A couple of firsts were tangible Saturday night in Tiger Stadium.

In the 12th football meeting between Northwestern State and LSU, the Demons scored their first two touchdowns against the Tigers. The first such score – Quan Shorts’ 17-yard catch from Shelton Eppler – gave Northwestern State its first lead against No. 4 LSU at 7-3.

Shorts’ catch and Eppler’s second touchdown pass – a 26-yarder to wide-open tight end David Fitzwater in the second quarter – came in front of the largest announced crowd (100,334) to see a Northwestern State football game in person.

And they came in an environment many outsiders believed would prove a challenge for the Demons to handle.

“I knew the environment wouldn’t be too big for our players,” second-year head coach Brad Laird said. “I told the players in the team meeting (Sunday), I’m probably more encouraged watching the film than I was after the game, because you’re able to see the one-on-one matchups our guys had success with. The preparation they put in showed. They responded from last Saturday to this Saturday in a positive way in terms of the mental focus and mental makeup that happened Sunday through Friday.”

A week after losing to Midwestern State in its 2019 home opener, the Demons delivered a first-half performance that put Northwestern State just 17 yards away from a one-score game at the half.

Northwestern State’s offense was in gear early, outgaining LSU 114-63 in the first quarter, and compiling two 75-yard touchdown drives in its first four possessions.

For the second time this season, Northwestern State played disciplined football on the road, committing just three penalties. In the season opener at UT Martin, the Demons were flagged nine times but mostly for “effort penalties.”

NSU was hit with one false start despite the decidedly pro-LSU, six-figure crowd.

“There’s a routine you get into on the road,” Laird said. “You’re together with each other. As much as we’re together on the road, you’ve got to look at how our guys and how our coaches prepared. That’s the bottom line. We talked about it, having seven penalties at home a week ago where you think you’d be comfortable to playing in front of 100,000 people and having one mental penalty. It goes back to the mental focus and being locked in and how we can be successful when we do that.”

The Demons got another strong performance from quarterback Shelton Eppler, who tossed his 30th and 31st career touchdown passes, moving into third in school history. The defense also set up a potential score late in the first half as Dylan Wilson collected his first career interception, jumping a Joe Burrow throw deep in the LSU end of the field.

Despite all the positives gained, including scoring NSU’s most points against a Power Five conference team since 2007, Laird said his message to his team remains the same as it was seven days ago.

“It’s about Sunday through Friday,” Laird said. “We’ve said that since Day 1. The only thing that changed today is they saw what we’re capable of when we do that. We didn’t finish, and we weren’t consistent in the second half, but you’ve got to give the No. 4 team in the country credit. We played hard and there are mistakes we have to clean up, but we did it with great excitement, great effort and great mental focus.”

Photo Credit: Chris Reich/NSU Photographic Services

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Sharpco Hotels Group concluded their celebration of International Housekeeping Week with an employee appreciation luncheon held at Best Western Natchitoches. Hosted every year, during the second full week of September, International Housekeeping week honors the contributions these professionals make throughout various industries.

“Housekeeping is the foundation of our company, the unsung heros. International Housekeeping Week gives us an opportunity to put a spotlight on their hard work and say thank you.” said Jay Sharplin, Owner of Sharpco Hotels Group.

The company celebrated their employees each day with special gifts and prizes to show their appreciation. Sharpco Hotels Group employees over 50 housekeeping professionals throughout their 5 properties; Best Western, Comfort Suites, Days Inn, Holiday Inn Express and Holiday Inn Downtown Alexandria.

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LSMSA welcomed First Lady Donna Edwards to the campus to get a peek into the progress of the new residence hall construction. Tony Mcdonald, project superintendent for Ratcliff Construction in Alexandria, Executive Director Dr. Steve Horton, LSMSA Board of Directors Chair Sharon Gahagan, LSMSA Chief of Staff John Allen and LSMSA Project Supervisor Chuck Stoker led the delegation through the two acre construction site and answered questions of First Lady Edwards and her staff.

Mcdonald explained to the group how auger piles were being completed, where the pile caps were being placed, how subsurface drainage was being completed, and how forming for Wing B was being installed. He said that Ratcliff plans to pour the slab for Wing B by the end of the month.

For more information on the project and to follow its progress visit www.LSMSA.edu/ResidenceHall.

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Join Natchitoches Regional Medical Center on Thursday, Sept. 26 from 9-11 am for its Fall 2019 Recruitment Fair. There are a wide range of positions available from Clinical to Non-Clinical, Licensed to Non-Licensed. There are even Volunteer opportunities available to anyone who is interested. Senior Level Management, Department Managers, and Staff from ALL Departments will be available to meet and greet.

NRMC is always looking for great candidates to join its TEAM of CHAMPIONS! For more information or if you would like to submit your resume, call or email:

Randee Knapp
NRMC Professional Recruiter
randee.knapp@nrmchospital.org
(318) 214-5819

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The Boys to Men Club received a donation from CityBank and Trust of Natchitoches. Donations made to the club are greatly used to benefit the clubmembers and fund some of the activities that the guys perform.

Pictured from left are Club Director Jermaine Thomas and CityBank employee Kimberly Ball.

The Boys to Men Club expresses thanks to the bank and is grateful for any donation that is received. If you would like to contribute to the club, contact the club’s director, Jermaine Thomas, at 318-238-0066 during school hours.

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In celebration of the 30th anniversary of the release of “Steel Magnolias” this year, the Cammie G. Henry Research Center at Northwestern State University has loaned out some of its materials to the Natchitoches Convention and Visitor’s Bureau. Located at 780 Front Street, Suite 100, the display was curated by Assistant Archivist Sharon Wolff and installed by volunteer student Elliot Davis. Available for viewing for the next few months, fans of the film will also be able to find another small display on the third floor of the Watson Library.

Additional material is kept in the Cammie G. Henry Research Center and is open to the general public. For questions about the display downtown, contact the Bureau at 800-259-1714. 

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Twins Mark and Mike Mangham of Shreveport’s Twin Blends Photography gave an interesting presentation on area history at the Grand Ecore Visitors Center Saturday September 14. The brothers, both lifelong history buffs, gave a presentation of their efforts to document and preserve area history. They spoke of their hunt for relics from the naval component of General Banks’ Red River Expedition of the Civil War.

They are also interested in more recent history, particularly of the Shreveport area. One of their more interesting techniques is to blend older photographs of an area with what the same place looks like now. The viewer can then more easily relate to the older photograph and the changes through the years. The examples shown in the presentation were the result of their looking through literally thousands of old photographs in the LSUS archives, many of which are negatives rather than prints, to find the ones of the area or building they needed. After seeing their presentation, a trip through downtown Shreveport will have you seeing things as they were in earlier days.

Twin Blend Photography’s presentation was part of the Cane River National Heritage Area’s “Lunch and Learn” program which presents interesting talks on different historical events in the local area. Past presentations have included Natchitoches in WWI, the Neutral Strip and no man’s land that was just to our west and the great logjam of the Red River.

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A new book co-edited by Dr. Richard St. Peter, assistant professor of theatre at Northwestern State University, will be released next week. The book, “Teacher Representations in Dramatic Text and Performance,” was co-edited by Dr. Melanie Shoffner and is published by Routledge.

Shoffner is a professor of education at James Madison University. St. Peter is in his second year on the Northwestern State faculty.

The book examines representations of the teacher on stage – in both theatrical performances and dramatic text – in order to demonstrate how these representations have shaped society’s perceptions of educators in and out of the classroom and should be of interest to graduate and postgraduate students, academics and researchers in the fields of teacher education, drama and theatre education.

At the heart of this book, according to St. Peter, is the interaction between theatre and teacher education.

“By considering how dramatic portrayals reimagine, reinforce and/or undermine our understanding of the teacher’s personal and professional roles, this volume bridges the gap between truth in dramatic literature and truth in the classroom,” he said.

Chapters critically explore the personas embodied by fictional teachers in well-known works such as “Educating Rita,” “School of Rock” and “The History Boys” and illustrate how educators might use dramatic literature and performance to interrogate entrenched ideas about the student-teacher dynamic. By bringing together a diverse set of contributors from the fields of teacher education and theatre, this book takes a critical look at performance, text, society and culture to promote a new understanding of teaching and learning.

The book is available at CLICK HERE

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BOM is continuing its sponsorship of the Natchitoches – Northwestern Symphony Society’s 2019-2020 Concert Season. Pictured from left are Aaron Horton, Diane Temple (NNSO Secretary), Pat Thomas (NNSO President), and Tiffany Woods.

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Farm Bureau recognized Andrew Godfrey, #9 at St. Maru’s Catholic High School as the Player of the Week. Godfrey is a junior Quarter Back. He had 2 Touch Downs, 4 for 8 with 62 yards passing, along with 10 rushes for 64 yards!

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By Kevin Shannahan

Kevin’s Gallery

The Lakeview Gators are no longer the perennial doormats of the parish football scene. This season is shaping up to be the breakout one for the team under second year coach Brandon Helms. From their scrimmage to their upset victory against longtime rival St. Mary’s and 60+ point shellacking of Ringgold, the Gators are on a roll the likes of which hasn’t been seen at the school in many a football season. Week 2’s game against Rapides parish’s Northwood-Lena Friday, September 13 was to prove the Gator’s newfound prowess on the gridiron to be no fluke. A relentless Lakeview team delivered a decisive 64-14 victory over the Northwood-Lena squad. Fifty of those points were scored before halftime. You read that right. The score was 50 to zero at the half. The Lakeview Gators are now the only high school team in the parish to have emerged victorious in every game this season from their scrimmage through this week’s contests.

The Lakeview school community has a lot to celebrate off the field as well. A happy group of former Gator athletes, elected officials and candidates for office joined Principal William Hymes in a ribbon cutting on the 50 yard line for the school’s new track and field complex. The school’s old cinder track has been replaced with a new state of the art surface. The football field also received numerous upgrades. Gator baseball and softball fans will be able to watch the games in brand new baseball and softball fields. Not all of the campus investments are in athletics however. Lakeview will shortly debut its new Culinary Arts Center. The state of the art facility will enable interested students to leave high school with a nationally recognized industry certification as well as their diploma.

In other Friday night gridiron action, Coach Byron Keller’s NCHS Chiefs defeated powerhouse Many High 21 to 12 and the St. Mary’s squad gave up a hard fought contest against Cedar Creek 33 to 7.

The Natchitoches Parish Journal wishes all of our parish’s teams a safe and successful season!

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NATCHITOCHES PARISH:

Robert W. Neuman
September 14, 1930 – September 09, 2019Service: Saturday, October 5 from 4-6 pm at Blanchard-St. Denis Funeral Home. Reception: Saturday, October from 6-9 pm at 202 Bird Avenue

The Natchitoches Police Department is investigating a homicide that took place Sunday afternoon on Pearl Street.

On September 15, 2019 around 4:00 p.m., officers with the Natchitoches Police Department responded to the 300 block of Pearl Street in reference to someone being shot in the area. Upon officers arrival they located Daniel James Beaudion (B/M, 33 y.o.a. of Natchitoches) suffering from a gunshot wound.

The Natchitoches Police Department will release more details as they become available.

If you would like to report suspicious activity or an emergency please contact the Natchitoches Police Department at (318) 352-8101 or if you have additional information in regards to this investigation please contact Detective John Wynn at (318) 357-3811. Remember all information given shall remain confidential.

Anonymous Tips by Smartphone:

You may also provide tips that will be anonymous via our Tipsoft Product. Simply send the tip by using your smartphones (download the free application) or by texting (Text-A-Tip) to CRIMES (274637). Use NPDTIPS before typing your message. 

Officer John Greely
Natchitoches Police Department
Release Date: September 15, 2019

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Live coverage of today’s NUS vs LSU game from Baton Rouge, Louisiana starts at 6pm.  The pre-game show start at 5:30pm.   Listen LIVE on:

94.9/94.3 The River on the Radio

LISTEN LIVE HERE on line.

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Natchitoches Central High School
Natchitoches Central 21
Many 12

St. Mary’s Catholic School
St Mary’s  7
Cedar Creek  33

Lakeview High School
Lakeview  64
Northwood  14

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The Natchitoches City Council voted to uphold the Planning and Zoning Commission’s decision to deny the application by Rhodes Properties and Development regarding the St. Maurice Subdivision.

Council member Laurence Batiste couldn’t attend the meeting, but asked fellow Council member Eddie Harrington to let everyone know he is opposed to the project. The vote was 3:1 with Sylvia Morrow voting in favor of the Rhodes’ appeal.

Friday morning’s special called meeting, Sept. 13 was held so the Council could review the decision made by Planning and Zoning at its Aug. 6 meeting.

There was a large turnout of people speaking for and against the project. The main things that were talked about were flooding, traffic and property values.

For the Council members it all boiled down to the character of the development. The Rhodes’ were proposing approximately 8,000 sq. ft. lots for 28 homes to fit into the 7 acre tract of empty land near the St. Maurice Lane and Williams Avenue intersection. Other lots in the surrounding areas range from 16,000-22,000 sq. ft. So, while the lot sizes proposed by the Rhodes are above the minimum size required by the City, they do not fit the character of the surrounding neighborhoods. The Council suggested making lots larger and building fewer homes on the property.

Another issue for the Council was the proposed private drive which would provide access to the subdivision. With the private drive being the only way in or out of the subdivision, council members suggested a public street connected to Oma Street may be a better way to develop the area.

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Louisiana governor John Bel Edwards was the guest of honor at a reception held at the Ben D. Johnson Educational Center Thursday, September 12. Political officials, candidates and citizens from Natchitoches and surrounding parishes filled the auditorium to hear from Governor Edwards, the mayor of New Orleans and the various candidates.

Students from Northwestern State University’s CAPA did a superb rendition of the National Anthem as the NCHS JROTC Color Guard brought the US and Louisiana flag to the stage. After the benediction, emcee, John E. Winston Sr., introduced NSU President Dr. Chris Maggio who briefly addressed the crowd.

Retiring Natchitoches Parish Sheriff Victor Jones was honored with presentations by both Governor Edwards and Representative Kenny Cox commending him for his long years of service to the people of Natchitoches parish. Representative Cox then introduced the governor who gave an enthusiastically received speech about our state and his first term in office. He then introduced New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell who addressed the crowd asking them to help pass a constitutional measure for affordable housing.

The evening ended with candidates for State Senate, Representative and Parish President all making speeches as to why they should be the one worthy of your vote. The men and women of The Legacy Cafe did a terrifically tasty job catering the event.

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Louisiana First Lady Donna Edwards visited with a large group of Natchitoches women Thursday to share information about programs supported through the Louisiana First Foundation, her platform that focuses on children and families. Initiatives include Teach MAM (Music, Art and Movement), advocating against human trafficking and providing greater resources to the state’s foster children and parents. Teach MAM encourages schools to incorporate music, arts and physical courses in the daily curriculum. Louisiana Fosters seeks to expand the network of community and faith-based supports for foster parents and Metanoia is a safe haven in Louisiana for victims of sex trafficking. To learn more about Edwards, the causes she supports and how individuals can become involved visit louisianafirstfoundation.com.

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