by T. Scott Boatright

Defensive domination was the name of the game for Grambling State Saturday night as the Tigers roared to a 55-7 season-opening win over Langston before a crowd of 18,435 at the Shreveport Kickoff Classic inside Independence Stadium.

Grambling held the Lions to only 97 yards of total offense — 1.8 yards per snap — on the night, not allowing Langston to drive any deeper than the GSU 34 until the final 10 minutes of the contest.

The G-Men totaled five sacks on the night and created three Langston turnovers to help spark the win.

“I thought the depth at D-line was really good,” Joseph said. “I thought the linebackers and defensive backs played well. But I’ve got to get with our coaches and look at video because there were a lot of nontraditional, unscouted looks we faced with wide splits splitting it out there.

So, I take my hat off to our defensive coaches and players because there were a lot of unscouted looks. We didn’t have any offensive (info on Langston) from last year. We had to go look at where (Langton’s new offensive coordinator) came from.

“So, we really didn’t know what we were going to have to face, but our coaches did a really good job of preparing and then nobody — players or coaches — panicked when we got those unexpected looks from Langston’s offense. It was a good defensive game for us.”

A strip sack by graduate transfer defensive end Shayne Masonto that was recovered by Issac Washington set up Grambling’s first score on a 34-yard drive culminated with Andre Crews diving into the end zone on a six-yard scoring scamper at the 5:51 mark of the first quarter.

Redshirt sophomore quarterback C’zavian Teasett got the start behind center for the Tigers and made his first touchdown as a G-Man one to remember as he lofted a 55-yard scoring strike to Tyson George with 2:30 left in the opening stanza to push the GSU lead to 14-0.

Grambling cornerback Tyrell Raby, a graduate transfer from Memphis, set up GSU’s third score by hauling in an interception at the Langston 30 before returning it 29 yards to the Lions’ 1-yard line.

Two plays later, redshirt freshman running back Byron Eaton Jr. plunged to paydirt from one yard out to put Grambling up 21-0 with 10:15 left in the first half.

Graduate running back Tre Bradford accounted for GSU’ fourth score as he burst up the middle and raced 38 yards to the end zone to stretch the Tigers’ lead to 28-0 at the 4:07 mark of the second quarter.

Grambling’s fifth and final score of the first half came on a 3-yard Teasett pass to senior tight end Covadis Knighten 2:07 before intermission.

Teasett’s third scoring strike came with 8:34 left in the third quarter as he hit senior receiver Barron Miles on a 3-yard touchdown pass before sophomore quarterback Ashton Frye joined GSU’s scoring parade by hitting sophomore receiver Andrew Frazier on an 11-yard touchdown pass that made it 48-0 GSU after the PAT kick was blocked.

“I was happy with Teasett and him finishing up 20-of-25 (passing for 203 yards),” Joseph said. “Those are good numbers for me. But he missed some throws I thought he should hit. But he had some drops (by receivers), too.

“But I thought he was poised. He didn’t let this atmosphere get to him in the first time being in a Grambling uniform, especially with the tradition that we do have at quarterback here at Grambling. I thought the kid played well. He can’t do anything but get better. So we’re going to continue to push Teasett to get better.”

Frye, the runner between the two Grambling quarterbacks, first entered the game on a fourth-and-two situation that Joseph called his first timeout to set up.

But Frye was stuffed on that play for no gain before bouncing back to complete six-of-eight passes for 44 yards and the touchdown to Frazier.

“Ash played a good game,” Joseph said about Frye. “We put him in there that first play to hit the A gap, we’ve been preaching that in practice, but he tried to bounce it (outside). That’s why we kept Ash in the game so long. He hasn’t played a lot and we wanted to be sure he got the reps he needs.

“But I think both quarterbacks played well, but they will get better, and we’ll need them to.”

Grambling’s final score came with 12:56 remaining when Tony Phillips slashed through the Langston defensive line on an 11-yard touchdown run.

Grambling’s running back by committee offense saw four different Tigers score rushing touchdowns.

Bradford led the way with 56 yards on six carries.

But GSU’s four younger running backs also played key roles.

Clyde McClendon Jr. totaled 52 yards on 10 rushes, Crews added 47 yards on nine carries, Crews ran nine times for 47 yards, Eaton Jr. recorded 46 yards on seven attempts, and Phillips chipped in with 23 yards on five times toting the rock.

“I had a lot of success at Nebraska as a player on an offense that used three, four, five running backs, because they all had different styles,” Joseph said. “They all hit it a little differently. So, I was really pleased the way our young kids ran the ball.

“Tre’s going to be Tre. He put the ball on the ground and I wasn’t happy about that, the ball getting punched out like that. But Tre’s a pro. I was really happy with the young kids and the way they played with a lot of grit. They were good at (pass) protections. They just have to work at getting better every time they hit the practice field.”

The main negative takeaway for Joseph came in the final stanza as Grambling went to its reserves and Langston was able to score its lone touchdown on a 21-yard pass with 9:22 left on the clock.

“We came in wanting to establish the run (offensively) and stop the run (defensively),” Joseph said. “For the most part, we did that. I thought we were clean for about three quarters. I thought the fourth quarter wasn’t clean when we went to some of our backups, and that’s no excuse. We tell our backups they have to prepare like they’re starters. We wanted to finish clean.

“So, I was disappointed with that. Like I told my coaches that everybody is going to be judged on those backups. The coaches are going to have to ask some questions, and those kids are going to have to answer some questions (in team meetings later today) about why that happened. But overall, I want to congratulate my staff and congratulate my players. … I’m excited we were able to win this game, but I wasn’t happy about that.”

Next up for Grambling is a 2:30 p.m. contest next Saturday at Ohio State.

“It was a good win,” Joseph said of the victory over the Lions. “Langston is a good football team and that will show by season’s end. They’re a good NAIA football team and Coach (Quinton) Morgan is going to get them to rally back from this.

“We just want to get better every time we hit the practice field,” Joseph said. “So (today) is ‘Tell the Truth’ Sunday and we’ll get back to our routine.”

by Malcolm Butler

Louisiana Tech forced three turnovers, including a fumble return for a score, and held Southeastern Louisiana off the scoreboard as the Bulldogs picked up a 24-0 win over the Lions Saturday night at Joe Aillet Stadium. 

With a new offense coordinator, defensive coordinator, and starting QB, there were plenty of unknowns for the Bulldogs (1-0) entering its opener. And although it took the offensive side of the football time to find a cadence, the Tech D was formidable all night long. 

It started with a Jakari Foster interception on SLU’s first possession of the night and ended with an 80-yard fumble return for a TD by Kam Franklin in the third quarter. 

Tech’s starting linebacker trio of Kolbe Fields, Chief Leota, and Mehki Mason combined for 34 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss and three sacks in a dominating effort. 

“It’s a great relief to be 1-0,” said head coach Sonny Cumbie. “I am extremely proud of our defense. The last eight quarters we have played defense at Joe Aillet Stadium (the opponent) hasn’t scored.”

It appeared as if neither team my score for the opening two quarters before the Bulldogs mounted a six-play, 78-yard drive over the final 47 seconds of the second quarter. Drew Henderson nailed a 20-yard chip shot field goal on the final play of the half to give the Bulldogs a 3-0 lead. 

Tech used that momentum in the third quarter as the Bulldogs took their first two possessions the length of the field to paydirt. 

Omiri Wiggins took a swing pass from Trey Kukuk on third and long, cut towards the sideline, and outraced the would-be tackler to the endzone for a 10-0 lead less than three minutes into the stanza. The big play on the drive was a 25-yard hookup between Kukuk and Dedrick Latulas.

“You dream about moments like this,” said Kukuk, who passes for 130 yards and rushed for another 48 in his first start as a Bulldog. “I’m so proud of this team. We ran the ball and put it away. I’m so happy and can’t wait to celebrate tonight with my teammates.”

Kukuk talked about why he chose to come halfway across the country to play for Tech after playing two years at Saddleback Junior College in California. 

“The culture in this building,” said Kukuk. “Coach Cumbie. Coach Franklin. I’m a long way from home, but I also felt welcomed here. We worked really hard all offseason and this is the fruits of our labor.”

After forcing a punt on SLU’s next possession, Tech took over at midfield. On the second play following the punt, Clay Thevenin raced 33 yards down to the Lions 13-yard line. Five plays later, Thevenin ran off left tackle for a 2-yard score and a 17-0 Tech advantage. 

“I was proud of the way the offense answered in the second half,” said Cumbie. “I wish we would have finished better. Special teams I think we did a good job. The goal every week is to win, and I am excited to be 1-0.”

The final nail in the Lions’ coffin came late in the third quarter. SLU drove down deep into Tech territory before Amari Butler forced a fumble that was scooped up by Kam Franklin, who raced 80 yards for a score. 

“It’s great to be 1-0 after tonight,” said Cumbie. “There are so many unknowns when you go into a first game, really on both sides. Offense. Defense. Special teams. There are so many personnel who have never played. You have new coaches.”

The Bulldogs will travel to Baton Rouge Saturday to face LSU, a 17-10 winner over Clemson.

By T. Scott Boatright

MONROE — Cedar Creek won the game of adjustments but not on the scoreboard Saturday as the Cougars fell 21-7 in a chippy Bayou Jamb contest against D’Arbonne Woods at Malone Stadium on the University of Louisiana-Monroe campus.

That chippiness showed in the Cougars being flagged eight times for 85 yards. That’s only 10 less than the 95 yards of total offense they totaled in the jamboree.

“We’ve got to worry about us,” Angevine said. “There was too much stuff going on on social media and other things this week — just jawing back and forth between the teams. With (D’Arbonne Woods) being just 30 minutes up the road, we all know each other.

“So, the kids like to play against other, and emotions got a little loose at times out there. We’ve just got to worry about us and getting better and doing what we do best.

D’Arbonne Woods wasted no time taking control.

The Timberwolves scored their first touchdown 40 seconds into the game as Ethan Thrash slashed through Cedar Creek’s defensive front and raced 46 yards to put D’Arbonne Woods up 7-0 after the PAT kick.

And after their defense held Cedar Creek to a three-and-out series on the ensuing possession, the Timberwolves quickly hit paydirt again as quarterback Dalton Albritton connected with Thrash on a 46-yard crossing route that the D’Arbonne Woods running back kicked on the afterburners to finish.

That gave the Timberwolves a 14-0 advantage only 2:21 into the game.

But the Cougars settled down after that.

D’Arbonne Woods did move as deep as the Cedar Creek 24 with a little more than three minutes left in the first, but back-to-back tackles for losses by Trigger Woodard and Noah Smith turned the ball over to the Cougars on downs.

It seemed like a different group of Cougars out on the field in the second half.

Cedar Creek marched 65 yards for a score to open the second stanza, with quarterback Brett Bell rushing for 17 yards before being hit late out of bounds to add 15 more yards on that play before Bell hit Payton Harris on a 20-yard pass play that had 15 yards tacked on after another late hit by the Timberwolves.

Four plays later Cedar Creek’s Ryan Coleman powered his way to paydirt from three yards out for Cedar Creek’s lone touchdown with 7:50 remaining.

D’Arbonne Woods countered with a methodical, clock-chewing 65-yard drive that culminated with a 5-yard touchdown run by Thorne Stripling with 1:42 left in the contest.

Despite seeing that, Angevine was pleased with the way his team kept battling, especially in the second half.

“The second half is what we need,” Angevine said. “That second-half effort is what we need day in and day one. In the first half, we came out a little sluggish. Obviously, it’s new coming out at 11 on a Saturday morning. We can either make an excuse or make a way. We did a better job of making that way in the second half. We have to play that way the whole game.”

Angevine said thinking through some changes during intermission helped his Cougars in the second half.

“We made some adjustments,” Angevine said. “We knew they were gashing us up front. Our pad level was a little too high. We made some adjustments at the half and we came out on all cylinders in the second half.”

Bell led Cedar Creek with 35 yards on six carries while completing 1-of-3 passes for 20 yards on the connection with Harris.

Not having played on the gridiron since being a student at Ruston Junior High, Bell’s performance pleased his head coach.”

“Brett hasn’t played (football) since he was an eighth grader and it showed a little,” Angevine said. “It’s going to keep getting more and more natural for him. But with live bullets flying at him today, I think he handled himself pretty well and got better once he settled down some.

“He’ll get better and better week-by-week.”

Cedar Creek junior Hayden Durrett was named Cedar Creek’s MVP after rushing for 30 yards on seven carries and flying all over the field on both sides of the ball.

“I wish I had 10 more of him, he’s awesome,” Angevine said of Durrett. “He’s going to be a focal point on offense and a leader for us on defense.

“He’s like the Energizer Bunny.”

Defensively, the Cougars were led by Smith with six tackles while Harris added five.

Cedar Creek opens the 2025 season on Friday at home against Delhi Charter.

By T. Scott Boatright

Sometimes it all boils down to a learning process when it comes to high school football jamborees.

Despite falling in both two-quarter contests Friday night at the Madison Parish High School Football Jamboree— 12-8 against General Trass and 18-16 to Madison, Panthers coach Chaunce Davison felt his Panthers passed the test to a significant degree.

“We stayed in there both games,” Davison said. “Coverage problems. But that’s what this time of year is about. We’re going to work on that. Focus on that. It was our coverage that stood out tonight. Not in a good way. We’re going to work on that. We’re going to fix it.”

Taking over at quarterback after serving his other roles in recent years, senior Zion Hicks was a Panther Davison noticed.

“On the first play (of the jamboree game against Gen. Trass), Zion ran for a 65–yard touchdown,” Davison said. “Jabari Livingston added the two-point conversion to give the Panthers an 8-0 advantage.

While not the outcome he wanted,  Davison feels positive about his team heading into next week’s season and home opener against D’Arbonne Woods.

“Tonight was like a test,” Davison said. “It showed us what we need to work on. And we will. We’re still working. A work in process. I like what I see right now. But we’re only just beginning. I have to like what I see later on. That’s what this team needs. It really starts now.”

MONROE, La. — Despite trailing 10-0 to Neville at the 2025 Bayou Jamb, the Ruston Bearcats rallied for a 13-10 win in the exhibition to start off the brand new season with some excitement.

“This one wasn’t looking good to start with,” Ruston High Head Coach Jerrod Baugh said. “We weren’t executing and we weren’t playing hard. And that was adding up to us getting beat. I challenged them at halftime to really get out there and play harder. And we played harder in the second half — and whenever you do that, you give yourself an opportunity to get in the game and win. We’ve got a lot of work to do, and we’ll start that (Saturday).”

Ruston started the game with the ball on their own 30-yard line after a 28-yard kick off return by sophomore Dalen Powell. The Bearcats would start with a three-and-out and be forced to punt.

Neville quickly responded with a 63-yard touchdown drive, capped off by a 25-yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Parker Robinson to senior wide receiver Zeland Young for a 7-0 lead with 7:28 to play in the first half.

After a Bearcat fumble on the ensuing drive, Neville was held to a 27-yard field goal by sophomore Rivers Sorrell to go up 10-0.

Penalties would mar the third drive of the night, forcing Ruston in a long down-and-distance before having to punt again, despite a long rush attempt by junior quarterback Sam Hartwell to try to salvage the drive.

The Tigers would struggle with some penalties on their following drive and were forced into their first three-and-out of the night. Ruston would then finally get a first down with less than one minute to play in the half on a jailbreak screen to Powell to get to the 50-yard line. Junior Josiah Morgan would score two plays later from 50-yards out with a beautiful catch in traffic with 0:35 to go in the half. Junior Joaquin Ramos tacked on the PAT to cut the Tiger lead to 10-7.

The Bearcats would force Neville to punt on their opening possession of the second half after holding the Tigers to three-and-out. Following a drive that took nearly five minutes off the clock, Ruston would face a fourth-and-three on the Nevill 27-yard line. Unable to complete the pass, the ‘Cats turned the ball over on downs to set Neville up on their side of the field.

Neville would have to punt again, and this time junior Davis DeMoss showed an electric punt return for 44 yards to put Ruston on the Tiger 20-yard line. Hartwell would give Ruston its game-winning score at 13-10 with 2:06 remaining on a bootleg scramble from 16 yards out — Neville blocked the ensuing PAT.

“Sam has got some experience from these last two years, but it’s a different deal when you’re ‘the guy,'” Baugh said. “I thought he handled the pressure pretty well.”

The Bearcats would then force a fumble and recover to take over with just over a minute remaining and would run out the clock.

Sophomore Aidan Adams also showed promise at the linebacker spot after unofficially amassing seven tackles in the two 12-minute halves.

“He’s really athletic and he’s got a big body,” Baugh said. “He’s got long arms and he can extend to stay away from guys. And we need that. He needs to come along pretty quickly, especially with Acadiana next week — they’ll be running straight at him.”

Hartwell finished the night with both a passing and rushing touchdown and threw for 84 yards.

Junior tight-end Ahmad Hudson did not play for the Bearcats Friday.

Ruston will kick off the regular season Friday, Sept. 5, at 7 p.m. down in south Louisiana against Acadiana. The game will be broadcast live on the Bearcat Nation Network and on Q94.1FM.

By T. Scott Boatright

Year 2 of the Mickey Joseph era for Grambling State football kicks off at 7 p.m. Saturday against Langston University inside Shreveport’s Independence Stadium.

Grambling is coming off a 5-7 campaign in Joseph’s first year as head coach of the G-Men after going 1-4 in the final five games of the season.

Langston went 6-4 in 2024 under Coach Quinton Morgan, who served as defensive backs coach when Joseph was assistant head coach for the Lions from 2008-10 and head coach from 2011-12

And both grew up in the New Orleans suburb of New Orleans. Joseph went on to play quarterback for Nebraska while Morgan played defensive back, wide receiver and running back, first at Jackson State (2003) before transferring to Langston for the 2004-05 season.

Joseph said the ties between the two will make Saturday’s contest an emotional one for both coaches.

“Grambling might not be that familiar with (Langston), but I am because I was once the head coach there,” Joseph said. “And their coach now (Quinton Morgan) is like family for me. This is going to be a very emotional game for me against Langston.

“Langston gave me my first shot as a head coach. So, it’s going to be some ups and some downs with emotions on both sides because I’m still close with some people at Langston and I have family on both sides. I still have two daughters at the University of Oklahoma that are still connected to Langston. So, it’s a game that I’m looking forward to, and it’s a game that I’m not looking forward to because of the emotions that will be running through me because Langston shaped me into the coach I am today.”

Joseph said he’s ready to get the 2025 season kicked off.

“I’m very excited about this football team.” Joseph said of his Tigers. “I think this is a very mature football team, I think this is a talented football team and I also think this is a very close football team that are about going about their business.”

Maybe the biggest question GSU has heading into the season opener is who will take the first snap for the Tigers at quarterback.

During a press conference earlier this week, Joseph steered clear of naming a starter, saying he first had to meet with quarterbacks coach Shyrone Carey.

It’s a two-man race between redshirt sophomore C’zavian Teasett and redshirt junior Ashton Frye.

Frye played in four games for GSU last year, completing four of his seven pass attempts for nine yards with no touchdowns or interceptions.

Teasett played in 10 games in 2024 as a Southern University quarterback, completing 71-of-129 pass attempts for 941 yards and six touchdowns with two interceptions.

As of Thursday, Joseph had not named a starter and admitted he might not make that announcement until gameday.

“I’m going to meet with Coach Carey sometime,” Joseph said. “I know what I want to do. I want to see what he’s thinking. I kind of know what he wants to do. I’ve been knowing Coach Carey since he was 13 years old, so we’re on the same page. I just want to hear it come out of his mouth.

“It’s been a great quarterback battle between Frye and Teasett. We’ll let that be known when the proper time comes. You’re going to know the day of the game. I know right now what I’m going to do, but I’m not telling anybody because what I don’t want to do is take momentum from the kid that’s not going to play that first snap at quarterback. So, I’m going to hold that until I sit down and talk to him about his role.”

And while Joseph said he won’t replace a quarterback with a hot hand, Joseph indicated there’s a definite possibility both Frye and Teasett will play against Langston.

“It could easily be 60-40 (percentage of plays between the two quarterbacks),” Joseph said. “We kind of did that at Nebraska (where Joseph played collegiately and later served as offensive coordinator and interim head coach). I know people say, ‘You keep going back to your Nebraska roots,’ but I won a lot of games at Nebraska as a player, and I could see what Coach (Tom) Osborne did at Nebraska playing a two-quarterback system and how to do it.

“You make it one gameplan, but (the opposing defense) has to get ready for two quarterbacks. So, I understand exactly what we need to do, but it should be 60-40 (%).”

Joseph said he doesn’t know how long a two-quarterback system would continue if that’s the way he decides to go.

“It might be over after the first half if somebody doesn’t play well,” Joseph said. “They’re going to be on a short leash like anybody else. “We’re going to treat this position totally different than we did last year. I’m not going to hang in there forever with you making mistakes.

“So the quarterback is going to be treated like anybody else. If you don’t perform under center, you’re coming out.”

Joseph is hopeful his running back corps takes some of the pressure off of his quarterbacks and that he’s hoping to use the run game to set up GSU’s passing attack.

“I think any quarterback that has a lot of success, the running game is a big part of it because he can turn around and hand it off and get a plus-three or plus-four (yard gain),” Joseph said. “Now, as a coach and a playcaller, we can’t get bored with that. We can’t get bored with three yards a pop and now it’s fourth-and-one. But I’d rather be fourth-and-one than third and 10, where it isn’t a manageable third down.

“So, we’re going to be trying to run the ball on first and second down and throw the ball some when we want to. Third-and-six might be a run down because we’re probably going to go for it on fourth down. People say, ‘You’re giving away your secrets.’ But there are no secrets in football anymore. There’s too much media coverage. So, we’re going to establish the run game with this quarterback and hopefully he can get us in the right place. But if he can’t get us in the right place, we know how to get the team in the right place. Coach Carey is doing a great job with those guys.”

Joseph said he’s determined not to let his Tigers overlook the Lions.

“When they get off the bus, they’re going to look like us,” Joseph said. “They’re going to be a very confident team. Their recruiting strategy is the same, from Oklahoma City to Dallas down to Houston and then jumping over to Louisiana.

“And Coach Morgan has won over 70% of his games at Langston. I know some people might not think that’s a big thing, but it is. It’s hard winning in this profession. They’re digging into high school football (players) from Oklahoma, Texas and Louisiana, and that’s where a lot of good football players come from.”

JOURNAL SPORTS

Much of Southeastern Louisiana’s coaching staff is quite familiar with Louisiana Tech and Ruston. 

Head coach Frank Scelfo and a number of his assistants will play at a familiar location Saturday night when the Lions open up on the road against Louisiana Tech at Joe Aillet Stadium.

Kickoff is slated for 6:30 p.m. and the game can be seen on ESPN+ with Malcolm Butler (PxP), Luke McCown (Color), and Madison Kaufman (Sideline) providing a call of the action. 

Scelfo coached for the Bulldogs under Derek Dooley (2007-09), while Lion assistants Ross Jenkins and Antonio Baker played for Louisiana Tech during their collegiate days. Scelfo and his son and current OC Anthony Scelfo along with DC Bill D’Ottavio also spent the fall of 2005 in Ruston when they were a part of the Tulane football program that came north after Hurricane Katrina destroyed the city of New Orleans.

So exactly 20 years and one day after Hurricane Katrina made landfall in the Big Easy, the trio returns to Ruston to face the Bulldogs. 

“The hospitality (of Tech and Ruston),” said Frank Scelfo when asked about his memories of 2005. “The difficulties of all of that stuff at the end of the day was made somewhat tolerable because of how welcoming people were. 

“They opened up their doors for us. We lived in people’s houses. It was nuts. You would go eat somewhere, and someone would pick up the check. Very seldom did you pay for stuff because (the people of Ruston) were just doing that for us. Tech and Ruston were so gracious to us.”

That was two decades and a few football programs ago for Scelfo, who will bring his Lions team into Joe Aillet Stadium looking to pull off an early season upset. 

After starting 1-4 last year, the Lions won six of the final seven games and finished 6-1 in Southland Conference play. And although they will bring two new quarterbacks into the contest, for the most part it’s a veteran Lions team that boasts 24 seniors and 16 returning starters. 

It’s a fact not lost on Tech head coach Sonny Cumbie.

“Every game is hard to win,” said Cumbie. “We want to win every game we play. This is a good (Southeastern Louisiana) football team. Coach (Scelfo) has been there for a long time. When you watch them (in all three phases), I think the biggest thing that jumps out to me is their athleticism. 

“They finished last season on a three-game winning streak, and finished 6-1 in their conference. And it’s a really good conference.”

Cumbie said during Tuesday’s press conference that he is pleased with how fall camp went and feels like his squad is in a good place entering its season opener. 

“I think we had a great (fall camp),” said Cumbie. “I think this time of the year is always the best time of the year for our kids. It’s one of the benefits of the quarter system. School doesn’t start until next week. So we get to concentrate on football. 

“The chemistry and camaraderie of our football team is very, very high. We’ve been very intentional in terms of building that every year in terms of the transfers and additions to the rosters that you have … really across the country. It’s what we are faced with in college football; building a team for one season. These football players have really embraced that when it comes to chemistry and trust.”

Tech boasts two new coordinators in offensive guru Tony Franklin and defensive coordinator Luke Olsen. Franklin will try to inject some more life into a Bulldog offense that struggled at times in 2024, while Olsen hopes to continue to build on a Tech defensive unit that was stellar for most of last year. 

Fall camp has seen a three-way battle for the starting QB role with sophomores Evan Bullock and Blake Baker battling junior college transfer Trey Kukuk. Tech fans won’t find out who the starter will be until the Bulldogs first offensive possession Saturday night.

On the defensive side of the football, the Bulldogs return a strong one-two punch at linebacker in preseason CUSA Defensive Player of the Year Kolbe Fields and Chief Leota as well as a veteran presence in the secondary with the likes of Mike Richard, Jacob Fields, and Cedric Woods. 

Tech leads the all-time series 27-8-2 although the two programs have only met twice (2008, 2021) since the Bulldogs joined the FBS ranks in 1988. 

The Bulldogs will put an 11-game home opener win streak on the line.

“You want to defend your home turf,” said Cumbie. “We have six home games this fall, and our goal is to be 6-0.”

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Janie McRae Horton Saxon passed away on August 25, 2025, in Ruston, LA, after a lengthy illness.  She was born in Lexington, Mississippi, on December 22, 1952, to Claude and Jean Horton.  Her family moved to Monroe, Louisiana, where she graduated from Neville High School and was a proud member of the original Bengal Belles dance team. 

She attended Louisiana Tech University and received a degree in Business Administration.  While at Tech, she was an active member of Phi Mu Sorority, serving as its Vice-President her senior year.  She also served as the Executive Commander of Angel Flight and was the Secretary for the Student Government Association.  She was listed as Who’s Who at Louisiana Tech her senior year.   

In 1973-74, Janie served as Peach Queen representing Tech and Ruston at the Peach Festival and at events throughout the state.  In all her activities during her life, Janie was known to be spirited, enthusiastic, and fun-loving.

After graduation, Janie began working for South Central Bell, later AT&T, and retired from there in 2003.

In 2002, Janie married Walter L. Saxon who passed away in 2014.  They enjoyed RVing across the United States. Janie was an avid sports fan, especially SEC sports teams.  She also loved to dance whenever she heard music.

Janie was active in P.E.O. International and served as Louisiana State Chapter President in 2017-2018.  Reflective of Janie’s personality, she chose “Jazzing Up the Lives of Women” as her presidential year theme. After transferring from Chapter W in Baton Rouge, she became a member of Chapter AO in Ruston when she moved there in 2019.

Janie was preceded in death by her husband, Walt; her parents, Claude and Jean; her stepsister, Evelyn; stepbrother, Bob; and great nephew, Luke Traylor. 

She leaves behind her sister, Dona (Bud) Traylor; nephews Brad and Robert (Janna) Traylor; niece Lisa Coleman (Shane), great nephews and nieces, Jackson, Abigail, and Will Ross Coleman, Owen Traylor, and Lydia Traylor; stepson, Scott Saxon (Brandi); and step grandsons, John Saxon (Alyssa) and Collin Saxon (Chasity) and several great grandchildren.

She also leaves her puppy, Zimmer, who was her beloved friend, and numerous friends who considered her family.

A Private Family Graveside Service will be held in Hasley Cemetery in West Monroe, LA.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the PEO Scholarship Fund c/o Chapter AO, Carol Trumbold, Treasurer, 126 Canard Circle, Ruston, LA 71270, in Janie’s memory. 

Fern Taliaferro Newsom 
March 3, 1929  –  August 26, 2025 
Visitation: Saturday, August 30, 2025, 1:00PM – 2:00PM, First Baptist Church, 7876 Hico St., Dubach 
Funeral Service: Saturday, August 30, 2025, 2:00PM, First Baptist Church, 7876 Hico St., Dubach 
Final Resting Place: Roark Cemetery, 299 Tiger Bend Road, Marion  

Frances “Louise” Gambrell 
June 24, 1941 – August 27, 2025 
Visitation: Saturday, August 30, 2025, 9:30 AM – 10:00 AM, First Baptist Church of Simsboro 
Funeral service: Saturday, August 30, 2025, 10:00 AM, First Baptist Church Simsboro 
 
Elvin Williams, Jr.  
Wednesday 06/13/1951 — Sunday 08/24/2025   
Celebration of Life: Saturday 08/30/2025 11:00am, Mt. Calm Baptist Church, 566 Mount Calm Road, Simsboro  
Interment: Saturday 08/30/2025 Following Service, Mt. Calm Cemetery, Simsboro  

Zhylar R. Willis  
Wednesday 04/10/2024 — Monday 08/25/2025   
Visitation: Sunday 08/31/2025 1:00pm to 2:00pm at King’s Funeral Home  
Funeral Service: Sunday 08/31/2025 2:00pm at at King’s Funeral Home  
Interment: Sunday 08/31/2025 Following Service, New Prosperity Cemetery, Clay  

Ora Taylor   
Thursday 05/13/1943 — Sunday 08/17/2025    
Celebration of Life: Saturday 08/30/2025 11:00am at King’s Funeral Home   
Private Burial   

Curtis Howard, Jr.   
Wednesday 09/03/1952 — Wednesday 08/20/2025    
Celebration of Life: Saturday 08/30/2025 2:00pm at King’s Funeral Home   
Interment: Saturday 08/30/2025 Following Service, Macedonia #1 Cemetery, 239 Glen Road, Dubach 

Ruston High Head Football Coach Jerrod Baugh is known for more than just the gridiron — he’s also celebrated for his exceptional grilling skills.

The Lincoln Parish Journal thanks Coach Baugh for sharing his barbecue chicken thigh recipe with us all as football season is about to kick off.

Recipe cooked and verified by Kyle Roberts

Ingredients:

•  1 lb boness, skinless chicken thighs
• Adkins Homestyle Chicken and Pork Rub
• Light salt and pepper
• Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ Sauce (griller’s choice)

First, set your chicken thighs out early to get the meat to room temperatue. Next, fire up your grill of choice to the hottest you can get it. (Coach Baugh is a charcoal guy and uses mesquite briquettes ; I prefer a wood-pellet grill up to 500 degrees.) While the grill is heating up, lightly salt and pepper the chicken on both sides before liberally seasoning the thighs with the Adkins Rub.

Pro-tip: The Adkins Rub is delicious and has enough salt where you don’t need to put as much salt on the thighs at the start — like I did. (Alas, old habits die hard – salt and pepper is everything to me on a chicken.)

Once the grill has reached its temperature, put the chicken thighs on the grill. You’ll want good grill marks, so resist the temptation to flip them too early. I let the chicken stay for seven minutes before flipping, and I’ll admit — I thought that was too long. Incorrect. After flipping the chicken, keep on for five more minutes.

Pro-tip: You don’t want to flip any grilled meat (steak, chicken, burgers, etc.) too many times for two reasons: good grill marks and keeping juices locked in.

Once the chicken has finished, take off the grill and let rest for five minutes to ensure juiciness. Double-check that the internal temperature is at least 160 degrees F with a meat thermometer.

Next, you have an option: you can eat the chicken as is, or you can put the chicken in a casserole dish and brush Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ sauce on top (the flavor is up to you). Stick in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes before serving.

I tried both ways, and I slightly enjoyed the BBQ sauce method more.

Pro-tip: A sweet BBQ sauce complements the Adkins seasoning and draws out more flavors.

The chicken is best served with coleslaw, beans, rice or greens. Baugh also recommends pairing the chicken with roasted ears of corn you can cook on the grill, as well.

The chicken can also be sliced and put into a tortilla for a delicious chicken taco.

Enjoy!

A Ruston man arrested last week after a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) is now facing hundreds of new charges after further investigation by the Lincoln Parish Sheriff’s Office.

Thomas “Tommy” Wick, 22, originally arrested by LPSO detectives for four counts of distributing child sexual abuse material, is now facing hundreds of counts of possessing and distributing such material, as well as that of sexual abuse of animals.

Information about Wick came from a tip from the NCMEC, which employs analysts to investigate the presence of child sexual abuse material on the Internet.

On its website, missingkids.org, NCMEC emphasizes the crimes it investigates involve more than possessing or viewing pornography involving juveniles. For the images or videos to exist, children are sexually abused to produce the material that is then shared around the world.

On August 21, Wick was located at a residence near Ruston and taken to the Sheriff’s Office for questioning and subsequently charged with distributing child sexual abuse material. Initially, Wick’s bail was set at $250,000.

During the course of the investigation, authorities uncovered additional child sexual abuse material, which Wick allegedly had been distributing online. The material included disturbing content involving the actual sexual abuse of both children and animals.

Investigators also discovered Wick had been secretly recording individuals in public places without their consent for the purpose of sexual gratification. These incidents occurred in Lincoln Parish and in other states. LPSO is urging anyone who may have been a victim, or knows someone who may have been affected, to come forward and contact detectives.

On August 27, Wick was formally charged with the following offenses:

• 166 counts of Possession of child sexual abuse material (Victims under 13) Bail $200,000

• 166 counts of Distribution of sexual abuse material (Victims under 13) Bail $300,000

• 111 counts of Possession of child sexual abuse material. Bail $200,000

• 111 counts of Distribution of child sexual abuse material. Bail $300,000

• 41 counts of Video voyeurism. Bail $200,000

• 14 counts of Possession of sexual abuse material involving animals. Bail $100,000

• 14 counts of Distribution of sexual abuse material involving animals. Bail $100,000

Wick’s arrest is the result of a collaborative investigation with the Office of the Louisiana Attorney General Cyber Crime Unit. The Sheriff’s Office and the Ruston Police Department are members of the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force sponsored by the Attorney General to investigate such crimes.

This information has been provided by a law enforcement agency as public information. Persons named or shown in photographs or video as suspects in a criminal investigation, or arrested and charged with a crime, have not been convicted of any criminal offense and are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.  

For the latest local news, subscribe FOR FREE to the Lincoln Parish Journal and receive an email each weekday morning at 6:55 right to your inbox. Just CLICK HERE to sign up.

Anyone who lived in Louisiana or along the Gulf Coast in August of 2005 has a story.

Some are more horrific than others.

Twenty-years ago today, I was standing on the football practice field at the Jim Mize Track and Field Complex watching Tech head coach Jack Bicknell and Co. undergoing workouts.

Although Tech’s season opener at No. 10 Florida was still over a week away, the level of focus that Monday morning was far from intense.

The skies were overcast. The air was still.

It could have been mistaken for a normal August day, except everyone knew – at least to a point – what was occurring hundreds of miles south of Ruston. It was surreal.

Only a few hours earlier Hurricane Katrina had made landfall in New Orleans. The Big Easy was in the early stages of being battered and beaten and, in some ways, forever changed by the Category 3 storm.

The Tech roster was loaded with players from south Louisiana and the Mississippi coast. Their minds were far from a football practice field.

Understandably.

In a practice report I wrote for LATechSports.com the following day, Bicknell had canceled Tuesday’s workout because “as many as 15 players had still not heard from parents or other family members.”

“We’ve tried to stress to our players that they shouldn’t think the worst,” Bicknell said on that Tuesday. “No one is having any success calling people in these areas. Our No. 1 priority is the well-being both physically and emotionally of these young men. This just would not have been a good day to practice.”

Who will ever forget the images from the Superdome and of levees breaking, flooding over 80 percent of the city.

It was just the start of a fall football season that was like no other that Louisiana Tech ever experienced.

Let me make this clear: we had it easy in north Louisiana. In fact, if memory serves me correctly, Ruston did not receive a drop of rain from Hurricane Katrina. Not a drop (and according to everything I find online, that was right).

What it did receive were thousands of Hurricane Katrina evacuees. Local churches became shelters. The Ruston Civic Center too. A few of the older dormitories at Tech that were not in use became shelters.

Ruston, like so many cities outside of the path of the storm, became refuges for those directly impacted by “the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history,” causing more than 100 billion dollars of damage and killing more than 1,800 people.

An ESPN.com story by Ivan Maisel dated Sept. 5, 2005, talked about the fact a delegation from Tulane was going to venture to Tech to gauge if it was a fit to house their football program that fall.

“University administrators and football personnel will evaluate the viability of Louisiana Tech becoming the host school for Tulane football,” said former Tulane assistant sports information director John Sudsbury in the story. “We’re hoping to make a decision within 24 hours.”

Just days later, Tech and Ruston welcomed coaches, players, and support staff comprising the Green Wave football program.

Although the reason for their fall-long visit was not a positive one, Louisiana Tech did its best to make their south Louisiana neighbors feel welcomed. Tech officials, cheerleaders, Champ, band and more were on hand as the Green Wave arrived in Ruston.

It was the start of one of the most interesting falls for both schools.

Two Division I football programs – calling a campus that was really equipped to hold just one – shared facilities.

The Bulldogs would practice. The Green Wave would practice. Jack Bicknell would talk to the media. Chris Scelfo would talk to the media.

The Waggonner Room in the Thomas Assembly Center turned into a pseudo dressing room for the Green Wave (by the end of that fall the carpet had to be replaced … if you have ever smelled a football locker room, you understand).

I remember hosting Tulane SID John Sudsbury – one of the true good guys in the profession – all fall in our communications department. Talk about a guy who had his hands full that fall. The Green Wave were a national story.

The most surreal memory for me came during a Tech football road trip to Reno to face Nevada on Saturday, October 15. While sitting at a table playing Texas Hold’em on that Friday night before our game, I looked up at the TV: Tulane playing UTEP at Joe Aillet Stadium.

In what world? A hurricane tattered one.

That Green Wave team posted a 2-9 record that year, but I think anyone and everyone who lived just a fragment of what they did can truly appreciate what they had to experience and endure.

Tulane played 11 games in 11 different stadiums in 11 different cities that year.

They were the true definition of road warriors on the football field.

In some ways it is hard to believe that it was two decades ago. In some ways it feels like yesterday.

Twenty years later, we all have our stories.

By Judith Roberts

Five days before I said “I do,” I was glued to the television screen watching every newscast of Hurricane Katrina I could find. 

It was my mom’s birthday – that was the day Katrina hit New Orleans. It didn’t seem much like a celebration that day, as my family wondered what was going to happen to me and my very soon-to-be husband. 

See, we had rented an apartment in Metairie just a month earlier. We had jobs in New Orleans. We both planned to attend seminary in the city. Our lives were supposed to start in New Orleans. 

In the days that followed, we were reminded again and again of the love and support we had in Ruston. Both of us were offered jobs just days before our wedding. We found housing, even as so many other Katrina evacuees were heading to north Louisiana, too. I even was able to enroll in grad school in Lincoln Parish – it wasn’t seminary, but it was a pursuit of a master’s degree. 

We spent one month in New Orleans, imagining how our lives would go, and within a week, we found ourselves with completely new lives – married, gainfully employed, and living in Ruston, where we did not see ourselves staying. 

And now, 20 years later – we’re still here. 

New Orleans will always have a piece of my heart. I love that city. I love the culture, the food, the activities. I love going to the aquarium and City Park (especially at Christmas) and walking the riverbank. I love that places like Kenner and Metairie are just as vibrant as the actual city and the people I know there. 

But Ruston…Ruston is home. 

I can’t imagine raising my girls anywhere else. I can’t imagine living anywhere else, where I can sit on my front porch and wave to the neighbors walking and the deer that cross my yard, all in the same day. I love that we wear Tech blue on Fridays and your favorite high school team on fall Friday nights. This is a town that celebrates everything fully, from businesses collaborating with fun treats to support Ruston Community Theatre plays to Railroad Park events to welcoming college students during the Dog Days of Summer.  

I love that I can let my kids be kids, because I know the police chief and the sheriff and know our law enforcement officers are doing their best to protect our parish. I love that our mayor offers his phone number to incoming students’ parents because he wants them to know he listens to them. I love that our university presidents don’t work in an academic silo – they partner with businesses to bring in more support to our area.  

New Orleans was the plan, the dream. But Ruston is the better reality.   

Ruston has my heart. 

For the latest local news, subscribe FOR FREE to the Lincoln Parish Journal and receive an email each weekday morning at 6:55 right to your inbox. Just CLICK HERE to sign up.

Life can change in an instant. Or in a matter of hours.

That’s the way it happened for me 20 years ago today.

By the time I woke up early on the morning of Aug. 29, 2005, I had already experienced a myriad of emotions as Hurricane Katrina roared toward my hometown of New Orleans.

The storm had intensified to a Category 3 on the afternoon of Aug. 27, prompting Mayor Ray Nagin to issue a voluntary evacuation of New Orleans. 

But by 7 a.m. on Aug, 28, it had grown into a monstrous Category 5 storm. 

By 9:30 a.m. that day Nagin called for a mandatory evacuation for all of the Crescent City.

And by that night, I had four friends, a dog and a cat from New Orleans occupying the spare bedrooms in my house, which I had recently bought out my sister’s half of following my mother’s death in October of 2004.

Those friends had all stayed in that house beginning years earlier, visiting when both my parents were still alive. Those friends were a family I grew up with — two brothers and a sister with Arkansas roots along with a close friend of us all.

They were family, and still are today.

Sleep be damned, we all stayed up late that night, well into the wee hours of Aug. 29. I went to bed around 3:30 a.m. while several friends stayed up the entire night watching the approaching hurricane via news coverage that was already dominating television stations both national and local.

It was all only just beginning.

And at first it looked like things might end up OK.  On that morning of Aug. 29, Katrina made landfall as a Category 3 near Buras, Louisiana, around 6:10 a.m.

But reports of initial damage in those early hours of Louisiana landfall weren’t nearly as bad as anticipated, largely in thanks to the fact that Katrina had diminished to a Category 3 hurricane before roaring across the coastline.

Within a few hours, there was nothing to be thankful for.

Around 9 a.m., it became obvious that breaches had occurred in the city’s levees, leading to widespread flooding despite the fact that Katrina had skirted eastward after hitting the Louisiana coast, headed for a direct hit on the Gulfport-Biloxi, Mississippi, area a couple of hours later.

By then thousands of people were stranded in their attics or rooftops begging for rescue. Local newscasters had told New Orleans residents that stayed despite the mandatory evacuation orders to take saws and hatchets with them into their attics, because they were likely going to have to hack their way onto their roofs to avoid the still rising waters.

And by that afternoon, the Superdome, where thousands of New Orleans area residents had gone seeking shelter, had been obviously significantly damaged, with news helicopters showing live video of a massive hole in the roof of the iconic building.

Even worse, news coverage showed bodies floating face down throughout the streets of New Orleans, with 80% of New Orleans covered in water as high as 20 feet.

Still, it was only just beginning, especially in the Ruston home affectionately called Boatsboro by its residents.

The number of those residents had increased to 10 by the morning of Aug. 30 as another brother from the family sheltering with us, had to bring his family to Ruston from Jackson, Mississippi, where he had taken his family to stay with in-laws.

That was because Jackson had received storm damage similar to the damage we incurred here in Ruston 15 years later when Hurricane Laura did what I had previously deemed impossible — roaring across north Louisiana as a still strong hurricane.

And as 10 people watched the ongoing saga, tears freely flowing, we all realized that it was still only just beginning.

That was proven with a phone call received by the elder brother of the family staying with us on the morning of Aug. 31. The call was from his stepson, who had attempted to ride the storm out in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi.

His stepson said his father’s house where the stepson was staying had collapsed all around them and they were trapped under a living room dining table that had saved them from the debris of the destroyed home.

My friend, the stepfather, immediately started driving to Mississippi to find his stepson.

By the afternoon of Sept. 1, he returned to Ruston with his stepson, although he had to track that stepson from Bay St. Louis to Baton Rouge, where the National Guard had brought many of the evacuated south Mississippi survivors.

When it was all said and done, at one point I  had 13 humans and seven pets living under one roof at that point. But at last we had a roof to live under.

Some of my “hurrication refugees” as they termed themselves in those stressful weeks following the storm returned to the New Orleans area within days. Some stayed as long as three to four months. It didn’t matter to me as long as I knew they were safe.

The New Orleans I’ve visited since still isn’t the same as I remember growing up there. It never will be again. My first return to New Orleans came the following spring for Jazzfest 2006.

Seeing all the destruction — thousands upon thousands of empty and damaged homes that had become more of a warzone than a neighborhood — was literally sickening.

I returned that September for the Saints’ return to the Superdome on Monday Night Football. It’s a memory I will never forget. For a few hours once a week that fall, the city that care forgot was able to do just that as they cheered on their beloved team.

The emotion in the Superdome that night was palpable — electric — with all in attendance openly weeping, first with tears of sorrow followed by tears of joy as the Saints uplifted an entire region for what would become years and years.

Twenty years ago the city of New Orleans was forever changed. I lost a friend in late 2005 after he developed a fatal staph infection incurred as he participated in the cleanup of destruction throughout the city.

But despite all that destruction, and death, left in the wake of the storm, maybe my biggest memory, and source of pride, following Katrina’s ravaging of New Orleans and beyond, was the resilience the city began showing in the hours, days, weeks, months and years following.

It’s a resilience that still exists today, and that’s something important to remember in a day and age where climate change has morphed Mother Nature into a weather Godzilla.

We know that all too well by now, even here in the piney, red-dirt hills.

But whatever happens, in the end all we can do is try to pick up the pieces and work on creating something new — something that hopefully might even make things better than before.

While that hasn’t completely happened, New Orleans did survive with hopes of maybe one day once again thriving.

And it’s that kind of resilience that has become my biggest takeaway from a life-changing event — 20 years later.

CLICK HERE TO PLAY

Lincoln Parish Journal readers have an opportunity each week to win FREE money in the Karl Malone Toyota College Football Pick’em presented by Johnson Physical Therapy, FanBase of Ruston, and Martin Presence.

And the best part is it’s FREE … just like your subscription to the LPJ.

_______________________

The Lincoln Parish Journal wants to thank Karl Malone Toyota, Johnson Physical Therapy, FanBase of Ruston, and Martin Presence for their title and presenting sponsorships of this year’s College Football Pick’em contest.

We also want to thank Dubach Air and Heat, Ginn’s Autobody, Hart Designs, Tanyard Creek, Charlie’s Carpet Cleaning, Hod Rod BBQ, Louisiana Orchard Realty, Ruston Athletic Supply, Walker and Co., Lulu Pearl, Rusty’s Jambalaya, Greaux the Good, Tommy’s Tees, and RightFiber for their Pick’em Partnerships within the contest. 

_______________________

Are you ready for some football?!?

Bigger question. Are you ready to win $150 in cash … with the potential to make it $300 if you are perfect on the week (including predicting the No. 1 tiebreaker exactly right).

The Lincoln Parish Journal is holding the 4th Annual Karl Malone Toyota College Football Pick’em Contest presented by FanBase of Ruston, Martin Presence, and Johnson Physical Therapy.

If you live in the deep south, you know College Football is King!

Anyone is eligible to participate and each week one lucky winner will go home with a $150 cash prize (maybe $300).  Each week the winner will be the participant with the best record out of 15 selected college football games (ties will be broken by two separate tiebreakers consisting of guessing the total points scored in two of our weekly contests).

The Karl Malone Toyota College Football Pick’em Contest presented by FanBase of Ruston, Martin Presence, and Johnson Physical Therapy will be conducted for 14 regular season weeks of the college season starting with Week 1 games (August 30).

There is no entry fee, just like there is no cost to SUBSCRIBE to the Lincoln Parish Journal where it will come to your inbox every weekday morning at 6:55 a.m.  It takes 20-30 seconds to sign up and not much longer than that to make your picks.

All contest decisions by LPJ management are final. Weekly winners will be notified Monday and will be requested to take a photo that will run in the following week’s LPJ.

Every participant will receive a FREE subscription to the Journal, if you’re not already signed up for the easily-navigated, convenient 6:55 a.m. daily e-mail. Enjoy it all, for FREE, and enter each week’s contest. You could collect $150 each week!

Follow the Lincoln Parish Journal each morning at 6:55 right to your inbox. It’s FREE! Just CLICK HERE to sign up.

A Ruston woman was arrested for drug possession after a substance that appeared to be ecstasy was found in her vehicle on a traffic stop.

Miata Jones, 27, was stopped for a traffic violation Aug. 22 on West Vaughn Avenue in southwest Ruston.

According to an officer’s report, Jones gave conflicting and inconsistent statements. When asked if she had any illegal items in the vehicle, she replied no.

During a search, a substance was found that was believed to be MDMA, commonly known as ecstasy.

Jones was arrested for a possession of a Schedule I controlled substance and booked at the Lincoln Parish Detention Center. The substance will be submitted to the crime lab to verify its identity.

This information has been provided by a law enforcement agency as public information. Persons named or shown in photographs or video as suspects in a criminal investigation, or arrested and charged with a crime, have not been convicted of any criminal offense and are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.  

For the latest local news, subscribe FOR FREE to the Lincoln Parish Journal and receive an email each weekday morning at 6:55 right to your inbox. Just CLICK HERE to sign up.

By T. Scott Boatright

It’s a move that’s been years in the making.

And Lincoln Preparatory School senior Zion Hicks is hopeful it pays off not only for him, but for the entire Panthers football as a whole.

After three seasons of playing tight end/receiver and safety, Hicks has made a move on the offensive side of the football.

It’s a new season with a new head coach for Panthers in Chaunce Davison, who had served as Lincoln Prep’s defensive coordinator in recent years.

But with a new season and new coach, Lincoln Prep will feature a new-look offense, too — one designed by offensive coordinator Vyron Brown, who returned to the Panthers football program this fall after a long stint as offensive coordinator and then head coach at Lane College.

And Hicks will be Brown’s new quarterback behind center for the Panthers.

Davison said that move has been long in coming.

“We’ve been talking about using him at quarterback for years,” Davison said about Hicks. “But in the past, he’s been a little reluctant. I think the thought of it all was just a little overwhelming for him.

“But the young man is growing up, and he’s growing into a leader. He’s doing a good job with that part of things. He has the size we’d love to have at quarterback. He’s got the arm and the athleticism. It just seemed that as we started thinking about finding a new quarterback, his time has come. And he’s been working hard to make it happen.”

Hicks said he gets increasingly comfortable with the move practice by practice.

“It hasn’t really been hard at all,” Hicks said of the conversion from tight end to quarterback. “They’ve had me back there for years in the offensive backfield thinking about using me there. So, it’s been thought about for years.

“I really don’t care where I play offense — tight end or quarterback. I just want to help my team. And it looks like this is where they need me — how they can best use me. And I’m happy about that. I like playing quarterback and I’m really looking forward to the (upcoming) season.”

Hicks has also been a force for years under the boards playing for the Panthers basketball team.

But that doesn’t mean Hicks likes hoops more.

“I actually like football more, because I like contact,” Hicks said. “I mean, there’s contact in basketball, but there’s a lot more in football. And I just like playing it more. That’s why I like playing defense, too. I like contact and it’s a lot more physical on the football field.”

Hicks said that playing basketball has helped his football playing, including being able to read what opposing teams are trying to do.

The leadership part of athletics has simply come with maturing.

“I’ve been watching the teams we’ve had before,” Hicks said. “And we’ve had leaders, but quiet leaders — a leader by action kind of thing. And I think it’s important to be a vocal leader, too. One that isn’t afraid to take charge.

“So, since my junior year I’ve been speaking up. And at this point, it’s become easy for me to be a leader. It comes naturally.”

That’s something the Lincoln Prep coaching staff has noticed.

“Zion is our leader and that’s important,” Davison said. “He’s doing a good job with that. And he’s coming along as a quarterback, too. He’s still got some things like making reads. Coach Brown has him really working on his reads so that when he throws, he’s throwing to a spot at the right time. A spot where the receiver is supposed to end up.

“He’s learning that and is looking more comfortable. He’s taking his time and doing what he needs to do.”

If Hicks is trying to model himself after another player, he said it’s probably Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson.

“That’s because I like watching him pull the ball and run and make plays,” Hicks said. “Sometimes I pull the ball when I’m not supposed to, and the coaches get on me for it. And I get that. But I still like to do it sometimes, because he’s my favorite quarterback, and I want to play like him.

“I want to make things happen.”

Hicks is confident the new offense Brown is installing will catch some of the Panthers’ opponents off guard this season.

“He’s opened up the offense, sometimes wide open,” Hicks said. “It’s just more creative than it was last year and I think that will show as we move into the season.”

Hicks expects to form a potent passing duo with one of his basketball teammates, senior Tre Spann, the top returning receiver for the Panthers.

“We’ve been playing together since our fifth-grade year, so our chemistry is really solid,” Hicks said. “So, I think Trey and I can do a lot this year.”

Hicks feels that way about the Panthers football team as a whole.

“If we can stay focused and keep our minds on getting better day by day — I think this team is a lot better than last year’s team,” Hicks said. “And I really do if we can stay focused and together — every player on this team — then I think we can make it to the championships this year. I really believe that.”

The Panthers’ road to postseason play begins tonight when they join Madison and General Trass at the Madison Parish High School Jamboree.

“I’m looking to get my teammates open and get the ball to them on passes,” Hick said of his hopes for the jamboree. “I just want to be able to help all of us to eat (succeed). I want to make that happen.

“That’s because I’m not a selfish player. I want this whole team to be great. And I want to help make that happen for every player on this team. And if I can do that, it should be a pretty good season.”

Ruston Police arrested a local woman last week after she was found with methamphetamine during an investigation.

Dwaynekeyah Bobbrianna Wilson, 32, of Ruston, was arrested after officers investigated a report of a man with the gun and found Wilson’s car matched that of the suspect.

At about 3:15 p.m. August 21, police received a report of a man producing a firefarm during an encounter. The victim said the suspect was in a gray or silver sedan possibly a Ford Fusion last seen headed to the dead end of Pecan Street.

A silver Ford Fusion was found in the 1000 block of Pecan Street with a man standing outside the vehicle. The driver, Wilson, was seated inside and refused multiple directives to exit the vehicle. When an officer opened the car door, Wilson exited the vehicle, concealing something in her hand. The officer physically put her hand behind her back and found a glass smoking pipe containing suspected methamphetamine.

A search of the vehicle also located a small amount of suspected methamphetamine hidden under the driver’s seat cover. Wilson said she uses methamphetamine occasionally, but denied the methamphetamine in the vehicle was hers.

She was booked at the Lincoln Parish Detention Center for possession of methamphetamine and resisting an officer.

This information has been provided by a law enforcement agency as public information. Persons named or shown in photographs or video as suspects in a criminal investigation, or arrested and charged with a crime, have not been convicted of any criminal offense and are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.  

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Paid Editorial Feature – The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Lincoln Parish Journal.  

Last month, OnPath Federal Credit Union agreed to buy Heritage Bank of St. Tammany in Covington, Louisiana, a century-old institution with deep local roots. The deal was hailed by OnPath CEO Jared Freeman, who praised Heritage’s “unwavering commitment to the local community.” But what Freeman failed to mention is that the acquisition will rob that community of a critical source of revenue.

Because OnPath is a credit union and thus tax-exempt, the deal means that St. Tammany Parish will lose a reliable stream of tax payments. Those dollars help fund schools, pay essential public servants like police officers and firefighters, and support other vital public services across the parish. Once the acquisition is finalized, that revenue will disappear, and the burden of making up the difference will fall squarely on the shoulders of local taxpayers.

The example of OnPath in Louisiana illustrates a much bigger problem across the country: credit unions are no longer the small, member-focused institutions they were established to be. Many have grown into large financial operations, similar to banks, all while enjoying tax-exempt status. Lawmakers must investigate whether credit unions’ tax-exempt status is still necessary in light of their significant growth, which is ultimately leaching revenue from state and local governments and setting the stage for higher taxes on local communities.

The situation in Louisiana is not the first. Texas Dow Employees Credit Union (TDECU) had planned to acquire Sabine Bank and Trust, which is based in Many, Louisiana. Although TDECU ultimately backed away from the acquisition, it underscores the fact that credit unions have strayed far from the original mission Congress envisioned when it exempted them from most federal, state, and local taxes under the Federal Credit Union Act. It’s time for Congress to revisit whether the tax breaks are still justified.

Credit unions like TDECU have grown into large financial institutions by leveraging taxpayer subsidies. Far from its founding mission to serve the residents of Lake Jackson, Texas, TDECU now serves over 380,000 members across the state. Ending 2024 with $4.8 billion in total assets, TDECU’s services have widened to include wealth management investment products through its partnership with LPL Financial, which they even acknowledge as being a conflict of interest. The growth doesn’t stop there. Credit unions are buying community banks at a time when bank consolidation and burdensome regulations are putting extreme pressure on banks’ bottom lines. The current regulatory environment and credit union acquisitions are exacerbating bank consolidation. In fact, data from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) shows that the number of community banks dropped by 46% over the last two decades, falling from 7,620 in 2003 to 4,129 in 2023. Credit unions are thriving, and skirting taxes while community banks are getting squeezed.

One negative outcome of tax-exempt credit unions acquiring community banks is that local and state governments lose revenue. This essential tax revenue helps fund local schools, projects, and infrastructure. The state of Louisiana has a bank shares tax that funds local communities, but when a credit union acquires a bank, it eliminates that source of revenue and results in less funding for local services. The shortfall in revenue could compel a parish to raise taxes on households to maintain a balanced budget. According to the Tax Foundation, “since 2011, more than 100 credit union–bank acquisition deals have been announced across the country.” Credit unions get to grow and avoid paying taxes, while American households across the country are getting forced to foot the bill at the end of the day.

Americans expect transparency, safeguards, and a level playing field from banks. These same principles should apply to credit unions. This is not about eliminating credit unions; it is about accountability and ensuring the law matches credit unions’ behavior. In an era where credit unions operate more like large financial institutions and less like community-oriented lenders, Congress should conduct oversight hearings and reexamine whether their tax-exempt status still aligns with their actions today. Louisiana taxpayers, in towns like Many and Covington, and in parishes around the state, should not have to pay more taxes because the law, as currently written, allows credit unions to exploit their tax loophole.

Ken Hale is the President & Chief Executive Officer of BOM Bank