WATSON – With just over four minutes to play and trailing the two-time reigning state champions by five points, Live Oak got the ball back amid a frenzied home crowd.

(Here are the preseason rankings released today by the Louisiana Sportswriter's Association. Teams are followed by first-place votes, record, and total votes.)

First-year Walker High coach Chad Mahaffey wasn’t around for a first-hand account, but used the Wildcats regular-season finale last year at Central to illustrate a point.

BATON ROUGE – Former Denham Springs shortstop Cade Doughty was lumped with some exclusive company by LSU coach Paul Mainieri at his annual summer press conference.

BATON ROUGE – LSU punter Zach Von Rosenberg of Zachary is one of 26 players from across the country named as a preseason candidate for the Ray Guy Award, the Augusta Sports Council announced.

Some athletes are forced to choose between one sport or another as they move into higher levels of competition.

The Louisiana Sports Writers Association’s Class 5A All-State baseball and softball teams have a little bit of Denham Springs High flavor this year.

The 2019 LSWA All-State Track & Field Teams, selected by LSWA members from regular season and State Meet results. (* - Indicates season-best time before LHSAA Outdoor meet).

BATON ROUGE - Zachary’s Sean Burrell headlined Saturday’s 5A State Championship Meet with two blazing victories.

ZACHARY – Zachary has some work to do in order to qualify for next week’s Class 5A state tournament.

During its Class 5A quarterfinal series a year ago, Zachary’s season ended abruptly.

ZACHARY – Scotlandville spent most of Wednesday’s Region II-Class 5A meet in a tight battle with Catholic High, but in the end the Bears were able to edge out the Hornets for the title.

ZACHARY – Zachary pitchers Tanner Hall and Zack Farr combined on a two-hit shutout of District 4-5A foe Walker in an 8-0 victory Monday in a Class 5A state playoff opener at Herty Field.

WALKER – From wire to wire, Zachary and Scotlandville were locked in a tight battle for boy’s District 4-5A Championship Wednesday night.

WATSON – Zachary catcher Alex Milazzo hadn’t hit a home run all season. But when his team needed a run, he provided.

ZACHARY – Denham Springs coach Mark Carroll set up the situation to get out of a bases-loaded jam of a tie game in the bottom of the seventh inning against Zachary on Thursday.

WALKER – Zachary capitalized on a flurry of errors and a stellar outing from Zack Farr to defeat league-leading Walker 6-1 on Tuesday in District 4-5A play.

ZACHARY – Live Oak coach Jesse Cassard wasn’t looking for any sentimental returns in his first trip back to Zachary’s Herty Field.

WATSON – There may have been a time earlier in the season when a four-run deficit, especially before her team stepped to the plate, may have worried Live Oak softball coach Michelle Morris.

Zachary’s 2018 baseball season came to an abrupt end.

DENHAM SPRINGS – A week after getting a tough challenge from Zachary in the penultimate game of the season, Denham Springs faced off against their familiar 4-5A foes in the opening round of the Class 5A state playoffs.

DENHAM SPRINGS – Denham Springs appeared poised to go to Walker for a Friday clash of District 4-5a co-leaders, an opportunity for the Yellow Jackets to gauge their progress going into the final month of the regular season.

ZACHARY - Denham Springs used an explosive third quarter to power past Zachary 45-31 in District 4-5A play Tuesday.

ZACHARY - Thanks to some tenacious defense and timely free throw shooting, Walker survived another back-and-forth tussle in District 4-5A action.

WALKER – The one season she’s had in a Walker High uniform will be considered memorable by Tarondia Harold’s own admission, something that was evident during the team’s emotion-charged Senior Night ceremony.

ZACHARY – The Live Oak Eagles dominated the early part of the fourth quarter against the Zachary Broncos and turned an 11-point deficit into a four-point lead with just over three minutes to play.

ZACHARY – In a girl’s basketball game that frequently resembled a track meet, the Zachary Lady Broncos and Albany Lady Hornets were running neck and neck late in the first half of their game Monday night, but both teams appeared to be a bit winded.

ZACHARY -- Chris Thorne had a pointed message for his team at halftime against district-foe Zachary Thursday night.

To the victor went the spoils and for Zachary, which claimed its second straight Class 5A state championship, the Broncos led quite a parade on the first team All-State squad released Sunday by the Louisiana Sportswriters Association.