Byrd Yellow Jackets VS Captain Shreve Gators Tonight
Charlie Cavell
THE RIVALRY
Without a doubt, the biggest rivalry in the City of Shreveport, the No. 3 ranked Byrd Yellow Jackets will square off against the Captain Shreve Gators. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. tonight on KWKH AM 1130.
Thursday, Oct. 27 at Lee Hedges Stadium. It’s a Byrd home game, so the Gators are technically the visiting team.
A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE TEAMS
The Yellow Jackets owns a 7-0 record and a 3-0 record in District 1-5A after last Thursday’s 49-9 win over the Southwood Cowboys. The Captain Shreve Gators own a 4-4 overall record and a 1-2 District 1-5A record following last week’s 27-13 loss to the Haughton Buccaneers.
RECENT RESULTS
The Byrd Yellow Jackets crushed the hapless Southwood Cowboys 49-8 last Thursday night. Byrd scored on its first five possessions to jump out to a 35-0 second quarter lead. Reserve sophomore fullback Louis Mills rushed for a game-high 94 yards and a touchdown.
The Haughton Buccaneers snapped a two-game losing skid by beating the Captain Shreve Gators 27-13 last Friday. Gators running back Chris Hunter was a bright spot for Shreve as he rushed for 126 yards on 23 carries.
THE SERIES
This will be the 34th meeting between the Byrd Yellow Jackets and the Captain Shreve Gators in a series that dates back to 1967. The Yellow Jackets lead the overall series 19-14. These two schools have met on the gridiron every year since 1989. In those 23 meetings, Byrd leads the series 18-5. The Yellow Jackets have won 16 of the last 17 games over the Gators, including last season’s 28-14 Byrd win.
THE COACHES
Mike Suggs is in his 14th season as the head coach at C.E. Byrd. Suggs owns a 91-57 (.613) record as the top Jacket. He is the school’s all-time winningest coach with 91 victories. Suggs was the Class 5A Coach of Year and the District 2-5A Coach of the Year in 2002. Suggs was an All-State end for the Southwood Cowboys in 1980 before taking his talents on to Northeast Louisiana University where he played wide receiver for the Indians.
He served as a graduate assistant coach with the Indians’ 1987 National Championship team. After a two-year stint at Southwood, he came to Byrd in 1990. In 1998, Suggs replaced Alan Carter to become the 13th head coach in Byrd history. Suggs and his wife Sandy have a daughter Cali, a senior cheerleader at Byrd, and a son Andrew, who is an eighth grader at Caddo Middle Magnet. Captain Shreve is coached by Richard Lary, who is in his third season at the helm of the Gators’ football program. Lary owns a 9-12 record in his two seasons at Shreve. He guided the Gators to the playoffs in his first year. Lary has coached at Byrd, Woodlawn and Huntington.
C.E. Byrd High School Facts
Located: Shreveport, Louisiana
Founded: 1925
Enrollment: 2,230
Nickname: Yellow Jackets
Colors: Purple and Gold
District: 1-5A
Stadium: Lee Hedges Stadium
Principal: Gerald Badgley
Coaching Staff
Head Coach/Off. Coordinator: Mike Suggs
Running backs: James Wilkerson
Off. Line: Craig Harris
Wide Receivers: Frank Wade
Def. Coordinator/LBs: Stacy Ballew
Defensive Line: Lindsey Bruno
Safeties: Jason Pope
Corner Backs: Eric Evans
Freshman: Chad Lewis, Derrick Murray,
James Bradford, James Opie
Yellow Jackets Team Facts
2010 Record .................................. 6-5, 4-3
Off. Starters Returning ............................. 7
Def. Starters Returning ............................ 7
Offensive Formation ........... Multiple Option
Defensive Formation .......................... 4-2-5
2011 Schedule and Results
9/1 vs. West Monroe ............... W, 30-23
9/10 vs. Marshall, TX ................ W, 48-23
9/16 at Fair Park .......................... W, 63-8
9/23 at Ruston ........................... W, 42-14
9/30 Open
10/7 vs. *Haughton (HC) ............. W, 48-7
10/14 at *Parkway ....................... W, 52-21
10/20 at *Southwood ..................... W, 49-8
10/27 vs. *Captain Shreve .................... 0-0