Most of Northwest Louisiana's football teams have had spring practices and/or spring games, so read on to see what players had to say about their teams in this second of two stories.
Homer
“Based on the spring games, I think our players understand what it takes to win a championship. They played hard, and while there is always room for improvement, I believe we have a chance to do something special this season. We have a good mix of seniors and talented young players. Running back/receiver Gregory Williams has an offer from Gramling, and receiver/safety Spencer Dunn has been great all over the field both offensively and defensively.” – Coach Richie Casey
Huntington
“I'm really proud of the physicality of this football team. They play really hard, fast and physical. I'm really proud of the leadership of the upperclassmen on our team. This is the largest senior class I've ever personally coached as a high school coach, with about 36 seniors. We have 10 seniors starting on defense, and I think we'll be able to really rely on that throughout the season. I love the temperament of our offensive line.” – Coach Steve Dennis
Lakeside
“We changed up our drills and did some drills. We incorporated a little bit of offense and defense and mainly got used to the drill method. We got the basics right. We're happy with where we are now heading into the summer. The work we do over the summer will be very important to the team's success next year.” – Coach John Ware
departure:Huntington's JoAnn Catanese has accepted a position in college-level football.
Spring VOL.1:Here's what Shreveport Area football coaches said about their teams in the spring.
upgrade:Here are details on the $4 million renovation of Caddo's Lee Hedges Football Stadium.
Mansfield
“There were a lot of positives from our spring games against Logansport and Red River. We didn't lose the ball, we made some pretty good tackles, our linemen didn't get hurt and we played really physical.” – Coach Darrell Barbey
Northcad
“There were several players that impressed me, some as expected and some unexpected. Mason Jackson had a great game. One TD run, one TD pass and one interception on defense. He's a high energy athlete and is definitely one of the best football players in the city. Braylon Champagne had a great game on defense. He's always in the right spot and is the best tackler on defense. We have some new guys this year that really impressed me today. Eli Edwards had a great game as an offensive tackle in his first high school football game. Trey Morris and Chancellor were a very productive one-two punch at running back. The offensive line communicated well and looked much more grown up than last season.” – Coach Chase Thompson
North DeSoto
“We answered some questions that needed filling holes on the back end of our defense and offensive line. With quarterback Luke Delafield out, our two young quarterbacks (Miller Warren and Hudson Toothman) were able to get a lot of practice in. ” Standouts included Braelyn Delton, Aidan Davis, Tucker Brewster, Cody Seekford and Walker Chadwick. – Coach Dennis Dunn
Northwood
“New quarterback and baseball star Jackson Bentzler joins the team and performed as expected. Three new wide receivers (Chris Shepard, Jaeden White, D'Antravious White) performed great. Defensively, linebackers Colby Turner, Gage Rams and Christian Blackmon led the way. Two safeties (4×100 state championship winners) performed great in Justin Thomas and Jerimiah Johnson. Finally, RB/FB Kyron Johnson and John Snead were MVPs. The offensive line was a bit mean as well.” – Coach Austin Brown
Parkway
“I was very happy and pleased to have the opportunity to play with the other guys in eight days. Offensive tackle Jax Gallier played very well, and we had four guys play in the first group at running back (Antonio Gladney, Carmalo Mayo, Josh Tell and Chase Crowder). One of last year's running backs, CJ Dudley, will be back soon after being injured last season. With these guys playing at running back, we have more free resources for the defense.” – Coach Coy Brotherton
Southwood
“Our team is growing. We've seen a lot of growth this spring session. We've found some good walk-ons that can help us and we've also seen some positive signs from our new starting players. Most notable players are quarterback Cornelius Martin, defensive back Coryon Johnson and wide receiver LeQuinton Pinckney.” – Coach Mike Green
Jimmy Watson covers Louisiana sports for the USA TODAY Network. Email him at jwatson@shreveporttimes.com and follow him on Twitter at @JimmyWatson6.
