DeSoto Parish Public Schools will enjoy Winter Break February 19 through February 23.  

DeSoto 4-H Jr Leaders will host Parent’s Night Out on Friday, February 16 from 5:30-9:30pm at the Dave Means Memorial 4-H Building, 10117 Hwy 171 in Grand Cane. $35 for first child, $20 for each additional child. All children must be potty trained. A release form must be completed and signed. Must RSVP to the 4-H office by Tuesday, Feb 13 by email to jsalley@agcenter.lsu.edu. 

THE Gamakatsu Bassmaster Elite Series on Toledo Bend is coming up soon, February 22-25 at Cypress Bend Park in Many. Catch the fun, all events are free. Daily launch & weigh-ins: 7am & 3pm at Cypress Bend Park B.A.S.S. on the ‘Bend Festival will take place Saturday and Sunday February 24-25 from 11am-2pm. There will be a FREE concerts by Derrick McLendon, Grammy award winning, Louisiana legend Wayne Toups, Spencer Brunson and Joey Greer. FREE activities for kids — make a bracelet station, kids’ fishing tank, balloon animals, cornhole, face painting and more. For a full schedule of events visit www.ToledoBendLakeCountry.com/BASSElite.

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Kenneth Dudley “K.D.” Kemper
January 10, 1956 — February 8, 2024
Memorial service will be held at a later date.

Cedric Carroll
March 11, 1975 — February 12, 2024 
Service: Saturday, February 17 at 12pm at St. Mark B.C. – Holly

Adell Moore
August 29, 1946 — February 3, 2024
Service: Saturday, February 17 at 10am at Jenkins Funeral Home Chapel – Mansfield

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BY MATT VINES, DeSoto Parish Journal

STONEWALL – Three North DeSoto football players signed on the dotted line to continue their football careers in college Wednesday as part of National Signing Day.

Receiver Landry Wyatt will be a preferred walk-on at Louisiana Tech while the tandem of running back Trysten Hopper and offensive lineman Gage Caskey will join East Texas Baptist’s football team.

Wyatt led North DeSoto with 17 touchdown catches and ranked second with 44 total catches for 1,040 yards.

Caskey helped power an unusually balanced offensive attack that produced a pair of 1,000-yard receivers and a pair of 1,000-yard rushers. North DeSoto piled up more than 6,553 offensive yards in just 13 games (279 passing and 225 rushing per game). 

Hopper was one of those 1,000-yard rushers as the bell cow plowed ahead for 1,138 yards and 20 touchdowns. 

The Griffins posted an 11-2 record as the No. 1 seed in the Division II playoffs, reaching the semifinals before losing to eventual champion Opelousas.

 

Logansport offensive tackle lands with Kilgore Community College

Logansport offensive tackle Cratelyn Henderson (6-foot-4, 320 pounds) signed with Kilgore Community College on Wednesday.

Henderson bookended an experienced Tigers front that paved the way for a bevy of weapons to touch the ball.

The Tigers had as many as eight players who regularly got touches on the ground or through the air on a unit that averaged nearly 40 points per game. 

 

North DeSoto wrestler chooses Drury

Fresh off the school’s first state wrestling championship, North DeSoto’s Collin Bell decided he hasn’t made his final pin.

Bell will continue his wrestling career at Division II Drury University, a private school in Springfield, Missouri.

Bell, who will wrestle at 133 pounds at Drury, finished fifth in the 126-pound class in Division II at the LHSAA state championships this past weekend.

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BY MATT VINES, DeSoto Parish Journal

MANSFIELD – It feels good to be a Lady Wolverine.

The Mansfield girls basketball team (18-8) gutted out a pair of road wins against other District 3-2A contenders with victories at Winnfield (42-30) and at Lakeview (40-38), who was previously unbeaten in district play.

The Lady Wolverines (7-1 District 3-2A) closed out their regular season with a win late Thursday night against Red River.

“Discipline and defense were keys to both of those wins (Winnfield and Lakeview),” said Mansfield coach Kendra Neal-Jones. “The girls played well defensively throughout the entire game, and we made some big defensive stops in the fourth quarter.

“We made free throws late against Lakeview. Chelsie Davis made 10-of-11 from the line to secure that win.”

Mansfield avenged an earlier loss to Lakeview and could be outright district champions if Winnfield tops Lakeview tonight.

But if the Lady Gators win, Lakeview and Mansfield will share the district title.

“We have been executing better offensively, and staying with what we do best, which is playing tough on the defensive end.”

Mansfield entered the season-finale at No. 10 in the Division III Non-Select rankings and will host a first-round playoff game.

The LHSAA will announce playoff pairings Tuesday.

 

North DeSoto, Logansport girls fighting for home court in playoffs

Both the North DeSoto and Logansport girls basketball teams know they are in the playoffs, it’s just a matter of where that first-round game will be.

The Lady Griffins (18-7) are at No. 16 and have a .30 lead in the Division II Non-Select power rankings to be one of the 16 first-round hosts.

But district foe Minden (No. 17) gained ground with a 61-53 win Tuesday.

North DeSoto will likely hold on to that as they finish the regular season Friday with lowly Woodlawn, who hasn’t won a district game and has just six wins all season.

Logansport’s tailspin continued as the Lady Tigers have dropped six of their last seven games since knocking off North DeSoto on Jan. 9.

Logansport (9-10) is just 1-5 in District 3-1A play, beating previously one-loss LaSalle in its only district win. The Lady Tigers lost the rematch to LaSalle by 33 points before a 72-71 overtime loss to St. Mary’s at home Tuesday.

Sitting at No. 17, Logansport still has a shot at a home playoff by winning its season-finale late Thursday night at Montgomery.

Stanley (5-23) is firmly out of the playoff picture at No. 43 and attempted to snap a 10-game losing streak in its season-finale late Thursday against Converse.

 

Area boys teams trying to break into the playoff picture

Logansport is the only DeSoto Parish boys basketball team that has locked up a playoff spot heading into the final week of the regular season.

The Tigers (8-8, 3-2 District 3-1A) pieced together a four-game winning streak that was snapped by district champion St. Mary’s on Tuesday in a 47-38 win.

But Logansport sits at No. 22 in Division IV, and the improvement from a 42-point loss to St. Mary’s earlier in the season means that the Tigers should be an unwelcome site on the road in the first round of the playoffs.

If the playoffs were to begin today, then Mansfield (9-17) would be in at No. 28, owning a .70-point lead for the final Division III playoff spot.

The Wolverines’ win against Winnfield last week is a big reason why, but the class of the league showed its separation in the last two games as Winnfield (89-56) and Lakeview (75-42) topped Mansfield.

Mansfield has one more regular-season game against Homer this Thursday.

North DeSoto (7-10) appears to have slid all the way out of the playoff picture at No. 33 as the Griffins have lost seven of their last eight contests. The most hurtful was a 49-45 home loss to Haynesville on Monday as North DeSoto desperately needed victory points to crack the top 28.

The Griffins aim for their first District 1-4A win in the finale at home against Woodlawn tonight before heading to Haynesville on Thursday.

Stanley (9-22) may not be totally out of the playoffs sitting at No. 31 with its finale late Thursday night against Converse, a team they’ve beaten three times this season. Stanley put itself in this position by splitting with Florien, scoring a 58-46 home win Monday.

A win might vault the Panthers into the top 28, but they’ll need help from teams above them.

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Age, I’ve always been told, is just a number. But the older I get to whatever number is next, my feelings change on certain topics. Now headed into my mid 60’s, one thing that has suddenly changed in me is my level of patience. All of the sudden the man who had little to no patience, has the patience of Job (whatever that means). Father time, as some call it, has a way of adjusting your attitude. You begin to look at life a little differently and appreciate whatever amount of time you have left.

As an athlete growing up, you think you’ll always be able to leap tall buildings with a single bound. You’ll always be as fast as anyone on the field. But then the day comes when someone tells you that you’re no longer good enough to play the game. All that time and energy you spent developing skills that made you the player you were is now a distant memory.

Bass tournament fishing is the one sport that allows you to compete at a high level even into your late 70’s as Jimmy Houston, Tommy Martin, and Rick Clunn have all proven. It’s a sport where, in many cases, age can make you better as you continue to gain more knowledge. Or does it?

Like most sports, age is usually the determining factor that sends us home to relax in our Lazy-Boy or dust off our old trophies. For a bass tournament angler, I’ve learned over the years that tournament fishing really is a young man’s sport. It’s so draining with all the travel, practice and speaking engagements. During my 30’s and 40’s, there was a time when I would pre-fish from daylight till dark.

Rain, shine, sleet or snow, my boat was in the water looking for bass as I prepared for my next event. Then around the age of 55, my competitive fire and perspective began to change. No longer was it as important as it was when I was 35 to go out and try to win a tournament. My priorities changed as other areas of my life became more important and I was happy just to get a check. If I finished in the money, I was perfectly happy.

Simply put, I still wanted to win, but my desire has waned over the years when it came to braving the elements and fishing on those days when it was hotter than Hades or colder than the Arctic Circle. I just wasn’t as mad at them (bass) as I used to be!

At the same time, other things in my life began to interfere with my desire to be on the water. My priorities changed and it became more about the friendships and camaraderie with the guys I traveled with. It’s sitting on the water before takeoff watching a beautiful sun rise and visiting with other anglers, some who were friends and others who were competitors. I love fishing when the conditions are good, and temperatures are mild. Yes, that’s right…. I am now one of those fair-weather anglers that I used to make fun of.

Back in the day, I didn’t care how hot or cold it was because I wanted to beat every angler that backed a boat in the water. My competitive fire was very high during my early years. After a tough tournament, I was an emotional wreck on some of those long drives home asking and critiquing myself on what went wrong and how could I learn from it. This is how anglers get better! You have to be able to be honest with yourself and recognize your mistakes whether they’re physical or mental.

One great thing about the sport of tournament bass fishing is you never stop learning from your first day on the water till the day you load the boat on the trailer for the last time. It’s a constantly evolving sport no matter how good you are. But if you ever stop learning and gaining knowledge, that’s when you’re no longer relevant in the bass tournament world.

Till next time, good luck, good fishing and when in doubt, set the hook!!!

Steve Graf

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BROOKELAND, Texas (Feb. 6, 2024) – As the Bass Pro Tour season began with B&W Trailer Hitches Stage One Presented by Power-Pole on Toledo Bend on Jan. 30, MLF pros Greg Vinson and Brent Chapman joined Texas Parks and Wildlife biologists and Tackle Warehouse Invitationals pro Kyle Cortiana to complete the first MLF Fisheries Management Division Minn Kota Habitat Restoration Project of 2024 on Sam Rayburn Reservoir. The project was supported by Kubota Tractor Corporation and featured MossBack Fish Habitat.

The volunteers constructed eight 60-inch Conservation Cubes, a dozen 60-inch Safe Haven XL’s and four John Godwin Crappie Towers. They were deployed in four areas using TPWD’s state-of-the-art habitat barge to create Bass Recovery Zones. Hammer Equipment of Jasper, Texas, supplied a B3350HSD Kubota tractor to aid the volunteers in loading the habitat onto the barge, while Lowe’s Home Improvement of Jasper (Store #1769) provided cinder blocks to weigh down each of the MossBack Habitats.

“We’re excited to partner with MLF and TPWD on the Sam Rayburn Reservoir project,” said Jim Jorgensen, Kubota Senior Advertising and Marketing Manager. “With ‘For Earth, For Life’ as Kubota’s concept for environmental stewardship, this habitat project leans into our core values as we aim to contribute to the realization of a sustainable society. It is a fitting example of the pride Kubota takes in having its equipment play a key role in contributing to a thriving global ecosystem – ultimately, helping to create a lasting positive impact on communities nationwide.”

Sam Rayburn is one of the world’s most popular bass fisheries. It has been estimated that there are more than 200 tournaments on the reservoir each year — roughly one tournament every four days. A high percentage of these tournaments take off from Umphrey Family Pavilion and boat ramps near the dam. Such tournaments result in fish being released from one of the two floating docks or just inside the island from a live release boat. These fish will likely stay within a couple miles of their release site for a full year. The Bass Recovery Zones created during the Minn Kota project will provide these fish with an immediate place to recover and feed.

“This project with Minn Kota and Kubota’s support is an excellent example of how we can support the bass-fishing community and improve reservoirs,” said Bass Pro Tour pro Brent Chapman. “While aging reservoirs continue to lose the original standing timber and aquatic vegetation varies year to year, MossBack artificial habitat provides a solution that will be in place for generations.”

Sam Rayburn and Umphrey Park will be home to the first stop of the 2024 Tackle Warehouse Invitationals starting Feb. 9. Thanks to the work of Minn Kota, Kubota, TPWD and the MLF angler volunteers, anglers will immediately get to see the habitat in use. This project was a great way to immediately improve Sam Rayburn Reservoir and highlight how important the fishing community is to Minn Kota, Kubota, MossBack Fish Habitat, Lowe’s and Major League Fishing.

Throughout 2024, Minn Kota and the Major League Fishing Fisheries Management Division will continue to improve habitat on fisheries using the Bass Recovery Zone model near popular tournament destinations.

For complete details and updated information on Major League Fishing and the MLF Fisheries Management Division, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com/fisheries-management. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, X, Instagram and YouTube.

About MLF Fisheries Management Division
Major League Fishing’s Fisheries Management Division is dedicated to improving the quality of life for bass through Research, Education, Fisheries Enhancement and Fish Care. Under the leadership of MLF, in collaboration with Hall of Fame bass angler Gary Klein and renowned fisheries biologist Steven Bardin, the Fisheries Management Division provides opportunities to engage in initiatives that extend the life of the sport of bass fishing. These initiatives include targeted research programs, providing fans, anglers and youth with access to educational materials that help them become better stewards of our fisheries resources, and collaborating with local and state agencies to improve habitat essential for bass to thrive. From maximizing the health of an individual fish post-catch to stocking juvenile fish into waterbodies, the MLF Fisheries Management Division is committed to the health of our bass populations.

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Baton Rouge, LA – Get ready to sprout your creativity and curiosity during the inaugural Louisiana Ag Week, taking place March 18-22, 2024!

This week-long celebration isn’t just about exploring the roots of agriculture – it’s about celebrating its vibrant present and growing its future one seed at a time.

Dig Into The Heart Of Louisiana:
• Uncover the journey of your food: From planting seeds to processing and packing, discover the incredible story behind your everyday meals.
• Meet the faces behind the fields: Connect with farmers who dedicate their lives to nourishing our
communities.
• Explore the future of farming: See how innovation and technology are revolutionizing agriculture, ensuring a sustainable and secure food supply for generations to come.

Let Your Creativity Bloom In Our Youth Contests:
• Young Sprouts Coloring Contest (Pre-K – 2nd Grade): Color your favorite Louisiana commodity coloring sheet and learn where your food, fuel and fiber come from.
• Growing Artists Contest (3rd – 8th Grade): Express your unique perspective on agriculture through drawing or painting.
• Future Farmers Video Contest (9th – 12th Grade): Share your vision for the future of agriculture through a creative and engaging video.

Grow Your Knowledge, Grow Your Community:
• Host an event: Organize farm tours, educational workshops, or cooking demonstrations in your community.
• Spread the word: Share information about Louisiana Ag Week and its contests with your friends, family, and neighbors.
• Educate the next generation: Download special lesson plans and activities for teachers and homeschoolers through the Ag in the Classroom program at http://www.aitcla.org. These engaging resources make learning about agriculture fun and enriching for students of all ages.

Visit our website at www.laagweek.com for contest details, event updates, and more ways to get involved.
Let’s celebrate the power of agriculture, from seed to screen, with creativity, connection, and a green thumb!

Together, let’s cultivate a deeper understanding, appreciation, and vibrant future for Louisiana agriculture!

For More Information: Avery Davidson, La. Farm Bureau Communications Director, averyd@lfbf.org or (225) 922-6227

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HEADQUARTERS NEWS RELEASE
February 8, 2024

On Sunday, February 11, 2024, millions of Americans will tune in to one of the most anticipated sports games of the year. With many planning to host Super Bowl parties and events, Louisiana State Police and the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission would like to remind football fans and people everywhere that Fans Don’t Let Fans Drive Drunk. If your night involves drinking alcohol, make sure to pass your keys off and have a game plan with a designated driver to get you home safely at the night’s end.

Additionally, Mardi Gras celebrations are taking place across Louisiana. Troopers will remain vigilant as they patrol and assist citizens and visitors to our state.

Last year, nearly half of fatal crashes investigated in our state involved impaired drivers. Alcohol, prescription drugs, and other drugs have many effects on the body. These substances can impair visual ability, alter the sense of time and space, impair fine motor skills needed to operate a motor vehicle, and decrease reaction times. If you feel different, you drive differently.

Motorists are encouraged to either designate a sober driver before driving to any place where alcohol will be consumed or utilize an alternate ride home such as a rideshare or taxi. Partygoers should also never get into a vehicle with an impaired driver. Avoid being blindsided by tragedy and wear a seat belt, as it is your best defense in the event of a crash. No matter what team you may be pulling for Sunday, be the real MVP this weekend and help make Louisiana roadways a safe place to travel as we head toward our destination of zero deaths.

To report suspected impaired drivers, motorists are encouraged to dial *LSP (*577) from their cellular phone to reach the nearest Louisiana State Police troop location or dial 911 to contact local law enforcement.

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Al and his roommate had been friends since they met on their first day of the fall semester at Harvard College in 1965.  They spent most of their time shooting pool and watching Star Trek rather than studying for exams.  Al occasionally challenged his roommate to shooting contests in which they would see who could shoot a tin can from the farthest distance.  Al usually won.  Al’s roommate’s parents lived overseas when he was in college, so Al’s roommate went with Al to his parent’s house in Carthage, Tennessee for the holidays and other school breaks.  There, they went chasing after cows that got loose, canoeing, hunting, including coon hunting with coon dogs in the middle of the night.   On one Thanksgiving, Al and his roommate had to stay in their dorm for the holiday.  Wanting to keep with the holiday spirit, they decided to roast a turkey.  They built a fire in the dorm’s central fireplace, wrapped a turkey in a couple of rolls of aluminum foil, and roasted the turkey.  Al’s roommate said later that it was Al’s most ambitious attempt at cooking.  Oh, the things we get up to when in college.

One day, Al and his Harvard College roommate asked two fellow students, who were also roommates, out for a double date.  The girls accepted, but there was one problem.  Al’s roommate had no car, no motorcycle, no mode of transportation.  All Al had was a motorcycle.  Had they spent what little money they had on a taxi, they would not have had enough money to spend on their dates.  Al could have taken turns shuttling his roommate and their dates to their date spot, but they all wanted to ride together.  So, they did the best they could with what they had.  Al’s date, Tipper, rode on the handlebars, Al drove, Al’s roommate’s date sat behind Al, and Al’s roommate sat on the back of the motorcycle behind his date.  The motorcycle, designed to carry two people at most, was overloaded.  Riding on public roadways of Cambridge, Massachusetts with four people on a motorcycle was illegal.  The foursome carefully started on their journey to the date spot.  Almost as soon as they set off, they saw a policeman.  Unfortunately, the policeman saw them, too.  The officer’s eyes followed them in disbelief as they passed.  The foursome on the motorcycle stared at the police officer in disbelief as well.  The officer pulled out behind the overloaded motorcycle and turned on his emergency lights.  It looked as if their date would be cut short. 

Al had another idea.  He told his passengers to “hold on!”  Tipper gripped the handlebars even tighter.  Al’s date locked her hands even tighter around Al’s abdomen.  With a sly grin, Al’s roommate squeezed his date tighter.  Al gunned the motorcycle.  The policeman accelerated his patrol car and stayed right behind them.  Al thought quickly and turned down an alleyway that was too narrow for a car to follow.  After “ditching” the policeman, the foursome on the overloaded motorcycle continued driving to their date spot.  Again, they saw a policeman and avoided being pulled over by going down a narrow alley.  The foursome eventually made it to their date spot, enjoyed their evening, and headed back to campus, all the while “ditching” policemen in the same manner as before.  A few years later, Al married his date.  What became of Al’s roommate’s date remains a mystery.

35 years after they first met, Al Gore ran an unsuccessful campaign for President of the United States.  At the 2000 Democratic National Convention, Al’s roommate nominated Al for president and delivered a convention speech in which he told of their college days and their lifelong friendship.  In the speech, Al’s roommate said Al “has been one of my closest friends since the day we met.”  Later in the speech, Al’s roommate said, “Al is the closest thing I’ve had to a brother.”  While Al’s political career prospered, Al’s roommate’s acting career also flourished.  Al’s roommate has been nominated for several Academy Awards and won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in The Fugitive.  He won a Golden Globe award for his performance in Coal Miner’s Daughter.  Some of his other notable films include Men in Black, Batman Forever, Double Jeopardy, and Space Cowboys.  Al’s roommate has appeared in at least 90 films.  You know Al’s roommate and lifelong friend.  His name is Tommy Lee Jones.

Sources:

1.     “Tommy Lee Jones Nominates al Gore, August 16, 2000, C-SPAN.org.” Www.c-Span.org, Accessed February 4, 2024, https://www.c-span.org/video/?c3846242/user-clip-tommy-lee-jones-nominates-al-gore-81600.  

2.     Courtney Fox, “Tommy Lee Jones and al Gore Were Roommates for 4 Years.” Wide Open Country, February 26, 2021, https://www.wideopencountry.com/tommy-lee-jones-and-al-gore-were-roommates-for-4-years/.

3.     Jordan Liles, “Were Tommy Lee Jones and al Gore College Roommates?” Snopes.com, September 15, 2022, https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/jones-gore-college-roommates/.

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DeSoto 4-H Jr Leaders will host Parent’s Night Out on Friday, February 16 from 5:30-9:30pm at the Dave Means Memorial 4-H Building, 10117 Hwy 171 in Grand Cane. $35 for first child, $20 for each additional child. All children must be potty trained. A release form must be completed and signed. Must RSVP to the 4-H office by Tuesday, Feb 13 by email to jsalley@agcenter.lsu.edu. 

The staff at Mansfield State Historic Site would like to welcome all to attend “From Servitude to Service” in honor of Black History Month on Saturday, February 17 from 2-3pm. They will share a presentation on Louisiana’s unique history of African American service during the Civil War. The event will focus on the history, evolution, and lasting legacy of the Louisiana Native Guard. 

The Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry (LDAF) is now accepting grant applications for the Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure program (RFSI). The LDAF will work in partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to award $4.6 million for equipment and infrastructure projects to Louisiana food and farm businesses, as well as other eligible entities including nonprofits, local government entities, tribal governments, schools, and hospitals. The application period opened February 7, 2024, and applications will be accepted through April 15, 2024. For the full press release, visit https://www.ldaf.la.gov/about/news/article/ldaf-is-now-accepting-applications-for-resilient-food-systems-infrastructure.

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Lloyd L. Holloway, Jr.
January 19, 1949 — February 6, 2024
Graveside Service: Friday, February 9 at 12pm at Forest Park West Cemetery – Shreveport

Vivian Williams
April 3, 1950 — February 3, 2024
Service: Saturday, February 10 at 11am at St. Elizabeth Baptist Church – Grand Cane

Sallie Hogan
July 22, 1935 — February 3, 2024
Service: Saturday, February 10 at 10am at Union Spring Baptist Church – Mansfield

Dorothy Gillyard
June 26, 1941 — January 29, 2024
Service: Saturday, February 10 at 11am at Sunshine Baptist Church – Mansfield

 

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The DeSoto Parish School Board convened for its regular meeting on Thursday, February 1, 2024, and approved the academic calendar for the 2024-2025 school year. Based on feedback from surveys to internal and external stakeholders, the comprehensive calendar is designed to provide students, parents, and educators with a structured and effective framework for the upcoming academic year.

Key highlights of the approved calendar include a student start date of August 8, 2024, and an end-of-year date set for May 22, 2025, with the standard holiday breaks, including Good Friday. This carefully crafted timeline ensures that students will have ample time for learning and growth while also accommodating the necessary breaks for rest and rejuvenation.

“We are pleased to announce the approval of the 2024-2025 academic calendar,” stated Superintendent Clay Corley of DeSoto Parish Schools “Our commitment to providing a well-rounded education extends beyond the classroom, and this thoughtfully planned calendar reflects our dedication to provide an adequate school-work-life balance for our families.”

Families are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the approved academic calendar to ensure a successful and organized school year. The DeSoto Parish School Board remains steadfast in its commitment to delivering a high-quality education and looks forward to the positive impact the 2024-2025 academic calendar will have on the entire school community.

Visit www.desotopsb.com to see the full calendar for the 2024-2025 school year.

Source: DeSoto Parish Schools Facebook page

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BOSSIER CITY – North DeSoto wrestling held a more than 30-point lead going into the finals of the LHSAA Division II championships on Saturday.

The Griffins hadn’t completely clinched their first team state title, but when Dalton Compton salted away the 144-pound individual title with his 12-3 win against his St. Thomas More opponent, everyone knew.

North DeSoto unseated Teurlings Catholic, who had won four straight team state championships, as the reigning Division II champions. The Griffins scored 326 points (most by any team in any division) this weekend and bested second-place Teurlings by 29 points.

“My assistant (Jacob Bohlken) looked at me and just kind of smiled,” said North DeSoto head coach Dustin Burton. “I knew what he was smiling about, and I just broke down in tears.

“I picked him up – he’s a big guy at 6-foot-4 and wrestled as a heavyweight at the (University of Missouri). But that’s what it felt like. It was a great showing from everyone, and it’s a point of pride that we peak when it matters.”

North DeSoto has always had a knack of “wrestling over their heads” when it comes to the state championships, but a program that developed a deep roster didn’t necessarily need heroics this past weekend at Brookshire Grocery Arena.

Everybody just needed to do their job.

The Griffins put all 14 wrestlers into the quarterfinals of their respective weight classes, 11 reached the semifinals and 13 finished in the top five.

Compton’s win secured the team title and unleashed a string of individual champions as Hayden Bell (150) and Chase Smart (157) won their weight classes with Caiden Burns capping off the night with a heavyweight title.

“We met as a team before the quarterfinals and talked about how important that round was, and how important that all 14 of our guys made it there,” Burton said. “We just focused on one round, one match at a time, and our kids understood that and took care of business one match at a time.”

North DeSoto racked up points across the board, starting with the lighter classes.

Lathan Tabor (third, 106 pounds), Jacob Kershaw (second,113), Michael Washington (third, 120), Nathan Adams (second, 126), Collin Bell (fifth, 132) and Dylan Compton (third, 138) all finished in the top five.

After individual titles by Dalton Compton, Hayden bell and Chase Smart, the point parade continued with Andrew Arinder (fourth, 165), Lake Bates (second, 175) Caden Robison (second, 190) and Kyan Jackson (quarters, 215).

But what made the difference for the Griffins, who had finished second at the championships in three different seasons since 2019?

“Our maturity and our Christian views honestly made the difference this year,” Burton said. “We had some things happen over the summer, and the kids didn’t know how to handle it, and to be honest, I didn’t know how to handle it.

“We turned toward things that are bigger than us, than wrestling, than our problems. We took a direction in our faith and our program, and we led kids to being more Christ-like. I’m just as proud as a head coach of who the kids are than what they accomplished. We give all the glory to God.”

 

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Growing up in the country, there were sights and sounds I became accustomed to never thinking these would ever fade from the landscape. There were birds we took for granted, birds that have seemed to fade away over the years.

One is the shrike, or butcher-bird as we called them. They’re colored a lot like our mockingbirds but have totally different habits. Mockingbirds feed on insects, seeds and berries. Shrike feed on lizards, frogs and small rodents they catch with their hooked beaks and sometimes hang what they catch on the barbs of a fence to enjoy later. I have not seen one of these birds in years.

Another is the meadow lark, a bird we knew as field lark. They sported a coat of mottled brown with a distinct golden chest marked by a black vee over the gold. They spend their time feeding on insects in fields and like to sit on fence posts with their distinctive whistle call. Again, this is another bird that has escaped my sight for the past several years.

Another bird has all but disappeared. I’d love to be able to see a shrike or a meadow lark but I’d be super thrilled if I was out for a walk and heard the distinctive clear ringing “Bob WHITE” of a bobwhite quail.
These game birds enjoyed decades of popularity as species to hunt and provide some of the best eating of any wild game. Folks fed their pointers and setters all year long for the chance to see these special dogs work for a month when their noses were filled with scent of a covey of quail. Few sights in the outdoors can rival a bird dog running, sniffing the air and then suddenly come to a complete halt, frozen in one position where the covey is located. Nothing is more thrilling than to walk up behind the dogs on point, step forward and the covey explodes from underfoot, causing heart palpitations to increase and giving you about two seconds to find one in your shotgun sight.

I mentioned quail problems on my Facebook page as my topic for my radio program this week and the responses from those who read it were instantaneous. So many comments were like mine; they had not heard or seen a quail in years and sorely missed hearing and seeing them. Others pointed toward loss of habitat, predators and fire ants as being the source of the problem.

Austin Klais is Conservation Delivery Coordinator for the Mississippi Valley Joint Venture with the focus on enlisting property owner’s involvement in attempting to bring back quail to areas where they formerly lived.

“Quail have been hit by so many different directions. Predators and fire ants are problems for sure but the main thing that will help their numbers increase is habitat management,” said Klais.

“The purpose of our Arkansas-Louisiana Open Pine Landscape Restoration program is to enlist property owners to enroll in the program to enhance habitat and as a result to help quail have everything they need to survive.”

Property owners who enlist in the program will be involved in putting in fire breaks, have controlled burns to remove undergrowth and undesirable trees such as sweet gum and elm.

We asked Klais how long after enlisting in the program and following guidelines before positive results can be expected.

“Usually after thinning and the first burn, we have been successful in quail showing up on the property. We’ve seen quail show up we didn’t know were there,” he said.

To learn more and to enlist your property in the program, contact your local National Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) office. Deadline for signing up is February 16

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BY MATT VINES, DeSoto Parish Journal

STONEWALL – The North DeSoto girls soccer team cruised through the first round of the Division II playoffs with an 8-0 win against New Orleans Military and Maritime Academy on Friday. 

Now the No. 6 Lady Griffins (16-7-4) will have a home game against No. 11 David Thibodaux for a chance to advance to the quarterfinals for just the second time in program history. 

The Thursday game will be at 6 p.m. in Stonewall. 

The second round is a familiar place for North DeSoto as the program has appeared at this stage in nine of the last 10 years. 

But the Lady Griffins have usually met their end in this round, winning just once in 2018 (beating St. Martinville). 

North DeSoto has already set a program record for wins (16) this season, and the Lady Griffins would love to add a deep playoff run to match. 

“Playing at home is a great advantage in the second round,” said North DeSoto coach Morgan Ersoff. “We won’t lose a day due to travel, and our girls get to have a normal day at school. 

“When you have the same routine, it’s just a more normal environment.” 

David Thibodaux STEM Magnet (9-8) hails from Lafayette and handled No. 22 Ellender in the first round, 6-0. 

They’ve faced some of the top teams in that area, such as Lafayette (two losses), Barbe (4-0) and St. Thomas More (6-0 loss). David Thibodaux did knock off Division I Acadiana and Acadiana Renaissance Charter. 

“David Thibodaux has done well this year, and they’ve had some strong results,” Ersoff said. “They will challenge us and make us work for the win.” 

In the first round, North DeSoto scored four goals in the first half and put the match against NOMMA out of reach. 

Leading scorer Melanie Windham recorded a hat trick with three goals with Chloe Phillips (two), Ellie Wagner (two) and Ella Cosby (one) contributing offensively. 

The shutout is North DeSoto’s 12^th of the season. 

If the Lady Griffins win, their next opponent has already been determined. 

No. 3 Terrebonne finished off No. 14 Tioga, 2-0, on Monday and will host the winner of Thursday’s contest. 

 

NORTH DESOTO BOYS SEASON ENDS IN FIRST ROUND 

The North DeSoto boys soccer team fought and clawed to pushed their way into the playoff picture, and the Griffins were rewarded with an 8-0 loss to No. 1 seed Holy Cross. 

The No. 32 seed Griffins, and their 13 seniors, advanced to the postseason for the second straight year. 

The Griffins finished the year with a 6-14-2 record. 

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By Doug De Graffenried

What are you giving up for Lent?

Some members of the family of God can answer that one quickly. They are members of a body of Christ known as a “High Church” or a “Liturgical Church.” The other congregations that don’t follow the liturgical calendar are known as “Low Church.” I’m not sure where that designation came from, but it is slightly nonsensical. 

This might help you. Lent is “is the solemn Christian religious observance in the liturgical year commemorating the 40 days Jesus Christ spent fasting in the desert and enduring temptation by Satan, according to the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, before beginning his public ministry. In its modern manifestation, we talk about preparing our hearts to meet the resurrected Jesus on Easter Sunday. We use Lent to make room for Jesus.

One of the ways people prepare during Lent is to “give up” something or “add” some spiritual discipline to their daily schedules. I have seen these projects run the gamut. Some of the Lenten disciplines are heart transforming. Sometimes Lenten practices become lifelong habits. There is another side to this Lenten discipline thing.

Some people use Lent as a do-over for New Year’s Resolutions which didn’t work out. Some people have discovered they can give up making New Year’s resolutions for Lent. Others I have known, give up candy, chocolate, or other pleasures. I usually give up King Cake for Lent!

The way we talk about Lent points to a flaw in our Christian thinking. We talk about Lent with project language. The season has a starting date, an ending date, and clear, quantifiable goals “to accomplish” in between. After Easter we evaluate Lent with project language. We “did okay” or “only made it two weeks” or “kept our commitment” or “totally failed.”

I want to suggest that our faith is following Jesus. That we need to practice the idea of sojourn. A “sojourn” is a “temporary place to stay.” Faith as a sojourn is about being in the presence of Jesus. It is not about being productive or finishing a project. It is about being with Him.

I hope you have a spiritual discipline that you are practicing during Lent. If so, the sojourn idea would remind you that spiritual disciplines do not transform, they are opportunities to open our lives to the Holy Spirt, who transforms.

Following Jesus is about starting, stopping, and staying as He leads us. We are so goal oriented in following Jesus, that I sometimes wonder if we are not wearing spiritual pedometers and are keeping up with the steps we have taken while following Him. I know that somewhere a budding philanthropist has designed a Spiritual Growth Chart. You get it in the App store!

Maybe you need the words of Jesus on this matter.  “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” 

What if Lent is all about resting in Jesus while being with Him?

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Alabama pro catches 36 bass totaling 112-4 on final day to earn top award of $100,000

MANY, La. (Feb. 4, 2024) – Despite a morning fog delay and a stacked field on Championship Sunday, pro Dustin Connell of Clanton, Alabama, weighed 36 scorable bass totaling 112 pounds, 4 ounces to earn his fifth Bass Pro Tour win and the top award of $100,000 at the Major League Fishing (MLF) Bass Pro Tour B&W Trailer Hitches Stage One at Toledo Bend Presented by Power-Pole. Connell’s Championship Round total nearly doubled the rest of the 10-man field, earning the win by a whopping 44-pound, 2-ounce margin over Hot Springs, Arkansas’ Spencer Shuffield , who finished the day in second with 22 scorable bass weighing 68-2.

As the second period of the Championship Round ticked away, Connell felt his lead slowly slipping away. The Alabama native had gotten off to a hot start, catching nearly 40 pounds of Toledo Bend bass in the first period and claiming the top spot on SCORETRACKER®.

But around 1 p.m., his bite fizzled, and the field slowly chipped away. At one point, Zack Birge of Blanchard, Oklahoma, got within one scorable bass of the lead.

So, Connell ran to a new spot, one he hadn’t visited since the Qualifying Round. On his first cast of Period 3, he hooked into a 4-pounder. In that moment, the match met the proverbial fuse, sparking an epic display of fireworks.

During the two-hour final period, Connell boated a whopping 20 scorable bass weighing 58 pounds, 6 ounces, bringing his total for the day to 112-4 on 36 fish.

“I looked for something like this all week,” Connell said. “And I can’t believe that it happened.”

Connell’s total marked the biggest day for any angler during the event — despite the Championship Round being shortened by 30 minutes due to a one-hour, 45-minute fog delay. The win marks his fifth Bass Pro Tour victory – second most all-time – and his third straight in regular-season events contested with every-fish-counts scoring. He also won the final two tournaments of the 2022 season.

Ever since the BPT schedule was unveiled for 2024, Connell has had his eye on Toledo Bend. Given the late-winter timing of the event, he figured it would suit his strengths — namely, finding schools of fish with forward-facing sonar. And after failing to make a Championship Round during the 2023 regular season, he was hungry to get back in the Top 10.

“I do really well looking for schools of fish,” Connell said. “That’s how I grew up.”

So, Connell spent the months leading up to Stage One fishing three to four times per week on the lakes near his Clanton, Alabama, home. It didn’t matter that he primarily chased a different species (Alabama bass) a few hundred miles away from Toledo Bend. The practice was all about sharpening his skills with the hottest technique in tournament fishing: pinpointing suspended bass with electronics and using a soft-plastic minnow on a jighead to coax them into biting.

“I practiced for this tournament all fall,” Connell said. “I didn’t go deer hunting, I didn’t go golfing, I didn’t go sit on the couch. I’ve literally been fishing three or four days a week for four months, preparing for this, because I knew that this was going to be a tournament where I could have a really good shot.”

Despite the heavy rains that dumped muddy runoff into Toledo Bend prior to the event, Connell stayed committed to that strategy. He used a Rapala CrushCity Freeloader to catch most of his fish, especially in more stained water.

He affixed the bait to various jigheads but said he leaned on a 5/16-ounce version Sunday. He also mixed in a smaller, prototype CrushCity plastic called a Mooch Minnow. Connell wouldn’t divulge many details about the bait, which will debut this summer at ICAST, but said it accounted for three fish over 5 pounds during the Championship Round, including the aforementioned 7-4.

He found all his fish, of course, with Lowrance ActiveTarget. Given the dingy water and fishing pressure, making precise presentations — the result of his offseason practice — proved pivotal.

Connell’s technique was no secret. Everyone else in the Championship Round chased fish offshore using forward-facing sonar, most with a jighead minnow.

The difference came down to finding large schools of actively feeding bass, which moved each day. Key to doing so, Connell said, was covering as much of the massive, 185,000-acre playing field as possible during the week. After a strong first day of qualifying put him well ahead of the rest of the anglers in Group B, Connell used his second day of competition solely to practice. Then, after stacking more than 45 pounds on SCORETRACKER® in Period 1 of the Knockout Round, he once again set out in search of new water.

“The biggest key was decision making this week and trying to adapt to the water,” he said. “The water came up three feet, the water was muddy, the water started to clean.”

All that practicing paid off when Connell pulled the plug on his starting spot during the Championship Round. His first move took him to an area that was too muddy. Seeing how the water clarity had fluctuated led him to think of a spot he’d visited during the Qualifying Round. Connell described it as a pocket located between two major creeks.

It featured a ditch, or “drain,” where bass could corral shad.

During his initial visit, the area didn’t seem special — he caught a 3-pounder and a 2½-pounder there — but with clearer water, he knew it had the ingredients to attract baitfish (and thus bass) in large numbers. Boy did it.

“I ran in that area earlier in the week, and the fish weren’t in there as good,” he said. “And then the water cleared up, and they just flooded in there.”

The spot didn’t just have bass in numbers, but big ones, too. On the day, Connell boated nine bass of 4 pounds or bigger.

Connell, who didn’t catch a single 4-pounder during the Knockout Round, attributed his Sunday smashfest to his mindset — the biggest key to his win. Given how rapidly the conditions changed, he refused to commit to one area at any point in the week. And when the pressure mounted as his Championship Round lead shrunk, he avoided spinning out, ultimately making the winning decision.

“I did not want to get stuck into a one-track mind on this lake, because it’s so big, the fish move, the wind blows,” Connell said. “I just kept an open mind all week and was not afraid to run to a new area.”

The top 10 pros from the B&W Trailer Hitches Stage One at Toledo Bend Presented by Power-Pole finished:

1st: Dustin Connell, Clanton, Ala., 36 bass, 112-4, $100,000
2nd: Spencer Shuffield, Hot Springs, Ark., 22 bass, 68-2, $45,000
3rd: Drew Gill, Mount Carmel, Ill., 19 bass, 66-8, $38,000
4th: Jacob Wheeler, Harrison, Tenn., 18 bass, 60-15, $32,000
5th: Zack Birge, Blanchard, Okla., 19 bass, 60-3, $30,000
6th: Martin Villa, Charlottesville, Va., 21 bass, 60-3, $26,000
7th: Alton Jones, Jr., Waco, Texas, 19 bass, 50-10, $23,000
8th: Justin Cooper, Zwolle, La., 15 bass, 48-6, $21,000
9th: Jesse Wiggins, Addison, Ala., 15 bass, 42-11, $19,000
10th: Matt Becker, Ten Mile, Tenn., 10 bass, 28-11, $16,000

A complete list of results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Overall, there were 194 scorable bass weighing 598 pounds, 9 ounces caught by the 10 pros Sunday, which included one 7-pounder, three 6-pounders, four 5-pounders and 24 4-pounders.

Connell also won Championship Sunday’s Berkley Big Bass Award, with a largemouth totaling 7 pounds, 4 ounces, in the first period. Berkley awards $1,000 to the angler who weighs the heaviest bass each day, and a $3,000 bonus to the angler who weighs the heaviest bass of the tournament. Cliff Crochet of Pierre Part, Louisiana, earned the $3,000 Berkley Big Bass award for the overall largest bass of the event with his 11-pound, 1-ounce largemouth that was weighed on Day 1 of competition.

The B&W Trailer Hitches Stage One at Toledo Bend Presented by Power-Pole featured the MLF catch, weigh, immediate-release format, in which anglers caught as much weight as they could each day, while also feeling the pressure and intensity of the SCORETRACKER® leaderboard. The tournament featured anglers competing with a 2-pound minimum weight requirement for a bass to be deemed scorable. The MLF Fisheries Management Division determines minimum weights for each body of water that the Bass Pro Tour visits, based on the productivity, bass population and anticipated average size of fish in each fishery.

The six-day tournament, hosted by Toledo Bend Lake Country and the Louisiana Office of Tourism, showcased 80 of the top professional anglers in the world, competing for a purse of $659,000, including a top payout of $100,000, and valuable Fishing Clash Angler of the Year (AOY) points in hopes of qualifying for the General Tire Heavy Hitters all-star event and REDCREST 2025, the Bass Pro Tour championship.

Television coverage of the B&W Trailer Hitches Stage One at Toledo Bend Presented by Power-Pole Knockout Round will air as a two-hour episode starting at 7 a.m. ET, on Saturday, July 20 on Discovery, with the Championship Round premiering on July 27. New MLF episodes premiere each Saturday morning on Discovery, with re-airings on Outdoor Channel.

The 2024 Bass Pro Tour features a field of 80 of the top professional anglers in the world, competing across seven regular-season tournaments around the country, for millions of dollars and valuable points to qualify for the annual General Tire Heavy Hitters all-star event and the REDCREST 2025 championship.

Proud sponsors of the 2024 MLF Bass Pro Tour include: Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Bass Pro Shops, Berkley, BUBBA, Epic Baits, Garmin, General Tire, Humminbird, Lowrance, Mercury, MillerTech, Minn Kota, Mossy Oak Fishing, NITRO, Onyx, Plano, Power-Pole, Rapala, StarBrite, Suzuki, Toyota and U.S. Air Force.

For complete details and updated information on Major League Fishing and the Bass Pro Tour, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, X, Instagram and YouTube.

About Major League Fishing
Major League Fishing (MLF) is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, producing more than 250 events annually at some of the most prestigious fisheries in the world, while broadcasting to America’s living rooms on CBS, Discovery Channel, Outdoor Channel, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network and on demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, the MLF roster of bass anglers includes the world’s top pros and more than 30,000 competitors in all 50 states and 17 countries. Since its founding in 2011, MLF has advanced the sport of competitive fishing through its premier television broadcasts and livestreams and is dedicated to improving the quality of life for bass through research, education, fisheries enhancement and fish care.

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On Sunday, January 12, 1969, the editorial cartoon in The State, the daily newspaper from Columbia, S.C., was of a young colt smiling and stomping on a jet that was grounded and broken in two.

Both the colt and the airliner had on little helmets with the logos of the teams they were representing.

That’s how most people figured that day’s Super Bowl III would end, with Baltimore’s Colts of the NFL beating New York’s Jets of the AFL by five or six touchdowns — although the official betting line was 18.

Of course, cocky 25-year-old Joe Namath and the Jets beat Baltimore, 16-7, in Miami. Baltimore’s quarterbacks played a bigger role than Namath: Earl Morrall and Johnny U. combined for four interceptions, two in the end zone and one at the goal line.

The great defensive lineman Fred Miller of Homer, LSU and the Colts, passed away at 82 last February and said until the end that it was that loss to the Jets that troubled him the most, made him angry whenever he thought about it.

I remember it because it was Super Bowl I to me, the first Super Bowl that activates any memory. My pre-10-year-old brain had not been able to register Green Bay’s sweep of Super Bowls I and II.

It was a big year for a kid in a Carolina farming town of 750 to begin realizing that the world expanded beyond Myrtle Beach and Columbia. New York was, I figured, the only team that got to win titles: the Jets won, the Mets beat Baltimore, and the Knicks beat the Los Angeles Lakers that year. 

Two more things about 1969. That Super Bowl III lit some sort of sports fire in me, expanded everything. The Baltimore Orioles and their Arkansas third baseman, Brooks Robinson, became my baseball team, and the Birds being upset by the Miracle Mets that October taught me at an early age a bit about love and loss.

The other thing: Willis Reed from Lincoln Parish, who passed away in March of last year at 80, was a bad, bad man (in a good, good way). The former Grambling star limped onto the court before what many call the Greatest Game 7 Ever Played in NBA history, and his inspiring return from injury was the shot the Knicks needed to demolish the visiting Lakers that day to win the title in Madison Square Garden, back when the Garden was Eden. That scene was probably a lot more dynamic in person than on our little black-and-while Sylvania. Or was it a Philco …?

Sports matter.

If you are a sports fan and, like me, nearing the time when Medicare and Social Security are things your friends are reminding you to familiarize yourself with, you can remember when you could recite every Super Bowl matchup, along with the score and where it was played. 

I can’t do that anymore. (New Orleans 31, Indianapolis 17 in Miami, 2010, is an exception.)

Used to, the game was the thing. It was actually a really big deal. Halftime shows for Super Bowls I and II were Grambling’s “World Famed Tiger Marching Band,” a bad, bad band (in a good, good way). Today, halftime is an “extravaganza,” the commercials are more anticipated than the contest, and the pregame show is longer than the game. Today it’s Super Bowl parties and prop bets.

Which is fine. Things change. And they needed to. Fred Miller and Willis Reed were the best at what they did, and they had off-season jobs. 

Still fun to remember, though. 

Last year, Kansas City beat Philadelphia, 38-35. Great game (I think; had to look it up to remember. Insert confused-face emoji here.) Sunday in Las Vegas, San Francisco is a two-point favorite over Kansas City, an organization playing it its fourth Super Bowl in five seasons. 

This bureau will pull for KC because L’Jarius Sneed of Minden and Louisiana Tech plays cornerback for them. If he plays as he has all season, maybe he’ll give us something fun to remember. No matter what, it’s a better bet we’ll be talking about either halftime or a commercial.

Contact Teddy at teddy@latech.edu

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All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

01/29/24

THOMAS, DESTINI
B F 25
PROBATION VIOLATION
Mansfield, LA

DENNINGTON, TODD WARREN
W M 55
DOGS AT LARGE
Grand Cane, LA

01/30/24

WOODLEY, ANDRE J JR
B M 27
THEFT > $1000
WARRANT DESOTO PARISH
Mansfield, LA

TRADER, CLAYTON
W M 30
VIOLATION OF PROTECTIVE ORDER
Pelican, LA

EVANS, ISAIAH ROYCE
B M 20
RECKLESS OPERATION OF A VEHICLE
GENERAL SPEED LAW
VIOLATE NO PASSNG ZONE
Shreveport, LA

01/31/24

SANDERS, DESTINY NICOLE
L F 22
CONTRIBUTING TO THE DELINQUENCY OF JUVENILES
Mansfield, LA

MATHIS, SANDY H
W F 47
FALSE SWEARING FOR PURPOSE OF VIOLATING PUBLIC HEALTH OR SAFETY
Mansfield, LA

GRIFFIN, JAMARCUS JATERIOUS
B M 22
WARRANT DESOTO PARISH
SHREVEPORT, LA

ALEXANDER, BRANDON ISAIAH
B M 20
Failure TO DIM, APPROX FRT
POSSESSION OF MARIJUANA
Mansfield, LA

02/01/24

JOHNSON, PATRICK L
B M 54
DWI – SECOND OFFENSE
SPEEDING
Grand Cane, LA

STEWART, CRAIG ALEXANDER
W M 40
DWI
CARELESS OPERATION
OPEN ALCOHOL CONTAINER IN VEH.
BRANDON, MS

CACACE, ANTHONY JOSEPH JR
W M 26
WARRANT DESOTO PARISH
Converse, LA

02/02/24

THOMAS, DEMARCUS
B M 35
ENTRY ON OR REMAINING IN PLACES OR ON LAND AFTER BEING FORBIDDEN
AGGRAVATED BATTERY
Mansfield, LA

02/03/24

DENNIS, SCOTT A
W M 65
DOMESTIC ABUSE AGGRAVATED ASSAULT
Stonewall, LA

HUBLEY, KIWANA LATOSHA
B F 47
Operating while intoxicated; first offense
CARELESS OPERATION
DRIVING UNDER SUSPENSION
OPEN ALCOHOL CONTAINER IN VEH.
BOSSIER CITY, LA

REYES, MATEO
L M 30
FUGITIVE WARRANT/ARREST
BOSSIER CITY, LA

 

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Join Families Helping Families, Region 7 on a webinar this Friday, February 9 at 12pm to learn about the history of ACT 378, the Community and Family Support System, and what supports are available for families and students with developmental disabilities. You can register to attend this free webinar at http://tinyurl.com/ACT378Feb2024. For more information contact Monica Stampley at 318.226.4541.

The DeSoto Parish Extension Office has a new phone system. When you call you will be prompted to dial the number that corresponds to the staff member you wish to speak with. The staff asks that the public please be patient while they get acquainted with the new system.

2024 NW Region Master Cattleman Course will begin February 27. Classes to be held once a week in the evenings for 10 weeks at the LSU AgCenter DeSoto Parish Extension Office 10117 Hwy. 171 Grand Cane. Classes Include One Topic Each Week: Pasture Agronomy, Pasture Weed Management, Cattle Nutrition, Economics and Marketing, Reproduction, Animal Health, Breeding and Selection, End Product, Beef Quality Assurance Certification, or Cattle Handling. For more information contact: Lee Faulk, 318-245-420 afaulk@agcenter.lsu.edu or Joshua Salley,  318-872-0533  jsalley@agcenter.lsu.edu.

The application cycle for Marsh Maneuvers 2024 opens soon! Any youth who are interested in this opportunity need to contact their parish 4-H agent to learn more and apply. Marsh Maneuvers offers four five-day, overnight camps throughout July to high school 4-H members. Campers get the opportunity to explore and learn all about coastal Louisiana through hands-on activities like airboat tours of the marsh, crabbing, and more. Need to find your 4-H agent’s contact information? Use this link: https://www.lsuagcenter.com/portals/our_offices/parishes

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BY MATT VINES, DeSoto Parish Journal

MANSFIELD – The Mansfield boys basketball team was looking for that “splash” win, something that would signal that the Wolverines could push their way into the Division III playoffs.

That win came Wednesday when the Wolverines took down Division III No. 3 Winnfield in a 55-53 win.

The Wolverines (9-15, 5-2 District 3-2A) entered the matchup at No. 29 in the power rankings, needing a surge to break into the 28-team playoff bracket.

Mansfield will get another crack at Winnfield on the road Friday before returning home to face district favorite Lakeview (No. 1 in Division IV) on Tuesday. Mansfield fell at Lakeview in overtime in the first meeting.

“The key to the win was defensive intensity,” said Mansfield boys coach Reggie Williams, who got a balanced scoring effort with Sharmal Booker (14 points), Bryson Murray (12 points) and Terrell Pegues (11 points) leading the way. “Winnfield was making shots, even contested ones, but when we turned up the defensive intensity, it helped push us to a big win.

“This gives us a ton of momentum, but we still have work to do to secure a spot in the big dance.”

The Mansfield girls (15-8, 6-1 District 3-2A) have a spot in the big dance, but the Lady Wolverines are itching to hang a district championship banner.

Mansfield, which has won eight of its last nine games and sit at No. 10 in the Division III power ratings, heads to Winnfield on Friday and hosts Lakeview on Tuesday.

The Lady Wolverines bashed a solid Winnfield club (13-10) by 28 points in the first meeting, and a season sweep will set up a de facto district championship game with Lakeview.

The Lady Gators (21-2) are ranked No. 5 in Division IV and topped Mansfield in Campti, 35-29, in the first meeting.

BOYS BASKETBALL

Mansfield isn’t alone in needing a late-season surge to push into the playoffs.

North DeSoto (No. 30 in Division II) and Stanley (No. 31 in Division V) are in reach of their respective playoff brackets.

Logansport (No. 21 in Division IV) is in the best shape as the Tigers (7-7) have ridden a three-game winning streak to appear seemingly safe.

Logansport scored wins against Montgomery (47-43), LaSalle (55-41) and Northwood-Lena (14-12) to put itself in position to compete for a district title.

The Tigers get LaSalle on the road tonight before catching district favorite St. Mary’s on Tuesday at home. St. Mary’s won the first meeting 62-20.

North DeSoto (6-6) has dropped four straight heading into Thursday’s late-night game against Glenbrook. The Griffins are still looking for their first district win (which included a 50-point loss to Huntington on Wednesday), but North DeSoto may still be able to find their way into the playoffs with two non-district games on the slate.

North DeSoto plays at Bossier on Friday, at home against Haynesville on Monday, at Minden on Tuesday in the next week.

Stanley (8-20) snapped a three-game skid with its fourth win of the season against Converse before dropping its Thursday matchup to Zwolle. The Panthers play Florien twice (Friday on the road and Monday at home) before facing Negreet on Tuesday and Converse on Thursday to wrap up district play.

GIRLS BASKETBALL

The girls teams know whether or not they are in the playoffs, it’s where there first-round games will be that’s the biggest question.

Mansfield (No. 10) and North DeSoto (No. 16) are on the inside track to host first-round games while Logansport (No. 17) is looking to climb into the top 16 in its respective division.

The Lady Tigers are arguably the enigma of the parish, upsetting one-loss LaSalle but losing the other four contests in its last five.

Logansport (9-9) has fallen to Northwood-Lena twice, St. Mary’s and Montgomery. Logansport heads to LaSalle tonight with St. Mary’s on Tuesday and Montgomery on Thursday to finish the regular season.

North DeSoto (17-6, 2-2 District 1-4A) lost to Huntington (83-35) after dominating Evangel (61-23). The Lady Griffins have three games remaining in which they will be favored (at Bossier on Friday, at Minden on Tuesday and home against Woodlawn on Feb. 9).

Stanley (5-20) is out of the playoffs at No. 43 with four regular-season games remaining.

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Tennessee pro boats two-day total of 151-7 to win Group A Qualifying Round, Top 10 pros advance to Saturday’s Knockout Round

MANY, La. (Feb. 1, 2024) – Group A pros faced a stingier Toledo Bend Thursday as conditions began to change across the fishery, with many of the pros weighing considerably less scorable bass on their second day of competition. But less was still good enough for Harrison, Tennessee’s Jacob Wheeler – the two-time Fishing Clash Angler of the Year (AOY) winner – who maintained his spot atop the leaderboard to win the Qualifying Round for Group A at the Major League Fishing (MLF) Bass Pro Tour B&W Trailer Hitches Stage One at Toledo Bend Presented by Power-Pole. Wheeler caught 91 pounds of scorable bass on Day 1 for Group A, and added 60 pounds, 7 ounces on Thursday for a two-day total of 47 bass weighing 151-7.

Bass Pro Tour rookie Drew Gill of Mount Carmel, Illinois, finished the round in second place with a two-day total of 42 bass weighing 139-12. Pro Spencer Shuffield of Hot Springs, Arkansas, boated a two-day total of 44 bass weighing 130-3 to end the round in third place, while local favorite rookie Justin Cooper of Zwolle, Louisiana , finished the day in fourth place with a two-day total of 27 bass weighing 80-9. Spring City, Tennessee’s Wesley Strader rounded out the top five with a two-day total of 31 bass weighing 80 pounds even.

The top 10 anglers advancing from Group A will now have an off day from competition Friday, while the 40 anglers competing in Group B will complete their two-day Qualifying Round. The top 10 anglers from each group advance to Saturday’s Knockout Round. In the Knockout Round, weights are zeroed, and the remaining 20 anglers compete to finish in the top 10 to advance to the Championship Round. In Sunday’s final day Championship Round, weights are zeroed, and the highest one-day total wins the top prize of $100,000.

Wheeler’s objective during Group A’s second day of qualifying on Toledo Bend wasn’t really to catch bass. The Tennessee pro had already secured a spot in Saturday’s Knockout Round by catching 91 pounds on Day 1. Thursday was all about exploring new water in preparation for the weekend.

Still, no one caught more weight on the day than Wheeler. He added 19 bass for 60 pounds, 7 ounces to SCORETRACKER®, bringing his two-day total to 151-7. That topped Gill by 11-12 on the day to lead the way in Group A.

Wheeler said he wasn’t necessarily trying to stay atop the leaderboard. He fished only water that he hadn’t visited on Day 1, and his 19 scorable catches were simply a product of sampling each new area.

“There’s a lot of junk fish out there, catfish and everything else, or they’re smaller bass,” Wheeler explained. “If I was going to pull into a new area, I wanted to catch one or two to know, okay, yes, this is 2½– or 3-pounders, or this is all catfish.”

On a day when both total numbers and weights dipped across the board, that should be a scary thought for the rest of the field.

While Wheeler estimated about a third of his Day 2 weight came from areas he won’t revisit this week, he felt like he achieved his goal of expanding his pattern and identifying some options he can turn to if conditions change in the coming days.

“I feel like I definitely can catch ‘em, and I feel like I found a couple areas that I definitely would like to fish a little bit more,” he said. “A lot of stuff I was just fortunate to catch a fish or two on, and I won’t be going back, so it just depends on what’s really going down and how those fish are acting come Saturday.”

Wheeler said he caught virtually all his fish on a Rapala CrushCity Freeloader after pinpointing them on forward-facing sonar. While it’s been on the market for less than a year, the minnow-style soft plastic should be familiar to Bass Pro Tour fans, as Wheeler used it to dominate on Lake Guntersville last season. Key this week, he said, has been experimenting with jighead size. He’s affixed the bait to ball heads ranging from 1/8 ounce to 1/2 ounce.

Wheeler is far from alone in his approach – each of the top five finishers in Group A caught the bulk of their weight using a jighead minnow and forward-facing sonar. At this point, he feels confident that “there’s a good chance the tournament is going to be won doing what I’m doing.”

But while it might look like it to viewers on MLFNOW!, the technique isn’t as simple as scanning the depths until you see a bass, then casting to it and reeling it in – especially given the number of anglers that will likely be doing the same thing during the Knockout and Championship Rounds. Wheeler believes his day of exploration allowed him to further dial in the subtleties that could make the difference down the stretch.

“That’s literally the goal to start the week,” Wheeler said. “If you can make a Top 10 cut in one day, you better dang well do it, because that’s going to give you the time and opportunity to go check some other stuff out.”

The top 10 pros from Group A that now advance to Saturday’s Knockout Round on Toledo Bend are:

1st:          Jacob Wheeler, Harrison, Tenn., 47 bass, 151-7
2nd:        Drew Gill, Mount Carmel, Ill., 42 bass, 139-12
3rd:         Spencer Shuffield, Hot Springs, Ark., 44 bass, 130-3
4th:         Justin Cooper, Zwolle, La., 27 bass, 80-9
5th:         Wesley Strader, Spring City, Tenn., 31 bass, 80-0
6th:         James Elam, Tulsa, Okla., 26 bass, 76-14
7th:         Ryan Salzman, Huntsville, Ala., 23 bass, 73-2
8th:         Martin Villa, Charlottesville, Va., 23 bass, 72-3
9th:         Zack Birge, Blanchard, Okla., 25 bass, 69-6
10th:       Ott DeFoe, Blaine, Tenn., 26 bass, 67-3

Eliminated from competition are:

11th:      Edwin Evers, Talala, Okla., 21 bass, 66-2
12th:      Jeremy Lawyer, Sarcoxie, Mo., 16 bass, 58-12
13th:      Keith Poche, Pike Road, Ala., 21 bass, 57-15
14th:      Justin Lucas, Guntersville, Ala., 16 bass, 57-4
15th:      Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C., 19 bass, 54-14
16th:      Nick LeBrun, Bossier City, La., 17 bass, 51-0
17th:      John Hunter, Shelbyville, Ky., 15 bass, 49-2
18th:      Brent Ehrler, Redlands, Calif., 15 bass, 47-9
19th:      Mark Davis, Mount Ida, Ark., 16 bass, 47-8
20th:      Bradley Roy, Lancaster, Ky., 18 bass, 46-5
21st:      Marshall Robinson, Landrum, S.C., 20 bass, 45-14
22nd:     Dean Rojas, Lake Havasu City, Ariz., 13 bass, 43-0
23rd:      Cliff Crochet, Pierre Part, La., nine bass, 40-0
24th:      Casey Ashley, Donalds, S.C., 14 bass, 37-5
25th:      Todd Faircloth, Jasper, Texas, 11 bass, 29-6
26th:      Bobby Lane, Lakeland, Fla., nine bass, 26-15
27th:      Gary Klein, Mingus, Texas, 10 bass, 26-12
28th:      Luke Clausen, Spokane, Wash., nine bass, 26-5
29th:      Jonathon VanDam, Kalamazoo, Mich., 10 bass, 26-5
30th:      Joshua Weaver, Macon, Ga., 10 bass, 26-5
31st:      Alton Jones, Lorena, Texas, eight bass, 26-4
32nd:     David Dudley, Lynchburg, Va., eight bass, 26-4
33rd:      Kelly Jordon, Flint, Texas, 10 bass, 26-0
34th:      Keith Carson, DeBary, Fla., nine bass, 24-5
35th:      Fred Roumbanis, Russellville, Ark., five bass, 22-13
36th:      Scott Suggs, Alexander, Ark., eight bass, 21-5
37th:      Boyd Duckett, Guntersville, Ala., seven bass, 16-5
38th:      Andy Montgomery, Blacksburg, S.C., four bass, 10-6
39th:      Fletcher Shryock, Guntersville, Ala., four bass, 9-4
40th:      Stephen Browning, Hot Springs, Ark., zero bass, 0-0

A complete list of results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Overall, there were 312 scorable bass weighing 931 pounds, 8 ounces caught by the 39 pros Thursday, which included one 8-pounder, four 6-pounders and 13 5-pounders.

Pro Brent Ehrler of Redlands, California earned Thursday’s $1,000 Berkley Big Bass Award with an 8-pound, 9-ounce largemouth bass that he caught on a jerkbait during Period 3. Berkley awards $1,000 to the angler who weighs the heaviest bass each day, and a $3,000 bonus to the angler who weighs the heaviest bass of the tournament.

The six-day tournament, hosted by Toledo Bend Lake Country and the Louisiana Office of Tourism, showcases 80 of the top professional anglers in the world, competing for a purse of $659,000, including a top payout of $100,000, and valuable Fishing Clash Angler of the Year (AOY) points in hopes of qualifying for the General Tire Heavy Hitters all-star event and REDCREST 2025, the Bass Pro Tour championship.

The 40 Anglers in Group A compete in their two-day Qualifying Round on Tuesday and Thursday – the 40 anglers in Group B on Wednesday and Friday. After each two-day Qualifying Round is complete, the anglers that finish first through 10th from both groups advance to Saturday’s Knockout Round. In the Knockout Round, weights are zeroed, and the remaining 20 anglers compete to finish in the top 10 to advance to Sunday’s Championship Round. In the final-day Championship Round, weights are zeroed, and the highest one-day total wins the top prize of $100,000.

Anglers will launch at 7:30 a.m. CT each day from Cypress Bend Park, located at 3462 Cypress Bend Drive in Many. Each day’s General Tire Takeout will be held at the park, beginning at 4 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend all launch and takeout events and also encouraged to follow the event online throughout the day on the SCORETRACKER® leaderboard and event coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

The MLFNOW!® broadcast team of Chad McKee and J.T. Kenney will break down the extended action live on the final four days of competition from 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. CT. MLFNOW!® will be live streamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com and the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app.

On Friday, Feb. 2, Toledo Bend Lake Country will host an Education Day in conjunction with the tournament at Cypress Bend Park, where 260 eighth-grade students from local area schools will have the opportunity to learn about lake ecology, casting techniques and the Toledo Bend fishery. Bass Pro Tour pros will be onsite throughout the event providing instruction and working with students.

On Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 3-4, from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. MLF invites fans of all ages to visit Cypress Bend Park for the MLF Watch Party. Fans can watch the action from the water live on the MLFNOW! big screen, enjoy free food, enter to win hourly giveaways and cheer on their favorite pros. The first 50 kids 14 and under will receive a free rod and reel from Pure Fishing each day. The final 10 Championship Round Bass Pro Tour anglers will be on hand at the trophy celebration on Championship Sunday to meet and greet fans, sign autographs and take selfies.

The B&W Trailer Hitches Stage One at Toledo Bend Presented by Power-Pole features the MLF catch, weigh, immediate-release format, in which anglers catch as much weight as they can each day, while also feeling the pressure and intensity of the SCORETRACKER® leaderboard. The tournament features anglers competing with a 2-pound minimum weight requirement for a bass to be deemed scorable. The MLF Fisheries Management Division determines minimum weights for each body of water that the Bass Pro Tour visits, based on the productivity, bass population and anticipated average size of fish in each fishery.

The Bass Pro Tour features a field of 80 of the top professional anglers in the world, competing across seven regular-season tournaments around the country, for millions of dollars and valuable points to qualify for the annual General Tire Heavy Hitters all-star event and the REDCREST 2025 championship.

Bass Pro Tour anglers will also compete throughout the 2024 season for the prestigious Fishing Clash Angler of the Year (AOY) award and its $100,000 payday. Fishing Clash – an interactive 3D fishing simulation game that’s played by more than 80 million people worldwide – is the official AOY sponsor of the Bass Pro Tour, Tackle Warehouse Invitationals, Toyota Series and Phoenix Bass Fishing League.

Television coverage of the B&W Trailer Hitches Stage One at Toledo Bend Presented by Power-Pole Knockout Round will air as a two-hour episode starting at 7 a.m. ET, on Saturday, July 20 on Discovery, with the Championship Round premiering on July 27. New MLF episodes premiere each Saturday morning on Discovery, with re-airings on Outdoor Channel.

Proud sponsors of the 2024 MLF Bass Pro Tour include: Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Bass Pro Shops, Berkley, BUBBA, Epic Baits, Garmin, General Tire, Humminbird, Lowrance, Mercury, MillerTech, Minn Kota, Mossy Oak Fishing, NITRO, Onyx, Plano, Power-Pole, Rapala, StarBrite, Suzuki, Toyota and U.S. Air Force.

For complete details and updated information on Major League Fishing and the Bass Pro Tour, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, X, Instagram and YouTube.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Mansfield Holiday Parades, in partnership with the City of Mansfield, is elated to announce plans for our very FIRST Annual Mansfield Black History Parade commemorating our City’s Famous Historical Firsts slated for Saturday, February 24, 2024 in Mansfield, Louisiana.

This will be a splendid procession showing off our classic ingenuity for style and creativity just like in the “good old days” when we “showed up and showed out” in celebration of our unique culture with traditional marching bands, floats, dance teams, walkers, riders, trucks, trailers, horses and crowds of enthusiastic on-lookers from near and far. There will also be a number of Grand Marshalls featuring our history-making Mansfield notables. 

We invite Everyone to participate in this memorable Event! For Participation Applications or further information, please visit Mansfield Black History Parade Facebook, phone us at 318.541.3486 or via email at MansfieldBlackHistoryParade@gmail.com

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