Sports

The Jena Giant high school football team isn’t the only Jena Giant football team that has made a name for itself in area football. The Jena Little Giants 9-10 year old team were runners-up in their age division at the Red River Youth Football League’s Super Bowl last month after winning most of their 12 games this season after no wins last year.

The league is based in Rapides Parish and included teams in the surrounding area. The 9-10 yearold team is only in their second year of league play after forming in 2017. They competed against six other teams. There was also an 11-12 year-old team for the first time in 2018.

The Jena Lady Giants start district play this week.

On Tuesday the Lady Giants will be at home taking on the Caldwell Lady Spartans and on Friday they will be on the road at Avoyelles to take on the Lady Mustangs.

Lady Giants Head Coach Stacy Morgan had a tough task coming into this season as she inherited a team that had to replace all five starters from last season and consists of mostly freshman and sophomores with very little varsity experience.

The Lady Giants have started the season 0-13 but have played some close games losing by 5 at LaSalle and 6 at Bunkie. The Lady Giants will play two of the tougher teams in district play this week as Caldwell and Avoyelles come into district play as the favorites to win district.

The Lady Giants will look to get their first win in district play as they would love to knock off one of the favorites this week. So everyone come on out and support these hardworking ladies as they look to pick up their first win.

LaSalle Parish placed 12 football players on the 2018 All-Cenla Team announced recently by The Town Talk newspaper.

The all-star roster is the product of several media personalities from the Central Louisiana area with additional input from coaches in the area. It is the compilation of all high school football teams in all classifications in the Alexandria paper’s seven-parish coverage area from Mississippi to Texas in Central Louisiana.

Listed below are the players selected and what was said about each:

First Team Offensive Line: Aaron Boyette, Jena, 6-0, 260, Sr. - Boyette was a leader of the Giants’ offensive live and bounced back strong after breaking his leg last year. Jena scored 32 points per game and nearly amassed 3,000 yards this season with Boyette as the anchor.

As the Upward Sports organization begins its 24th year of existence, Jena First Baptist Church’s involvement in the Christian-based sports ministry begins its 14th year where during that time more than 1,500 youth have experienced basketball in a Christ-honored style.

“For me, its all about the kids,” Jena FBC Youth & Recreational Minister Terry Townsend said. “It’s about them learning the sport of basketball and learning about the love of Christ.”

Townsend, who has been at FBC for 25 years, said he first learned about Upward while attending recreation conferences in the early 2000’s.

“That’s when I first met Caz (McCaslin - founder of Upward Sports),” Townsend said. “He was attending those conferences promoting Upward and I knew this was something that God was leading us to do here at First Baptist.”

Four Jena High School Gold Dusters were selected as Universal Dance Association (UDA) All-Americans this summer. The Gold Dusters attended the UDA camp at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge and competed in both team and individual dance categories. The girls achieving this honor are (left to right) Alyssa Howard, Tori Ainsworth, Olivia Walker and Laura Peters. Howard and Peters will perform with other All-American dancers from around the country in the New Year’s Day parade in Rome, Italy, on January 1, 2019. Howard is the daughter of Curtis and Mandy Howard of Jena. Ainsworth is the daughter of Mickie and Charlotte Ainsworth of Jena.

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Honor roll students for the second six weeks of the 2018-19 school year at Jena High School have been announced by Principal Anthony Jackson, as follows:

Freshmen

All A’s – Audrey Andrews, Collin Ashley, Olivia Breland, Braydon Callender, Randi Creel, Ethan Crooks, Emily Elliott, Aariana Faust, Shania Gaines, Alexis Hayman, Alana Hulsey, Adam Jones, Emma Justiss, Callie McDowell, Kennedy Norris, Nathen Paul, Saige Picou, Ainslee Poole, James Sanders, Aidan Alexander Taunton, Trent Maddox Taunton, Tate Turnage, Bryan Warwick and Kaley Whatley.

3.0 Honor Roll –

Derouen, Audrey Doenges, Gabrielle Dos Santos, Dylan Elliott, Carlee Ewing, Cheyenne Fisher, Clayton Ford, Devin Ford, Isaiah Gardner, Reid Hord, Jasmine Huffman, Madelyn Humphries, Wesley Humphries, Madison Ingle, Devante’ Jack, Stormie Johnson, Alexxis Jones, Kary-Anna Jones, Barrett Keene, Jacob Kimball, Andrew McClure, Imari McCoy, Cambrie Mc-Dowell, Daniel Moss, Destiny Owens, Kutler Paul, Ashley Pecanty, Cydnee Poole, Jason Reeder, Hunter Robertson, Sydni Ruddell, Heather Schrock, Brittney Sellers, Hunter Sharbono, Brian Sharp, Teri Shipley, Bryan Squyres, Keely Stapleton, Zachary Tarver, Aleaha Thomas, Allison Tradewell, Whittman Walters, Jordyn Washington, Cayden Wilbanks, Erin Jane Wilkinson, Sedriana Wilson and Jacob Windham.

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