Live Oak High Football

PONCHATOULA - For all its second-half spunk, Live Oak simply saw too much Green in losing its first football game of the season Friday night, 35-25. Ponchatoula's Green Wave, which featured running back Joseph Green, bolted to a 28-0 lead and then weathered Live Oak's second-half surge to beat a Livingston Parish team for the second time in as many games. Ponchatoula defeated Walker in its season opener, 39-8.

"We made a whole lot of mistakes in the first half," Live Oak coach Paul Beebe said. "You can't make those kind of mistakes and win against a quality football team."

Ponchatoula committed its share of second-half miscues, but not before Green had run with abandon in scoring four touchdowns. Green scored twice in the first quarter on runs of 14 and 19 yards, again in the second quarter on a 7-yard run, and once more in the third period on a 68-yard run. "He's a great running back," Beebe said. Green finished with 16 carries for 184 yards, including first-quarter totals of seven rushes for 87 yards. Even he committed a turnover, though, as Ponchatoula lost three second-half fumbles. Green's fumble paved the way for Live Oak to score on the last play of the game, with freshman Lane Williams adding the extra point kick. Williams had his first attempt blocked before Live Oak failed to convert on a pair of two-point tries. "If you're going to call yourself a good football team, you have to find a way to put teams away," Ponchatoula coach Mike Baiamonte said. "But hats off to Live Oak. They took advantage of our mistakes." Live Oak proved to be opportunistic through much of the second half. With Ponchatoula firmly in control, Live Oak finally forced the Green Wave into a punting situation. But Live Oak's Robbie Sage blocked the punt attempt, and Jared Thomas recovered the loose ball in the end zone at 8:08 of the second quarter to narrow Live Oak's deficit to 28-6. It took Ponchatoula just 10 seconds to retaliate with its final touchdown. Green took a first-down handoff and sped 68 yards into the end zone in outrunning Mike Templeton along the way.

Undaunted. Live Oak continued to battle back. The Eagles returned the ensuing kickoff to Ponchatoula's 45-yard line and then embarked on a 10-play scoring drive that ended in Josh Hughes' 4-yard touchdown run at 2:04 of the third quarter. That left Live Oak trailing 35-12 entering the final period. Along the way, the Eagles picked up three first downs, including their final one when quarterback David Bell threw a 3-yard pass to Tyler McGrew just before Hughes scored. Bell threw a pair of fourth-quarter touchdown passes, including one to McGrew. But Bell also threw two first-half interceptions, and Beebe said Bell "didn't have his best game, for sure. Really, nobody from Live Oak had their best game, for sure, from myself down to the last water boy."

Ponchatoula quarterback Eldrid Palmer had a touchdown pass with a 24-yard scoring toss to Jacques West to complete the first-half scoring at 33.7 seconds of the second quarter. After a season-opening 32-26 overtime victory against Springfield, Live Oak hopes to win again when it entertains St. Michael the Archangel this Friday. Ponchatoula will entertain Northlake. To do so, Live Oak will likely have to play as it did during an impressive fourth quarter.

Despite several impressive punt returns, Live Oak's Seth Kuhlmann had some rough moments. He fumbled away one punt return and couldn't handle a pass near the Ponchatoula goal line. He atoned for all that, though, when he caught a 21-yard touchdown pass with 4:26 left. Live Oak tried an onside kick, but Ponchatoula recovered and Green ran for 17 yards on the first two plays. The Green Wave went to Green again only to have Live Oak's swarming defense force a fumble. The Eagles recovered at their 32-yard line with 2:17 left, and Bell quickly engineered a drive that resulted in Tyler McGrew's 8-yard touchdown catch on the final play of the game. On the preceding play, Bell had thrown a 23-yard pass to Kuhlmann down to the Ponchatoula 14-yard line. Kuhlmann was stopped at that point on what would have been the last play of the game had the Green Wave not been flagged for a penalty. A game can't end on a defensive penalty, and so Live Oak made the most of its second chance when Bell found McGrew several yards short of the end zone. McGrew fought his way through several tackles and into the end zone to complete the Eagles' comeback that just wasn't enough to compensate for their first-half deficit.
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WATSON - It wasn't easy for Live Oak coach Paul Beebe to make it to his first football game with the Eagles, but they made the effort all worthwhile. Live Oak came through with a pulsating 32-26 overtime victory against Springfield on Thursday night. "I can finally breathe now," Beebe said shortly after delivering post-game congratulations to his team at Eagle Stadium. But can he sleep? Beebe was due back in Chalmette at 4 a.m. Friday to continue providing security with the Air National Guard in the wake of Hurricane Gustav, which cancelled the teams' originally scheduled season openers. Beebe had already been stationed there two weeks when he used a day off to attend practice Wednesday. He returned to St. Bernard Parish on Thursday morning only to hurry back for the game. If my life hasn't been about adversity...," said Beebe, before his voice trailed off. "It's always something that comes up. You have to fight through adversity. It was the same tonight."

And just like their coach, the Eagles displayed tenacity and perseverance in accomplishing their goal. Junior running back Justin Zachary scored the winning touchdown on a 10-yard, first-down run after Springfield had failed to score on four previous plays. Zachary made his first appearance in the game while subbing for senior Louis Crowson, who was felled by cramps in both thighs. "I knew I was going to score," said Zachary, who apparently was stopped several yards short of the goal line only to drag would-be tacklers into the end zone with him. "I was going all the way." Zachary exceeded even Beebe's expectations. "I was hoping for 4 or 5 yards," said Beebe, a former member of the Air Force, who came to Live Oak from Fontainebleau.

Live Oak struggled for most everything it earned in upstaging Springfield junior quarterback Kevin Henderson and first-year coach Ryan Serpas. Henderson completed 17 of 22 passes for 314 yards and four touchdowns with one interception in nearly giving Serpas a successful debut. Springfield will entertain Albany this Friday, while Live Oak will visit Ponchatoula. "He's about the most unselfish kid you could want," Serpas said of Henderson. "He's going to make a name for himself." Henderson certainly left his imprint on the game. He capped the game's opening, 11-play, 63-yard drive with a 29-yard touchdown pass to Darren Mckigney. The Bulldogs converted two fourth downs along the way, including the scoring toss on fourth-and-17 at 5:41. Henderson later hit Mckigney with a 17-yard, fourth-quarter touchdown pass.

Live Oak's ensuing drive stalled and it was forced to deliver the game's only punt. Henderson immediately went to the air again, only to have sophomore Tyler McGrew step in front of Henderson's pass over the middle. McGrew returned his interception to the Springfield 20-yard line, which put the Eagles in position for their first score. On second-and-4, quarterback David Bell raced 14 yards around the right end for a touchdown that knotted the score at 6-6. Live Oak's extra-point kick was partially blocked after Springfield's two-point rushing attempt failed. Springfield immediately found itself in trouble again when it fumbled the kickoff and ended up on its 4-yard line. Worse yet, it lost two more yards for an illegal substitution penalty. The Bulldogs then embarked on an impressive 85-yard drive that resulted in nothing. Springfield reached the Live Oak 13-yard line on fourth down only to have Henderson stopped 1-yard short in his bid to get the first. The teams eventually retreated to halftime tied at 6-6.

Bell broke the deadlock for Live Oak when he fired a 28-yard touchdown pass to Adam LeBlanc at 7:05 of the third quarter. The Eagles' two-point conversion try failed, but they still held a 12-6 lead. Not for long, as it turned out, though. Immediately after throwing a first-down pass that moved Springfield to its 27-yard line, Henderson saw Tony Patrick slip behind the defense on a post pattern. Henderson hit Patrick in stride to knot the score again at 12-12. That set up a wild fourth quarter and finish. Live Oak took the game's largest lead at 26-12 on Bell's 1-yard run at 11:04 and Seth Kuhlmann's 10-yard, end-around run at 9:15. Lane Williams kicked extra points after both touchdowns. Live Oak moved into position for the second score when Springfield's only punt attempt misfired. Punter Mike Templeton ran down a high snap in the end zone and threw an incomplete pass that put Live Oak on the Springfield 23-yard line. Kuhlmann scored on first down. Just when it seemed as if Live Oak would pull away, Springfield stormed back on the strength of Henderson's right arm.

"The kids played hard," Serpas said. "I'm proud of their effort. We were able to come back." Springfield did so with Henderosn's 16-yard touchdown pass to Matt Savoy with 6:50 left in regulation. Three plays later Live Oak fumbled a pitchout, with Springfield's Johnathon Quirin returning the loose ball to the Eagles' 16-yard line. Live Oak threatened to stop Springfield, but on third-and-11, Henderson found McKigney for a 17-yard touchdown pass with 3:22 remaining in regulation.

Neither team could score again before overtime, with Live Oak having a pass into the end zone tipped away as regulation ended. Springfield had the ball first in overtime, but Henderson lost 2 yards on a run before throwing three incomplete passes. Zachary then rewarded his travel-weary coach with the game-winning touchdown run. "It was worthwhile," Beebe said. "No doubt about it."
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WATSON - Hurricane Gustav delayed the football head-coaching debuts of Live Oak's Paul Beebe and Springfield's Ryan Serpas. With both the Eagles' season-opener against Central and the Bulldogs' date with Loranger swiped from the slate, it set the stage for the two coaches to go head-to-head this week. Serpas will bring his Bulldogs to Eagle Stadium tonight for an intra-parish match-up, but the question remains, will Beebe be present? Beebe, who spent more than a decade in the United States Air Force, remains in the Air National Guard and was called to duty in the wake of Hurricane Gustav. Beebe, who has been stationed in St. Bernard Parish since the storm's arrival, is hoping to get a one-night pass to attend tonight's contest, that kicks off at 7 p.m. If not, Beebe's already passed down command to assistant coach Robbie Mahfouz, who had head-coaching experience at both Central and more recently Walker. "I promised the kids I'd be there, even if I'm standing on the sideline in my uniform," said the 43-year-old Beebe, who took over the reins of the Live Oak program from Mike Schmitt last May. "Hopefully, I can keep that promise." Hurricane duty is nothing new for the former Fontainebleau assistant coach, who was called for duty this time three years ago during Hurricane Katrina. Unlike his assignment of high-water rescue during Katrina, Beebe said he was "thankful that didn't come to pass" this time with Gustav. Instead, Beebe's unit has been assigned to patrol duty in and around Chalmette. "I'm going to try everything I can be back for the game, but there's still so much uncertainty with (Hurricane) Ike," said Beebe. "But even if I'm on the sideline, I really don't know a lot about the game plan. Coach Mahfouz has handled everything since I've been gone, from swapping game-films to putting together the game-plan. "But these kids have worked long and hard over the summer and during preseason and deserve to be able to play a game," said Beebe. "It was good that we've been able to get back and start practicing again. They just need to get back in that daily routine of going to school and practicing every day to prepare for each game. "Some of our players are still out of power at home and aren't eating well," said Beebe. "We realize physically, they're going to be tired right now. But they had a full practice this past Monday, although some were still dealing with the aftermath of the hurricane."

Serpas, who has been anxiously waiting to begin his regime at the helm of the Bulldogs, can feel Beebe's pain. "I can imagine that's hard for him (Beebe)," said Serpas. "But on the other hand, they have an experienced back-up in (Robbie) Mahfouz, who has been around for a while and I'm sure he's done a great job getting his kids ready for this week." If Serpas found himself in a similar situation, he too would have a very able body on standby, as his former boss, Spencer Harris, remained on the Bulldog staff as an assistant coach. While Serpas is still looking for that first "official" win, he guided his Bulldogs to an impressive come-from-behind 12-7 win over Class 5A Hammond two weeks ago in jamboree action.

Live Oak meanwhile, lost to East Ascension 19-0 in jamboree action at the Ascension-Livingston Challenge, but the Eagles were only a couple of positive plays away from making the final score a lot closer. "Looking at them (LOHS) on film, they look like they've improved from last year," said Serpas, who was the Dogs' defensive coordinator in Springfield's 27-6 win against the Eagles last season. "They're going to be a tough opponent. We're just looking forward to getting our chance. We'll see how it will all fall out come Thursday night." Like Beebe, Serpas and his squad are coming out of a tough battle with Hurricane Gustav as well. "Our team is just ready to kick this season off," said Serpas. "They're looking forward to it." While Live Oak had its original season-opener with Central canceled by the storm, Springfield lost its home-opener with Loranger. "If hurt us financially by missing the first game at home, because we were expecting a large crowd," said Serpas. "But you can't do anything about that. You just have move forward." And continued forward motion is what Serpas wants to see out of his team, as he inherits a program that is coming off back-to-back impressive playoff-bound seasons. "There's a lot of things that we've been working on," said Serpas. "Us being a smaller 2A school, we've needed all the games to get ready for our district. Now I'm concerned with our conditioning, since we haven't been able to be up here practicing. Now we have to go out and play a full game. "But I feel our team is resilient and will answer the bell whenever the time comes," said Serpas. "The good thing about it is that I had a couple that were kind of banged up and this time has allowed them to shore up a little bit. "We're looking forward to strapping it up on Thursday and getting after it," said Serpas.
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East Ascension 19
Live Oak 0

It only takes a couple of plays to be momentum-changer in a jamboree and Live Oak fell victim on both offense and defense as the Eagles were blanked by the Spartans. EA's Marcus Bailey had a 25-yard touchdown run nullified by a holding penalty, but teammate Avery Williams came right back four plays later and scored from 21 yards out to help put the Spartans out on top, 7-0.

Live Oak threatened late in the first half when quarterback David Bell hooked up with wide receiver Seth Kuhlmann for pickups of 22 and 26 yards to give the Eagles a first-and-goal from the EA 10 with just 13 seconds remaining. The 70-yard drive stalled at the 10 as Bell tried to hook with wide receiver Alex Switzer on three occasions in the end zone, but the passes fell incomplete to end the first half. Kuhlmann was unable to gather in what could have been a big pass play early in the second half, and after a three-and-punt by the Eagles, East Ascension's Bailey made a touchdown run stick, as he rambled 50 yards on the Spartans' first play from scrimmage in the second half for a touchdown. he point-after kick failed, leaving the score at 13-0.

Live Oak took its next possession and worked its way back into Spartan territory. Bell turned a couple of keepers into a first down at his own 47, but a holding infraction on the next play pushed the Eagles back to the 38. Bell then hooked up with Kuhlmann for a 12-yard gain to midfield and then fullback Louis Crowson crossed the centerline with a four-yard pickup to the EA 46. But on third and fourth down, pass attempts to Kuhlmann and Switzer fell incomplete, turning the ball back over to East Ascension. Live Oak was unable to convert a first down in its final three possessions of the night, with a holding infraction setting the Eagles in a quick hole on one and then a fumbled pitch on a fourth-down try on another.

East Ascension took advantage of the final gift from the Eagles at the Live Oak 9 yard line, as Williams scored his second touchdown of the night with a 9-yard scamper on first down.
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BATON ROUGE - Live Oak's Eagles came away with their heads bloodied, yet unbowed following their battle against Redemptorist's host Wolves in a pre-season scrimmage on "The Rock" of St. Gerard Majella's Field on Thursday night. The District 6-4-A Eagles of first-year coach Paul Beebe surrendered a one-yard TD run in the second half for what was the lone score, but held their own through the remainder of the two-hour scrimmage against perennial 8-3 power, Redemptorist. Live Oak's defense thwarted several other Wolfpack scoring drives, holding the line inside the Eagles' 10-yard line on the scrimmage's final play. Redemptorist passed for 160 yards while rushing for another 128 in finishing with 288 total yards.

"Redemptorist is good," Beebe said following the scrimmage. "I thought that our defense played great. They didn't give up a lot of big plays. They did a great job of making them (Redemptorist) work their way down the field." Offensively, Live Oak ground out 78 yards rushing and gained another 117 through the air to finish with 189 total yards. "Offensively we've got some work to do," Beebe said. "We had a couple of good drives to go, but weren't able finish them off with a score. We had our back-up quarterback in on our last drive. He did a good job of moving the offense and throwing the ball well. We have to work hard on getting better at pass protection. I think we can throw the ball well, have some guys that can catch and some that run the ball well. We have to have a good mix of running play action, being able to sprint out, and drop back pass."

The Eagles were unable to sustain anything on their first two possessions of the first half. But the Live Oak defense stepped right up to make their presence felt at the beginning. Wesley Hatchell, Dylan Causey, and Nick Lott held Redemptorist's running attack in check while Kelsie Little delivered a pass breakup to help stave off the Wolves through the airways. The Live Oak offense fumbled the ball away to Redemptorist on its next possession. But, once again the Eagles proved equal to the task at hand in throwing back the Wolves' offense. Robby Sage, Jarred Thomas, Cody Roddy, and Clint Crowson turned in a solid effort in holding the line defensively. The first half concluded with Thomas and Crowson joining forces with Adam LeBlanc in enabling the Eagles defense to stop Redemptorist's offense. Live Oak gave the ball up on downs at the start of the second half. The Eagles defense led by Thomas and Roddy played tough, but were unable to keep the Wolves from scoring the scrimmage's lone TD.

"The defense did a good job of flying to the ball," Beebe said. "They did well in fighting off blocks to find the ball and getting where they were supposed to be. We could work on tackling a little bit better. But, it's early in the season and any time you go out and play a game you find things that you need to work on. I thought they did really well defending against a very tough Redemptorist offense that has some great speed and are big, tough and strong running backs. Our guys were able to do a good job of containing them most of the way." Live Oak's best offensive move came when quarterback Michael Templeton completed successive passes of 37 and 20 yards to Seth Kulhman and Dean Higginbotham. But the drive ended at Redemptorist's 19-yard line. "There were some bright spots in our offensive line play," Beebe said. "I thought that Tony Armstrong, a guy who has been playing offensive line for three days, did a pretty, good job. I think that once we get all our guys back healthy that we'll have a good, stout, strong, offensive line. We're missing three starters, but I think that we found a new one."

Beebe, who served previously as an assistant coach at Fontainebleau, hopes that the positive things accomplished by his Eagles will help Live Oak be prepared to play host East Ascension in the LeBlanc's Grocery Jamboree in Gonzales on Thursday night of next week. He's also hoping it will help his team get ready to host Central's Wildcats in the regular-season opener for both teams the following Friday night. "Overall I was well pleased with the play of our team," Beebe said. "It was a good test and good to get us prepared to play the next couple of games. This was an important step for our team because we didn't get to scrimmage back in the spring. So we're trying to learn our personnel. "You practice against yourself and you see what you think your guys can do. But, then you get out and play against the outstanding speed of a different team. You find out that makes a big difference, especially against a good team like Redemptorist. It lets you find out what your guys are made of and know their assignments. You find out what you need to work on and we have a whole lot of things to work on." Live Oak is Beebe's first head coaching job. "It's a whole lot different being the head coach than it ever was as the assistant, that's for sure," Beebe said. "Our goals are to work hard and get better every day. We want to have a winning season and we'd like to make the playoffs. But, first of all we've got to get much better."
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WATSON - With 23 years and counting in the United States Air Force, Live Oak's new head football coach Paul Beebe knows quite a bit about commitment. If there was one thing the 43-year-old former Fontainebleau assistant wanted to instill in the Eagle players this spring, it was the fact that he may be their third pilot in four years, but that flight of inconsistency has come to an end. "One of the first things I told the seniors was 'I'm your third head coach in four years and that's a travesty,'" Beebe said. "I said to the rest, 'I promise you that I will bring consistency to this program.'"

Beebe replaces Mike Schmitt, who stayed only two years, but put an end to a five-year losing streak by guiding the Eagles to a 5-5 finish last fall. Live Oak missed out on the 32-team bracket playoffs by one seed. Schmitt resigned in the spring to take a job in Colorado. For Beebe, this is his first head-coaching assignment, but if it wasn't for a heads-up by his own wife and a good friend a few days later, the opportunity may have passed him by. Beebe's wife Annette, who works in Amite, caught wind of the football opening by an acquaintance whose children attend Live Oak High School. Then someone in the sporting goods business, tipped him off as well, but he only had a day remaining to get his resumé in. Beebe made the deadline, interviewed and the got the job. "As soon as I decided to get into coaching, I've always wanted to be a head coach," said Beebe, who joined the Air Force after high school. It would be another 13 years before he would get his college degree. "The opportunity finally presented itself. It's a dream come-true. I know it's going to be tough for a while and a lot of hard work is ahead."

A 1982 graduate of John Ehret High School in Marrero, Beebe played both football and wrestled for the Patriots. After he completed his stay in the Air Force, Beebe got his degree from the University of New Orleans in 1995. He continues to be in Air National Guard. After holding the position as freshman football coach at Ehret in the fall of 1995, Beebe spent the next three years at Grace King High School in Metairie. The past nine years, Beebe has been at Fontainebleau High School in Mandeville. The Bulldogs finished the year 6-5 overall. After a 4-3 finish in District 7-5A, the Bulldogs' season came to an end with a 35-13 loss to Catholic in the bi-district round of the playoffs.

Along with being an assistant coach for football, Beebe was also the head wrestling coach for the past four years and was the head softball coach in 2002 and 2003. Live Oak had its first wrestling season this past year under head coach Chris Collier and Beebe will make sure that the program continues to grow and thrive. "It builds strength, condition, flexibility and self-confidence," Beebe said. "It's hard to find anything better to complement football."

Beebe has had to live "two lives" over the past couple of months, as he finished out the year at Fontainebleau High School, while making the daily drive each afternoon for football duties in Watson and then doubling back to his home in Covington. "I'm just ready for things to be normal," Beebe said. "I'm a little tired of putting on my red shirt in the morning and the changing into my blue shirt in the afternoon." Beebe feels it has been well worth his effort this spring, as his 60-plus players have matched that effort in their 15-day drills. The only downside to the spring was the fact that the Eagles' scheduled scrimmage with Port Allen was washed out, leaving them with only a Blue-Gold scrimmage end the spring. "That was a crusher," Beebe said of the canceled scrimmage. "We were looking so forward to it. To see how we could handle game-type situations. But nevertheless, we finished up on a upbeat note."

Even though the likes of all-state running back Brandon Colletti and backfield mate Paul Allyn are gone, as are lineman Josh Price and Josh Hetrick, Beebe was quite surprised that the cupboard was far from being empty. "We've got a nice group of kids, some with some very good speed," Beebe said. "And we've got quarterback David Bell (junior) back. He's done an awesome job this spring."
"I love option football," Beebe said. "We're going to use multiple formations, but mostly run with some play-action pass. We want to be able to control the clock. "Defensively, we've got to be aggressive, because we're not very big," Beebe said. "We are changing the defense (from last year's 4-2-5) to a 3-3."

Coming out of spring, the Eagles had senior Louis Crowson at fullback and senior Jacob Hughes at tailback, while senior Seth Kulhman and junior Alex Switzer are among the receiving corps. Much of the Eagles' offensive line will return with senior Caleb Hardee at center, Buck Johnson and Ben Gonzales at guards and Ryan Kent and Cody Roddy at tackles. Blake Viator lined up at tight end.
The defense is a bit younger with the likelihood of a couple of sophomores and some newcomers breaking into the starting lineup. Junior Mike Templeton heads up the secondary, along with fellow junior Jordan Lennox, while senior Robbie Sage and Josh Hughes hold down the strong safety position.

"We spent a lot time this spring wanting to install the defense so they'll know where they're going," Beebe said. "We wanted them to get a feel on how to play that type of defense." Assistant coach Brent Baker will be the defensive coordinator. Beebe picked up a couple of former Walker High coaches, former head coach Robbie Mahfouz, who will work with the quarterbacks and Greg Briggs, who will coach the linebackers. Chris Collier returns as offensive line coach, Lafayette Duhe as receiver's coach and John Griffith as trainer. Randy Sandifer and Ron Wiese will be the freshmen coaches.

"The first thing off the bat, we want to teach the kids how to have character and sportsmanship," Beebe said. "Win with class and lose with dignity. You'll be rewarded for the things that are done right, but there will be consequences for things that are not done right. "I've always said, 'put God, family and your school before football'" Beebe said. "But that's the only three things. "For us to have success, we must out work everybody," Beebe said. "That's our biggest attribute. This summer, I don't want the kids to work hard, but rather be the hardest workers."
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Live Oak High Football