by Malcolm Butler
Cedar Creek senior Landon Hall is one of nine local scholar-athletes from North Louisiana to be honored by the S.M. McNaughton North Louisiana Chapter of the National Football Foundation.
The field of 18 finalists was extremely impressive as board members of the S.M. McNaughton North Louisiana Chapter of the National Football Foundation met recently to consider how to identify its group of top senior scholar-athletes from around the 318 area code.
“We are very proud of Landon,” said Cedar Creek boys AD Gene Vandenlangenberg. “He plays three sports and he exceeds at a high level in the classroom as well. He does a great job of managing his time, and this couldn’t happen to a better young man.”
After extensive deliberation, Hall and eight others in the class of 2025 standouts have been selected to receive $1,000 college scholarship awards.
Hall has lettered for the Cougars varsity football, basketball and tennis teams during his high school career. Boasting a 3.9 grade point average, some of Hall’s on-the-field accolades include serving as team captain for football while earning all-district honors. He also holds a blue belt in judo and a yellow belt in Jiu Jitsu.
“Landon is a great young man,” said Cedar Creek head football coach William Parkerson. “He is a great leader. He takes people under his wings, and he is always guiding people the right direction.
“I always remember during fall camp. We were having meetings, and the meeting is over. I look up and Landon is sitting with a freshman who plays his same position, and he is drawing and teaching him like a coach. It speaks exactly to who Landon is.”
Hall is an AP Scholar and is the recipient of the Taylor Scholar Award, while being a member of the A-B Honor Roll at Cedar Creek.
He serves as a Cougar Ambassador, French Club Vice President, DECA member, Boys State Delegate, and Fellow of Christian Athletes Leadership Team.
Requirements for the postseason scholarship program included a cumulative high school grade point average of at least 3.2 on a 4.0 scale, along with 2024 all-district honors on the playing field, and extracurricular activities. Scoring in the evaluation process follows national NFF guidelines and is evenly divided at 40 percent emphasis each for scholarship and football achievement, with leadership and community/campus service scored for the remaining 20 percent.
The winners will be celebrated Thursday evening, Feb. 20, during the McNaughton Chapter’s annual Scholar-Athlete Awards Banquet at East Ridge Country Club in Shreveport.
The seniors honored:
Cole Cory – North DeSoto High School
Carter Doyal – Loyola College Prep School
Jaydan Gladney – Airline High School
Sam Greer – C.E. Byrd High School
Landon Hall – Cedar Creek High School
Christian McGuire – Jonesboro-Hodge High School
Cooper Russell – Ouachita Christian High School
Parker Todd – West Monroe High School
Abram Wardell – Calvary Baptist Academy
One of the nine seniors will be designated as the McNaughton Chapter’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year and will be recognized throughout 2025 at the NFF’s College Football Hall of Fame Museum in Atlanta, and will be eligible for the NFF’s national honors.
Another will be presented by KTBS-TV of Shreveport and Johnny’s Pizza as the Johnny’s Pizza/Griffin’s Game Ball Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
Head coaches from across north and central Louisiana were invited to nominate remarkable seniors for the McNaughton Chapter Scholar-Athlete Awards.
The program began over 40 years ago. After the season ended, coaches were asked to provide academic transcripts, an information sheet and recommendation letters for their scholarship nominees, which were limited to one per school.
Tickets, table purchases and sponsorship opportunities for the Feb. 20 festivities are available by contacting Goodin at 318-347-4453 or emailing 318nffchapter@gmail.com .
Tickets for the banquet are $45 each or $360 for a table of eight. Sponsorships are $1,000 with all revenue going to fund the scholarships for the nine deserving winners.
