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Story Archives: What's in store for Miss-Lou in 2010?
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What's in store for Miss-Lou in 2010?
New faces in old places.
Old faces in new places.
No faces at a former place.
The year 2010 is the Year of Change.
You can expect some new upperclassmen to step in and make a statement around the Miss-Lou.
There's two new head coaches in the parish as Gary Paul Parnham steps up from the role of long-time assistant coach to head coach at Vidalia.
Chad Harkins is the new head guy at Ferriday High.
Ron Rushing has been a valuable assistant at Trinity, ACCS and Cathedral and now takes over as head football coach at Cathedral High.
And there is no longer a Huntington School.
It's going to be strange to not see the lights shining brightly (OK, they were shining bright enough) at Huntington High.
August and September meant swatting away bugs of enormous size out in the fields, but the play on the gridiron was always entertaining and the effort was always there.
Huntington was the smallest school in the Miss-Lou, but the hospitality was always grand. And I'm going to miss how they always seemed to send the smell of those hamburgers on the grill right toward the home sideline.
At Vidalia High, Parnham moves into the spotlight at his alma mater.
Parnham graduated from Vidalia High in 1987 after outstanding careers in football and baseball.
He received a football scholarship as an offensive lineman from Louisiana Tech. In 1989, Parnham transferred to Henderson State University in Arkadelphia, Ar., where he lettered in baseball.
Parnham replaces Dee Faircloth, who had been head coach at Vidalia since 1969 before announcing his retirement last December.
Faircloth posted a record of 249-187-6. His 249 wins ranks 19th in the state of Louisiana. Vidalia High's football stadium was named after Faircloth in 2005.
Parnham got a taste of what it's like to be the head man last year when Faircloth was forced to miss a game because of chemo treatment he was receiving for cancer.
Parnham and the Viking assistants did a more-than-commendable job as Vidalia fell to Ferriday 34-24 in a very competitive contest.
Parnham returns Caleb Vines at quarterback, but has had to almost rebuild his offensive line.
If the Vidalia line can give Vines time, he is capable of making some big plays for the Vikings.
Vidalia is going to be one of those places where some young guys who have been in the shadows will step forward and make a difference.
The Vikings are no wonder near the talent-level they were at in the early 2000s.
But the good news is, the district is not one of the strongest in the state.
If Vidalia can gain some confidence from non-district games against the likes of Block, Ferriday, Ouachita Christian, they should be able to compete for a district title.
Look for Vidalia to make it to the postseason for the first time since 2004. But a low seed will make it difficult to advance past the first round.
The Vikings finish 5-6 in Parnham's first season, but better days and years are ahead.
The two final home games against Marksville and Jena will decide the Vikings fate for the postseason.
Harkins takes over a Ferriday team returning several starters, including all-everything Davonte Scott.
Marques Lewis leads a solid defense.
The Trojans visit Natchez High in their opener in what should be a real slobberknocker (by now you know I have to use that word each football section column).
Some intriguing early games have Harkins facing Block, where he started his head coaching career, and taking on Vidalia, where he also applied.
Ferriday has a tough district, although Farmerville dressed out as many seniors as Ferriday had players last year.
Jonesboro-Hodge will also be formidable and Sterlington is always competitive.
You can bet Trojan players are itching to get back at Lake Providence after the Panthers pulled off a huge upset last year.
But junior Lake Providence quarterback Lamar Carraway has been a thorn in Ferriday's side the past two seasons.
This guy is like a pinball that has been souped up by Tim the Tool Man. And he has a rocket for an arm. This game will be a crucial one for the Trojans.
Ferriday goes 10-3, falling in the third round of the playoffs.
Touching on other schools, look for Trinity to repeat as Class A state champion, Cathedral and ACCS to make it to the first round of the playoffs before being eliminated, Block to advance to the second round, Tensas Parish to finish 3-7 and Tensas Academy to advance to the second round in 8-man playoff action.
It's a year of change in the Miss-Lou. But fortunately it's still football.
And, yes, we are ready. |
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