Matt Vines

The Red River football team will conclude spring practice with a spring game Wednesday against three other schools at Louisiana Christian University in Pineville.

The Bulldogs will participate in a four-team spring setup with a set amount of plays against Class 3A Marksville and Class 5A members Pineville and New Iberia.

The Bulldogs are familiar with a Pineville football program that they pushed to the limit in the last two seasons, including a 41-40 loss in Week 5 of this past season.

NEW FOOTBALL SCHEDULE RELEASED
Second-year head coach Travis Gary got to craft his first football schedule as a head coach with the two-year scheduling cycle resetting for the 2026 season.

While the past two seasons included teams from the far corners of the state like Class 2A Oak Grove and Class 1A members Catholic Pointe Coupee and White Castle, this season’s schedule stays closer to home.

But that doesn’t mean the slate gets any easier.

Red River kicks off the season by welcoming a surging Class 4A program in Tioga.

The Bulldogs jamboreed against Tioga this past season before the Indians won nine games and earned the No. 6 seed in the Division I Select playoffs.

Week 2 features a familiar matchup against St. Mary’s in Coushatta, a local squad that rightfully remains on the schedule. The Tigers pulled off a first-round playoff upset but are looking for a new head coach.
Red River steps on the road for the first time in Week 3 against Class 5A Parkway, a nod back to a time when the Bulldogs played much bigger schools out of the Shreveport-Bossier area.

The Bulldogs return home in Week 4 to catch Class 2A Green Oaks, a program that consistently punches above its weight and resources. Homefield advantage will help, but as difficult as this schedule is, it’s a crucial game that has playoff implications.

Week 5’s visit to Class 1A Logansport could carry the same weight and is a great primer for a road playoff environment against a Tigers squad that is accustomed to deep playoff runs.
Red River begins an unbalanced district schedule with the first two games at home and the final two on the road.

The Bulldogs welcome Winnfield and Many in Weeks 6 and 7 followed by trips to Mansfield and Lakeside.
Winnfield features former Red River coach Byron Keller, who made the playoffs in his first season.

Many coach Tyler Hassell orchestrated a big turnaround in his first season as the Tigers knocked off Red River in the first round of the playoffs after the Bulldogs took the regular season meeting 34-6.

Mansfield is the reigning district champions fresh off a quarterfinals appearance who continue to add pelts to the wall under Darrell Barbay.

Red River keeps its Week 10 game in the non-district slot, and they’ll head up to Loyola in another great test in a playoff type atmosphere.

Loyola put together one of its best seasons in decades as the Flyers battled through a deep District 1-4A with the only regular-season loss coming to Division II Non-Select runner-up North DeSoto.

The Flyers earned the No. 2 seed in the Division II Select bracket and advanced to the quarterfinals before falling to eventual runner-up Archbishop Shaw.