Grambling State delivered a dominant performance on Monday afternoon, defeating Biblical Studies of Texas 100-55 at the Fredrick C. Hobdy Assembly Center. The Tigers (3-10) showcased their offensive efficiency and defensive prowess, while Biblical Studies (0-8) continued their search for their first win of the season.
P.J. Edwards led the Tigers with 21 points, shooting an impressive 5-of-7 from beyond the arc. Mikale Stevenson contributed a double-double with 20 points and 11 rebounds, while Ernest Ross added 16 points, including three three-pointers. P.J. Eason controlled the glass, collecting 13 rebounds to go along with his 10 points. Grambling’s bench also made a strong contribution with 22 points.
Corey Nickerson carried Biblical Studies, recording a double-double with 23 points and 14 rebounds. Frank Madubuku added 16 points, but the team struggled with efficiency, shooting just 33.3% from the field and 13.3% from three-point range.
Grambling took control early, outscoring Biblical Studies 42-26 in the first half behind 47.2% shooting and aggressive rebounding. The Tigers turned up the intensity in the second half, shooting 58.3% from the field and hitting 11 of their 17 three-point attempts to pull away decisively.
Defensively, the Tigers held Biblical Studies to just six points off turnovers and capitalized on their own opportunities, scoring 15 points off turnovers. Grambling also controlled the paint with 42 points inside and dominated the boards with a 49-31 rebounding advantage, including 11 offensive rebounds.
Grambling State will open SWAC play on Saturday, January 4, as they travel to Prairie View, Texas, to take on Prairie View A&M University. Tip-off is set for 5 p.m.
Charvez V Crawford Wednesday 11/14/2001 — Thursday 12/26/2024 Visitation: Friday 01/03/2025 3:00pm to 5:00pm at King’s Funeral Home Family Hour: Friday 01/03/2025 5:00pm to 6:00pm at King’s Funeral Home Funeral Service: Saturday 01/04/2025 3:00pm at King’s Funeral Home
A tornado damaged homes and uprooted trees near the Lincoln-Jackson Parish line south of Ruston as storms moved through the area Thursday.
No injuries were reported.
The National Weather Service said one of its survey teams visited the area off La. Highway 818 west of Clay Friday. NWS rated the tornado an EF-1 with peak winds of 90 miles per hour.
The twister struck about 8:00 p.m. Thursday night, traveling 1.29 miles and damaging a number of mobile homes. The Weather Service said the tornado cut a swath about 100 yards wide.
Estes Farms on U. S. 167 in Clay reported some property damage and has established a GoFundMe account to raise funds for other community members to repair their mobile homes.
Brooke Estes said, “Our property endured damage, but this outreach effort is not for us. It is more specifically for repair costs on the mobile homes located near us whose occupants can’t afford to make the repairs needed.”
Estes said at least three homes had roof damage as well as other damage and neither the landlord nor the occupants have funds for repairs.
The “Help Clay Neighbors Rebuild After Tornado” account at gofundme.com had raised nearly $2,000 as of Sunday afternoon.
Mike McGee, Chief Lending Officer for Louisiana National Bank, runs for life.
That’s not running for his life, but instead running to honor the life of a lost loved one.
And McGee got to make the most exciting run he’s ever made earlier this week as he competed in Monday’s Boston Marathon — all to honor his late son Will, who passed away at the age of 17 in 2002 at St. Jude Children’s Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, after a seven-month battle against liver cancer.
“He was diagnosed early in 2002 and passed away that September,” McGee said. “It was just one of those things where I couldn’t let his story end there. St. Jude does so much for so many people, and selfishly, his mother (McGee’s ex-wife Ora Lea McGee), his sister (Rachel Madden) and I just wanted to carry his name on. We didn’t want to just become kind of fading in the background, so we decided to start a foundation in his honor.”
And that’s how the Willpower Foundation came to be.
“It started out as just raising money to meet the fundraiser commitment for people who wanted to go into the cooperative to meet the fundraising commitment for the St. Jude Marathon,” McGee said. “It started out with four or five runners, and now we have 30 to 40 runners and another 40 to 50 who don’t run a lick but just want to help raise money for St. Jude.
“All of it culminates in a fundraiser held each year in (the University of Louisiana-Monroe’s) Bayou Pointe. It’s all about raising money for St. Jude in honor of Will, and that’s why we’re called the Willpower Foundation.”
McGee has run what he termed “countless” marathons and multiple half-marathons before, but on Monday he took on the dream of every long distance runner — the Boston Marathon.
“From the spectator standpoint, there’s nothing that compares to it,” McGee said of running the Boston Marathon. “I’ve run the New York Marathon, and that’s considered one of the world’s majors. But Boston is probably the penultimate marathon because you have to qualify for it. And from a spectator standpoint, there’s nothing that really compares to it.
“My wife (Donna Donald McGee) is a strong runner and probably a better athlete than me. She didn’t run the marathon but probably nearly ran that distance cheering me on.”
While McGee was just amazed seeing all that was happening around him as he ran, he was just as thrilled he was competing in what is considered the king of worldwide marathons.
“You have to run a qualifying marathon, which means that it has to be a Boston-approved course, and you have to run it in a certain time based on your age,” McGee said. “For someone my age — 61 — I would have to run a qualifying marathon in three hours and 50 minutes just to be able to submit an application to run the Boston Marathon. The older you are the more time you get, but it’s still a very difficult thing to qualify for.”
But McGee didn’t need to make a qualifying time, all because he was “running for life.”
“I’ve come really close, but in all transparency I didn’t this year because I was a St. Jude’s Hero Charity Runner,” he said. “I did get really close in 2009 when I ran the Las Vegas Marathon in 3:35, and my qualifying time that year had to be 3:30 based on my age.
“That’s as close as I’ve ever gotten to truly qualifying.”
While McGee feels a need to run now, it wasn’t always that way.
“I started running after Will passed away,” McGee said. “I was not a runner in high school (McGee grew up in Greenville, Mississippi before moving to Louisiana before his senior year and graduating from West Monroe High School). In fact, I played a little college football (at Vanderbilt) and said I was never going to run again. And for many years I held true to that until Will passed away.
“But after that, running just became a form of grief therapy. I don’t know how. It’s a God thing. It was a spiritual matter where I could still connect with Will and talk to him.”
And so, McGee’s run for life began.
“It started with asking myself if I could run a 5K, then it became a 10K. Once I got that, it became can you run a half marathon?,” McGee said. “Obviously it worked up to a marathon, and the first marathon I ever completed was the St. Jude Marathon in 2007. And it all became where I don’t feel complete without running. I ran a Marathon Monday but I got back home and ran some (Thursday) just because it becomes addictive.”
Just as addictive as a parent’s love for a child.
“After all these years, it’s still simply about talking to Will,” McGee said. “As I was running 26 miles on Monday, he and I carried on a lot of conversations.”
McGee said anyone wishing to donate to the Willpower Foundation can do so online at willpoweronline.com or by searching social media for Willpower Foundation, Inc.
“What we want to do is one day shut St. Jude Hospital down, meaning that all childhood cancers can be cured,” McGee said.
Ruston mayor Ronny Walker said the old federal building in downtown Ruston across from Utility Brewing Company on North Vienna Street is being sold to Oliver Road Investments, LLC.
“There is a company that is going to come in and totally restore the building, hopefully to its original grandeur,” said Walker, who said the City of Ruston bought it from the federal government seven years ago. “That’s the plan. Things could change but that is the plan.”
The structure was built in the early 1900s and served as a post office for the vast majority of its existence. However, it has been unoccupied for a number of years according to Walker.
He said the building was renovated in 1984 and most recently was used by LSU Extension, the Lincoln Parish Police Jury, and the City of Ruston.
“All of that ended about seven or eight years ago,” said Walker.
According to Walker once the renovations are complete the building will house a new restaurant.
“I can’t tell you what the name of the restaurant is, but it is something that everyone in Ruston will like,” said Walker.
Walker said the building currently appraises for around $230,000.
“It’s really in bad shape,” said Walker. “But this will take one of the iconic buildings in downtown Ruston and restore it by to its grandeur. It takes an empty building and opens it back up for commerce. This will be an incredible new venture in downtown Ruston. It is going to be a landmark.”
Walker said the sale of the building will be introduced at tonight’s City Council meeting and will be voted on at next month’s City Council meeting.
“They want to start as soon as possible, but I’m sure it will take a year and a half, maybe two years,” said Walker.
“Every awesome thing in creation is designed to point you to the One who alone is worthy of capturing and controlling the awe of your searching and hungry heart.” — Paul David Tripp, “Awe: Why It Matters for Everything We Think, Say, and Do”
But yesterday — yesterday was something entirely different, and I’m finding the words difficult to write.
Monday, April 8, 2024, had been circled by many an amateur astronomer: a total eclipse would be coming over a huge swath of the United States, starting from Southwest Texas and moving all the way into Maine throughout the afternoon. Of course, not everyone in the USA would have the chance to be in what’s called the “path of totality;” that is reserved for anyone under the moon’s direct path to the sun.
Well, this one was close enough to us in North Louisiana, and we’d have a shot to get into that path in Arkadelphia, Ark., right after lunch if we timed everything perfectly and get to location with minimal cloud cover. Loading the kids up after a few hours of school, we headed northward, canceling the original plan to go west to Texarkana due to inclement weather.
Zooming (within reason, of course) through the backwoods of Arkansas, we arrived around 30 minutes before NASA.gov’s scheduled time for that region, 1:49 p.m. for “totality.” Surrounded by about 20 other people, including Pops, my brother, and a nice couple from Monroe who gave the girls Moon Pies, we all patiently awaited a half hour that felt like eternity. We shared stories about traveling to see this incredibly phenomenon, and I joyously reminded my kids that they would (hopefully) see something that they would not have the chance to see again for over two decades, at best.
As the moon began its coverage, not much changed at first since we’d arrived. Sure, we had the cute glasses so we didn’t go immediately blind, and we could see the eclipse beginning. But as long as there was even a sliver of sunlight, it still looked like a normal day.
Minutes continued to go by, and soon the sun was a Cheshire-smile behind the moon, enough to still illuminate most of the park we found as our solar eclipse base. Readying myself for disappointment, it was still fairly light outside right as I checked my watch at 1:48 p.m., though I’ll admit it felt like dusk.
Now, I’ve seen a couple of eclipses before in Lincoln Parish, with as much as 95 percent of the sun covered up. But any eclipse chaser will tell you: 95 percent is not 100.
And they are absolutely right.
At 1:49 p.m., the moon completely covered the sun. Total darkness. For four minutes, the Ouachita River didn’t just feel like night — it felt alien. As close to space travel as I will ever experience. I hear the “ooo’s” and “ah’s” from fellow eclipse chasers. This was a timestamp of experience that I will never forget.
For those few moments, the corona of the sun’s rays haloed the moon, and I was awestruck by the glory of God’s creation, yet again and this time with glasses off. I still get chills just thinking about what I saw with my own eyes.
Our God has given us beautiful mountains, cascading rivers, sunny beaches and vast oceans: those are there to for us to explore, from close to home to all over the world, if you have the means.
But a total solar eclipse? You can’t just take a random weekend and make a visit. You have an even greater barrier: the timing of the eternal cosmos, which will prove to be in no hurry to recreate the conditions for yesterday.
The U.S. will not have another chance to see this type of eclipse totality for over two decades. My children, God-willing, will be grown and have careers of their own. Hopefully, Pops will still be around. But who among us could possibly know?
That’s why yesterday has filled me with an awe that will be difficult to replicate.
Ruston Police arrested a local man last week after he fled officers on foot after his vehicle was stopped for traffic violations.
Jireh E. Mayfield, 23, was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm and resisting an officer after he was stopped at an apartment complex on McDonald Avenue at about 7:30 p.m. on December 21.
A RPD officer saw Mayfield’s car observed several equipment violations on McDonald’s vehicle on. McDonald Ave. Mayfield pulled into an apartment complex and did not stop until he reached the rear of the complex. Mayfield ran from the car with the officer giving chase. When Mayfield ignored commands to stop the officer deployed his Taser electronic control device and Mayfield was taken into custody.
A Glock 27 .40 caliber pistol was found along the route Mayfield had taken on foot. He was booked for possession of firearm by a convicted felon, resisting an officer, and several traffic charges. Bail was set at $42,500.
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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BOSSIER, La. — Back-to-back 30-plus point performances by sophomore Bearcat Ahmad Hudson helped lead Ruston (6-3) to winning the Doc Edwards Tournament Championship, with Hudson and others earning post-tournament accolades.
Following a 54-36 Thursday win over Minden, the Bearcats would win 53-20 over Benton and then 63-55 over Bossier, both on Friday, setting Ruston up for a championship match with Huntington, where the Bearcats took the tournament prize home by a final score of 75-60.
For their overall efforts, Hudson was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player, while both senior Aidan Anding and sophomore Keshun Malcolm were named to the all-tournament team.
“I’m very pleased with how we played,” Ruston High assistant coach Corey Deans said. “Of course we got the wins, but what I was really played with was that instead of a shootaround, we had more of practice time because most of our guys are still new to the system. The football players (seniors Anding, Joran Parker, Fabian Stringfellow, and Zheric Hill along with Hudson) are getting comfortable understanding the offense. Our defense has always been rock solid, and the guys are just having fun. You could see the difference in their confidence and speed of play.
“I’m probably going to be biased, but I think Ahmad, Aidan and Keshun were the best three players in the tournament. If any of them were on a different team, they could all be an MVP. Ahmad dominated in every aspect of the game. Defensive-wise, they put him in a lot of screen and rolls, and he switched out and guarded guards. He defended the rim, and they couldn’t get any points inside the paint.
“Aidan did what he wanted to do. He broke the team’s press by himself and guarded each team’s best player. And with all the attention going to Aidan and Ahmad, Keshun was in a lot of one-on-one situations. I don’t think he can be guarded like that, and he showed that he is who he is.”
On Friday’s first game, Ruston’s defense held Benton to just 10 points per half, with sophomore guard Jasen Morgan leading the way in scoring with 14 points — nine of which he scored in the fourth quarter alone. Hudson added 10 while Anding chipped in eight.
In the Bossier match-up that evening, Ruston stormed out to a 35-26 lead at the half before the Bearkats began creeping back in. Ruston held Bossier off, getting the 63-55 win. Hudson would finish the night with 31 points and 16 rebounds, while Malcolm added 10.
For the final game of the tournament on Saturday, Ruston dominated Huntington by getting out to a 29-15 lead. The game turned into an offensive shootout in the fourth quarter with Ruston scoring 28 points to Huntington’s 27. Hudson would add 31 points again and finished with 17 rebounds.
“Huntington is one of the top programs in the state,” Deans said. “They have a lot of athletic guys – they were probably taller than us in every position except for center. And we dominated them in every aspect of the game. We were fast to the ball, and we looked fresher. We got every shot we wanted. We just looked like a complete team on the last game.”
Dean credited Ruston’s freshness to the Saturday late start, giving his team time to rest during the day.
Ruston returns to action Friday, Jan. 3, at home against Richwood. Tip off is set for 6 p.m.
ALEXANDRIA, La. — Ruston High’s Lady Bearcats (5-7) won both games played over the weekend at the Alexandria Senior High Holiday Classic, beating Montgomery first on Friday 59-26 and then Pitkin on Saturday 59-38.
Ruston High head coach LaShanda Cooper credited her team’s ability to get out to a good start in the opening day win over Montgomery. The Lady Bearcats started red hot, scoring 43 of their 59 points through the first two quarters. Both senior Kiersynce McNeal and sophomore Gioia Tatum scored 13 points apiece, while senior Samiya Lewis added 12 points.
“The main thing we try to stress to them is that we don’t want them to get off to a slow start,” Cooper said. “We need them to be aggressive and play hard at the tip. A lot of games we’ve played this year, we kind of got off to a slow start, and then we’re trying to pick it back up. We’re reinforcing into them that they need to start playing hard as soon as the game starts.
“For that game, the chemisty was there, and everybody played hard from the beginning. We made a couple of defensive adjustments and just came out ready to play.”
Ruston’s game against Pitkin was a more physical affair. After scoring only 21 points in the first half and trailing by as many as 13 points early, the Lady Bearcats used a 26-point third quarter to help seal the win. Tatum led the team with 16 points, while McNeal added 15.
“We stressed to them that when you play smaller schools, they’re going to play really, really fast and really, really hard,” Cooper said. “Some of these B and C classification schools play with an edge and want to show up a 5A school. I didn’t want us going into the game taking them lightly. We got punched in the mouth early — we missed some defensive assignments. Once we found the defense that made them uncomfortable, we became a little bit more aggressive.
“Gioia (Tatum) hit some big shots for us, and she’s playing with a lot of confidence right now. We’re trying to get them to believe in themselves. Sometimes they’ll look at me and ask if it was a good shot or a bad shot — and I just tell them if they don’t hear us say anything, then keep shooting. Once the confidence and chemistry kicks in, they’ll be in a really good place.”
The Lady Bearcats have now won three of their last four games heading into the New Year.
Ruston will return to action at the Benton Tournament this weekend to take on Captain Shreve Thursday and then Plain Dealing on Friday.
Cedar Creek continued its early season run as giant killers as the Lady Cougars defeated Class 5A Benton 53-51 in the consolation game of the 2024 Doc Edwards Tournament.
The Lady Cougars (13-3) recorded their fourth win of the season over either a 4A or 5A team and finished the three-day event with a 3-1 mark, including wins over Homer (65-24), Hornbeck (54-38) and Benton and a hard-fought loss to eventual tournament champion and Class 5A Airline (61-50).
“We took big strides as a team on both ends of the floor,” said head coach Katie Hall. “We had to be strategic playing four games in three days coming off a break. I knew we wouldn’t be crisp.
“But there were some great moments and then there were some moments where we needed to be better. We saw some kids really step up for us. Alivia Lee really shined all weekend. Avery (Ryan) got into her groove and didn’t rush. Mary Grace (Hawkins) was big. Everyone contributed in their own way. It was a great experience for our team.”
Ryan earned all-tournament team honors for the event, averaging 14.3 points per game over the Lady Cougars four contests.
Lee (13.3 ppg) and Hawkins (10.0 ppg) both averaged in double figures for the four games, as Lee recorded four double digit scoring performances and Hawkins added three 10-plus point games.
In the consolation game win over Benton Saturday afternoon, the used a stellar defensive effort in the final quarter to hold the Tigers to only four points in order to record the come-from-behind victory.
In a tie game with less than 20 seconds to play, the Lady Cougars got the go-head bucket on a layup from Taylor Martinez. Creek then got the final stops in the waning seconds thanks to a pair of blocked shots by Avery Ryan.
The Lady Cougars have now won eight of its last nine games.
The three losses have come against three teams who are a combined 37-7 this year (Haughton 17-1, Airline 12-1, Sterlington 8-5).
Creek will play at West Ouachita tonight at 6 p.m. followed by the varsity boys following.
______________________________
Cedar Creek 53, Benton 51
Cedar Creek Scoring: FG(3)-FT=Total Points
Alivia Lee 4(2)-2=12; Mary Grace Hawkins 4(3)-1=12; Mallory Smith 1(1)-0=3; Taylor Martinez 1-3=5; Zoey Venters 1-0=2; Avery Ryan 8(1)-2=19. Totals: 19(7)-8=53.
Score by Quarters
Cedar Creek (Record 13-3): 8-19-16-10=53
Benton (Record 13-7): 7-23-17-4=51
_______________________________
Airline 61, Cedar Creek 50
Cedar Creek Scoring
Alivia Lee 6(1)-0=13; Mary Grace Hawkins 2(2)-4=10; Caroline James 3(1)-0=7; Mallory Smith 1-2=4; Taylor Martinez 1-0=2; Avery Ryan 5-4=14. Totals: 18(4)-10=50.
Score by Quarters
Cedar Creek (Record 12-3): 11-16-17-6=50
Airline (Record 12-1): 18-16-12-15=61
_______________________________
Cedar Creek 54, Hornbeck 38
Cedar Creek Scoring
Alivia Lee 7(3)-0=17; Mary Grace Hawkins 1-3=5; Britton Bennett 1-0=2; Caroline James 1-2=4; Mallory Smith 2-0=4; Taylor Martinez 1-2=4; Zoey Venters 1-0=2; Avery Ryan 7-2=16. Totals: 21(3)-9=54.
Each Monday and Friday, the Lincoln Parish Journal will post a list of non-for-profit upcoming events happening in the parish. If you would like to add your event to this list or advertise your for-profit events, please email us at lpjnewsla@gmail.com.
Monday, Dec. 30 11:30 a.m.: Lunch on Us (Presbyterian Church, 212 North Bonner Street., Ruston) — everyone welcome Noon: GSU men’s basketball game 2 p.m.: Lady Techsters basketball game 6 p.m.: Toastmasters International meeting (Louisiana Center for the Blind, 101 South Trenton Street) 6-9 p.m.: Creative Meetups (Creatives at Work, 301 N. Trenton)
Tuesday, Dec. 31 New Year’s Eve
Wednesday, Jan. 1 Happy New Year
Thursday, Jan. 2 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.: Ruston Kiwanis Club lunch and program (Trinity Methodist Church fellowship hall) 6:30 p.m.: Lady Techsters basketball
Saturday, Jan. 4 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.: Ruston Farmers Market 3 p.m.: Lady Techsters basketball
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.
Bryson Daily and Hayden Reed each rushed for over 100 yards and combined for four scores to lead the No. 22 Army Black Knights to a 27-6 win over Louisiana Tech at the 2024 Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl in Shreveport.
The Black Knights (12-2) set a program record for wins in a season behind a rushing attack that amassed 321 yards on the ground — the most surrendered by Tech this season — as Daily scored on runs on 15, 8 and 3 yards against a Bulldog defense playing without a number of starters.
“I am proud of the way we fought tonight, but we just didn’t do enough especially offensively to give ourselves a chance,” said Tech head coach Sonny Cumbie. “I thought we fought, and I’m disappointed in the outcome of the game.”
After allowing two relatively quick scoring drives to Army on the Black Knight’s first two possessions, the Bulldogs defense settled in. However, after Drew Henderson’s 27-yard field goal with 14:15 to play in the second quarter cut the deficit to 14-3, Army showed why it’s one of the national leaders in time of possession and rushing.
The Black Knights used 21 plays to march 75 yards and took 12:21 off the clock as Daily’s 8-yard TD run made it 21-3 with 1:54 to play before halftime. Tech had multiple opportunities to get off the field on the drive, but Army converted three fourth downs on the drive and capitalized on a dropped interception and an offsides penalty.
“They have one of the best offensive lines in the country,” said Cumbie. “I thought we adapted to the speed of the game after the opening two drives, but they are just so methodical. Against a time like Army, you can’t afford penalties and missed opportunities to get off the field and we had a few of those tonight.”
Offensively, the story of the night like the story of the season for Tech was the Bulldogs inability to score TDs. Tech’s first seven offensive possessions of the game (7 of its 8) saw the Bulldogs move the ball past midfield, including three drives inside the Black Knights 15-yard line.
However, Tech managed just a pair of Henderson field goals (27, 44). Trailing 27-6 early in the fourth quarter, the Bulldogs had a first and goal from the Army 2-yard line after a 26-yard hookup from Evan Bullock to Tru Edwards.
But the Bulldogs couldn’t push it across the goal line as a third down pass was dropped in the endzone and on fourth down Bullock threw just his third interception of the season.
“I hope we will use this as motivation,” said Cumbie. “Our players got a taste of a bowl game, but they also learned that you have to play and execute at a high level in order to win against really good teams in bowl games. Army is a really good team, and they showed why tonight.”
Army had the ball for almost 40 minutes of the contest as Daily finished with 127 yards rushing on 27 carries and Reed added 114 yards on 20 totes. Daily finished sixth in the Heisman Trophy voting this season.
Tru Edwards caught eight passes for 92 yards for Tech, finishing just 11 yards shy of 1,000 on the season. Bullock completed 14-of-28 passes for 169 yards and one interception.
Zach Zimos and Jacob Fields led Tech with 10 tackles each while former Ruston High stars Jadon Mayfield and Christian Davis each totaled four stops for a Tech defense playing without three starters along its defensive line and minus leading tackle Kobe Fields.
The Bulldogs are now 3-2-1 all-time at the Independence Bowl.
Suewilla Armour Sutton Bullock, age ninety-five of Ruston, Louisiana, went to be with the Lord on December 27, 2024. She was born on December 10, 1929, in Haynesville, Louisiana. She was saved and born again at an early age at the Haynesville Methodist Church, and later joined the Baptist faith as an adult, was baptized, and was a member of the Felker Free Will Baptist Church near Valliant, Oklahoma, for many years.
The youngest of the three Armour girls, she was preceded in death by her parents Gus W. and Mattie (Garrett) Armour, her sisters Franceil O. Walden and Marjorie Grimmett McDougal, her husband Cecil O. Bullock, and a granddaughter Kimberly Dawn Sutton.
As a young mother she taught Sunday School and Vacation Bible School, and she was a Cub Scout Den Mother. She worked Civil Service for several years on two separate occasions and had various other jobs, but she found her life’s work as an entrepreneur. She and Cecil owned and operated a convenience store and rental property business in Valliant, where she resided for over forty years and made many dear friends.
She is survived by her three sons and their families: Richard K. and Bel Sutton, John W. and Kay Sutton, both of Ruston, and Stephen W. and Kay Ray Sutton of Coushatta, as well as step-son Cecil (Cobby) Bullock Jr.; five grandchildren (Chris Sutton, Timothy Sutton, Keith Sutton, Kenneth Sutton, and Scott Sutton), plus Tommy Bullock, Colby Bullock, and Shelby Bullock, and many great-grandchildren (Madison Sutton, Davis Sutton, Elise Sutton, Tyler Sutton, Brittany Gay, Kennedy Freese, Sarah Sutton, Parker Sutton, Kendall Sutton, and Emarie Sutton).
Special thanks to Premier Hospice (especially Jackie Wyatt and Erica Johnston) for their care over the last two plus years, and all the sweet ladies who sat with her during her illness over the past thirteen months, but especially Mrs. Janie Bowden and Mrs. Evelyn West Rushing, who both were with her on her journey home for the last thirteen months and became more than caregivers.
There will be a graveside visitation period starting at 11:00 AM, followed by the graveside service and burial beginning at 11:30 AM at Shady Grove Cemetery just west of Haynesville, Louisiana, on Tuesday, December 31, under the direction of Kilpatrick Funeral Home in Ruston. Shady Grove Cemetery is located on land once owned by her Bond and Garrett grandparents and is situated a mile from the house in which Suewilla was born. Memorials made in her name may be given to the Shady Grove Cemetery, Inc. or the charity of your choice.
Melba Jean Boyd Sumlin, 96, went to be with her Lord on December 27, 2024. Melba was born in Ruston, LA on Oct. 10, 1928, to David Harvey Boyd and Bessie Jones Boyd.
She attended A.E. Phillips, Ruston High School and Louisiana Tech University. Melba retired from Willamette Industries in Ruston, and she was a longstanding member of Temple Baptist Church.
She is survived by her daughters Dianna Sumlin Stone (George) of Ruston, Carole Sumlin Sexton (Edison) of Baton Rouge, and son James Robert Sumlin Jr. of Richardson, TX . She was very proud of her grandchildren Ashley Sexton Gordon (Chuck) of Baton Rouge, Melissa Sexton Gomez (Wade) of Baton Rouge, Lauren Stone Torrey (Scott) of Madison, MS, Andrew Sexton (Ashley) of Fulshear, TX, and Suzanna Stone Reneau (James) of Sterlington; and great-grandchildren Charles, Elizabeth, Christian and Sarah Gordon, Davis, Lawson, Wyatt and Walker Torrey, Olivia and Hannah Sexton, Ireland Bailey, Andrew and Everett Gomez, and Adair, Davis and Jack Reneau.
She was preceded in death by her husband of 64 years James Robert Sumlin, her parents and her sister Gloria Boyd McGuire of Corpus Christi, TX.
Melba loved to read, enjoyed Bible studies, worked crossword puzzles and relished being visited by her family. She supported numerous philanthropies for the betterment of others. Special thanks to her caregiver Sonya Dufour who took amazing care of her toward the end of her long life.
A private graveside ceremony will take place on Sunday, Dec. 29 in Simsboro. Officiating will be Rev. Dale Oden.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that a donation be made in her name to one of her favorite organizations, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
A Memorial Graveside Service for Johnny Dalton Wright, Sr., age 74, of Dubach, LA will be held at 2:00 PM, Monday, December 30, 2024, at Hamilton Cemetery in Dubach, LA. Officiating the service will be Bro. Doug Stewart.
Johnny was retired from the Oil Field. He was an avid fisherman and loved to grill on the grills he made. He was very mechanically minded and loved to work in his shop welding.
He is proceeded in death by his parents, George and Bonnie Madell Hunter Wright; brother, Randy Hall; and grandchild, Kallie Wright.
Left to cherish his memory are his loving wife of 53 years, Ida Wright of Dubach, LA; daughter Cassandra Gilbert and husband Daniel of Calion, AR, sons Johnny Wright, Jr, and wife Misty of Dubach, LA, and Adam Wright and wife Whitney of Bernice, LA; 5 grandchildren; and 3 great grandchildren, as well as numerous family and friends.
Johnny Dalton Wright, Sr. October 31, 1950 – December 27, 2024 Cemetery: Hamilton Cemetery, Monday, December 30, 2024, 2:00 pm
Charvez V Crawford Wednesday 11/14/2001 — Thursday 12/26/2024 Visitation: Friday 01/03/2025 3:00pm to 5:00pm at King’s Funeral Home Family Hour: Friday 01/03/2025 5:00pm to 6:00pm at King’s Funeral Home Funeral Service: Saturday 01/04/2025 3:00pm at King’s Funeral Home
Bobbie Jo Mohn February 16, 1976 – December 24, 2024 Private service
Bryson Daily and Hayden Reed each rushed for over 100 yards and combined for four scores to lead the No. 22 Army Black Knights to a 27-6 win over Louisiana Tech at the 2024 Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl in Shreveport.
The Black Knights (12-2) set a program record for wins in a season behind a rushing attack that amassed 321 yards on the ground — the most surrendered by Tech this season — as Daily scored on runs on 15, 8 and 3 yards against a Bulldog defense playing without a number of starters.
“I am proud of the way we fought tonight, but we just didn’t do enough especially offensively to give ourselves a chance,” said Tech head coach Sonny Cumbie. “I thought we fought, and I’m disappointed in the outcome of the game.”
After allowing two relatively quick scoring drives to Army on the Black Knight’s first two possessions, the Bulldogs defense settled in. However, after Drew Henderson’s 27-yard field goal with 14:15 to play in the second quarter cut the deficit to 14-3, Army showed why it’s one of the national leaders in time of possession and rushing.
The Black Knights used 21 plays to march 75 yards and took 12:21 off the clock as Daily’s 8-yard TD run made it 21-3 with 1:54 to play before halftime. Tech had multiple opportunities to get off the field on the drive, but Army converted three fourth downs on the drive and capitalized on a dropped interception and an offsides penalty.
“They have one of the best offensive lines in the country,” said Cumbie. “I thought we adapted to the speed of the game after the opening two drives, but they are just so methodical. Against a time like Army, you can’t afford penalties and missed opportunities to get off the field and we had a few of those tonight.”
Offensively, the story of the night like the story of the season for Tech was the Bulldogs inability to score TDs. Tech’s first seven offensive possessions of the game (7 of its 8) saw the Bulldogs move the ball past midfield, including three drives inside the Black Knights 15-yard line.
However, Tech managed just a pair of Henderson field goals (27, 44). Trailing 27-6 early in the fourth quarter, the Bulldogs had a first and goal from the Army 2-yard line after a 26-yard hookup from Evan Bullock to Tru Edwards.
But the Bulldogs couldn’t push it across the goal line as a third down pass was dropped in the endzone and on fourth down Bullock threw just his third interception of the season.
“I hope we will use this as motivation,” said Cumbie. “Our players got a taste of a bowl game, but they also learned that you have to play and execute at a high level in order to win against really good teams in bowl games. Army is a really good team, and they showed why tonight.”
Army had the ball for almost 40 minutes of the contest as Daily finished with 127 yards rushing on 27 carries and Reed added 114 yards on 20 totes. Daily finished sixth in the Heisman Trophy voting this season.
Tru Edwards caught eight passes for 92 yards for Tech, finishing just 11 yards shy of 1,000 on the season. Bullock completed 14-of-28 passes for 169 yards and one interception.
Zach Zimos and Jacob Fields led Tech with 10 tackles each while former Ruston High stars Jadon Mayfield and Christian Davis each totaled four stops for a Tech defense playing without three starters along its defensive line and minus leading tackle Kobe Fields.
The Bulldogs are now 3-2-1 all-time at the Independence Bowl.
Sonny Cumbie (middle), Evan Bullock (left) and Zach Zimos (right) talked about the Bulldogs bowl match-up against the Black Knights during Friday’s press conference.
by Malcolm Butler
These Bulldogs are truly an underdog.
Louisiana Tech (5-7) will head into Saturday night’s match-up against the No. 22-ranked Army Black Knights (11-2) as a two touchdown underdog as kickoff for the 2024 Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl is set for 8:15 p.m. at Independence Stadium in Shreveport.
Heck, just two weeks ago, the Bulldog players had cleaned out their lockers and were preparing for off-season workouts … that is until the 11th hour announcement on December 14th that Tech would replace Marshall in the postseason game.
It’s Tech first bowl appearance since the 2020 New Orleans Bowl.
Despite taking the road-less-traveled into the game, Tech head coach Sonny Cumbie said his team is excited and is embracing the opportunity for a 13th game.
“It is unconventional a little bit on how it worked out for us and for our football team,” said Cumbie. “However, in terms of the bowl system, bowl games, and the impact they have on student athletes, I wish you could have heard the excitement and joy, in particular the 16 seniors that chose to come back and play in this game when given the opportunity to come back and play together. They were ecstatic and very excited, and we are grateful to be here.”
The appearance will be Tech’s sixth in Independence Bowl history, and its first since defeating Miami 14-0 in 2019.
Tech (5-7) had a roller coaster season that saw the Bulldogs fall short in heartbreaking fashion far too many times. However, each and every week, the Dogs came back and played with the same level of intensity and effort despite what was on the line or who the opponent was or what the outcome was the previous week.
It’s that mentality and closeness in the Bulldogs locker room that senior linebacker Zach Zimos pointed to during Friday’s press conference.
“I’ve never been on a more close-knit team,” said Zimos. “So, it has been a fantastic opportunity, I’m super grateful. But the main thing is to win. We’re not here to play an extra game and get the extra practices. The plan is to win and obviously play really well.”
Winning will not be easy for Tech. The Bulldogs face an Army team that has lost just two games all year and that won the American Athletic Conference. It’s been a historic season for Army who hopes to put an exclamation mark on it with a bowl victory.
“(Jeff) Monken has done a great job everywhere he has been,” said Cumbie.” In terms of coaching football, when you watch teams play, that’s all you need to do is watch teams play. You don’t need to listen to commentators, you don’t need to listen anything that goes on in terms of tv, just watch teams play and see how hard, violent, and cohesive Coach Monken’s team plays. You see that for the 12-13 games that we have studied this year.”
Although Monken knows that Tech will be minus a number of key components from its regular season two-deep due to injury or the transfer portal, the Black Knights coach isn’t taking the Bulldogs for granted despite being a 14-point favorite.
“It was mentioned, three overtime games and five games by one score or less, they’ve got a tremendous football team and it’s going to be a tremendous challenge for us,” said Monken. “So, very athletic football team, very big football team, very fast football team we’re going to face, so we’ve been preparing as well as we can over the last couple of weeks with limited practices.”
As a team, Army averages almost 300 yards per game on the ground (298.9), but will have to try to run against one of the top run defenses in the country. Louisiana Tech allowed just two opponents this season (Jacksonville State – 191, Arkansas – 233) to eclipse the 175-yard mark rushing as the Bulldogs give up just 120 yards per game.
“They (Tech) are very unique,” said Monken. “They are salty. Physical, play hard, tough, well coached and a unique scheme. As much as everyone talks about us having a unique offensive scheme, they’re very unique defensively and poses a unique challenge for us.
“A lot of times you go into football games as an offense having no idea what we’re going to see from the opposing defense because we are different and unique and align differently and have different schemes. We often see a defense the opposing team hasn’t played all year. So, we don’t know. I tried to ask coach Cumbie what they were going to line up in but he wouldn’t say.”
The contest can be heard on the LA Tech Sports Network on 107.5 FM with Malcolm Butler, Teddy Allen and Jerry Byrd providing the call of the game. The pregame show will begin at 6:45 p.m.
It will be Louisiana Tech’s 12th bowl game since joining the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) ranks in 1988, including its fourth appearance in Shreveport during that time. Tech also played in the Independence Bowl in 1977 and 1978. Tech is 3-1-1 all-time at the Independence Bowl.
Tech FBS Bowl History
1990 Independence Bowl – T, 34-34 vs. Maryland
2001 Humanitarian Bowl – L, 49-24 vs. Clemson
2008 Independence Bowl – W, 17-10 vs. Northern Illinois
2011 Poinsettia Bowl – L, 31-24 vs. TCU
2014 Heart of Dallas Bowl – W, 35-18 vs. Illinois
2015 New Orleans Bowl – W, 47-28 vs. Arkansas State
2016 Armed Forces Bowl – W, 48-45 vs. Navy
2017 Frisco Bowl – W, 51-10 vs. SMU
2018 Hawaii Bowl – W, 31-14 vs. Hawaii
2019 Independence Bowl – W, 14-0 vs. Miami (Fla).
2020 New Orleans Bowl – L, 38-3 vs. Georgia Southern
A man struck by a vehicle and killed in Ruston last Monday night has been identified.
Rodney Whiteside, 37, of Bossier City was identified as the pedestrian, according to Ruston Police Chief Steve Rogers. Whiteside is the third pedestrian fatality in the city in just over two months.
Whiteside was struck and killed in the westbound lanes of Interstate 20 between exits 84 and 85 on the evening of December 23.
Rogers said Whiteside stepped out in front of a vehicle, although its not completely known if it was intentional.
Two other pedestrians have been struck and killed and another injured in Ruston since October.
Omari Lee Johnson and Jailin M. Jones were arrested for obstruction of justice for allegedly concealing evidence in the Thursday shooting of Charvaz Crawford. 17-year-old Yanni Potts, 17 (photo not available) has been charged with second degree murder.
A Ruston man was shot and killed Thursday afternoon at a local apartment complex.
Ruston Police Chief Steve Rogers said officers were dispatched to a “shots fired” call at the Cinnamon Square Apartments off South Farmerville Street about 1:30 p.m. Thursday afternoon.
Officers learned a gunshot victim had been taken to the nearby Northern Louisiana Medical Center. Rogers said the 23-year-old victim, Charvaz Crawford, died of a gunshot wound to the chest.
Investigators worked on the case through Thursday night into Friday morning, including executing a search warrant which located Yanni Potts, 17, who has been charged with second degree murder.
Two Ruston men, Jailin M. Jones and Omari Lee Johnson, both 18, were arrested for obstruction of justice for allegedly concealing evidence in the case, Rogers said. They were booked at the Lincoln Parish Detention Center and bail was set at $10,000 each.
Potts was arrested in the same apartment complex in July when Ruston Police spotted him on Martin Luther King Drive after a report of a man brandishing a handgun. Potts was chased by officers into the Cinnamon Square Apartments where he was arrested. A Glock 43 9mm pistol was recovered in that case.
Three of the four individuals named in the incident have gun or drug charges pending in Third District Court.
Ruston High School placed four Bearcats of the Louisiana Sports Writers’ Association Class 5A All-State team, which was released Friday morning.
Senior Sam Nations earned the honors on the offensive line, while sophomore Ahmad Hudson was named all-state as a tight end.
On the defensive side, senior Zheric Hill was named all-state at the linebacker position, while senior Aidan Anding earned the honor as a defensive back.
Three Bearcats were named to the honorable mention list: senior Jack Elliott as a kicker, senior Payton Bell on the defensive line, and senior running back Jordan Hayes.
See the full team listed below.
LSWA CLASS 5A ALL-STATE CHART
OFFENSE
WR Kenny Darby, Airline, 6-1, 175, Jr.
WR TaRon Francis, Edna Karr, 6-1, 205, Sr.
TE Ahmad Hudson, Ruston, 6-7, 230, So.
OL Ervin Smith, Catholic-BR, 6-2, 285, Sr.
OL Lionel Prudhomme, Captain Shreve, 6-3, 295, Sr.
OL O’Ryan Mosely, Terrebonne, 6-3, 295, Jr.
OL Sam Nations, Ruston, 6-2, 287, Sr.
OL Leon Noil, Edna Karr, 6-4, 275, Jr.
QB Ben Taylor, Airline, 6-1, 185, Sr.
RB J.T. Lindsey, Alexandria, 5-11, 185, Sr.
RB Nate Sheppard, Mandeville, 5-10, 190, Sr.
RB Jamarcea Plater, Captain Shreve, 5-9, 180, Jr.
PK Asher Murray, C.E. Byrd, 5-11, 160, Jr.
ATH Peyton Houston, Evangel Christian, 5-11, 185, So.
DEFENSE
Pos player school ht. wt cl.
DL Corey Adams, Edna Karr, 6-4, 250, Sr.
DL Richard Anderson, Edna Karr, 6-4, 320, Jr.
DL DK Mays, Central6-5, 255, Sr.
DL Dylan Berymon, Ouachita, 6-3, 305, Jr.
LB KD Mays, Central, 6-0, 195, Sr.
LB Zheric Hill, Ruston, 6-0, 220, Sr.
LB Xzavier White, Alexandria, 6-1, 220, Jr.
LB Damari Drake, Evangel, 6-0, 215, Sr.
DB Jayden Reed, Neville, 5-11, 175, Jr.
DB Aidan Anding, Ruston, 6-0, 170, Jr.
DB Jacob Bradford, Catholic-Baton Rouge, 5-11, 190, Sr.
A man was struck by a vehicle and killed in Ruston Monday night, the third pedestrian fatality in the city in just over two months.
Ruston Police Deputy Chief Chad Hamblin confirmed a man was struck on westbound Interstate 20 and killed on December 23.
Identity of the man was not available at publication time and Hamblin said the investigation is continuing.
Two other pedestrians have been struck and killed in Ruston since October.
Luis Alberto Esparza Rios, 41, of New Orleans, was struck by several vehicles as he tried to cross Cooktown Road about 9:20 p.m. on Wednesday, October 16.
Three days later, Jack Mitcham, 21, of Ruston and Sterlington, was struck by a vehicle on the South Service Road about 2:15 a.m. on October 19. Mitcham later passed away in a medical facility. Abby Sterling, 20, of Shreveport was arrested for first degree vehicular negligent injuring but that charge was later upgraded to vehicular homicide. A second man was also struck and received moderate injuries.
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