Natchitoches 4-Ball event at Northwestern Hills has successful debut

The Natchitoches Golf Association, headquartered at Northwestern Hills Golf Course on the La. 1 bypass, hosted 96 players in its inaugural Natchitoches 4-Ball tournament last weekend.

The rainy weather Sunday afternoon forced an early end to competition in five nine-hole rounds in each of the six-team flights. The final round was shortened to five holes. The weather also washed out the end-of-tournament par-3 shootout to identify the overall team champion, but winners and runner-ups in all eight flights were identified with prize money awarded ($1,200 to the first place teams, $700 to the second-place finishers).

2026 Natchitoches 4-Ball winners

1st Flight – 1. Logan Carter, Matt McElveen; 2. Joe Rogers, Reagan Cunningham

2nd Flight – 1. Johnny Cox, Keith Patterson; 2. Monte McCoy, Brian Burford

3rd Flight – 1. Mark Lipa, Roger Cunningham; 2. Stephen Mayeux, Tate Nelson

4th Flight – 1. Jack Brame, James Brewster; 2. Brent Walker, Jeff Churchwell

5th Flight – 1. Peter Kautz, Steven Kautz; 2. Cade Chasteen, Logan Chadwick

6th Flight – 1. Jacob Mount, Will Anderson; 2. Richard Gill, Malcom Michael

7th Flight – 1. Jay Bankston, Scott Maxfield; 2. David Chesal, Kamal Deep

8th Flight – 1. Dustin Cross,  Alan Pasch; 2. Logan Sepulvado, Josh Haigh

The NGA is grateful to all who participated, to the hard-working crew at the Demon Hills Golf Course and Wilson Recreation Complex, and to a group of sponsors who made the event a great success.

The top sponsor was Natchitoches Wood Preserve.

Others included Mariner’s, Move Sport and Spine, and the NSU Foundation.

More sponsors were BOM, Foy Motors, Alliance Compressors, Family Farm and Garden, Stine, Pelican Broadband, and Glazer’s.

Additional sponsor support came from T.C.B.T., NRMC, Exchange Bank, Edward Jones, Sabine State Bank, Tyler Insurance, Prism, M&M Pharmacy, Magnolia Spa, Louisiana Golf Club, Bayou Crawfish, Pit Stop Beverage, Weyerhaeuser, Buck Carter Construction, Interstate Building Materials, and Walsh Timber Company.

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By JOHN MARCASE, Written for the LSWA

Thirty years after hitting the biggest home run in college baseball history, Warren Morris is still amazed at the impact.

“I had no clue that it was gonna be something where strangers would come up to me all the time and tell me, I remember where I was, I was doing this, or, you know, I was at this wedding,” said Morris. “It’s kind of like a moment in time; people remember where they were.”

The moment: Championship game of the 1996 College World Series. LSU trailed Miami, 8-7, with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning and the tying run on second base. Morris, batting last in the LSU lineup due to a hand injury and subsequent surgery, had not hit a home run that season. Until then. Morris attacked the first pitch from Miami closer Robbie Morrison. The line drive just sailed over the right field wall. 

Morris’ life changed with that one swing. But, as anyone who has known Warren Morris before he stepped into the left-handed batter’s box at Rosenblatt Stadium for the final time on June 8, 1996, will attest, that one swing did not change him.

“Warren Morris was a great kid before he hit that home run,” said Steve Boniol, Morris’ first baseball coach, “and Warren Morris would’ve been the same had he struck out. He has not changed.”

That is one of the reasons Morris is being recognized as the third recipient of the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame’s Louisiana Sports Ambassador Award, established in 2020. The award honors long-term exemplary contributions to the perception of Louisiana by an individual who has ties to the state’s sports landscape.

He won’t bat flip but he will be roundly cheered Saturday, June 27 when he is part of a 12-member Class of 2026 inducted in the Hall. The ceremony at the Natchitoches Events Center culminates three festive days with seven events, including a June 26 bowling party in his hometown of Alexandria. For 2026 induction participation info, visit LaSportsHall.com or call 318-238-4255.

Morris’ former offseason workout partner called to congratulate him upon hearing the news. 

“I told him that in a way, that’s even better than what I got, because they put me in on what I did on the field,” said Russ Springer, who was inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in 2018 after 18 years in the majors following a stellar career at LSU, “but they thought he was a good enough person and all the things he did outside of the field that you deserve this award.” 

“When he said it, I was like well that’s pretty cool coming from him, and it is a cool way to look at it,” said Morris.

How Morris ended up as a member of the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame would be a storybook tale, only if he hadn’t already been subject to an SEC Network documentary, “The Walk Off.” 

To adequately comprehend how Morris got to this point in his life would need a series, not just a one-off, one-hour production. 

“If you would have told the 9-, 10-year-old me, go ahead and just dream big,” said Morris, “I would have sold myself way short. All of this is just way beyond anything that I thought I was even capable of doing.”

The 9-year-old Morris would’ve told you he was gonna be a basketball player. After all, that was his favorite sport, and his dad, Bill, was the high school coach at Bolton High School in Alexandria. That was when fate intervened for the first time.

Steve Boniol’s son, Scott, and Warren were best friends. Scott’s Dixie Youth Baseball team, coached by Steve, needed an extra player. Steve had to talk Bill and Barbara Morris into letting Warren play baseball. Steve and Scott Boniol took Warren to his first practice, but first, they had to stop at Steve’s store, Cenla Sports, to get Warren a glove.

“The first practice, I threw batting practice and he would miss every time,” said Boniol. “I told my assistant, Billy Moore, to teach Warren how to bunt. Warren had a work ethic, and he wasn’t going to settle for not being able to hit. By the end of the season, Warren led the team in hits.”

The valedictorian of his graduating class, and an All-State infielder, Morris wound up accepting a walk-on invitation to join the LSU baseball program, and then promptly redshirted his freshman year as three-time All-American and all-time LSU great Todd Walker was firmly entrenched at second base. Yet, that year he sat out proved pivotal thanks to longtime Skip Bertman assistant Smoke Laval.

“I don’t think it’s by accident that was the only year that Smoke Laval was there,” said Morris. “Smoke would notice little things, and I don’t know if he sensed that I wasn’t so sure of myself, but I guarantee you that at least once a week, he would just come by and talk to me. And, he would always tell me, because Todd Walker was playing ahead of me, that one day, that’s gonna be you. You’re gonna play here. You’re good enough. 

“I started believing it. You never know how someone in your life makes a big difference.”

The following season, Morris started 63 of 66 games as an outfielder. Then, he succeeded Walker as the starting second baseman and earned second-team All-American honors. Heading into his fourth year of college and third as an every-day player, Morris was a preseason All-American and likely member of the 1996 U.S. Olympic team. 

Then, fate intervened again. 

His right hand felt uncomfortable during the fall of 1995, and it never improved as the 1996 season began. Eventually it was discovered Morris had fractured the hamate bone and would need surgery. It forced him to miss 39 games, and it caused many frustrating moments. Yet, it may have been the best thing that ever happened to him.

“I mean, obviously, at the time, I wasn’t enjoying it, but looking back, it kind of goes back to God’s got a plan,” said Morris. “You don’t understand it, but it turned out better in two ways.”

The first was Morris surrendered to God’s will. If he could return to baseball he would. If his career was finished, he was content to graduate and move on with his life’s calling. 

“I still go back to being alone in my apartment, closed the door, just got on my knees, and I prayed,” he said. “I said, God, I can’t do it anymore. I don’t know what you want me to be. I’m not worrying about it anymore because I don’t have any answers … but if you want me to keep playing, then I’ll do that and give you all the glory, but I’m not worrying about it anymore.”

The second part paid dividends on the field. The injury and post-surgery recovery changed Morris’ swing. He went from a player who threw right-handed and was a contact left-handed hitter, to a hitter who could really start driving the ball when he made contact.

“When everybody else was practicing, I would go in the cage with my one good hand, which is my non-dominant hand, and I hit so many balls, like I’d never focused on just my left hand,” he said. “Whenever I had the surgery, I came back and I’m really driving the ball with my top hand and I’m hitting it better than I ever did before.”

Morris returned to the LSU starting lineup on May 16, hitting ninth. 

Had he never been injured, he would not have been in position to hit his walk-off homer in Omaha. As it turned out, LSU won all 22 games he started that season.

Had he never been injured, Morris likely would not have been the best player on the 1996 U.S. Olympic baseball team that won bronze. He led the team in average (.409) to go with five homers, 11 RBI and 10 runs scored in nine games. 

Had he never been injured, Morris admits, he may never have made the major leagues, finishing third in NL Rookie of the Year voting in 1999 when he hit 15 home runs. 

“The Olympics were right after the injury and I led the Olympics in slugging percentage, which is crazy, but I think that never happens if I don’t have the injury,” he said. “I mean, that’s crazy to say, but I don’t know if I have a major league career if I don’t have that injury, because I don’t think I was good enough in power and the things they want you to do when hitting.”

Morris retired from baseball in 2006. He and his wife, Julie, settled in Alexandria to raise their three daughters. Morris eventually took a job working for Red River Bank.

He took another job in an unofficial capacity – perhaps the best ambassador LSU baseball or college baseball could have. Each June, there are calls from across the country wanting to relive 1996. He has been invited to speak to numerous civic organizations, businesses, churches and to countless sports teams, motivating players that if it could happen to Morris, it could happen to one of them. A true genuine role model.

“The only thing Warren ever did wrong was return a videotape to Blockbuster without rewinding it,” joked Bertman. “This happened not once, but twice when Warren was at LSU …. a clergyman told me thanks for sending Warren by our church. And I didn’t send him. He went on his own both times. He’s a humble kid, a wonderful kid.” 

“He provided the greatest moment in the history of the College World Series 30 years ago, and he since has embodied the values of a devoted husband, father and community leader,” added Bill Franques, LSU’s baseball communications director since 1989. “LSU is very grateful for the lifetime impact Warren Morris has made upon our state.”

The only irony about Morris’ journey since June 7, 1996, is his three daughters were never into sports. They know he played baseball at LSU but as far as his impact on this state’s sporting history? Even as LSU students, it took a sorority sister’s family for them to finally comprehend.

“As luck would have it, one of the girls they’re kind of partnered with in their sorority, her parents are huge LSU sports fans,” Morris said. “After talking with this girl for about two months, something came up about me and she was blown away. She was like, that’s your dad? We have a poster of him in our house!”

Now, Morris is taking it to another level as a member of the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame as the Louisiana Sports Ambassador Award winner for 2026. From a teenager who had doubts he could play at LSU, to someone who wondered if anyone would talk about his title-winning homer. 

Thirty years later, Louisiana is still celebrating it, and Morris. Chances are, Louisiana will still be talking about Warren Morris 30 years from now. 

One thing is for certain, though, he will still be the same Morris everyone in Alexandria knew long before he stepped foot on campus at LSU.

“He is Warren Morris,” said Boniol. “He has never changed. I give credit to his mom and dad. He is top notch and there are not too many like him walking around.”

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Putting Sorsby in the rearview mirror, and a real cowboy hero to rest

As you read this, Brendan Sorsby is what he was when he woke up Monday – a very well-paid athlete. But by bedtime Monday, he was just not a college athlete any more.

Those Texas Tech Red Raiders love the outlaw role – they do wear black hats —  but the past week, it went to an extreme. They were everybody’s enemy, trying to justify Sorsby remaining as their $5 million NIL quarterback although he had just begun treatment for a suddenly diagnosed gambling addiction that undeniably involved him betting on games involving his previous teams at Indiana and Cincinnati.

Although he never actually took a snap for their school, Tech brass got downright righteous about supporting Sorsby in this struggle to repress what he’d done for three years – bet on college sports, among others. College athletes can bet these days, according to the laws in their states, but not on games involving their teams. That’s 1919 Chicago Black Sox and 1980s Pete Rose stuff.

The Hit King said he never bet against his Reds, and there was never evidence he did. But there was plenty indicating he bet on their games. And that erodes the integrity of competition – did the involved bettor maybe give less than best effort to alter the odds?

If that question is asked, it’s already too late. Sorsby had soiled his teammates by his prior wagering. Nobody could watch him quarterback the Red Raiders and have no doubt the next bad play wasn’t on purpose.

That didn’t send him toward the NFL’s Supplemental Draft. An intense wave of pressure, the tipping point coming from other schools in Tech’s Big XII Conference, did that Monday.

Sorsby and those advising him finally realized there were consequences past counseling and far beyond his personal space. Hope he can handle his gambling addiction – he’s hardly the only college student, or college athlete, with one. He’s just now the poster child.

He can play and some NFL – or CFL – team will pick him up and ultimately see just how good he is behind center. Only a relative handful of college players get that shot. He will. Que sera sera.

Texas Tech players will not suffer being questioned about just how hard their quarterback tried.  As a pro player, if Sorsby doesn’t lay it all out there every day, he has no chance.

T. Berry Porter knew that 80-some-odd years ago.

He was 16 years old and he knew it then, by the time the young man from Leesville became a member of the first professional cowboy association in the USA. He’d been rodeoing before he learned to read. Started at age 3 as a goat-roper.

Those other kids, those older men, wearing jeans and boots and spurs, were busting it to win a belt buckle, maybe a few dozen dollars, in whatever rodeo they entered. The best cowboy won. By the time T. Berry joined what evolved into today’s Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, he was competing for decent money in the 1940s, in places like Shreveport, Fort Smith, Fort Worth, and Lafayette.

His breakout moment wasn’t a moment. It was a month-long competition in Madison Square Garden, with Porter a long way from the family’s Vernon Parish ranch at age 22 in 1949. The New York Knicks played there. They were three years old.

The sports world was different. Boxing and baseball mattered. Horse racing was huge. Basketball, pro football, not so much. Rodeo was just coming into the bright lights and that was obvious by the duration of the World Championships in MSG.

Right place, right time. Young T. Berry Porter was crowned the World Champion Calf Roper in the Garden. Went from off the radar to mainstream star; soon, he was on the Wrangler Rodeo Team and his silhouette was on the patch in the back left pocket of every pair of Wranger jeans sold across America.

Family and his many, many friends will lay T. Berry Porter to rest today in Leesville. He was 99 when he gracefully met his maker Saturday at home.

His story is a perfect example of what’s so wonderful about the upcoming Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame inductions. T. Berry was enshrined in 2019, right alongside Peyton Manning and Les Miles.

Guess who stole the show? The first rodeo cowboy to enter the Hall. Peyt, Les, and the rest loved it. We all did. Nobody more than T. Berry.

Manning, Miles, and the other inductees were cool cats too. Exactly who you’d think they were from seeing them on TV. But along with the glow of A-list celebrity proximity, the lasting joy of the 2019 LSHOF was finding out about T. Berry, the rodeo career he had, the life he was leading – he was still on a tractor, tending to his ranch, every day at age 92 – and in church every Sunday, and helping with the Lions Club Crippled Childrens Home.

No more knocks on poor Brendan Sorsby. We can only hope he can get it together and lead a life halfway as special as T. Berry Porter did. There’s time, if he can make the most of it.

There’s time for you to come see the latest Hall of Fame festivities June 25-27. You’re liable to mingle with some of the best who ever were at what they played, and you’ll find out they are pretty much like your neighbor. Just good folk who did something great.

Although I doubt we’ll ever see the likes of T. Berry ever again.

Contact Doug at sbjdoug@gmail.com

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The Northwestern State tennis team had nearly its entire roster on the 2026 Southland Conference Women’s Tennis All-Academic Team announced on Monday. 

Five Lady Demons — Sofi Garcia, Maria Farina, Honoka Umeda, Martina Acebedo Bonocore, and Lija Mumlek — all earned their first conference all-academic honors.

To be considered for selection, a student-athlete must have a minimum 3.25 cumulative GPA.

Garcia (computer information systems, 3.54) earned second-team all-Southland honors this season in both singles and doubles. Earning her singles honor at the No. 5 spot and her doubles selection at the No. 1 spot, alongside fellow academic all-conference selection Umeda.

Garcia won the first five matches of the season in her singles position and finished the year going 8-1 in conference play. She had an impressive 11-1 mark overall in singles this year, the second most wins on the team with her only loss coming at Southeastern.

Umeda (psychology, 3.96) won seven singles matches with a 5-4 mark in conference play, and seven of her nine doubles wins came alongside Garcia. All six of her conference doubles wins was in the pairing with Garcia. She won back-to-back singles matches in conference play on two different occasions, including consecutive road wins at A&M-Corpus Christi and UTRGV.

Umeda was also a College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District selection.

Farina (industrial engineering technology, 3.97) also won seven singles matches on the year and had a 5-3 mark in conference play. She won four straight singles matches against Southland opponents to close the month of March, including a three-set win against eventual regular-season champion McNeese.

NSU also had a pair of freshmen earn academic all-conference honors, including SLC Freshman of the Year Acebedo (health and exercise science, 4.0).

Her team-leading 13-2 overall record in singles, including an 8-1 mark in conference, earned her the first freshman superlative award for NSU since 2012. She also picked up second-team all-conference honors at No. 4 singles and No. 3 doubles.

Fellow freshman Mumlek (applied microbiology, 4.0), had a solid rookie campaign for the Demons picking up three wins in doubles this year, earning two of those with Garcia.

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Meet Albert

At just two years old, Albert has already overcome more than any dog should ever have to endure. He was found severely injured on the side of a highway, with a heavy chain around his neck and suffering injuries consistent with possibly having been dragged by a vehicle. 

Despite this unimaginable cruelty, Albert has shown his caretakers nothing but love. As his wounds have healed, his sweet personality has shined brighter every day.

Albert is a big, handsome boy who loves affection, enjoys spending time with people, and has a calm, gentle nature that makes everyone fall in love with him. He appears to do well with other dogs and is learning that the world can be a safe and loving place.

What Albert wants most is simple: a family of his own, a soft bed, and a home where he will never again have to wonder if he’s safe. After everything he’s survived, he deserves the chance to experience a life filled with love and kindness. 

Could you be the person who gives Albert the happy ending he’s been waiting for?

If you’re interested in fostering or adopting sweet Albert, please contact FAUNA (Friends All United For Natchitoches Animals) at npfauna@gmail.com or visit NPFauna.org for more information.

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Herman Jerome “Jerry” Alter and Sara Rita Sinofsky married in 1956 in New York City.  Jerry and Rita both worked for high schools in New York and New Jersey; Jerry was a music teacher, and Rita was a speech therapist.  In 1974, Jerry retired at the young age of 47 and he and Rita bought a 20-acre mesa overlooking a mountain valley near Cliff, New Mexico, about 30 miles northwest of Silver City.  In 1979, they built a ranch-style home on the property overlooking the valley.  Jerry and Rita coauthored three independently published books, all of which were published in 2011.  The first was a blend of fictional and non-fiction adventure travel.  The second was a twist on Aesop’s Fables set in verse.  The third was a book of poetry based on their travel experiences.  The books sold poorly.  In the “about the author” section of the books, Jerry claimed that he had “visited over 140 countries on all continents, including both polar regions.”  

On April 9, 2012, 81-year-old Jerry died of natural causes, followed by 81-year-old Rita on June 5, 2017.  Rita’s nephew Ron Roseman, a resident of Houston, Texas, was the executor of her estate.  Ron contacted real estate agent Ruth Seawolf the following month to sell the property.  In an email discussing the property Ron said, “Ruthie, I’ve gone through the home, and I don’t think there is anything of value, but help yourself.”  Ruthie visited the home in preparation for putting it on the market and noted that it was “a little dated, older home,” but one she thought would “be fairly easy to sell.”  Ruthie contacted the owners of Manzanita Ridge Furniture & Antiques in Silver City, to visit the house to see how best to dispose of its contents.  Everything in the home was old and covered in dust.  When they removed the pictures and paintings from the walls, it was evident by the dust patterns that they had been hanging in the same positions for decades.  The antique store owners saw nothing they considered especially valuable and bought the entire contents for around $2,000.  

The antique store owners carted a few select items including furniture, small art pieces, and paintings back to their store and donated most of the contents to a local thrift store.  David Van Auker, one of the antique store owners, liked one of the paintings which had hung behind the Alter’s bedroom door for decades and intended to display it in his guest house.  Back at the store, customers were drawn to the painting in the cheap gold frame and said they recognized it.  After several customers independently expressed their belief that the painting looked familiar, David did some internet research.  He was stunned to learn that over three decades earlier, on the day after Thanksgiving in 1985, a man and woman who resembled Jerry and Rita stole a Willem de Kooning painting called Woman-Ochre from the University of Arizona Museum of Art in Tucson.  The painting was valued at over $160 million, but David returned the painting to the museum of art and refused a reward.  This was just the first of many valuable paintings that the FBI learned that Jerry and Rita Alter had stolen.  Everyone, especially their friends and family, were stunned to learn that Jerry and Rita Alter were professional art thieves.  

Sources:

1.     “Herman Jerome ‘Jerry’ Alter,” FindAGrave.com, accessed June 7, 2026, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/190759614/herman-jerome-alter.

2.     “Sara Rita Sinofsky Alter,” FindAGrave.com, accessed June 7, 2026, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/190758039/sara_rita-alter.

3.     Arizona Daily Star, November 30, 1985, p.1.

4.     Silver City Sun-News, August 18, 2017, p.A4.

5.     The Santa Fe New Mexican, September 10, 2017, p.A2.

6.     Carlsbad Current-Argus, December 28, 2024, p.3.

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Lynn David Galloway
Service:  Saturday, June 27 at 11 am at the First United Methodist Crossroads, 411 Second Street in Natchitoches

Blanche Ruth Watkins
February 4, 1927 — June 8, 2026
Service: Monday, June 29, 2026 at 10 am at Trinity Episcopal Church in Natchitoches

Natchitoches Parish Journal publishes paid obituaries – unlimited words and a photo, as well as unlimited access.

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The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) announced an emergency lane closure on June 15 on the I-49 southbound bridge over LA 490 near the Chopin exit in Natchitoches Parish.

The bridge, located at the I-49 and LA 490 interchange near mile marker 114, was reduced to one lane to allow crews to perform emergency bridge maintenance.

DOTD officials said the repairs are expected to require lane closures for approximately one week, weather permitting.

Motorists traveling through the area should expect delays and are encouraged to use caution while maintenance work is underway.

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A single-vehicle crash with minor injuries was reported Sunday afternoon on I-49 southbound near mile marker 159 north of Ajax, according to the Natchitoches Parish Sheriff’s Office.

The crash occurred around 12:20 p.m. on June 14 during heavy rainfall in the area. Deputies said a 2021 Honda Civic traveling southbound hydroplaned while exiting the roadway, left the right side of the interstate, and struck a tree.

Emergency medical personnel with Natchitoches Regional Medical Center EMS responded to the scene. The incident was also reported to Louisiana State Police.

Deputies remained on scene as traffic continued to move through the area, and motorists were urged to use caution due to wet roadway conditions and an active crash response at the time.

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Natchitoches Parish Sheriff’s Deputies and Natchitoches Regional Medical Center EMS personnel responded to an incident on June 12 around 11:33 am at the Tauzin Island Boat Launch off of La. Hwy. 6 near Natchitoches according to the Natchitoches Parish Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies say a 41-year-old Natchitoches man was injured when his Ford F-150 Platinum rolled backwards, after off-loading his boat, striking him before entering the water.

EMS personnel assessed the man at the scene without transport. The man is expected to follow up with his private physician for further medical evaluation.

The Ford F-150 Platinum was subsequently recovered from the water by a local towing service.

La. Department of Wildlife and Fisheries was notified.

Deputies responding were: Lt. Barry Dalme, Deputy J. Severance, Deputy A. Coon, and Deputy J. Owusu-Duku.

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The City of Natchitoches advises the public of a temporary closure of the southbound lane of Jefferson Street from Touline Street to Amulet Street on Monday, June 15, and Tuesday, June 16, 2026.

The closure will be in effect daily from 8:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. to allow contractors to perform work on a second-floor balcony adjacent to the roadway.

During the closure, southbound traffic will be detoured at Touline Street. Motorists traveling southbound on Jefferson Street should turn right onto Touline Street, proceed to Second Street, and continue southbound on Second Street as an alternate route.

Northbound traffic on Jefferson Street will remain open and unaffected throughout the duration of the project.

Motorists are encouraged to use caution when traveling in the area.

For more information, please contact the City of Natchitoches Police Department at (318) 352-8101.

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The Natchitoches Parish Sheriff’s Office is notifying the public of a scam targeting residents through phone calls, text messages, emails, and social media messages claiming they must send money to avoid arrest, clear a warrant, get a relative out of jail, satisfy a court obligation, or participate in a so-called “pre-trial” program.

The fraudster may use the name of a relative needing to get out of jail with the condition of bond being the use of an ankle monitor system.

Scammers often impersonate law enforcement officers, court officials, attorneys, or government agencies and may use spoofed phone numbers that appear legitimate. Victims are instructed to immediately send money through gift cards, wire transfers, cryptocurrency, payment apps, or other electronic payment methods.

Residents should be aware:

* The Natchitoches Parish Sheriff’s Office does not call individuals demanding money to avoid arrest or resolve legal matters.

* Legitimate law enforcement agencies do not accept payments through gift cards, cryptocurrency, or peer-to-peer payment apps.

* Scammers frequently use threats, intimidation, and urgency to pressure victims into making quick decisions.

* Caller ID information can be manipulated and should not be considered proof of legitimacy.

If you receive a suspicious call, text, email, or message:

* Do not provide personal or financial information.

* Do not send money.

* Hang up immediately and independently verify the information by contacting the agency directly using a known phone number.

* Report the incident to your local law enforcement agency.

Anyone who believes they may have been targeted or victimized by this scam is encouraged to contact the Natchitoches Parish Sheriff’s Office at 318-357-7851.

The NPSO High Tech Crime Unit and other law enforcement partners are investigating these incidents.

Two cases have been reported in Natchitoches Parish where victims sent money.

Sheriff Stuart Wright reminds citizens to remain vigilant and discuss these scams with family members, especially senior citizens who are often targeted by fraudsters. When in doubt, hang up, verify, and never send money to unsolicited callers.

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The Natchitoches Parish Council meeting will be held on Monday, June 15 at 5:30 p.m. The meeting will take place in the Council Board Room, #211 on the 2nd Floor of the Courthouse.

Agenda for tonight’s meeting:

PAID CONTENT

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As we celebrate America’s 250th birthday, the Natchitoches Central High School Bicentennial Class of 1976 celebrated its 50th anniversary during the Memorial Day weekend with a meet & greet on Friday evening at the Chateau Saint Denis Hotel. Seafood gumbo, rice dressing, green beans, a fresh green salad, fried chicken, along with an assortment of desserts that included king cake and 7up upside down cake were provided and served by the committee members.

The build up continued on Saturday morning for breakfast at Lasyone’s, followed by a tour of the South Campus. Many memories were expressed during this emotional time.
The semi formal celebration concluded on Saturday evening at the Natchitoches Event Center with an In Memoriam recognition along with a trip down memory lane 70’s video. Our first responders and military veterans were also honored.

We would like to thank the staffs of the Chateau Saint Denis Hotel, Lasyone’s , and the Natchitoches Event Center for their exceptional professionalism shown throughout. And to our two decorators, Kristina’s Event Rentals and Mrs. Glenita Leonard, thank you both for providing your expertise of allowing our vision to become a reality. The ten table floral arrangements by Jeanne’s Country Garden just added to that vision. JamNJay Productions provided the musical entertainment which made our event a stellar affair. A special shoutout to Mr. Steve Horton for his guided tour of the south campus, even with the inclement weather conditions.

Thank you again to all who were involved, and also to our fellow classmates for making our 50th class reunion a most memorable one.

The Spirit of ‘76 lives on, and together, we stand!

Sincerely,

The NCHS Bicentennial Class of 1976 50th Year Reunion Committee

Paid Content

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Northwestern State University announces the names of Dean’s List students for the Spring 2026 semester. Students on the Dean’s List must be enrolled full-time at Northwestern and have a grade point average of between 3.5 and 3.99.

For questions regarding the Dean’s List, contact the NSU Registrar’s Office at (318) 357- 6171 or email registrar@nsula.edu.

Students listed by hometown (within Journal coverage areas) are as follows.

Alexandria – Ava Adams, Lexie Alberes, Ashton Brodnax, Kevin Byone, Joseph Cain, Ayla Cox, Danielle Darby, Leila Ford, Jordan Gregory, Ruben Kho, Lawson Kirsch, Jaykendel Lair, Faith Martin, Marina Moorehead, Miracle Newman, Tina Nguyen, Shelby Palmer, Trinity Patrick, Camryne Phillips, Kailyn Price, Latajah Quinney, Kamren Smith, Sydney Smith, Kelsey Stuckey, Alex Sukerek, Faith Williams

Arcadia – Lauren Terry

Ball – Dana Atwood, Tamia Bowie, Kayla DuBois, Harry Hoben, Lauren Nugent

Barksdale AFB – Christian Ostolaza, Chole Sparks

Benton – Landon Barrett, Hudson Brignac, Katharyn Evans, Carson Ferguson, Caitlyn Hayes, Sierra Khaled, Keya Little, Ella Robinson, Amelia Sims, Morgan Spradling, Tyla Stewart, Taten Wagley

Bienville – Lindsay Macynski

Bossier City – Shatha Alkhatib, Yousra Awawda, Braylee Baker, Kennedy Beloso, William Bryant, Kenneth Burnett, Lillian Cain, Bianca Capelli, Daniel Coleman, Daniel Covington, Mary Katherine Craig, Cody Davenport, Paxton DePingre, Allie Denton, Kendall Earley, Alyssa Espinosa, Ashlynn Fiske, Jadan Gray, John Gray, Mackenzie Hackleman, Layla Havis, Bryant Holmes, Cing Kim, Whitney Lamb, Sophia Livers, Patrick Lord-Stephens, Kalyssa Mall, Chase McLaurin, Natalie Mckuhen, Elyssa Moorem, Madysen Morgan, Felicia Parish, Heyshla Perez Vega, Joseph Resendez, Lizzett Rivera, Taylor Rochelle, Stephanie Salas Hernandez, Toni Sullivan, Ava Tarpley, Benjamin Taylor, Morgan Traylor, Jaslyn Turner, Bowen Vardeman, Illianna Wallace, Dwyane Watson, Jessica Watters, Lanaya Watts, Mekayla Wiggins, Ashley Woodfin

Boyce – Jace Aslin, Brooke Chelette, Chloe Cloessner, Lauren Holt, Olivia Melroy, Makinley Rachal

Bunkie – Lindy Aney, Amari Hamilton

Campti – Emma Dove, Dylan Fulton, Zoey Fulton

Castor – Leanne Colson, Malorie Cooper

Cheneyville – Dorcia Gillam

Cloutierville – Sydni Jones

Converse – Chloe Carter, Drake Friday, Mason Procell, Keigan Remedies, Justin Rushing

Cottonport – Keyonce Friels, Bryce Juneau

Effie – Sophie Moreau

Elm Grove – William Achee

Elmer – Layla Chandler

Florien – Cesaleigh Hall, Kennadi Sparks, Lilly Sparks, Madison Weldon

Forest Hill – Ethan Green, Baronica Gunter

Frierson – Joshua Bouriaque, Angelina Lee

Glenmora – Hunter Dauza, Marshall Dauzat, Katie Dupre, Martha Sierra, Kadence Tolbert, Gage Ware

Gloster – Makayla Butler

Goldonna – Winsome Guillory

Grand Cane – Carmen Puckett

Greenwood – Krista Cates, Madisyn James

Haughton – Kameron Burns, Morgan Davison, Hannah Fields, Abigail Meador, LaShonda Pennywell, Lawson Turner

Hessmer – Macey Barr

Hineston – Shyla Clark, Rebecca Dousay, Tinley Steedman

Jena – Ella Jensen, Morgan Paul, Alyson Trahan

Keithville – BreAnne Jones, Gabriel McCalmon, Ashlynn McClain

Logansport – Alexa Gannon, Hayden Knight

Mansfield – Jessie Cobb, Elizabeth Houston, Valentina Puac, Paulette Rambin, Nysia Samuels-Rochelle

Mansura – Tori Charrier, Ashley Joseph, Kerri Parrish

Many – Allison Bordelon, Layton Byles, Kaiya Causey, Harli Cruse, Victor Culbertson, John Harris, ShaeAunna Johnson, Jeffery Key, Margaret Ryan, Baylee Samples, Kelsey Sepulvado, Trenton Sepulvado, Vivian Sylvia

Marksville – Nicholas Ferguson, Zoey Guthrie, Mia Rodriguez

Marthaville – Avery Broadway, Mason Broadway, Camryn Ford, Aaron Manasco, Megan Singletary, Amelia Strahan

Mira – Haley Knighton

Moreauville – Heidi Gauthier

Natchez – Shona Moses, Chloe Rachal

Natchitoches – Sky Anders, Christopher Anderson, Caleb Barton, Kaylee Baugh, David Bellard, Cheyenne Bertrand, Haleigh Bertrand, Benjamin Bienvenu, Avery Broadway, Arkeylius Brooks, Oscar Brown, LaTonya Burton, Cailah Bush, Josue Bustillo Aguero, Erick Cabrera, Daniel Carballo, Oscar Andres Carballo Torres, Cody Carmen, Benjamin Castro, Adriana Chaj Hernandez, Derrick Clark, Santiago Coavas Romero, LaQuita Collins, Logan Collinsworth, Arionna Conday, Aiden Cryer, Juliyah Davis, Caldwell DeFord, Brendan Donaghy, Madison Dupuy, Kamron Edwards, Jasen Elie, Jessica Ellerbe, Mateo Este-McDonald, Sileena Farrell, Airicka Fields, Roseanna Files, Kylie Fleshman, Allison Flores Reyes, Ever Naun Galeas Antunez, Sofia Garcia, Anisha Gibbons, Alexx Gibson, Irene Gomez, Ashley Harkey, Kristen Harris, Joshalyn Harrison, Charles Heard, Ethan Heard, Kyleigh Herring, Darlisha Jefferson, Allyson Jett, Cambree Jimmerson, Kevin Juarez Lopez, Punam Khadka, Kayden Larkins, Mitchell LeBlanc, Angel Maradiaga, Madison Martin, Abby McNeely, Noah McNeil, Lauren Menard, Diana Marcela Mercado Garcia, Joseph Merritt, Mikayla Mondello, Madelyn Murphy, Joshua Nolley, Kennede Oliver, Destiny Phillips, Brendal Pinckard, Cameron Possoit, Alexis Procell, Nohelia Ramos Vallecillo, Kennedi Revel, Victoria Robinson, Kaden Rush, Jordan Shields, Na’Riaya Sowell, Parker Stroope, Morgan Swafford, Belen Tenesaca Bermeo, K.C. Thompson, Shayna Tilley, Vyen Trang, Ronald Andrés Turizo Bueno, José Villeda, Artisha Waldrup, Aaron Waterstraat, Caleb White, Elizabeth White, Victoria Wiggins, Shakera Williams, Shantangelo Williams, Sophia Witman, Brian Young, Sha Young

Noble – Mariana Ebarb, Rowan Ebarb, Rebecca Hardee, Katelen Turner

Pineville – Payton Bareswill, Ethan Bolyer, Madison Book, Jenyah Clay, Kaylee Cotton, Liza Foreman, Madelyn Glaze, Darren Keel, Blake LaFargue, Madeline Litton, Breanna Melancon, Olivia Melder, Kylee Mott, Ahmani Roberson, Ada Shoup, Kirstyn Smith, Patrice Spera, Karly Stansell, Landon Vallee

Plain Dealing – Kathryn Taylor-Watkins

Plaucheville – Alise Clausen

Princeton – Xavier Hobson

Ringgold – Kaylee Cook

Robeline – Trinity Brewer, Anniston Broadway, Jax Colston, Adam Guidry, Rayleigh Harris, Baylee Johnson, Caleb Johnston, Piper Kay, Madeline Mitchell, Bonney Phillips, Harley Welling

Shongaloo – Mackenzie Hosley, Taylor Hosley

Shreveport – Kerion Anderson, ShayAnna Beatty, Shepherd Benson, Amber Bledsoe, Taja Bolds, Amarriyah Boykins, John Campbell, Taylor Capetillo, Tremia Collins, Yabria Cotton, Cassie Donaghey, Aaliyah Dove, Ashton Dykes, Kiara Ealy, Leia Estes, Macy Etheredge, Nathan Franklin, Emily Frataccia, Valerie Gongre, Tyler Hays, Emma Hernandez, Jacinta Jemeli, Monicah Jepkemboi, Kenberly Jones, Ashanti Lemons, Bryson Lewis, Jeremy Lewis, Adam Mariano, Aliyah Mason, Asia Mason, Kimberly Michelli, Kristie Miller, Amirhossein Montazeri Ghahjavarestani, Janiyah Mosley, Stella Okoh, Clairie Parent, Patricia Paterno, Araya Perkins, Hailee Posey, Claire Prda, Katherine Randolph, Char’lajahe Rattler, Rosalie Ray, Zariah Ray, Carolina Resendez, Jillian Rizzuto, Sheena Rose, Virginia Santiago, Jillian Sexton, Addison Smith, Aniyah Smith, Michaela Smith, Amanda Spraggins, Anicia Taylor, Lorien Thomas, Jamya Thompkins, Alayah Williams, Helen Williams-Brown, Lakenya Wilson

Simmesport – Nicole Canal

Stonewall – Natalie Cobb, Mya Dunn, Rhyan Floyd, Matthew Hiang, Abigail Jones, Anna Little, Kameryn Mckinney, Amber Melton, Jordan Porterfield, Kirsten Sepulvado, Mary-Elizabeth Widener, Gabriel Williams

Winnfield – Mattie Barnes, Kyleigh Blundell, Maggie Bruce, Sarah Carter, Haley Collins, Peyton Glenn, Pamela Hight, Marvanesha Lewis, Eli Little, John Pickett, Ella Price, Caleb Reed, Tolbert Triplett

Woodworth – Dustin Guillory, Lluvia Guillot, Natalie Hyde

Zwolle – Nahliyah Boykins, Christian Culbertson, Jaeger Ebarb, Dawson Leone, Emma Meshell, Kamron Parrie, Kamaryn Rivers

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Northwestern State University announces the names of Honor List students for the Fall 2025 semester. Students on the Honor List must be enrolled full-time at Northwestern and have a grade point average of between 3.0 and 3.49.

For questions regarding the Honor Roll, contact the NSU Registrar’s Office at (318) 357- 6171 or email registrar@nsula.edu.

Students listed by hometown are as follows.

Alexandria – Jayla Allen, Shakiya Allen, Brayleigh Briggs, Maggie Creamer, Bianca Dixon, Nyla Durant, E’Myia Hall, Kory Ham, Dexteria King, Trakayle Oneal, Alivia Piotter, Jordan Ray, Sadie Roberson, Kyra Sherman, Zoe Tanner, Taliyah Taylor, Devin Villar, Emma Walker, Shalonda Wells, Zenada Williams

Atlanta – Delia Serigny

Ball – Jesci Lord, Miriam Smart

Barksdale AFB – Brianna Cady

Benton – Niklaus Jordan, Olivia Kolb, Lucie McDearmont, Ava Pollard, Avery Tullos

Bossier City – Madeline Boyer, Emily Brown, Chloe Cannon, LaToris Cary, John Clinger, Alaina Culbertson, Amanda Doyle, Charisma Duncan, Carolyn Glaze, Delicia Glover, Elizabeth Gonzales, John-Michael Head, Duaa Husein, Jayden Jenkins, Haley Johnson, Maria Lara, Landan Lee, Danni Lynch, Natalie McCoy, James McKeown, Jaden Mccoy, Izabella Moreno, Mana Naser, Kierra Nelson, Avery Phillips, Nimra Rajput, Joshua Raschke, Cooper Ray, Tinsley Rowell, Karla Sanchez Hernandez, Avery Schoenborn, Emily Schoth, Samuel Sujana, Jeremiah Taylor, Ariel Vessells, Dagan Webb, Sara Webb

Boyce – Hannah Leslie

Calvin – Karlee Abels

Campti – Kylie Donald, Chloe Jordan, Jordan Kirts, Taylor Lebrun, Alexia Moore, Sabrena Scandurro

Cloutierville – Aleeya Jefferson

Converse – Logan Carter, Riley Downs, Preslye Rivers

Coushatta– Adrianna Bradford, Sarah Cormier, Latoya Gray, Carlena Henry, LaFrances Jones, Lillye Pardue, Rozalyn Taylor

Dodson – Kyle Brown, Dakota Thomas, Hunter Vines

Elm Grove – Macy Scott, Kaylee Thornton, Zhane Vailes

Elmer – Katelynn Riggs

Florien – Malayna Abels, Delana Johnson, Charles Krumholtz, Lexi LaRoux, Rylie Sigler

Forest Hill – Vivian Montalvo, Kari Polakovich

Frierson – Jozey Isom

Gloster – Raven Fields

Goldonna – Halle Roton

Grand Cane – Nickalas Wadsworth

Greenwood – Emelia Salter

Haughton – Aubrey Bass, Wynter Clark, Lauren Coleman, Quinton Coleman, Maryana Croft, Chloe Dettrey, Taylor Eggleton, Aliya Green, Alyson Marmaduke, Jordyn McDonald, Tucker Melton, Fernecia Mitchell, Emilie North, Mya Webb, Katherine Wilson

Hineston – Hailey Nolen, Kathryn Rabalais

Homer – Seth Thurman

Ida – Ella Teer

Keithville – Addison Boyd, Peytan Collier, Katie Hester, Brittany Lee

Logansport – Kelsey Bolden, Jaylie Smith, Ariel Williams

Mansfield – Shaniyah Blaze, London Carter, Mckayla Courtney, Brittany Davis, Reina Gillyard

Many – Levi Booker, Colton Boswell, Ava Brown, Savanah Hall, Sontee Jones, Edward LaFollette, Kheria Leshay, Ava McElwee, Emma Peace, Allayiah Thomas, Kierstyn Williams, Olivia Williams

Marthaville – William Campbell

Mooringsport – Kayla Brock, Peyshance Peek

Natchez – Devin Blake, Skylar Braxton, Josiah Conant, Braylon Normand

Natchitoches – Cayleigh Addison, Londyn Alexander, Moly Sofia Amezquita, Tony Arnold, Ana Baltazar-Lorenzo, Samuel Brunson, Luci Carr, Lucas Childs, Lennon Cooke, Camin Cooper, Aaliyah Creekmore, Cameron Dauzat, Cadence Flournoy, Zelia Frazier, Athina Grigoriadou, Atalaya Hall, Miranda Harrison, Fredy Hernandez, Rafael Hernandez Olmeda, Madison Hicks, Morgan Hunter, Shanice Hutson, Deitra Jackson, Jadah Johnson, Mackenzie Kanehl, Gabriela LaCour, Ella Lilyasta Laning, Helena Liljeberg, Logan Lonadier, David Lupton, Hannah Maggio, Keegan Martinez, Isabella McCall, Evan McDonough, Jennifer McKinney, Anna-Clare Melancon, Avery Myers, Isabela Piedrahita, Gabriel Polo Gomez, Jordan Pursell, Audrey Rasmussen, Valentina Restrepo, Eleya Saba, Marcela Sabillón, Grace Samaha, Maya Smith, Kaylee Stacy, Zoey Suire, Haylee Tousek, James Trindle, Ashlyn Underwood, Hailey Walker, Emily Ware, Hannah Watkins, Meredith Weathers, William Wilson, Elijah Witman

Noble – Paisleigh Rivers

Pineville – Michael Bergeron, Makaylah Brothers, Alfred Gaines, Gabriel Gautier, Evyn Goree, Rilee Hebert, Kiersten Huff, Malik Marzett, Sebastian Molette, Ashleigh Moses, Jessica Nugent, Annmarie Sanders, Ashlyn Saucier, Corbin Smith, Kelsei Spears, Andrew Thiels, Hailee Vines, Candon Wall, Brittany Welch

Pitkin – Carter Tarpley, Destiny Willis

Pleasant Hill – Abigail Bozeman

Pollock – Gabriel Beeson, Landen Roberts

Provencal – Elizabeth Shirley

Ringgold – Jenna Braggs

Robeline – Kristin Bull, Emily Miller, Christopher Paligo, Samuel Pickett, Keith Vascocu

Shreveport – Brody Abraham, Madison Adams, Daniel Anderson, Jamesia Balthazar, Asia Barba-Nsirim, Mariah Barnes, Chelsea Barrett, Anna Marie Bautista, Sharye Belcher, LaShaun Bolden, Kyrah Brown, Meredith Calahan, Ayden Cowell, Anderson Davis, Tyler Dupuis, Sharmaine Dy, Za’Miracle Edwards, Jadyn Espinosa, Rickayla Fleeks, Dezani Fountain, David Gallagher, Nicole Gipa, Precious Green, Marquasia Griffin, KaBreyha Harris, Yasmeen Hasan, Piper Haynes, Zoe Hearron, J’Niya Hill, Miyah Hinton, Cniyah Housley, Logan Hunter, Ryann Jackson, Shakayia James, Bree Launey, Tronja Lewis, Maria Lomas, Sara Mangum, Jacqueline Martinez, McKinley Miller, Dontrice Mitchell, Addison Monk, Kaden Morrison, Sophia Mouton, Samantha Muslow, Roxanne Myers, Julliex Nyachae, Liam Pachankis, Kendall Parker, Rebecca Parker, Maximillian Pinkney, Demarcus Reid, Anna Reynolds, Tamia Richardson, Brandi Robinson, Nickolas Robinson, Raelyn Robinson, Makensley Sugar-Bruce, AYana Taylor, Canya Turner, Mariah Walpool, Lauren Walsworth, Zoe Williams

Stonewall – Carter Ball, Eloise Boudreaux, Sierra Dean, Aja Douglas, Hunter Hanson, Emily Turner, Macy Wiley

Trout – Alison Bohannon

Winnfield – Catheryn Busha, Hayley Duke, Anthony Knight, MaKayla Shelton

Zwolle – Charlea Britt, Camryn Cartinez, Gracie Leone, Kade Meshell, Christian Rivers, Alexis Sepulvado, Malaysha Williams

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Marshall’s passion for storytelling has fueled multifaceted career in radio, writing, teaching

By RON HIGGINS, Written for the LSWA

The most forthright advice a college-aged John James “J.J.” Marshall received about pursuing a sportswriting career came from a crusty veteran scribe.

“The hours are terrible, you’ll never make any money,” Bill McIntyre, a transplanted Massachusettsan who was a staple on the Shreveport Times staff for 44 years, told Marshall.

That’s undeniably true. Forget the timecard. Sportswriters work until the job gets done. Most of them wouldn’t know how to act if they came close to earning six figures annually.

Shreveport native Marshall eventually ignored McIntyre’s warning. Not just once, but to the third power.

There’s the writer J.J., whose style flows so smoothly that he makes a 3,000-word story seem like a short read.

“He’s just a natural,” vows Nico Van Thyn, a former Shreveport Journal sports editor.

There’s the radio host J.J., who teams with older brother Ben for “SportsTalk with J.J. and Bonzai Ben,” the longest-running radio sports talk in Louisiana.

“Their listeners always know what to expect, but somehow always receive the unexpected with J.J. and Ben,” says Shreveport native Tim Brando, a nationally known college football and basketball play-by-play voice on various networks for more than four decades. “That’s what we call great radio.”

There’s the teacher J.J., who has been the media director since 1992 at his high school alma mater Loyola College Prep (formerly Jesuit).

“His mindset for projects and the way he envisioned things really resonated with me,” says Will Rabun, a Loyola Class of 2022 graduate who recently accepted a job in Tyler, Texas, after graduating in May with a University of Arkansas journalism degree. “J.J. is not only the best teacher I’ve ever had, but also the best role model.”

For most of his 46-year career, all spent where he was born and raised, the 66-year-old Marshall balanced handling at least two of his journalistic ventures.

But as he reached Social Security age, he now spins three award-winning plates as a must-read writer for the Shreveport-Bossier Journal, an entertaining sports radio talk show host and a nurturing educator.

Such a triple-threat talent is recognized by his colleagues, who voted Marshall as one of two winners of the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame 2026 Distinguished Service Award in Sports Journalism. He’ll join the rest of the 12-member Class of ’26 honorees at the annual LSHOF induction ceremony in the Natchitoches Event Center.

For participation information on the Induction Celebration June 25-27, visit LaSportsHall.com or call 318-238-4255.

There’s no secret why Marshall gets better with age.

“If I didn’t have the vehicle to tell stories, that’s when you might as well just put me in the old folks’ home, because I’ll have nothing else to do,” he says.

***

Sportswriting chose Marshall long before he finally reciprocated the love and started collecting awards for the last 4½ decades.

It stretches from him and long-time friend Teddy Allen co-writing the 1987 Associated Press Sports Editors national best feature winner to capturing the Louisiana Sports Writers Association 2023 Story of the Year.

“J.J. is more competitive than most of us,” says Allen, a 2022 DSA Hall of Fame winner who worked for several Louisiana newspapers starting with the now defunct Journal and continuing with the Shreveport Bossier Journal. “He’s fun and entertaining on the radio. But when he writes, he’s serious business.

“He’s like ‘Nobody is going to tell this story better than I can.’ Sometimes I think he writes in full uniform, a cup, eye black and the whole deal.”

It began with elementary school-aged J.J., perusing the newspaper sports agate page.

“I really was more of an information junkie,” Marshall recalls. “I didn’t have any great prose, but writing sports seemed like a natural thing for me.”

Marshall was already into his high school playing career in football and baseball when then-Shreveport Times prep editor Van Thyn assigned the high school sophomore to cover an area high school basketball tournament for three nights.

It resulted in his first-ever byline.

“I have no memory whatsoever of who scored points, and the lede was probably crappy,” Marshall says, “But the next day when I saw my name by John Marshall at the top of the story, it was one of the greatest thrills in my life. I thought, `This is something I need to do the rest of my life.’”

Yet after he quarterbacked then-Jesuit to a 14-0 record and a state championship in 1976 in which he threw a game-winning screen pass for the game’s only TD, he enrolled at Louisiana Tech as an accounting major.

Why? Because of McIntyre’s aforementioned warning shot.

Marshall wandered through his first year in college, staring at his accounting professors as if they were speaking in tongues.

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The late Wiley Hilburn, chairman of Tech’s journalism department for 41 years until his retirement, became Marshall’s valued mentor.

“He took an interest in me like nobody ever really had,” Marshall says fondly.  “For some reason, he recognized that I might have something.”

It was Hilburn who finagled a Shreveport Journal internship for Marshall in the summer of 1979.

Two days after graduation, he was covering the Class AA minor league Shreveport Captains as a full-time writer for the Journal.

It was obvious that Marshall quickly found a writing style tapping into just about every human emotion.

“You couldn’t teach the creativity J.J. had,” Van Thyn says.

***

It all started at 151 Leo Street in the Broadmoor subdivision of Shreveport, where a former World War II prisoner of war and his wife raised sons Ben and John.

The boys’ world in the 1960s and ‘70s was filled with backyard whiffle ball, driveway basketball and firing footballs at each other. They would discuss sports from sunrise until lights out.

Who knew two brothers, forever passionately debating which team is better or what player is overpaid, would turn it into a radio sports talk show for 34 years at several different Shreveport stations, for years now at 50,000-watt 1130 AM KWKH?

“We’ve been fired four or five times,” chuckles Ben, 71, who’s a retired attorney. “We’re like roaches. You can’t kill us.”

The show concept has never changed. It’s just two brothers throwing verbal jabs with occasional uppercuts mixed with laughter.

“There’s John James, the credible journalist amassing four decades and there’s Ben, a one-man filibuster,” Brando says. “It’s never taken long realizing the two grew up here, love it, but always address our community foibles when it comes to sports issues. It’s refreshing.”

Marshall’s radio career has coincided with his job as Loyola Prep’s media director/instructor. It’s where he’s learned a new medium of storytelling.

“I get the creative kids,” Marshall says. “That’s led me into producing several documentaries involving Loyola. I’m a very much an amateur documentarian.”

Marshall had the portfolio to work for the most highly regarded newspapers or sports magazines in America during his career. But marriage and raising a family with three kids – daughter Jordan and sons J.J. Jr. and Matthew – took precedent.

Ben points out his younger brother “has lived in the same zip code (71105) all his life.”

Never leaving the Port City has been just fine with J.J.

“God leads you to grow where you’re planted,” he believes. “I’ve been planted here the whole time. The stories I know about are here. I can’t really imagine doing it anywhere else.”

Contact Ron at ronhigginsmedia@gmail.com

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Lady Demon softball earns five academic all-conference selections

Northwestern State’s Mattison Buster, Brynn Daniel, Aly Delafield, Makynlie Jones and Riley Schwisow have been recognized on the Southland Conference Softball All-Academic Team.

This is the second straight all-academic honor for Delafield and the first from the Southland for the other four honorees.

To be considered for academic all-conference selection, a student-athlete must have a minimum 3.25 cumulative grade point average and participate in at least 50 percent of the team’s total games.

Both of NSU’s first-team all-conference players in 2026, Buster and Daniel, earned spots on the conference-wide academic team.

Buster (biology major, 3.75 GPA) was named the league’s newcomer of the year and led the Southland in innings pitched, strikeouts, complete games and wins. She tied the NSU single-season record with 21 wins in the circle and ranked in the top 10 in five other program pitching record categories. She just announced a transfer to Baylor for next year.

Daniel (communications, 4.0) was an on-base machine for the Demons, setting the single-season record with a .508 on-base percentage this year, the first NSU player to finish a season reaching base in more than half of their plate appearances. The sophomore was one of two players in the Southland to end the year with an OBP over .500, the other being SLC Player of the Year Victoria Altamirano.

Daniel also led the team with a .380 batting average and .493 slugging percentage. She was the first player since Cayla Jones in 2019 to end the year with an OPS over 1.000 and became the ninth player in the past 25 years to record 30 runs, 50 hits and 30 RBI in the same season.

Buster and Daniel were also named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District team.

Delafield (psychology, 3.49), a junior from Stonewall, earned her second straight academic all-conference honor after a second-team selection in 2025. 

She finished third on the team this year with a .324 batting average, her second straight season hitting at a .320 clip or better with 20 or more runs scored and 35 or more hits. She established career highs with 10 doubles and 24 RBI and produced a .421 on-base percentage.

Jones (chemistry, 3.42), a junior, led the Demons in doubles, home runs and RBI in her first season in Natchitoches, as one of the big bats in the middle of the lineup. She also was an elite defender, going the entire year without committing an error in either of the two positions where she saw action, first base and right field, in more than 180 chances, the third most on the team.

Schwisow (communications, 3.97), a junior, also displayed her defensive prowess throughout the season, serving as the primary third baseman through much on conference play. Schwisow made just one error during league play, the second fewest of any player on the team with more than 15 chances, only behind Jones’ zero.

She hit nearly .300 at the play in conference play with a pair of doubles and .708 OPS and tied for the second most stolen bases against Southland competition.

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Ten NSU track and field athletes earn Academic All-Conference, including All-Americans Achee, Bartholomew

Five men and five women from the Northwestern State track and field program – including newly-minted All-Americans Will Achee and Charlie Bartholomew, and five more NCAA regional qualifiers – have earned spots on the Academic All-Southland Conference team.

The Demons who were selected were Achee, Bartholomew, Kalen Beavers, Tarajh Hudson and Seth Smith, while the five Lady Demons who earned spots were Sileena Farrell, Margaret Mannering, Thea Ring, Teodora Samac and Eliska Zahradnickova.

Four of the NSU athletes are making repeat appearances on the team. Achee, Hudson, Farrell and Samac have all been academic all-conference selections before.

Both Achee and Bartholomew earned second-team All-America honors last Wednesday at the NCAA Outdoor Championships with a 16^th-place finish as members of the 4×400 relay team.

Five others — Beavers, Hudson, Smith, Samac and Zahradnickova—all competed at the NCAA East First Round in Kentucky two weeks earlier.

Achee, a Bossier City native, qualified for the 400-meter dash in the NCAA East First Round in addition to reaching the nationals as a member of the relay.

The Parkway High graduate grabbed one outdoor SLC gold (4×400 relay) and one outdoor silver (400), as well as two indoor silvers (4×400 relay, 400).

Achee, a 2025 All-SLC Academic selection, made the team for the second straight season after sporting a 3.766 GPA while majoring in accounting.

He won two conference weekly awards and broke four school records — the 400 twice in both indoor and outdoor, the 4×400 relay outdoor three times, as well as once in the indoor.

Like Achee, Bartholomew made the NCAA East First Round in the open 400. He was with Achee on the SLC gold medal-winning 4×400 relay team, as well as he finished right behind Achee with the bronze in the open 400 at the conference meet.

Bartholomew sported a GPA of 3.67, majoring in homeland security.

Beavers had a sensational first season with the Demons, ending with a spot on the academic all-conference team.

He was an NCAA East First Round participant in the 100 and won gold as a member of the 4×100 relay team at the conference championship.

At the indoor meet, he was named the SLC Indoor Men’s Athlete of the Year and Indoor Men’s Track Athlete of the Year, as well as the SLC Men’s Indoor Championships MVP after winning gold in both the 60 and 200.

In the classroom, he had a 3.48 GPA while majoring in health and exercise science.

Hudson makes his third appearance on the academic list. A graduate student, he compiled a GPA of 3.5 in health and human performance.

Smith has a perfect 4.0 GPA majoring in accounting and business administration.

On the women’s side, Farrell is a repeat selection and owns a cumulative 3.91 GPA while majoring in health and exercise science.

Mannering, a freshman from Italy, recorded a perfect 4.0 in her first season collegiately, majoring in health and exercise science.

Another 4.0 came from Ring, who did so while majoring in health and human performance.

Samac made the team once again, posting a 3.54 GPA while majoring in health and exercise science.

Zahradnickova, a senior from the Czech Republic, recorded a 3.5 GPA while majoring in health and human performance.

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To all Natchitoches Parish Citizens who received a summons for Jury Duty for Monday June 15:

Jury Duty is cancelled. 

There is nothing that you need to do.  When this case is rescheduled, a new group will be summoned.

Thanks for your willingness to serve the 10^th Judicial District Court of Natchitoches Parish.

David Stamey
Clerk of Court Natchitoches Parish
318-352-8152

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Carol Ann Jones Coolman
Service held on June 14

Lynn David Galloway
Service:  Saturday, June 27 at 11 am at the First United Methodist Crossroads, 411 Second Street in Natchitoches

Blanche Ruth Watkins
February 4, 1927 — June 8, 2026
Service: Monday, June 29, 2026 at 10 am at Trinity Episcopal Church in Natchitoches

Natchitoches Parish Journal publishes paid obituaries – unlimited words and a photo, as well as unlimited access.

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