Sorry, no "ooooooooo" moment from this morning's Demon football practice. I was working on yardage elsewhere, teeing up in the Don't Die Wondering Classic XIX that supports Lady Demon basketball.
There were a couple of "oooooooo" moments on the course Saturday afternoon, when Wayne Bostick pitched in from 40 and 80 yards out for a pair of the incredible eight -- count 'em, 8 -- eagles notched by the foursome headed by retired Lady Demon coach James Smith, who showed he can still recruit. Bostick, Smith, Francis Deloney and former Demon golfer Jim Rogers carded a tournament-record 25-under par to win the low net title in a 21-team field on a blistering hot day.
Ordinarily, a 21-under score is more than good enough to win low net. That was the card posted by Demon Sports Network play by play guy Patrick Netherton, who can also recruit. His close buddy Roy Lang, a former Centenary golfer and the assistant sports editor for the Shreveport Times, has plenty of game but wasn't even the best player on that foursome. That was Shreveporter Scott Shelton, a former Mississippi State golfer who owns Moe's Southwest Grill, with locations in Shreveport and Bossier City. The fourth was often leading the way -- Buddy Wood, former Athletic Association prez and the longtime color analyst for the Demon Sports Network football broadcasts. I am proud to say I introduced my buddy Buddy to golf many years ago at Demon Hills. Fair to paraphrase Bobby Jones' words about Jack Nicklaus, and apply them to Buddy: "He plays a game with which I am not familiar."
No worries for the Netherton/Wood foursome, they won the low gross title, which factors in handicaps for all the players. They were not given much of a handicap but after their 21-under score, the next lowest net score was 12 under and nobody got a handcap big enough to overtake those guys.
Complete results will appear on the nsudemons.com site Monday. Suffice to say from my corner, Joe Cunningham Jr., another huge Demon fan, played great to lead us to a 10-under score and Lady Demon volleyball coach Brittany Uffelman and KZBL-FM Sports On Call host Mike Luster showed nifty touches on the green.
Back to the turf at Turpin tomorrow afternoon!
Doug Ireland, SID
Saturday, August 04, 2007
Friday, August 03, 2007
Friday's "oooooooo" moment
A quick poll of the kickers and other sideline denizens at Friday afternoon's sauna -- errrr, practice -- provided a unanimous choice for the best moment of the day.
"No doubt, when Clay Broyles came on the field with a big smile saying he had passed his Spanish class," reported fellow senior Marshall Burton, the cannon-legged punter and pundit.
Burton and junior placekicker Robert Weeks, along with sophomore kicker Lee Scott and junior deep snapper Reb Bel, watch as much practice as anybody. It's not that they don't work hard, but you simply can't kick all practice every practice. So there is a pretty hefty amount of time spent watching the goings on, and discussing them, hence my tendency to visit with the kickers on a regular basis to take a reading on what's up.
Broyles, the personable senior tight end, isn't the guy most likely to be sidelined by academics. But his command of Spanish isn't his forte, admittedly. He was sweating out the summer class that he needed to pass to play. The grades were posted Friday afternoon and the news was muy bueno for the grande East Texan.
Somewhere, anybody who had Spanish class with me is cringing. I had a lot more anxiety than Clay did in my day. No habla espanol, me.
Friday's fashion report: sophomore fullback Quinten Goodie is sporting orange shoes wrapped in purple tape. He sure looks faster, anyway!
Doug Ireland, SID
"No doubt, when Clay Broyles came on the field with a big smile saying he had passed his Spanish class," reported fellow senior Marshall Burton, the cannon-legged punter and pundit.
Burton and junior placekicker Robert Weeks, along with sophomore kicker Lee Scott and junior deep snapper Reb Bel, watch as much practice as anybody. It's not that they don't work hard, but you simply can't kick all practice every practice. So there is a pretty hefty amount of time spent watching the goings on, and discussing them, hence my tendency to visit with the kickers on a regular basis to take a reading on what's up.
Broyles, the personable senior tight end, isn't the guy most likely to be sidelined by academics. But his command of Spanish isn't his forte, admittedly. He was sweating out the summer class that he needed to pass to play. The grades were posted Friday afternoon and the news was muy bueno for the grande East Texan.
Somewhere, anybody who had Spanish class with me is cringing. I had a lot more anxiety than Clay did in my day. No habla espanol, me.
Friday's fashion report: sophomore fullback Quinten Goodie is sporting orange shoes wrapped in purple tape. He sure looks faster, anyway!
Doug Ireland, SID
Rookie orientation
The Demon Dynamic Duo of Julie Lessiter and Dustin Eubanks rode again Friday morning.
Lessiter, the academic advisor for athletics, and Eubanks, the compliance director, host a series of meetings each football preseason for the newcomers to learn the important stuff -- how to fill out their financial aid paperwork (read - get their money) and how to fulfill their academic responsibilities (read - get moving toward their diplomas). They also get a few life skills tips and a chance to hear from the sports information folks about dealing with the media.
We've done this for a few years now, and it's always interesting. In our 30-minute segment, we talk about how working with the media can benefit the young men, give them some tips and then have some fun doing mock interviews.
There's nothing like being in front of your peers to get you on your toes. No disrespect meant to previous signing classes, but I can say without any hesitation that the 2007 rookies are the most lively group I've encountered. It is also interesting to note how many of them already are really media savvy. I guess in this day of the internet and wall to wall, 24-hour sports channels, not to mention intense coverage of high school football, they've been exposed to so much more than their predecessors, and most of them have picked up on it to some degree.
Noteworthy - freshman running back Jeremy Jefferson was one of the most interviewed prep players in recent memory in Shreveport-Bossier over the past three years as he scored 69 touchdowns at Booker T. Washington. So what career interest does he have? Journalist. Seriously. And believe me, when we opened the floor in a mock press conference format for the players to ask their peers questions, Jeremy had no shortage.
It was a fun visit, and I expect these guys will be fun to watch. Listening to head coach Scott Stoker after practice yesterday, it wouldn't surprise me if 4-6 of them got onto the field right away this fall. And as the SID, I wouldn't have any reservations based on how they handled this morning's seminar.
Doug Ireland, SID
Lessiter, the academic advisor for athletics, and Eubanks, the compliance director, host a series of meetings each football preseason for the newcomers to learn the important stuff -- how to fill out their financial aid paperwork (read - get their money) and how to fulfill their academic responsibilities (read - get moving toward their diplomas). They also get a few life skills tips and a chance to hear from the sports information folks about dealing with the media.
We've done this for a few years now, and it's always interesting. In our 30-minute segment, we talk about how working with the media can benefit the young men, give them some tips and then have some fun doing mock interviews.
There's nothing like being in front of your peers to get you on your toes. No disrespect meant to previous signing classes, but I can say without any hesitation that the 2007 rookies are the most lively group I've encountered. It is also interesting to note how many of them already are really media savvy. I guess in this day of the internet and wall to wall, 24-hour sports channels, not to mention intense coverage of high school football, they've been exposed to so much more than their predecessors, and most of them have picked up on it to some degree.
Noteworthy - freshman running back Jeremy Jefferson was one of the most interviewed prep players in recent memory in Shreveport-Bossier over the past three years as he scored 69 touchdowns at Booker T. Washington. So what career interest does he have? Journalist. Seriously. And believe me, when we opened the floor in a mock press conference format for the players to ask their peers questions, Jeremy had no shortage.
It was a fun visit, and I expect these guys will be fun to watch. Listening to head coach Scott Stoker after practice yesterday, it wouldn't surprise me if 4-6 of them got onto the field right away this fall. And as the SID, I wouldn't have any reservations based on how they handled this morning's seminar.
Doug Ireland, SID
Thursday, August 02, 2007
That "ooooooo" moment on opening day
It's finally here. Preseason football practice has started, with a steamy Thursday afternoon workout at Turpin Stadium.
Best moment? Players would say it came when they hit the showers. But if pushed, they would probably cite the leaping grab by junior receiver Dudley Guice of a sharply-thrown pass from Drew Branch, with Guice running a curl pattern about 15 yards downfield, then soaring over a defensive back to make the circus snag, landing and spinning away downfield for a touchdown.
Guice is one of the most colorful Demons, literally. He has highlights at the tips of his braids. That and the carefully tattered orange T-shirt he wears under his jersey belie his approach in the classroom, where he was named the Outstanding Senior in the Social Sciences curriculum this spring by the faculty.
The tremendous sportswriter from the Alexandria Town Talk, Jeff Matthews, watched the entire session, focusing at times on the offensive line. Watch for coverage in Friday's paper and in future editions stemming from Jeff's visit.
Also, keep your eyes peeled tonight, Friday and Saturday for the sportscasts on KSLA TV Channel 12 in Shreveport. For the past two days, videographer Jason Johnson has enjoyed backstage access in the Demons' camp, primarily focusing on one of the most dynamic prep stars in Shreveport-Bossier history, running back/returner Jeremy Jefferson.
Sports director Mike Dirmann says KSLA will probably run two packages, one Friday night and one Saturday night, and could also use some of the packages next week. There will probably be some coverage of today's workout in tonight's 10 p.m. sportscast (actually on air about 10:21). If you can't get KSLA or miss the show, just dial up ksla.com and all of their sportscasts are archived and can be watched online.
You can count on more coverage of practice than ever before on the Daily Demon blog, if the heat doesn't get the best of the SID!
Doug Ireland, Sports Information Director
Best moment? Players would say it came when they hit the showers. But if pushed, they would probably cite the leaping grab by junior receiver Dudley Guice of a sharply-thrown pass from Drew Branch, with Guice running a curl pattern about 15 yards downfield, then soaring over a defensive back to make the circus snag, landing and spinning away downfield for a touchdown.
Guice is one of the most colorful Demons, literally. He has highlights at the tips of his braids. That and the carefully tattered orange T-shirt he wears under his jersey belie his approach in the classroom, where he was named the Outstanding Senior in the Social Sciences curriculum this spring by the faculty.
The tremendous sportswriter from the Alexandria Town Talk, Jeff Matthews, watched the entire session, focusing at times on the offensive line. Watch for coverage in Friday's paper and in future editions stemming from Jeff's visit.
Also, keep your eyes peeled tonight, Friday and Saturday for the sportscasts on KSLA TV Channel 12 in Shreveport. For the past two days, videographer Jason Johnson has enjoyed backstage access in the Demons' camp, primarily focusing on one of the most dynamic prep stars in Shreveport-Bossier history, running back/returner Jeremy Jefferson.
Sports director Mike Dirmann says KSLA will probably run two packages, one Friday night and one Saturday night, and could also use some of the packages next week. There will probably be some coverage of today's workout in tonight's 10 p.m. sportscast (actually on air about 10:21). If you can't get KSLA or miss the show, just dial up ksla.com and all of their sportscasts are archived and can be watched online.
You can count on more coverage of practice than ever before on the Daily Demon blog, if the heat doesn't get the best of the SID!
Doug Ireland, Sports Information Director
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