evangel girls basketball team has a secret weapon.

Eighth grader Jasmine Christaw played a key role in the Lady Eagles' win over Homer on Friday night that allowed ECA to stay perfect in district play.

Christaw also operated smoothly out of the high post when the Eagles went to that offense, either hitting shots or making nice passes.

Her development should be something to watch over the next few seasons.

Huntington's pretty good

2008-01-15T23:52:00.000-06:00

After checking out Huntington for the second time this season -- and many more if you count summer league -- I've come to a conclusion.

The Raiders are pretty good.

Before you say, "Duh", hear me out.

I thought they Raiders were good in the summer. But they have played the first half of the season without Shamir Davis.

He was back tonight against Natchitoches Central. Although he scored only one point, his return means the Raiders will be just that much deeper in the backcourt.

The other reason Huntington is good is the Raiders aren't strictly a backcourt-oriented team. They also have a strong inside game with Kendrick Washington. He can score inside, but perhaps more importantly, he can alter and block shots.

This is a team that with any kind of a favorable bracket should be playing in Lafayette at the Top 28. After being the victim of a horrible call to end their playoff hopes last year, this is a team that deserves some good fortune.

Think you've got it tough

2008-01-14T23:15:00.000-06:00

All high school coaches put in extra work outside their jobs. That's a given.

Whether its driving a bus, mowing a field or just getting the practice field in shape, coaches do more than just coach.

Then there are the coaches at Stanley -- and I'm sure other smaller schools in our state and coverage area.

Brian Anderson and Josh Foshee are the two head coaches on staff at the Class C DeSoto Parish school. Anderson coaches the boys and Foshee the girls.

Yes, that's right. Not boys and girls basketball. The boys and the girls.

Anderson doubles as the baseball coach while Foshee splits his time coaching basketball and softball. Both coaches were pulling double-duty as we arrived to shoot mug shots today.

Anderson put it succinctly, "We practice baseball when it's daylight and then go practice basketball afterward."

He's not complaining though. "It would be different if I had some (unlikeable kids). But these are really good kids I've got."

Keep an eye on ....

2008-01-13T23:09:00.001-06:00

Those Natchitoches Centrals girls.

The Lady Chiefs are ranked No. 4 in the state girls basketball poll that came out just minutes ago.

Now, here is why you should care. The Lady Chiefs have only one senior.

I'm not saying they're dropping a banner next year, but you've got to figure that they'll only get better over the next two seasons.

Basketball polls

2008-01-12T23:53:00.000-06:00

Hard to believe, but the state basketball polls are due out soon.

What does that mean for the area?

Look for Southwood to be high in the Class 5A girls and Huntington and Ruston to be high in Class 5A boys. The Natchitoches Central girls could also be in the poll.

In Class 4A, Parkway's girls and, possibly the Bossier boys, could get some poll recognition.

In Class 3A, BTW's boys should figure in the mix.

Springhill heads up the area's hopes in Class 2A. Many could also figure in there.

In the lower classes, Arcadia boys and Calvin girls are among the best bets.

Hittin' the road

2008-01-11T23:31:00.000-06:00

Times sports editor Scott Ferrell and I hit the open road -- well, I-20 -- Friday afternoon in search of mugs for our weekly Area Preps pages.

And I'm happy to report a good, safe time was had by all.

In all seriousness, one of the best parts of covering high school sports is watching the looks on student-athletes faces when you show up at a school specifically to see them.

Heck, it even makes snapping 18-20 mundane mug shots somewhat of a joy -- especially during basketball season.

If there's a line of kids around, the person standing in front of the camera is going to be hit with every joke, insult and everything else in an attempt to mess up his or her picture. Sometimes it works, most of the time it doesn't.

But what it shows is, as many times as we forget, these still are kids who are playing games they love.

Minden on the right track

2008-01-10T23:52:00.000-06:00

Talked to a handful of Webster Parish basketball people today. The fruits of these conversations can be seen on Page 2C of Friday's editions of The Times.

It seems Minden girls coach Devoderick Ridley has his team headed in the right direction. He's preaching chemistry and teamwork, not individual play.

He wants his players to be well-rounded and it seems they are.

The record (7-11) is something Ridley said is deceiving. What wouldn't be deceiving would be to see Minden work its way into the Class 4A state playoffs.

Basketball seeding

2008-01-09T23:51:00.000-06:00

Basketball coaches from around the area are reciving proposals in the mail about a possible seeding system for the playoffs.

It will be interesting to see what comes of this. Football has a pretty good system with power points that eliminates the politics of seeding, although it is an imperfect system as well.

Hopefully they'll get a system where the best 32 teams in each class are playing in the playoffs and in a system that rewards teams for the best regular season.

Is Southwood a sleeper?

2008-01-05T23:05:00.000-06:00

Raise your hand if you had Southwood reaching the finals of the Bossier Invitational?

And raise your hand again if you had Southwood LEADING Huntington in the fourth quarter of the finals tonight?

And keep your hand raised if you thought the Cowboys would hang into overtime before finally losing?

Not many hands.

In fact, Southwood may be a sleeper team. Norman Picou is in his first year as the Cowboys' coach and apparently the team is making some progress.

I saw them back in the summer league and thought they were Louis Ellis and not much else.

So congrats to the Cowboys for making a nice tournament run and getting tuned up for district play.

Huntington-Mansfield develop rivalry

2008-01-04T23:20:00.000-06:00

For the third time in this tournament-laden prep basketball season, Huntington and Mansfield met in a tourney game, this one the semifinals of the Bossier Invitational.

In case you're scoring at home, the count now is Huntington 3, Mansfield 0.

But on Friday it looked as if it could go either way. Until a dominant third-quarter performance by Kendrick Washington, Mansfield was in the game.

Huntington coach Mack Jones praised the Wolverines while Mansfield coach Chris Thomas was looking to face someone other than the Raiders in a tournament.

Washington's duel with Mansfield's Chris Davenport should have local hoops fans salivating. Both are juniors. Both are a proverbial load to defend and both have yet to hit their peak.

Mansfield, meanwhile, is playing very well and looks like it has a chance to go deep into the Class 2A state playoffs based on its play against higher-classification schools thus far.

Old-home week at Bossier Invitational

2008-01-03T23:55:00.000-06:00

I popped into the Bossier High gym Thursday afternoon to shoot some mugs of Ruston players for our Area Preps pages.

While I was waiting I ran into a couple of familiar faces who both had impressive prep athletic careers.

Former Parkway High baseball and football standout Jarvis Larry is now a Bossier City police officer. He was working security. Apparently, his 7-year-old son is following in his footsteps, though dad says, "He's better than I was."

Bossier High assistant basketball coach Chris Thompson was a standout on an Airline High team that reached the Top 28 his senior year.

Then there's current Bossier High principal David Thrash, who built quite a baseball power up the road in Benton.

As someone from this area who attended a local high school, it felt like old-home week once again.

Ready for some hoops?

2008-01-02T23:22:00.000-06:00

If you're a hoopaholic, then Thursday is your day.

The Bossier Invitational begins and if you so choose, you can watch boys high school basketball from 9:30 a.m. until 9:30 p.m.

Because the tournament fell during the holidays, the Bossier Tournament is a three-day event this year.

Thursday's games start with BTW playing Woodlawn at 9:30 a.m.; Southwood plays Fair Park at 11 a.m.; Mansfield plays Captain Shreve at 12:30 p.m.; Huntington plays Haughton at 2 p.m.; Ruston plays at Byrd at 3:30 p.m.; Red River plays DeRidder at 5 p.m.; Bossier plays Green Oaks at 6:30 and the tournament ends with an 8 p.m. game between Parkway and Airline.

New Year's Day hoops

2008-01-01T23:11:00.001-06:00

Arcadia and Ruston played the rare New Year's day boys basketball game tonight.

Ruston won the game, 68-66, in overtime.

This one was a tough one for Arcadia. The Hornets have lost three times to Ruston this season and twice the losses have come in overtime.

This one came on a night when Arcadia missed 28 free throw attempts.

The good news for Arcaida - the Hornets will soon be in district play and playing Class 1A teams. They should be plenty prepared for January and February basketball.

More good wrestling comes north

2007-12-31T23:13:00.000-06:00

Almost a week after Evangel hosted several regional and state powerhouse wrestling programs, Airline will do the same on a smaller scale Wednesday.

At 6 o'clock that night, the Vikings will host defending Division I state champion Brother Martin.

This is a nice state measuring stick for the Vikings, who have been one of the best teams in the area despite a roster chocked with underclassmen.

A little self-control please

2007-12-29T23:52:00.000-06:00

Parkway girls coach Aaron Megee may have cost his team a chance at winning the Doc Edwards title tonight.

Megee drew a pair of technical fouls -- that's four free throws, three of which Southwood made -- and his team lost by three points to Southwood.

It's understandable when coaches get upset over calls that they believe hinder their team or are just plain wrong.

But picking up technical fouls can be costly, not to mention the cost to your reputation when profanities can be heard in the arena.

It's probably not something Megee is proud of, particularly at a time when his team played so well.

Hoopin' it up

2007-12-28T23:43:00.000-06:00

The Doc Edwards tournament finals are set for Saturday.

Mansfield is playing Huntington in the boys finals while Southwood is playing Parkway in the girls finals.

Both games are at the Gold Dome. It should be some good basketball. Tonight's games drew big crowds at Airline and more of the same should be expected tonight.

An early upset

2007-12-27T00:00:00.000-06:00

Fair Park wasn't expected to defend its boys championship in the Doc Edwards Invitational.

But the Indians were expected to score more than 38 points in their tournament opener and defeat Mansfield.

As it was Fair Park lost to Mansfield,39-38.

That may be the biggest shocker of the tournament so far. Not the outcome as much as the low-scoring nature of that game.

Busy week for preps

2007-12-25T23:22:00.000-06:00

There is no holiday week for high school athletics this week.

Evangel has a big wrestling tournament this week.

And the Doc Edwards Invitational will feature 15 boys teams and 16 girls teams in a basketball tournament played at four gyms.

If you can't find something to watch this week,then you may not be looking hard enough.

Big weekend for wrestlers

2007-12-22T23:43:00.000-06:00

Area wrestlers had a big day Saturday in east Texas.

Benton won the East Texas Border Bash as four Tigers won their weight classes. Marcus Hudson was named outstanding wrestler in the upper weights after winning the 215-pound division.

Evangel's Matt Kimmbel won the lower weight class honor. The Eagles finished sixth in the event as they prepare to host their tournament this weekend. John Curtis is among the teams entered and they will square off with the Eagles in a dual match Thursday night on Broadacres Road.

Congrats to Paul Dupee

2007-12-21T23:28:00.000-06:00

Byrd linebacker Paul Dupee was the only player from Shreveport-Bossier City to make the Class 5A All-State team.

From all accounts, the honor was deserved.

Dupee was the Defensive MVP of District 1-5A. And I talked to another district coach earlier in the week who raved about Dupee.

So congratulations are in order for the Byrd star.

Hoops talk

2007-12-20T23:23:00.000-06:00

I covered the Huntington-BTW game tonight and got to see those teams for the first time since summer league.

You've got to give Huntington a lot of credit. The Raiders not only won the game, but they are 16-2 on the season. And they haven't played with point guard Shamir Davis this season.

Huntington coach Mack Jones said he hopes to have Davis back playing after the first of the year. Davis has been dealing with an ankle injury.

Kendrick Washington opens things up for Huntington with his ability to play inside.

James Hulbin had a nice game for BTW. The Lions just didn't have enough firepower in this one.

All in all, these are two pretty good teams.