Back in the spring the Red River Parish School Board announced that they were seeking a new head football coach for the Red River Bulldogs. The search lasted a month or so before a hometown man was selected.

Scott Hale, who had recently coached in Texas, was named new Bulldog head coach. He was introduced to the community at the school gym. Details were published in The Journal’s May 5th edition.

 

Hale told the crowd that he was pleased to have been selected and was glad to be back in Coushatta. He went to work with the team and lead practices throughout the summer.

Then in July Hale suddenly turned in his resignation to the school board office. Superintendent Alison Hughes was on vacation with her family at the time. The Journal contacted her and she told us that John Bachman had been hired.

Hughes said, “We are very excited that John Bachman is our new head coach.” Bachman had been considered for the head coaching job at the time Scott Hale was selected as head coach. Hughes said, “It was an almost exact tie, and that is why we recruited him for the Assistant Coach position after we hired Scott Hale.” She added, “He has a wealth of experience and a wealth of success and I think we are going to be just fine.”

Bachman met with the team and took over the program just a short time before the first scrimmage in August.

 

Followers of local sports know how the story went. The Bulldogs lost only one district game (to Many). During the season John Bachman racked up his 100th win as a head coach and the Bulldogs kept winning. They won the first and second round of the playoffs before a season ending defeat by Ferriday.

In December, the school board recognized the football team’s efforts and accomplishments this past season. Coaches and team members were saluted during the school board meeting. It was noted that this had been the first time a Red River High School football team had made it this far in the playoffs. The former Coushatta High Choctaws had won the state championship back in 1992.