By DOUG IRELAND, Journal Sports
The phrase “bigger and better” fits the first “Battle on the Bricks” high school football jamboree set for Turpin Stadium Friday and Saturday.
There’s been a Natchitoches jamboree for many years, sponsored recently by Natchitoches Regional Medical Center. The hospital’s support has been steady, and has attracted additional sponsors.
This year, it’s attracted additional teams and gotten a new name, referring to the iconic bricks on Front Street downtown bordering Cane River.
Start with the three local schools – Natchitoches Central, St. Mary’s and Lakeview.
The fan out to two from Vernon Parish, 2024 Class 4A semifinalist Leesville (bringing varsity and junior varsity squads), and a rising Pickering program. (Both Leesville teams play Friday and Pickering finishes the two-day event Saturday at 4.)
Look down I-49 and add Menard and Tioga, then go into the pine trees north of the Red River for Red River, Grant, LaSalle, and Winnfield.
It will provide six games, three each day. Tickets sold at each participating school produce revenue that stays at the school.
Friday’s schedule begins at 4 o’clock with Lakeview meeting the Leesville JV, then an appealing Class 2A clash at 6 between Winnfield and Menard.
Natchitoches Central tangles with Leesville at 8 to wrap up the opening night.
The Wampus Cats will field a junior varsity team that coach Robert Causey promised would be feisty, although probably not nearly as organized as desired. But the varsity squad is ready to tee it up against anybody and especially the Class 5A Chiefs.
“I get asked a question, especially from my Dad. ‘Well, what’s your season gonna be? What you gonna do?’ My response to Dad and to everyone is, ‘Dad, it’s just another opportunity to go compete with another group of kids. The standard is the standard, and it doesn’t really matter about the past. It’s about these current kids and the expectation that we established in 2016 when I was blessed to get this job.
“It’s now their time to continue to grow, to take the expectations of Leesville High School and Wampus Cat football and continue to grow.’ Having the opportunity in this jamboree with the big stadium, the lights and the big stage, for us, it’s the chance to go make memories. Sometimes in athletics it’s about win, win, win, and maybe we forget that it’s bigger than that for us, and importantly for these kids. We’re trying to raise boys to men, create champions for life. When it’s all said and done, when they’re our age, what memories will these kids have to look back upon?
“For us to be part of this jamboree, it’s quite special, because it’s going to prepare us for something bigger. We look at where we want to go, having a chance to play Natchitoches Central, with a great coaching staff, a division above us, they’ve got size, they’ve got speed … and we have a young team with a lot of guys getting their first varsity action. It’s a great learning opportunity for our guys,” said Causey.
Pickering’s program is at the opposite end of the spectrum, patiently developing under coach John Daughtery, who is successfully building on a powerlifting program that has boosted players’ physiques and their confidence.
“I’m very excited for our team to be here, and hopefully both us and St. Mary’s can have a healthy game, something that prepares us for this season,” said Daughtery, who was the NCHS powerlifting coach and assistant defensive line coach for several years before taking the PHS job in 2022.
“It’s a challenge I wanted to be involved with as a coach. We installed discipline and the weight room. We’ve been very successful in powerlifting, and that’s helped our program,” he said. “We have a small program with guys who play both ways. It shows a testament to their work ethic.”
Saturday’s slate kicks off at noon when Tioga squares off against Red River. Grant and LaSalle battle at 2, and St. Mary’s wraps up the two-day jamboree at 4 taking on Pickering.
Teams will play two 12-minute quarters. The regular season begins on the first weekend in September.
Coaches and two players from each school participated in a “Battle on the Bricks” media session Monday at the hospital’s Listach Room.
“I truly believe this can become something that will be great for not just the local area, but the region. We have great quality teams, great coaches, and a lot of history of friendships throughout the coaching staffs, the players and the communities,” said St. Mary’s coach Kedrin Seastrunk.
NCHS coach Brad Laird said he and assistant coach Pete Townsend, who was the coordinator putting together the jamboree, are modeling it after the longstanding “Bayou Jamb” hosted annually at ULM and involving nearly two dozen north Louisiana teams over a three-day span in Monroe.
“Coming back last year, from Bayou Jamb, Coach Townsend asked, ‘why can’t we do that in Natchitoches? Why can’t we do that in Turpin Stadium? A hundred percent credit to Coach Townsend for the work he’s done since last August to get this going in a much bigger way,” said Laird.
“It’s been great. We have a beautiful stadium. We have Northwestern State. We have a great community to show off to visitors,” said Townsend.
Over and over, coaches and players from outside of Natchitoches Parish expressed their excitement about playing in a college stadium and visiting the NSU campus, while fans can also enjoy spending time in Natchitoches.
“We expect this to be a very good start and we intend to make it bigger and better going forward,” said Laird. “We can’t thank our sponsors enough for making this possible.”
Contact Doug at sbjdoug@gmail.com