October 15, 2021
TERRIFIC DSHS BANQUET
Once again Denham Springs HS put on a magnificent Athletics Hall of Fame Banquet last night. Kudos to Butch Wax, Kathy Degeneris, Jim Spring and many others for their outstanding efforts. Forrest Grove Plantation served a great meal. Kelly Jones handled the Master of Ceremony duties with aplomb. This was just a great night for Denham Springs HS, Denham Springs HS athletics, the Denham Springs Athletics Association and the city of Denham Springs. It was just a remarkable evening. Congratulations to all of the inductees!
WORK CUT OUT FOR THE JACKETS
The Denham Springs HS Football team entertains Zachary HS tonight (October 15)
Kickoff is 7pm
You can catch all the action on Family Radio, 91.9 FM, Baton Rouge and on the Internet at JonFineProductions.com
Sport N Center Yellow Jackets Warmup airs at 6pm
Mario Jerez provides play-by-play, Mitch Covington is the color commentator, and yours truly, Jon Fine, assists with Sport N Center Yellow Jackets Warmup, North Oaks Health Systems Half-Time Report and Ralph Sellers Chevrolet Post-Game Show.
Guests on Broadcast
Jon Fine will interview Denham Springs HS Hall of Famer Jim Spring on Sport-N-Center Yellow Jackets Warmup and DSHS Football great (and owner of Smart Move Real Estate) Brandon Richoux on North Oaks Health Systems Half-Time Report.
DSHS ATHLETICS ASSOCIATION MEETING
The Denham Springs Athletics Association meets this Monday night (October 18) at Big Mike’s Sports Bar & Grille at 6:30. The public is invited.
LSU, Saints and Much More!
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TODAY’S COLUMNS:
Scott discusses New Orleans Saints Football
Dennis critiques LHSAA officiating
Please scroll down below.
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THE WIZARDRY OF OS
Don’t get me wrong. I am glad the Saints are 3-2. I think they should be 4-1, but I am glad they are 3-2.
Taking into account how the teams have played for the first five weeks, the Packers are better than the Saints, but the Saints won handily. The Giants, Football Team, and Patriots are three teams that should finish with no more than 7 wins each. Yet, the Saints lost to the Giants to give back the ground gained with the win against the Packers.
The Carolina game was a road division game, and Carolina looks like a playoff team when they have Christian McCaffery. So losing the game is understandable. Losing the way the Saints did is not acceptable, though.
Again, I am glad the Saints are 3-2. If this team does not improve significantly though, there is no way the Saints are a playoff team this year. The only games that look like games the Saints absolutely should win are against Atlanta twice (but it is a division game), the Jets, and Dolphins. 7 wins.
Buffalo and Dallas are better than the Saints, but are at home (which does not mean much these days) The Bucs are a better team, though they are not playing consistently to their ability. Seattle is not as good as they have been, but that is Monday Night Football in Seattle. I would not favor the Saints in any of these games.
The toss up games are at Tennessee, Philadelphia, and Carolina at home. Assuming the Saints play the way they have the first 5 weeks, they will win two of those games and that leaves the Saints with 9 wins. Not good enough.
Of course, the cavalry is supposed to be coming. Onyemata, Thomas, Armstead, Alexander, Davenport, McCoy, and Lutz should be back soon. Of course, the Saints could lose six more starters as soon as these six return. The difference is that Thomas, Onyemata, and Lutz are actually irreplaceable for this team. The only other irreplaceable is Kamara.
Then there is a question of how much Jameis Winston will improve over the course of the year. I do not think we all have given as much credence to the fact that he did not play last year. It stands to reason that playing time will be as crucial for his improvement as any other player on the roster this year.
In addition, the circumstances have been as challenging as they could be to start the season. Four of the first five games away from home (five of six when they play Seattle), without 2 starters on the offensive line, and no Michael Thomas. It is easy to see where the Saints could be one of the most improved teams in the NFL by the end of the year.
If the improvement does occur, then I can see winning all three of the toss up games, one of the games against Tampa, and either Buffalo or Dallas to get to 12 wins and make the playoffs. That would be a pretty good feat for a team that I can still see winning only 8 games if the injury situation does not get better and Jameis does not improve.
HEY REF
Sometime I get writer’s block and I find it very difficult to focus on what needs telling for that week. Before I go further and I’ve written many times on this subject but something has to be done with the situation many officials find themselves in as they try to work games in the Baton Rouge Association. PLEASE, I know where the problem is and for those that’ve told me many times about the problems with that association nothing will change as long as two things remain constant. One for sure is that Eddie Bonine is president of the LHSAA and the other is allowing the assignment secretary, Marlon Harrison, to remain in that position.
Many officials have told me about their plight and are looking for advice on how to change things for the better. I’ve also had coaches tell me over and over how they can’t work with Harrison since he feels if it wasn’t for him Jesus would’ve never been able to walk on water. Eddie Bonine can’t hide behind the excuse that he doesn’t know or is aware of the problem as I’ve seen copies of letters sent to him requesting he make a change and fire Harrison. Officials have said he, Harrison holds a grudge and if you cross him then you’re likely to not be assigned a game that week or he’ll keep you on the clock Friday nights.
I’ve also have written about my own experience when I came back from a ten year layoff due to health complications. I’d talked to a couple former members of the crew I’d worked in and since we were ready to retire wanted to work one last year together. But Marlon be the control freak that he is refused many times to allow us to work together one final year. I believe at the time the combined years of experience in that crew would’ve been something like 125 years combined or more. But Harrison claimed I had no seniority to work with in my former crew. And when it was told to him that I had more than 20 years with the Baton Rouge Association he wouldn’t budge. It only cost schools, coaches, players and programs the chance to have a crew with that many years work their games.
There’s something that just isn’t right happening down on Old Hammond Highway. But the huge thing in all this even when coaches request relief and want Bonine to remove Harrison their wishes go unanswered. That isn’t hear-say, that’s coming directly from some area coaches that are just fed up with the way Bonine and Harrison are running the show. When experienced officials refuse to come back to Baton Rouge again it’s the schools, players and coaches that are paying the price.
Alright, I’m getting off my soapbox and am getting down to the business at hand. The following column comes from a few short years back. But the situation remains to this day. So, here we go, coaches if you see yourself in this week’s column then you have two options; clean up your act or get out of the profession”! As many readers of this column understand I hold everyone; coaches, officials and parents, to the same, high degree of morals and behavior at all games. This past week I witnessed an outright unbelievable display of unprofessionalism by two area coaches that needs addressing.
Many times I’ve written in this space the reason for sub-varsity games. First and above everything else they are played to give young players the maximum benefits they can only get by playing the game at full speed. Secondly we, the officials, also use 9th grade and JV games as our training grounds to give young, inexperienced, first and second year guys a chance to be part of full speed field situations.
Just as a school will use these contests as a way for coaches to gauge what their younger players are capable of it is the same for us (officials). We all agree that there’s no comparison between classroom time and on the filed experience. Young players and those wanting to be officials need an avenue to show what they can do under live, full speed game situations.
So with that in mind allow me to describe my experience last week. I was working a JV game between two schools that are barely five miles apart. My white hat and I each have more than twenty five years’ experience while our “wing” officials are just beginning their careers; one has two years under his belt while the other is in his first year.
On the play in question one “wing” called a horse-collar tackle which calls for a 15 yard walk off. The offended team had asked for a time out to discuss the call. After a couple minutes of explanation the white hat informed me he wasn’t charging that team with a time out. The score was 25 – 23 and as it so often happens this game was coming down to the last possession. As team “A” is driving and calling their allotted 3 time outs the coach from team “B” comes onto the field during the 3rd time out and begins yelling that the other team had no time outs.
So, the referee goes over to explain he didn’t charge anyone a time out for the stoppage while discussing the earlier horse collar tackle. While he’s talking with that coach, coach “A” comes out and begins to express his displeasure and screams that “I’ll send the checks to coach “B” because he’s calling the game”. This causes both sidelines to erupt and both coaches begin cursing and screaming at each other across the field.
As we attempt to restart the game both coaches start coming out from their sideline, cursing and promising each other to “kick you’re a*s”. Assistants from both sides grabbed their enraged coaches and kept them separated. This little happening took us nearly five minutes to clear them off the field so we could resume the game.
But the damage had been done. After calm was restored, we played the final 17 seconds and no other scoring happened. All this was witnessed by parents, siblings and at least one principal. We kept the game under control even after explaining the discrepancy in time outs. The one fact we weren’t aware of was that the coach of the wining team had been an assistant at the losing team’s school for ten years and it was his first game back.
It’s a sad day when grown men act this way. They are charged with teaching sportsmanship and acting in a professional manner at all times. To take the game personal and attack each other in front of everyone tells me more than I want to know about these two coaches. A sad day indeed as more and more I see this display of emotions coming from grown men that are supposed to be teaching character to our kids.
There is no room for this disgusting example of pure unprofessionalism anywhere in any sport no matter the level. I understand coaches are under extreme pressure to win above all else. But wining above building character is a victory where no one really wins!
Till next week…
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