August 14, 2021
DSAA MEETING
The first meeting of the Denham Springs Athletic Association will be this Monday night, August 16, 6:30 pm, at Big Mike’s in Denham Springs. Jackets Athletic Director/Head Football coach Brett Beard will discuss his team’s upcoming season. The guest speaker will be former LSU baseball pitcher Ronnie Rantz. The DSAA is now renewing memberships for the 2021-2022 athletic year. Dues are $25 per family for the year. You can Venmo the DSAA or bring your payment to the meeting Monday. We, at Jon Fine Productions, are members and encourage all Jackets fans to join the DSAA and attend monthly meetings at Big Mike’s
JACKETS FB ON THE AIR!
Catch all Denham Springs HS Football games on the radio and internet in 2021! The first broadcast will be on Friday, August 27, when the Jackets host Walker in the Denham Springs Jamboree. Air-time, to be determined for the Jamboree, will start with Sport N Center Jackets Warmup
Games can be heard on Family Radio, 91.9 FM, Baton Rouge and on the net at JonFineProductions.com
More info to come in ensuing newsletters… GO JACKETS!!!!!!!!
DENHAM SPRINGS HS ATHLETICS HOF 2020 CLASS
While the Denham Springs High School Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2020 would normally have been enshrined last September, the annual induction banquet was postponed until this year due to health concerns associated with the pandemic. As a result, the Hall of Fame Classes of 2020 and 2021 will be enshrined jointly this year—on September 9—at Forrest Grove Plantation in Denham Springs. Between the two classes, plus one carryover from 2019, a total of 10 new members will enter what is arguably the most exclusive club in town.
Last week in this newsletter, we looked at the 2021 class. This week we turn to the 2020 class. Please scroll down below for an extensive look at the 2020 class. And, a Thank You to Jim Spring who furnished us this information.
SPORTS PUBLICATIONS GALORE!
ArrestedDevelopmentMediaGuides offers media guides. programs and baseball cards. Please visit JonFineProductions.com and click on icon to get to the store. Check out a full array of New Orleans Saints media guides and LSU media guides and programs and publications from much of the entire sports world. Over 7,000 publications listed.
TODAY’S COLUMNS:
Scott gives some perspective on Saints wr Michael Thomas
Dennis discusses the LHSAA Football officials situation
Please scroll down below.
TK PODCAST
Check out "Talkin Sports with TK" hosted by Tommy Krysan. Available on all major platforms including: Anchor, Tune In, Spotify, Iheart, ApplePodcasts and many more! Email for link: tommykrysan@gmail.com Connect on Social Media: Tommy Krysan - Facebook, Instagram & Twitter!
WE THANK YOU FOR DOING YOUR UTMOST TO PATRONIZE SPONSORS OF OUR PROGRAMMING.
THE WIZARDRY OF OS
Don´t pay a star receiver a huge contract. That is what they say and the Saints should have listened (whoever they are).
They do not touch the ball enough to impact winning. The Super Bowl champion has never had the highest paid receiver.
I know the Saints will not just move Michael Thomas without value in return. But considering how many teams completely ignore the advice from above, there has to be a team who will take him.
Tampa Bay did not win the Super Bowl because they had the best receivers. Heck, the Saints shut down their receivers every time they play. Brady threw the ball to Fournette to win the Super Bowl.
The year before San Francisco made it to the Super Bowl and I would have to use Google to name you the top two receivers. I remember the running back and tight ends.
If anything, when you get a star receiver, he is just a distraction. The quarterback will rely too much on him and not spread the ball around enough. It was not a good thing when Thomas broke the NFL record two years ago. It showed a weakness in the Saints offense. Give me 3-4 good to very good receivers over a top 5 receiver and the others are average to below average.
The Saints do not think this way, but this is not the year for the Saints to win the Super Bowl. Wise decisions this year could set the Saints up for a run next year. Drew Brees never needed a top receiver to win. The Saints were at their best when none of the receivers made the pro bowl.
I have no idea what actually happened and I really do not care. I hope Michael Thomas gets traded and has a Hall of Fame career. It is just clear that New Orleans is not the place for that to happen as the Saints transition to the post Drew Brees era.
Hey Ref
By Dennis Dearie
And the injustice continues. What am I talking about this time? Once again I hear the LHSAA is allowing the continued running of the Baton Rouge Football Official’s Association with an iron fist. Since COVID took away my season last year I decided to talk with some fellow officials and coaches in the Baton Rouge area to get their thoughts on how my former association is doing.
To my horror I continued hearing the same story over and over on how this once great association has hit rock bottom. I went in search of officials that would sit down with me so I could get their stories first hand and not “Well, he told me this or I heard this from Joe”. To say I was shocked because so many officials were tight lipped and said that if it’s found out they made any comments on this circus of football officials their Assignment Secretary, Marlon Harrison, would either not give them a game, put them on clocks or other types of punishments. They all affirmed this Assignment Secretary does in fact hold a grudge if you try to cross him or even have a concern you’d like for him to take a look into.
I did take their concerns to the LHSAA but it was more of the same in that NOTHING WILL BE DONE TO TRY AND TURN THINGS AROUND. And on the flip side of those sit downs many of the coaches that did meet with me told me of their disgust at how things have gotten so bad. The following column (and more like it) was printed last season as I tried to get some help for both the coaches that have to use the Baton Rouge Association and the officials that want changes made.
This season has started as last year’s with officials telling me about conditions within the Baton Rouge Association. I just want to insure all those officials understand that I will never reveal names, etc. So, to those that would like to have a pow-wow and get things off their chest please feel assured your names will never be revealed by this writer. As much as I’ve devoted many of my columns to be labeled a “Best of Hey Ref” this isn’t one since it makes me sick to know the LHSAA allows such a toxic, hostile workplace to continue.
To be sure I want my readers to understand I DO NOT GET PAID TO WRITE THIS COLUMN. I’ve devoted nearly ten years of my life trying to report the good along with the bad and not playing favorites at every turn. I think we’ve all been taught that when problems exist the only right thing to do is to work together in fixing said problems. But you’ve got to stop and try to understand why this Stalin like individual is allowed to treat grown men and schools with such distain. Some have told me that “FREE LEGAL” work is in the mix. I don’t have a way to confirm or deny this is happening but when multiple individuals tell the same thing it’s worth looking into.
With that said, I hope you enjoy another episode of “The Best of Hey Ref”!
I hate repeating myself and for the life of me I don’t understand how an individual can say they don’t understand when I say “THIS WRITER WILL NEVER REVEAL HIS SOURCES”! Am I confusing some people? I don’t understand how anyone would/could think that I’d be dropping the names of anyone that contributes facts or their thoughts/feelings on any chosen subject to this writer. So, I hope by the time you finish absorbing these carefully pieced together words that I’ve convinced everyone that I’d NEVER print their names, etc. If I sound as though I’m letting off some steam let me assure you that I am.
So, with that done here comes some steam. I don’t understand how some officials will make a statement how they feel on a certain situation/subject before the first meeting of a new season then flip-flop once organized meetings take place. Once again summer 2020 brought out much unhappiness within the ranks. Once again some officials said they wanted some changes made then called me to voice their displeasure at how things aren’t being discussed among their members. Simply put they fear reprisals that are certain to come from those on top of the mountain at LHSAA headquarters on Old Hammond Hwy. It’s very sad to see so many football officials sitting on their hands during the entire season but will bring up their grievances the week of January 1…
Case in point; there is a huge displeasure statewide among the membership when the subject of the Louisiana High School Official’s Association (LHSOA) is front and center. Many feel they were sold a bunch of promises that haven’t panned out. And of course the one thing everyone agrees upon is the camp attendance requirement. The only advice I can share with the unhappy ones is to set formal meetings in the off-season to discuss their grievances. Form a committee with a minimum of one member from each association to bring those grievances to light among all the associations statewide and notify LHSAA’s executive Ed Bonine that you want a “sit-down”.
And whatever you do bypass the Louisiana High School Officials Association (LHSOA) as they don’t represent you, it’s an association run by the LHSAA. In my opinion IT IS NOT NEEDED! It’s a waste of your money and time. And what I’ve been told is that many want to see them go away. They (LHSOA) claim they’re in existence to help educate the officials, etc., etc., etc. I find that very hard to believe because of the circus in New Orleans just a few years ago. I was told the LHSOA promised to all its officials that if they attended this “training camp” then they wouldn’t be made to take the yearly rules test. I find it unbelievable and obscene to say on one hand you’re teaching individuals to become a better official yet on the other hand you give them “an out” to keep from taking a yearly rules test. Does that make sense to you?
DON’T LOOK AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS COLUMN TO FIND THE ANSWER!
In closing I’m going to pass along something I learned from the two official’s camps I attended at UCLA… An NFL referee asked this question “HOW CAN YOU TELL AN OFFICIAL IS WORKING HARD TO BECOME A BETTER OFFICIAL”?
It’s easy; If his rulebook looks like it was just printed that says he’s not using it. He would look at guys whose rulebooks looked a few hundred years old! He said it told him it was being used often and hard.
Till next week…
Press Release FOR DENHAM SPRINGS HS ATHLETICS ASSOCIATION CLASS OF 2020
While the Denham Springs High School Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2020 would normally have been enshrined last September, the annual induction banquet was postponed until this year due to health concerns associated with the pandemic. As a result, the Hall of Fame Classes of 2020 and 2021 will be enshrined jointly this year—on September 9—at Forrest Grove Plantation in Denham Springs. Between the two classes, plus one carryover from 2019, a total of 10 new members will enter what is arguably the most exclusive club in town.
Tickets for the larger-than-usual catered event are on sale at the school office. Early purchase is recommended.
Headlining the five-member 2020 class are two elite sports figures who are arguably the most versatile female athletes in school history. Lisa Dugas, a three-time Class 5A All State softball great, was also a two-time All District basketball star (MVP once), as well as a two-time Parish track and field champion in two events. She is the only female Yellow Jacket ever invited to play in the prestigious LHSAA All Star Game in two sports, a distinction unlikely to be repeated.
Sharing the headliner spotlight with her former coach at Southside Junior High is Katie Roux Prescott, yet another gifted star in multiple sports. Though honored as the Class 5A All State shortstop in softball, Roux’s dizzying athletic versatility was nearly as stunning as her softball superlatives. She was a four-year letter winner in three sports, a three-sport All District selection (basketball, softball, volleyball), and a four-time All District shortstop also named to the Baton Rouge All Metro Team. Roux was the District MVP in volleyball and an obvious choice for the LHSAA All Star Game in softball. Lisa Dugas, who recognized and cultivated that potential as Roux’s junior high coach, surely took immense pride in her protégé’s later successes.
Clint Earnhart was heralded as the Class 5A All State catcher after leading DSHS to a state runner-up finish in baseball, having earned All District laurels four times—a rare achievement for an underclassman, particularly at that position. As the state’s premier high school catcher who played in the LHSAA All Star Baseball Game, he went on to help LSU capture the SEC title en route to the College World Series, winning the NCAA National Championship in 1997.
One of three brothers to earn All State honors at DSHS, Lathan Sutton was a Class B All State pick during the golden era of boys’ basketball when the school reigned supreme by winning state championships in 1948 and 1950 with a runner-up finish in 1949. Sutton was also named to the Area All Star six-man football team drawn from nine Class B schools in the greater Baton Rouge area.
Rounding out the Class of 2020 is longtime religious leader, Bob Ingalls, who was selected in the Supporter category as one of the Yellow Jackets’ most loyal and devoted backers. He has volunteered as the DSHS athletic chaplain since 1975, some 46 years, and still serving. Ingalls also contributed to the spiritual well being of students, athletes, and coaches throughout his 20-year career as director of the local Fellowship of Christian Athletes organization.
Football standout Michael Boone shares the spotlight with the Class of 2020 as the only member of the Class of 2019 not to have been inducted. He was a Class 5A All State selection who also earned All District honors at three different positions. He and his family were en route to the 2019 banquet, driving from Texas, when their travel was blocked by flooded roadways due to torrential rains associated with an impending hurricane in the Houston area. His induction last year was preempted by the pandemic.
Provided below are highlights of the athletic, scholastic, and civic achievements of these celebrated sports figures.
Michael Boone (Athlete)
Class of 2019
A rare three-time All District athlete at three different positions, Michael Boone was a 1995 Class 5A All State pick at linebacker and his district’s Defensive Most Valuable Player. Displaying a unique fusion of physical and mental skill sets throughout high school, he was an All District choice at defensive back, tight end, and linebacker. A DSHS honor graduate and recipient of the Scholar Athlete Award, Boone received Academic All State honors as well. He was also named to the All Parish team and earned Baton Rouge All Metro accolades as a senior. This outstanding student-athlete capped a celebrated prep career with his selection to play tight end in the prestigious LHSAA All Star Football Game.
Heavily recruited throughout the state and as far away as Georgia Tech and West Point, he received an athletic scholarship to play football at Louisiana Tech where he graduated in 2001 as a three-year letterman, helping the Bulldogs to stunning wins over Pac-10 Cal and SEC powers Alabama and Mississippi State.
Upon graduation, he played one season with the Monroe-based National Indoor Football League Bayou Beast before launching his career as a successful high school football coach with stops in Louisiana, then landing in Texas. As a defensive line coach and eventual defensive coordinator, his defenses have made playoff contenders of his teams at every posting, winning over 60% of their regular season and playoff games. He is currently the defensive coordinator at Class 6A Dickinson High School in Dickinson, Texas.
His coaching philosophy is reflected in this quote by Coach Boone, “I believe athletics is one of the last moral compasses we have in our society, and when you coach with love in your heart, you can make a difference.”
Michael Boone is married to the former Anne Bryant of Dallas. They live in Kemah, Texas, with their five children.
Lisa Dugas (Athlete)
Class of 2020
Her lofty achievements as the ultimate student-athlete place Lisa Dugas in rarified air as a three-time Class 5A All State softball great (1990, 1991, 1992) and a rare four-time All District star as well. This exceptional athlete was a two-time All District choice in basketball (MVP once), plus a member of the All Parish basketball team in 1992. In track and field, she was Parish Champion in the long jump (twice) and as a member of the championship 400-meter relay team. She was also a star in the classroom, earning Class 5A Academic All State honors in basketball.
Dugas helped lead the Lady Jacket basketball team to four straight district titles and a berth in the 1992 Class 5A state semi-finals. As a senior she led the DSHS softball team to the state quarterfinals. She is the only female athlete in school history invited to participate in the prestigious LHSAA All Star Game in two sports—softball and basketball—joining Glenn Glass who is the only male athlete invited in two sports—football and baseball. This was an extraordinary feat for one of the most versatile female athletes to ever wear the purple and gold.
Her celebrated sports career at DSHS culminated in Dugas earning an athletic scholarship to play basketball and softball at Belhaven College. In basketball she played point guard and shooting guard, named Playmaker of the Year as a senior, while in softball she was awarded Best Defensive Player as a junior and senior. A well-rounded athlete and campus leader, her senior year was distinguished by a host of prominent awards: Most Athletic Female, Homecoming Queen, and Miss Belhaven College.
For Dugas, joining her late father, Tony Dugas, in the Hall of Fame is her biggest honor above everything else—more than the All State laurels, more than the many accomplishments at Belhaven College, more than her later success as a coach. Dugas’ favorite collegiate memory involves her dad who attended all but two of her basketball games, home and away, over a four-year period. His remarkable devotion was even more impressive when considering that the team played on Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays in Mississippi, Alabama, or Louisiana. He drove three hours before and after home games and frequently longer for away games.
Not surprisingly, upon graduation Dugas returned to her roots to become a winning basketball and softball head coach at Southside Junior High School where she taught for 24 years and coached for 17 years. She fondly recalls having coached fellow Class of 2020 member, Katie Roux, who—like her mentor—was a superior athlete in multiple sports. In Dugas’ first year at Southside, the Lady Buccaneers won the parish championship in basketball. She is most proud, however, of her last team that won two parish titles in three seasons with an overall record of 52-1. Three members from those teams went on to play collegiate basketball. She also acknowledges the key role that Hall of Famer Nikki Leader played as her basketball and softball coach during her own playing days at DSHS.
Having stepped away from coaching and classroom teaching a few years ago, Dugas continues as an educator with Livingston Parish Schools as a special needs teacher traveling from school to school. She is a graduate of Belhaven College (now a university) and resides in Denham Springs.
Clint Earnhart (Athlete)
Class of 2020
Clint Earnhart was honored as the Class 5A All State catcher after leading DSHS to a state runner-up finish in baseball in 1994. Consistently outstanding play throughout the season earned him recognition as the District Golden Glove recipient, while his exceptional performance during the playoffs merited Earnhart’s selection to the elite All State Tournament Team.
These are indeed impressive credentials, yet being named an All District catcher as a freshman in high school may have been just as extraordinary. Given the catcher’s traditional role as the team’s field general on the diamond, it is remarkable that an underclassman could wield the maturity and leadership to earn this recognition as a ninth grader. Proving that choice was no fluke, Earnhart would win the distinction three more times. Thus, having forged such a laudable reputation in south Louisiana, it was no surprise that his strong performance as a senior catapulted him onto the All State team. As the state’s premier high school catcher, he participated in the coveted LHSAA All Star Baseball Game before accepting an athletic scholarship to play baseball at LSU.
A three-year letterman for the Tigers, he played a pivotal role in LSU capturing the SEC title in 1997 en route to the College World Series (CWS) and a National Championship. In his first appearance at bat in Alex Box Stadium, Earnhart blasted a memorable home run that served as a precursor of even bigger moments on a much larger stage in Omaha where he hit a total of three home runs in CWS play. One of his most memorable moments was in 1997 when LSU was off to a blazing 18-0 start on the season and in the midst of SEC play against the Georgia Bulldogs. With the score tied in the ninth inning, Earnhart belted the game-winning home run that kept the team’s momentum intact as the Tigers rolled on to their fourth overall national championship in Omaha.
Earnhart, who coached his son for 10 years in youth baseball, was proud to see Phillip join him this year as an alumnus of DSHS. Clint Earnhart is a 1999 graduate of LSU who lives in Denham Springs.
Bob Ingalls (Supporter)
Class of 2020
Longtime ministerial and religious leader, Bob Ingalls, is regarded as one of the Yellow Jackets’ most loyal and devoted supporters. He has served as the DSHS athletic chaplain from 1975 to the present, some 46 years, with no end in sight. Known affectionately as Brother Bob by scores of students, athletes, coaches, and educators whose lives he has impacted, he was asked in 1975 by then-athletic director and head football coach, Butch Wax, to serve as chaplain to the football team, a role that has since evolved to other sports as well. A regular fixture along sidelines and around dugouts for nearly five decades, Ingalls prays with Yellow Jacket teams before and after games, serving as a positive influence on campus and at athletic venues.
His selection to the Hall of Fame in the category of Supporter is significant. In its ten years of existence, with 73 sports figures already inducted, only five have been Supporters, clearly the most challenging category for selection after Athletes and Coaches. He joins a small circle of local citizens led by the late Pee Wee Day, the first Supporter enshrined in 2012, who have freely given years of their lives, without compensation, in service of individual athletes, coaches, and the Jacket athletic program. Of his many accomplishments in life, Brother Bob is likely to be most proud of his long tenure as DSHS sports chaplain.
In 1992 Ingalls launched a 20-year career with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) through which he began an extensive ministry to coaches, given their key role as the primary influencers of young athletes. Over a period of two decades, he led countless early-morning Bible studies with local coaches. Upon his retirement in 2012, he had overseen the establishment of 48 FCA Huddles at high schools and middle schools throughout Livingston, Tangipahoa, and St. Helena parishes, his FCA area of responsibility. He also started a very active collegiate Huddle on the SLU campus that continues to flourish.
It was estimated in 2012 that the FCA Huddles within his three-parish district spiritually influenced the lives of over 4,000 athletes and coaches annually. Many will recall FCA-sponsored events he organized through the years such as FCA Fields of Faith, FCA See You at the Pole, FCA Day of Champions, FCA Summer Leadership Camps, FCA Coaches Retreats, and the annual FCA Banquet.
An ordained minister during the years prior to his involvement with FCA, Ingalls served locally as a youth pastor, minister of music, and associate pastor, most notably at First Baptist Church of Denham Springs. He is a native of Dotson, Louisiana, a small rural community in the northern part of the state. Brother Bob is a graduate of Louisiana College and holds a Master of Religious Education & Music degree from the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. A 45-year Kiwanian, he is a past recipient of the local Kiwanis “Layman of the Year” award. Ingalls is also a founding member of Christ’s Community Church in Denham Springs where he serves as a church elder.
He is married to the former Mary Trahern and is the father of a son and daughter. The couple resides in Denham Springs.
Katie Roux Prescott (Athlete)
Class of 2020
By any yardstick Katie Roux was the student-athlete ideal, a respected campus leader and a uniquely gifted star in multiple sports. Though she was extolled as the Class 5A All State shortstop in softball (2009), her overall prep career was so outstanding that it was not defined by that achievement alone. This was one of the most versatile female athletes in school history, a four-year letter winner in three sports, a three-sport All District selection, and a two-sport All Parish choice. She helped lead her softball team to the state semi-finals in 2007 and 2009 and her basketball team in 2010.
Roux excelled in every sport she played. In addition to All State recognition in softball, she was a rare four-time All District shortstop who was also named to the Baton Rouge All Metro Team and was a finalist for The Advocate Star of Stars Athlete of the Year. Her exceptional play landed her in the prestigious LHSAA All Star Softball Game as a senior. She was a three-time All District (MVP once) pick in volleyball and an All District honoree in basketball remembered for her scrappy, spirited play. Roux was voted DSHS Most Athletic Female student and served as editor of the DSHS yearbook. Her 4.0 GPA throughout four years of high school earned her Honor Graduate distinction.
Following a sterling prep career she signed an athletic scholarship to play softball at McNeese State University where she was a starter all four seasons, earning two Golden Glove awards at shortstop and a spot on the Southland Conference All Academic Team (three times) plus the Conference Commissioner’s Academic Honor Roll (four times). Roux was also lauded as a NFCA All-American Scholar Athlete and the SASOL Student Athlete of the Season in 2013. She was named to the Southland Conference All Tournament Team in 2012 and helped McNeese to conference titles in 2013 and 2014.
Roux also received an unusual honor when asked by her coaches to serve as the Cowgirl softball model for Marucci Sports merchandise catalogues and softball posters highlighting the partnership between McNeese State and Marucci that year.
After graduation she remained with the McNeese softball program in a series of coaching capacities rising from student-assistant to assistant coach to associate head coach. Her current position is closer to home as the head softball coach at Live Oak High School.
She and her husband are newlyweds, having met on her first day on the job at Live Oak when he invited her to play in a pickup basketball game. She and Stephen Prescott, current Eagle head track coach and defensive coordinator in football, were married on July 17, 2020. Stephen is the son of David Prescott whose long, multi-sport coaching career has included stints at Live Oak, Central, and Tara high schools. The new Mrs. Katie Prescott is a third generation DSHS graduate whose parents, Robert and Helen Roux, were classmates there—one a gridiron star, the other a Yellow Jacket cheerleader.
She has warm memories of two fellow Class of 2020 selectees. When her father was playing football at DSHS, he received spiritual influence from athletic chaplain, Bob Ingalls, who baptized Robert Roux at age 17, leading to his strong Christian faith that continues to this day. Also, while an impressionable student-athlete at Southside Junior High, Katie Roux was inspired by her basketball coach, Lisa Dugas, who dazzled her young players with various trick shots, among which was a legendary behind-the-head half court shot that she made consistently.
Lathan Sutton (Athlete)
Class of 2020
Lathan Sutton is the most recent star from the golden era of boys’ basketball at DSHS to be honored by the Hall of Fame. During the late 1940s the Yellow Jackets reigned supreme in Louisiana basketball with Class B state championships in 1948 and 1950 and a runner up finish in 1949. Sutton, one of three brothers to earn All State stature at the school, played a prominent role on all three of those high profile teams. He was named to the Class B All State team in 1950 as the Jackets secured their second state title in three years. By the end of this storybook era, five starters had earned celebrity as All State athletes.
Sutton’s athletic talent was not limited to basketball since he was also a stalwart halfback on the DSHS six-man football team. Six-man teams were popular at the the time with small schools that had difficulty fielding 11-man squads. The game was played on an 80-yard field with wide-open, high scoring contests the norm.
In 1948 Sutton was named to the Area All Star Team that drew its members from the nine Class B high schools in the greater Baton Rouge locale. These included St. Francisville, Greensburg, Central, Port Allen, Clinton, University High, Denham Springs, Redemptorist, and the Louisiana School for the Deaf.
Lathan Sutton joins his older brother, A. E. Sutton, in the Hall of Fame as both were All State basketballers during that championship stretch. Three additional members of those teams, All Staters Donald Ray Hood, Lancy Hill, and Raymond Harris are also Hall of Famers, as is their coach, longtime DSHS principal Grady Hornsby. In that era the Baton Rouge-based Wedge Keyes Tournament was the most prestigious basketball tourney in south Louisiana, a by-invitation affair of the area’s best teams regardless of size or classification. The popular tournament that showcased top talent for several decades was inaugurated in 1950. The small-school, Class B Yellow Jackets of DSHS won that first Wedge Keyes title with Lathan Sutton as the top scorer.
A devoted father to two sons adopted as infants, Sutton was an avid hunter and fisherman who relished time spent with family and friends at his camp at Lake Concordia. Serving as a shift foreman upon his retirement, he worked for Kaiser Aluminum for 30 years. He dedicated much of his adult life to his faith as the longtime chairman of the deacons at Amite Baptist Church. He died in 2007.
DENHAM SPRINGS HS FOOTBALL RADIO BROADCASTS ARE A JON FINE PRODUCTION ON FAMILY RADIO, 91.9 FM, BATON ROUGE and JonFineProductions.com.
JON IS THE OWNER OF AN EBAY STORE. ArrestedDevelopmentMediaGuides, SELLS SPORTS PUBLICATIONS. YOU CAN LINK TO IT BY VISITING JonFineProductions.com