By LORI LYONS, Journal Sports
Lawrence Seawood Jr. waited a long time for last Friday night’s football contest between the Lakeview High Gators and Booker T. Washington of Shreveport.
Seawood, a former Northwestern State Demon, spent 13 seasons as an assistant coach for the Gators, biding his time and waiting his turn. It finally came in August after he was chosen to take over the program that has struggled in recent years to put together a winning season.
It was a dream come true for Seawood.
“I don’t know if I was the favorite, but I got it,” Seawood said. “You hear about happy tears. My dad raised me to never cry, but I couldn’t hold it in this time.”
And Friday night Seawood finally got what he had been waiting for — to experience a Friday night Gators game as the head coach.
“Right after the National Anthem is when it really hit me that this is my time,” said Seawood. “It was surreal. It was a different role being the guy in charge.”
Then the game started. And it was not the kind of night Seawood had envisioned all these years. Class 4A Booker T. Washington scored early and scored often as it routed Class 1A Lakeview 52-0.
“It was a rough welcome,” Seawood said. “They’re a 4A school, we’re a 1A school. It was like a small college team going against a Division I team. We were the underdog. Now I never told them that going in because every game you want them to go in expecting to win. But after the game I expressed to them that I was proud of them for not quitting and playing hard the whole game. They still showed up and competed. That’s our goal this year – to compete.”
Seawood said he was encouraged by watching the film of the game.
“There were a lot of little small mistakes,” he said. “There were a couple of opportunities we had to turn the game around that we just didn’t take advantage of. We came away seeing guys that were fighting to the end. Regardless of the score, we want them to still play hard. In the second half we were better defensively and we moved the ball better. We didn’t quit.”
The Gators play at home Friday night against Delhi Charter.
VIEW FROM THE SIDELINE: Journal photographer Kevin Shannahan was in Shreveport last Friday night and worked the second half of Lakeview’s game at Booker T. Washington. He provided these comments: “Superb sportsmanship exhibited by BTW. NO taunting/trash talking by players or fans. Lakeview was commended for effort and sportsmanship by BTW announcer. Announcer congratulated Coach Seawood and (new principal) Stepp. Just a really classy bunch. Lakeview was also well disciplined. A lopsided game can lead to tempers flaring and fights. Did not happen. Proud to have been there watching the Gators, and the Lions of BTW.)