LHSAA needs a playoffs fix

In 2008 the LHSAA started a seeding process for its boys and girls basketball playoffs using a power rating system similar to that of football. It has worked out to be a pretty fair and good system of taking the teams that do not finish first or second in their respective district and putting them in the playoffs based on their rating.

This is all good but the one thing that hasn't changed is how they determine who the home team is each week or game. It is something that shouldn't be that hard to figure out. For instance a team that is ranked no. 1 in their classification should always be the home team. It should be as simple as that, the higher ranked team should be home regardless of all this travel business (who traveled last, who has traveled the most, ect.) That is old and should go the way of the old way the brackets used to be filled out. Why have rankings if you don't use them in that manner.

This basketball season in the girls 5A playoffs you had both the No. 1 and 2 teams playing on the road in the second round. How does that make sense? What kind of reward is it to be one the top ranked schools in your classication if you have to travel to play another school that wasn't even a home team in the earlier round. Just because that team won its game, one game, all of a sudden it deserves to be at home the next game?

This is something that the principals need to look at now that they have the power rankings set up fairly to give the schools that deserve to be in the playoffs a chance at a state title. The old way of deciding this was the way it had to be before rankings but is now antiquated. The LHSAA needs to move on to the next step and fix this and make it right.

week 3 football in the books

The third week of the football season is done with no real big surprises as I think most everybody knows who is pretty good and Not! There were some not so pretty games which we pretty much knew would happen.

Byrd sits atop the local scene but some undefeateds like Haughton and Parkway in 1-5A and Northwood in 1-4A are calling for some attention. Look for the Yellow Jackets to move up a tad in the polls after beating Fair Park 63-8. Haughton layed the wood to Minden 34-7 and Parkway took it to Lakeside 54-12. Evangel (1-2) picked up its first win in beating Barbe 31-16. The Eagles learned a thing or two in playing out-of-state teams the first two games and will be hard pressed to be beat from here on.

Usually scoring 48 points is enough to garner a victory. But as Calvary found out on Friday, that isn't always the case. Facing a ranked Class 5A opponent for the second week in a row, the Cavaliers found the going tough again. Although they finally got their offense going they had no answer to stopping the Bears in a 69-48 loss. Quarterback Nik McCarty passed for a city record 569 yards and six touchdowns and Brandon Wilson caught 12 passes for 183 yards and three TDs receiving and one rushing. Carencro amassed over 500 yards on the ground and got a defensive touchdown in all of it.

In the big area rivalry game Haynesville disposed of Homer 50-26. The Golden Tornado ran for 413 yards but used a blocked punt to shift the momentum into their favor in the third quarter after only leading by 14-8 at the half. Haynesville is now 3-0 and has a huge test this week when it hosts Cedar Creek.

Blah week

It is a blah week after last weekend's Battle on the Border. That is the one negative to having such a great event to go to. It is hard to follow up with anything any better until it gets later in the season and teams are playing district games and fighting for playoff berths. The biggest and by far best game in the Shreveport-Bossier area in week 3 is the Barbe at Evangel game. Fair Park plays host to Byrd at Lee Hedges Stadium in the oldest series in Shreveport but it won't be much of a game. FP coach Mike Greene is making some progress with the Indians but he doesn't have the horses or depth. Coach Greene might be the only one around these parts that can put an athlete on the field faster than Richard Carthon in Justin Fortson but that is about it for FP. Captain Shreve goes to Independence Stadium to play Huntington in a rematch of the jamboree in which the Gators outscored the Raiders 24-14. Green Oaks at Northwood could be interesting. The Giants have a few athletes but too few players will once again prove to be their undoing in facing a deeper Falcon squad.

Friday Football is Here!

Well the first full night of real high school football is here. It will be a full night after last night's big game that had Byrd toppling top ranked West Monroe 30-23.

Tonight will have Natchitoches Central coming to Shreveport to face Calvary, Green Oaks visiting Captain Shreve at Lee Hedges Stadium, Bossier is at Airline, Woodlawn at Haughton, Alexandria at Parkway, Southwood at Notre Dame. Also, Fair Park is at Booker T. Washington, North Caddo at Northwood, Huntington at Marshall, Texas, Delhi Charter at Loyola and Evangel travels to take on Tulsa Union in Oklahoma.

It is still hot out so be sure and take some water with you and stay hydrated while at the game. It is too easy to fall out from heat exhaustion if you aren't used to being out in it all summer.

2011 Football Season is here

The hot summer weather continues but the football season is here. West Monroe will come to Shreveport to face Byrd to start the season at Lee Hedges Stadium on Thursday.

Byrd returns a lot of its starters from a year ago, including quarterback Richard Carthon the key to their offensive attack. Also back will be Treyvon Sims last years no. 2 rusher behind Carthon. Carthon had 865 yards rushing on 124 attempts and Sims 773 yards on 125 attempts. No. 3 back Christian Willis is also back after 650 yards rushing on 59 carries. So the Yellow Jackets have the most returning seniors this year than the past two and expecting big things.

West Monroe comes in as the No. 1 ranked team in the preseason poll released on Tuesday morning. The Rebels just seem to reload up the forces every year and this will be no exception.

Evangel pair named Outstanding in 2A

Evangel's Connor Castellano and Jenna Kreamer were both awarded for outstanding seasons by being named the Outstanding Players on the Louisiana Sports Writers Association Class 2A baseball and softball All-State teams.

Castellano, a senior third baseman, hit .398, with seven home runs and 36 RBIs and helped lead the Eagles to the Class 2A baseball state championship. He has signed to play at Vanderbilt next season.

Kreamer also played third base as a junior and has commited to play for the University of Washington upon graduating from Evangel next year. She hit .490 with a home run and 27 RBIs in leading the Lady Eagles to their third consecutive state championship.

Joining Kreamer on the softball first team was teammate Lindsey Neyland who is also a junior.

Senior outfielder Hayden Jennings was also named to the first team baseball squad. Preston Gray of Lakeside was named to the infield and Jared Lupo of Calvary was named as a utility player.

Baseball state champions

This past weekend put a wrap to the high school sports season with state champions named in baseball. For Jesuit it was their 7th state title, the most in the highest classification. St. Louis Catholic (4A), Livonia (3A), Evangel (2A), St. Mary's (1A), Forest (B) and Hicks (C) all finished the season as the champions in their respective class.

Congratulations to all for their hard work in achieving that goal.