Sports

Luke Wright, 10-year-old son of Jason and Kerri Wright of Trout, killed his first deer on Friday, November 16, 2018, while hunting with his dad.

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The 2018-19 editions of the Giants and Lady Giants’ basketball teams feature new head coaches who each bring positive perspectives to the programs that hasn’t seen championship level performances in a long time.

The Lady Giants are very familiar with their new head coach as three-year assistant coach Stacy Morgan accepted the reign at the top spot over the summer. However, the Giants have a Seattle, Washington native and former Marine sergeant calling out commands bringing with him a desire to propel the program to elite status and state championships.

Coach Kason Whitten

Kason Whitten has literally been around the globe during his 40 years and by his own admission, Jena, Louisiana was a place he never thought he’d be.

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(Editor’s Note: Anna Williams, daughter of Adam and Cheryl Williams of El Dorado, Arkansas, and granddaughter of Jena natives, Crawford and Sandra Williams, recently signed her national letter-of-intent to play volleyball at the University of Central Arkansas. The following story appeared in the El Dorado News-Times, and is being re-printed with permission.)

The snow on the ground Wednesday morning was just the beginning of Anna Williams’ special day. The senior at West Side Christian, after years of dedication and perseverance, saw her dream come true when she signed her national letter-of-intent to play volleyball at the University of Central Arkansas.

The 6-foot-1 left-hander started playing volleyball in the fifth grade. A naturally gifted athlete, it didn’t take long for Williams to set a lofty goal for herself.

The LSU Tigers are headed to the desert for its biggest football game in the playoff era.

Early Sunday afternoon, the College Football Playoff committee selected No. 11 LSU to play No. 8 Central Florida in the Fiesta Bowl, which will be played at noon Jan. 1 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.

The bowl matchup pits an LSU team that has never played in a New Year’s Six bowl game with a repeatedly snubbed UCF program that once again finds itself on the outside of the playoffs looking in.

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As a former collegiate gymnast, Lauren Li, found comfort at LSU after experiencing emotional distress at Penn State.

“Anxiety, depression, eating disorders: It was tough just talking about it because being used to suppressing those emotions, I had to like learn how to be comfortable talking about it and seeking help for it if I wanted to help myself,” Li, who was on LSU’s highly ranked team over the last three seasons, said.

It is no secret that expectations are high for athletes at universities across the country. These pressures take a toll, emotionally and physically, on athletes in all sports. And there has long been a stigma that discourages many of them from seeking mental and psychological help.

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Five Louisiana College Lady Wildcat Basketball players, along with Coach Matt Lebato and Assistant Coach Jasmine Anderson, taught the Temple Christian Academy Lady Eagles about the importance of teamwork and perseverance during the recent LC Lady Wildcat Girls Basketball Camp at TCA in Jena. Those shown are: front row (left to right) Heidi Crawford, Alexis Lege, Lily LaCroix, Kaylee Daniel, Avery Finley and Kourtney McGhee; middle row (l to r) Grace Wheeler, Ayva Ford, Adassah Kimbrough, Noel Kimbrough, Brinkley Comeaux, Jada Hallmark, Hallie Crawford, Braylie Poole and Kaylee Kemp and back row (l to r) Jayla Landrum, Gracie LaCroix, Adrianna Hedgemon, LC Coach Matt Lebato, Kaitlyn Walker, Jewellia Champlin, Kaidie Poole, Assistant Coach Jasmine Anderson and TCA Coach Codie LaCroix.

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The Jena Giants played in the 2nd round of the playoffs this past Friday night. The #12 Giants were on the road in Farmerville, Louisiana getting ready to take on the #5 Union Parish Farmers. Both teams came into the game with 9-2 records after blowing out their 1st round opponents.

The Giants were trying to pull off the upset and make it to the quarterfinal round for the 1st time in 18 seasons. It would be a tall task for the Giants as Union Parish is one of the premiere programs in the North Louisiana area.

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