ULM’s Athletic Director Scott McDonald announced he will resign effective September 1. McDonald steps down after four years with the Warhawks, saying he plans to return to the financial services industry. The university plans to announce an Interim Athletic Director soon, while it conducts a national search for a new Athletic Director.
There was a noticeable absence from LSU’s football practice, as sixth-year QB Myles Brennan was not in attendance and is stepping away from football, according to the university.
Former Carroll High School football star Cedric Woods toured La Tech’s Fall Fan Fest, interviewing some of his fellow teammates along the way. The Monroe native showed off all the sights and sounds and urged Bulldog nation to continuing supporting his team. Louisiana Tech starts the season September 1st at Missouri. The home opener at The Joe is September 10th.
Grambling State University’s head football coach Hue Jackson will lead the Tigers on the field for the first time in a few weeks. Jackson says he is proud of how the G-Men are responding to his coaching style and competing each day. Grambling opens the season at Arkansas State September 3rd.
Louisiana Tech held their first fan fest since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. Players and coaches from La Tech football, women’s soccer and women’s volleyball signed autographs and took pictures with Bulldog fans of all ages.
The ULM Softball program marked the grand opening of the Stangier-Young Leadership Center will a ribbon cutting ceremony. The $1.5 million dollar venue provides student-athletes an opportunity to achieve more academically, athletically and professionally. With head coach Molly Fichtner’s vision and private donations of $300,000 each from lead benefactors Gretchen Stangier and Carol Young, current players were emotional when they entered their new facility for the first time.
Grambling state opened their doors to fans so they can get a first look of the Hue Jackson era of Grambling football. Coach Jackson was impressed with their performance today but knows there is more work to do before they take on Arkansas State for their season opener.
Neville High School’s star offensive tackle is undecided where he will continue his football career. The four-star prospect with multiple Division I offers says LSU is still in the running.
Joe Spatafora is preparing for his 17th season as the head football coach for Union Parish High School. Over the years, the colorful coach has gained attention for his success and coaching style. Spatafora says he will continue to speak his mind and keep his style as he looks to lead the Farmers back to the state championship.
Former Neville Tiger star, Jaiden Cole is now entering his sixth season at Louisiana Tech. The former Aaron’s Ace still believes he has a lot to prove to his new coaching staff at La Tech. Cole had 10 starts at safety last season.
This dynamic duo from Ruston is ready to get over their playoff hump. In the last 4 seasons, the Bearcats have been sent packing home from the quarterfinals. Quarterback Jaden Osborne and running back Dyson Fields plan to change that. Osborne finished with 923 passing yards last season. Dyson Fields found paydirt 31 times last season as well. Ruston will kick off against Warren Easton in week one.
West Ouachita has put their 2-8 record from last season behind them and are ready to shock north east Louisiana. The chiefs play in a rough 5A district 2 that includes Ruston, West Monroe and Ouachita. Second year head coach Mike Rainwater also added legendary River Oaks head coach, Robert Hannah, to his coaching staff as a defensive coordinator.
Texas Tech transfer Parker McNeil and TCU transfer Matthew Downing are the front runners in the Louisiana Tech quarterback competition. Both gunslingers have experience playing for head coach Sonny Cumbie, and they are embracing the fight to start under center.
The first team on our Friday Night Blitz preview is Cedar Creek. The Cougars faced offseason coaching questions when head coach Matt Middleton left the team for the offensive coordinator job at Southern Arkansas University. Fast-forward seven months, Middleton is back and looking to lead his Cougars to a Class 1A state championship. Cedar Creek opens its season September 3 against Glenbrook.
Fall camp is underway for ULM football, and so is the quarterback competition. Sophomore Chandler Rogers and junior Jiya Wright are fighting for the starting job. Head coach Terry Bowden says both players have the ability, so it will be a battle.
Sports director Aaron Dietrich and a panel of judges have been ranking the top West Monroe Rebel football players. Andrew Whitworth just edged out Jerry Stovall as the number one Rebel. “Big Whit” has seen it all in his remarkable football career but the for the NFL man of the year, his journey to the top was far from smooth
Sonny Cumbie knows a thing or two about quarterback competitions. He was a quarterback himself, back in 2004, Cumbie lead the Texas Tech Red Raiders to a bowl victory and was the top gun slinger as the nations leader in passing and total offense. He had to compete his way through the NFL (Indianapolis Colts and Baltimore Ravens). Now he has advice for his transfer quarterbacks about how to handle the heat of competing against each other.
Former West Monroe running back Charlie Norman and former Ouachita linebacker Carl Glass received scholarships from ULM today. Head coach Terry Bowden surprised the local duo after their first practice.
Trey Holly is a special player, the Union Parish star is 875 yards away from breaking the states all-time rushing record. In this weeks edition of Aaron’s Aces we honor one of the states top running backs and why he decided to play for his senior year.
Louisiana Tech first fall practice under first year head coach Sonny Cumbie is in the books. With their season opener against Missouri on the horizon, getting the first practice jitters was a big help for the Bulldogs
As the Bulldogs fall camp begins, the number one story is the quarterback competition between Matthew Downing and Parker McNeil. Luckily for Tech, both players have experience under head coach Cumbie’s offense with their time at TCU (Downing) and Texas Tech (McNeil). Only time will tell on who will take the field against Missouri on September 1st as the lead signal caller.
The NFL said the Dolphins also had “impermissible communications” with Sean Payton's agent about becoming Miami’s head coach before he announced his retirement.
Former Grambling State baseball head coach and Hall of Famer Wilbert Ellis hosted his annual baseball camp in his hometown of Ruston. The free camp featured instructors Hank Aaron Jr. and GSU and Atlanta Braves Hall of Famer Ralph Garr.
Louisiana Tech golfer Sam Murphy placed first with a ten under. Monroe native Jody Moss also tied for 6th place after coming back from 25th place on day two. Another Monroe native cracked the top 40, Gilbery Grayson placed 37th. Monroe’s Stan Humphries and Sterlington’s Garret Dolecheck both tied for 41st place.
Matt Kubik was the offensive coordinator at ULM from 2016-2019. Now he is back in Monroe in the same roll and second year head coach Terry Bowden is confident and has high expectations for the returning coach. New defensive coordinator Vic Koenning is very familar with the Bowden family as well. He coached at Clemson and West Virginia with Bowden’s brother (Terry Bowden)
La Tech Football and head coach Sonny Cumbie hosted their first ever women’s football clinic at the Joe. All proceeds from the event benefit the Domestic Abuse Resistance Team (D.A.R.T.), which is an organization that provides help to domestic and dating violence victims and their children.
Former Neville Tiger star, TCU standout and USFL MVP KavonTae Turpin is heading to the Dallas Cowboys on a 3-year deal after turning heads in the USFL. Turpin explains that he wanted to prove everyone that he belongs in the pros and that he still has a lot left in the tank.
Warhawk football head coach Terry Bowden has a rich history of coaching college football with 25 years under his belt and his father (Bobby Bowden) coaching for another 33. Last season, Bowden called Monroe, Louisiana his new home as he took the job as ULM’s new head football coach. He went 4-8 in his first season but had impressive wins over Jackson St. and Liberty. Now Bowden is ready to take the Warhawks to the next level in his second season calling the shots.
Sarah Chaffee from Wisconsin won the Women’s division at the 2022 World Horseshoe Pitching Championships hosted at the Monroe Civic Center. The fifteen-year-old went undefeated in her first world tournament since moving up from the junior division. In the Men’s division, Ohio’s Alan Francis captured his 26th world title. The winningest world champion in history took the 2022 title with a ringer percentage of 85.4 percent.
The Dixie Boys Baseball World Series Pre-Majors is being held in at Warhawk Field and the Sterlington Sports Complex. Teams from all over the south have traveled to Monroe, looking to win the pre-major championship. Sterlington’s 17u team seems to be the team to beat after cruising by Madison Heights, Virginia (17-1) and Swainsboro, Georgia (14-1).
Ouachita high school has a rich history of elite football players. Sports director Aaron Dietrich and some Lion insiders break down the best of the best in Ouachita history. Here is the elite eleven
Monroe’s Artie McMullen captures the Men’s Class F World Championship title in his own city at the 2022 World Horseshoe Pitching Championships. The competition continues at the Monroe Civic Center through July 23 with the Men, Women, Senior Men, Senior Women and Elders Championships.
Ruston’s seven-and-under baseball team is set to compete in the Dixie Youth Baseball Regional World Series at the Ouachita Sportsplex from July 21 to July 24. Divisions include 6U T-ball, 6U Coach Pitch, 7U Coach Pitch, and 11U. Teams from Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi, Arkansas and Alabama will compete for the championship. A total of 57 teams will compete over the 5 divisions.
Junior is a very well known name in northeast Louisiana but after putting up 15.2 ppg, 7.2 rbs, 2 asts in 5 NBA Summer League games, the basketball world now knows the name “Kenneth Lofton Jr.” Junior is still representing Louisiana Tech as he made a visit back to Ruston for some extra work.
Marsala is a highly decorated athlete at Saint Frederick high school. He earned the 1A player of the year and back-to-back all-state honors in baseball and 2021 all-state in football as well. Now the stud catcher is taking his talents south to Baton Rouge Community College.
A big day in Ruston as a quartet of Diamond Dogs were selected in the Major League Baseball draft. The Dodgers draft Taylor Young, the Bulldogs all-time hits leader and former Aaron’s Ace from West Monroe, in the eighth round. The Miami Marlins taking pitchers Kyle Crigger and former Ruston star and Aaron’s Ace Cade Gibson in the seventh and tenth round, respectively. The Toronto Blue Jays picking pitcher Ryan Jennings in the fourth round. It is the first time in the history of Louisiana Tech’s baseball program to have four players drafted in the top 10 rounds.
Virginia’s Eli Sullivan is the 2022 World Horseshoe Pitching Cadet Champion, going undefeated in the championship playoff and preliminary round. The 10-year-old has been competing for two years, and he offers tips for other pitchers.
Neville High School has never been shy of talent on the gridiron, winning 12 State Championship titles and generating 126 All-State players. With the help of Neville insiders, this is the list of the elite 11.
Terence Cahee looks to turn his Wossman Wildcats into District and State Championship contenders. The former defensive coordinator at Lake Charles College Prep and All-American at McNeese State University is getting prepped for his first season as head coach.
West Monroe’s Colby Dark and Sterlington’s Ian Carter have the personalities to match their impressive fishing skills. The high school seniors recently finished fourth out of 236 teams at the 2022 High School National Championship in Alabama. They have also reeled in the title of Aaron’s Aces first anglers.
Dr. Eric A. Wood hit the ground running when he was named top dog of Ruston back in October of 2020. Since then, he has had to work through Covid-19, conference realignment and finding new head coaches for five different programs. Wood shares his thought process behind every critical move.
James “Shack” Harris and Doug Williams are two of the most prolific quarterbacks in Grambling State University history. As college sports are ever-evolving, the Tiger legends view the foundation of Grambling athletics as a steadfast force.
For the 12th time, the Hall of Fame Banquet has been sold out. Eleven outstanding individuals will be inducted into the 14th Class. The 2022 Hall of Fame induction banquet will be held Saturday, July 9th, at the Fredrick C. Hobdy Assembly Center on the campus of Grambling State University, in Grambling, LA.
Skip Holtz brought Jaylon Ferguson into the Louisiana Tech family and coached him to become a third-round pick of the Baltimore Ravens. Ferguson passed away on June 21st, 2022 at the young age of 26.
Brandon Landers is taking over the same program where he was once a star. The former Carroll High School and Grambling State University quarterback strives to coach the Bulldogs back to their glory days.
