NewsBreak Original

The St. Mary’s Tigers saw that they needed to add some “grit” to their athletic programs so they added a wrestling squad to the list of sports. Principal Jason Lachia, who was a former assistant at Catholic League powerhouse wrestling school Holy Cross, assumed the duties of head coach. Lachia needed some help and looked no further than Northwestern State. Lachia found former Airline High School.

If you find yourself near St. Marys or Crooked River State Park in Georgia, a stop at the historical Tabby Sugar Works of John Houston Mcintosh is worth a visit! What is "tabby" you ask? Well, I asked too! It is a type of concrete used in the 1800's and prior, made of oyster shells. The sugar mill was completed in the 1820's and after sugar production, was used as a starch factory. It is an interesting and free stop near St. Marys, is on The National Register of Historic Places and well worth a visit! Music: "Foyf" by NEFFEX & "Tinker Time" by Nathan Moore

At the beginning of 2023 although the majority of the area is still out of school had a full slate of games over the week. District 1-A started district play towards the end of the week. Haynesville, Homer, and Ringgold all took wins on the boys’ side. Haynesville and Plain Dealing girls started 1-0.

The St. Mary’s Tigers and Logansport combined for 26 of the 31 first team slots on the District 3-1A list. Both teams made quarterfinal runs in their respective playoffs. St. Mary’s swept postseason awards with Coach Aaron York claiming Coach of the Year. Quarterback Adam Parker was given the Offensive Player of the Year. Drake Griffin was awarded the Defensive Player of the Year.

Last week's tournaments ruled the schedule. Minden hosted the annual Holiday Classic Tournament. Teams such as Minden, Lakeside, Green Oaks, Gibsland-Coleman, Ringgold, Homer, Haughton, North Caddo, Loyola, and Calvary.

Four teams from Northwest Louisiana remain in the LHSAA football playoffs. Three of them are from Division III and Division IV Nonselect playoffs. The fourth is North Desoto Griffins making their first trip to the semifinals in Division II.

The Glenbrook Lady Apaches claimed the Region 1 Division V regional title last Thursday (November 3) at Lincoln Parish Park in Ruston. The Lady Apaches edged out Negreet Lady Indians by two points with 46 points. Glenbrook placed three runners in the top 10 from a freshman and two junior high runners. Freshman Mattison Fowler was the top Lady Apache finishing in 5th place with a time of 22:54.14. Eighth grader Laura Kilgore finished in 7th place in 23:31.25. Seventh-grader Emerson McLelland claimed a 9th place finish completing the race in 24:14.02. Hadley Haynes and Peyton Malone gave the Lady Apaches points with top 20 finishes in 16th place and 20th place, respectively. Sophe Downer and Hannah Day competed for the Lady Apaches.

The LHSAA released the Division III and IV playoffs on Sunday morning. The new format of Division is based on enrollment and separated by the new definition of Select and Nonselect. The number of teams qualifying also changed to 28 for non-select and 24 for select. This will open up four first-round byes in the non-select divisions and eight in the select divisions.

Two local races over the past two weeks featured several local racers in preparation for regional qualifiers for the state championship. Lakeside hosted the Lakeside Anthill race at the Minden Recreational Center on October 22. Ten local schools competed. The boys had 53 runners. The girls had 46 runners.

The Glenbrook Apaches claimed the District 1-A district title with a win over defending Class A state champ Homer Pelicans on Thursday night. Glenbrook changed course and scored on the ground attack. Maddox Mandino had 5 carries for 60 yards and two touchdowns. Ty Feaster took the quarterback keeper into the end zone. The defense was a key factor for the Apaches. Landry Powell had 16 tackles and 3 sacks. Rhett Johnson piled on 15 tackles. a sack, and a forced fumble. Maddox Mandino and Garrett Brown each had 10 tackles. Tre Kent snatched an interception along with 8 tackles. Toby Haulmark took 5 tackles. Cason Clemmons also had an interception.

The Mansfield Wolverines got the first win of the season over Jonesboro-Hodge. Terrence Pegus had 18 carries for 106 yards. Delkedric Thomas scored three touchdowns. The Tigers got scores from two different quarterback-receiver combinations.

Frightening forts, bloody bridges, and terrifying taverns, oh my!. Occupying most of an entire city block in downtown Piqua, Fort Piqua Plaza was built in the aftermath of the Piqua Troy rivalry for the county seat of the newly formed Miami County.

The Bulldogs (2-4, 1-0) took a homecoming win over Jonesboro-Hodge (2-4, 0-1) on Friday night. Leonard Mosley broke the 200-yard mark with 203 yards and a touchdown. Montreveun Smith, Jyrel Jones, and Trenton Grigg each added rushing touchdowns. Ed’Tavous Drayton rambled down the field on 22 yards for 132 yards and a touchdown. Chance Leonard crossed the goal line once for the Tigers. O’marrion Jackson took a fumble recovery 75 yards for a touchdown. The defense also got on the board with a safety.

The Titans (4-1) knocked off the No. 1 Division I Non-Select team in the State with a 28-27 road win. North Caddo had to come back in the fourth quarter to pull off the big win on Friday night in Calhoun. KJ Black had 213 yards total offense for the Titans' win. Black ran on 20 carries for 165 yards and a touchdown along with a receiving touchdown. Omarion Miller also scored two touchdowns. Aiden Brock threw 15 for 23 and 190 yards including two touchdowns and two interceptions.

The Cedar Creek Wallace Martin Invitational was held in Ruston last Saturday, September 24. Twenty-six schools from across the state competed. the boys' varsity had a field of 153 runners and the girls had 118.

The Cavaliers dropped to 1-2 for the season facing their second consecutive 5A opponents. But for the second straight week, the Cavaliers showed they could be competitive with the outnumbering squad. Byrd struck first in the second quarter when Jackson Dufrene caught a 41-yard touchdown from Lake Lambert. The Yellow Jackets had a 7-0 halftime lead. Calvary caught up in the third quarter when Bryce Carpenter took the option on a 3-yard run to tie the game at 7-7. With a little under nine minutes remaining Dixon Poirer scored on a 1-yard run to give Byrd the 14-7 win.