Monday, March 27, 2017

Final Four is set

Final Four is set
 The Final Four which takes place Saturday at the Arizona Cardinals University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale will feature two teams from the Carolinas and two teams from the Pacific Northwest.
 The South Carolina Gamecocks of the SEC as the number seven seed won the East Region beating conference rival Florida 77-70 in Madison Square Garden after knocking off Baylor 70-50 in the Sweet 16. The Bears were the second best team in the Big XII behind Kansas and earned the three seed in the tournament.
 ''Anyone that's in sports dreams of moments like this,'' head coach Frank Martin told the Associated Press. ''It's not something that you start dreaming it the year you win 25 games. You dream it every single day.''
 Leading the way was Sindarius Thornwell with 26 points, seven rebounds, and one assist in his 36-minutes on the court. Three other Gamecocks reached double-digits in scoring as guard PJ Dozier scored 17, forward Chris Silva scored 13, and Malik Kotsar scored 12 from the forward position. 
 "The game was as close as expected until the final minute," according to the Associated Press. "There were 14 lead changes and 10 ties. The last lead change came on two free throws by Thornwell with 2:24 left that made it 65-63. Fourth-seeded Florida managed just three field goals over the final 3:55."
 The Gamecocks now will face WCC champion and top seed in the West Gonzaga Saturday. The Bulldogs cut down the nets in San Jose after an 83-59 win against the 11-seeded Xavier Muskateers, who beat second seed Arizona 73-71 in the Sweet 16. 
 "Just an incredible feeling of elation and satisfaction," head coach Mark Few said in an Associated Press article. "It's been a long, hard journey to get this program here."
 "Few and the Zags have won the West Coast Conference Tournament 16 times, been regulars in the NCAA Tournament since 1999, reached the Sweet 16 eight times," according to the same article. "The Final Four was the only missing piece to their resume."
 On the other side of the bracket, top seed Kansas faced third seed Oregon in Kansas City. It was the Ducks who emerged as champions of the Midwest Region. According to the Associated Press, "With swagger and verve and downright prolific shooting, the plucky team that everybody wanted to count out rolled to a 74-60 victory over the Jayhawks on Saturday night, earning the Ducks their first trip to the national semifinals in nearly 80 years."
 "You feel so good for so many people," said Ducks coach Dana Altman to the Associated Press. "It's a team effort. You feel good for a lot of people."
 The team from Chapel Hill was regular season champions of the ACC and garnered the top seed in the South Region. They went up against Butler in the Sweet 16 in Memphis and then outfoxed Kentucky 75-73 in an epic Elite 8 matchup. North Carolina held Kentucky's De'Aaron Fox to 13 points in the final game Sunday evening. The Tar Heels went on a 12-0 run to take control of the game in the final minutes, and Luke Maye scored with 0.3 seconds remaining sending his team to consecutive Final Fours. 

Softball is putting all the pieces together for a winning product on the field

Softball is putting all the pieces together for a winning product on the field
 The softball program at Oakdale is turning a corner and putting all the pieces together for a winning product on the field. This recipe has yielded another notch under the win column overall and in district play as the Warriors again defeated Pickering. This time around the score was 7-2 on the road.
 "I think they've improved greatly defensively, and then Brianna (Hargrave)'s improving week by week," said assistant coach Ben Jones. "The more she's pitching, the better she's getting. Kassie Tichy is our second baseman and our other pitcher. She made two leaping almost diving catches between second base and the outfield, and then our shortstop Marley Gilley made a bunch of plays. So our middle infield is getting better."
 "They're bunting the ball better and hitting the ball better," Jones added. "It seemed like everything kinda came together tonight... the hits, the bunts, the fielding, the pitching."
 With their team up 4-0 in the Top of the Fourth, Lauren Holmes and Skyla Chamblee reached base before third place hitter Hargrove launched a home run over the center field wall on a 3-2 count. 
 The win came on the heels of a 1-2 showing at the Sulphur Tournament. In the first game of the tournament, Oakdale was leading 4-0 over Westgate until six Warrior errors allowed the score to be tied. The international tie breaker then went into effect where each team began the next half inning with a runner on second base. Oakdale pushed the run across, and Hargrove struck out the last two Westgate batters to get the 5-4 win. "They were pumped up about that," said Jones.
 The next day was less heroic as Jones' team lost both games to Buckeye 4-1 and Sacred Heart of Ville Platte 4-0. According to the assistant coach, the Buckeye game turned as the umpires reversed a home run call off the bat of Mckenzie Richmond. "The ball hit the catcher's knee pad and rolled forward," Jones said. "The umpire said it was a foul ball. Well I was trying to argue that Darien Phillips shouldn't have to go back to first because it wasn't a foul ball that the ball hit the catcher's knee pad and that's what made it ricochet. So they let the pitcher pitch. Mack hits a homerun over left centerfield, and they said no home run because we had a timeout."
 Jones sees positive signs on the horizon as his team nears the final nine games of the regular season. "It's like the scores are starting to get lower and lower," he said. "We're not giving up as much. We're getting better at defense, and we're starting to hit the ball. I feel like we're just gradually getting better."

Oakdale baseball is where it wants to be

Oakdale baseball is where it wants to be
 Before the basketball players returned to the baseball team, Brent McKoy predicted "once we do that I'll think we'll be alright." Since then the head baseball coach has seen his Warriors' record climb to 4-8 and 3-1 in district. 
 After playing in the Tioga Tournament to begin the month, McKoy's team defeated Many at home 8-4 on March 14. Many pitched a senior left hander with a pitch speed that reaches the low 80s who has faced Oakdale each of his four years on the team. He gave up five runs on four hits in the first inning and did not get out of the frame.
 "We did a good job executing," said McKoy. "We did a couple hit and runs and things I ask them to do. We executed finally and put some timely hits together. Our pitching was really good. We did kinda like a team effort, and we've been having success with that."
 Terrance Holmes got the start for the Warriors going three innings before yielding to Nick Doyle and Gavin Johnson for two innings each. The strong pitching performance carried over into the next game a week later with a 13-1 win at Pickering.
 Freshman Josh McDaniel toed the rubber to start the game at Pickering and went five strong innings allowing one run, striking out seven, and walking two. Hunter Longino then came in the game in the sixth inning without allowing a run. 
 "Several people had multiple hits," McKoy said. "We hit the ball good. Probably the best I've seen us hit. Just like against Many, we got that two-out hit with bases loaded, and we scored five runs with two outs."
 The Warriors then got a win at home 8-2 against Rosepine.
 "We always tell our kids that the team that gets that big inning usually is the winner," McKoy added. "We're playing better, and it's where we want to be right now."

March Madness living up to its reputation

March Madness living up to its reputation
 March Madness is again living up to its reputation this year as the field of the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament is set with favorites Villanova and Duke both getting bounced in the Second Round. 
 Reigning tournament champion and 2017 Big East Champion Villanova easily defeated Mount St. Mary's 76-56 as the number one seed in the East Region before getting badgered by Wisconsin 65-62. "I say this every year at Villanova, we can't take it for granted," head coach Jay Wright told the Associated Press. "It's so special to be a part of it. Every time you win and you get a chance to advance, cherish it. You're playing the best teams in the country. You're going to come down to games like this. We had a game like this against Kansas last year and we came out of the good side of it. We had a game like this against N.C. State last year, and we had a shot to win it and we missed it."
 "To me, there's no dishonor in losing in this tournament — and we've lived through it. You are judged by how you play in this tournament and that's the reality of it. So, you have to accept it," he continued. 
 Duke was the number two seed in the East and earned an 87-65 win over Troy before losing 88-81 to South Carolina. "That's the most physical team we've faced all year," Mike Krzyzewski told the AP about the Gamecocks.
 Meeting the Badgers at Madison Square Garden in New York City will be the fourth seed Florida Gators coming off a 65-39 win over Virginia in the Round of 32 and a 15-point win over East Tennessee State in the opening game. The seventh seed South Carolina Gamecocks will face off against the third seed Baylor Bears who reached the Sweet 16 after dispatching New Mexico State and USC.  
 The Northwestern Wildcats reached the Tournament for the first time ever this year and won their first game against Vanderbilt 68-66. They then lost to number one seed in the West Region Gonzaga on a controversial call at the buzzer giving the Zags the 79-73 win in Salt Lake City. The NCAA admitted missing a goaltending call that caused a technical foul to be called on Northwestern's Chris Collins. Nigel Williams-Goss made both free throws and gave Gonzaga enough separation on its way to the school's third consecutive trip to the Sweet 16.  
 "If I see a guy from another team put his hand through the rim and block a shot, I'm going to react to it if the play isn't called,'' Collins said to the AP. ''I think all of you would. Of course. That cuts it to three. We're all emotional. We're coming back from 20 down.''
 Standing between Gonzaga and a trip to the Elite 8 are the Mountaineers of West Virginia with a 12-6 record Big XII record and the four seed in the West Region who got past Bucknell 86-80 in the first round before doing the same against former Big East rival Notre Dame 83-71 in Buffalo.
 Xavier and second seeded Arizona battle each other for a chance to meet the winner between Gonzaga and West Virginia in the Elite 8. Xavier as the 11th-seed upset Florida State in the Second Round 91-66, and Arizona as the second seed cruised past North Dakota 100-82 before escaping 69-60 against the Gales of St. Mary's. 
 "We don't think of anything as pressure," Williams-Goss said according to the AP. "We had pressure all year long. We were undefeated and we didn't feel any of that. This is what we live for, what
we prepare for and we enjoy doing. We all enjoy competing at the highest level."
 "All year we've been telling ourselves that we got the best group of guards in the country, and we truly believe that," West Virginia's Jevon Carter told the AP. "So, when it's time for us to play, we go out there and give it our all. Sometimes it worked. But we're going to put forth 100 percent and we're going to live and die with it."
 With the losses of Villanova and Duke, Kansas and North Carolina emerged as favorites to the win the Tournament. Kansas Jayhawks earned a date in the Sweet 16 against the Purdue Boilermakers after trouncing 16th-seed UC Davis 100-62 and winning 90-70 over Tom Izzo's Michigan State Spartans. The Boilermakers with the four seed in the Midwest steamed past Vermont 80-70 and Iowa State 80-76. The two teams will meet in Kansas City which is 35 miles from the Jayhawks' home court in Lawrence. "We know it'll be hostile there, but we can draw energy from that," Boilermaker center Isaac Haas said via Twitter according to the AP. "Gotta put ourselves in best position possible."
 Fellow Big Ten team Michigan reached the Sweet 16 as the Wolverines are still riding high off a conference championship in Washington, DC. The team's plane crashed on the runway as it was leaving Detroit due to the high winds affecting much of the Midwest. The team then had to play the first game of the Big Ten Tournament in its practice jerseys as the luggage got delayed. The Wolverines since then won six games in a row and won their first two games in the NCAA Tournament 92-91 over Oklahoma State and 73-69 over Louisville. 
 The third seed Oregon Ducks flew into the Sweet 16 and will face Michigan after a slim three point win over Atlantic 10 Champion Rhode Island in the Second Round 75-72. ''During the game I had to let it go. There was two minutes left, I dropped them and I had to keep playing, and we kept playing and kept fighting and hit the glass and got crucial offensive rebounds,'' Oregon's Tyler Dorsey told the AP. ''I just hit some big shots.''
 North Carolina as the number one seed in the South Region  will go up against Butler in what would have been a rematch of the Second Round in the 2009 NCAA Tournament. That year Butler lost to LSU in the opening round, and the Tigers lost to North Carolina as the Tar Heels went on to win the National Championship. 
 The winner of North Carolina and Butler will then meet the winner of UCLA and Kentucky in the Elite 8. UCLA emerged past Kent State 97-80 then took care of Cincinnati 79-67 in Sacramento. SEC Champion Kentucky narrowly defeated instate rival Northern Kentucky 79-70 and even more narrowly defeated Wichita State 65-62 in Indianapolis. 
 According to the AP, Coach John Calipari said about his Wildcats, "They're young, but they have a will to win and play with courage and are skilled basketball players and great kids."

Softball gets first district win of the season

Softball gets first district win of the season
 In its fifth attempt of the season, Oakdale softball got its first district win with a 12-7 home victory over Pickering. The win improved the team's district record to 1-4 and overall record to 6-9.
 "It was huge getting that win especially because our girls' bats finally came alive," said assistant coach Ben Jones. 
 "We had an excellent game at bat," said head coach Alycia McDaniel. "If we would play like that every game, I guarantee you we could make a huge run into the playoffs. People would be shocked, but we have to bat like that consistently."
 The turning point of the game, according to Jones, was when the Pickering pitcher got hurt trying to field a ball down the third base line. This caused her to take something off of her speed and allowed the Warriors to catch up to her pitches. "Whenever she slowed down, our girls just finally started catching up and started knocking the ball around different places," Jones said.
 The coaches saw production from the top and the bottom of their lineup. True freshman Lauren Holmes led off and earned two walks and a base hit. She also turned in six catches at right field. Skylar Chambley batted in the two-hole and found success at the plate after moving back to slap hitting. Ashton Gilley at the bottom of the lineup also found success at the plate getting a double and a triple. In doing so Gilley earned the game ball.
 "As soon as we started hitting, they got confidence, and we just rolled with it," McDaniel said. "I was so proud of them. You could have sworn we won the State championship because we weren't predicted to beat them, and it was very exciting for our girls. They came together as a team, and everybody hit the ball."
 The success at the plate against Pickering was short lived as the Warriors dropped the next two games 10-5 against Many and 4-0 against Menard. "Every time we face off against one of these faster pitchers, our girls take too long to adjust to the speed, and it ends up killing us in the long run," explained Jones. 
 The Warriors were down 7-3 to Many in the Bottom of the Fifth and scored a couple runs cutting it to 7-5. Kassie Tichy stepped up to the plate with the bases loaded and popped up for the second out. Mckenzie Richmond then struck out to end the inning. 
 Against Menard the coaches planned on using their newly improved defense as a strength to get the in against the Eagles. "We had a plan going in to make them chase on the right side and hit to Lauren (Holmes) over at right and Kassie (Tichy) at second to our strongest defensive players," Jones said. "We were working that game plan, and it was working, but we couldn't put the bat on the ball."
 Menard scored a run in the Top of the First as well as the Top of the Fourth before adding two runs in the Top of the Fifth. "I'm proud of the girls for not giving up," McDaniel said. "Usually Menard has never not 10-run ruled Oakdale. So I'm proud that they didn't lay down and let them 10-run us."
 "I have all the faith in the world in them," added McDaniel. "The thing is I know this group of girls, and they have so much potential. If they would only look and see it in themselves, the program would turn around."

Oakdale track sets new records

Oakdale track sets new records
 Two outdoor track competitors at Oakdale set records in the first meets of the year. Darien Phillips set a school record in the discus with her 116'10" at the Red Devil Relays in Pickering, and Travian Dailey recorded a new meet record at the Gent Relays in Crowley with his 126'6" performance in the discus.
 "We are proud of the effort of our kids," said coach Michael Deville.
 James Evins earned first place honors in the 100 and 200-meter dashes in Pickering and followed it up with a second place finish in Crowley and first place in the 100- meters and second place in the 200-meters at the Cowboy Relays at McNeese. In the long jump competition, he finished second at Pickering and at McNeese but came out first in Crowley.
 Sanaa St. Andre earned outstanding field performer at Pickering as she came out first in the triple jump and high jump as well as in the 4X100 meter relay along with Alexis Davis, Treshunda Joseph, and Jondasha Davis. She followed it up with a first place finish in shot put and second place finishes in triple jump and high jump in Crowley and at McNeese finishing third in the shot put and high jump and first in the triple jump.
 Treshunda Joseph along with Alexis and Jondasha Davis also finished first in the Pickering 4X200 meter relays with Shadiomond Joseph. The quartet came out second in the same event in Crowley.
 Also placing first in Pickering were Phillip Poullard in the 300-meter hurdles, Jondasha Davis in long jump and 100-meter dash, and Briana Hargrove in shot put. Hunter Longino placed first in the shot put in Crowley as well as Poullard in the 300-meter hurdles, Jondasha Davis in the long jump, and Shadiomand Joseph in the 400-meters. Longino and Jondasha Davis also finished first in the same events at McNeese.
 "The kids are working hard and doing their best to balance track with other sports and school," added Deville. "We hope to be able to put a complete team together and are looking forward to good things from both our boys and girls teams."

Oakdale tennis nears regional play

Oakdale tennis nears regional play
 Coach Zealon Solomon sees his young tennis team making plenty of strides in the right direction as it nears regional play. It currently has a record of 8-2 winning 115 out of 160 matches with both losses coming against Jennings.
 "We're making a lot of progress," said Solomon. "Our younger players have definitely stepped up this year. We've had several injuries, but we're making do. It's good times."
 Oakdale, according to Solomon, is in one of the largest regions in the State. Other teams in the region are Grace Christian, Academy of the Sacred Heart, Sacred Heart of Ville Platte, Lacassine, Hathaway, Opelousas Catholic, Westminster, St. Edmund's of Eunice, and Bunkie. 
 Solomon sees a tough row to hoe beginning in mid-March. "Westminster will be a tough one," he said. "They are the defending boys' champion. Grace Christian provides a loaded roster, so the rematch from the first match will be totally different the second time around. Academy of the Sacred Heart out of Grand Coteau is always a dangerous girls school, and Sacred Heart of Ville Platte has one of the most talented doubles teams you'll see in the State."
    "So overall we're shaping up," added Solomon. "It'll be balanced all the way around, but we should be able to handle it."

Warrior Softball falls to 6-7 on the season

Warrior Softball falls to 6-7 on the season
 On the first weekend of March, the Warriors' softball team hosted the Oakdale Tournament and went 2-1 losing to Merryville 8-7 in the opener and then exploded winning 13-1 against Lagrange and 15-0 against Grace Christian.
 "The girls were pumped, but we just waited too long to hit the ball," said head coach Alycia McDaniel about the Friday night loss to Merryville. "We waited to the Bottom of the Seventh to score six runs. We had a runner at second base with the opportunity to win the game, and one of our bigger hitters couldn't come through. We had some good offensive plays, but some errors that if we would not have made we would have dominated Merryville."
 Assistant coach Benjamin Jones liked what he saw from his team fundamentally in the next game against Lagrange. He said, "We performed the fundamentals really good like we laid down some bunts, and baserunning was really good."
 "Fundamentals were great," agreed McDaniel.
 Jones credited the two wins in the tournament to fielding precision. "In both those games, we had no errors," he said. "I don't know if it gets in their heads if it's a weaker team they play better, but we didn't make a single throwing error or fielding error in either of those games."
 "I thought it would be a big confidence booster for them because that's what we needed," said McDaniel about her team's performance in the tournament. "We started the season off 3-0. We were pumped, and then we had Rosepine."
 Oakdale lost to Rosepine 14-1 in the first district game, then lost to Bunkie 5-3. Since then they lost 10-0 to Menard and 4-3 to Rapides beginning district play at 0-4. "The Rapides game was tough," said McDaniel. "We were winning the entire game and had a couple of little mental errors that they scored on. We scored three runs, and then after that we were complacent with being three runs ahead of them, and they waited until the Bottom of the Seventh and came up and beat us by one run."
 The team them competed in the Tioga Tournament and faced the host team on Friday night. The Warriors only managed three hits as they lost 3-0. "Against Tioga Brianna Hargrove got on base three different times," said Jones. "She came to bat the first time and walked. The next two times she got a hit, but out of our top four hitters she was the only one to do that."
 Cheyenne Fruge, according to Jones, led off and "popped up almost every time." Skylar Chambley then batted second and "struck out every time." He continued, "And then our third batter which was Darien Phillips didn't get a hit either."
 "My biggest thing is that we want everybody to be able to bunt, and we have not been successful," McDaniel said. "As coaches we want to manufacture runs and try to produce as much as we can because we're doing a good job defensively without the little throws that were errors that cost us."
 "Tioga is a great team that beat Bunkie 10-0, and we held them to three runs," continued McDaniel. "I look for us to improve as long as our bats come around. If the girls will come together and believe that they can win and not let our district intimidate them because our district is brutal, but at the same time we have the talent to go a lot further than people will ever expect us to go." 

Baseball returns to a full deck

Baseball returns to a full deck
 Following an 0-3 start to the season in the Kinder Tournament, Oakdale baseball is now playing with a full deck with the basketball players returning to the squad. Head coach Brent McKoy says the addition of these players will help "tremendously."
 "It gave us more depth at pitching," McKoy added. "I think we get back in the groove with that, and we'll be a little more consistent with our defense. I think we'll win some games in district."
 The only win on the season thus far came in the Rosepine Tournament against Hicks. The Warriors jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the Top of the First and tacked on a run in the Top of the Second before erupting for four runs in the Top of the Third. Oakdale pitching scattered four runs on the afternoon leading to the 8-4 win. 
 In the same tournament, the Warriors lost 4-0 to Vermilion Catholic and lost 11-4 to Ascension Episcopal. "We hit the ball well," McKoy said about the tournament. "We had double digit hits in two games. In the Hicks game, we really hit the ball well, and pitching was pretty decent. We played Ascension Episcopal, and they were really good. They hit the ball well. They just out hit us that game. And a lot of times we get to the third game of a tournament, and our pitching runs out."
 After losing 11-0 to Iowa in the next game, Oakdale began district play and lost at Rapides 9-6. McKoy's team then went on to play in the Tioga Tournament beginning March 9 and lost to Iowa 5-1 in the first game. The Warriors played at Pineville the next night and suffered a 7-0 loss to the Rebels.
       Gavin Johnson and Hunter Longino reached base to lead off the game, but the next three Warriors in the line up were retired in succession. Cam Bates in the bottom of the inning doubled in Brandon Couch and Tyler Atkins giving Pineville the 2-0 lead after the first inning. The score remained the same until the Bottom of the Fourth when Pineville plated two more runs. The first of which scored on an errant pick off throw at third base, and the second came on a sacrifice fly. 
 Pineville then scored three runs in the Bottom of the Sixth. Bates scored on an error at third base by Longino. Matt Sylvia then popped up to the pitcher McDaniel for the first out before pinch-hitter Evan Atkins and Levi Roberts scored on a Garrett Brown double.
 Even with his team's struggles in the early going, McKoy sees hope. "I think we're slowly getting better," he said. "That's the goal to get better." 

Good-bye, old friend

It was three months since I graduated from LSU in May of 2004 that I first met Jl Brignac. I was watching John Wayne play Genghis Khan on TCM when I got a call from Brenda Lafleur. She knew I was looking for a job and told me about a part time job at the clerk’s office. They had gotten a new computer program and were starting to “image” documents. She told me to go in that afternoon at 1 and talk to the clerk Walter Lee. I got down there, and Mr. Walter said we had to wait for JL his chief deputy. I found out later he was cooking at this house for the lawyers for their regular Friday lunch.
I took the job and started that following Monday. I was working Ralph Leday scanning all the old criminal and civil files in the warehouse. He had been working at the office for a while before and knew JL’s habits. Ralph and I would work a while then take our breaks. We knew at 10:30 and 2:30 JL would come check on us en route from getting his free Cokes at Guy Mitchell’s office, so we made sure we were working when he came.
I remember the last time JL came check on us. That Monday afternoon I came back from lunch, and Ralph was gone which was strange because he normally stayed at the warehouse for lunch. He came back later that afternoon, and his face was purple. He had been drinking because he was still hung over from the night before. This had become an all-to-common occurrence on Mondays of Ralph coming to work in that condition, so he was let go that day. That’s when I was moved into the clerk’s office still scanning the records. I knew my time there was drawing to an end about a month later because I was coming to the end of the project, but Walter Lee and JL saw something in me. I was deputized June 1, 2005. 
That August we started doing our recording on computer instead of by hand which we had been doing for the past 94 years. The next step was scanning the recordings instead of microfilming them. That’s where I fit in. I was working in the file room with JL and Jannie Guidry. I got my first lesson from JL not long after that as Hurricane Katrina was approaching. We were preparing to close the office because of the storm, and somebody said to unplug everything in the office. Mrs. Jannie told me to unplug the coffee pot. I was in mid pull when JL fussed me and stuttered, “You don’t need to unplug the coffee pot!”
That’s around the same time I started going to suppers at his house every other Wednesday night. I was then a member of my first supper club and felt like one of the guys. A year later I joined his fantasy football league. I got the nickname “Laptop” at my first draft. I had typed up on my laptop lists of players I wanted to draft. I planned on printing out the lists that weekend before the draft in Baton Rouge, but I tailgated too much for LSU’s first game. So that Sunday for the draft I decided to just use my laptop at JL’s. I was the first person to ever bring a laptop to JL’s house. The jokes started flying, and the name stuck.
Over the years working along side JL, I learned many other lessons besides the coffee pot one. He taught me everything he knew about the clerk’s office. His wealth of knowledge was not measurable.  For example he taught me that the conveyance indexes that are not for normal use are abnormal. That was his sense of humor that livened up the office. 
I could share countless other memories of John Lucas Brignac, but now it’s time to say good-bye. I was in
Sacred Heart Church Tuesday night before the mission when I got an update on his condition. It was a week since the accident. The mission then started, and I processed in from the double doors by Mary’s alter as I was serving as an acolyte. I had to light the candles from the Easter candle as the mission priest led a candlelit guided meditation on coping with somebody who has died. My eyes started welling up because all I could think about was JL. We had become like family over the  years, and if you go back far enough we might actually be family. 
After I finished serving, I sneaked into the Sacristy and cried. I could hear the mission priest talk about the woman at the well. I was thinking, then, about how JL will experience that life giving water from the heavenly stream. He will not be forgotten especially because everything in the clerk’s office reminds me of him. They say God puts people in your life for a reason, and JL is an epitome of that. Good-bye, Big J. Good-bye, old friend. 

Oakdale softball expects big things this season

Oakdale softball expects big things this season
 In their second season at the helm of Oakdale softball, head coach Alycia McDaniel and assistant coach Benjamin Jones are optimistic about the state of the team coming off a trip to the playoffs for the first time last season.
 "We're excited about this year coming up," Jones said before the season. "We should have a pretty well-rounded team this year, and we're expecting to win more games than last year. Last year we were 15-16, so one of our goals is to get on the winning side and go farther in the playoffs than we did last year."
 "I am very excited about this upcoming season and hope that we all work hard and pull together to have a successful year," McDaniel said. "We have a very young team but the girls have what it takes to have a very prosperous year. They not only have the ability to win big, but with the new split we are even more motivated to go big." 
 "My goal for this season is to finish the season with a winning record and make a deep playoff run," McDaniel added. "I think we have a great coaching staff that all meshes well together and will help to bring the girls as far as we can to the top."
 In doing so the Warriors will look toward their two senior captains Darien Phillips, who has signed to play for Baton Rouge Community College, and Skylar Chambley for leadership and will look to Kassi Tichy to relieve some of the load on Brianna Hargrove at pitcher. 
 The Warriors were doing well starting the season with a 3-0 record. "Our girls were on fire hitting bombs and everything," McDaniel said. The team cooled off since then losing the next three games including the first two district games against Rosepine and Bunkie. 
 Oakdale got a run in the top of the first as Cheyenne Fruge reached base on an error and came around to score. Brianna Hargrove walked the lead off batter in the bottom of the inning. The run then scored on the first of two Oakdale errors in the inning. Bunkie plated another run to take the 2-1 lead.
 Lauren Holmes singled with one out in the top of the second inning. She then stole second base and advanced to third on a wild throw before scoring the tying run as the pitch got away from the Bunkie catcher. With one out in the top of the third, Phillips tripled and scored on Hargrove's double as Oakdale took the lead. Hargrove in the bottom of the inning gave up a run as Bunkie tied the game at three. 
 The game remained tied until the bottom of the fifth. Diamony Thompson singled with two out, and Madeline Ducote then hit a ball that rolled to the wall for a two-run inside-the-park home run. Each team was then retired in order in the sixth inning. 
 In the top of the seventh, Alana Guillory and Holmes were retired for the first two outs of the
inning. McKenzi Richmond then singled and stole second base, but Marley Gilley struck out to end the game.

Oakdale baseball begins the season 0-3

Oakdale baseball begins the season 0-3         
 Oakdale baseball began the 2017 season with an 0-3 record after losing 11-7 to Oberlin, losing 5-1 to St. Edmund's, and losing 10-3 to Grand Lake as the Warriors competed in the Kinder Tournament.
 "I think we hit the ball pretty good, we're just missing some key components before we get the basketball (players) back," admitted head coach Brent McKoy after the loss to Grand Lake. "We need those (players) back. We had our whole middle infield gone this weekend. I mean that matters a lot. We're glad to get them back though. We hadn't practiced yet with the full team, so once we do that I'll think we'll be alright." 
 Fresman starting pitcher Josh McDaniel pitched into and out of trouble in the first inning as Grand Lake loaded the bases with two outs. Gavin Johnson fielded the ball at second base and threw to Bobby Odom at first to retire the side. In the bottom of the inning, Terrance Holmes singled with one out off of the Grand Lake left handed starting pitcher and scored on a Nick Doyle double two batters later.
 Gabe Rodriguez drew a four pitch walk to lead off the bottom of the second inning and then advanced to third base on consecutive errant pitches. After a strike out of Josh McDaniel, Taylor LaCombe hit a double down the left field line scoring Rodriguez. Grand Lake struck out the side in the inning, but the damage was done as Oakdale led 2-0. 
 Grand Lake tied the game in the top of the third. McDaniel allowed a lead off walk, an RBI double, and a bunt that went for  two-bases before the first out was recorded in the inning. The first out was a fielder's choice allowing the second run to cross the plate. 
 McDaniel was chased in the top of the fifth inning as he allowed two more runs to score. He went four and two-third innings striking out three and allowing one walk. Holmes relieved McDaniel with two-out in the inning and retired the side on a strike out on only three pitches.
 Following a lead off walk and a stolen base in the top of the sixth, three Oakdale errors produced five Grand Lake runs. Compounding the problem were two hit batsmen, and the inning mercifully came to an end on a fly out to Rodriguez at short stop.
 Grand Lake added its tenth run in the top of the seventh off of new Oakdale pitcher Gabe Rodriguez. In the bottom of the inning, Lacombe led off with a hit by pitch. Garrett Kingman, who entered the game in the fourth, struck out. Lacombe stole second and third and scored as Gavin Johnson flew out to left field. Holmes was retired as the third baseman threw to first to record the final out in the ballgame.
 Oakdale's first scheduled game against Glenmora was cancelled and will be made up at a later date.

Oakdale falls in the playoffs at North Caddo

Oakdale falls in the playoffs at North Caddo
 The Oakdale Warriors earned a berth as the 27 seed in the 2017 LHSAA Boys' Basketball Playoffs, but their prize was a trip to Vivian Friday night for a first round tilt with sixth seeded North Caddo with a home record of 11-5-1. The end result was an 82-31 loss as the Warriors' season came to an end.
 The Rebels of North Caddo finished the regular season with a 23-10-1 record including a 9-1 mark in District 1-2A. Their only district loss came on January 20 as they lost 72-62 to Lakeview in Campti. They then rattled off six consecutive wins to finish the season. 
 "They were bigger, faster, and stronger than us at every position, and the atmosphere was high energy," said head coach Dustin Howard. "It was a good basketball environment if you are the home team."
 "We just aren't ready to compete on that level just yet, but we are a very young team with a lot of potential," Howard added. "And we have some guys that really want to work and do what it takes to win. It was a rough night, but I'm excited about the future."
 Raymond Guillory had 10 points on the night to lead the Warriors. Malcolm Pugh scored eight points, and Maliak Hayward added six. Guillory finished the season with 26.3 points per game and also led the team with 6.1 rebounds per game and 0.3 blocks per game. Leading the team in assists and steals was Pugh with 0.2 assists per game and 2.1 steals per game. 
 North Caddo is matched up against twenty-second seeded Pickering in the second round after the Red Devils took care of Kinder 71-62 in Elton. In other first round action involving 3-2A teams, top seed Madison Prep easily took care of Rosepine 134-32, fifth seed Rapides won 73-62 over Bunkie, and fourth seed Many won 59-45 against General Trass . 
 Fairview earned the 18 seed in Class B and lost 52-45 at number 15 Castor, who is matched up with second seed Hathaway in the second round. In Class C Elizabeth garnered a first round bye with the number six seed and meets Phoenix at home in the second round.