Matt Vines

PINEVILLE – The Red River spring football calendar has officially been completed after the Bulldogs competed in a four-way spring game Wednesday at Louisiana Christian.

Head coach Travis Gary said he was pleased with his team’s efforts, which wrapped up his second spring at the helm.

“We had a solid showing,” Gary said. “It took our guys a little time to settle down, but once we settled in, we competed well.”

Each team participated in a set number of plays against each opponent, providing different looks against different schemes and styles.

Coaches and fans got their first look at new quarterback Landon Wilson, who shined as a receiver this past season.

Wilson takes over under center after Malique Smith starred in the position for the past three seasons, which included multiple all-district performer who won the district’s Offensive Player of the Year honor in 2024.

“Landon shows great signs of being just as good,” Gary said about the senior. “The more experience he gets, the better he will be. He’s an exceptional athlete.”

Even with Wilson’s departure from the receiving corps along with the graduation of Warren Bowman and Carl Lewis, Red River still brings back Lathyn Lewis along with a crop of younger players.

Red River must also replace starting running back Cedric Moody, but the offensive line should be productive under all-district performers Ty Cole and Cole Pierce.

“We will always have good athletes in skill positions,” Gary said.

The defense continues to mature as that unit returns key players.

Linebacker Nathaniel Burton and defensive lineman Jarvis Whitaker are anchors up front, and defensive backs Ethan Lopez and Noah Adams will patrol the backfield.

“Our defense will be more experienced, and they showed how good they can be with some gritty goal line stands and forced turnovers,” Gary said.”

Perhaps the biggest spring football takeaway is the continuing adjustment to the culture Gary, a former Red River quarterback and college football player, wants to instill in his second season.

“We are headed in the right direction as a program, and you can see the shift in mindset and work ethic,” said Gary, whose Bulldogs went 6-5 with a first-round playoff loss at Many, a team that beat in the regular season. “We’ll have a better understanding of the game of football and will be a lot faster in real game time because of understanding the small details.”