Article Index:

Live Oak falls to No. 9 Istrouma

By Chris Coleman

Live Oak junior safety Hunter Hughes returns a punt against Istrouma Friday night. The Eagles fell to the Indians 34-8, dropping their overall season record to 2-6, 0-4 in District 6-4A. Istrouma came into the game ranked No. 9 in the Louisiana Sportswriters Association poll, and improved to 6-1, 4-0 on the season. Live Oak returns to action this Friday at home, hosting Glen Oaks at 7 in the final game of the season. (Photo by David Normand)

WATSON - There is a song by The Eagles titled “Life in the Fast Lane.”

Friday night, Istrouma running back Daniel Porter found that “fast lane” against the Live Oak Eagle defense, racing for 198 yards and four touchdowns on 20 carries to lead the Indians to a 34-8 victory in District 6-4A play.

Istrouma, which came in ranked ninth in the Louisiana Sportswriters Association poll, improves to 6-1, 4-0 on the year. The Indians will face Zachary next week with the winner claiming the 6-4A title. Live Oak falls to 2-6, 0-4.

Porter got his night started with a 15-yard scoring run on Istrouma's first possession of the night. Tochukwu Chimezie split the sticks for the extra point to give the Indians a 7-0 lead with just under nine minutes left to play in the first quarter.

Live Oak threatened late in the first quarter after getting great field position at its own 45. The Eagles moved to the Istrouma 5 when Michael Scarbrough connected with junior split back Patrick Brady for 23 yards on a third-and-four. On the next play, Darren LeBlanc coughed up the ball and Wilford Frankin pounced on the fumble to give the Indians possession at their own 1.

Porter used his legs and his arms to lead the Indians 99 yards to pay dirt. The senior carried nine times for 72 yards on the drive, and kept the drive alive with a six-yard reception on a fourth-and-two from his own 48. Porter then capped the 12-play drive with a 14-yard run with 9:34 to play in the first half.

The Istrouma workhorse would give the Indians a 21-0 halftime lead with a seven-yard scoring run late in the second quarter.

Istrouma wasted little time adding to its lead once the second half got under way, scoring three plays into the third quarter on a 29-yard gallop by Porter. Chimezie converted the PAT to give the Indians a 28-0 lead.

Live Oak got another great scoring opportunity midway through the third quarter following an interception by Shawn Mullen. The senior returned the pick 62 yards to the IHS 15. The Eagles converted a third and eight when Scarbrough found junior tight end Garret Antoline for a 13-yard gain to the 2. LeBlanc got to the one-foot line on first down but that was as close as the Eagles could get. Facing a fourth and goal at the 1, Scarbrough was tackled for a loss back to the 2, turning the ball over to the Indians.

One the very next play, Live Oak scored its first points of the contest when senior defensive end Jacob Phillips found his way into the Istrouma backfield and brought down running back Kendrick Green for a safety.

Live Oak's Hunter Hughes returned the ensuing kickoff 50 yards to the Istrouma 5. On the next play, Kardaryl Watson scored standing up. A holding penalty negated a successful two-point conversion attempt by the Eagles. The resulting kick was no good and Istrouma held a 28-8 lead with 3:18 left to play in the third quarter.

Istrouma would score the final points of the night on a 3-yard run by Antoine Robinson with 4:33 remaining in the game.

The Indians racked up an impressive 450 yards of offense on the night. In addition to Porter's big night, Green chipped in 93 yards on 13 carries. Brown was equally efficient throwing the ball, completing 8 of 12 passes for 114 yards. Corey Cushingberry was Brown's favorite target with three grabs for 42 yards.

Watson led the way for Live Oak with 69 yards on 15 totes. Scarbrough, who left last week's game with a mild concussion, returned to complete four of 13 passes for 58 yards. Adam McClure was the leading receiver for the Eagles with two receptions for 24 yards, while Brady chipped in one catch for 23 yards.

“The score was no indication of the way we played,” Live Oak head coach Donnie Bozeman said after the game. “I mean, we fumbled early and didn't get any points and then we get to the one-yard line and don't score. If you add those points up it's a 34-21 game. But you have to give Istrouma credit. When you're ranked in the top 10 you know you've got a good ball club.”

Bozeman also had some high praise for Porter following the contest.

“He's the best back in the area,” Bozeman said. “But in front of any good running back is a good offensive line. So when you put those two together, that's a deadly combination.”

Live Oak will close out the regular season, and the Donnie Bozeman era, next Friday when the Eagles host Glen Oaks at 7 p.m. in a district contest.

“We're looking forward to playing Glen Oaks next week,” Bozeman said. “It would be nice to go out on a winning note. Plus it will be senior night and I know our guys will be fired up and ready to play.”

Eagles visit Eagles in final road trip

By Sam Muffoletto

Live Oak quarterback Michael Scarborough scrambles toward the sidelines and is brought down by Belaire's Darryl Tolliver (66) and Brett Lee (24) during the third quarter of the Eagles' Thursday night Homecoming loss to the Bengals last week. The Eagles will dust themselves off and take on the fellow Eagles of Scotlandville Friday night. (Photo by David Normand)

WATSON - An Eagle victory is guaranteed Friday night, as Live Oak makes its final road trip of the season in its travels to Scotlandville for a District 6-4A encounter.

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

The Eagles of Watson will attempt to snap a three-game losing streak, including back-to-back league losses which dropped them to 0-2 in district and 2-4 overall.

The Golden Eagles of Baton Rouge are 1-1 in district following their first league setback last Friday, which also dropped them to 3-2 on the year.

While Live Oak came up empty in a 26-0 Homecoming loss to Belaire last week, Scotlandville found itself nearly scalped by halftime, down 35-6 to the Indians of Istrouma en route to a 41-20 road loss.

Despite turning the football over four times, Istrouma amassed 490 yards of total offense against Scotlandville's defense, including 342 yards on the ground.

The Golden Eagles answered an opening-game TD by the Indians with a 20-yard touchdown pass from Stacey Ducre (5-foot-8, 205 pounds) to Corey Lindsey.

Ducre, however, would not complete another pass and Scotlandville wouldn't score again until the third period and 29 unanswered points by Istrouma.

Lindsey did run in a score for the Eagles and then caught a two-point pass from Ducre.

Ducre, who entered the contest with 25 completions in 48 attempts for 562 yards, was just 1-of-12 in the air for 20 yards with one interception. He did run in the final Scotlandville touchdown from 4 yards out to go along with his sixth TD pass of the season.

Lindsey has 13 catches on the season for 253 yards (19.4 avg.), with four touchdowns.

Under first-year head coach Landry Williams, the fifth-year reborn Scotlandville program has already posted one more victory than its 2-8 finish last year.

The Golden Eagles returned 14 starters from a year ago, including an experienced offensive line of Daverin Geralds (6-4, 285), Donnie Jackson (5-10, 235) and Clint Berry (6-4, 335).

The defense is also laden with returnees in end Andrew Coleman (6-2, 220), tackles Kenneth Banks (6-1, 250) and Jasmine Clark (6-1, 225), linebackers Tracey Ducre (5-8, 205) and Brandon Bolden (6-1, 190) and cornerback Nathaniel Tate (5-10, 175).

Scotlandville's league win came over Glen Oaks (28-16), while the Golden Eagles posted non-district wins over Baker (12-7) and Clinton (21-16), while losing to Tara (30-6).

Live Oak, still mending from early-season injuries, continues to struggle offensively, with less than 100 yards rushing last week and 74 yards passing.

Quarterback Michael Scarborough was 9-of-22 for 74 with two interceptions, but Kardaryl Watson was a magnet to five of those completions for 50 yards.

The Eagles reached the end zone once on a 1-yard run by 5-foot-2 senior scat-back Craig “Termite” Ricard, only to have the touchdown nullified for an illegal formation.

Live Oak falls to Belaire in homecoming

By Chris Coleman

Live Oak junior split back Patrick Brady is stopped by Belaire's defensive line during the Eagles' 26-0 homecoming drubbing Thursday night. Live Oak fell to 2-4 on the year and 0-2 in district play. (Photo by David Normand)

WATSON - The Live Oak Eagles finally got healthy, but the Belaire Bengals got hungry.

Live Oak got most of its injured starters back, but that still wasn't enough against a Belaire squad that earlier this week was forced to forfeit a victory for using an ineligible player. The Bengals made sure they got that victory back, using a balanced offensive attack to spoil homecoming for Live Oak with a 26-0 victory over the Eagles Thursday night.

Both teams now stand at 2-4 on the year. Belaire improves to 1-1 in District 6-4A, while Live Oak falls to 0-2 in district.

Belaire scored the first points of the night with less than a minute to play in the opening stanza. Junior running back Jamar McDowell capped a nine-play, 69-yard drive with a 16-yard touchdown run. Mike Richardson ran in the two-point conversion to give the Bengals an 8-0 lead.

In the second quarter, sophomore quarterback Patrick Brown connected with senior receiver Jeremy Paul for a 22-yard touchdown strike. Paul made an outstanding catch, battling for the ball with Live Oak's Hunter Hughes and gaining possession just before going out of the back of the end zone. The two-point conversion failed and Belaire had a 14-0 lead with 7:00 left to play in the first half.

The Bengals added another score with 15 seconds remaining in the first half when Brown hooked up with running back Ronnie Alexander for a 53-yard score. Live Oak's Paul Allyn nearly came up with the interception but mistimed his jump, allowing Alexander to walk into the end zone untouched. Once again, the two-point attempt failed and the Bengals held a 20-0 halftime lead.

Brown had a great game directing the Bengal offense, completing 8-of-13 passes for 135 yards and two scores.

Running back-linebacker Kardaryl Watson led the way for Live Oak, coming up huge on both sides of the ball. Watson finished with five receptions for 50 yards and came up with a sack on defense. Hughes had an interception and Drew Walock recovered a fumble to help lead the Live Oak defense.

Belaire took the opening kickoff in the second half and marched 64 yards in eight plays. Sophomore fullback Ricky Spears scored the final points of the night with a 35-yard run right up the middle on a fourth-and-one.

Late in the third quarter, Live Oak drove deep into Bengal territory only to be denied by the guys in the striped shirts.

Following a Belaire punt, the Eagles took over in great field position at the BHS 44. Senior fullback Darren LeBlanc picked up a first down on three straight carries. Live Oak moved the ball to the Bengal 6 on a 27-yard completion from Michael Scarbrough to Watson. The senior made an outstanding grab, going up between two defenders and coming down with the ball. On first-and-goal, Scarbrough kept for 5 yards down to the 1.

On the next play, Scarbrough connected with 5-foot-2, 98-pound senior Craig ”Termite“ Ricard for a 1-yard score. The play was called back because the side judge ruled the Eagles did not have enough men on the line of scrimmage. However, the game film clearly showed the Eagles did have the necessary seven men on the line. On the next play, Scarbrough was intercepted by Paul to end the drive.

”He just miscounted,“ Live Oak head coach Donnie Bozeman said after the game. ”I'm hurt for Craig because it took away a young man's touchdown who is a senior and who works hard. We had a good (officiating) crew tonight, but the guy made an honest mistake. However, one bad call doesn't determine the game.

”I'm just as proud of our kids as ever,“ Bozeman continued. ”They played as hard as they could and some played a little more. Give coach Ron LeJeune credit. His football team has a lot of talent. Their record is no indication of the type of football team that they have.“

One way or another the Eagles will get a win next week as Live Oak will travel to take on the Eagles of Scotlandville in a District 6-4A contest Friday night.

Broncos deal Eagles crippling defeat

By Chris Coleman

ZACHARY - Forget about soaring, the Live Oak Eagles are having enough difficulty just walking these days.

Already without four starters, the Eagles saw at least five players leave their game with Zachary Friday night. Those injuries, coupled with the speed of the Broncos, were too much to overcome as Zachary rolled to a 39-0 halftime lead and left with a 39-7 triumph to open district 6-4A play.

Zachary, which came in ranked 11th in the latest Louisiana Sportswriters Association poll, remains undefeated at 5-0, 1-0 in 6-4A. Live Oak falls to 2-3, 0-1.

The Broncos amassed 377 yards on the ground, led by a trio of seniors. Fullback Toney McDowell led the way with 111 yards and two scores on seven carries. Quarterback Cothern Williams collected 110 yards on eight carries. Halfback Ricky James added two touchdown runs to help fuel the Zachary attack.

Zachary got the scoring started with just under eight minutes to play in the opening quarter as James posted the first TD on a 15-yard run. Nolan Sutton missed the extra point wide right to leave the Broncos with a 6-0 lead.

Live Oak would come right back led by quarterback Michael Scarbrough. The junior ran for 32 yards on the drive, including an 11-yard scramble on fourth and nine from the Bronco 28. The Eagles could not come away with any points on the drive as Zachary sophomore cornerback Devyn Baker won a jump ball with Live Oak's Adam McClure in the end zone to come away with an interception. After that, Zachary never looked back.

The Broncos increased the lead to 12-0 with 2:10 remaining in the first quarter as senior halfback Jeffery Johnson scored from 14 yards out. Williams was stopped on the two-point conversion attempt.

Zachary blew the game wide open with four touchdowns in the second quarter, even though head coach Bob Howell began inserting his second team midway through the period.

McDowell scored his first touchdown of the night rumbling 24 yards over the Live Oak defense. He was stopped on the two-point conversion to give Zachary an 18-0 lead with 10:25 left in the first half.

The lead grew to 25-0 as James scored from two yards out with 7:42 to play in the half. Sutton split the uprights on the PAT. The score was set up by a 28-yard run by Williams on the previous play. He did not play the rest of the night.

Three-and-a-half minutes later, McDowell capped off his night with an 18-yard scoring run. Sutton again converted the extra point giving Zachary a 32-0 lead.

The touchdown parade ended when Ben Zachary scored on a six-yard run in the final minute of the first half. Sutton hit his third PAT of the night and the Broncos went into the locker room with a 39-0 lead.

Live Oak would score its only points of the night on a 1-yard run by Kardaryl Watson with under a minute to play in the third quarter. Ronnie Mullen hit the extra point for the final score of 39-7.

The score capped an eight play, 40 yard drive in which Drew Walock was the main contributor for the Eagles. The junior fullback had a 12-yard reception that got the ball inside the ZHS 20. Later, he would pick up seven yards to the Bronco 1. Two plays later, he appeared to score, but was marked down just short of the goal line. On the next play, Watson found the end zone.

In the fourth quarter, Live Oak used the strong running of Watson and Walock to drive 91 yards on 13 consecutive running plays to the Zachary 5. The Eagles could not come away with any points as the horn sounded with the ball sitting at the Bronco 2.

Live Oak finished with a respectable 237 yards of total offense on the night. Scarborough led the way with 77 yards on 12 carries. Watson chipped in 59 yards on 13 carries, while Walock finished with 11 carries for 35 yards. Scarbrough also completed nine of 15 passes for 62 yards. Tight ends Garret Antoline and Jacob Phillips led the passing game with two receptions each for 20 and 18 yards respectively.

”We're not making excuses, but we're banged and bruised,“ Live Oak head coach Donnie Bozeman said after the game. ”We found out just before the game that Shawn Mullen couldn't play and that really limited us at the running back position. Michael Scarbrough had a nice game. We ran a lot of quarterback draws and he completed some nice passes for us. There were just too many personnel mismatches tonight. But our kids gave us everything they had and I'm proud of that. Hopefully, we can rest up and get some guys back for next week.“

Bozeman also noted the class that Zachary head coach Howell showed in playing his youngsters.

”He has a lot of class. He played his young guys and got them experience tonight. When I was at Crowley and he was at Baker, we played them in the quarterfinals and I had him 40-0 at half and didn't score in the second half. So he knows what it's like to be on the wrong end of the score. Tonight I found out what it's like. They (Zachary) have a good ball club and they will do well in the playoffs.“

Live Oak will have a short week to try and get healthy. The Eagles will celebrate homecoming Thursday night against Belaire. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Eagle Stadium.

Live Oak fails to beat PJP twice

By Chris Coleman

Live Oak junior quarterback Michael Scarborough looks for a target downfield as he rolls to his left to get away from the Pope John Paul pass rush. The Eagles lost to the Jaguars Friday night in Watson after beating them last week in Slidell. Live Oak dropped to 2-2 on the season with the loss, and will travel to Zachary this week. (Mike Dowty)

WATSON - There is an old adage in football that says it is hard to beat a team twice in one season. As the Live Oak Eagles found out Friday night, it is even more difficult to beat a team twice in one week.

After defeating Pope John Paul 14-9 on the road last Sunday, the Eagles were handed a 24-6 defeat Friday on their home field against those same Jaguars.

With the loss, Live Oak falls to 2-2, while Pope John Paul evens its record at 1-1.

The Jaguars scored the first points of the contest on a 33- yard field goal by sophomore kicker Andrew Birkoff. The kick capped a five-play, 35-yard drive that gave Pope John Paul a 3-0 lead with 4:08 to play in the first half.

Live Oak would storm right back two plays later when junior quarterback Michael Scarbrough connected with senior split end Adam McClure for a 20-yard touchdown strike. On the previous play, Scarbrough connected with Kardaryl Watson for a gain of 62 yards that got the ball to the PJP 20. Ronnie Mullen's PAT was blocked and the Eagles held a 6-3 lead.

Pope John Paul nearly took the lead back before intermission. The Jaguars drove to the Live Oak 31 before senior quarterback Richard Guillot was intercepted inside the Eagle 10 to thwart the scoring opportunity.

The Jaguars wasted little time seizing control of the game in the second half.

Pope John Paul got the ball at its own 35 to open the half after the kickoff went out of bounds. The Jaguars crossed into Live Oak territory on a 21-yard completion from Guillot to senior receiver Brett Posner. Guillot and Posner would later hook up for an 11-yard gain that moved the ball to the Eagle 2. On the next play, senior running back Chad Hindman ran over the offensive left side for a 2-yard score. Pope John Paul was called for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty after the play, but Birkoff still hit the extra point from 35 yards out to give PJP a 10-6 lead.

Penalties were rampant all night as both teams saw more yellow than Lance Armstrong. The Jaguars were flagged 10 times for 95 yards, while Live Oak took six penalties for 41 yards.

Pope John Paul would increase the lead midway through the third quarter when Hindman scored on a 1-yard run. Birkoff split the sticks on the PAT for a 17-6 lead. Once again, it was the combination of Guillot to Posner that set up the score with a 26-yard completion to the Eagle 1.

The Jaguars nearly added another score late in the third period when senior defensive back Darryl Hickman intercepted Scarbrough and returned it 55 yards to the Live Oak 10. Only a tackle by Scarbrough kept Hickman out of the end zone.

Penalties again proved costly as PJP was flagged for a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on first down. A sack by Live Oak's Jacob Phillips pushed the Jaguars back another nine yards. On fourth-and-goal from the 34, Pope John Paul punted the ball out of the end zone, giving Live Oak the ball at its own 20.

On first down, Scarbrough hooked up with McClure for a gain of 50 yards. The play was called back because of an inadvertent whistle killing the only scoring chance the Eagles would have in the second half.

The Jaguars tacked on the final points of the evening on a 57-yard run right up the gut by Guillot. Birkoff converted his third extra point of the evening for the final score of 24-6.

Guillot finished with 82 yards and two interceptions on six of 19 passing. He also rushed for 67 yards on seven carries. Hindman led the ground attack with 95 yards and two scores on 24 totes. Posner was the leading receiver with four grabs for 71 yards.

The Live Oak effort was led by Watson. The senior running back finished with three receptions for 89 yards. Scarbrough completed seven of 19 passes for 123 yards, while rushing for 51 yards on 13 carries.

Pope John Paul head coach Chris Lachney was pleased with his team's overall improvement.

"They say a that a football team makes the most improvement from the first week to the second week. I think you saw that tonight. It took our offense a little time to click," Lachney continued. "But our defense kept us in the game tonight until the offense got it going."

"It (playing) means a lot. Not just to our team and our school, but the whole city of Slidell. We are the first ones who have gone back to school so we feel like we're kind of carrying the torch, saying, yes, we can rebuild, we can return to some form of normalcy."

Live Oak head coach Donnie Bozeman praised the Jaguar coaching staff for having their team ready to play.

"They were hungrier than we were tonight. They beat us on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday at practice," Bozeman said. "You just can't come out on Friday and expect to win. Coach Lachney and his staff do an outstanding job of coaching. They had their kids ready to play. Their quarterback, Guillot, did an outstanding job of directing their offense. And Chad Hindman ran extremely hard all night."

Live Oak will next travel to Zachary to open district 6-4A play against the Broncos. Pope John Paul will also open district play when they host Varnado in a district 9-2A contest.

Eagles beat Jaguars in part one

By Chris Coleman

SLIDELL - It wasn't Philadelphia and Jacksonville. Terrell Owens and Donovan McNabb weren't there. But the Eagles and Jaguars met on the gridiron Sunday.

The Live Oak Eagles and Pope John Paul Jaguars, that is.

In a game that was moved from Friday because of Hurricane Rita, Live Oak overcame a fourth-quarter deficit to post a 14-9 victory.

With the win, Live Oak improves to 2-1. Pope John Paul, which was playing its season opener, falls to 0-1.

Live Oak used a strong rushing attack and a timely passing game to come away with the win. The Eagle defense employed a bend-but-don't-break philosophy, yielding in excess of 250 yards to the Jaguars. Pope John Paul could not penetrate the end zone, however, as all of the Jaguar scoring came on Chris Turner field goals.

Live Oak scored on its second possession of the game when Michael Scarbrough connected with senior running back Shawn Mullen for a 15-yard touchdown. Ronnie Mullen converted the PAT to give the Eagles a 7-0 lead. The score was set up by a 16-yard run by Scarbrough on the play before the touchdown.

Pope John Paul cut the lead to 7-6 at halftime as the sophomore Turner converted field goals of 34 and 22 yards. The 22-yarder came as time expired in the first half.

The Jaguars took the lead in the third quarter when Turner split the uprights from 31 yards out. Pope John Paul took that 9-7 lead into the fourth quarter.

The only visible reminder of Hurricane Katrina came into play late in the game. The scoreboard at the stadium was bent by the wind of the storm, and the game clock was not visible during the contest.

Live Oak got the ball at the PJP 47 trailing by two with 4:25 to play in the game. Not wanting to waste time, Live Oak scored the winning points three plays later as Scarbrough hooked up with Kardaryl Watson for a 31-yard touchdown.

Mullen's kick was true and the Eagles had the winning margin of 14-9.

The Live Oak defense would seal the victory when junior safety Brandon Hall intercepted Jaguar QB Richard Guillot with less than a minute to play.

Senior fullback Darren LeBlanc led the Eagle attack with 86 yards on 13 carries. Scarbrough completed four-of-six passes for 63 yards and two touchdowns.

"This was a total team effort," Live Oak head coach Donnie Bozeman said after the game. "We were a little worried because all we had seen of them was their jamboree film. But we prepared for what they've ran the last three years.

"When we played them three years ago, they ran two completely different offenses at us," Bozeman continued. "But they ran pretty much what they ran in the jamboree.

"For us, first down was very important. If we didn't have a big gainer on first down, then we were three-and-out a lot of times. When we got the lead we were very conservative. But we threw the ball when we needed to."

Live Oak was scheduled to host Riverdale Friday night, while Pope John Paul was scheduled to host Buras. Those games will not take place due to the recent storms, so Live Oak and Pope John Paul will do battle for a second consecutive week this Friday at Eagle Stadium.

Live Oak soars past Albany
By Chris Coleman

Live Oak junior quarterback Michael Scarborough finds the end zone from six yards out to help the Eagles take a 14-0 first quarter lead on the way to a 20-6 win over Albany Friday night. Live Oak will travel to Pope John Paul in Slidell next week. (David Normand)

WATSON - Not even mother nature could keep the Live Oak Eagles from soaring Friday night. The Eagles scored on their first two possessions on their way to a 20-6 victory over parish rival Albany.

With the win, Live Oak evened its record at 1-1, while Albany remains winless at 0-2.

The Eagles took the opening kickoff and marched 64 yards in eight plays, capped by a one-yard keeper by quarterback Michael Scarbrough. Ronnie Mullen converted the PAT to give the Eagles a 7-0 lead. On the play before the touchdown, Scarbrough connected with senior split end Adam McClure on a 44-yard completion that put the ball at the one.

As soon as the extra point went through the uprights, the officials decided to halt play due to lightning in the area. When play resumed an hour later, Live Oak tightened its control of the game and never looked back.

The Eagle defense forced Albany three and out on its first possession. On fourth and five from the 33, Hornet punter Zack Hampton mishandled the snap and regained control as his knee hit the ground, giving Live Oak great field position at the AHS 25.

Five plays later, Scarbrough kept it up the middle to score from six yards out. Mullen split the uprights on the kick, giving the Eagles a 14-0 lead with 4:36 to play in the opening frame.

Live Oak would take that two -touchdown lead into the locker room. However, it took a miraculous stand by the Eagle defense to keep Albany off the scoreboard.

The Hornets got great field position at the Live Oak 34 following a 13-yard punt by Eagle Derek Gann. Junior quarterback Brennan Sessions connected with Jordan Richardson on a 27-yard pass that gave Albany a first and goal at the 1. That last yard was truly the longest yard for the Hornets as Live Oak kept them out of the end zone.

Albany would lose yardage on four consecutive plays to give the ball back to the Eagles.

On first down, Sessions was thrown for a loss of a yard by Eagle defensive tackle Josh Price. On the next play, Price combined with Kardaryl Watson to push Albany fullback Demarcus Adams back another yard. Adams' third down carry resulted in a two- yard loss, leaving the Hornets facing a fourth and goal from the five. Sessions was then sacked for a 14-yard loss by Live Oak's Hunter Hughes and Andrew Robbins. Sessions was also flagged for a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on the play.

"That goal line stand is the best that you'll see in high school football," Live Oak head coach Donnie Bozeman said following the game. "Then those penalties that they got were out of frustration."

Albany was plagued by penalties all night. The Hornets took eight flags for 80 yards. Three of those were unsportsmanlike conduct penalties, one of which resulted in the ejection of Albany's Kris Payne.

Live Oak increased the lead on its first possession of the second half, following another bad snap on an Albany punt. Hampton received the snap on one hop and tried desperately to find some positive yardage. He lost four yards on the play and Live Oak took over with great field position at the Hornet 36.

Four plays later, Shawn Mullen outran the Albany defense for a 20-yard TD. His brother Ronnie hit the right upright on the point after, leaving Live Oak with a 20-0 lead with 9:25 to play in the third quarter.

On Live Oak's next possession, the Hornets special teams came up with a big play as Jacob McKnight blocked Gann's punt and recovered it at the Live Oak 35.

Albany moved the ball to the 11 on a 23-yard pass from Sessions to Adams. On fourth and eight from the 9, Sessions scrambled around the left side and found the end zone. However, the play was called back because of a holding penalty, leaving the Hornets with a fourth and 14 from the 15. Sessions' pass was broken up in the corner of the end zone by Live Oak safety Brandon Hall. Hall is a junior who transferred from Belle Chase because of Hurricane Katrina.

Live Oak would fumble the ball right back on the next play, giving Albany one more chance to put points on the board.

This time, the Hornets would cash in as Sessions found Richardson on an 11-yard touchdown. Adams hit the crossbar with his PAT for the final score of 20-6.

Offensively, Watson led the way for Live Oak with 61 yards on 11 carries. Senior fullback Darren LeBlanc carried 16 times for 60 yards. Shawn Mullen chipped in 30 yards on three totes.

On the defensive side, the Eagles were led by senior defensive end Jacob Phillips, who had a sack as well as three tackles for loss.

"This was a total team effort," Bozeman said. " Our JV needs to be complimented for giving us a good look during the week at what Albany was going to do. We set the tone by shutting them down early and they (Albany) were forced to go into things that they didn't really want to do."

Adams led the way for Albany with 63 yards on 20 carries. He also chipped in one reception for 23 yards. Richardson was the leading receiver for the Hornets with three catches for 48 yards.

"We played hard, and we played with pride," Albany Head Coach Lonnie Reed said after the contest.

"We still have some hurdles that we need to get over. We have to develop that cut-throat attitude whenever we smell blood in the water."

Albany will try to develop that killer instinct, as well as break into the win column, next week when they host parish rival Springfield.

Live Oak will travel Friday to Slidell to take on Pope John Paul II. The game will mark the season opener for the Jaguars who will be in school on Monday for the first time since Hurricane Katrina. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

Dogs shoot down Eagles in OT
By Chris Coleman

ALBANY - Sometimes there are games where it is a shame that one team has to lose. Such was the case Friday night as parish rivals Live Oak and Springfield tangled at Jessie Fletcher Memorial Stadium.

It took overtime to settle the affair, but Springfield wrestled away a 13-7 overtime victory when sophomore Zeke Jones scored on an 8-yard run in the extra frame. Live Oak also went to overtime in its season opener last year, winning on a fourth-down fake field goal against Pope John Paul.

Springfield opens the season 1-0, while Live Oak falls to 0-1. After Hurricane Katrina wiped out high school football in the first week of the season, Springfield had to move its week two game to Albany because the power was not yet restored at Bulldog Stadium.

The stats were virtually even on both sides. Live Oak won the net yardage battle 143 to 142. Both teams scored their first touchdown off of interceptions. The Bulldogs hurt themselves with 10 penalties for 90 yards, while the Eagle special teams missed two field goals.

Live Oak got great field position following a 54-yard opening kickoff return by Shawn Mullen that got the ball to the Springfield 31, but was unable to convert a fourth-and-10 from there.

Live Oak's next possession ended in frustration after a drive from the 29 that appeared to be headed for a score was stopped by a fumble at the Springfield 5. Watson lost the handle trying to pick up extra yards on the run and Springfield's Armond Dotey recovered.

Live Oak missed a 34-yard field goal to end the scoreless first half, but the Eagle defense finally set up the first points in the third quarter when Kardaryl Watson intercepted an Adam Freeman pass and returned it to the Bulldog 23. Live Oak quarterback Michael Scarborough picked up a first-and-goal at the 10 on an 8-yard run, but from there the Eagles had to fight for every additional yard to finish the drive.

On fourth-and-goal from the 3, Watson was wrapped up at the goal line, but his second effort got him into the end zone. Ronnie Mullen converted the PAT to give the Eagles a 7-0 lead with 8:21 to play in the third quarter.

The Live Oak defense came up with three sacks on the evening. Senior defensive end Jacob Phillips got to Freeman twice, with Drew Walock chipping in with the other sack.

Springfield evened things up in the fourth quarter when sophomore Jermaine Smith intercepted Scarbrough and raced 35 yards for a score. Alan Varnado's kick split the uprights to tie the game at seven with 7:15 to play.

The Bulldogs got the ball at their own 8-yard line with just over five minutes to play in the contest. Springfield converted two third downs to move the ball to the Live Oak 34 and it looked as though the Bulldogs were marching toward a winning touchdown. The drive stalled, however, as four consecutive Freeman passes fell incomplete with less than a minute to play.

In the extra period, Live Oak tried a little trickery, running a halfback option with Watson nearly connecting with Scarbrough for a score. A Springfield defender tipped the ball away at the last possible second to save the day for the Dogs. On fourth down, Mullen missed a 28-yard field goal short and Springfield took over.

Jones, who finished with 100 yards on 26 carries, scored the winning points on Springfield's second play of the overtime period.

Watson was the leading rusher for Live Oak with 35 yards on ten carries. Scarbrough and senior fullback Darren LeBlanc both finished with 22 yards.

"We were sloppy," Springfield head coach Spencer Harris said afterwards. "We had too many penalties. But we fought hard."

"I told my guys, no one will do as good a job of coaching as those guys (Live Oak)," Harris continued. "I have the ultimate respect for coach Bozeman."

Live Oak head coach Donnie Bozeman echoed those sentiments in talking about the Bulldogs.

"We have the utmost respect for Springfield," Bozeman said. "I'm proud of our kids, especially the defense because they didn't score on us in regulation. It's just a shame that someone had to lose this game."

Springfield will travel to take on Christian Life next week, while Live Oak will play its home opener against parish rival Albany.