| 8-30-08 (Football) Second-half TD pass lifts Ouachita to jamboree victory over Ruston, 13-7 Ouachita put together a solid scoring drive during a defensive second half to pull out a 13-7 victory over District 1-5A rival Ruston on Saturday in the Bayou Jamb at ULM’s Malone Stadium. After a 7-7 halftime tie in the two fifteen-minute halves format, both defenses ruled most of the second half. But the Lions finally pieced together the game-winning drive after the defense stopped Ruston on a fourth-down conversion attempt at the Ouachita 44- yard line. Senior quarterback Corey Treadway completed 4-of-5 passes on the drive, including a 21-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Williams with 1:49 to play in the jamboree. Treadway lofted a nice touch pass over the defender into the awaiting arms of Williams in the end zone for the winning score. Ruston ran a hurry-up offense to try to pull out a comeback win, but the effort fell short as Nick Rome’s pass was knocked down around the Ouachita 10-yard line with no time remaining on the clock. The Ruston team and fans wanted an interference call on the last play, but no flag was thrown. Ruston Coach Billy Laird was animated as he let the officials know his displeasure over the lack of a flag. Treadway completed 11-of-17 passes for 138 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Senior running back Montrell Conner had 10 carries for 47 yards and a touchdown for Ouachita. Ouachita opened the jamboree with a nine-play, 76-yard drive, capped by an 8-yard touchdown run by Conner. Matt Little’s extra- point kick made it 7-0 with 10:27 to play in the first half. It took Ruston just 1:31 to even the score. Quarterback Nick Rome finished an 80-yard drive with a 6-yard touchdown pass to Thomas Davison and Reid Brasher kicked the extra point. Junior running back Carlos Wilson broke free for a 54-yard run on fourth down one play earlier to set up the score. Ouachita had 60 yards rushing and 80 yards passing in the first half. Ruston had a balanced offense in the half with 46 yards on the ground and 45 through the air. Both teams, however, tightened up the defense in the second half. The Lions and Bearcats both went three plays and out on their first series of the second half. Ruston stalled on its next drive at the Ouachita 36 on a failed fourth-down pass. The Bearcats got the ball right back two plays later as they sacked Treadway and forced a fumble, but Ruston again could not convert a fourth-down pass in Ouachita territory. Ouachita made the next drive count as Treadway connected with Williams on the touchdown to cap a 56-yard drive. Rome finished the jamboree 10-of-21 for 103 yards. Wilson had 82 yards on seven carries for the Bearcats. Davison was the top receiver for the Bearcats with four receptions for 36 yards and a touchdown. Rarecus Jones hauled in six passes from Treadway for 86 yards while Williams had four receptions for 47 yards. Senior fullback Keynan Harris ran four times for 36 yards for Ouachita. Ruston finished the game with 195 yards total offense. Ouachita had a total of 205. Ouachita is scheduled to begin the season next Friday at Carroll. Ruston is scheduled to open the regular season next Thursday at Neville. 8-29-08 (Football) Ouachita to face Ruston Saturday in Bayou Jamb The Ouachita football team will take its final preseason test Saturday against a familiar foe at ULM's Malone Stadium. The Lions will play their jamboree matchup against District 1-5A rival Ruston in the third of four matchups in the Bayou Jamb. Ouachita and Ruston are scheduled to start at 6 p.m. Ouachita Head Coach John Carr said the jamboree contest is important to prepare for next week's season opener and to evaluate the players. "We've got some guys we need to look at to see if we have the right players on the field,'' Carr said. Ouachita has a lot of experience back from last year's team, but Carr and the coaching staff are moving some players to new positions and working new players into other spots. Ouachita beat Ruston 9-7 in last year's jamboree, but Ruston won the regular-season matchup, 34-7. Interestingly, the team that has won the jamboree the last two years has lost the regular-season meeting. The other three jamboree contests are as follows: Rayville vs. Calvary Baptist, 2 p.m.; Jonesboro-Hodge vs. Oak Grove, 4 p.m.; and West Monroe vs. Neville, 8 p.m. Ouachita will open the regular season Friday, September 5 at Carroll. OPHS jamboree fact sheet 8-25-08 (Football) Ouachita tackles Rayville, Franklin in scrimmage Ouachita Coach John Carr said he saw some good things and some not so good Monday as the Lions participated in preseason scrimmages against Rayville and Franklin Parish. Carr went into the scrimmage hoping to see players aggressively running to the ball on defense and some intensity on offense. "I thought we did some good things on both sides of the ball, and we also made some mistakes that need to be corrected,'' Carr said. Among the good positives Carr mentioned was the play on defense of Teron Bell and LaDarius Lewis. Carr said that new quarterback Corey Treadway did not get off to a fast start, but the coach noted that the senior to improve during the scrimmage, which was played at West Monroe. Treadway and the Lions will get another chance to fine tune their play Saturday in the Bayou Jamb at ULM's Malone Stadium. Ouachita will play a jamboree game against Ruston at 6 p.m. Ouachita will open the regular season September 5 at Carroll. 8-21-08 (Football) Scrimmage rescheduled Ouachita's preseason football scrimmage scheduled for Thursday evening at Rayville has been postponed due to wet field conditions. The three-team scrimmage has been rescheduled for Monday at 5:30 p.m. Ouachita, Rayville and Franklin Parish are slated to play in the scrimmage. Ouachita is scheduled to scrimmage against both schools. 8-15-08 (Boys basketball) Two new coaches join OPHS boys basketball staff Ouachita boys basketball Coach Casey Jones has two new coaches on board for the 2008-09 season. Jo Jo Jones and Mario Smith have joined the Lions as assistant basketball coaches. Jo Jo Jones moves over to Ouachita from Carroll. Smith joins the coaching staff as a non-teacher who is part of the Coaches Education Certification Program. "They are both high-energy guys,'' Casey Jones said. "They both bring excitement and are excited to be here. I am excited for them to be here.'' In addition to coaching at Carroll last season, Jo Jo Jones's resume includes coaching experience at Richwood, middle schools in Kansas City, Missouri, and Crowville, where he was the girls head coach. The former point guard played at Jackson State before finishing his career at ULM. Smith, a Neville graduate, is back in coaching after working in another profession. His basketball experience includes an assistant job at Neville and a training position at ULM. Both Smith and Jo Jo Jones said the head coach was the primary reason they wanted to join the OPHS staff. "I know Casey, and I told him that there's not too many people I would coach for, and Casey's one of them -- knowing Casey, what he stands for, and his coaching style.'' Said Smith: "I love the chance to work with what I think is the best coach in north Louisiana and one of the best in the state.'' Smith and Jo Jo Jones will help Casey Jones and assistant Michael Armand guide a team that won the District 2-5A title and advanced to the 5A state quarterfinals last season. "They both bring a wealth of knowledge to the staff, and both fit in well with Coach Armand and myself,'' Jones said. 8-15-08 (Girls basketball) 2008-09 Lady Lions' schedule features some big matchups The Ouachita Lady Lions basketball team will hit the court against some top-notch competition during the 2008-09 season. In addition to playing in a tough district against West Monroe and Natchitoches-Central -- 5A semifinalist and 5A quarterfinalist, respectively -- Ouachita will take on two defending state champions and possibly a third during 2008-09. Ouachita will play host to Class 5A champion Southwood on January 9 and 3A champion Iota on January 16. The Lady Lions could also face 4A champion St. Michael, which will play in Ouachita's Lady Lions Hoopfest on Nov. 24-26 and will play host to the Lady Lions in the Episcopal/St. Michael Tournament on December 3-6. Besides a tough field in their own tournament and the Episcopal/St. Michael tourney, the Lady Lions will compete in the Ruston Tournament, the West Monroe Classic, and the prestigious Sandra Meadows Tournament in Duncanville, Texas. Ouachita, which was 33-9 last year and reached the state regionals, will open the regular season November 18 at home against Richwood. The Lady Lions will begin district play January 27 at home against Natchitoches-Central. 8-11-08 (Football) OPHS season tickets on sale Season tickets for the 2008 Ouachita Parish High School football season are on sale in the school's main office. The season ticket package includes the jamboree matchup against Ruston on August 30 at ULM and the five scheduled home games at OPHS. The home games will be against Neville, Ruston, West Monroe, Captain Shreve, and Byrd. Cost for the season-ticket package is $36 for chairback seats and $31 for all other seats. For more information, contact Reata Slusher at 343-2769. 8-4-08 (Football) Conner commits to Miss. State Montrell Conner has some unfinished business on the high school football field, but the Ouachita standout running back decided to get the business of his college commitment out of the way. Conner has verbally committed to play college football for Mississippi State. He chose the Bulldogs over Oklahoma and Alabama, and numerous other schools that have sent offers his way. "That's a lot of pressure off,'' Conner said of the decision. "Now I can focus on my grades and leading my team.'' Conner is a 2009 Under Armour All-American, among the ESPN Top 150, and among the top 250 national recruits by Rivals. com. He ran for 1,139 yards and 13 touchdowns as a junior. He was named first team all-district, first team All-Northeast Louisiana, and honorable mention all-state. The 6-2, 215-pound running back said his choice came down to a comfort level with Mississippi State and Coach Sylvester Croom. "Basically, from a coaching standpoint, they are down-to-earth people,'' Conner said. "Basically, it's a second father figure and a second home. They have been straight up with me so far.'' A lot of colleges also want to move Conner to linebacker, but he has his heart set on playing running back. Mississippi State told Conner they want him to run the ball. "I really didn't want to play defense,'' Conner said. "Why go somewhere and play somewhere you don't want and is not to the best of your abilities?'' Ouachita Coach John Carr said he felt that Conner made a good decision. "Coach Croom came through here last year and made a big impression on Montrell,'' Carr said. "It's a good choice. He gets to play in the SEC for a team that is committed to play him at running back.'' And Carr believes Conner is an SEC-caliber running back. "There's no doubt in my mind he can play at that level,'' Carr said. "He's physically talented and a hard worker. He's matured as a running back, player, and person. He deserves a scholarship to play in the SEC.'' 8-4-08 (Football) Blakes chooses ULM Ouachita's Cameron Blakes has made a verbal commitment to play college football at ULM. Blakes, a 6-1, 215-pound senior, played linebacker last season and will play a combination strong safety and outside linebacker slot in Ouachita's revamped defense this season. "Cameron's been a great player for us for two years,'' Ouachita Coach John Carr said. He's been an all-district defensive back and linebacker.'' Blakes led the Lions in tackles last season with 81. He showed his versatility with six tackles for losses, two sacks, two interceptions, two forced fumbles, and two pass breakups. "ULM is getting an outstanding player and student,'' Carr said. "He had opportunities to go to bigger schools, but Coach (Charlie) Weatherbie and his staff have done a good job.'' 8-4-08 (Football) Williams receives offers Ouachita senior receiver Brandon Williams has received three football scholarship offers, according to OPHS coach John Carr. Carr said that ULM, Connecticut, and McNeese State have all extended offers to the 6-1, 180-pounder. "He wants to take his time to make a decision,'' Carr said. "He's kind of flown under the radar.'' Williams played as a defensive back and kick returner in 2007, but he is expected to see action as a receiver in 2008. As a junior, Williams had 39 tackles, one interception, one pass breakup, and one forced fumble. He also had five punt returns for an 8.8-yard average and three kickoff returns for a 7.3-yard average. Williams provided a glimpse of what he can do on offense in the spring scrimmage against West Monroe with two touchdown catches. 8-1-08 (Football) Lions wrap up workouts; practice starts Monday The Ouachita football team concluded its summer workout schedule Thursday as players went through various exercise drills at Lion Stadium. After the team warmed up as a group, players broke into several small groups and went from station to station. The final workout also featured a first glimpse of the new state- of-the-art scoreboard, which featured a bright red digital display and message on the video board. Now the Lions will shift from a workout focus to practice mode as preseason practice kicks off Monday afternoon. The Lions, who finished 6-5 last season, will use practice to prepare for their jamboree matchup at the end of the month. Ouachita will play against District 1-5A rival Ruston in a jamboree matchup August 30 at ULM. Ouachita will open the regular season September 5 at Carroll. |
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| August 2008 |