The 2023 North Louisiana Preseason Scholar-Athlete Watch List, presented by the S.M. McNaughton Chapter of the National Football Foundation, recognizes remarkable high school seniors in north and central Louisiana who have been nominated by their coaches. These young men have at least a 3.2 grade point average, have won all-district honors, and are involved in extracurricular activities.
A total of 38 elite scholar-athletes are included on the third annual North Louisiana Preseason Scholar-Athlete Watch List. Representing Jonesboro-Hodge High School is senior offensive guard/defensive tackle, Noah Lucas.
This Watch List is designed to provide recognition during the season for young men in the 318 area code who are high achieving senior football players. This Watch List will be updated monthly throughout the season as nominations are received. Additional
nominees may be submitted by text from head coaches to NFF board member Doug Ireland at 318-471-2086.
Additionally, KTBS Channel 3 in Shreveport is honoring the memory and legacy of former NFF Board member Bob Griffin, the iconic sportscaster at KSLA and then KTBS for over 50 years, by weekly presentations of a Griffin’s Game Ball to one of the players on the NFF Scholar-Athlete Watch List.
The winners will be featured by KTBS weekly, and will be eligible for a separate Griffin’s Game Ball Scholar-Athlete Scholarship at the close of the 2023 season, presented by KTBS. The NFF will solicit scholarship nominations after the season and will present eight $1,000 scholarships next spring.
Griffin, a 2009 Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame inductee as a sports journalist, covered Ark-La-Tex high school football in an incredible six decades before he passed away early in 2020. The following year, Griffin’s family members traveled around the area throughout the season presenting Griffin’s Game Balls to winning teams in the “Griffin’s Game of the Week” as he did for years.
Because of Griffin’s commitment to the NFF Scholar-Athlete program, the S.M. McNaughton Chapter of the NFF and KTBS have created this partnership to celebrate these outstanding seniors.
The local NFF chapter encourages media to recognize these remarkable young men for being leaders in their schools and on their teams, epitomizing high accomplishment as a competitor, a scholar and a responsible citizen.
2023 NFF’s North Louisiana Preseason Scholar-Athlete Watch List:
Mixon Bankston, QB/FS, St. Mary’s HS
Lake Bates, DB, North DeSoto HS
Quantavious Bradford, OL, Huntington HS
Aeron Burrell, K, Parkway HS
Ethan Busby, WR/CB, St. Mary’s HS
Jacoby Bussey, DL, Mansfield HS
Cameron Calderon, C, Alexandria Senior HS
Reagan Coyle, RB/FS, Loyola College Prep
Jeremiah Echols, LB, Mansfield HS
Grant Edmonson, WR, West Monroe HS
Kaleb Evans, DT, Sterlington HS
Travis Flowers, OL, Benton HS
Jude Gaitan, LB/TE, Loyola College Prep
Hutch Grace, SS, Calvary Baptist Academy
Heath Gross, OL/LB, Calvary Baptist Academy
Bradley Hanlon, WR, Neville HS
Hutson Hearron, QB/P, Northwood HS
Jake Jones, LB, Winnfield HS
Lawson Lillo, RB/LB, Cedar Creek HS
Eli Little, OL, Winnfield HS
Noah Lucas, G/DT, Jonesboro Hodge HS
Delarrious Marshall, WR/FS, Green Oaks HS
Marshall Messier, S, Northwood HS
Emmory Minnieweather, C/OG/DT, Rayville HS
Jackson Moore, NG, Sterlington HS
Abram Murray, K/P, C.E. Byrd HS
Robert “Bob” Patterson, TE, Airline HS
Landry Powell, LB Glenbrook Academy
Aaron Reddix, RB, Plain Dealing HS
Gabriel Reliford, DE/OLB, Evangel Christian Academy
Kevin Richardson OL/DL, Green Oaks HS
Cooper Scott, MLB, Holy Savior Menard HS
Chase Sentell, RB, Glenbrook Academy
Garrett Taylor, ATH/WR/DB/K, St. Frederick HS
Ladd Thompson, QB/DB, Cedar Creek HS
Carter Wells, FS, Parkway HS
Cody Wilhite, TE/WR, Benton HS
Landry Wyatt, WR, North DeSoto HS
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