As if West Monroe (La.) needed any more help after MaxPreps ranked it sixth nationally, the Rebels received it in the form of the “Elevate Your Game” summer football camp featuring two of its most esteemed alumni.
West Monroe graduates and current NFL players Bradie James and Andrew Whitworth were among the professional athletes offering instruction to many of the Rebels’ current players.
"It's nice that they get to give back and they want to come back and help us," said Chuck Hunter, 17, a senior defensive tackle for the Rebels. "It makes me think, 'Hmm, these dudes really do care, coming back to where they came from.'"
"It feels good to know it’s an NFL player from the same school that I go to," said DeAndre Price, 16, who plays for Wossman (Monroe, La.), as did James before he transferred to West Monroe, played with Whitworth for LSU and joined the Dallas Cowboys as a linebacker.
Whitworth is an offensive lineman for the Cincinnati Bengals.
"I thank him (James) that he comes back and helps the community and shows his love and helps bring us together, getting a camp together for the kids," Price said.
"Any time you can join forces with a former player is great," said James, who has operated his football camp since 2006 to benefit youth in what he has termed, "The James Gang."
"I'm happy he (Whitworth) was here and we were able to come back and give back to a town, a program and kids that have given us so much.”
Farmerville numbers to grow
The Farmerville (La.) football program may well benefit from the fact that the Farmers will absorb grades nine through 12 from Union Parish neighbors Spearsville (La.) and Marion (La.).
A year ago, the Farmers took in most of the students from Bernice, which closed its doors.
"We had 58 kids in the spring," Farmerville athletic director and coach Joe Spatafora. "We've been doing summer workouts for three weeks now, and all 58 guys have been there 100 percent of the time. The ones that are new are going to have to be willing to work hard as well."
Spatafora said he expects an additional 100 athletes in all sports with the enrollment increase likely to jump Farmerville from Class 2A to Class 3A.
"That's not a bad thing," Spatafora said. "I like 2A, and I like 3A. It'll be another challenge in Triple-A. Some of the kids that come in may have never played football before, so they're going to have to relearn everything no matter what school they came from."
Spearsville and Marion belonged to Class B, which doesn’t participate in football. Both fielded basketball teams, with Marion having finished second in the state in Class C in 2006. Spearsville also competed in baseball and softball.
Some former Bernice students chose to attend Spearsville last year, so there's a possibility Farmerville could attract more than the seven former Bernice football players who competed for Farmerville last season.
"They'll have to learn a whole new system and a whole new work ethic, and they'll find out that we work hard," Spatafora said. "The price for us to win is hard work."
Late Tioga coach remembered
In death, two former football players for coach Jerry Ingram remembered how he touched their lives. Ingram, who coached Tioga (La.) from 1966-86, died last weekend at the age of 67 after a 1½-year battle with cancer.
"He never put winning ahead of the kids," said Kevin Vanek, who played for Ingram in the mid-1970s and now is president of Red River Youth Football. "That’s why everybody stood up for him….That's what made him such a special person."
Ingram had "more influence on my life than anyone I've ever known," said former Tioga quarterback Louis Ashbey. "I thought to myself, 'This guy really put his trust in me. I can't let him down. I have to start doing the right thing.'"
Vanek and Ingram both provided stories to illustrate their point. After 10th-ranked Tioga lost a game it should have won against second-ranked Winnfield (La.), Vanek said the players were "all feeling bad and down on ourselves, and Coach comes in the locker room and tries to take the blame. And it was like, in unison, every player in the locker room stood up to say, 'No, Coach, you can’t do that.'"
Vanek said that was indicative of how much his players respected Ingram and continued to do so long after their prep careers had ended.
Baseball/Softball: Albany players recognized
Albany (La.) produced the Most Valuable Players on the Livingston Parish News All-Parish baseball and softball teams. Senior shortstop Gabe Woods headlined the baseball team, while junior pitcher Hannah Gill led the softball team.
Woods, a University of Mississippi signee, hit .488 with nine home runs, 11 doubles, three triples, 42 runs batted in and 34 runs scored.
Gill was 27-5 with an 0.46 earned run average. She threw 17 shutouts while striking out 320 in 182 innings.
Springfield features two signees
The young Springfield (La.) baseball program had its first-ever college scholarship signees in shortstop Darron McKigney and catcher Dillon Andrews.
McKigney signed with Southwest Mississippi Community College after hitting .295 with three home runs and posting a 5-4 pitching record.
Andrews signed with Baton Rouge Community College after hitting .350 with one home run.
