Football Country Magazine - Issue 1, August 2016

FOOTBALL COUNTRY Jerry Byrd’s

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO...

AUGUST 2016

Pre-Season Issue!

WOODLAWN’S JOE FERGUSON & COACH A.L. WILLIAMS

PLAYER

Spotlight

NEVILLE’S

Eye of the Tiger

PLAIN DEALING’S

KELDRICK CARPER MUST SEE...

Games of

Oak Grove’s CENTER

the Week!

of Attention JOSHUA MOTE

FOOTBALL COUNTRY Cowboys!

ULM COACHES

PROVE YOU

CAN GO

The

HOME AGAIN

First Family 5.00

$

N EVA

INSIDE: Evangel’s Department of Defense

DE MY

OF FOOTBALL COUNTRY

G EL A AC CH RISTIAN

@FBCountrymag

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Kick-Off.......................................................... 4 Big Man on Campus................................. 6 PLAYER SPOTLIGHT..............................10 Plain Dealing’s Natural Born Leader Keldrick Carper Jerry Byrd

F O U N D E R / E D I TO R

Amanda Byrd

B U S I N E SS M A N AG E R CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Hunter Bower Tim Fletcher Terry Slack Seth Stowell Nico Van Thyn

10

A-Train makes stop.................................. 12 in Natchitoches Bringing the A Game.............................13 COVER STORY.......................................... 17 The First Family of Football Country The Franklin’s of Haynesville

17

Oak Grove’s................................................. 21 CENTER of Attention

COV E R P H OTO G R A P H Y

Mary Haddox

CREATIVE IMAGING

S P E CIAL TH ANKS Doug Ireland (NSU) Nick Phillips (ULM) Malcolm Butler (LA Tech) LSU & University of Arkansas Sports Information Departments John James Marshall LaPressCo Paragon Press Lunabyte Mike Anglin

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO.............22 Woodlawn’s Joe Ferguson and A.L. Williams Games of the Week...............................28

22

FOOTBALL COUNTRY.........................32 COWBOYS X’s & O’s.......................................................36 Commitment.............................................38 Neville’s Eye of the Tiger.................... 40

32

You CAN Go Home Again...................43

Jeff Dunman EAP

Coach’s Corner........................................ 44

FootballCountryMagazine@gmail.com

Overtime..................................................... 49

@FBCountrymag @FBcountrymagazine

40

KICK-OFF Football is Family.

And the first family of football country is the Franklin Family in Haynesville.

I was 9 years old when my father checked me out of school one Friday and took me to what he referred to as - “The Mecca” -deep in the pine tree hills of Louisiana. Deep into the woods where men like Gaynell Tinsley and teams like the Homer Iron Men, led by Fred Miller, started a legacy of excellence that continues to this day. A place where great coaches like Joe Aillet once said of Haynesville, “it was the best job in the state.”

“The people there want good education and good football,” Aillet said. “And they are are willing to pay the price for both.” Dad was writing a story about the Homer-Haynesville rivalry for Louisiana Life magazine. It was 1983.

I remember an older man who had a very serious look on his face, even when he looked my way. At the time, I thought that the coach at Haynesville was trying to catch me doing something wrong, which would not have been that hard. Now, knowing Coach “Red” Franklin, he was probably looking deep into my football soul to see if I would make anything of myself in a few years when it came time to take the field under the Friday night lights.

At the end of the game, he called for me to come into his office.

He gave me the game ball that night. It is is a moment that I will never forget. That night I was baptized in the proverbial waters of Football Country. I have been hopelessly hooked ever since.

Another moment at Red Franklin Memorial Stadium that I will never forget is when I was in college, playing football at Louisiana Tech, and met my father in Haynesville at a game he was covering. A man approached him with a serious look on his face. “Mr. Byrd, I just want you to know that I have two books on my bedside table: the King James Bible and Jerry Byrd’s Football Country.”

We wanted to laugh, but didn’t want the man to think that we were laughing at him so we did not. The man was dead serious. I am sure that King James was rolling over in his grave. For all that he accomplished, he was being mentioned in the same sentence with a sportswriter in North Louisiana. Now, 33 years later, I am producing a magazine by the same name. People close to me have always thought that I was crazy. Now, they know. I am doing it to tell the stories of the players that play the game and the coaches that coach it. That was my father’s legacy: telling stories. Sadly, it is not being done in this social media journalism age where “writers” are more concerned with clicks than writing feature stories about the athletes and coaches that we watch on Friday night.

But Football Country doesn’t end on Friday night. For many, that is where it begins. It continues on into Saturdays all over the nation where players like Calvary’s Weston Steelhammer, who is playing for the Air Force Academy. He has carved out an incredible career with the Falcons, being named to the all-conference team two years in a row. The same could be said for Orlando Bradford at the University of Arizona and Brandon Wilson of the University of Houston. Unless they play at LSU or one of the area’s smaller universities there is a tendency for these incredible Football Country athletes to fall between the cracks.

Another goal of this magazine is to bridge the gap between the greatest generation of Football Country stars to the next generation. I want players like Plain Dealing’s Keldrick Carper, 4

FOOTBALL COUNTRY MAGAZINE | AUGUST 2016

who is Northwest Louisiana’s most sought-after senior and a Texas A&M commit, to know the story about how the passing game took flight in Shreveport-Bossier when Woodlawn’s coach A.L. Williams decided that the only way he could beat Airline is if he let his junior quarterback, Joe Ferguson, throw it every down or until the Viking defense stopped them. The story is in this issue thanks to retired long-time sportswriter Nico Van Thyn.

You will also find some X’s & O’s by Airline Defensive Coordinator Seth Stowell and a column about commitment from head of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes in Louisiana - Terry Slack, former Airline head coach. Another piece of content contributed for this inaugural edition comes from Tim Fletcher. I wanted the best for this first edition, and like any coach that wants the best result - I went out and recruited my tail off.

I have so many people to thank that made this dream become a reality. The advertisers that stepped out on faith and purchased ads without a tangible product. The coaches and athletes that gave of their time for interviews. The sports information directors that provided many of the pictures that you will find in this issue. Mary Haddox with Creative Imaging in Vivian who shot the cover photo.

Last but certainly not least, my family who has put up with me during the process.

This magazine will not be perfect, although that is what I shoot for, and that was the goal of my father with every article that he wrote.

I majored in journalism and worked my way up to editor of the Tech Talk during the summer quarter of 1995, but in the 21 years since that time I have served as a football coach and an English teacher.

Now, I am the assistant principal at Youree Drive Middle School and will remain there until I feel like the Lord has something else in store for me. What I am saying is it will take some time to knock off the rust, but this process has afforded me the opportunity to regain what I lost and missed the most when I stepped away from coaching -- the relationship with the coaches and players.

Shakespeare wrote sonnets as a prologue to his plays, including Romeo and Juliet. The last two lines go something like this “...The which if you with patient ears will attend, what here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend.” I write that to write this. Be patient. We want what you, the passionate football fans of North Louisiana want: a quality magazine that is worthy of the young people that play the game. Finally, please know that we invite your feedback.

Tell us what you liked and what you didn’t like. Email me at footballcountrymagazine@gmail.com or reach out to me via social media on twitter at - @fbcountrymag.

Sincerely, JERRY BYRD Founder/Editor Football Country Magazine

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FOOTBALL COUNTRY MAGAZINE | AUGUST 2016

5

BIG MAN ON CAMPUS In Football Country

, we are blessed to have several homegrown athletes who are playing at the next level across the nation. Here, you will be able to keep up with our area products and and even add/continue the discussion by using the hashtag #FCMBMOC (Football Magazine Country Big Man On Campus)

University of Arkansas’ Jared Cornelius, an Evangel alum, scores the final touchdown on a 69 yard run to help the Razorbacks defeat LSU 31-14.

LSU - Green Oaks’ TRE’DAVIOUS WHITE (Sr.) (5’11, 191)

is the No. 4-rated cornerback in the nation by Phil Steele’s College Football Preview magazine, second highest ranked player from North Louisiana behind Alabama’s Cam Robinson, who is the No. 1 offensive tackle. White and LSU teammate Jamal Adams lead a secondary that ranked No. 1 in the nation by Steele. This could fare well for the LSU Tigers as they may add their third Jim Thorpe Award winner in the last several years. Patrick Peterson, now with the Arizona Cardinals, won the award in 2010 and Morris Claiborne won the award in 2011. New LSU defensive coordinator Dave Aranda, who came to LSU from Wisconsin, may have some concerns in 2016, but talent in the secondary will not be one.

Football Country Magazine caught up with Tre’davious this summer while working the Morris Claiborne Foundation Football Camp. “The Jim Thorpe award is something that Jamal (Adams) and I joke about,” White said. “We said one time that we would be co-winners and cut the award in half. Seriously though, awards like that are something that we really don’t talk about. The success our team has is far more important than any individual honor. If we help our team and our team has success, the awards at the end of the season will come.”

Arkansas

- Evangel alum JARED CORNELIUS (Jr.) (5’11,211). Cornelius had 24 receptions for 393 yards, including three touchdowns in 2015. He also rushed for two touchdowns. That shows that offensive coordinator Dan Enos understands the importance of getting the ball in his hands. Cornelius suffered a broken arm in the first quarter of the Texas Tech game on September 19. He made a catch and the break occurred as he braced his fall. Cornelius won much respect nationwide for jogging off the field with the injury. He won even more respect when he returned to the field six weeks later against UT Martin and led the Hog receiving corps.

Cornelius’ father, Shannon Cornelius, was a standout defensive end at Minden High School before signing with LSU. After a short stint in Baton Rouge, he transferred to Louisiana Tech and helped the Bulldogs earn a berth to the 1990 Independence Bowl. Cornelius now serves as an officer for the Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Department.

Texas A&M

- Woodlawn’s DONOVAN WILSON (Jr.) (6’1, 205) had a breakout year in 2015 thanks in large part to his ballhawking ability. He made five interceptions for the Aggies. Defensive coordinator John Chavis, who is entering his second year with the A&M, will continue to utilize Wilson, who had 63 tackles, 6 1/2 tackles for a loss, three pass break ups, in 2015. Wilson is not the first Football Country cornerback to be developed by Chavis. He helped LSU’s Morris Claiborne (Fair Park) become a first-round pick of the Dallas Cowboys and the No. 6 overall selection in the 2012 NFL draft.

6

FOOTBALL COUNTRY MAGAZINE | AUGUST 2016

Most rankings have LSU’s Tre’davious White, a Green Oaks’ product, as one of the top five cornerbacks in college football. White says that wearing No.18, assigned every year by the coaching staff to the one of the Tigers’ top leaders, “means everything.”

White said that his new defensive coordinator is much more soft-spoken and not the “rah rah, get in your face type” like former LSU DC Kevin Steele, who left LSU this off-season to join Gus Malzahn’s staff at Auburn. “He gets his point across,” White said, “and I think guys can relate to him and take his coaching.” As far as changes go, White called Aranda’s defense ‘basically the same” with just a few “twists” and concepts. The terminology is the biggest difference.

White has taken another Football Country product, North Webster running back DEVIN WHITE, under his wing since the younger White’s arrival on campus. LSU has moved Devin White to the defensive side of the football in hopes of getting the phenomenal athlete on the field sooner instead of waiting his turn behind a stable of running backs.

“I’m just doing with him what guys before did with me,” Tre’davious explains. “I just want to continue the tradition of helping the young players adjust.” When asked what it means to wear the No. 18 jersey, White did not hesitate. “It means everything. I don’t take it lightly. I want to lead this team by example and do all of the little things right,” White said.

White, who was picked by Les Miles to attend the SEC Media Days in Hoover, Al., does not feel any pressure going into the 2016 season. “I feel like I am chosen by God for this opportunity,” White said. “I don’t feel any pressure. I am just a normal guy that is extremely blessed. I don’t take it for granted.”

Louisiana Tech

- Evangel’s TRENT TAYLOR (Sr.) (5’8, 175) returns to lead the Bulldog receiving corps after making 99 receptions for 1,282 yards and nine touchdowns a year ago. Taylor is such a special player that coach Skip Holtz also utilizes him on punt returns. Taylor will be working with a new quarterback this year as Jeff Driskel has moved on to the NFL. Senior Ryan Higgins (6’2, 208), who was 15 of 25 passing with one TD in 2015, looks to take the reins of the offense.

Parkway’s BRANDON HARRIS (Jr.) (6’3, 206) looks to improve from his sophomore season in which he suffered a sports hernia injury toward the end of the season. He had surgery after the season and all indications point toward improved play at the position. Despite having what many consider to be the best running back in college football, many LSU faithful are hoping that Miles will allow Harris to utilize wide receivers Travin Dural and Malachi Dupre more on first- and second-down situations in 2016.

Tech’s Trent Taylor, a former Evangel Eagle, takes a Jeff Driskel pass to the end zone against Florida International University in 2015.

Haughton’s JARRED CRAFT (Jr.) (6’0, 215) has some big shoes to fill as he is scheduled to take over running back duty for the departed Kenneth Dixon. Craft finished 2015 with 58 carries for 248 yards and one touchdown.

Other Big Men On Campus to watch in 2016…

After recovering from surgery in the off season, LSU’s Brandon Harris was not lacking confidence this summer while working the Manning Passing Academy. “I have the best arm...the best team in college football.”​

Alabama

- West Monroe’s CAM ROBINSON had an off-season to forget after being arrested in Monroe along with Alabama teammate Hootie Jones, who is a Neville alum. The pair were in a car at a park in Monroe. Officers found a gun in Jones’ lap, and a gram of marijuana. The charges were later dropped by the Ouachita Parish district attorney who came under fire for his comments on the situation. Robinson, a junior who is 6’6 and 327 lbs, is rated as the No. 1 offensive tackle by Phil Steele’s magazine, which also has Robinson as first team preseason All-American.

Air Force

ARIZONA - Calvary’s Orlando Bradford (So.) (5’8, 206) running back NOTRE DAME - Evangel’s Jerry Tillery (So.) (6’6, 310) defensive lineman HOUSTON - Calvary’s Brandon Wilson (Sr.) (5’11, 205) nickel ULL - Fair Park’s Savion Brown (Sr.) (6’2, 218) defensive back Tell us who you would like for us to add to our BMOC list.

Use #FCMBMOC to join the conversation on twitter. You may also mention us @FBCountryMag

- Calvary’s WESTON STEELHAMMER (Sr.) (6’2, 200) looks to go out with a bang at the academy after being a two-time All-Mountain West selection for the Falcons. Steelhammer led coach Troy Calhoun’s team in tackles in 2015 with 80. He also had five interceptions and 9.5 tackles for a loss.

FOOTBALL COUNTRY MAGAZINE | AUGUST 2016

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9

PLAYER SPOTLIGHT

Natural Born Leader Plain Dealing’s James Thurman still remembers the first time that he saw KELDRICK CARPER. Thurman had been handed the head coaching reins in July 2015 at the small 1A school in northern Bossier Parish, taking over for friend Coy Brotherton, who left to take the offensive coordinator position at 5A Captain Shreve High School. Thurman was taking the Lions to a 7-on7 tournament at Benton.

prompting the Aggie coaches to boast on social media that they have another “Louisianimal” in the fold in College Station. Other Football Country Aggies include Woodlawn’s Donovan Wilson, who was tied for second in the SEC last year with five interceptions, and Airline’s Colton Prater, who graduated early and enrolled at Texas A&M in January.

“There are many things that set Keldrick apart, but I think since I’ve gotten to know him and be around him, it is his maturity that I am most impressed with,” Thurman said. “He doesn’t think along the same lines as most teenagers.

There are so many levels to him.”

The first college coach to recruit Carper was LSU’s TE Coach Steve Ensminger at LSU’s Junior Day in March of Carper’s sophomore year. NCAA rules prohibit college coaches from talking about specific recruits, but it is not much of a jump to imagine that Ensminger, and every other college coach, recognized the same qualities that Thurman identified early on. Carper is poster manchild of a humble, self-aware student-athlete that enjoys sharing his faith with his followers on social media.

This might be the best look that opposing defensive backs get at Plain Dealing’s Keldrick Carper all year.

Thurman doesn’t remember any of the catches that Carper made on that day, but he does remember that Carper was the only player that came up to him, introduced himself, and shook his hand. It’s the little things that make Carper so special. Carper left an impression on Thurman that day, just like he would on the slew of college coaches that would make their way up and down the Hwy. 3 corridor to recruit 6’3, 190 lb. wide receiver.

In the year since their first meeting, Thurman is even more impressed with the all-everything athlete who committed to Texas A&M in June, 10

FOOTBALL COUNTRY MAGAZINE | AUGUST 2016

Carper enjoyed the attention from the state’s flagship school. “I wanted more,” Carper said, reflecting of the experience of being recruited

by LSU early on.

Matthew 7:7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”

While the attention from the college coaches has been nice, there have been some stressful times for Carper. “I have had to have a business mindset during this process,” Carper said. “The hardest thing is to tell people ‘No’. People that you have developed a relationship with and spent several hours talking to on the phone. It is hard to tell them ‘no’.”

While Carper has committed to Texas A&M, the four star athlete who has 31 offers and is ranked No. 12 in the state by 24/7 Sports, should not expect the recruiting process to slow down much. Carper is a playmaker. A difference maker.

College coaches know that their livelihood is dependent on being able to attract athletes with the kind of talent that Carper possesses. They will not stop until signing day.

Psalm 23 “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for Your are with me: Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.”

The Texas A&M coaching staff knows this all too well. While it was a totally different staff, the A&M coaches had a verbal commitment from Huntington’s Jarrett Fobbs in the fall of 2009 and 2010. Fobbs flipped and went to LSU two days before National Signing Day. Also, LSU is not too keen on playmakers leaving their own background, especially when it comes to losing them to SEC West foes.

1 Timothy 4:12 “Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.”

Most high school football players have a couple of years before it is their time to lead as a junior or senior. Not Carper. He looked around Plain Dealing during his freshman year and knew that it had to be him.

“It was hard my freshmen year...being a leader,” Carper said, “but I knew that I had to do it. The way that I was brought up, leading others comes natural to me. The thing about it is I will demand greatness from those around me that I know can deliver.”

Carper’s leadership qualities have been a tremendous asset to his coach. “I can be inside taking care of something and I know that when it is time for stretch that he will have the team going,” Thurman said. The young Lions, for the most part, fall in line. For some, they see that attention that Carper is garnering and want that for themselves. Others are just looking for someone to push them to be the best that they can be and find that leader in Carper.

Carper poses for a family picture in College Station with brother, Kendarious, and his mother, Tabitha.

Things weren’t always as this great for Carper and his family. Around the time that Keldrick was making the transition from elementary school to middle school, his mother, whom he credits for having him church growing up, had a rough time and the family found themselves homeless for a few days. Then there was a divorce that Carper had to deal with. These experiences have helped mold and motivate Carper in the years since.

“I could have given up,” Carper said. “Mine is a testimony of Faith. It drives me every day. I don’t want to ever see that look on my mom’s face again.”

If Carper’s work ethic, leadership ability, and faith in God are any indication, he will never have to.

FOOTBALL COUNTRY MAGAZINE | AUGUST 2016

11

A-Train Makes a Stop in Natchitoches The Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Induction press conference did this summer what defenses in Football Country and the Big Ten tried to do for seven years stop Anthony Thomas. The press conference, held in the beautiful, architectural wonder that is the Hall’s Museum along the Cane River in Natchitoches, began at 2:45 p.m. and ended over two hours later. Thomas, who slipped away for a few minutes during the press conference, was one of the last of the inductees to speak.

Then it was time to get up and Winnfield’s Anthony Thomas gave Michigan take pictures. Slowly, he got up fans much to cheer about during his time from his chair. After taking a few in Ann Arbor. Michigan’s Lloyd Carr gave Thomas a scholarship and nickname group pictures, when he was by “A-Train.” himself, Thomas put his hands on his hips and moved his hips from side to side, stretching his back.

Then it was time for some more interviews.

“It (the pain) is something I have to deal with every day, and it is something that I will have to deal with for the rest of my life,” Thomas, who now lives in Houston, said. “When I get back home on Monday, I will have to go in and get two shots in my back.”

Football is a beautiful game. It is also a very physical, and very violent game. The game gives and it takes away. At this point in his life, football is collecting back taxes on a career that included state rushing records, a full ride to the University of Michigan, and the honor he is accepting now.

One of the speakers that Thomas patiently listened to was Dr. Julian Bailes, a Natchitoches born and bred doctor that has done incredible work in the field of brain trauma in sports. At the podium, Dr. Bailes made some interesting points on where the game of football is and where it needs to continue to go to make it safer for all that play.

was played by Alec Baldwin in the movie Concussion, added was taking kickoffs out of the game.

Later in the press conference, the A-Train, a nickname that Michigan Head coach Lloyd Carr gave Thomas because of his bruising play up the middle, was asked about the doctor’s comments and if he was on board with what Dr. Bailes said.

“Yes,” Thomas said, “especially since I cannot remember much about how bad it was.” That got a chuckle from the audience.

Thomas speaks at the 2016 Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame press conference.

Thomas can remember some things from his playing days, namely the cold. Makes sense for a kid from Winnfield to remember the weather in Ann Arbor, Michigan and then starting an NFL career with the Chicago Bears. He recalled a game on the “frozen tundra” of Lambeau Field. Thomas said it was so cold that he broke his finger and didn’t realize it until after the game.

And then there was the first snow in Ann Arbor during his Freshmen year at Michigan. That afternoon, in a team meeting, Carr told the Wolverines to stand up if they missed class that day. Thomas was the only one to stand up. “Why did you miss class?,” Carr asked.

“Because I only have a wind breaker,” Thomas replied. “We don’t have weather like this in Louisiana.”While he didn’t find the weather pleasing, Thomas found the people of Ann Arbor heartwarming and friendly.

“Michigan just felt like home to me, “ Thomas said. “The people were outgoing. They were jogging in the snow and riding bikes in the snow. It was definitely a culture shock.”

The people of Ann Arbor were fond of their star running back from the south as well, especially an Ann Arbor born and raised young lady by the name of Hayley, with whom Thomas would, eventually, start a family.

While know for being a punishing runner, Thomas could also make cuts to make defenders miss, like he does here against the Minnesota Vikings.

Photo by: Bill Smith - Chicago Bears

“Football has to continue to make itself better,” Bailes said, mentioning the way Seattle Head Coach Pete Carroll is teaching tackling in a different way, much like coaches in the sport of rugby teach players to tackle without using the head. Bailes referred to this as football ‘devolving’ to its rugby roots. Another aspect Bailes, who 12

FOOTBALL COUNTRY MAGAZINE | AUGUST 2016

“I met him walking down the hallway,” Hayley Thomas said. “I loved his southern charm. He opened doors and said ‘yes ma’am’ and ‘no ma’am’.” The couple have twin boys and a daughter.

Looking back on his record setting career as a Winnfield Tiger running back, Thomas said the experience had it ups and downs.

“There were a lot of people in Winnfield that wanted me to succeed,” Thomas said. “But there were also a lot of people that didn’t want me to succeed.”

On the field, a memory that sticks out to A-Train is a first round playoff game against North Caddo in which Thomas rushed for 460 yards and 6 touchdowns. “A friend was showing me some clips from that game,” Thomas said with a smile. “That was a special night.”

Bringing the A Game CLASS A DISTRICT 1 - It’s ironic that coach Glen Kyle is at Homer. The Greek poet would sympathize with Kyle’s plight in much the same way he would sympathize with the character - Odysseus - in his epic poem - The Odyssey.

Like Odysseus, Kyle faces battles in trying to return the Pelicans to their glory days. He left in 2009 and went to Ruston Junior High School for five years before returning home. When he left, Homer had an enrollment of 315. When he returned? 180.

Kyle was asked if the kids are even there or if they are choosing to attend private school.

“It’s a combination of both,” Kyle. “I have also had kids that want to transfer to Haynesville. I don’t understand that phenomena. Back in the day, if you were Homer, you came out for football and did everything you could to beat the Tornado.”

The two schools are 10 miles apart.

Kyle mentioned a non-scientific study that he is conducting on Facebook through the former players that follow him on social media.

“Kids that have played for me go off and start families and I see that their sons are all-district and all-state in other cities. That’s another huge difference. Their people in Haynesville don’t leave.”

Kyle will look to RB Marquise Pleasent, QB Shaun Monroe, OL Dan Stewart and TE Kvonte Walker to help him bring the magic back in Homer. On the defensive side of the football, OLB Fred Allen will be one of the leaders.

Despite a season that included two victories in 2015 (Lakeside and North Caddo), the Pelicans did win a first-round playoff game, beating Montgomery 41-12. Kyle has tried to use that as inspiration in the offseason.

“We have to hang our hat on anything we can,” Kyle said. “I’ve tried to use that as motivation of what we can accomplish when we show up every day and work hard.”

DISTRICT 2 - Most places would feel good about a 2015 season that ended with third-round playoff game in December. But then again, Oak Grove isn’t most places. Coach Ryan Gregory starts his third season and he has a lot to be excited about going into the season.

However, the expectations are clear. It will not be considered a successful season unless the Tigers are holding up the trophy in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

To prepare the Tigers for the playoff run, Gregory has front-loaded his schedule with some salty opponents -- Mangham, 4A Northwood, and Sterlington. Oak Grove started 0-3 against the schedule in 2015 with only the Northwood game being a close affair. The Tigers look to more competitive in that stretch this year.

Gregory and his staff will have something this year that they have not had since he has been at Oak Grove: experience and leadership.

And that starts up front on the offensive line with Division 1 prospect Joshua Mote at center and his cousin, junior John Bolding, who plays the left tackle. In the backfield, Sam Philley returns at fullback to lead the Oak Grove ground game. On defense, inside linebacker Nate Jennings will lead the Tigers.

There will be a few question marks, the main one being quarterback.

Gregory moved a wide receiver to QB for the Tigers. There are also a couple of defensive positions where players have been moved around.

“Starting a new quarterback is always a concern and we have moved some guys around on defense,” Gregory said. “We just have to give those guys some live reps.”

CLASS 2A DISTRICT 1 - The Calvary Cavaliers find themselves in a strange position in the summer going into 2016 season. They have not decided on a starting quarterback. Head coach John Bachman is quick to point that the Cavaliers can “win with both.”

The two candidates are sophomore Keithen Lewis and freshman Cade Hart. Both have their strengths and weaknesses and lack what Bachman would like to have from his signal caller going into the season: experience.

Bachman’s offense is not alone. John Bachman Jr, the son of the head coach and also the defensive coordinator, has to replace two Division I corners, brothers “LeLe” and “Greedy” Williams. Andraez “Greedy” Williams signed with LSU and Rodarius “LeLe” Williams signed with Oklahoma State.

Usually a pass-happy team that couldn’t play enough 7-on-7 in the summer, Bachman has changed his philosophy and not because of the lack of experience from his skill players.

“It’s not Friday night,” Bachman said. “We aren’t interested in winning flag football games in the summer. We feel like we get better when we are here and working on the things that will help us win ball games.”

The offensive and defensive fronts will be the strength of the Cavaliers going into the season and Bachman is hopeful that the guys in trenches can help the younger skill players behind them.

That is especially true for the front end of the schedule in which Cavalry faces Teurlings Catholic (10-4 in 2015) , Byrd (10-2), and 5A state champion Zachary (14-1) in the first four weeks of the season.

The level of competition is “always a concern because of injuries,” but Bachman is quick to point that there are not a lot teams lining up to play the Cavaliers.

“We expect to win the state championship,” Gregory said. “That is why we play those types of teams because we know that is the caliber of team we will face in the playoffs.”

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Bringing the A Game CLASS 3A DISTRICT 1 - Green Oaks has a unique situation going into the 2016 season.

The Giants have a player who has moved from quarterback to offensive tackle. Senior Travion Williams, 6’5, 265 pounds, will not be in the backfield when he takes the field this year like he did in the 2015 jamboree when he injured a knee. Instead, he will be listening for the signals from his little brother, Ellis Alexander, who will be at quarterback for the Green Oaks offense.

Head coach Curtis Evans decided to make the change after it was suggested by an area college coach on a recruiting visit to Green Oaks. Now, Stephen F. Austin is the main college recruiting Williams.

Evans, who begins his third year as head coach, will have three offensive starters returning and six on the defensive side. He liked what he saw during spring practice.

“The young offense stepped up and produced,” Evans said.

“The defense did a good job of picking up their alignments and assignments.”

“They are terrific players,” Heard said. “They show up and set the example in the weight room. I give them leadership roles in there and they do everything that I ask. The others look up to them.”

Quarterback Antonio Rivette, a 6’1, 200 pound senior, returns as the starter and although Snead is gone, Heard is optimistic that other skill guys will step up and pick up the slack.

CLASS 5A DISTRICT 1 - For those who walked into the C. E. Byrd Yellow Jackets’ weight room in the offseason, they might have thought that they walked up on a comic con. Players donned shirts with big purple question marks much like The Riddler. Head coach Mike Suggs wanted to send a message to his team going into spring practice.

“I did it to get their attention,” said Suggs, who is entering his 19th season at C.E. Byrd. “They were worried about what number they were going to be or what position they were going to play. I wanted them to earn it and know that every position was up for grabs.”

It wasn’t lip service.

CLASS 4A DISTRICT 1 - Minden High School might have had the most interesting off-season in all of Football Country. First, the old gymnasium was deemed unfit and then structural engineers with the state found deficiencies with Minden’s W. W. Williams Stadium, affectionately known as “The Pit.” Thank goodness for FEMA, which recognized that the flood waters that devastated much of North Louisiana this spring were to blame and agreed to pay in the neighborhood of 85 percent of the rebuilding cost for cash-strapped Webster Parish.

It was an unwelcomed headache for head coach Spencer Heard to move everything out of the old gymnasium and into a seldom-used industrial arts facility, but Heard was pleased with the way that his players and coaches pitched in during the move that took a little over a week just before spring practice got underway.

Spring was productive for Heard and his staff as they were able to get some film on younger defensive players in live action against Richwood. There were also a couple of spots on the offensive line that the coaches’ addressed.

The Tide will be without slot receiver L’Jarius Snead, who signed with Louisiana Tech. Heard didn’t have to look far for a replacement.

In fact, he found it under his own roof in his son Patrick Heard, who played in the secondary in 2015.

An argument could be made that Minden has the best linebacking corps in the state as it has not one but two Division I prospects in Cameron Morgan and Zikerrion Baker. More than their play on the field, it has been the things they have done off the field that have impressed Heard the most.

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The Yellow Jackets lost 10 starters on the offensive side and 9 starters on the defense.

Suggs will depend on leadership from offensive lineman Zach Ward and defensive back Steele Netterville to lead what Suggs calls “the most inexperienced team we have had in a long time.”

Always important in the Byrd offensive attack - quarterback and fullback. Senior Baily O’Bryne replaces 2015’s Tray Allen at fullback.

Zavier Moore, who played linebacker and saw limited action at quarterback, takes over for 2015 QB Deuce Caston. Jonathan Fincher, a left-handed pitcher on Byrd’s state runner-up baseball team who is committed to Louisiana Tech, joins Ward as the only other offensive lineman who had significant playing time in 2015.

Moore was also a part of the Byrd 2016 baseball team, playing shortstop for the Yellow Jackets.

When Suggs uses a tight end in his multiple option attack, he will look to senior Christian Gulledge.

Shimorye Hampton joins Netterville as the only other defensive returning starter.

While this is an inexperienced team, it is not a young team. And you will not hear Suggs use the term “rebuilding.” Try “reloading.” Suggs and his staff have been here before. Coaches in district 1-5A know this as well. Come late October, look for the Yellow Jackets to be in the thick of the hunt alongside the popular picks, like Parkway and Evangel, for the district crown.

DISTRICT 2 - West Monroe head coach Jerry Arledge and his staff have some young players that they are excited about this fall, but in a program that is as strong as West Monroe’s, you mention the guys with the battle scars.

“I don’t want to toot their horn,” Arledge said, “I want them to earn it.”

There are plenty of Rebels who have done just that.

West Monroe has six returning starters on each side of the ball: Robert Scott Faust, Slade Bolden, Trey Coleman on offense, and Dennis Collins, Jacob Adams, John Bailey Gullatt on defense.

Collins (6’1, 256) is a three-star defensive end who is committed to TCU. 24/7 Sports has Collins at No. 19 for the 2017 state recruiting class.

Coleman (5’11, 203) is a running back who is a three-star who is committed to Tennessee. 24/7 Sports ranks Coleman No. 42 in the 2017 state recruiting class.

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Coleman will get the ball from West Monroe’s returning starter, Foust (6’4, 190). He is getting looks from several area universities.

Bolden (5’11, 175) has played several positions for the Rebels, including quarterback and wide receiver, and may play even more in 2016. During spring practice he saw most of his reps in the secondary.

“Normally, we don’t have many players going both ways,” Arledge said. “We have found ourselves with some difference makers and also lack some depth in those areas so it makes sense to us to have those guys on the field.”

Among those difference makers are linebackers Adams and Gullatt.

Adams will play some tight end in 2016 and Gullatt may line up behind Foust at fullback.

Arledge said the Rebels had a productive spring and that practices allowed the coaches a chance to get a look at and evaluate the younger players. The Rebels will have ten days in shorts before putting on the pads in preseason workouts. Those practices will be used to work install offensive and defensive packages, focus on special team assignments, and work on stunts.

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FOOTBALL COUNTRY MAGAZINE | AUGUST 2016

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Just a friendly reminder...

What It Takes To Be No. 1 Winning is not a sometime thing; it's an all the time thing. You don't win once in a while; you don't do things right once in a while; you do them right all of the time. Winning is a habit. Unfortunately, so is losing.

There is no room for second place. There is only one place in my game, and that's first place. I have finished second twice in my time at Green Bay, and I don't ever want to finish second again. There is a second place bowl game, but it is a game for losers played by losers. It is and always has been an American zeal to be first in anything we do, and to win, and to win, and to win.

Every time a football player goes to ply his trade he's got to play from the ground up from the soles of his feet right up to his head. Every inch of him has to play. Some guys play with their heads. That's O.K. You've got to be smart to be number one in any business. But more importantly, you've got to play with your heart, with every fiber of your body. If you're lucky enough to find a guy with a lot of head and a lot of heart, he's never going to come off the field second.

Running a football team is no different than running any other kind of organization an army, a political party or a business. The principles are the same. The object is to win to beat the other guy. Maybe that sounds hard or cruel. I don't think it is.

It is a reality of life that men are competitive and the most competitive games draw the most competitive men. That's why they are there to compete. The object is to win fairly, squarely, by the rules but to win.

And in truth, I've never known a man worth his salt who in the long run, deep down in his heart, didn't appreciate the grind, the discipline. There is something in good men that really yearns for discipline and the harsh reality of head to head combat.

I don't say these things because I believe in the ‘brute' nature of men or that men must be brutalized to be combative. I believe in God, and I believe in human decency. But I firmly believe that any man's finest hour his greatest fulfillment to all he holds dear is that moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle victorious."

Coach Vincent T. Lombardi COMPLIMENTS OF 16

FOOTBALL COUNTRY MAGAZINE | AUGUST 2016

Keith Hightower

FIRST FAMILY OF FOOTBALL COUNTRY

By Hunter Bower

Franklin.

A HUMBLE BEGINNING

For over half a century, the name has been synonymous with high school football in Louisiana. The family is not known for its involvement in politics or by establishing itself as a business power. Instead, the legendary name has been known for setting the standard in teaching young men the values of life both on and off the football field.

A town established during the late 1800s, Haynesville enjoyed the fruits of the oil boom of the 1920s. It brought thousands of people to the Claiborne Parish town. The industry’s success provided an open door for Haynesville’s football program, which has been around since 1907. The Golden Tornado earned three state titles from 1924 to 1936 with a couple of runner-up trophies in between.

It is one of the greatest success stories in Louisiana football history from both the impact on the Haynesville community to the Golden Tornado football state championships. Not only has the family helped its students succeed on the field but has mentored a majority of athletes to move on to bigger and better things by graduating and obtaining good jobs or by going to college.

In 1927 Joe Aillet, who would become a legendary Louisiana Tech football coach, came to Haynesville to coach. He would stay in Haynesville for nine years. He called the Haynesville job the best in the state of Louisiana. “The people there want good education and good football,” Aillet said. “And they are willing to pay the price for both.”

The impact a teacher or coach who inspires a student to do well in school will help build that child into an adult of good character. There are those who measure their lives by how many touchdowns that their team wins by and then there are families who are blessed with the ability to use football as a tool to help grow their players into successful human beings. The Franklins have done just that since moving to Haynesville.

“This town has always been a great place to coach,” said current Haynesville football head coach David Franklin. “It’s never been for the pay, but for the people that you get to work with and for.

Even when my dad was coaching and now that I am coaching, it has never been about us or who the coach was.”

Since 1967, the Franklin family has led Haynesville to 14 of its 17 state championships and has totaled more than 500 victories. A program on the verge of ceasing to exist was resurrected by a family, whose goal is not to harp on winning football games but to teach student-athletes that life is about winning on and off the field.

“To me, football is not about winning state championships and things like that,” said Alton “Red” Franklin, the man responsible for starting the Franklin Family tradition in Haynesville. “It is trying to make someone a better person in his life. I have always tried to live a life that people can see what it is like to be a Christian. I am not going to say that I have always done that but I have tried my very best in doing so.”

As you make your way into the locker room located under the bleachers of Haynesville’s legendary football stadium, you will find a piece of metal hanging from the wall with letters painted in bold print. The sign that reads “Those Who Stay Will Be Champions”offers more meaning than winning games or championships. The slogan, wich is a constant reminder to Golden Tornado players, promises those who finish the race will not just be rewarded on the field but will be blessed off the field as well.

Following the oil boom, the town began to dwindle and so did the football program. Until the late 1960s, Haynesville became a town known only for the glory days while the football program struggled to keep up with the Jones’ – so to speak. In his book Football Country that was published in 1981, Jerry Byrd said of Haynesville football during this time: “The spirit was willing in the late 1950s and 1960s, but there wasn’t enough talent to compete in the same district with Neville and Ruston.” Haynesville would be forced to drop down in classification where it continued to struggle year in and year out.

The town and the football program were dying.

It wasn’t until a tall, redheaded coach from Bibb County, Alabama, stepped onto the field in Haynesville for the first time that the football program would soon have a date with destiny.

Alton “Red” Franklin walked the sidelines as an assistant in Haynesville under M.D. Ray in 1966 after spending a couple of seasons at Marksville and Springhill. Shortly after the season, Ray, who guided the Tornado to their first winning season in nine years, left his alma mater to accept an assistant’s position

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FIRST FAMILY OF FOOTBALL COUNTRY at Airline High School in Bossier City, leaving the head coaching duties to the young Franklin. It seemed to be the right fit for both the community and Franklin, although neither could know just how special this match made in Football Country heaven would be.

“Coach Ray invited me to come over and help him in Haynesville,” said Franklin.

“Since my wife, Beth, was from here, I thought that the move might not be such a bad idea.” ​ ommy Franklin, former Haynesville and NLU T football player, now serves as the Voice of the Golden Tornado at all home games in the “Red” Franklin Memorial Stadium. Here, he takes a picture with his sons Blake and Hayden as they get ready to watch their favorite team in the Superdome

“I never wanted to be a head coach,” said Red. “I just wanted to coach youngsters so when Coach Ray took off, he left me with it. It wasn’t quite what I expected it to be as the head man, because we didn’t win but one ball game the first year. It was terrible.”

The Franklin boys grew up in the shadow of greatness but did not shy away from it. Despite their father being one of the greatest coaches to ever come through high school football, the Franklins always saw him as a great role model and a man who would teach them endless life lessons.

“I tried to be fair to all of my athletes and tried not to show any sort of prejudice with my three sons,” said Red. “I tried to treat them the same as I would anyone else that played. We had a good relationship together while we played football.”

Franklin’s mindset as to how to coach his sons while on the football field proved to be one of the highlights of his career. He was able to witness his three boys grow up to become fantastic men.

The oldest, Jeff, is principal of North Webster High School. Jeff was in the stadium named after his father when the Golden Tornado beat Arcadia in 2015 playoffs to earn yet another trip to the Dome. Someone asked Jeff if he would be making the trip to New Orleans.

“Am I going?,” The principal said with a laugh. “If I don’t, I will be kicked out of the family.”

Franklin’s debut season as the Tornado head coach resulted in a 1-9 record with the only victory coming in the first game against Cotton Valley.

Despite the disappointing season, Franklin was determined to make the most out of his stay in Haynesville and as the years progressed, the town and the football program began to see a change.

In 1970, just three seasons removed from winning one ballgame, Franklin led Haynesville to a 14-0 record and its first state championship in three decades. That season sparked a dynasty as Franklin would go on to lead his Golden Tornado to 10 more state titles and 365 career victories. For his career achievements, Franklin was inducted into the NFHS Hall of Fame, LHSAA Hall of Fame and the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame.

However, those accomplishments were far removed from Franklin’s list of goals. As a young coach, he received some advice that he kept in his mind for the remainder of his career.

“I had a teacher once tell me that if you are in coaching for the money, then you need to get out now,” said Red. “If you are in coaching to help youngsters to grow up and make a better life for them, then you will receive many blessings and many rewards.”

To say the least, “Red” earned those rewards.

A COACH AND HIS FAMILY Through all of the success of being a championship football coach, “Red” Franklin’s greatest joy in life has been to enjoy the ride with his wife as well as his three kids – Jeff, David, and Tommy.

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The Franklin grandchildren lead the crowd in the Pledge of Allegiance before a 2015 game.

On that same night, the youngest Franklin boy - Tommy - was in the pressbox. He is the public address announcer. The voice of the Golden Tornado. Tommy went on to play football for the NLU Indians, now ULM, after his playing days in Haynesville were over.

David, the middle son, was a track star at Louisiana Tech before becoming an assistant coach at Haynesville and eventually succeeding his father as the head coach.

For the Franklin family, the impact on the football program and the town doesn’t stop with Franklin men. Beth was once a cheer coach and now is active member at First Baptist Church in Haynesville. Her daughter-in-law, David’s wife, Jennifer, now serves in that capacity. David’s oldest, Trent, returns as the starting quarterback for the Golden Torndao in 2016 after leading Haynesville to the championship game in 2015. David’s daughter Erin qualified for the State Track Meet in the long jump and serves as a cheerleader at Haynesville. David’s youngest son, Toby, is a ball boy for the Golden Tornado. Toby is in middle school. His grandfather brags that his grandson’s technique in the weightroom is better than some of the high school players. It truly is a family affair.

From a young age, the Franklin boys understood the price of having a coach for a dad. As the years progressed, the boys came to appreciate the dedication even more.

“You could say that it was a busy profession,” said David Franklin.

“I have been told that when I was born, my dad was at football practice, and my mother came to the stadium to tell him that she was going to the hospital. I am not sure if that was true or not, but for my father and me as well, football is pretty demanding.”

“We spend a lot of time in our job, whether it be at the school or on the football field. There is a good amount of pride in what we do but I promise that when it is time to go home – we go home.

I always put my family first.”

In turn, David now has the chance to coach his son, Trent, who plays quarterback for the Golden Tornado. Like his father, David has had to adjust to the coach-son experiment.

“It has been tough coaching my own son,” said David, “I am not real easy on him and don’t brag a whole lot. I stay on him a lot but I have explained to him why I do that is like when get in a ballgame and it’s crunch time. You are going to have to learn how to respond. The first couple of years that Trent played, he didn’t understand that and would get upset with me. Now he understands that and has become a lot better quarterback. He has matured a lot since his first day on the field.”

“Red” offered an insight as to what its like to coach alongside his son and mentioned something that most people would find surprising.

“With me being an assistant under David, I don’t try to tell him what to do but if he needs some help then he doesn’t mind coming to me,” said Red. “He’s studied the game enough to know what needs to be done. I think he has done a better job than I did because I believe that the more that you do for a youngster, the more he is going to do for you. That was always my philosophy and I think David works that philosophy a little stronger than I did.”

No matter who claims who is better at the job, both Franklins have been able to capture state titles and mentor students at the same time. It is sort of a family recipe that neither side is willing to share. Sometimes, the greatest recipes aren’t recorded.

PASSING THE TORCH When “Red” Franklin decided that it was time to retire in 2001, there was no other coach prepared to fill the role than David.

David had been an assistant under his father since the early 1990’s, moving up to the offensive coordinator role during the final few seasons of “Red’s” tenure. His offensive mind helped guide the Tornado to its 14th state title in 2000 with a win over a strong Southern Lab squad.

When called upon as the new head football coach in Haynesville in 2002, David took a program that belonged to his father for over three decades and was ready to make it his.

“I think that when my dad retired, I never really thought about the transition that much,” said David. “I never thought that I was ready to do what had been done for so many years around here.

We really didn’t change a whole lot and I figured out that this is where I need to be and what I need to be doing.”

The first few seasons were no piece of cake for Franklin as the Golden Tornado looked to regain the momentum it had built over the last few decades. David, who was in his second year as the head coach, looked to his father for some help. “Red” was quick to answer the call.

“You do learn as you go along,” said David. “It hasn’t been easy by any means but this is the interesting thing about all of this.

Everyone thinks that since my father has been an assistant that he kind of runs things behind the scenes. He has told me one thing since we have been coaching together. He told me one night to quit getting on to the referees. He has made suggestions to me before but he did tell me that night to quit harping on the refs and he walked off.”

​ he Franklin Fan Club takes a picture on Poydras St. outside of the Mercedes Benz Superdome after T another Haynesville State Championship. Pictured (from left to right) Erin, Toby, Head Coach David Franklin, Macy, Trent, Hayden, Caroline, Blake, and Coach Alton “Red” Franklin.

A TRADITION RESTORED Since its last state title in 2000, the Golden Tornado struggled to find its way back to the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans. Some thought the program had reached its peak and was never to return to glory.

That was until 2009, when Haynesville stormed by all opponents and set up a date for a rematch with two-time defending state champion South Plaquemines.

The road back to the Dome had been long for David, who had yet to win a state title as a head coach. His father’s shadow continued to be cast over him. However, just as “Red” had done back in the 1970’s with Haynesville, David finally did the same and overcame all odds to defeat the Hurricanes and capture his first state title.

“Every coach dreams about being on the sideline in the Superdome and winning a state championship,” said David.

“Then the clock runs out and you’re that person and it’s your team. I was so thankful for that unique experience.”

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FIRST FAMILY OF FOOTBALL COUNTRY Whether it be during the Fellowship of Christian Athletes bible study the night before a game or after a Friday night contest, both Red and David have always made football a priority at the lowest level. There is a sign that hangs on the wall in the locker room of Red Franklin – Memorial Stadium that reads, “1. God, 2.

Family, 3. Football”.

Even after a huge victory, there was always something bigger than the game to look forward to and to be thankful for.

“I think that God has put our family here for a reason,” said David.

We teach Christian values around here and we do not hide that.

We don’t allow our kids or our coaches to cuss. There are people who wonder why we do that but that is the way I believe we should teach these kids. I just think that this is what it’s all about.

We don’t do it for show but we do it because it’s right. I really do love all these kids and love working with them.”

“The most fun part of all of it was just to watch the kids and the experience that they get to have.”

The fruits of coaching are not state championships or a win over your rival. For the Franklins, it’s to be able to see the kids that they coached and taught go out and make something good out of their lives. No matter the circumstances, a kid will never forget the ones that helped guide them along the way.

When asked if there was one moment in his whole career that he will remember the most, the elder Franklin was quick to mention his son.

“The most joy I get is to see the kids that you taught eight or nine years down the road when they are married and have a career but they come back to see you,” said David. “That’s enjoyable.”

“When Haynesville won their first championship under my son and I was on the sideline with him witnessing all of it,” said Red. “That was a mighty proud moment.”

For the “First Family of Football Country”, the journey is far from over.

A future Tornado shows his support of his favorite team in the dome.

Seconds after reminiscing about the moment and with tears in his eyes, “Red” was asked what was said when he embraced his son following the game.

He responded, “We were just happy.”

THE FRUITS OF COACHING There is no doubt that the Franklin’s have had their fair share of memories throughout the years. With numerous state championships, district titles, playoff victories and all-state players, the family has made its name on being able to coach hometown kids to be the best that they can be, no matter what the scoreboard shows after the game.

Mary Haddox, owner of Creative Imaging in Vivian and graduate of Haynesville High School (Class of ‘82) takes the cover photo of the Franklin family.

About the Author...

HUNTER BOWER was born and raised in Haynesville, LA. and is the son of Jim and Sandra Bower. He is currently the Director of Social Media as well as assistant sports information director at McNeese State University. Bower has oversight and daily management of McNeese’s athletic social media platforms and also assists in developing and implementing a comprehensive digital and social media strategy with a key focus on elevating fan engagement, growing the social media community and enhancing the McNeese brand. He serves as the primary contact for women’s soccer, baseball and tennis and secondary contact for the football and men’s basketball squads. Bower is a 2015 graduate of Northwestern State University with a Bachelor's in General Studies. He graduated from Haynesville High School in 2009.

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FOOTBALL COUNTRY MAGAZINE | AUGUST 2016

Oak Grove’s CENTER of Attention Going to “The Opening” in New Orleans after his Sophomore year at Oak Grove was more than a little daunting for Tiger center Joshua Mote . He was one of the youngest players at the recruiting showcase that brings in the very best football players from around the region.

He was also undersized compared to most of the older linemen.

What a difference a year makes. That experience proved beneficial for Mote as he attended this year’s event and fared well against some of the best defensive linemen in the state, including Notre Dame’s Tyler Sheldon, a defensive tackle that is verbally committed to LSU. His performance at the The Opening landed him on the radar of college coaches around the nation.

Oak Grove Head Coach Ryan Gregory said that things “exploded” after that. “In this day and age of social media, there was one article about Joshua and things took off after that.”

The “things” Gregory referred to would be offers. Before the opening, Mote had offers from ULM,Tulane and few FCS schools.

Since? He has offers from Louisiana Tech, Southern Miss, Colorado State, and Arkansas State. Mote’s father, Michael Mote, played at Louisiana Tech and is now his son’s coach, said that the process has been “overwhelming” in a good way.

“For him to go down there, from a a 1A school and be exposed to all of the great players at The Opening, and now to have the attention of coaches from all over it makes my heart proud.”

The elder Mote is the pastor of Life Church Oak Grove. In early March, like many in northeast Louisiana, the church struggled as flood waters made their way inside the church doors. Then, on March 30th, a devastating fire in the midnight hour burned the building to the ground.

The pastor remembers driving up to the church at 1a.m.. In the blackness of night he could see the orange glow of the fire dancing just above the motionless pine trees. He saw the fire before he saw the building.

has continued to lead the congregation through it all has made a lasting impression.

“It (the adversity) has shown everyone what kind of man he is,” the younger Mote said.

“It shows that he is a man of character.”

Another unexpected outcome of the devastation is the fact that it has kept Mote grounded during the recruiting process.

“Going through the flood and the fire has made me focus on the reality of the situation Mote(right) share a moment with his father instead of recruiting process,” Joshua and offensive line coach - Michael Mote after an Oak Grove win.

Mote said. “It has humbled me and it showed me how quick that you can lose everything you have worked for.” In much the same way that the father and son have son have seen their share of ups and downs off of the field at Oak Grove, they have managed their way through some growing pains in their roles on the field as well.

“It has been a really neat journey,” said Coach Mote. “To watch how he has matured from starting as a freshman and praying that he doesn’t get hurt to seeing him prepare for his senior year with all of this attention from college coaches.”

However, there is a bit of a balancing act. “On the field, I’m his coach, and I am more critical of him than I am others, but at home, I’m his biggest fan. We have learned how to talk to each other on the field and off.”

Those sentiments were echoed by the coach’s star pupil. “Sometimes it’s tough,” Mote said. “He is harder on me, but I think it is better. He pushes me to the max. He cuts the switch off when we are at home.

There he is dad.”

Coach Mote has help in coaching the offensive line at Oak Grove in the form of Oak Grove and Louisiana Tech alum, Josh Bradley, who just so happens to be his brotherinlaw. “It’s a family affair,” Coach Mote said.

Gregory calls Mote the most complete offensive lineman he has ever coached, but is quick to add that the his junior left tackle - John Bolding - is not far behind. Bolding is Joshua Mote’s cousin.

“He is the first to come into work and the last one to leave,” Gregory said of Mote. “He has made himself into a D1 player.”

When talking about the upcoming season, there is no doubt about the expectations from either Mote or Gregory.

Joshua Mote (right) and cousin, John Bolding, work to keep flood waters out of Life Church in Oak Grove.

“It was an emotional time,” the Pastor said. “For me and him. I was so impressed with his maturity. He just soaked it all in. After seeing those things, I really think he understands what it means to find strength from your faith during times of adversity.”

“We have 24 seniors on this year’s team,” Mote said. “We work well together and are a close knit bunch. Oak Grove has not won a state championship since 2001. We are focused on bringing the tradition back.”

Gregory agrees. “We are excited about the experience with this group. We have some real good senior leadership.”

The feelings of the son are mutual. Watching the way that his father FOOTBALL COUNTRY MAGAZINE | AUGUST 2016

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Whatever Happened To...

By Nico Van Thyn He is 66 now, the hair is mostly gray and there’s not as much of it as before, but he looks trim enough to play quarterback -- which he did for about three decades.

Joe Ferguson lives with his family in northwest Arkansas -specifically in the resort area of Bella Vista -- and he stays busy selling property (commercial, residential, land) as a vice-president of Lindsey & Associates, a leading real estate firm in that area.

He and his wife, Sandy, proudly became first-time grandparents this spring -- John Henry Brantley is the son of daughter Kristen and her husband.

Kristen, like her father a University of Arkansas graduate, has worked for the Dallas Cowboys in marketing (luxury suites coordinator) for a decade. It’s fitting that she’s affiliated with a football team.

Because few players ever impacted football in North Louisiana, and arguably in the state of Louisiana, more than Joe Ferguson.

He was the high school football star of the 1960s, the greatest passer seen in these parts then. In an area, a state, known for producing terrific quarterbacks for decades, he was a trend-setter.

Many people -- especially those with oldtime ties to Woodlawn High School in Shreveport -- will tell you that he still might be the greatest. They relish the passing days of 1967 and 1968 -- Ferguson’s last two years in high school.

If you suggest to Joe Ferguson that he still could throw passes, he will laugh and tell you that he hasn’t done that “in a long time. I need Advil for that.” But he does “throw a fishing rod every chance I get.”

For years, he’s been almost as serious about fishing as he was playing quarterback. Almost.

Whether it was fishing or selling real estate, but especially football, his intensity and work ethic became legendary. So did he.

He was a three-year starter at Woodlawn, in an era when sophomores rarely played varsity ball at the top classification level, and the national records he set in two sensational seasons stood for years.

For the record, his career totals: 931 attempts, 491 completions, 6,710 yards -- 2,577 as a junior, 3,293 as a senior -- and 86 touchdown passes -- 35 as a junior, 40 as a senior.

Those were out-of-sight numbers then. It was an era of tight offensive formations, mostly only one receiver split out, power running games, QBs always under center, huddles every play, no hurry-up attacks (maybe only in a two-minute drill.)

Ferguson, and Woodlawn, changed it: spread formations, with three or four or five capable receivers available, throwing almost every down.

Now all-out passing games, wide-open tactics are an every-game happening, at every playing level. Ferguson was decades ahead.

He was not just a high school wonder; he would go on to prove to be the real deal.

He starred for a while at the University of Arkansas and then became a pro quarterback for 19 years, 18 in the NFL -- most notably as the starter for the Buffalo Bills for his first 12 seasons.

His high school records would be broken eventually -- in North Louisiana, for instance, by several Evangel Christian Academy QBs some 25-30 years later -- and his football career and fame eclipsed by the guy he succeeded as Woodlawn’s quarterback.

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FOOTBALL COUNTRY MAGAZINE | AUGUST 2016

But Terry Bradshaw -- four-time Super Bowl champion QB of the Pittsburgh Steelers, longtime star of television and entertainment -- only got close to leading Woodlawn to a state championship (in 1965). Three years later, Ferguson and his team did deliver that championship -- and a perfect (14-0) season.

They were always friends, and friendly rivals occasionally in the NFL (most memorably in a 1974 playoff game that was especially a proud moment for Woodlawn people and Shreveport-Bossier). They were both great success stories.

Bradshaw, of course, is instantly recognizable even today. Hard to miss that boisterous personality and bald head.

“I don’t think people always recognize me right away,” Ferguson answers when asked about life in northwest Arkansas today, “but when they hear the name, they usually remember me.”

He says he’s probably more easily recognized in Shreveport-Bossier and North Louisiana -- he lived for a time in Natchitoches and in Ruston -- and even “surprisingly” in Buffalo.

He remains interested, but not invested, in football, mostly the Arkansas Razorbacks. “I like to watch college games more than the NFL,” he says, “but I don’t sit and study games. I’ll watch parts of a game, then switch to another one or two. But if somebody calls and wants to go fishing, I’m gone.”

Joseph C. Ferguson Jr., son of a paint contractor, enjoys family. He and Sandy have been married 36 years and their son Joe C. III (which is why he goes by Trey), two years younger than Kristen, lives nearby in Rogers, Ark. Joe’s mother, Mary, is in an assisted-living place in Ruston, near where his older sister, Carolyn, lives. She is married to former Louisiana Tech football coach Joe Raymond Peace.

One major factor in his life: His health is good; he is a two-time cancer survivor.

The uncertain, harrowing days of 2005-08 -- first Burkitt’s lymphoma, a rare and aggressive form of cancer, and then leukemia, which led to pneumonia, are behind. Both required long stays for treatment (one for a calendar year) at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.

It was a tough couple of years, and especially so for someone who was always a workout enthusiast, whose daily/weekly routine for so many years involved hundreds of passes each day, for hours and hours. Plus, he was an avid runner with regular weights routines.

He’s now 6-foot-1 and 210 pounds, not much over what he played at in the NFL. But he’s 50 pounds bigger than the tall, thin young quarterback coach A.L. Williams first saw at Woodlawn in the spring of 1966.

Relationships in football -- and life -- don’t come much closer than Joe Ferguson and A.L. Williams. They have been bonded in many, many ways.

Just as Ferguson was the key player in his high school’s only state football championship, so was Williams a key to Fair Park’s only state football title (as a halfback, he scored the team’s five playoff touchdowns in 1952).

Like Ferguson at Arkansas, Williams had some great times as an athlete at Louisiana Tech -- as a running back, defensive back and kick returner and, in the spring, as a sprinter on relay teams.

Williams was 32 and had been head coach for only a month or so -- after six years as an assistant at Woodlawn to Lee Hedges -- when he first saw Ferguson in spring practice in 1966. Joe was still a ninthgrader at Oak Terrace Junior High.

What went from player-and-coach in 1966-68 to player-and-advisor to coaching partners to coach-and-retired coaching observer developed into a deep friendship.

“It’s like we’re brothers, distant brothers maybe because of the age difference,” says Ferguson. “We talk [on the phone] once a week, once every other week. It’s kind of a different relationship than player-coach ... but it’s always been a great relationship. I have the upmost respect for him and his family, and they’ve helped me and my family tremendously.”

Williams is 82, long retired from coaching -- a three-decade career that included 14 years at Woodlawn (eight as head coach) and head coaching stints at Northwestern State (eight years) and Louisiana Tech (four years).

A.L. and Sarah, high school sweethearts who lived across the street from each other in the Caddo Heights area, had their 58th wedding anniversary on July 4. They have lived since the early 1980s -- his Tech coaching days -- in Choudrant, La., a mile from Squire Creek Country Club and a few miles east of Ruston.

Their daughters, Amy and Kay, have made them grandparents four times -- all boys, ages 21 through 15.

A.L. remains a familiar and popular presence at many events in North Louisiana, often making trips to Shreveport to see friends and family (he had five older sisters, and Sarah was one of nine children in her family). The benefit of living into their 80s also brings the hardship of attending many of their old friends’ funerals.

Once a frequent coaching clinics speaker and consultant for coaches on developing quarterbacks and the dropback passing game, Williams stays active, still working in the yard and cutting the grass on their three acres of land.

“You slow down, you don’t have the energy you used to have,” he says, with a laugh. “You try to do things you always did, and it’s a lot tougher.”

But he’s grateful because -- like Ferguson -- he’s a cancer survivor, with the benefits of M.D. Anderson. Seven years ago prostate cancer had him going through 38 treatments -- five a week -- of proton therapy, and a couple of months stay on an outpatient basis.

And last year, Sarah went through surgery and treatment for lung cancer there.

“M.D. Anderson has been mighty good to us,” says A.L. “... They make you feel like you’re the only patient they have.”

He’s still fishing, too -- another bond with Ferguson. “No telling how many times we’ve fished together -- hundreds,” says Williams.

Williams is as sharp-minded, as good and detailed a story-teller and recounter of “the old days” as you can find, and those days at Woodlawn and Ferguson’s emergence are among his favorite memories.

​ erguson was a key member of the Arkansas Razorbacks offense, playing in the old Southwest F Conference

A.L. had been close to Bradshaw as backfield coach and then as track and field coach, guiding him through the national recordsetting javelin season in the spring of 1966 and also employing Terry as a helper in the summer track-field program sponsored by FOOTBALL COUNTRY MAGAZINE | AUGUST 2016

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Whatever Happened To... the Shreveport recreation department, plus in installing a new grass field for Woodlawn’s practices and B-team games.

A senior was due to succeed Bradshaw as the starter at QB, but some health issues intervened and in fall drills “whenever we put him [Joe] in, practice would always pick up,” Williams recalled.

So it was Ferguson quarterbacking a senior-loaded 1966 Woodlawn team -- with a superior running game and a defense that gave up little in a perfect (10-0) regular season. Ferguson threw only 101 passes that year, a season spoiled by a playoff loss at Bogalusa (during which two top defensive players went out injured.)

The 1967 team returned only Ferguson and one offensive lineman as starters, and after successive 10-2, 11-2-1 and 11-1 seasons, the Knights lost their opener and struggled through two victories.

Then Williams made the decision that changed that team’s fortunes ... and Ferguson’s life.

About to face an Airline team that was loaded and talented (and would win the state championship), Williams looked at film, decided Woodlawn’s only advantage was its QB and its receivers, and told his coaching staff on Monday morning: “We’re going to throw the football until they stop us.”

The legend was born that night. From that point, Woodlawn threw 30 to 40-plus passes each week (with only a rainy exception or two).

Two weeks later, against arch-rival Byrd, Ferguson broke those state records by going 31 of 47 for 402 yards and six TDs -- and only one pass in the fourth quarter with his team ahead 40-0.

The legend grew -- in an often-repeated story -- because of the headline in the next day’s Shreveport Journal: Ferguson 40, Byrd 6. It so embarrassed the junior quarterback, who saw it the next afternoon, that after muddling through a Saturday morning practice, he asked to speak to the team without the coaches, who wondered what was going on.

Ferguson tearfully apologized for the headline and told his teammates how much they meant to him and the program.

That surprising Woodlawn team went from near after-thought to district champion and into the state semifinals.

Ferguson picked up a nickname -- The White Knight -- not because he was playing in an all-white era but because of (1) a popular commercial at the time and (2) his offensive line protected him so well that when Woodlawn wore its white uniforms, he remained untouched.

In the 1968 season, he continued to master defenses, his quick release and mastery of reading blitzing schemes and his offensive-line protection giving him and his receivers time to beat the secondaries and dropping linebackers.

“He was just the perfect one,” Williams says now. “He would study defenses, work on it. He could call the checkdowns and the hot routes (to the tight end, to counter blitzes). He was just so quick and accurate throwing the ball.”

When the passing blitz began, Ferguson says he did not know what he was capable of doing.

“I knew I could throw the ball, that I had a better arm than most of the kids,” Ferguson said. “But I was just a day-to-day guy, get up and go, go to practice, go to throw, work on it.”

Ferguson had been only an average passer in his first 15 games as a starter, but Williams and the Woodlawn assistants saw the potential.

Against Airline, he set state records with 48 passes attempted, 28 completed. He totaled 317 yards and threw for three touchdowns, and Woodlawn pulled a 28-14 upset.

“It totally surprised me,” Ferguson said of the game plan. “He didn’t tell me before the game. He just kept calling passing plays and I kept throwing.”

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FOOTBALL COUNTRY MAGAZINE | AUGUST 2016

“He had the perfect attitude,” says Williams. “He’d stay late. He was the hardest worker I ever had, and I had a lot of hard workers.

“He was the easiest guy to coach, the pride, the work ethic. He wasn’t looking to promote Joe Ferguson; he was a team guy all the way. He was so coachable. He was a coach’s dream. You ask him to do something, and he was going to do it the very best he could. He was going to work on it until he got it right.”

In his 38 games as Woodlawn’s quarterback, the team’s record was 34-4 and in every game the Knights scored at least two touchdowns.

Ferguson threw for more than 100 yards in his last 25 games, often in the 300-yard range (he averaged 236 yards a game as a senior) and threw for three or more TDs in nine of his last 11 games.

As a senior, it wasn’t all a breeze. In the season opener, Woodlawn fell behind 21-6 at LaGrange (Lake Charles) before Ferguson heated up and led a 34-21 victory. In the state championship game against Sulphur -- a rematch of the 1965 final in which Bradshaw & Co. lost 12-9 on a rain-soaked night -- Ferguson threw four first-half interceptions, and for the only time Williams had some harsh words for him -- but he rallied the team for three second-half TDs in a 25-14 victory.

Typical of his attitude, he scored only two TDs himself in high school, one a QB sneak to cap the title victory. But he accounted for 600 points in three seasons.

“I always knew in the back of my mind that I was going to coach somewhere,” Ferguson said.

In the early 1990s, he joined the Louisiana Tech staff of his brotherin-law, Peace, coaching quarterbacks for a couple of seasons.

Arkansas won the huge recruiting battle -- he was considered the country’s No. 1 prospect -- and that left many LSU faithful unhappy.

Arkansas was willing to adapt its offense to Ferguson’s talents and its coaching staff included Joe Gibbs and Don Breaux -- later architects of three Super Bowl champion offenses with the Washington Redskins.

In 1995, at age 45, there was a brief -- and surprising -- return to pro football. As a favor to a former Bills’ head coach and his friend, Kay Stephenson, who was coaching the San Antonio Texans of the Canadian Football League, he was put on the roster to fill an injuryshortened QB position. He did not take a snap in a game.

Then he moved to the Fayetteville area, joined former Arkansas and NFL running back Jim Lindsey’s real-estate firm the first time, was the radio sideline member of the Razorbacks’ football announcing crew, and then coached Arkansas’ quarterbacks for four seasons.

In 2001, there was a mutual split with then-Arkansas head coach Houston Nutt, who wanted more of a recruiter in the position.

Part of what Nutt said then: “Joe is probably the greatest instructor we ever had. Footwork, first step, how to throw a ball. You don’t want anyone to teach your son how to throw a ball more than you would want Joe Ferguson to teach him. The biggest thing you’ll miss with Joe is his instruction, his knowledge of the game, his 18 years in the NFL. He’s the best technician of anybody you’ve been around.”

He would have a hit-and-miss career at Arkansas -- Southwest Conference “Player of the Year” as a junior, national player of the week in a 31-7 victory over the mighty University of Texas, and MVP of the Liberty Bowl, albeit in a 14-13 loss to Tennessee. Then as a senior, on a team with a struggling defense and running game, Arkansas coach Frank Broyles gave up on the passing game and left Ferguson on the bench for his last half-season.

By the next fall, he had turned being a thirdround NFL Draft choice into the starting QB job with Buffalo, beating out incumbent Dennis Shaw. So it was the rookie Ferguson handing off the ball to O.J. Simpson -- you might have heard of him -- in a record 2,003-yard rushing season.

Later in the decade, the Bills became Ferguson’s team. He played on some woeful Buffalo teams, but he also led them to the playoffs in 1980 and 1981 and several seasons ranked among the NFL passing leaders in several categories.

"He was the hardest worker I ever had and I had a lot of hard workers."

A.L. Williams on Joe Ferguson

He started every game but one for 12 years in Buffalo. Then a 1985 draft-day trade moved him to the Detroit Lions for three years, then it was on to Tampa Bay for two and finally a mop-up role (one game) with Indianapolis in 1990.

Then it was on to coaching. He had gotten a taste, helping Williams at Northwestern State while living in Natchitoches and working on his master’s degree in the off-season during the late 1970s. The relationship with his old coach grew during that period.

Ferguson and family moved back to Ruston, where Trey played quarterback at Ruston High School, coached by the first of the outstanding 1960s Woodlawn quarterbacks, Billy Laird.

Seven years older than Joe, Laird -- who died in June 2015 -- was an early hero of Joe’s and over the years became a close friend.

A couple of years later, the Fergusons moved back to Arkansas to a home on a lake in Bella Vista. It was then back to real estate, and family, fishing and fun -- and then battling cancer.

He is now healthy and happy and in “good shape now.”

“I still do a weight workout two-three times a week. I walk and jog a couple of days a week and eat three meals a day. That is the best part.”

Just as the best part, for his many fans and admirers, was watching Joe Ferguson play football for 30 years. In high school, few ever played better.

About the Author...

NICO VAN THYN spent more than 45 years as a sportswriter/sports editor, including 25 years in Shreveport (The Times and Journal) and a final decade as a sports copy editor with the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. He and his wife Bea reside in Fort Worth; they have two children and four grandchildren.

FOOTBALL COUNTRY MAGAZINE | AUGUST 2016

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Legends of the FALL

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A.L. Williams

FOOTBALL COUNTRY MAGAZINE | AUGUST 2016

Billy Laird

J

Joe Ferguson

Terry Bradshaw

FOOTBALL COUNTRY MAGAZINE | AUGUST 2016

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FOOTBALL COUNTRY GAMES OF THE WEEK WEEK ONE

VS.

Neville @ Ruston - The Neville Tigers, coming off a perfect season in 2015, will be headed west on I-20 to face the Bearcats. The Tigers won this one 2812 last year and are loaded again with talent that you will be able to watch play on Saturdays in the near future.

While coach Mickey McCarty stops short of calling this team the best that he has ever taken into a football season, he will say that it is the team with the most college offers. Nine players, eight seniors and one junior, on this team currently hold offers.

WEEK TWO BATTLE ON THE BORDER! @ Independence Stadium THURSDAY

VS.

This rivalry, the oldest in northeast Louisiana, celebrates 75 years this year.

“It’s everything a rivalry game should be,” legendary Ruston head coach “Chick” Childress said years ago. Childress, who passed away last year, was a Ruston High alum. When he told his wife that he was going to start his coaching career at Neville her response to the news was classic.

“Neville? Good Lord!”

That should give you a good sense of what this one means.

McCarty knows what it means to be a part of Ruston-Neville game. He watched it growing up as a youngster in Monroe.

“Having seen it when I was young and being a part of the atmosphere that surrounded the game in the 80s, I’m not sure our kids today understand how big it was back then.”

However, it wasn’t until McCarty was in college that he saw something in the Ruston and Neville rivalry that struck a cord with him.

“The mutual respect that Ruston’s Coach Childress and Neville’s Coach Charlie Brown had for each other was special,” McCarty said. “I think that is one of the greatest things in all of sports - to compete against an opponent where both sides have that level of respect for one another.”

And now, McCarty certainly has that for Ruston’s Brad Laird.

“I think Coach Laird and his staff do a really good job with their players,” McCarty said.”When you look at the entire series, it is really close. The thing that I love about it is that it is the first game of the year.”

Laird echoed McCarty’s sentiments about the RustonNeville rivalry.

“This rivalry was really made special because of the relationships of the people involved,” Laird said. “Certainly Coach Childress and Coach Brown had mutual respect for one another and that part of it has carried over to today with Mickey and I. For two...two and a half hours...we are doing everything that we can to beat them, but when it is over we walk across the field and shake hands. I think it is that way because we are both in it for the right reasons -to help kids, not only to reach their potential on the field, but to help them reach their potential off the field as well.”

FEARLESS FORECASTER - Neville 38, Ruston 7

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FOOTBALL COUNTRY MAGAZINE | AUGUST 2016

Byrd vs. St. Thomas More - Byrd coach Mike Suggs is 4-0 in Battle on the Border games. Most of the wins by the Yellow Jackets have not been close (Marshall and El Dorado come to mind). Last year they beat the Longview Lobos. They are playing up in class here. St. Thomas More is coached by Jim Hightower, who is the winningest coach in Louisiana behind John Curtis’ J.T. Curtis. After 40 years as head coach, Hightower has a record of 376-116. Curtis has a record of 54866-3.

“Byrd has a great program,” Hightower said. “I’ve heard rumors that they are not running the wing T, but I will believe it when I see it. They do a wonderful job of coaching those kids and having them prepared to play. We definitely will have our work cut out for us.”

Going into the 2016 season, coach Hightower is most concerned about the quarterback position. “We have had back-to-back three-year starters, so this is a little different situation for us this year. If we can get good quarterback play, I feel good about our wide receivers, Griffin Hebert and Mathew Lagrange.”

FEARLESS FORECASTER - C.E. Byrd 21, St. Thomas More 17

FRIDAY

VS.

West Monroe vs. John Curtis West Monroe head coach Jerry Arledge remembers the last time that the Rebels faced the John Curtis Patriots.

It was in the 2000 Hap Glaudi Classic that opened the season and was played in the Superdome. The Rebels came out on top 25-7. At the time, Coach Arledge was charged with stopping the punishing veer attack of Coach J.T. Curtis. Things are little different this time as Arledge enters his third season directing the program, taking over for legendary head coach Don Shows, who passed away in the spring of 2014.

“They are always well-coached,” Arledge said,. “and they always play hard.”

Before 2000, the Patriots and Rebels would get together to scrimmage, meeting at a Mississippi junior college halfway between New Orleans and West Monroe.

Arledge said that his coaches and players enjoy playing in the Battle on the Border because it allows his program to play quality teams, usually from different states. However, he does not agree philosophically with allowing private schools like Florida’s IMG Academy to take part in the event.

“It is not like they are going to bring fans from Florida to the Battle on the Border,” Arledge said. “It doesn’t make any sense.”

WEEK THREE

FEARLESS FORECASTER - West Monroe 21 John Curtis 14 Evangel vs. Neville - The Neville Tigers are no stranger to the Battle on the Border, having played Longview and Acadiana in the event in the past couple of years. Coach McCarty has come away impressed by the event organizers.

VS.

“From the coaches’ standpoint, they do a really good job of taking care of the teams that are involved,” McCarty said.

The Neville Tigers are 66-3 in the last five years with two of the three losses coming in state championship games. The other loss was against Longview in 2014 when the Lobos squeaked out a 19-13 win.

This game should be a defensive coach’s dream as Neville boasts three of the top 30 prospects of the 2017 class on its defense (Sr. DL Phidarian Mathis, 6’4, 287, Sr. CB Corey Straughter 5’11, 165, Sr. CB JaCorion Andrews 6’0, 191) while the Eagles have two of the top 10 ranked prospects from the 2018 class on their defense (Jr. DT Davin Cotton 6’1, 262; Jr. DB Ardarius Washington 5’10, 17).

“Should be a great night,” McCarty said. “West Monroe and John Curtis, Neville and Evangel. You think the fans will get their money’s worth?”

VS.

North Webster @ Minden - If you live in Webster Parish and you love your high school football, there is a good chance that you have Friday, September 6 marked on your calendar. Minden head coach Spencer Heard doesn’t know why that North Webster wasn’t on the schedule when he got to Minden, but that is beside the point now.

It made sense to Heard, who worked for North Webster coach John Ware for one year when he was at North Caddo, to renew the rivalry.

“It was the most well-attended game last year,” Heard said. “There were people lined around the track. It was something.”

Minden came out on top with a 27-20 win.

Other than the crowd, Heard said that his players were a little more amped up going in because of North Webster’s star running back - Devin White, who is now playing linebacker for the LSU Tigers.

“They were fired up to go up against a national-caliber recruit in White,” Heard said. “You also have to understand that these kids have been playing against each other since they played in little league.”

FEARLESS FORECASTER - Minden 28, North Webster 14

FEARLESS FORECASTER - Neville 28, Evangel 21

WEEK FOUR

SATURDAY

VS.

Parkway vs. Lufkin - When Parkway head coach David Feaster signed on with the Battle on the Border, he was particular about who his Panthers would play. Feaster said that the Panthers got the Marshall Mavericks “at the right time” when the program was rebuilding and the same could be said for last year’s win over Gladewater.

This year the Panthers step up in class and face the Lufkin Panthers.

“You drive by Lufkin and see the school and the facilities and wonder how in the world can you compete with that?,” Feaster said.

Of course Lufkin Coach Todd Quick could say the same about Parkway after watching highlights of juniors Justin Rogers and Terrace Marshall Jr., arguably one of the best QB/WR combos in country for the 2018 class. Both hold offers from LSU.

Lufkin knows a little about stepping up in class as it moves into 6A in Texas high school football. They are also proud of their own skill guys - QB Kordell Rodgers and WRs Dhailon Phillips and Malik Jackson. All three clock in the neighborhood of 4.5 in the 40-yard dash.

FEARLESS FORECASTER - Parkway 42, Lufkin 28

Loyola @ St. Mary - “Thank God he is gone,” Loyola head coach Steven Geter said after thinking back to last year’s game against the Tigers. You could say the Flyers are “Lucky” that No. 31 Josh Lucky graduated and is no longer playing on the defensive line for St. Mary.

VS.

The undersized defensive lineman was so quick that the Flyers had a hard time getting their hands on him in 2015, much less blocking him. He guided the Tigers to a 26-12 victory over the Flyers on their way to a season that would wind up on the turf in the Superdome, when St. Mary’s lost 36-2 to Southern Lab in the Division IV Select finals.

This year, Geter, who was promoted to head coach in the off season, hopes that off-season workouts, that looked more like Crossfit Championships and Spartan Races than traditional high school workouts, have the Flyers in better shape, both mentally and physically, to compete against programs like St. Marys.

The workouts were so intense that even some of the assistant coaches wondered if they were pushing the Flyers too hard. Geter assured the coaches that it was what Loyola needed to be more competitive on Friday nights.

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FOOTBALL COUNTRY GAMES OF THE WEEK He backed off some toward the end of the summer to allow his players to enter the season fresh and ready to go.

Loyola’s senior class has doubled in number to 22 this year.

The leadership of the senior group during the off-season and summer has impressed Geter.

“Guys like Ryan Raburn and Nick Henderson have done a great job of leading our linemen,” Geter said. “They show up and give everything they’ve got every day. The younger guys see that and fall in line.” Other leaders on the offensive side include RB Ethan Stansell, TE Johnathan Murphy and WR Brieco Savannah. Defensively, the Flyers will be led by DB Daniel Mazzanti, LB Myles Mitchell, and DL Savon Gipson. Loyola, the alma mater for Lou Groza Award winner and Louisville Cardinals kicker Art Carmody, will have Josh Hawboldt back handling the kicking chores for the Flyers.

FEARLESS FORECASTER - St. Mary 28, Loyola 24

best groups to come through Stonewall. It was one of the games that Moore learned about quickly from the players and coaches after taking over at Benton for Caleb Guidry who is now on the North DeSoto staff. Moore’s Tigers have found a way to win in the three straigh against the district rival.

While the love may not be there for the Griffins, there is an abundance of it when Moore talks about his junior quarterback Garrett Hable.

“If I had a daughter in high school,” Moore said, “I would make him date her. That is the kind of guy he is.”

Hable, who Moore says passed for 2,400 yards and rushed for 350, would be recruited by everybody in the state if he were 6’3 or 6’4, but he is 5’11. The junior stepped in during the Fair Park game as a true freshman with the Tigers trailing 18-6. He led the Tigers to victory that night and many more in the season and a half since. He was the District 1-4A co-MVP with Minden’s Lajarius Snead.

FEARLESS FORECASTER - Benton 28, North DeSoto 10

WEEK FIVE Benton @ North DeSoto “They don’t like us and we don’t like them.” Those words from Benton head coach Reynolds Moore sum it up pretty good.

Last season the Tigers beat the North Desoto Griffins 28-21. The year before that it was a 7-0 win for the Tigers, who scored right before halftime.

VS. The Tigers’ coach is quick to point out that there is no animosity between the schools head coaches. He and North Desoto head coach Scott Abernathy have coached All-Star football teams together and get along well.

Moore says the bad blood between the two goes back to 2012, the year before Moore became the Benton coach, when the Griffins “beat the crap” out of the Tigers. Benton was a sophomoreladen team that season, and the Griffins had one of their

FOOTBALL COUNTRY COLLEGE GAME(s) OF THE WEEK SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 3

Southern @ ULM

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 8

UIW @ Northwestern St. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 10

McNeese St. @ ULL

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 24

Northwestern St. @ Southeastern Louisiana SATURDAY, OCTOBER 1

UTEP @ Louisiana Tech

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​ enton coach Reynolds Moore takes a selfie with campers at the Manning Passing Academy. Airline’s B Bo Meeks is another area high school coach who works the MPA every summer.

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FOOTBALL COUNTRY MAGAZINE | AUGUST 2016

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FOOTBALL COUNTRY

COWBOYS!

When Dak Prescott dreamed as a little boy of making it to the big time, he probably didn’t picture it taking place in a fishing lodge on Toledo Bend. A simple room with wood panel walls, a TV that you would expect to find in a fishing camp, nothing fancy, tucked over in the corner but high enough for everyone in the room to see. But this room, a crowded room of 25 people, young and old, black and white, and a dog, is where it happened.

Prescott wouldn’t have it any other way.

If there was the typical shouting and initial celebration that you normally see when a player is drafted into the NFL, it wasn’t captured by Prescott’s football coach at Haughton High School, Rodney Guin, who was there on that day when the Dallas Cowboys made Prescott the 135th selection in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL Draft, a captured the moment on his cell phone and shared it on Facebook. What was captured was raw human emotion. Prescott bending down to give his grandmother a hug.

Then his brother with whom he locks on and sobs. Grown men, old men, men who have not cried a tear in 50 years, are seen in the background of the video wiping the strange moisture from their eyes.

Even the dog gets in on the action, barking with approval.

GIVING CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE - PART I Since that moment in the fish lodge on the bank of Toledo Bend, until this past summer - one which included Prescott honing his craft and making the camp circuit, the transition to the National Football League has been seamless. Prescott attributes that to Mississippi State’s head coach, Dan Mullen, the quarterback whisperer if you will, who cut his teeth in college football as an assistant for Urban Meyer since their days together at Bowling Green University.

“I give him 110 percent of the credit for helping me get where I am,” Prescott said. “He especially helped me with the mental side of the game. The film study. How to attack the game plan.”

During his time in Starkville with Mullen, Prescott became the most decorated player in Bulldogs history, winning All-American awards in 2014 and 2015 and becoming the proud owner of 38 school records. While his junior year, in which he finished 8th in the Heisman voting, saw him amass 4,435 yards in total offense and is considered to be his best in Starkville, it was the Arkansas game his senior year against QB Brandon Allen that Prescott and many Mississippi State fans may remember the most. Prescott threw for 554 yards on 38 completions, both Mississippi State single-game records, on that cold Saturday in November.

While life in the NFL thus far has been smooth for Prescott, it hasn’t come as video game-like as the Arkansas game his senior year. Prescott has had to learn the terminology of Jason Garrett’s Cowboys offense. In doing so he has found that many of the concepts are the same, they just have a different name or more possibilities attached.

But the struggle of learning new terminology is nothing compared to what Dak and his family have been through in the past few years.

GIVING CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE - PART II Dak is the youngest of Margaret “Peggy” Prescott’s three boys.

Peggy passed away in 2013, losing a courageous battle against colon cancer. There is not a day that goes by Prescott doesn’t think about his mother. In a sense, she is there - tattooed on his wrist, for every throw, complete or not.

“I give her all of the credit,” Prescott said about his mother. “She was the most selfless and hardworking person I have ever met. I feel her presence with me all the time.”

In those moments, Prescott will take out his phone and write notes to the woman who was his biggest fan.

“I know that she would be proud,” Prescott said, “for not only getting drafted, but I think she would be proud of the way that I have handled myself after making the mistakes I have made.”

Unlike many athletes today, Prescott doesn’t deflect, make excuses for, or make light of his mistakes, mainly a DUI in March.

He has owned them. He has also learned from them and moved on.

GIVING CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE - PART III The first memories that Guin has of him was when Prescott was in the 7th grade. “You could watch him play as a 7th grader and see the way that he led his teammates and see the way he carried himself at that young age,” Guin said. “We knew that he was going to be special.”

Even watching him in middle school, Guin knew who Prescott was because he had been hanging around the facility with his older brothers. “We had a Prescott at Haughton for 12 years,” Guin said.

And perhaps it was that or maybe something else, but the two connected on deeper level than just player and coach.

“He is like a dad to me,” Prescott says. “It goes back to just hanging around the locker room and the field watching my older brothers play.”

Prescott gives Guin credit for helping him develop into the man that he is today.

“Just watching,” Prescott says, “from the way that he has handled the adversity that he he has faced to watching him live his life on a daily basis through high school, it gives me tools that I can use to be the best man that I can possibly be.”

That desire. The desire to be the best. The desire to win. It is something that Guin could see early on and was part of what contributed to the bond that the two men share to this day.

“He wants to win,” Guin said. “At everything. It doesn’t matter if it is pickup basketball or fishing. He wants to win and is always trying to better himself. It has been special for me to watch. You know, he hasn’t been given a whole lot. He has had to work for everything that he has achieved. To see him attain it now, it’s really neat.”

His high school football coach isn’t the only one to be impressed with Prescott. Fair Park and LSU alum Morris Claiborne, entering his fifth year at cornerback for the Cowboys, has been impressed with what he has seen from the rookie in OTAs.

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Winning the Jim Thorpe Award in 2011 as college football’s best defensive back and being a No. 6 first-round selection by America’s Team, it hasn’t always been this way for the self-made Claiborne.

In July of 2008, Claiborne was just another face in the crowd of 700 plus at the LSU Football Camp. He worked in the wide receiver group along with Bastrop High Schools quarterback Rueben Randle.

LSU high school liaison coach - Charlie Baglio asked LSU wide receivers coach D.J. McCarthy about the prospect out of Fair Park High School. McCarthy shrugged. Baglio was impressed.

And, according to Claiborne, so was Les Miles. And that was all that mattered.

“That is when it all started,” Claiborne said. “He called me up to his office at the end of camp and asked me if I wanted to be an LSU Tiger. I told him yes. He said that he would do everything that he could to make that happen.”

Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott speaks to campers at the Morris Claiborne Foundation Camp at Independence Stadium.

“He can make all the throws,” Claiborne said. “The deep dig that some rookies struggle to throw when they are coming out of college. He can throw it just like (Tony)Romo. He has a bright future ahead of him.”

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES Claiborne is excited about more than his new teammate from Football Country. For starters, he is excited about the summer that he has had. A summer that allowed him to do what he couldn’t really do last summer -- improve through training.

“Last summer was mostly rehab,” Claiborne said. “This summer I have had the opportunity to do what everyone did last summer and that is work hard to get better, because I was in rehab mode last summer, I really couldn’t do all of those little things.”

Those “things” include getting stronger and being more physical at the line of scrimmage. “I’m focusing on doing more work at the front end of the down,” Morris said.

There have been rumors out of Dallas that Claiborne worked primarily on the left side of the defense and that the Cowboys have moved Brandon Carr to the right side. If true, that could mean more opportunities for Claiborne to have more interceptions in 2016. Most quarterbacks are right-handed and thus the majority of the throws are to the right. More interceptions by Claiborne would make Cowboys fans very happy, and No. 24, too. Claiborne had one interception in each of his first three years as a Cowboy.

Claiborne was asked about the difference in LSU and Dallas Cowboys fans.

Claiborne left the camp with a good feeling. While Claiborne held onto Miles’ words, it became unsettling that he did not have an offer. Especially after the season ended and there was no word yet out of Baton Rouge. While he waited on LSU to pull the trigger with the offer, Claiborne continued to grind with his high school coach and mentor - Ken Prude.

“I was going to put in the work to continue to get better,” Claiborne said. “Coach Prude helped me get better at the little things.”

The offer finally came after the season in December, considered the 11th hour in the recruiting game. Claiborne committed.

“They wanted to grayshirt me,” Claiborne said. “I told them that I couldn’t afford that.”

It wasn’t until that meeting in Miles’ office that Claiborne seriously considered going to college and playing football. “I didn’t play football to go to college,” Claiborne said. “I played football because it was something that I loved to do.”

At LSU Claiborne played as a true freshman but did not play a big role behind Patrick Peterson. It was a breakout sophomore season that put Claiborne on the map. He continued to improve and won the Jim Thorpe Award, making him the second LSU corner to win the award in as many years after Peterson won it in 2010.

Despite the national awards and NFL career, Claiborne has found time every summer to return home and host the Morris Claiborne Foundation Football Camp. Over 400 kids enjoyed the opportunity in June to be coached by and listen to Claiborne, Prescott, and LSU’s Tre’davious White.

“It is just one of the things that I love,” Claiborne said. “In the future I want to do some other things, but to come together with these kids and help them achieve the same dreams that I had when I was their age, it is something special. They could be sleeping in or playing video games, but they are out here getting better.”

“Oh, God,” he said with a smile. “Believe it or not, there is not much difference. Dallas is just on a bigger scale. Both fan bases are hard. They want what’s best for their team, obviously, and let you know about it in any way that they can.”

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X’s and O’s

By Seth Stowell, Airline High School Defensive Coordinator First I would like to thank Jerry for asking me to write an article in the inaugural issue of Football Country. I am honored and humbled that he would ask me to write about coverage. I don’t have all the answers but I am happy to share and perhaps someone may benefit from this information. I always enjoy picking up new ideas or hearing how other coaches teach concepts.

When implementing a coverage there are several questions coaches must ask themselves. Probably the main question would be what type of personnel do we have in our program? There are strengths and weaknesses to every coverage so I believe it is important to know your personnel and what your personnel can or cannot do.

You can work hard to implement a coverage but if your personnel cannot execute the coverage then it is no good. The next important concept is that whatever coverage you implement you as a coach and the staff have to believe in that coverage and then you have to sell it to your players. Buy in from coaches and players can sometimes overcome a weakness in scheme.

In this article I will be breaking down our base coverage at Airline which we call 2 Read. There are many different philosophies and ideas about coverage and how to play different coverages and where players need to have their eyes. I will detail some things we do here at Airline. This is not to say it is the right way or the only way it’s just the way we teach it here. There are basically two types of coverage – man coverage or zone coverage. In man coverage each of the defensive backs has a man (receiver or back) they are responsible for and wherever that man goes the defensive back will follow. In zone coverage each of the defensive backs has an area of the field or zone which they will drop to when the offense chooses to pass. Our base 2 read coverage is a mix of man and zone and whether it is man or zone is determined by what the receivers do on the snap of the ball. 2 Read is also hybrid of old Cover 2 and Quarters coverage and again this is dictated by what the receivers do on the snap of the ball. Since it is a type of Cover 2 with two high safeties on the hash that is where the 2 comes from in the call. The read part comes from specific players in the secondary reading the #2 receiver on offense. This is why we call it 2 Read.

As I begin to detail our 2 Read coverage I will start with alignments of the secondary and linebackers. (Diagram A) We label our secondary two corners, a strong safety (SS), a free safety (FS), a weak safety (WS), a mike backer (M), and a will (W) backer. Our Corners are right and left corners meaning they stay on the same side and do not switch sides. The Strong Safety and Free Safety will always go to the wide side of the field. Anytime the ball is outside of the uprights on the goal post we have a wide side of the field. If the ball is in the middle then the Strong Safety and Free Safety will go to the defensive left side. The Weak Safety will go to the short side of the field. The Mike and Will backers will align according to the front and where formation.

2 Read they set the strength of the offensive Ball on Defensive Right Hash – Wide Side Le:

#1

#2

SS

#3

M

#2

#1

#2

SS

#3

M

#2

W C

FS

WS

Diagram B

Now that we have alignments of positions in secondary I will detail the assignments of each position in the secondary in 2 read. As I stated previously the Corners, FS, and WS will read the number 2 receiver and what he does on the snap of the ball. There are basically 3 releases by a #2 receiver. He can go vertical, in, or out. I will go over the vertical release first. If the number 2 receiver releases vertical on the snap then both Corners, FS, and WS will lock on to their man. (Diagram B) Their base rule is anything over 5 yards the receiver becomes my man. In the example of Diagram B the Corners would lock on to the #1 receivers and the FS and WS would lock on the #2 receivers. The SS on the snap and reading pass would take his eyes to the #2 receiver and work to re-route the receiver with his hands and the sink to a depth of 10-12 yards. The Will upon reading pass would flip to the #2 receiver to his side and wall the #2 receiver and sink to a depth of 10-12 yards. As the SS and Will are working to re-route the #2 receiver to their side they are listing for the Corners to make a ‘China’ call. I explain the ‘China’ call in the next paragraph.

The Mike after getting his run/pass read would check the #3 (RB) vertical. If the #3 were to go vertical then the Mike would take him man to man. If the #3 is not vertical then the Mike would drop to the middle 2 Read at 10-12 yards.

Ball on Defensive Right Hash – Wide Side Le:

#1

#2

SS

#3

M

#2

#1

W C

C

#1

#1

C

FS

W

WS

C

C

FS

WS

Diagram A

Alignments of each position are as follows: Corners will align 1 yard outside of the number 1 receiver and 5 to 7 yards deep depending on the type of offense we are seeing. They will be tilted inside and have 36

their eyes on the #2 receiver. If they do not have a #2 receiver to their side their eyes will be in the backfield. The FS and WS will align on the 2 yards outside of the hash and anywhere from 8 to 12 yards deep depending on the type of offense. The FS and WS will have their eyes on the #2 receiver to their side. If they do not have a #2 receiver to their side then their eyes will read the backfield. The SS will align head up on the #2 receiver at a depth of 4 yards. If the #2 receiver is a Tight End then the SS will play 4 yards deep and 4 yards wide. The SS reads through the end man on the line of scrimmage to the backfield for his run and pass key. The Mike and Will align at 4.5 yards and their eyes are on the near Ball on Defensive Right Hash – Wide Side Le: back.

2 Read

FOOTBALL COUNTRY MAGAZINE | AUGUST 2016

Diagram C

In the next scenario we will see what happens when the #2 is vertical but the #1 receiver does something short under 5 yards. This is where a ‘China’ call comes into play for the Corners, SS, and the Will. In Diagram C you will see how this plays out. On the snap the Corners see the #2 releases vertical so they transfer their eyes to the #1 receiver. When the #1 receiver runs a quick hitch or quick out the Corners will begin to shout ‘China’ to the SS and Will. As soon the

SS and Will hear the ‘China’ call they will turn, find, and run to the #1 receiver. (Diagram C) The Corners will continue to drop and look to help on the #2 receiver. Since #2 is vertical over 5 yards the FS and WS will lock on man to man with the #2. The Mike’s rule stays the same in this scenario.

2 Read Ball on Defensive Right Hash – Wide Side Le:

#1

#2

SS

#3

M

#2

#1

W C

C

WS

FS

Diagram F will show and I will explain the progression if a #2 goes in on a shallow route on the snap. I will start on the side in which the shallow route occurs. The WS sees the #2 break in so he immediately turns and finds the #1 receiver to his side and helps on the #1. The Corner to the side of the shallow now knows he can lock on #1 man to man. The Will turns to wall #2. When he sees the #2 come inside on the shallow route he will begin to yell “Mesh” repeatedly to the Mike. The Will now sinks and widens with the #3 on a flare route out of the backfield. When the Mike hears “Mesh” coming from his right he will now turn to his left and look for the dig route coming back to him from the other side. The Mike will also repeat the “Mesh” call to the SS. When the SS hears “Mesh” coming from his right he will turn to his right and jump the shallow route coming back to him. The Corner and FS to the Post/Dig side read #2 like normal and see that both are vertical so they lock on man to Ball on Defensive Right Hash – Wide Side Le: man.

2 Read

#1

Diagram D

I will now detail what occurs when the #2 goes out on the snap of the ball. In Diagram D we will see the #2 run what is termed a bubble route and in Diagram E we will see the #2 run a quick out. As soon as the Corners see the #2 break out (under 5 yards) they will jump the #2. (Diagram D) When the FS and WS see the #2 break out they will transfer their eyes and locate the #1. The SS and Will work to get under the #1 when they see the #2 go out on the snap.

In Diagram E you see a slightly different scenario when the #2 runs a quick out at a depth of 4 to 5 yards and the #1 is vertical. The Corners rule stays the same. When they see the #2 break out quick they will jump the #2. The FS and WS same rule applies in Diagram E but now they have to work hard and sprint to the #1. The SS and Will work to re-route #2 and when they see the #2 break out they will work to help on the #2 on a quick out. The Mike applies his same rule in these scenarios.

2 Read Ball on Defensive Right Hash – Wide Side Le:

#1

#2

SS

#3

M

#2

#1

#3

#2

SS C

FS

M

#2

W “MESH”

#1

C

WS

Diagram F

This concludes basic information for our 2 Read coverage at Airline.

What I have shown you has been against all 2x2 formations where there are two receivers on each side of the ball. When faced with Trips formations there are a few changes but the majority of our rules stay the same. The neat and fun component of 2 Read is when faced with Trips there are several different things you can do depending on what the offense gives you. My hope is this information was explained in a clear manner and information is useful to you as a coach. For more information or questions please do not hesitate to contact me at seth.stowell@bossierschools.org.

W C

C

FS

WS

Diagram E

About the Author...

SETH STOWELL A former player at Huntington High School and Ouachtia Baptist University, Seth Stowell has coached high school for 16 years. He is currently the defensive coordinator at Airline High School. He and his wife Stephanie have two children, Emma (6) and Judson (4 months).

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Commitment!

By Terry Slack Director of Louisiana Fellowship of Christian Athletes

“Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be achieved.”

PROVERBS 16:3 Through the ministry of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, I have the privilege and opportunity to visit with many coaches. I was a high school coach for 16 years, and many other years when my son was young. I understand what coaches go through during the daily “grind.” The definition of commitment is “the act of entrusting or giving in charge to another’s care.” I believe, the verse above tells us what we should be committed to as coaches. Achieving your plans is in direct proportion to your commitment to the Lord. How do your plans line up with what God has for you, and your players? I believe the definition of a coach is “someone who takes their players from where they are to where they want to go, or need to go.” Where are they when they come to you, and where will you take them?

The most disappointing thing in coaching is when a player has great potential, but is content to be a mediocre player. This really frustrates a coach. There are many great athletes that never even play enough to earn a letter because of their lack of commitment. They appear to be apathetic toward nearly everything they do. All they look forward to is the end of practice, dinner time and sundown.

In 1964, Nepalese fighters know as Gurkhas were asked if they would jump from airplanes into combat against the Indonesians. Although the Gurkhas did not completely understand what they were being asked, they agreed. Their only request was that the airplanes fly low and slowly over a swampy area, no higher than 100 feet. When told their parachute would not have time to open at that height, the Gurkhas replied, “You did not tell us we would be wearing parachutes!” Incredibly, the Gurkhas fighters were willing to jump without a parachute! They were willing to risk their lives for the cause they were fighting for! Now that is commitment!

Making a commitment to Christ will be the most demanding one that we will ever make, but the reward is hearing, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” Again, our success will be in direct proportion to how committed we are. When we decide to follow Christ, we make a commitment to believe in one God, in His Son, Jesus Christ, whom He sent to pay the price for our sins on the Cross of Calvary. We accept Christ – He bore the price for our sin. We commit ourselves, when we accept Christ, to follow Him and become His disciple, to make Him the Lord of our life, to surrender so that His will be done in our life. We commit ourselves to be His witness right here and now and wherever we go. Our deeds must speak louder than the creeds we recite. Our appetites, our desires, must be in keeping with what Christ would have us do. Jesus gives us the strength to carry out these actions by the power of His Holy Spirit.

Lack of commitment, and leadership, are a couple of comments that coaches share with our FCA staff when we are on their campus.

Unfortunately, our society and culture today, leads all of us toward a lack of commitment. There is a lot of “talking” about commitment in today’s world, but it is “don’t tell me, show me” when it comes to complete commitment! Young people see a lack of commitment, or half-hearted commitment, all around them – in their homes, neighborhoods and schools. They even hear of a player’s “commitment” to play college football somewhere, but it is described as “verbal and nonbinding”, as they continue to explore other options.

For the majority of your players, you, the coach, are the male figure in their life. Your players need to know that you care, before they care what you know. I encourage you to coach “the heart behind the jersey”. Go beyond the X’s and O’s of the game. Talk to your players about other things in their life, beyond the field, or court. Go to their homes and find out more about the world they live in.

As I look back on the many athletes I had the privilege to coach, I can recall them coming in all shapes, sizes and forms. They all had different skill sets and talents. But, the ones that rose above the others had one thing in common – COMMITMENT! They were committed to excellence in all things.

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The Lord must grieve when He sees us with many gifts and talents that He has bestowed on us, and we are not committed to excellence, or lukewarm. I know it is difficult as a coach when we have an uncommitted athlete. I am sure it grieves the Lord’s heart to see an undisciplined, halfhearted commitment on the part of His disciples.

Like in sports, Christianity is loaded with halfhearted commitments.

A team might only have a very few players totally committed to greatness, and there may be few Christians we meet who are really committed to being a true child of God. We all want to become committed. We talk in an impressive fashion and dream about greatness; but when the time comes for blood, sweat and tears, our commitment wanes. God hates a lukewarm, half-hearted effort. One of most direct admonitions in the Bible is found in Revelations 3:16: “So then because you are lukewarm, and neither hot or cold, I will spit you out of my mouth”. Have you committed your life to serve the Master Coach? He is looking for, and desires, totally committed people. One person totally committed to Christ can change a team, or a campus.

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Neville’s Eye of the Tiger High school football coaches are notorious for their mottos. Seems like most have a different mottos every year. Either a sign in the locker room or a few words on a T-shirt seems to do the trick. Neville’s head football coach, Mickey McCarty, started a motto in 2011 - WIN THE DAY! In the five years since the Tigers are 66-3.

The three games that the Tigers have lost were by 7,3, and 6 points respectively. In that same span, no other team in Louisiana has been more dominant.

WIN THE DAY! On Forsythe Ave. it is more than a catchphrase.

McCarty wears it on a black plastic bracelet with white lettering.

That is not to say that he wears it on Friday nights or out to practice. He wears it every single day.

“We did that during the off season in 2011,” McCarty said. “It was a way for us to ask the players ‘did you do everything you could Neville’s Mickey McCarty surveys the field during the Tigers 2015 jamboree. to get better today.’”

McCarty explains that it is not just about football, but a life lesson that his players can take with them. A tool that they can use to maximize their potential in their chosen career but also as a husband and a father.

It wasn’t the motto that helped the Tigers go from good to great. Sure, the coaching staff used that as motivation during the last five years of dominance. McCarty credits the 2009 Neville team that went 13-1 and won the state championship by beating Franklinton 31-15 that helped the Tigers turn the corner.

“There were a bunch of seniors on that team that wanted to restore the glory to Neville football,” McCarty said. “They were hungry.”

Fast forward to 2016. McCarty will send out a Tiger team that has 4 of the top 30 senior prospects in the state of Louisiana according to 24/7 Sports.

While McCarty stops short of calling this team the best that he has ever gone into a season with at Neville, he will say that it is the team 40

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with the most scholarship offers that he has ever had. Eight Neville Tiger seniors and one underclassmen hold offers.

Not that any of Neville’s opposing coaches will feel sorry for McCarty, it does present him with some unique challenges for the head ball coach and his staff.

“We talk about it as a staff, that we have to find different ways to coach them,” McCarty said.

“We research different techniques that we can teach them and go deeper into the playbook with them.”

Defensive tackle Phidarian Mathis is ranked at No. 12 in the top prospects of the 2017 class. In a span of five days in April, the 6’4, 287 pound senior received offers from Alabama, Florida, Tennessee, Mississippi State, Texas A&M and Oklahoma St. He also has an offer from LSU. JaCorian Andrews is the No. 21 ranked 2017 prospect in the state. Andrews is a 6’0, 191 pound cornerback for the Tigers.

Corey Straughter is the No. 29 ranked 2017 prospect in the state. Straughter is a 5’11, 165 pound cornerback.

Jaiden Cole is the No. 30 ranked 2017 prospect in the state. Cole is 6’1, 195 pound quarterback.

He is being recruited as an athlete.

West Monroe, Lutcher, and Brother Martin all have two prospects in the Top 30. Neville has four.

The “fearsome foursome” as the News-Star called them this summer in a tweet about about NELA’s prized recruits were not the only ones that caught Coach McCarty’s eye during spring football.

Defensive End Anthony Freeman and senior Center Connor King stood out to McCarty has players that had a great spring practice.

Freeman’s development was welcome because, despite the presence of Mathis, Neville will be without the 6’3, 310 pound Neville alum Rashard Lawerance, who helped the Tigers to a 15-0 state defensive lineman Rashard championship, is now playing on the defensive line for the LSU Tigers.

Lawrence, who was the No.

4 prospect in the state a year ago and is now playing the same position with the LSU Tigers..

King replaces an all-state center for the Tigers.

“He really stepped up this spring,” McCarty said.

“He kept getting better and better and was a pleasant surprise.”

McCarty has heard legendary Florida State coach Bobby Bowden talk about how coaches can become a victim of their own success in terms of expectations among the fan base. Like his football players, McCarty says that the Neville fan base has not grown complacent and there is continued excitement around the program.

The trickle down effect of the Tiger’s success on the feeder schools and youth programs is something that has McCarty fired up about the future of Neville football.

“Seeing the kids run around in their Neville T-shirts is exciting,” McCarty said. “They want to be a part of the program.”

Having grown up in the Monroe and playing football at Ouachita, McCarty understands the rich tradition of the Neville Tigers. He understood it more when he joined the staff as a freshmen football coach for Joe Coates in 1995, serving in that capacity for two years before joining the varsity staff. Now, as head coach he finds himself constantly talking to his players about the history and tradition of Neville football.

McCarty, who started as a freshmen coach in 1995, has led the Tigers to a 66-3 mark over the last five seasons.

“When the school board built our fieldhouse and we named it the Charlie Brown Field House, we made sure to include the pictures of the Coach Brown era along with some from today to tie the two together.”

“Some grasp what it means to be a Neville Tiger,” McCarty said. “And some don’t. The older you get the smarter you become. The players of this generation are very unique, to say the least, but when our players take the field they know they are representing not only the people that they can see in the stands, but also a great number of Neville Tigers all over the nation.”

#WinTheDay FOOTBALL COUNTRY MAGAZINE | AUGUST 2016

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Community means everything.

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ULM Coaches Prove You CAN Go Home Again Apologies to Thomas Wolfe, but new University of Louisiana-Monroe defensive coordinator Mike Collins and new offensive line coach Rob Sale proved the famous author wrong during the off-season.

In fact, you CAN go home again. That is exactly what the men found themselves doing, returning to Monroe to coach the ULM Warhawks during the first few months of 2016.

After Signing Day in early February, the staff had to quickly shift gears, evaluate the ULM team and prepare for spring practice. It decided what systems to install and drill progressions to best help the players. Then came spring practices, and then it was time to get back on the road in April and May to begin work on the 2017 recruiting class. The job is never done. “It was quite the process,” Collins said of the transition.

During spring practices, most of the Warhawks adjusted to Viator and Collins’ methods. Some, however, did not. “That’s fine,” Collins said. “We told them going in, ‘this is what we are going to do’ and ‘this is how we are going to do it.’ Our players, the ones that want to win and be successful, responded to the changes.” The biggest change for the players was tempo and tougher coaching.

“Our tempo is fast. Our drills are fast. We are on and off the field fast,” Collins said. “That was different for them. They did a good job of adjusting to the tempo we wanted. “I also told them to listen to what I said, and not how I said it,” Collins said. “They had to learn that when I raise my voice I am getting excited and I want them to get excited about doing it the right way.”

ULM defensive coordinator Mike Collins encourages his players during spring drills.

Last Dec. 13, a Sunday, Collins was sitting in his office in Huntsville, Texas. The defensive coordinator’s Sam Houston State team was fresh off a 48-21 “tail-whipping” -- beaten by Colgate in the quarterfinals of the Football Championships Subdivision (FCS) playoffs when he got a call from his previous boss.

The linebacking corps impressed Collins with how well they picked up the new defense. “We put a lot on our linebackers and defensive backs,” Collins said. “I think the linebackers did really well.” Collins’ defense will be “extremely young” in 2016. Keeping the unit healthy is a major concern because there is a lack of depth. That will be something to watch early in the season, especially with a trip to Norman, Okla., to face the Oklahoma Sooners in week two.

ULM’s newly appointed head football coach, Matt Viator, was the voice on the other end. He wanted Collins to come home to Monroe and join his staff. For Collins, it was the worst of times -- losing a playoff game -- to the best of times -- returning to his hometown and accepting a position at his alma mater. “This has always been a special place to me,” Collins said. “It is ... a place where I have spent a lot of time and put in a lot of hard work.”

Collins, the son of former ULM head football coach and Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame member Pat Collins, first coached at ULM as a graduate assistant in the 1983 and 1984 seasons. After five seasons at Ouachita Parish High School, Collins went to McNeese State and spent seven seasons before returning to coach at ULM in 1998. He remained until 2002.

Collins and his wife Teri, who graduated from ULM and was a member of the Warbonnets dance team, made the trip to Monroe for Christmas in two cars. Mike’s parents live in Calhoun; Teri’s parents live in Monroe. The couple spent time in both homes over the break before Teri traveled back to Huntsville to prepare to make the move.

“I’m not sure if she was excited at first,” Collins said, “but when we made the decision and it started getting closer to time to move, I know she started to get excited.” Both of Teri’s parents have had medical issues and the Collins family was grateful for the opportunity to be closer to home and closer to family. But that was not the only thing. “This is her university, too,” said Mike. “She graduated from here and has many friends here as well.”

Viator was not as fortunate as Collins. He did not have family in the area and opted to stay in a dorm room for about a month during the transition. For Collins, there was hardly time to relish the return to Ouachita Parish; he “hit the ground running.” The first order of business was the 2016 recruiting class.

New offensive line coach Rob Sale returns to his hometown after a one year stint with the Georgia Bulldogs.

While Collins was getting acquainted with the players on defense, Sale was coaching the Warhawks’ offensive line, preparing for this season. Sale left McNeese State and Viator’s staff after the 2014 season for a position on Mark Richt’s staff at the University of Georgia. He realized the risk. “Coach Richt was on the hot seat when I took the job,” Sale said. “I knew that going in. It’s just part of the business.”

Following the 2015 season, Richt and Georgia parted ways, and Richt moved on as head coach at his alma mater, Miami. Sale, a former LSU offensive lineman under coach Nick Saban and later on Saban’s support staff at Alabama, came back to Louisiana.

FOOTBALL COUNTRY MAGAZINE | AUGUST 2016

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COACH’S CORNER Mike Suggs has coached football at C.E. Byrd High School for 25 years, the last 18 as the head coach. He has amassed over 200 wins, becoming the winningest coach in school history. In 2015 he coached his son, Andrew Suggs, who was a senior wide receiver and punter for the Yellow Jackets. Football Country Magazine sat down with Coach Suggs to reflect on the experience.

FCM: In 10 years, when someone asks you what it was like coaching your son at Byrd High School, what moment will pop into your head?

FCM: What advice would you give other coaches that will be coaching their son either this year or in the future?

MS: “The last game. The playoff game against Landry Walker. The emotions of knowing that it was the last game that I would coach him. You question yourself. What if I had done this or that. At the end of it you hope that he looks back on it with good memories instead of the other.”

MS: “That is hard to say because every kid is different and every father-son relationship is a little different.

What works for one may not work for the other.

Our experience was a little bit different for us because while Andrew played football, it wasn’t his love. He loves baseball.”

FCM: What was the toughest part of coaching your son?

MS: “It goes back to seeing so many fathers through the years coaching their kid. On the one hand there is the father that thinks that their son could do no wrong. On the other hand there are dads that are harder on their kid than they were on everyone else. I knew that in coaching my son I didn’t want to be on either of those spectrums. I wanted to find the middle. I’m not sure I ever found it.

If he was going to play at Byrd, he was going to earn it. I evaluated him and our other coaches evaluated him. I let them use him how they thought was best.”

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FCM: Did your wife ever have to referee arguments at the house?

MS: “Sandy didn’t really have to do that. We didn’t talk about football very much at the house. For the most part, the only time we talked football is when he had a question about something and usually that came when we were watching a game together. I wasn’t one of the guys that said, ‘Come here, boy, and watch this film.’...

When we both had free time, we would go fishing or hunting. As for Sandy, she become more involved in what was going on when Callie (Mike and Sandy’s daughter) became a cheerleader and then through Andrew’s playing days.”

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45

Department of Defense It is common knowledge that the Department of Defense is in Washington D.C., but as far as high school football is concerned in North Louisiana, it might as well be housed on Broadacres Rd. in the field house at Evangel Christian Academy.

Wait. Defense? That’s right. This isn’t your daddy’s Evangel. And the “Minister of Defense,” Evangel’s head coach Byron Dawson is excited about what could possibly be the best unit that takes the field in Football Country in 2016.

The best ever? That remains to be seen.

“In 2009 and 2010 we had the highest-ranked defense in all classes in the state of Louisiana,” said Dawson, who was defensive coordinator then. “This group has the potential to be better.”

Dawson’s optimism comes from watching the baby Eagles grow up on Friday nights in 2015.

“We played with a very young defense last year,” he said. “They are a little wiser from the experience and I think could be the best that we have ever had here.”

If Dawson is the Minister of Defense, the secretaries of the Eagels’ defense this year are defensive tackles Darious Cotten and free safety Ardarius Washington. Both players keep even the most seasoned offensive minds in 1-5A awake at nights.

The thinking behind building from middle of the defensive line back comes from Dawson’s days of being a star player for Nick Saban at LSU. “The Nose tackle is considered the toughest in football.

Starting there is something that I took from Saban during my playing days.”

Cotton has seven SEC offers.

Washington has seen a change in his teammates from a year ago.

Coach Dawson looks on his Eagles play their first game in the Airline 7-on-7 Tournament.

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N EVA

On the back end of defense, Dawson has Washington, who he describes as a “ballhawk”, to make the right calls and checks for the Evangel defense. Washington has several offers as well.

The scary thing for offenses in 1-5A is that both of these highly sought-after players are only juniors this year.

G EL CH R IS

“Last year we had guys that missed workouts or would show up late,” Washington said.

“This year we are showing up early and putting in extra work. We are focused.”

Another aspect of their game that has improved from last season is comprehension.

“We under the ‘why’ better this year,” Washington said. “Last year, we just didn’t have that understanding.”

As for the attention from recruiters? “All I am focused on is a (state championship)ring,” Washington said.

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With so many players garnering attention, Dawson has had to constantly check the thermostat of his team and drive home the point that if the teams doesn’t have success, personal successes don’t matter.

“I tell them that the better the team is, the better that they will be and the more looks they will have to get noticed by a college coach.”

The architect behind the defense credits Ronnie Alexander and Saban for their influence on his coaching career.

“I was blessed to play for the best defensive mind in the state in Ronnie Alexander during my playing days at Evangel and then I went to LSU and played for the best defensive coach in the nation,” Dawson said. Among other things he learned from Coach Dawson and his son, Jayden, pose for a picture these two mentors is the after Evangel’s football youth camp. attention to detail and “technique over everything” mentality that he has used to help the Eagles.

And then there is a September 2nd date with the Allen (Texas) in their $60 million dollar stadium . On paper, the matchup looks like a poor man’s David vs. Goliath, but Dawson likens the matchup to another biblical truth.

DE MY

“The Bible says that Iron sharpens iron,” Dawson said. “If we didn’t play team like this, we would never know how good we are. Once you get past the mental block of their size, you realize that they can only have 11 players on the field at one time.”

A C A N A I ST

Coach Dawson talks to his team after beating LaGrange in their first game of the Airline 7-on-7 tournament.

FOOTBALL COUNTRY MAGAZINE | AUGUST 2016

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Overtime

By Tim Fletcher

“Select. Non-select.”

The sequel.

Or is this the third straight summer of discontent among the Louisiana High School Athletic Association members?

Who’s counting? Isn’t keeping the bad blood pumping between several private and public school principals and coaches what truly matters? Sure seems that way.

The rhetoric lobbed back and forth between the two factions---schools whose enrollment is determined by finite boundaries versus the schools who can enroll students from outside district/city/parish lines--reached a new (low?) level in July. The summer eruption came after a buildup in the winter and spring.

“So, let me get this straight. I’m going to compete in district games against schools that can damage my record and playoff seeding but…aren’t eligible to line up against us in the playoffs?”

“Correct” “That makes no sense.”

“Exactly. So is that a vote to split?”

“I guess? Nothing else better to choose from, huh?”

“Just vote.”

“Okay.”

The unrest among the principals reached a boiling point In early January. LHSAA executive director Eddie Bonine announced the original split into select/non-select for the football playoffs in 2013, was unconstitutional-opening the floor for other proposals. For many of those who believed their winning vote to split the football playoffs was a step toward resolution, this was not welcome news.

Bonine, who arrived in Baton Rouge a year and a half ago from Nevada where he held the same post, was clearly fed up with the fissure among the principals.

This spring, in an e-mail to the National Federation of High School Associations, Bonine referred to the quagmire in Louisiana as a “dumpster fire”, complete with a picture of an actual dumpster on fire. This attempt at humor, meant only for the eyes of the recipient, was leaked and made its way to Louisiana.

The sarcasm was lost among those in the dumpster.

In late January, the majority of principals voted to split the “major” sports of football, baseball, softball as well as boys and girls basketball into “select (schools that can be attended by students outside the district/city/parish)” and “non-select (schools populated by students inside a definitive border)”.

The split would occur only during post-season play, which actually makes it more odd.

Embarrassed, several rule-makers in the LHSAA figured it was time to take charge of the situation.

Some of those with votes in the LHSAA wondered if Bonine was purposely torpedoing his stint in Louisiana. From day one on the job, it seemed like Bonine wanted to bring schools back together under one umbrella. With that possibility completely off the table, perhaps Bonine was ready to move on.

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Overtime If Bonine was trying to force the Association’s hand, it was working. In mid-July, Bonine was reportedly on his way out, with a tidy mid six-figure buyout as his parting gift for participating in the Louisiana Laff-A-Lympics for less than two years. In a state where budgets in education are being cut with Chris Sale-like ferocity, the governing association for high school athletics was ready to dole out $500,000 to $600,000 to rid themselves of Bonine, two and a half years before his contract expired?

Thankfully, no. A newspaper report from south Louisiana was poorly sourced in an article that raised eyebrows, especially among the LHSAA’s Executive Committee. Cooler, calmer heads appeared during a special session of the EC on Monday, July 27th in Baton Rouge. After an hour behind closed doors, the EC emerged to announce Bonine was still the Executive Director, but there would be no comment on the matter due to legal reasons.

Can you feel the love?

Bonine tried to shove four ounces of Colgate back into the tube and got the results one would expect of such an effort. A mess on his hands.

Obviously, Mr. Bonine is not in favor of nine football state champions in football and more than ten baseball, softball and basketball state champions.

Can’t blame him.

The problem isn’t open recruiting of high school athletes to leave their current team and join another school, although that does still occur. The majority of public school coaches that I visit with are more chagrined by the amount of time private schools are allowed to spend with athletes working in the sport of choice; the lack of classroom duties assigned to

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their private school counterparts and the parents of private school students extolling the virtues of their school to middle school’ers in the public arena.

Private school coaches I’m familiar with are proponents of open choice for parents, i.e., letting kids attend the school of choice, rather than the one mandated by the government. In our corner of the state, coaches for the two most successful private schools athletically, openly discuss God and Jesus Christ and are able to tell parents the curriculum at their schools will include Christian teachings.

There are other nuances to the situation—like elbows and eyeholes, everyone’s got an opinion. The oftrumored split from the LHSAA by private schools-led by the powerful Catholic League in New Orleans, has yet to materialize. If it does happen, I believe those private schools will lament the decision.

Allowing private schools to play up a classification, or heck…force the John Curtis’, Evangel’s, Calvary’s and Catholic Leagues’ to play in 5A when the football playoffs begin and one or two classifications above their enrollment in other sports isn’t the worst compromise.

However, there is nothing in the LHSAA’s recent past that indicates “compromise” is in their vocabulary.

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FOOTBALL COUNTRY MAGAZINE | AUGUST 2016

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