In observance of Constitution Day, Judge Luke Mitchell addressed students at Red River High School and Riverdale on the importance of knowing the Constitution and exercising some of its most essential rights, such as voting.

In this joint effort with the Coushatta Chute Chapter of DAR, Mitchell spoke on the timeline of voting rights and the amendments to the Constitution. He read amendments that pertained to qualifications for running for President of the United States and discussed them with students.

Students were asked last week to watch the presidential debate in preparation for this presentation. Mitchell related the discussion to the campaigns’ “hot topics”: immigration, abortion, the right to bear arms, and the 14th Amendment.

Throughout the presentation and discussion, Mitchell stressed the importance of being a good citizen. He presented each student with a copy of the Constitution.

Congratulations are in order for Ms. Debbie Bamburg winning Week Two of the Football Pick-Em Contest in the Red River Parish Journal.

To enter this week’s contest, CLICK HERE!  https://tinyurl.com/RRPJPickem
(Games played on September 20, 2024)

The Red River Parish Journal and American Bank are proud to bring you the 2024 High School Football Pick’em Contest presented by American Bank.

Anyone is eligible to participate for FREE and each week’s winner will go home with a $100.00 cash prize.  Each week the winner will be the participant with the best record out of 10 selected high school football games (ties will be broken by two separate tiebreakers consisting of guessing the total points scored in two of our weekly contests).

The American Bank & Tyler Insurance Agency High School Football Pick’em Contest will be conducted over the 10 regular season weeks of the High School season starting with Week 1 games (Sept. 6) and running through the end of November.

There is no entry fee, just like there is no cost to subscribe to the Red River Parish Journal.

All contest decisions by Red River Parish Journal (RRPJ) management are final. Weekly winners will be notified on Monday and will be requested to take a photo that will run that week in the RRPJ.

Every participant will receive a FREE subscription to the RRPJ, if you’re not already signed up for the easily-navigated, convenient 6:55 a.m. Monday-Wednesday-Friday e-mail. Enjoy it all, for FREE, and enter each week’s contest. You could collect $100.00 each week!

________________________

The Red River Parish Journal wants to thank American Bank & Tyler Insurance Agency for their title and presenting sponsorships of this year’s High School pick’em contest.

We also want to thank Better Finance and C&K BBQ for their Pick’em Partnerships within the contest.

Week 1: Pam Williams
Week 2: Debbie Bamburg

Today, September 18 is Rice Krispie Treat Day, an unofficial holiday dedicated to the no-bake, quick to make yummy gooey sweet treat.

Rice Krispies Treats were invented in 1939 by Kellogg Company employees Malitta Jensen and Mildred Day in the Kellogg kitchens in Battle Creek, Michigan. The treats are made of Rice Krispie cereal and melted marshmallows. In 1941, the company added Day’s recipe to the back of the Rice Krispies cereal box. The treat was also trademarked and became a nationwide hit due to its simple yet scrumptious flavor. 

While Rice Krispie treats are usually homemade, Kellogg’s trademarked the brand name Rice Krispie Treats and started selling a pre-packaged version of the treat in 1995.

Celebrate by making some and sharing them with your family, friends and co-workers.

Here’s the original recipe:
Ingredients
3 tablespoons butter
1 package (10 oz.) JET-PUFFED Marshmallows OR 5-1/2 cups JET-PUFFED Miniature Marshmallows
6 cups Kellogg’s® Rice Krispies® cereal

Directions
1. In large saucepan melt butter over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat.
2. Add KELLOGG’S® RICE KRISPIES® cereal. Stir until well coated.
3. Using buttered spatula or wax paper evenly press mixture into 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan coated with cooking spray. Cool. Cut into 2-inch squares. Best if served the same day.

MICROWAVE DIRECTIONS:
In microwave-safe bowl heat butter and marshmallows on HIGH for 3 minutes, stirring after 2 minutes. Stir until smooth. Follow steps 2 and 3 above. Microwave cooking times may vary.

Note
– For best results, use fresh marshmallows.
– 1 jar (7 oz.) marshmallow crème can be substituted for marshmallows.
– Diet, reduced calorie or tub margarine is not recommended.
– Store no more than two days at room temperature in airtight container.
– To freeze, place in layers separated by wax paper in airtight container. Freeze for up to 6 weeks. Let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving.

Source: ricekrispies.com

Families of eligible students can now apply for digital vouchers worth $1500

(BATON ROUGE, LA) – The Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE) is expanding tutoring options available to students who need additional support in reading and math. Families can now apply for $1500 digital tutoring vouchers as part of a broadened Steve Carter Tutoring Program. Named after late Baton Rouge State Representative Steve Carter, the program now includes more students, subjects, and increased amounts for families and tutors.

“Every student deserves access to additional academic support,” said Louisiana State Superintendent of Education Dr. Cade Brumley. “Consistent, high-quality tutoring is proven to close learning gaps and put students back a path to success.”

The Steve Carter Tutoring Program provides $1,500 vouchers to families of eligible K-12 public school students. The digital vouchers can be used to purchase high-quality literacy and math tutoring. Now in its second year of existence, the program previously offered $1,000 digital vouchers, was limited to K-5 public school students, and only included literacy.

Families can register or learn more on the online portal or by visiting tutor.la.gov. Eligible families will select a high-quality tutoring provider through the parent portal. All tutors have been approved by the LDOE. Tutoring options are available virtually or in-person.

The Steve Carter Tutoring Program is part of Louisiana’s statewide tutoring initiative, which includes high-quality tutoring options for students during the school day and outside of the school day. While the Steve Carter program provides options outside the school day, Louisiana’s new Accelerate: High-Dosage Tutoring program provides additional support to K-5 students during the school day.

Accelerate High-Dosage Tutoring offers high-dosage tutoring for eligible students in grades K-5. School systems can choose approved providers for this initiative and will engage directly with providers to offer tutoring services.

In an effort to continue to recruit high-quality tutors to the Steve Carter program, the hourly rate for providers has been increased from $40/hour to $60/hour for individual sessions. There are currently 88 tutoring providers available in the Steve Carter program that have been approved by the LDOE to offer services to eligible students, virtually or in-person, and the LDOE is committed to continuing to grow that number.

In an effort to recruit more teachers to become tutors, the LDOE has made changes to the approval process and shared this opportunity with educators during professional development events. A new state law also allows teachers to tutor at school after hours. 

The LDOE has distributed information to school systems leading up to the start of school and school leaders are required to inform parents/guardians if their child qualifies for the Steve Carter Tutoring Program. A statewide digital media campaign targeting eligible families is slated to begin in September.

Ruston, LA – Dr. Joan Lynam’s Biomass Lab in Louisiana Tech University’s College of Engineering and Science has developed a method for growing healthy, vibrant crops without the weight of soil, meaning plans to send crops to the moon within the next decade are more realistic than ever.

The team—Lynam (chemical engineering program chair and associate professor), Dr. Muhammad Aamir Iqbal (Fulbright postdoctoral fellow), and Mohammad Tarikuzzaman (PhD student in micro and nanoscale systems engineering)—has devised a method to recycle urine into water and use the waste byproducts as plant fertilizer, creating soilless plants. Their goal is to create an easy, sustainable source of water and growth on the moon’s surface with implementation potential in the areas of lunar and deep-space farming.

This project is funded by NASA, specifically NASA LaSPACE, the Louisiana branch of the agency. By partnering with and providing funding to Louisiana Tech, the agency hopes to accelerate and elevate the research required for human beings to not only survive in space but live there.

The technology and research for the concept are already widespread. The practice involves providing plant nutrients (nitrogen, potassium, carbon, etc.) in a purely water-based environment, akin to placing a rose in a vase full of water. In this experiment’s case, the water contains enough nutrients for the plants to live and grow.

What gives this research an edge over other soilless-based research is its sustainability. In space, there are no clear or easy supply lines, so using everything for as long as it can be used is key to the astronauts’ survival. Lynam’s team’s research has demonstrated they can recycle urine back into water while converting the salt-rich waste, known as urea, into fertilizer for the soilless plants. If done correctly, Lynam and her team theorize that this could be a way for astronauts to recycle drinking water and sustainably and indefinitely create fertilizer for plants in space.

This experiment’s long-term objective is to help astronauts survive in lunar environments.

“If all goes well, these techniques could be put in space in approximately six years,” Lynam said.

This quick timeline has excited her team, with all participants feeling proud that their work could help future generations live in space.

“Turning waste into usable and sustainable products will make the world greener and cleaner,” Tarikuzzaman said. “It’s a rewarding project with incredibly far-reaching impacts; we hope to make a difference for the planet and beyond.”

The Day Surgery waiting room of any hospital is a slice of our culture. If you want to know what is happening in the world pay attention to folks waiting to be called back for their surgery. Watch and listen as family and friends deal with the anxiety this environment and situation produces.

That poor besmirched fellow was sitting in the waiting room, awaiting his turn to go back, and be prepped for his surgery. I will tell you that any surgery is an anxiety producing event. This guy, and the whole waiting room was listening to his wife, whom I have designed “Helga the Horrible.” From listening to her and believe me no one on the second floor missed a word she said; she was having a tough time with her husband’s surgery.

“Helga” had dropped her husband off by the front door of the hospital and then parked the car. While she was parking the car, she “lost” her husband. When she found him on the second floor at Day Surgery, he was moments away from being called back for the big operation. There in front of God and all of us, Helga let her husband have it. She blasted him for not waiting for her by the front door. His defense was that the orderly came and moved him to the second floor. She blasted him for the stupidity of the orderly who moved him without telling Helga that he had been moved. Her husband reported that he was not in charge of personnel at the hospital and that in fact the orderly had been very kind to him. She reloaded and blasted him for not having a newspaper for her to read while she waiting, as she had left her device in the car and didn’t want to go back to the car to retrieve it. The nice man got up and found Helga a newspaper. She was not happy that it was a day old.

Then Helga got upset because her husband was not more upset about his surgery. She catalogued every ache he might face. She described every pain her friend had after the same surgery. She went into brutal detail about every danger he could face during surgery and after surgery. Her Scandinavian ire was up that he was calm before this procedure and how dare he leave her to worry about all that could happen to him. Then she stood and said to a man who hadn’t eaten since midnight and was about to have surgery, “I’m hungry and I’m going to get breakfast.”

When “Helga” walked off, the poor fellow breathed an audible sigh of relief. I’m thinking that if his wife is like that all the time, major surgery likely gave him some relief. He was probably happy that he was going to get some sleep.

When you get up to leave….are people glad you came or glad you’re going?

Doug de Graffenried is Pastor of Trinity Methodist Church in Ruston.

You can contact Doug at dougsponderings@gmail.com

SHREVEPORT – The Federal Reserve has been sending steady signals that it will cut the federal funds rate at its meeting this week for the first time since 2020.

A cut means interest rates will drop, which will bring down the cost of borrowing money on everything from homes to cars and other loans.

Douglas White, the director of the Center for Business and Economic Research at LSUS, said he’s usually a staunch Fed critic.

But with inflation around three percent annual growth after peaking at 10 percent after the COVID-19 pandemic, White said the Fed has managed to tackle inflation without skyrocketing unemployment and pushing the economy into a recession.

That means a soft landing for the Shreveport-Bossier economy as well, which White gathers data about for monthly and quarterly reports.

“I would say the Fed has done what I would have thought was relatively impossible,” White said. “They pretty much have pulled off a soft landing.

“With the expected rate cut, the Fed wants to be proactive to try and make sure that they don’t push the economy into a recession. When we debuted the Economic Dashboard 1.5 years ago, I would have told you that the Fed wouldn’t be able to bring down the inflation rate without really damaging the economy.. They’ve managed to do it, and I think they deserve a lot of credit.”

While local unemployment rates crept up in the second quarter, including the City of Shreveport reaching five percent, the latest data from July reflects unemployment dips locally.

Shreveport fell to 4.8 percent, Caddo Parish to 4.6 percent, Bossier City at 3.9 percent and Bossier Parish at 3.8 percent. The national unemployment dipped to 4.2 percent.

The unemployment rate reversal even before the expected interest rate cuts indicate the local economy appears to be on solid footing despite the past several years of inflation and high interest rates.

“Even five percent used to be considered a relatively low unemployment rate, which is one of the leading measures the Fed looks at when they start talking about interest rates,” White said. “The other big trend is that inflation has remained pretty consistent year over year around three percent (growth). That’s not significantly higher than the Fed’s desired target of two percent, but considering 12-18 months ago when we were at nine percent, three is pretty good.”

LSUS’s Center for Business and Economic Research gathers publicly available data on categories like local tax collection, housing market, unemployment, gas prices, airport traffic, and casino revenue.

“The dashboard puts a finger on the pulse of what’s going on in the area economically,” White said. “It’s designed for people to go to one place to get the data they need to make informed decisions.”

The CBER publishes a quarterly report in which the information is compiled in one place while updating most individual data categories on a monthly basis.

Red River Parish Registrar of Voter’s Office will hold a relocation Grand Opening September 19. The ribbon cutting will take place at 11:30am followed by open house from 12-5pm. The new office is located at 1906 Front Street. Everyone is invited to help celebrate the new location and take care of any voter registration needs. 

The 2024 Ducks Unlimited Banquet is Thursday, September 19 at the Coushatta Country Club beginning at 5pm. There will be raffles, games, guns, and fun for everyone.

Riverdale Academy will host Rebel Fest Saturday, September 21 at 3pm. There will be many family activities, a raffle and auction. 

Annie Lee-Williams Barfield
May 26, 1923 – September 15, 2024
Funeral Services will be held Saturday September 21,2024 at 11am at House Of Refuge in Coushatta

The Red River Parish Registrar of Voter’s Office will hold a relocation Grand Opening September 19, 2024 at the new location located at 1906 Front Street.

The ribbon cutting will take place at 11:30am followed by Open House from 12-5pm.

Special guests include Nancy Landry, Louisiana Secretary of State, and Sherri Hadskey, Commissioner of Elections.

Everyone is invited to help celebrate the new location and take care of any voter registration needs while you are there. 

By Matt Vines

COUSHATTA – Red River coach Byron Keller highlighted the physical offensive and defensive lines of Catholic-Pointe Coupee in the Bulldogs’ season-opening loss, saying that was an area of focus going forward.

Red River’s big fellas answered the bell Friday against St. Mary’s, leading the charge of a physical brand of football as the Bulldogs bested the Tigers, 26-13.

“We played physical football,” Keller said. “Offensively, we were able to find a balanced attack.

“We had two touchdowns on the ground and two in the air. Seven different guys touched the ball, so our offensive options are growing each week.”

Senior running back Montreveun Smith had a rushing and a passing touchdown, which began with a 66-yard touchdown catch for Red River (1-1).

Quarterback Malique Smith also found Gaylon Brewer for a score through the air while Cedric Moody added a rushing touchdown.

Most of the scoring occurred in the first half when Red River built an 18-13 lead before adding a score in the second half.

The Bulldogs more than doubled their Week 1 offensive output with 340 yards, 226 rushing and 114 passing.

One constant from the season opener was Red River’s success in forcing turnovers, causing three St. Mary’s mistakes after three the previous week.

Red River forced two fumbles and a Warren Bowman interception.

That spearheaded a defensive performance in which Red River surrendered just 212 yards to St. Mary’s (153 passing, 59 rushing).

“We forced turnovers and kept them behind the chains for a large portion of the game,” Keller said. “
All of that adds up to a Red River win in front of the home crowd for a team that’s about to play its next four games on the road.

That road trip starts at Oak Grove, the reigning Division IV Non-Select state champions.

Each month the Red River Parish Library hosts a genealogy meeting called Ancestor Hunters. Dr. Virginia Webb and library staff help participants research their family trees using resources available including Ancestry.com.  

September’s meeting is Wednesday, September 18 from 10am-12pm. 

It is free to attend and no registration is required. Participants can bring their own laptops or use one at the library.

The United States Constitution, America’s most important document, stands as a testament to the tenacity of Americans throughout history to maintain their liberties, freedoms and inalienable rights. And, Constitution Week is celebrated annually during the week of September 17-23 to commemorate its history, importance, and bring attention to how it serves still today.

This celebration of the Constitution was started by the Daughters of the American Revolution. In 1955, DAR petitioned Congress to set aside September 17-23 annually to be dedicated for the observance of Constitution Week. The resolution was later adopted by the U.S. Congress and signed into public law on August 2, 1956, by President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

The aims of the Constitution Week celebration are to:
• Emphasize citizens’ responsibilities for protecting and defending the Constitution.
• Inform people that the Constitution is the basis for America’s great heritage and the foundation for our way of life.
• Encourage the study of the historical events which led to the framing of the Constitution in September 1787.

Bells Across America is an annual celebration of the signing of the U.S. Constitution. Participants gather to ring bells, much as the church bells of Philadelphia rang out when the U.S. Constitution was first signed at 4 pm on September 17, 1787. 

How can you promote the Constitution? Embrace your role as a member of “We the People.” Read the Constitution, learn about it and your government. Get involved. “We the People” only works if we all participate.

The Coushatta Chute Chapter of DAR will present Constitution booklets to the Civics classes at Red River High School in observance of Constitution Day on Tuesday, Sept. 17.  

The Daughters of the American Revolution is a non-profit, non-political volunteer women’s service
organization. DAR members are dedicated to promoting historic preservation, education, and patriotism in communities across the nation. All students are invited to participate and learn more about the educational programs the DAR offers. Educators, parents and students are encouraged to contact their local DAR chapters for more detailed information on these program.

Red River Parish Schools invite all parents and community members to attend the First Schoolwide Team Meeting on Friday, September 20, 2024.

Here are the meeting times for each school:
– RRES: 8 am to 9 am
– RRHS: 9 am to 10 am
– RRJH: 10 am to 11 am
– RRAA: 1 pm to 2 pm

During the meeting, Schoolwide Team Members will review the strategies chosen by each school to enhance academic achievement for all students. The plans for this school year will build on previous initiatives but will be updated to reflect changes based on the progress made by the schools and students in the previous year. Parents and family members are encouraged to attend and share their input and comments.

In addition, parents have the opportunity to become members of the Schoolwide Plan team for the school of their choice. Non-members can also attend the meetings as visitors.

BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. –In a significant shift towards enhancing combat readiness, the 2nd Bomb Wing activated two new bomber generation squadrons on August 22, 2024.

The 2nd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron was deactivated and split into the 20th and 96th BGSs. This move is part of a mission-specific maintenance transformation aimed at increasing operational efficiency and combat capability.

The BGS concept was first developed by Maj. Ian P. Rohde, outgoing 2nd AMXS commander, during his time at Air Combat Command.

The concept works by transforming traditional aircraft maintenance squadrons into mission specific generation squadrons. Those squadrons are then organized, trained and equipped for combat in any theater where the unique capabilities of bombers are required to meet the combatant commander’s objectives.

A key component of the concept is allowing squadrons to operate independently from their host wing to align with their partner operational bomb squadrons throughout deployment cycles.

“Today’s threat requires us to move away from the static concept of sanctuary bases where we traditionally have large numbers of maintenance and munitions personnel,” said Rohde. “The way ahead is to reorganize the aircraft maintenance squadrons into bomber generation squadrons.”

Rohde says operational wings will apply these concepts by dividing and dispersing nuclear forces and conventional agile combat employment operations. With the increased flexibility, bombers can provide better integration and protection for allies and partners, even when landing in austere locations that otherwise might not be able to host bomber operations.

These changes will allow for standardized operations, whether at home or deployed, to allow for junior leaders to develop in the arts of aircraft production and maintenance generation, Rohde explained.

“There are several capabilities bomber generation squadrons will provide the combatant commander,” Rohde said. “We’re going to develop leaders much earlier in their careers. Our mission generation teams will operate with delegated mission command authorities, making our forces lighter, leaner, and faster, without the reliance on a traditional maintenance group force structure.”

The concept will also be applied across other Air Force Global Strike Command bomber bases as the command continues to innovate and prepare for the future.

“Tomorrow’s fight will be hotly contested, and we no longer have the luxury of assumed air superiority in the battlespace,” said Gen. Thomas Bussiere, commander, AFGSC. “This new capability will prepare our units to operate autonomously without the need for extensive command structure while giving us more flexibility in how we position our bombers. I absolutely believe this will be a key factor in future conflicts.”

Source: Barksdale Air Force Base Facebook page
Written By Senior Airman Seth Watson
2nd Bomb Wing Public Affairs

The 2024 banquet is scheduled for September 19 at the Coushatta Country Club beginning at 5:00 p.m.

For ticket reservations, call Tray Murray or email him at tray.murray.pocn@statefarm.com. All-inclusive admission is $50. For Green Wings (under 16), admission is $25. The price of admission also includes your one-year membership and the DU magazine.

There will be raffles, games, guns, and fun for everyone. Organizer Tray Murray encourages everyone to make their reservations for tables now. “Space is limited; get tickets now and avoid the rush.”

Red River Junior High School cheerleaders will host the “Little Bulldogs” cheer camp on Saturday, October 12, 2024 for ages 4- 13 at Red River Jr High School gym from 9:30am-12:30pm. The cost to participant is $50 (includes a Little Bulldog t-shirt and pizza). Check-in begins at 9am. An adult must check-in each child. Camp participants will perform on Tuesday, October 15 at 5:30pm at the RRJH basketball game. They will also cheer on the sideline with the RRJH cheerleaders for the first half of the game. TODAY IS THE LAST DAY TO REGISTER. For more information please contact Erikka Caldwell, cheer sponsor, at Red River Junior High 318-932-5265.

The Red River Parish Rodeo will take place September 20 and 21 at 7pm. There will be mutton bustin and a calf scramble for the kids. Open Barrels for ages 15 and under. PeeWee for 8 and under. It is a LRCA/UPRA/ARA sanctioned rodeo by SYJ Rodeo Productions. 

The boil advisory has been lifted for the Bayou Pierre Water System. LDH samples were cleared over the weekend.

Red River Parish 4-H announced they will begin Robotics Club this month. Classes will take place at the 
4-H office every 3rd Monday from 3:30-5:30. For more information contact the 4-H office.

Connie O’Dean Bamburg
May 29, 1939 – September 12, 2024
Funeral services will be held Monday, September 16, 2024 at 2pm at Liberty Baptist Church

 All Red River Parish Schools were on “Lock Down” for Thursday, September 12. The extraordinary security measures resulted from a threat that was discovered on SnapChat.

During the School Board meeting at 9:00am Thursday, Superintendent Strong addressed the board with an explanation of what happened to cause the enhanced security. Strong said the initial post was reported to law enforcement about 1:30am Thursday morning. Notification to school officials did not come until almost 7:00am. A notification was then sent to parents to alert them of the possibility of a threat.

“We are taking the threat seriously and want to ensure the safety of all children and adults on our campuses.”

Parents who chose to pick up their children were allowed to do so, and parents who decided to have students remain at school were assured of increased safety measures for everyone.

The Superintendent then turned the explanation over to Suzanne Gallier, Security Coordinator. Gallier discussed how limited movement within and on school grounds was implemented immediately. She described how teachers and staff have been trained to work within the lockdown procedures. 

Captain Hensley with the Red River Parish Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division also addressed the board. Hensley said that the sheriff’s office was made aware of the SnapChat post shortly after midnight. He let the board know that there had been a communication breakdown in reporting the possibility of a threat to school authorities in a timely manner. This breakdown left the school board little option in canceling school for the day.

Superintendent Strong was appreciative of the help from Sheriff Edward’s office during the day.
“We had deputies and detectives at all schools all day and they were prepared to spend all day Friday with the faculty and staff, but we have decided to have a virtual work day for everyone.”

Sources have told RRPJ that a person of interest in the threat is under investigation, and evidence is being gathered for a possible arrest.

Matt Vines

COUSHATTA – There’s no place like home.

For a Red River bunch that hits the road in five of its first six games, the chance to play at home this week is one in which the Bulldogs aim to take advantage.

Red River (0-1) welcomes Class 1A St. Mary’s (0-1) on Friday at 7 p.m.

“Our goal is to win the game every week, but yes, it’s very important to win get the win this week,” said Red River coach Byron Keller, acknowledging the opportunity Friday given the Bulldogs’ road-heavy schedule. “We’ll have the crowd excitement in our home opener, and it’s important to play well in front of the home crowd so we can keep that excitement for the rest of the season, especially for events like Homecoming and Senior Night.”

Both teams are coming off difficult road losses in which the offenses struggled to find the end zone.
Red River fell at Catholic-Pointe Coupee, 26-6, while St. Mary’s was defeated, 39-6, at Bunkie.
Red River’s one touchdown, a 32-yard fade route from quarterback Malique Smith to receiver Jomello McDonald, could provide a key to this week’s game.

St. Mary’s allowed five Bunkie touchdowns from at least 25 yards, which included passes of 38, 57, and 99 yards.

McDonald, a stud basketball player who led the Bulldogs to the state championship game this past season, could find an advantage against smaller defensive backs.

But Red River had plenty of things to clean up from its Week 1 checklist.

The Bulldogs offensive and defensive lines struggled to match a physical Catholic bunch, which allowed the Hornets to establish a steady running game while the Bulldogs had to mostly rely on big passing plays for its offense.

When running back Warren Bowman did touch the ball, he averaged more than six yards per carry on his five touches (43 yards).

McDonald totaled 43 receiving yards as Red River mustered 145 total offensive yards.

“We focused on improving ourselves this week, and after studying the film, we identified mistakes that we have to fix going into the St. Mary’s game,” Keller said.

Turnovers kept the score close throughout the first half and early part of the second half. The Bulldogs recovered three fumbles in soggy conditions, two of which came in the red zone.

While the rain from Hurricane Francine will likely be dried up come kickoff Friday night, the Bulldogs believe they can force turnovers no matter the conditions.

“We now know that we can really do it (force turnovers) in game situations, so we want to continue to play fast and physical and force even more turnovers,” Keller said. “Now we just have to capitalize on those turnovers on offense.”

Despite St. Mary’s Week 1 struggles against a solid Class 3A program in Bunkie, Keller knows the recent success the Tigers have had.

Keller, who coached in Natchitoches Parish at Lakeview, is aware of a St. Mary’s program that reached the quarterfinals each of the past two seasons.

“They’ve felt success, and they know how to win tight games,” Keller said of a St. Mary’s program that’s in a coaching transition from Aaron York to Kedrin Seastrunk this year. “We have to go out and set the tone early so they don’t have a chance to get their momentum going.

“They are still talented and have playmakers on the field. We’ll have to be very disciplined in our attacks to keep the playmakers at bay.”

Congratulations are in order for Ms. Pam Williams winning Week One of the Football Pick-Em Contest in the Red River Parish Journal.

To enter this week’s contest, CLICK HERE!  https://tinyurl.com/RRPJPickem
(Games played on September 13, 2024)

The Red River Parish Journal and American Bank are proud to bring you the 2024 High School Football Pick’em Contest presented by American Bank.

Anyone is eligible to participate for FREE and each week’s winner will go home with a $100.00 cash prize.  Each week the winner will be the participant with the best record out of 10 selected high school football games (ties will be broken by two separate tiebreakers consisting of guessing the total points scored in two of our weekly contests).

The American Bank & Tyler Insurance Agency High School Football Pick’em Contest will be conducted over the 10 regular season weeks of the High School season starting with Week 1 games (Sept. 6) and running through the end of November.

There is no entry fee, just like there is no cost to subscribe to the Red River Parish Journal.

All contest decisions by Red River Parish Journal (RRPJ) management are final. Weekly winners will be notified on Monday and will be requested to take a photo that will run that week in the RRPJ.

Every participant will receive a FREE subscription to the RRPJ, if you’re not already signed up for the easily-navigated, convenient 6:55 a.m. Monday-Wednesday-Friday e-mail. Enjoy it all, for FREE, and enter each week’s contest. You could collect $100.00 each week!

________________________

The Red River Parish Journal wants to thank American Bank & Tyler Insurance Agency for their title and presenting sponsorships of this year’s High School pick’em contest.

We also want to thank Better Finance and C&K BBQ for their Pick’em Partnerships within the contest.

Magnolia Bend Academy announced recently on social media their BETA Club officers.

Senior Beta: President-Kensley Mudge, Vice President-Cassie Davis, Secretary-Colby Broadway, Treasurer-Hunter Guice, Chaplain-Ty Weems, Reporter-Ava Feazel

Junior Beta: President-Carter Birdwell, Vice President-Harper Armstrong, Secretary-Riley Freeman, Treasurer-Emmett Freeman, Chaplain-Ava Grace Townsend, Reporter-Lily Grace Williams

Elementary Beta: President-Aly Collins, Vice President-Lexi Williams, Secretary-Madi Gandy, Treasurer-Emma Oates, Chaplain-Noah Bradley, Reporter-Reese Mire