The Natchitoches City Council opted for caution during its Monday night session, tabling the proposed 2026-27 fiscal year budget to allow for increased transparency and further study. The meeting also addressed a significant shift in property tax millages and critical infrastructure concerns regarding new fiber optic installations.

Councilwoman Betty Smith Kirkendall moved to table the adoption of the city budget for the fiscal year beginning June 1, 2026. The proposed budget includes approximately $23 million for the General Fund, $44.4 million for the Proprietary Fund, and $4.9 million for Special Capital Projects.

While Mayor Ronnie Williams, Jr. praised the finance team for their “fiscal restraint” and a budget that “reflects moving Natchitoches forward,” council members expressed a desire to move away from the traditional practice of holding the public hearing and the vote on the same night.

“I’ve never liked that we have the budget hearing the same night we approve the budget,” Councilman Eddie Harrington said. “It never allows room to adjust if a pertinent question comes up.”

The discussion turned toward public accessibility, with Councilman Harrington and resident Michael Stewart calling for the full, multi-hundred-page budget document to be posted online in draft form. Finance Director Clarissa Brown Smith noted that while the budget is always available for inspection at City Hall, posting a draft online could prevent confusion during the amendment process. Mayor Williams agreed to look into digital transparency measures for the final review period.

The Council introduced two ordinances regarding property tax millages that will be voted on at the May 11 meeting. The first maintains current rates, while the second proposes to “roll forward” millages to their maximum authorized rates.

If approved, the roll-forward would generate an estimated $170,808 in additional annual revenue. Officials emphasized that the majority of these funds are legally dedicated to public safety.

“The Fire Department depends on this money,” Chief John Wynn told the Council. “For two years we have not rolled it forward, and it hits our budget hard. The cost of fire trucks and hoses goes up every year.”

To break it down for taxpayers, estimating that for a property with a $100,000 assessed value (after homestead exemptions), the increase would amount to approximately $65 per year for public safety and $46 for general alimony.

A major point of discussion involved the introduction of a franchise agreement for Swift Fiber to operate within city limits. While the city welcomes expanded broadband—funded in part by federal infrastructure grants for schools—officials expressed deep concern regarding Swift Fiber’s reputation for damaging underground utilities.

“Swift has a very bad reputation of coming into town, running and gunning, and destroying everything in their path,” Councilman Chris Petite stated. He noted that a previous project near I-49 resulted in a ruptured 12-inch water main that left the entire corridor without water.

To mitigate this, the Council is steering the company toward a “Joint Use of Poles” agreement. By attaching fiber lines to existing utility poles rather than boring underground near critical water mains on University, Jefferson, and South Drive, the city hopes to protect its infrastructure while collecting franchise and pole-attachment fees.

In Other Business:

• Veterans Affairs: The Council approved a $12,819 cooperative agreement with the Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs to continue operating the Natchitoches Parish Veterans Office through June 2027.

• Civil Service Reappointment: Rasul Abdullah was reappointed to the Natchitoches Fire and Police Civil Service Board for a three-year term.

• Building Safety: The month of May 2026 was officially proclaimed Building Safety Month to highlight the importance of high-quality construction codes and the local officials who enforce them.

2026-2027 Proposed Budget Overview:

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District Attorney Billy Joe Harrington today announced his campaign for re-election as District Attorney of Natchitoches Parish in the November 3 election, citing his continued commitment to protecting victims, pursuing justice fairly, and strengthening public safety across the parish.

First elected in 2017 and re-elected in 2020, Harrington brings more than three decades of service to the Natchitoches Parish District Attorney’s Office and nearly a decade of leadership as the parish’s elected District Attorney.

“Serving the people of Natchitoches Parish as District Attorney has been one of the greatest honors of my life,” said Harrington. “Every day, our office works to protect victims, uphold the rule of law, and ensure that justice is pursued fairly, diligently, and responsibly. I am proud of what we have accomplished together, and I am committed to continuing that work for our community.”

Since becoming District Attorney, Harrington and his team have secured convictions and substantial prison sentences in serious criminal cases involving homicides, crimes against children, domestic violence, narcotics trafficking, and other violent felony offenses. Under his leadership, the office has remained firmly focused on accountability, fairness, and the professional administration of justice.

A key priority of Harrington’s tenure has been addressing opioid and narcotics misuse through strong prosecution and intervention when appropriate. Working with the Drug Court, Juvenile Drug Court, and other rehabilitative programs, his office has supported accountability and treatment options for eligible offenders.

As District Attorney, Harrington has placed strong emphasis on community outreach and prevention. His public awareness efforts have focused on impaired driving, distracted driving, domestic violence, and partnerships with the Natchitoches Parish School Board to reduce truancy.

At the state level, District Attorney Harrington has served as a recognized leader in criminal justice policy and victims’ rights advocacy. In August 2023, he was elected by his fellow district attorneys to serve as president of the Louisiana District Attorneys Association and has remained active in legislative efforts involving victims’ rights, juvenile justice reform, and public safety.

In 2023, as president of the LDAA, Harrington led the effort to oppose the unprecedented attempt under the previous administration to grant clemency hearings to death row inmates in capital murder cases. He stood with the families of victims in death row murder cases from across Louisiana, including Natchitoches Parish, to ensure that the law was fairly upheld and that those hearings did not move forward.

“Our mission has always been clear: stand with victims, protect our citizens, and pursue justice under the law,” Harrington said. “That mission remains as important today as ever, and I respectfully ask the citizens of Natchitoches Parish for their continued faith and trust in my service to this community.”

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The City of Natchitoches has announced a temporary road closure on Grace Avenue beginning Monday, April 27, due to ongoing drainage repairs.

The closure will take place at 1441 Grace Avenue, with work scheduled to begin each day at 8 a.m. and continue through Friday. The roadway is expected to reopen once repairs are completed.

Officials said the project will address separations within the drainage pipe system along the roadway.

The city is asking for public patience and cooperation during the construction. The work is being carried out by Wilson Construction.

For more information, contact the Public Works Department at (318) 357-3876.

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Cleco Group LLC, a Pineville-based electric utility serving nearly 300,000 customers across Louisiana, is set to be acquired by infrastructure investment firm Stonepeak and Bernhard Capital Partners under a newly announced agreement.

The transaction will transfer ownership from a consortium that includes Macquarie Asset Management, British Columbia Investment Management Corporation and Manulife Investment Management. Upon completion, Stonepeak will hold the majority interest in the company.

Cleco, which employs approximately 1,200 workers, will remain headquartered in Pineville and continue operating as a regulated utility under the Louisiana Public Service Commission. Company officials said there are no planned changes to staffing levels, compensation or benefits, and operations will continue across its existing 24-parish service area.

The company will maintain its focus on reliability and infrastructure improvements, supported by new investment partners with access to capital and experience in energy and infrastructure sectors. Over the past decade, Cleco has invested about $3 billion in system upgrades and resiliency projects, including a major grid hardening initiative approved by regulators in 2025.

Officials said the acquisition is expected to strengthen Cleco’s role as a key energy provider and economic driver in Louisiana, while supporting continued modernization and future growth.

The transaction remains subject to regulatory approvals before it can be finalized.

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Natchitoches Regional Medical Center has recognized Alexisa Babers, director of nursing at Louisiana Extended Care, as its latest Guardian Angel honoree.

Babers was nominated for her leadership, compassion and dedication to patient care, with officials noting her impact on both patients and staff. Under her guidance, the nursing team continues to provide care focused on both quality and compassion, fostering an environment centered on trust and teamwork.

The Guardian Angel program recognizes caregivers and healthcare team members who go above and beyond in their roles. Honorees are nominated by patients, families and colleagues, with each recognition including a contribution to the NRMC Foundation in the recipient’s honor.

Hospital officials encouraged community members to submit nominations for caregivers who demonstrate exceptional service.

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Top senior athletes from Lakeview, Natchitoches Central and St. Mary’s High Schools will be recognized at the annual “Best-of-the-Best” awards ceremony on Saturday, May 16, 2026.

The event is scheduled for 10 a.m. in the AT&T-Atmos Energy Room at the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame and Northwest Louisiana History Museum, located at 800 Front Street in Natchitoches.

Hosted by the Natchitoches Leadership Through Athletics Committee, the ceremony honors students participating in Louisiana High School Athletic Association-sanctioned sports as part of their academic and athletic achievements.

The event is free and open to the public. For more information, call (318) 357-2493 or (318) 332-8254.

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FAYETTEVILLE, Arkansas – With its home regular season concluded, the Northwestern State baseball team opens a season-ending, six-game road trip at the home of a familiar face.

The Demons will face No. 16/22 Arkansas in the opener of a two-game, midweek series at 6 p.m. today at Baum-Walker Stadium. The series concludes at 3 p.m. Wednesday. Both games will air on SEC Network Plus with radio coverage on 100.7 FM KZBL in Natchitoches.

Northwestern’s first visit to Fayetteville in seven years will come with a couple of constants. One is a meeting with a nationally-ranked Razorback squad while the other is the man that has skippered Arkansas for nearly a quarter century.

“We want to take advantage of every aspect of the opportunity,” third-year head coach Chris Bertrand said. “It’s another opportunity challenge ourselves against a tremendous baseball team. It’s another opportunity to get some guys some work. It’s another opportunity for us to play in a venue and in an environment where, eventually when we get the program where we need it to be, we have an opportunity to play in those types of baseball games in the NCAA Tournament.

“We want to take advantage of every set of opportunities that is presented before us, and it’s special because it comes against a man in coach (Dave) Van Horn that has ties and a very special connection to Demonland.”

Van Horn, in his 24th season at Arkansas, spent three seasons as the head coach at Northwestern from 1995-97. He led the Demons to a 106-65 mark and a pair of Southland Conference regular-season championships.

He has the Razorbacks (29-16) in the top 25 again this season, marking the first games against ranked teams this season for the Demons (25-18).

The two games will be the second and third of the season for Northwestern against Southeastern Conference opponents. Earlier this year, the Demons fell at LSU 4-2.

“I felt like against LSU, the level of competitiveness that we brought, the level of execution that we brought, the way we stepped up to the moment, put us in a position to where we were one swing away,” Bertrand said. “We were one swing away, one play away, one pitch away from coming away with it. That’s all you can ask of yourself is that you compete in a manner in which you put yourself in position to be successful and you give yourself a chance to win the baseball game, and we did that.

“Hopefully, we can learn from that and replicate that type of not just performance, but we can replicate that type of competitiveness the next two nights.”

The Demons seemingly have some momentum on their side after taking two of three games from Stephen F. Austin in a weekend series in Natchitoches.

Northwestern hit .343 on the weekend and averaged seven runs per game after having scored 12 total runs in its previous six games.

“There’s so much take from the weekend, especially how our offense responded and the way we did a bunch of different things with a bunch of guys,” Bertrand said. “We pitched the baseball really well other than the crooked numbers. We posted zeroes in the error column in darn near every game.”

SLC HONORS DEMON PITCHER AGAIN: For the third time this season, NSU right-hander Dylan Marionneaux has been named the Southland Conference Pitcher of the Week, earning the honor for his performance against Stephen F. Austin on Saturday.

Marionneaux scattered four hits and allowed one run in 8 1-3 innings of the Demons’ 2-1, series-clinching win against the Lumberjacks as he continued his strong run of pitching at Brown-Stroud Field. He struck out eight, marking the third time this season for Marionneaux to fan at least eight opposing hitters.

Following a home run and a walk to back-to-back Stephen F. Austin hitters in the fourth, Marionneaux retired the next 12 before a bunt single snapped that streak.

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BATON ROUGE — Just about every meet, the Northwestern State sprinters break a school record.

That happened again Saturday — and this time, it was a record that had stood for 50 years.

Will Achee, a sophomore from Bossier City, ran a blistering 45.81 in the 400-meter dash, breaking the school record of Andrei Moore that was set April 30, 1976.

That school record was the highlight of NSU’s showing at the LSU Alumni Gold meet at Bernie Moore Track Stadium on Saturday.

“Overall, it was a great day,” head coach Mike Heimerman said. “The weather held out for us, and we had a phenomenal race. Charlie (Bartholomew, 45.82) was right behind Will, so those guys to both break one of the oldest school records on our record board was a phenomenal achievement.

“Both of our 4x4s had a great day. I can’t be prouder of them and the coaches. You know Coach (Adam) Pennington’s got those kids really rolling so it was a great day. I’m very happy.”

The Demons took third (Achee), fourth (Bartholomew) and sixth (Desmond Duncan, in a personal best 46.21) in a deep 400 meter dash field.

The women’s 4×400 relay team of Kahliyah Anderson, Margaret Conteh, Rushana Dwyer and Samari Finney ran an impressive 3:32.23, fastest in the Southland Conference.

The men’s 4×4 ran a  winning 3:04.93.

“It was a great day and I can’t speak highly enough about the relays,” Heimerman said. “That’s around 3:04.00 for the third week in a row for the men’s 4×4 in a very impressive win. They’re undefeated for the outdoor season, which is another big feather in the cap because we’ve been to a lot of big meets.”

In the women’s 400-meter dash, three Lady Demons ran either a personal best or season best, led by Dwyer, who ran a season-best 51.44 to win the event and maintain the lead in the conference.

In the field events, Roy Morris, an All-American as a freshman, finished second in the men’s long jump, recording a jump of 24-7.25.

Next up is a trip to Texas A&M for the Alumni Muster, the last meet before the SLC Championships at Stephen F. Austin, beginning May 14.

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The Natchitoches Police Department has arrested the following individuals over the past week:

Destiny Brown – Disturbing the Peace

Sainequa Brown – Disturbing the Peace

Michael Jones – Animal at Large

Charlie Wolf – Possession of Schedule I, Possession of Schedule II, Possession of Schedule IV and Drug Paraphernalia

Meredith McMillan – Damage to Property

Alphonso Allen – Theft and Introducing Contraband into a Penal Facility

Richard Robertson – Vehicular Negligent Injuring

Michael Remo – Animal at Large

Dennis Walker – Possession of Schedule I

Mikal Singleton – Possession of Schedule III

Joseph Gay – Simple Assault

Patrick Donaway – Possession of Drug Paraphernalia

Andrea Khadka – Possession of Schedule II and Drug Paraphernalia

If you would like to report suspicious activity please contact the Natchitoches Police Department at (318) 352-8101.  Remember all information given shall remain confidential.  

How to report an anonymous tip via Natchitoches Crime Stoppers:  

You can also report a tip anonymously by downloading the P3 Tips app on your smart phone or by calling Natchitoches Crime Stoppers at (318) 238-2388.  All tips remain confidential and the caller can receive a cash reward up to $5,000 for the arrest of an offender.

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Four young ladies will serve as Heralds to the King and Queen of the 58^th annual ball of the Spring Festival Court Presentation by the St. Denis Art League. Serving as the Kings Heralds will be Brinley Cedars and McCall Methvin. The Queen’s Heralds will be Audrey Ratliff and Caroline Terrell.

Brinley Ember Cedars is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Andrew Cedars. She is the granddaughter of Mr. and Mrs. Virgil Marlow Ezernack, Mrs. Winston Dudley Cedars, and the late Mr. Cedars. Brinley enjoys playing softball, art, and cooking. She is on the Principal’s List and is Student of the Year for the 5^th grade where she attends school at the NSU Lab School.  

Roslyn McCall Methvin is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Trenton Daniel Methvin. She is the granddaughter of Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Mead Methvin, Mr. Thomas Jeffrey Jones and the late Mrs. Jones. McCall’s hobbies include Competitive cheer, tennis, and painting. She received the Terrific Kid award and she also was awarded these Virtues: Gratitude, Kindness, and Perseverance. She is a 5^th grader at St. Mary’s School.

Audrey Lorraine Ratliff is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Ratliff. She is the granddaughter of Mr. and Mrs. Gregory David Friedman and Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Ratliff. Audrey’s hobbies include running club, horseback riding, swimming and singing. She was chosen as a Terrific Kid, is on the A Honor Roll, and a 4-year member of NFA. She is a 4^th grader at NSU Lab School. Her mother, the former Erin Friedman, served as a Herald in 2005, an Usher in 2013, and was presented as a Lady in 2015.

Caroline Grace Terrell is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Richard Dane Terrell, Jr. She is the granddaughter of Mr. and Mrs. Rodney Lynn Arthur, and Mr. and Mrs. Richard Dane Terrell, Sr. Caroline’s hobbies include competitive cheer, softball, and swimming. She is on the Principal’s List, received the Fearless award, and Coach’s award. She attends NSU Lab School. Her mother, the former Kayla Arthur, was presented as a Lady in 2000. Her sister, Sydney, served as an Usher in 2023 and was presented in 2025.

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By JASON PUGH, NSU Sports Information Director

The numbers Sam Goodwin compiled walking the sidelines as Northwestern State’s football coach speak for themselves.

The 102 wins, the four conference championships, the 22 All-Americans and 38 NFL players produced in 17 seasons he coached are impressive, but they fail to encapsulate what Goodwin meant to the legion of Demon players who flourished on and off the field under his tutelage. He was celebrated in a stirring 90-minute memorial service Saturday morning at NSU’s Turpin Stadium, with an array of speakers sharing memories – some poignant, some powerful, some hilarious, but all compelling.

Former players, coaches, staff and colleagues along with hundreds of supporters and friends, and the 2026 NSU football team, attended the event.

“Coach was just a great human being, a great person,” said wide receiver Pat Palmer, a 2016 N-Club Hall of Fame inductee and a member of the Top 100 Demon Players of All-Time. “He loved his players. He proved that year after year. I gave coach a few problems during my time, but he loved me regardless. He was always there for me no matter what the situation. He influenced a lot of boys to be men.”

In 17 seasons as Northwestern’s head coach, Goodwin took the Demons to three Southland Conference championships and a Gulf Star Conference title.

Palmer was a key member of Northwestern’s 1997 SLC title team before playing professionally in the NFL (2000-02) and the CFL. He credited Goodwin’s influence for helping shape him as a player and as a person.

“I was leaving school one weekend, going home and got pulled over,” Palmer said. “I kind of got into a little debacle. Coach Goodwin didn’t have to do this, but coach came to court with me. Even though nothing came of it, it was the idea he showed up. He didn’t have to do that. He could have said, ‘I’m done with this player.’ He literally showed up.

“He would show up for you, no matter what it was. It wasn’t just about football. He was genuinely a good man.”

Goodwin’s impact was not limited to just his players or how it affected them in their playing career.

Former Northwestern head coach Brad Laird both played and coached for Goodwin as part of his Demon journey. Long before he set the school’s since-broken all-time passing yardage mark, Laird was a down-the-depth-chart option who was forced into his first start as a freshman at then-Southwest Texas State.

After an inauspicious beginning – Laird threw three interceptions in the first quarter – the quarterback learned what kind of man his head coach was.

“This is a memory I won’t forget,” said Laird, now the head coach at Natchitoches Central High School. “We’re sitting on the bus waiting for the long ride home. The last one to walk from the locker room to the bus was coach Goodwin. I vividly remember him walking to the bus and when he got on the bus it was like he had more confidence in me then he did prior to the game. That’s how I felt. That’s how he made people feel. That’s why he had the success he did. He turned those situations into opportunities to be successful. Him sticking with me is probably why I am where I am today.”

Laird, whose Demon playing career covered the 1991 through 1995 seasons, is the son of a football coach, but it wasn’t clear he would follow his father’s footsteps into the family business.

Goodwin helped see that the Laird coaching tree grew another branch.

“There are a few coaches that, outside of my mom and dad, had a big impact on my career, and Sam Goodwin is on top of that list,” said Laird, who served as a graduate assistant under Goodwin in 1996. “At that time, I didn’t know it, but looking back, he definitely saw something in me, not just as a player but also as a coach before anybody else did. That belief in me really changed the trajectory of my career. My first year playing football at Northwestern, I wasn’t going toward being a coach. I was going in a different direction. As I watched the way he impacted us, that was the biggest influence on where I am today.”

Goodwin’s final season at the helm of Northwestern was in 1999 – one year after taking the Demons to the FCS semifinals and a school-record-tying 11-win season.

Nearly three decades later, he could still be found around the Donald G. Kelly Athletic Complex, lending an open ear or an encouraging word for current Demon head coach Blaine McCorkle.

Much like Laird, McCorkle is the son of a football coach, having grown up around the game.

Upon Goodwin’s passing, McCorkle posted a moving tribute on social media focused on the encouragement Goodwin gave to the man who now occupies his former office, coaching until the very end.

“The origin of the word coach is a Hungarian term for a carriage that takes you somewhere you can’t go by yourself,” McCorkle said. “That’s what we need coaches for. That’s why I needed him. I couldn’t start the first two years without knowing he was in my corner. So, wherever we go in the future, it’s going to be because he helped carry me and our staff there to get us started.

“He is Northwestern State football. He did it as well as anybody here. He is the standard. I get the unique privilege to stand on the shoulders of a giant, and I don’t take that lightly.”

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The N.S.U. Middle Lab School Orchestra competed at Festival Disney in Orlando Florida on April 8-12. Festival Disney is the premiere international music festival where fifty orchestras, bands and choirs performed with hopes of winning one of the coveted Mickey Mouse trophies. The Middle Lab Orchestra consisted of 75 string orchestra members from grades six through eight grades.

They were accompanied by 174 chaperones, siblings, grandparents and Lab School Orchestra Director Katrice LaCour. The group performed at the Ballroom of the Americas at the Disney’s Contemporary Resort and evaluated by three adjudicators. The panel consisted of Dr. Douglas Droste, Director of Orchestral Studies at Baldwin Wallace University Conservatory of Music; Allen Gray, an Instrumental Teaching Artist for Disney Imagination Campus with over 20 years of experience developing workshop curriculum; and Dr. LaToya A. Webb, who serves as Visiting Director of Bands at Ball State University where she leads the wind ensemble and teaches undergraduate and graduate conducting courses.

Three types of awards were presented at the awards ceremony in the Indiana Jones theater. The Festival Disney award is presented to ensembles receiving a Superior (90-100%) or Excellent rating (80-89%). Best in Class is presented to the highest rated ensemble within their division. Festival Disney Gold, Silver and Bronze awards are presented to the three highest superior-rated ensembles. The NSU Middle Lab Orchestra received a festival Disney Superior Award for a score of 95.7%. The Orchestra was then awarded Best in Class for the highest score in its division. Finally, the group was awarded the Gold Mickey Mouse Award for the highest score overall.

The Orchestra received the Golden Mickey on its last two visits completing the “threepeat.”

LaCour would like to invite everyone to Magale Recital Hall to hear this award-winning group on Thursday, May 14 starting at 5:30 pm.

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Story and photos by KEVIN SHANNAHAN

The second annual Demon Brothers’ CrawFest brought music, food and fun Saturday afternoon following the Delaney Bowl and the Sam Goodwin memorial service at Turpin Stadium.

The annual Joe Delaney Bowl has ended spring football practice at Northwestern since 1990, and Saturday morning’s 37th edition featured a quality of play that was a promising portent of things to come. This year’s event was particularly poignant, taking place immediately after the memorial service for Goodwin, the beloved legendary NSU football coach.

The afternoon and evening provided fun for everyone with the Demon Brothers Booster Club’s second annual CrawFest event.

The DBBC is an organization of former NSU football players and family members founded a few years ago to provide financial support and encouragement to the NSU football program. Each spring, the DBBC has fed the team after the Delaney Bowl and earlier this decade hosted a low-key public crawfish boil after the team meal.

In 2025 the organization’s board of directors decided to up their game and added a flavorful twist, the inaugural Demon Brothers CrawFest. As with the inaugural event, many former players from miles around with their families joined Demon fans to support the young men who currently wear the NSU purple and white.

Arranged by former defensive tackle and Delaney teammate Bryan Arceneaux, Louisiana Environmental Transportation’s Let’s Geaux Crawfish Crew served up over 2,000 pounds of mudbugs to a hungry and appreciative crowd of several hundred supporters and visitors. That amounts to over a ton of juicy crustaceans with all the fixings!

For those who couldn’t enjoy crawdads, longtime NSU supporter and former Demon baseball player Layne Miller offered over 100 gallons of his signature homemade jambalaya, long a staple of NSU and community events. Two bands were on hand to entertain the crowd with an eclectic variety of music spanning mid-afternoon into the pleasant night air. The Spirit of Northwestern and NSU Pom Line also performed a rousing set of their gameday standards.

CrawFest also included well-received live and silent auctions. Revenue from the gate receipts combined with auction sales and sponsorships from an array of local and statewide businesses, some owned by former players or alumni, all serve to advance NSU football. Demon Brothers leaders stated that every dime raised will go to supporting the team.

Former Demon, author, two-time Super Bowl champion linebacker, College Football Hall of Famer and college football analyst for ABC, Fox and ESPN, Gary Reasons gave each member of the football team a personally autographed copy of his latest book “Reasons to Believe.”

The man the spring game is named in honor of is Joe Delaney, a former Northwestern athlete. He was an All-American in track and field as well as football, setting school records in both sports. Joe was a second-round NFL Draft choice and played for two seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs where he was named “Rookie of the Year” by United Press International.

For all of his athletic accomplishment, the Haughton native left a legacy of courage and character on and off the field. His life ended in heroic fashion. Before his third pro season was to begin, on June 29, 1983, Joe went with some friends to an event at a water park in Monroe. Three children, trying to cool off, had ventured into a nearby drainage pond and could not get out, and bystanders were calling for help. Despite not being able to swim, Joe Delaney dashed to the scene and nonetheless dove in to try to rescue the children. One survived, but tragically the other two and the man who gave his life to try to rescue them did not. At Joe’s funeral, Vice President George Bush personally delivered the Presidential Citizen’s Medal at the direction of President Ronald Reagan and read Reagan’s remarks during the ceremony in the packed Haughton High School gymnasium. Those words sum up this remarkable man’s legacy well.

“He made the ultimate sacrifice by placing the lives of three children above regard for his own safety. By the supreme example of courage and compassion, this brilliantly gifted young man left a spiritual legacy for his fellow Americans…”

Forever more, all NSU Demons have some big shoes to fill.

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1. Maxey McSwain (2019) – the first recipient, recognized during the unveiling of the Lisa Chesser Borders Permanent Student Art Collection 
2. Caroline Shepherd (2022) – a Louisiana Scholars’ College student who graduated with a 4.0 GPA and pursued digital illustration 
3. Mickayla Love (2023) – honored for her commitment to self-expression and artistic discipline 
4. Skye Marie Dager (2024) – recognized for exceptional production and versatility across multiple mediums 
5. Elizabeth Maynard (2025) – selected for her large-scale paintings and clear artistic vision 

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Natchitoches Regional Medical Center will host its annual sports physicals event for student athletes on Wednesday, May 13.

The event will take place from 5 to 6:30 p.m. at the NRMC Multispecialty Clinic, located at 601 Keyser Ave, and is open to current high school athletes as well as incoming freshmen.

Officials said the physicals will be provided at no cost and no insurance is required. Participants will also have access to food and T-shirts during the event.

The annual initiative is part of NRMC Sports Medicine’s efforts to support student athletes across Natchitoches Parish by helping ensure they are medically cleared and prepared for the upcoming school year.

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Saturday’s annual Joe Delaney Bowl spring football game provided highlights on both sides of the ball and special teams, including from local players, as Northwestern State wrapped up its third spring practice under coach Blaine McCorkle.

“The theme of spring has been competition,” McCorkle said. “That is something we really haven’t had since I’ve been here. We’ve kind of played the best players and that was kind of it. But now, guys are getting older and developing better and we’re bringing in talent to compete with them and that is a good thing.

“Competition makes everybody better. You’re either going to accept the challenge and fight for your job or you’re going to melt away, and a majority of our guys have fought for their jobs, and I am proud of them for that, and I think that will carry over through the summer and preseason.”

Following an emotional memorial service for legendary late Northwestern football coach Sam Goodwin, the Demons took the field with inspired hearts.

“I think today went really good,” McCorkle said. “I was proud of what the players did today, but the whole day today was special for Northwestern State with the memorial service for Coach Goodwin before and baseball and softball are playing and there is a big crowd here today all over campus. That part is exciting for the whole university.

“On the field, I was proud of our guys. They worked hard and competed and tried to get better. Sometimes you have those natural mental lulls because you are coming to the end, but I liked what I saw, and I am proud of them.”

On the field, it did not take long for redshirt sophomore defensive end Geoffrey Ojeh to make his presence felt at the Delaney Bowl, picking off a screen pass on the second play of the game and returning it inside the 20-yard line.

The defense had the better of it early, as a sack by Natchitoches native linebacker Ben Bienvenu forced a three-and-out on the second one and redshirt senior Kamron Norwood had a fumble recovery in the end zone to thwart the third drive.

A senior leader who was named a team captain by teammates votes (he got 69 of 76 cast) once again was linebacker Danny Sears, who was happy with how the defense has progressed through the offseason and into the spring.

“We’ve definitely played well,” Sears said. “We got better as the spring progressed on. From day one, we’ve focused on all the details. We had a lot of missed tackles last season, so our No. 1 goal going into the spring was tackling. That was our main focus, and I think we got a lot better at that throughout the spring. That was evidenced today as well, as we were all over the place tackling. The defense had a good day.”

Abram Johnston, who took home the offensive most improved player award for spring, converted a fourth down on a pass to tight end Luke Carter, and redshirt freshman running back Trevor Allen Jr. had a 30-yard run down to the 1 on the third possession before a fumble stymied the drive.

It was a good sign of things to come for the running game, as they also had a 36-yard run from Myion Hicks and 30-yarder from Zay Davis.

“I think we have a very deep running back room,” Hicks said. “We feed off it. One person may get an explosive and he may come out because he is tired and then another guy finishes the drive. As a running back room, we have a lot of guys who can make plays. The more guys who can create explosives, the easier it is to finish drives.”

The run by Hicks, who was voted an offensive team captain along with graduate student offensive lineman Caleb Billiot, set up a 1-yard plunge from Davis right before halftime.

While Hicks and Billiot were voted the captains on offense, redshirt senior safety Christian Williams and Sears were voted captains on the defensive side of the ball.

“It is truly an honor to be voted as a captain,” Hicks said. “I am not the most vocal guy. I am the guy who is going to try to lead by example and do the right things and hold people accountable. I may not be vocal all the time, so the fact I was able to get that honor still with the type of person I am means a lot.”

In addition to his role as a captain, Williams was named by coaches as one of the most improved players on the team.

Following halftime, the offense started with Davis sprinting down the right sideline for 30 yards to the 40-yard line. Johnston followed with a great throw for a 40-yard score, but it was wiped away due to an illegal man downfield penalty, and the defense went on to stop the offense on fourth down.

The day wrapped up on a 42-yard made field goal by Natchitoches native Payne Williams III, sending the Demons to the summer.

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It was only a matter of time before the Northwestern State softball team got the clutch hit it needed, and it happened at the most dramatic stage of Saturday’s Southland Conference series finale with visiting Nicholls at the Demon Diamond.

Down a run in the bottom of the sixth inning, NSU’s Sister Arnold delivered the go-ahead two-run double that gave the Lady Demons (24-27 overall, 13-14 SLC) the lead in a 5-3 comeback victory against Nicholls (29-21, 17-10) to cap the regular season.

“I think we felt like we’ve had our backs against the wall the past couple weeks not coming through with timely hitting,” head coach Jenny Fuller said. “Today we came out and said let’s play loose and have fun. I think we did that, and that’s what led to the result.”

The Senior Day win secured the No. 6 seed for NSU in the upcoming Southland Conference Tournament, sending the Demons to the Lake Charles bracket, where they will face, for the fourth straight game, the No. 3 seed Colonels Thursday night at 7 in the four-team double-elimination pod.

Nicholls swept Friday’s doubleheader with Northwestern, 6-0 and 15-6. But Saturday’s game was a nailbiter throughout.

The late-game dramatics were necessary after Nicholls scored single runs in each of the first three innings. An unearned run in the first gave the Colonels the lead, which they extended in the second with a two-out RBI single.

NSU’s response against Colonel ace Molly Yoo came in the bottom of the second after a screaming leadoff double from Brynn Daniel down the left-field line. She scored on an opposite-field single from Makynlie Jones. After a pair of fielder’s choice groundouts put runners at the corners, Riley Schwisow baited an errant throw at second, allowing Aly Delafield to score and tie the game at 2-2.

The Colonels moved back ahead after a leadoff double of their own in the third, but from that point forward, Demons’ ace Mattison Buster put the dynamic Nicholls lineup in check, setting up the late-inning heroics.

She tossed four straight scoreless innings, stranding runners in scoring position in each frame.

Northwestern got a spark in the sixth as Jones and Delafield produced base hits to open the frame. A wild pitch put two runners in scoring position, setting up Arnold’s clutch double to right-center on a 3-2 count.

“I just wanted to see a good pitch and hit a good pitch,” Arnold said. “Coach Brad (Fuller) talked to me before the at-bat and just told me to believe that I could hit it, and you will. Yesterday I struck out with the bases loaded and that was not good for our team. So today I just wanted to be better than the day before. That’s what it’s all about, improving from what you did before because that’s all you can control.”

After a frustrating strikeout with runners in scoring position to end the fourth, Smith came through twice for her team in the final frames. A sacrifice fly to center gave the Demons an insurance run in the sixth, and a critical catch in the seventh on a shallow fly ball gave them the second out.

“I told her after that strikeout that you can’t let that affect you,” Fuller said. “That we’re going to need you. You’re going to come up again, and she came through at the plate and made an amazing catch that I don’t know if many centerfielders make.”

The drama was only beginning, however, as the Colonels were able to escape the sixth with only three runs scoring and put the first two batters of the seventh in scoring position with a single and double.

A visit to the circle from Fuller settled Buster and set up three of the biggest outs of the season for the Demons.

“When I go out there I just try to see what she’s thinking and what pitches she’s comfortable throwing,” Fuller said. “Really just trying to give a reset for her and the defense. We work well together, so usually we come up with a game plan, and it worked out for us today.”

Buster picked up her sixth strikeout of the game, matching a season high, for the first out, got a shallow fly to center that Smith tracked down, and induced the final out on a grounder to short.  

The win was the 21st of the season for Buster, tying the school record for a Demon pitcher held by Amie Ford (2004), Crista Miller (2002) and Nancy Percle (1990).

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After the Northwestern State baseball team won by slugging and pitching in the first two games of its home finale weekend series with Stephen F. Austin, big innings trumped consistency Sunday afternoon at Brown-Stroud Field.

Northwestern scored in seven of its nine team at-bats in the third game of the Southland Conference series, but the Lumberjacks produced two big innings and SFA rallied for an 11-8 victory to salvage the final game of the series.

The outcome followed a pair of hard-fought victories, an 11-8 comeback triumph Friday night and 2-1 Saturday on a pitching gem by Dylan Marironneaux and a bottom-of-the-ninth walk-off RBI single by shortstop Sam Ardoin.

Sunday’s contest had its pros and cons for the Demons.

“It was kind of a weird baseball game in the fact that, I thought, we did some really good things offensively,” third-year head coach Chris Bertrand said. “We posted a zero in the error column. We posted six other zeroes on the scoreboard. It’s just death by the crooked number, and in this case, two super crooked numbers.”

Northwestern (25-19, 16-11) opened the game with a flourish, scoring in each of the first seven innings.

Aside from a two-run first inning, the Demons, however, managed only one run each inning from the second through the seventh innings, which was plenty of offensive support early for Trent Hillen.

Making the final home start of his career, Hillen blanked the Lumberjacks (23-22, 12-12) for the first four innings before a leadoff walk to Roderic Black opened the floodgates to a five-run fifth inning.

Once that switch flipped, the Lumberjacks morphed back to the offense that produced 17 hits in an 11-8 Friday-night loss to open the series.

The momentum also flipped back and forth between dugouts after the top of the fifth.

Northwestern used a two-out RBI double from Brooks Leonard to regain the lead, 6-5, in the bottom of the fifth. Following Mark Henning’s two-out RBI single in the top of the sixth, Thomas Marsala III gave the Demons the lead back with a solo home run in the sixth.

“We did have some responses,” Bertrand said. “Even though we allowed the first crooked number, we came back and responded. We took the lead on multiple occasions. They fought. They had responses. Today, we just kind of got baseballed a little bit.”

Stephen F. Austin saved its final crooked number of the series for the eighth inning. The biggest swing came from Jhett Creel, whose two-run home run off Wesley Marien (2-1) tied the game.

Creel’s blast was the lone extra-base hit for the Lumberjacks, who followed the home run with four singles to take an 11-8 lead.

“We have to find ways at times to mitigate the damage, or how can we limit the damage?,” Bertrand said. “Even though you’re prepared for some of that stuff to happen, we have to have a response before it gets to, to, you know, that, that super of a crooked number.”

Reid Bowyer closed the game with two scoreless innings of relief, stranding a runner on third to end the eighth and getting a key double play to erase Michael McAloose’s leadoff single.

The Demons return to action Tuesday when they open a two-game, midweek series at Arkansas. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. at Baum-Walker Stadium in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

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