Winnfield Tiger Football

1970 - 1979
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Winnfield High School Football 1970-1979 
Defense Wins Championships     
     There is no real secret to building a successful high school football program. The difficulty is doing it. The Winnfield High School football program during the 1960s was a model of how to develop a program. Here’s what it takes: You begin with a base of talented athletes. Then, the task is getting those athletes out for football, keeping them out for football and teaching them the fundamentals of the game. What that takes is a good coaching at both the Jr. High and Sr. High level. Programs don’t run themselves. Quality programs are run by quality coaches. Add in a little motivational edge, hard work and a fan base that supports the program and you have a championship program - again, easy to describe but hard to pull off.     
     Winnfield football in the 1960s had all of that. And, all of that set the stage for the 1970s. The boys that played football for Winnfield Senior High School in the 1970s grew up watching championship football. For them, Winnfield always seemed to win. The players in the 1970s looked up to the players of the 1960s, but that’s the way it goes from one decade to the next. What is most important, the boys that played football in the 1970s grew up wanting to be a Winnfield Tiger and they grew up expecting to win football games.    
     The late 1910s and 1920s are remembered by some as the “glory years” of Winnfield football. It is true that the teams of that era played dominating, winning football. In the 1920s the Tiger football program had a reputation as being one of the best programs in the state. But, the decade of the 1970s is arguably the most successful decade of Winnfield football. Consider the following:     
Wins - A total of 116 games were played during the decade. The Tigers won 86 of those. That is the most total wins of any decade. The overall record for the decade was 86-30-0, a winning percentage of .741. That included a regular season record of 75-24-0 (.758) and a playoff record of 11-6-0 (.647.). Those are the highest regular season and playoff wins and highest winning percentages for any decade.    
     The Tigers won at home (47-13-0 - .783%) and they won on the road (39-17-0 - .696%). Wins came no matter where the game was played. Those wins translated into championships. For the decade, six teams advanced to the playoffs. Four of those advanced as district champions and two as runners-up. That is the most district champions for any decade. Once the Tigers were in the playoffs, they tended to stay there. That meant they won playoff games and advanced. The Tigers played in a total of 17 playoff games, which is also the most of any decade.    
     Prior to 1957, no Winnfield team had ever played in a playoff game and it wasn't until 1968 that a Tiger team won a playoff game. The 1971 team was not only the first team to win more than one playoff game, but also the first team to advance all the way to a state championship game. Four of the six playoff teams during the 1970s won at least two playoff games, meaning two-thirds of the playoff teams advanced to at least the quarterfinals. All total, two teams advanced to the state finals, one advanced to the semifinals, one to the quarterfinals and two played in the regional round.    
     During the 20th century, Winnfield High School had five teams complete the regular season with an undefeated record. Two of those teams (1971 and 1978) played during the 1970s. Also, through 1979, eight teams in the history of Winnfield High School football won 10 or more games in a season. Half of those of those competed in the 1970s. It was a decade of winning streaks that still stand today. Included is the longest regular season win streak (17, from 1970 to 1972), overall season win streak (16, from 1970 to 1971), district win streak (16, from 1977 to 1979) and road win streak (8, from 1977 to 1979). No team of the 1970s completed the season with a losing record, the only decade that has ever happened. The program itself went 22 years (1966 to 1987) without having a losing record, with just under half of those teams playing in the 1970s.     
     Every win is good, but some are sweeter than other. During the 1970s, Winnfield had a winning record against virtually every traditional rival, including: Jonesboro-Hodge (7-3-0), Jena (7-0-0), Tioga (6-0-0), Pineville (7-1-0) and Ruston (4-1-0). But, Winnfield didn't win every game of the 1970s. When you consider the 1970s, there are teams who were a nemesis of the program, either by virtue of a single, heart-breaking win or by dominance throughout the decade. Those included: Bolton (0-4-0), Natchitoches (1-2-0), West Monroe (0-2-0), South Lafourche (0-1-0), Jesuit (0-1-0), St. Louis (1-1-0), John Curtis (0-1-0), Westlake (0-1-0) and Crowley (0-1-0).      
Defense   There are many explanations for the success of the program during the 1970s. Probably the main one is the brand of defense the Tigers played during the decade. All of the axioms about defensive football were demonstrated on the field and the proof is contained in some impressive statistics. Virtually every defensive record of the program was rewritten during the 1970s and most of those standards are still in place today.    
     Defense is all about keeping the opponent from scoring. The teams of the 1970s did that better than anyone before or since. A total of 31 of the 116 opponents (27%) were shutout and 74 of the 116 opponents (64%) scored one touchdown or less. Think about that - 2 of 3 opponents scored seven points or less. Only 17 opponents (15%) scored two or more touchdowns. Those teams that did score didn't score very many points. Only 16 of 116 opponents scored 20 or more points and only nine opponents scored 30 or more. No opponent scored 40 or more. That meant that the Tigers usually only had to score a couple of touchdowns to win a game. During the decade, in games in which the Tigers scored 14 or more points they were 82-4-0. So, the Tiger defenses of the 1970s kept the team in every game. A total of 19 of the 30 losses were by 8 pts. or less and, only four opponents defeated the Tigers by more than 20 points. If you exclude the 1974 and 1975 seasons, the average margin of defeat was only 4.7 points per loss. Even with those two seasons included, the average margin of defeat was only 9.1 points per game.      Teams couldn't score against Winnfield because they couldn't get any offense going. Only 9 of the 116 opponents rushed for 200 or more yards in a game. An almost equal number (7) ended the game with minus rushing yards. Only 23 opponents accumulated 200 or more total yards and only 5 opponents gained 300 or more total yards.      
Offense  But, it's not like the teams of the 1970s relied solely on their defenses. Two of the most prolific offenses in school history played in the 1970s. The 1971 and 1978 teams are in the top five of most offensive categories. Some of the longest plays, most productive offensive games and highest scores came during the 1970s.    
     It was a decade of balanced offensive attacks.  Prior to the mid-sixties, teams relied mainly on their running game. That began to change in the mid-sixties and by the time the 1970s rolled around teams relied equally on their running and passing attacks. All-out passing attacks became the focus of the teams who played in the 1980s and 1990s. So, the teams of the 1970s would be the best example of teams who relied on both the ground and the air to move the football.     Four of the ten teams that played in the 1970s ended the season with over 1,000 yards in both rushing and passing, the highest of any decade. In comparison, the first team to ever do that was the 1966 team, followed by the 1968 team. Four teams accomplished that feat in the 1980s and two teams did it in the 1990s. Every team from the 1970s finished with at least 1,200 rushing yards and 7 of the ten teams finished at least 950 passing yards.    
     The formula for success was simple. The defense held the opposition off the board and the offense rang up the points. That is noted when examining margins of victory. When the Tigers won, they usually did so by putting teams away. In the 86 wins, the game ended with the Tigers ahead by more than 8 points in 71 games (.825). That means that in all but fifteen of the wins of the decade the opposition was in need of at least two scores to overtake the Tigers at the end of the game. In short - there weren't many close games. The average margin of victory was 25 points per win. In 65 of the 86 wins (.760) the Tigers won by a margin of 14 points or more.     
     Those kinds of margins come with both good defense and good offense. The offenses of the 1970s could score. Winnfield football teams of the 1970s were shutout only 9 times, the fewest of any decade. They scored two or more touchdowns in 94 of 116 games (81%). All total, there were 2,883 points scored during the decade (24.9 ppg avg.), the second highest of any decade. In nine games, the Tigers scored 50 or more points, the most number of games that mark had been reached for any decade since the 1920s. The 1971 team became only the second team to score 400 or more points in a season. By scoring 466 pts., they broke the previous single-season scoring record by 66 pts., a record held by the 1961 team at the time. Then, the 1978 team became the first of what are still only two teams to break the 500-point barrier.     
Players and coaches   All of those numbers lose their meaning unless you consider the people behind those numbers. The decade was made up of some of the best football players and best coaches in school history. Proof of that was revealed in 2000 when the first fan poll was conducted to determine the fan’s choice for best players and best coaches. Of the top 22 players selected for offensive and defensive positions, 11 played during the 1970s. On the defensive side of the ball, 7 of the 11 starters played during the 1970s. Three of the top four coaches selected coached during the 1970s.     
     When post-season awards came around, players from Winnfield got full recognition during the 1970s. Prior to the 1970s, no decade had passed in which more than four individuals were selected as a first team All-State player. The 1971 team alone placed five players on the AAA All-State team. That is the most All-State players ever assembled on one Winnfield team. But, that was only the beginning. Before the decade was over, 17 players would be selected to an All-State team, with two individuals (Lionel Johnson and Ricky Chatman), selected two consecutive years, the first time that had ever happened. The breakdown of first team All-State players by decade is as follows: 1920s (3), 1930s (0), 1940s (1), 1950s (2), 1960s (4), 1970s (17), 1980s (8), 1990s (3).    
     Doug Moreau, one of the winningest coach in school history (58), began his tenure during the 1970s, winning the first 11 games of his total wins while in Winnfield during the 1979 season. He won more playoff games (10) than any other coach in the history of the program. Three of those wins came in the 1979 season. Joe Dosher ended the century with more wins in district games than any other coach (26). He won those games when he served as head coach from 1970 to 1973. The coaches who ended their tenure with the three highest winning percentages in the history of program coached during the 1970s. Those include Doug Moreau (806), Joe Dosher (.783) and Larry Dauterive (.757). Dauterive was considered by many of his peers as having one of the best offensive minds in the business. Likewise, Jerry Bamburg, who served as a defensive coordinator for the first four teams of the decade, before assuming the head-coaching job at the school, had an equally keen defensive mind. He is the one responsible for developing those early and mid 1970s defenses. Between 1970 and 1973, his defenses held 33 of 47 (70%) opponents to one touchdown or less. Included in that total are 15 shutouts.   
Rule changes of the decade: 
1970 - Replaced player must leave field on his side of the field following substitution.
1971 - Goal posts widened to 23' 4" and horizontal crossbar and uprights must be free of decorative material. Allowed for quarters to be shortened or game suspended because of emergency. Defensive player prohibited from shoving his teammate on the line to add momentum. Spiking the ball is unsportsmanlike conduct.
1972 - Valid fair catch designated by extending one hand only and waving it.
1972 - More than one coach may confer with one player during time-outs.
1974 - Any player may request a time out. Blocking below the waist prohibited on kicks.       
1975 - Plan for breaking ties. Reduced charged time-outs to three per half. Player chargedwith spearing disqualified.
1976 - Five players with numbers 50-79 required to be on the line. Eligible pass receivers must wear 1-49 or 80-99.
1977 - Liberalized use of hands by offensive players during blocking.   

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KEY PLAYERS/COACHES OF THE 1970s   
Joe Dosher (1966-1969 & 1977-1982 Assistant Coach, 1970-1974 Head Coach)    Overall career won/loss record of 42-14-0.  Guided the 1971 team to the school’s first state championship game played on the field.  Is the first coach to win multiple playoff games as the 1971 team went 3-1 in the playoffs.  His 1971 team went 10-0-0 during the regular season to become only the third team in  school history to complete a regular season with an unblemished record. His career record in district games is 29-10-0, which is the most district wins by any head coach at Winnfield. All five of this teams had winning records. The only coaches in the history of the program to have five or more winning seasons are Dosher and Alwin Stokes (1917-1923, 1934-1935) with five, and Doug Moreau (1979-1984) and Joey Pender (1998-2005) with six. Dosher sent three of his five teams to the playoffs, where he had a 3-3 record.  Came in third in the Expert Panel Poll and fourth in the fan poll in the 2000 All Century Poll.All five of Dosher’s team’s had winning records. The only Tiger coaches who stayed in the program more than three years and did not have a losing season are Tommy Bankston (1966-1969), Doug Moreau (1979-1984) and Dosher.   
Dennis Shell (1940s through 1990s)   Long time contributor to the program in a variety of capacities. In the 1940s he wrote articles for the Winnfield newspaper chronicling the game accounts. In the 1960s and 1970s he operated the video camera for the program.  Supported the program in the 1980s as a spectator at virtually every home and away game. In the late 1990s became the program’s “premier fan” when he became a “partial observer” while watching his grandson, Jared Beville, snare passes from the WR position. May not have watched the most Tiger football games, but the list of people ahead of him is very short   
James Hutchins (1970-1971, DE & OG)     Widely considered one of the best defensive ends in the history of the program. That became clear when the All Century Poll was conducted in 2000.  He received the most votes at that position from the Expert Panel. His vote total from the Expert Panel was tied for third-highest for any player on the defensive side of the ball.  He received the second-highest votes from fans voting in the same poll. Along with Alan Carter (1970-1971), Hutchins was the first two-time first team All District performer at a defensive position.  He was a first team All State pick at defensive end his senior season.  
Greg Wagoner (1969-1971, TE)     Three-year letterman and two year starter at tight end. Had five career touchdown catches, with his most notable being a game-winning 11-yarder against Hahnville in a semi-final round playoff game. Against Jonesboro-Hodge in 1971 Wagoner caught 9 passes which set a single-game reception record.  That is the second most single-game catches of the twentieth century.  He was the reception leader of the 1971 team, a team that still holds the school record for pass completions in a season.  The 1971 team had 113 pass completions and Wagoner caught 38 of those.  That set a single season reception mark that lasted for fifteen years. Wagoner gained 450 yards on those 38 catches, which was eight yards shy of the single-season yardage record set by Tommy Wyatt in 1959.  Wagoner was a first team All District and All State performer in 1971.  He was the top pick at the tight end position by both the Expert Panel and fans voting in the All Century poll.  His six first place votes by the eight member Expert Panel is topped only the seven first place votes received by linebacker Lionel Johnson (1970-1972) and running back Anthony Thomas (1993-1996).   
Randy Strickland (1969-1971, DE, OT, C & LB)     First started his sophomore season as a defensive end.  Started two games at center his junior year and then moved to offensive tackle, where he played the rest of the career on offense.  Played defensive tackle his junior season and linebacker his senior season.  Earned second team All District honors as a defensive tackle in 1970 and honorable mention honors at linebacker in 1971.  Was a first team All District pick at offensive tackle in 1971.  Was the leading vote-getter at offensive tackle by the Expert Panel and third-leading vote-getter by the fans voting in the All Century poll of 2000.    
Jerry Keen (1969-1971, RB & PK)     Three-year lettermen who first appeared as a sophomore when he saw limited action but did score two rushing touchdowns, caught one touchdown pass and booted an extra point.  During his junior year he scored a team-leading 62 points, which at the time was the most points ever scored by a junior player and the fourth-most single season points ever scored by any player.  Keen got those points with eight rushing touchdowns and he booted 13 of 15 extra point tries.  Keen’s .867 kicking percentage as a junior is the second-highest single season average of all time. Keen was the team’s leading rusher in 1970 with 857 yards.  In 1971 Keen was the first Tiger player to score 100 points in a single season.  Keen crossed the 100 pt. mark in the 10th game of the season and ended the year with 127 points.  Though teammate John Wayne Williams ended the season with 130 pts., Keen technically reached the 100 pt. mark first. He was the third player to kick a field goal in the program (see Carroll Long, 1961 & Steve Stroud, 1966).  Keen also became the first player to scored 30 points in a single game when he got that total against Menard in the 1971 game. He is the first Tiger running back credited with 30 carries in a  game, that coming his junior season against Pineville. Keen became the first player to score 200 career points, by finishing his senior season with 207 total points scored. In the 1971 season Keen scored 13 rushing touchdowns, which was a new single-season record.  In 1971 Keen booted 36 of 47 extra point attempts in 1971 to set a season record for PAT kicks made. For his career Keen converted 50 of 63 extra point tries for a .794 conversion rate. Keen became the program’s second 1,000-yard rusher in 1971 when he ended the season with 1,008 yards.  Keen was a second team All District pick at running back his junior year and a first team selection his senior season. In the All Century Poll conducted in 2000 Keen is the third ranked place kicker as voted on by the fans.  He is the fourth ranked running back as ranked by both the Expert Panel and fans, which considering the quality of running backs in the program that is quite a statement.              
James Johnson (1971-1972, DL)      One of only two underclassmen to earn a starting spot on the record-holding 1971 defensive unit.  Johnson played defensive tackle, positioned on the strong side.  His senior season he earned first team All District and All State honors as a defensive lineman and was named the Class AAA MVP Defensive players. All Century poll   
Alan Carter (1969-1971; QB, DB, SE & KR)     Broke into the starting lineup as a sophomore quarterback and threw six touchdown passes.  That is the school’s third most touchdown passes by a sophomore, trailing only Mike Tinnerello (13 in 1959) and John C. Jones, Jr. (7 in 2000).  Carter threw three more touchdown passes in 1970, but was moved to split end midway through his junior season.  In 1971 Carter caught five touchdown passes to give him a career total of nine touchdown passes thrown and six touchdown passes caught.  Only one player in the history of the program has combined to throw and catch more touchdown passes, that being John C. Jones who threw 22 touchdown passes as a quarterback and caught two touchdown passes. His senior season Carter also returned two punts for touchdowns.  In fact, he is the first player to return two punts for a touchdown in the same season.  That came about in 1971 when he scored on punt returns in consecutive games against Jonesboro and Natchitoches. In the key Natchitoches game of the 1971 it was Carter’s 82-yard punt return just before halftime that broke that scoreless tie up.  Though teammate John Wayne Williams in fact end the 1971 season with five punt returns for a touchdown, four of those came after Carter got his two touchdowns.  There has only been seven players in the history of the program have multiple punt returns for touchdowns in the same season. Despite all of the success that Carter had on the offensive side of the ball and with punt returns, his skill on the defensive side of the ball made him unquestionably one of the best defensive players in the history of the program.  He was named first team  All District defensive back his junior and senior seasons.  That made him and teammate James Hutchins the first players in the program to earn back to back first team All District honors at a defensive position.  Carter was also named to the 1971 Class AAA All-State team and All-Prep (all classes) team at defensive back.  In the All-Century poll balloting Carter was the leading vote getter at the defensive back position by the Expert Panel.    
John Wayne Williams (1970-1971, RB, DB & KR)    In 1970 he returned one punt for a touchdown and caught one touchdown-scoring pass.  That was only a prelude to his senior season when he put together one of the most varied scoring outputs in the history of the program. Williams alternated with Jerry Keen at halfback and lined up at the split end position on occasion.  In 1971 he ran for five touchdowns, with his two longest covering 64 and 75 yard.  Williams also caught eight touchdown passes in 1971, which at the time was the second-highest single season total in the history of the program and still ranks in the Top Five. He tied a school record for touchdown receptions in a single game against Jena in 1971 when he snared three. Only four other players have caught three TD passes in a single game. His most remarkable scoring accomplishment of the 1971 season, however, is what he did on kick returns. Prior to 1971 no player had ever returned more than one punt for a touchdown in a single season.  Williams returned five punts and two kickoff for touchdowns in 1971. Williams had six career punt returns for touchdowns, which is double the second highest total.  Williams is the first Tiger player to return two kickoffs for touchdowns in the same season.  All total, Williams returned six punts and two kickoffs for touchdowns for a total of eight kick returns for scores.  Only two other players have as many as five total kick returns for touchdowns, including Benny Mitchell (1980-1982) and Freddie King (1997-2000). Williams returned a kick for a touchdown in seven of the ten regular season games of 1971.  Williams is the only player in the history of the program to score touchdowns by three or more means in the same game, and he did that twice. Against Leesville in 1971 Williams rushed for a touchdown, caught a touchdown pass and returned a kickoff for a score.  Later that season against Pineville (homecoming night)  he scored touchdowns by way of an 8 yd. run, a 21-yard reception and a 66 yard punt return.  Williams ended the 1971 season with 130 total points scored.  That broke the then single season scoring record of 69 points (see Frank Brewer, 1928) by 61 points. Williams’ single season total has only been topped by four players through the 2006 season. After the 1971 season Williams received first team All District and All State honors at an offensive back position.  He was also an honorable mention All District pick at defensive back in 1971. Williams received two votes at running back from members of the Expert Panel voting in the All Century poll of 2000 and ranked in the Top Ten among fans voting in the same poll for running back.  He and Freddie King (1997-2000) were the consensus picks at kick-returner by the Expert Panel, as they were the only two players to receive votes in that category. The fans had six different players to receive votes at the kick-returner spot, with Williams receiving the second most votes behind Freddie King, Jr.. Williams had four more first place votes than King in the fan balloting.   
Lionel Johnson (1970-1972, LB & OT)     Johnson is the program’s career leader for tackles with over 350 career tackles to his credit.  Though his exact total is not known, what is known is that he was credited with 154 tackles during the ten-game regular season of 1971, his junior year, and 143 tackles during the 11-game 1972 season, his senior season.  He started every game at linebacker during the 1970 season, his sophomore season but his tackle total from that season is not known.  He also played in four playoff games during the 1971 season and that tackle total is not known.  So, his “known” tackles total 297.  The only other player known to record 300 or more tackles in their career is Ricky Chatman (1976-1979), who is credited with 345 career tackles.  So, Johnson would have only had to have made 49 more tackles in those 14 games where his total is unknown to surpass Chatman’s career tackle total. Johnson averaged 14.1 tackles per game in the games his tackle totals are known for. Johnson is the only player to record two safeties in a career. At the end of his junior season he earned first team All District, All State and All Prep (all classes) honors at linebacker.  He was also the Class AAA Defensive MVP in 1971.  He followed that in 1972 by being named to the All State team a second consecutive year, making him the first repeat All-State performer of the Modern era (see, Truett Durham – 1919/1920 and Grady Newton – 1923/1924). In the history of the program there have only been eight players to earn first team All State honors in multiple years. Johnson was the top pick by the Expert Panel at linebacker in the All Century poll conducted in 2000.  In fact, he was the second-leading vote-getter regardless of position by the Expert Panel, trailing only running back Anthony Thomas (1994-1996).    
Steve Adams (1970-1972, QB, Punter & DB)     Began his career as a defensive back, where he earned honorable mention All District honors as a sophomore.  Moved to a starting role at quarterback midway through his sophomore season and remained the Tiger starting quarterback throughout the remainder of his career.  As a starter, he guided the offense to a 27-5-0 record. That is the most wins by any starting quarterback in the history of the program.  Adams holds the school record for touchdown passes in a single season (23) and is the career leader for passing yards (3,010).  He is the first and only quarterback to throw for over 3,000 career yards and was the first Tiger quarterback to throw for over 2,000 career yards. He was the first Tiger quarterback to throw for more than 1,500 yards in a single season, that coming in 1971 when he threw for 1,607 yards. Adams is the single-season leader for pass completions with 113 in 1971. He was the first Tiger QB to throw four touchdown passes in a game, that coming in the 1972 contest against Oakdale. In his career Adams rushed for eleven touchdowns, with his longest being a 47-yarder against Webster in 1971. His 11-touchdown career total ranks fourth among Tiger quarterbacks. Adams was a first team All District pick at quarterback in 1971 and a second team selection in 1972.  He was the second-leading vote-getter at quarterback by the Expert Panel voting on the All Century poll in 2000 and received the third-most votes at quarterback from the fan vote.   
Hal Hickey (1971-1973, OT & OG)     One of only four underclassmen to earn a starting spot on the either the offensive or defensive side of the ball of the 1971 state finalist team.  Was the only sophomore from among that group.  Moved to guard his junior and senior seasons where he was the leader of the offensive line.  Was a second team All District pick as a junior and earned first team All District and All State honors as a senior.  All Century Poll   
Charles Oliver (1971-1973, DB & KR)     Primarily recognized as one of the program’s premier defensive backs where he earned first team All District and All State honors in 1973. Also used as a kick return man where he returned three kicks for touchdowns. He is one of only seven players in the  history of the program to have two career kickoff returns for a touchdown. Ranked No. 5 among defensive backs receiving votes from the Expert Panel voting on the All Century poll.  
Glen Anderson (1972-1973, WR)     He was on the receiving end of three touchdown passes in the 1972 game against Leesville.  That tied a school record for touchdown reception in a single game.  That feat has only been accomplished five other times in the history of the program.  Anderson was the school’s first 500-yard receiver, finishing the 1972 season with 504 yards. Anderson achieved that total with only 19 catches for a 26.5 per carry average per catch. He finished his career with ten touchdown catches. That total was second highest at the time and remains the 7th highest career total in the history of the program. . He was the first player in the history of the program to have three touchdown receptions that covered 60 or more yards and remains one of only three players to accomplish that feat (see Mike Kimble, 1973-1974 and John Michael Spangler, 1989). Anderson was a first team All District pick at end as a junior and an honorable mention selection as a senior. He received a vote from one member of the Expert Panel at the end position on the All Century poll.     
Roosevelt Robinson (1973, FB & DL)     Bruising fullback and defensive lineman who basically played only one season.  Earned first team All District and All State that season as a defensive lineman. In the All Century poll Robinson ranked 4th among the Expert Panelist and fifth among the fans voting on the defensive lineman position.  Mike Kimble (1973-1975, E)   The first and only player to cross the 200-yard mark for reception yards in a single game.  That came in 1974 against Oakdale when Kimble gained 205 yards in 6 catches.  In that contest he had touchdown receptions that covered 60 and 34 yards.  Besides his 60-yard touchdown reception in 1974, he had two other long distance scores, those being an 86-yarder and a 74 yarder in 1975. That makes him one of only three players in the history of the program to have three scoring reception of 60 yards or more (see Glen Anderson, 1972-1973 and John Michael Spangler, 1989). His 86-yard scoring reception set a school record that stood for 31 years.  Kimble was a second team All District pick as a junior and first team selection as a senior.   
Dennis Brown (1975-1976, DB & KR)     Two year starter.  In his career he had two rushing touchdowns, two touchdowns by reception, one fumble return for a touchdown and he returned a kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown.  It was in the defensive backfield where Brown was most proficient.  He was a first team All District performer at defensive back in 1976 and was one of two players from the 1976 state finalist team to earn first team All State honors (the other being Nathan Johnson).     
Larry Dauterive (1976-1978, Head Coach)     Outspoken, confident, brash – all of those words have been used to describe Larry Dauterive.  While those descriptions might be true, you would have to include one other word also – winner.  His playbook was legendary and some said he never met an offensive formation he didn’t like.  One thing you could expect when you met a Dauterive offense was variety.  In his first season at Winnfield he took his team to the school’s second state title game.  That came after the Tigers entered the playoffs as a district runner-up and then peaked in the playoffs.  The Tigers lost that state final game by a 7-0 margin, making that the first shutout loss of Dauterive’s career. Overall, his 1976 team posted an 11-3-0 record. After a 5-5-0 season in 1977, Dauterive marched his 1978 team through the regular season without a blemish; making that team the school’s fourth squad to go through a regular season undefeated.  Then, after two playoff wins the 1978 team’s playoff hopes came to an end in a crushing quarter-final round loss played at Stokes-Walker Stadium.  That 1978 team posted a 12-1-0.  Dauterive left after the 1978 season, having posted a 28-9-0 record.  His .757 winning percentage ranks second behind his successor Doug Moreau (1979-1984) who finished his career at Winnfield with an .806 winning percentage.     
Nathan Johnson (1974-1976, RB, KR & DB)  Second-leading vote getter at running back in the All Century poll behind Anthony Thomas (1994-1996). Johnson was a three-year starter at running back and he also contributed to the program by returning  kicks and playing defensive back. His rushing total from all of his sophomore season is not known, however he rushed for 984 yards as a junior and he set a new single-season rushing record his senior season by rushing for 1,432 yards.  That broke the previous record by just under 350 yards. Johnson had six 100-yard rushing games his junior season and added eight more to that total his senior season to give him fourteen career 100-yard rushing games. His 199 carries in 1975 broke Randy Poisso’s (1968) single season record of 188. Johnson scored 21 touchdowns by rush, which was two behind the school record set by Jerry Keen (1969-1971). He was the scoring leader of the state finalist 1976 team with 82 points and he\ended his career with an even 150 points. Other than his rushing touchdowns, Johnson also scored by way of three pass receptions, three two-point conversion runs and one 65-yard punt return. At the time his 25 total touchdowns tied Jerry Keen on the all-time list.  Post-season honors included back-to-back first team All District honors at running back in 1975 and 1976 and an All State selection at running back in 1976.  
Lyn Bankston (1974-1976, QB, DB & PK)     Tough competitor who had a three-year playing career for the Tigers.  Is most known as a quarterback but he also handled the placekicking duties throughout his career and was placed in the defensive backfield in critical situations. As a kicker Bankston booted a career 58 PAT tries.  That set a new record at the time and is currently 4th on the all-time list.  He was a sure kicker, setting a new record for proficiency as a sophomore when he converted on 16 of 17 tries for a kicking percentage of .941.  That broke Steve Stroud’s seven year old record of .913.  That is the highest kicking percentage in school history. For his career Bankston converted 58 of 68 tries for a .853 kicking percentage.  That too is a school record. As a three-year starter at quarterback, Bankston was in on 22 team wins.  That ranks him in the top five for wins by a quarterback in the program.  He is the program’s career leader for TD passes with 37 and he holds school record for most touchdown passes in a game with 6 vs. Tioga in 1974.  Only two other quarterbacks (see Steve Adams, 1972 and Matt Machen, 1988) have as many as four touchdown passes in a single game. His touchdown passes per season included 12 as a sophomore, which was one shy of the sophomore record set by Mike Tinnerello in 1959; 7 as a junior and 18 as a senior.  Bankston’s senior total was the second-highest single-season total at the time, trailing only Steve Adam’s 23 set in 1971. Bankston and John C. Jones, Jr. (2000-2002) are the only Tiger quarterback to throw for at least 7 touchdown passes in three different seasons. Bankston is the only Tiger quarterback to throw double-digit touchdown passes in two seasons. His single season passing yardage totals include 879 yards in 1974, 820 yards in 1975 and 1,162  yard in 1976.  He is the only player to throw for 800 or more yards in three different seasons.  At the time he was the third Tiger quarterback to throw for 1,000-yards in a single season.  His career total of 2,861 ranked second to Steve Adams at the time and is currently the third highest, trailing Adams and Matt Machen (1987-1989).  Other than his six touchdown performance against Tioga in 1974 where he threw for 207 yards, his other career game came the same season against Oakdale when he threw for 212 yards.  He, Steve Adams and Matt Machen are the only Tiger quarterbacks with two 200-yard games. Bankston was an honorable mention All District pick at quarterback in 1974 and 1975 and a second team selection in 1976.  Bankston was the fourth-ranked quarterback by both the Expert Panel and the fans voting in the All-Century poll conducted in 2000. He is the son of Coach Tommy Bankston (1966-1969).   
Dexter Holden (1976-1977, E, QB, RB & DB)     Very versatile football player as evidenced by the sheer number of positions he played.  As a junior he caught six of the team’s 20 touchdown passes to share the lead in that category with teammate Jimmy Husser. The following season he was the “go-to guy” in the Tiger offensive backfield, where he provided critical senior leadership in a season when such leadership was needed.  In 1977 he was the team’s leading scorer with 74 points.  Those points came on 9 rushing touchdowns, 1 scoring reception and 14 of 21 extra point kicks.  Holden also threw a touchdown pass. He was selected for first team All District honors at running back in a season where he rushed for 428 yards on 120 carries.     
Terry Joe Ramsey (1977-1978, QB, E, KR, Punter)   Split time between QB and E his junior season and then moved to an offensive end and defensive back his senior season. Was the team punter for two years.  Ramsey was the first and is the only player to cross the 1,000 mark for single season reception yards.  That occurred in 1978 when he caught 37 passes (one shy of the school record) for 1,042 yards. That is an amazing 28.16 yard per catch average and his yardage total broke the school record by 540 yards.  Ramsey turned 8 of those 37 catches into touchdowns.  He also had a 62 yard punt return for a touchdown in 1978. During his junior season he rushed for two touchdowns, caught one touchdown pass and three five touchdown passes.  He was awarded a first team All District nod at quarterback that season.  In 1978 he earned first team All District honors at both offensive end and punter.  He was also a first team All State pick at end in 1978.  Ramsey was the third highest vote-getter at offensive end by both the Expert Panel and fans voting in the All Century poll of 2000.    
Woody Grigg (1977-1978, DL, OT & TE)      One of the most well-thought of football players in the history of the program, as evidenced by the overwhelming point total he received in the All Century Poll.  Grigg was the leading vote-getter at not only a defensive line position but any defensive position.  In fact, only running back Anthony Thomas (1993-1996) received more overall votes than Grigg in the entire poll.  The Expert Panel voting in the same poll had Grigg as their second choice at defensive lineman behind James Johnson (1971-1972), but only Johnson and five other defensive players earned more votes from the Expert Panel than Grigg did.  Grigg was a two-time first team All District pick at defensive lineman and was a first team All State selection in 1978 at defensive tackle.  He played offensive tackle in 1978, but was moved to tight end in 1978,  where he used his 6’ 5” frame primarily for blocking, but he also caught a 15-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Brent Hubbard (1977-1978).    
Donnie Purser (1977-1978, DL & OG)     Played on both side of the ball for two seasons.  Along with teammates Woody Grigg and Tommy Campbell made up what many consider to be the strongest defensive line in the history of the program.  Was an offensive guard when he switched to that side of the ball. Purser was a two-time first team All District pick at defensive guard.  
Tim Jordan (1978-1979, OG & DL)     Had a banner senior season where he was a first team All District and All State pick at offensive guard.   
Brent Hubbard (1977-1978, QB, E and DB)    Alternated at quarterback his junior season where he threw two touchdown passes.  Also contributed as a receiver and defensive back as a junior. Won  the starting job at quarterback in 1978 and responded by throwing twelve touchdowns passes, making him the fifth Tiger quarterback to throw double-digit touchdown passes in a single season. In 1978 he attempted 159 passes and completed 75 of those for a .472 completion percentage.  Those completions went for 1,511 yards.  Hubbard was the second Tiger quarterback to throw for 1,500 yards.  His career game came in the second game of the 1978 season against Jonesboro when he connected on 8 of 17 passes for 196 yards and two touchdowns. Hubbard shared high-scoring honors with Ricky Chatman in 1978 with 84 points.  All of Hubbard’s point came by rush where he recorded fourteen rushing touchdowns. That total contributed to a team total of 560 points, which not only set a new school record but was the first time a Tiger team had scored more than 500 points in a season.  That is the second highest total ever amassed as the 1982 recorded 594 points.  Hubbard was a first team All District quarterback in 1978.    
Ricky Chatman (1976-1979, LB, RB)     Chatman was a four-year letterman for Winnfield and easily one of the top linebackers in the history of the program. He is credited with 345 career tackles, which is likely the second most career tackles in the program’s history (see Lionel Johnson, 1970-1972). He was a first team All District pick in 1977, 1978 and 1979 and was the district defensive MVP in 1978 and 1979. Chatman is one of only nine Tiger players (and one of only three defensive players) to earn first team All District honors at the same position three years running. He was a two-time All State pick at linebacker, earning the Class AA MVP Defensive Player award in 1979.  If that were all that Chatman ever did in the program his reputation would be intact.  However, Chatman is also considered one of the top backs in the history of programs. He was not a pure runner in the sense of shifty moves.  Rather, Chatman combined both raw power with enough speed to get him to the clear to be a threat that had to be accounted for. By the time he has finished his career at Winnfield he was nearly the career rushing leader with 2,539 yards.  That put him 22 yards shy of career leader Nathan Johnson.  All of that and Chatman basically only had a season and a half career at running back.  It wasn’t until the seventh game of his junior season (vs. Homer) that he had his first 100  yard rushing game.  From that point on Chatman was used as a primary offensive weapon.  Chatman reeled off 7 straight 100-yard games the remainder of the 1978 season and he posted four more 100-yard games in 1979.  He rushed for 1,173 yards in 1978 and 1,210 yards in 1979 to become the program’s first two-time 1,000-yard rusher.  He was not a workhorse by any means.  He only had 116 carries in 1978 and 106 carries in 1979.  That is why his 9.8 yard per carry average of 1978 and 11.42 yard per carry average in 1979 are two of the three highest totals in school history, with the 1979 being the single season record and the 1978 average being the third highest.  Chatman shared high-scoring honors with Brent Hubbard in 1978 with 84 points.  All of Hubbard’s point came by rush where he recorded fourteen rushing touchdowns.  That total contributed to a team total of 560 points, which not only set a new school record but was the first time a Tiger team had scored more than 500 points in a season.  That is the second highest total ever amassed as the 1982 recorded 594 points. Chatman scored 96 points in 1979 to become the first player in the history of the program to have two seasons in which he scored 70 or more points. For his career Chatman scored 198 points  A total of 31 of Chatman’s 33 career touchdowns came by rush.  Chatman rushed for 14 touchdowns in 1978 which was one better than Jerry Keen’s single season record (1971) for rushing touchdowns.  Chatman topped that total in 1979 with 16 rushing touchdowns.  All total he ended his career with 31 rushing touchdown which was 8 better than Keen’s career mark.  Chatman currently ranks 7th on the career rushing touchdown list.  A total of 9 of his career 31 rushing touchdowns covered 50 or more yards.  The only player in the history of the program with more 50-yard rushing touchdowns is Anthony Thomas (1993-1996) who had 20. Chatman scored 33 total touchdowns, which at the time was 8 better than Keen’s school record.  Chatman currently ranks 8th on that list.  In the All Century poll the Expert Panelist ranked Chatman behind Lionel Johnson (1970-1972) as the program’s best linebacker.  Nevertheless, only Johnson and Jeffery Dale (1978-1980) from the defensive side of the ball received more votes from the Expert Plan.  The fan vote flip-flopped that by giving Chatman the highest vote total at linebacker, with Johnson coming in second.  
Perry Rainwater (1978-1979, DE & E)     Two year starter at defensive end where he earned first team All District honors in 1978 and was a second team selection in 1979.  Thought of enough by two members of the Expert Panel of the All Century poll conducted in 2000.  Was one of only six defensive ends to receive votes from the eight members of the Expert Panel.    
Kevin Poisso (1978-1979, OE, RB and DE)     Earned second team All District honors at offensive end in 1978  and honorable mention All District running back in 1979.  His career total of 12 rushing touchdowns ranked 6th on the all-time list at the time and his career 16 total touchdowns ranked 9th in 1979.  On defense, Poisso was a first team All District defensive tackle in 1979.  He is the brother of Charles Poisso (1965-1967) and Randy Poisso (1966-1968).   
Tommy Campbell (1977-1979, OT, C, DL & PK)     Three year letterman who contributed to the program in a multitude of ways.  As a sophomore he started at tackle on offense and in the defensive line.  Teamed with Woody Grigg and Donnie Purser in 1977 and 1978 to form arguably the strongest defensive line in the history of the program. He was a first team All District and honorable mention All State defensive lineman in 1979. Campbell joined James Johnson (1971-972) and Woody Grigg (1977-1978) as the top three defensive lineman tabbed by the Expert Panel of the All Century poll conducted in 2000.  Those three split the first place votes with Johnson receiving 4 and Grigg and Campbell each receiving 2.  Campbell moved to center on offense as a junior and remained at that offensive position the remainder of his career.  Campbell was a second team All District center in 1978. As a place kicker Campbell converted 33 of 37 (.892) extra point kicks. That was two-shy of the then school record for total extra point kicks, which Campbell would have easily broken had he not shared place kicking duties with freshman kicker Tommy Latham (1978-1981) who kicked 24 of 29 extra point attempts in 1978. Campbell’s career game as a kicker came against Arcadia in 1978 where he converted 8 of 8 extra point attempts. That broke an 11-year old school record of 7 made extra points by Steve Stroud.  Campbell’s record has been matched three other times but has not been broken.    
Craig Cummings (1978-1979, DE & DL)     Defensive end on the 1978 team and switched to the interior of the defensive line in 1979 where he earned first team All District honors at nose guard and was an All State defensive lineman.  Cummings received the sixth highest vote total at defensive line by fans voting in the All Century poll of 2000.   
Jeffery Dale (1977-1980, DB, KR & RB)   One of the top all-around football players in the history of the program. Dale was one of those rare four-year letterman. His career totals on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball are at or near of top of many statistical categories. Dale was first and foremost a defensive specialist.  That was made clear when he received the top votes at defensive back. Dale was a two-time All  District and All State pick at defensive back.  He set a single season interception record in 1979 when he snatched 11 passes from the opposition. Dale was also kick returner who had three punt returns for touchdowns.  He, John Wayne Williams (1970-1971) and Bennie Mitchell (1980-1982) are the only players in school history to return more than two punts for touchdowns in their career or in a single season.  On offense Dale carried the ball sparingly but he capitalized on the opportunities he was given.  In 1978 he carried the ball 97 times and gained 608 yards, a 6.3 yard per carry average. He upped that to an 8.0 yard per carry average the next season when he carried the ball 83 times (14 times less than 1978) but gained 668 yards (60 yards more).  He came tantalizingly close to the 1,000-yard rushing mark his senior season when he gained 980 yards on 109 carries.  That is an 8.99 yard per carry average. For his career, Dale rushed for 2,256 yards on 289 carries for a 7.81 yard per carry average. At the time that was the third highest career rushing total, trailing Nathan Johnson 91974-1976) and Ricky Chatman (1977-1979).  Currently that is the 7th highest total. Dale finished with 31 rushing touchdowns, which tied career leader Ricky Chatman at the time.  His total still ranks in the Top Ten of all time. He scored a total of 36 career touchdowns which broke Chatman’s school record by three at the time. That total is also still ranked in the Top Ten. By scoring 220 career points he became the second player in the history of the program to score 200 points and he broke Jerry Keen's (1969-1971) record of 207 points.  He remains one of only nine players to score 200 points and is ranked 7th on that list.  

1970 (Overall - 6-4-0, *District - 5-3-0)     When Coach Bankston began preparations for his fifth team at Winnfield he did so with the least experienced team he had fielded in his five-year tenure at Winnfield. He had 14 returning lettermen, but only six of those had bonafide starters the year before. He had a problem with numbers too. By the end of spring practice, the team had 39 players on the roster, one of the smallest rosters in recent years. However, one of the biggest problems facing the team was the relative youth of the team. The players were far from evenly distributed across the classes. The team only had 11 seniors on the roster, which by 1970s standards was small in number and in fact was the smallest senior class since the 1965 season. The sophomore class was even smaller as only six players came from that class. In contrast, the junior class, totaling 23 in number, was the largest junior class ever assembled on a Tiger football team up to that point in time.                  
      Where the team lacked experience the most was in the line. Only five of the 14 returning lettermen were linemen. Plus, only five of the 11 seniors and two of the six sophomores were positioned in linemen slots. So, it would be the junior class who would simply have to supply linemen.                 
     Change is a given in high school athletics. Every year a program has a change of players, because every year a certain number of senior players graduate. That is expected and the effects are greater some years than others. Sometimes, there are other kinds of changes that have every bit as big of an impact on the program as the loss of players. Coming into the 1970 season, the Winnfield program would experience two of the biggest changes a program can face.                  
     First, 1970 would be a year of reclassification of high schools in Louisiana. Because of an ever-growing span of enrollment between the Class AAA and Class A schools in the state, the LHSAA created another classification - Class AAAA, which would become the highest classification in the state. Schools that turned in a projected enrollment of 650 to 1,250 would compete in Class AAA. Winnfield just met the enrollment figures for Class AAA after turning in a projected enrollment of 692. At the time, that included the figures for the high school and the ninth grade. As has been true throughout Winnfield football history, the Tiger program would yet again have one of the smallest enrollments of the particular class they were competing in. While Winnfield projected 692 students, fellow district competitor Peabody projected almost twice as many students (1,200). Other large schools in the district and their projected enrollments were Natchitoches (1,175) and Leesville 1,097).    
     Winnfield was moved to District 3-AAA. That district would be made up of teams in and around central Louisiana. The district would be the largest district Winnfield had ever competed in. A total of ten teams made up the district, including Winnfield, Leesville, Tioga, Natchitoches, Peabody (Alexandria), Menard (Alexandria), Oakdale, Pineville, Marksville and Jena. The Marksville head coach opted out of competing for district honors in football because his school had the smallest enrollment in the district. Winnfield would face Marksville, but the game wouldn’t count in the district standings. The only other non-district team Winnfield would face was traditional rival Jonesboro-Hodge.                          
     In commenting on the new district, Coach Bankston stated, “We’re happy to be in the district, although we’re the smallest. We’re lighter this year, but we will be there to compete for district honors.”  Ever the optimist, Coach Bankston didn’t dwell on the fact that other coaches had almost twice as many schoolboys to field a team from. Coach Bankston also stated he would take his boys over anyone else.  
     In the end, it wouldn’t be Coach Bankston who would lead the team against the new district opponents. After guiding the program to four straight winning seasons and three playoff appearances, Coach Tommy Bankston decided to move into administration when he accepted the principal position at Winnfield Senior High School after Max Crowe resigned to accept a similar position at a private school in Monroe. So, the second major change the program faced in 1970 was the change in the head coach.                 
     Coach Bankston compiled a 29-14-3 record at Winnfield, a .656 winning percentage. That was the second highest winning percentage of any Tiger coach who served more than one year, trailing Alwin Stokes in that category (.746). Only Alwin Stokes and Hoss Newman won more games up to that point in time. Coach Bankston’s teams won one outright district title and shared another district crown. He also had one of his teams finish district competition as the runner-up and his last team finished third in district play. Coach Bankston’s biggest legacy cannot be demonstrated with numbers. Coach Bankston’s biggest accomplishment was instilling a “winning attitude” in the Tiger program. Coach Bankston took over a program that had fallen on hard times after becoming one of the premier programs in the state in the early sixties. Coach Bankston had immediate success. His first team (1966) posted a 9-4-0 record, which was 7 wins better than the season before. That is the biggest turn-around in school history. Coach Bankston left a legacy of winning, pride and hard work. He preached that everyone was important, including the starters, the reserves and the coaches, but it didn’t stop there. He believed a winning program required a total school and community effort; including the band, the pep squad and the cheerleaders, the fans and the non-football-playing students. He believed that everyone could contribute something, including the person who raised the flag before the game and the students who helped line the field. Under his regime, the Tigers learned how to be winners again.                 
     It was one of Coach Bankston’s assistants who was recommended to assume the head coaching duties. Offensive and defensive line coach Joe Dosher was selected by the Winn Parish School Board to become the 23rd head football coach at the school. Coach Dosher had served as an assistant under Coach Bankston all four years of his tenure. Prior to that, he had served in a similar capacity at Glen Oaks High School in Baton Rouge. Coach Dosher had an “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” attitude when he took over the program. He commented that he didn’t see any need for immediate change in the program, stating, “I just hope to maintain the winning tradition.”                 
     Coach Dosher would continue to work with the interior linemen, in addition to carrying out the head coaching duties. Steve Nehring, who worked with linebackers and centers, would assist him. Two new assistant coaches would be hired to work with the program. Robert Charles Payne was hired to take over the responsibility of molding Winnfield’s offensive and defensive backs and serve as an offensive coordinator. He came to Winnfield from Delhi High School, where he had served as head coach for two seasons. Chal Rascoe, the Winnfield head boy’s basketball coach, was also given coaching duties with the football team. That gave Winnfield a coaching staff of four, still small by 1970s standards. Other schools Winnfield would compete against in district competition would have as many as eight coaches.                 In breaking down the personnel of the 1970 team, most of the experienced players came in the backfield. Alan Carter led that experienced backfield. Though only a junior, he had already competed in and even started varsity-level games for the Tigers at the quarterback position. In his sophomore season, Carter completed five touchdown passes. That was good enough to move him into seventh place position on the career passing list, trailing only Mike Tinnerello (21), Ricky Jordan (16), John Harrington (7), Gary Green (7) and Roger Smith (6). Carter shared the seventh position with Ray Jenkins. Coach Dosher also had talented sophomore quarterback Steve Adams who had completed three years at the quarterback slot in the Winnfield Jr. High School program. Joining those two in the backfield were junior halfback Jerry Keen. Like Carter, he had lettered the season before and had scored three touchdowns. Keen was a track athlete as well, setting a school record in the low hurdles during the spring of his sophomore year. Keen’s speed and aggressive demeanor made him a dangerous running back. Rounding out the experienced backfield were two tough fullbacks in junior Lynn Lasyone and senior David Caskey. Lasyone was coming off a sophomore season cut short by a season-ending leg fracture. But, his talent had been showcased during his Jr. High playing days when he dominated opposing defenses. He had matured early and his linebacker mentality carried over to the offensive side of the ball. His strength was demonstrated the previous spring when he, like Keen, established a new school record in track. Lasyone’s specialty was the javelin, where he was a regular first place finisher. Weighing in at 180-pounds, Lasyone was a strong, tough competitor. Caskey was a two-year letterman, and had playing experience at both fullback and linebacker. Caskey and Lasyone were cut out of the same mold and both were looked up to by their teammates for leadership. That was demonstrated when Caskey was selected as one of the team captains prior to the start of the season. While that group would be counted on for regular duty, the team had a number of players who could fill in for reserve duty. First and foremost was senior letterman Husher Calhoun. Though he had been used primarily on the defensive side of the ball the season before, Calhoun’s ball-carrying abilities had been shown when he had the opportunity to run from the wingback position. A trio of juniors rounded out the top level of the depth chart in the backfield, including John Wayne Williams, Randy Parker and George Tannehill.                 
      The remainder of the so-called “skill” positions on the offensive side of the ball would be made up of a mixture of players who had varsity experience and those with absolutely no varsity playing time. The Tigers had two returning lettermen at the wide receiver position in seniors Bill Stewart and Jerry Dubois. The biggest asset of both was their speed. Greg Wagoner would be expected to fill the tight end position, a spot he had lettered at the season before as a sophomore. Others who would be counted on at the end position were juniors John C. Jones and James Hutchins, as well as utility man Doug Hemphill, a senior who had lettered the season before.                 
     To the casual observer, the Tiger’s offense seemed to be set. With that much playing experience and talent by the players who would be expected to run and catch the ball, the team seemed capable of moving the football. But, no amount of skill and talent can run through a hole when there is none to run through. Nor can any quarterback or receiver complete a pass, when a play has no time to develop. A good offensive needs a good front line. That was the biggest question mark of the team.                 
     The Tigers returned one starter on the offensive line. That player was senior Roland Barton who was a two-year letterman and was elected as a co-captain along with Caskey. The season before, Barton played offensive tackle and middle guard on defense. Coming into the season, Barton weighed in at 175 lbs. and stood six foot tall. He would have to provide senior leadership to the young line. Coach Dosher did have one other letterman in Randy Strickland who could be used in the offensive line. Strickland had lettered on the defensive side of the ball at the defensive end position. He would start the year at the center and defensive line positions. But, he would focus primarily on his defensive duties and rotate at the offensive tackle spot soon after the regular season started. Three games into the season, junior Eddie Jenkins would be moved into a starting role as center, which freed up Strickland from full-time duty on both offense and defense. Besides Barton, the only other seniors on the offensive line were guards Charles Estay and Mike Cherry. Juniors Paul Larson and Tucker Watts rounded out the rotating crew of offensive guards. All total, 22 players would see regular duty on offense, with seven of those being seniors, one of those a sophomore and 14 being members of the junior class.

                      The makeup of the defensive unit was also dominated by juniors, with eight of the 15 regulars hailing from that class. Five senior players would dot the defensive alignment. Those included Julius Craft (lineman), Johnny Barton (lineman), Bill Stewart (back), Husher Calhoun (end/back), and Roland Barton (linebacker). Two sophomores were cast into starting roles on the defensive side of the ball, including Steve Adams (back) and Lionel Johnson (linebacker).

     The eight junior defensemen included James Hutchins (end), Roy Cotton (end), Leonard Jones (lineman) and Randy Strickland (lineman). Also, included were letterman Lynn Lasyone (linebacker) and Alan Carter (back), as well as fellow juniors John Wayne Williams, Craig Rice and John C. Jones, all backs. Of that group, over half (eight) were lettermen, including Craft, J. Barton, R. Barton, Stewart, Calhoun, Strickland, Lasyone and Carter. But, like the offense, only three of those eight were linemen. So, the biggest question mark heading into the season was the play of both the offensive and defensive front men. As is true with most teams having to quickly develop inexperienced players, the team would need to somehow get through the early part of the season to allow the young players to find out what it was like to play under the lights.                  
      In the preseason poll, Tioga, Natchitoches and Oakdale were predicted to battle it out for district honors. Winnfield would play each of those in Stokes-Walker Stadium. The biggest value of the new district was the cutback on travel on long away games. Gone were road trips to Tallulah, Ferriday and Winnsboro who had shared the same district with Winnfield in recent years. The longest road trip the Tigers would face in 1970 would be away games to Leesville and Marksville. Otherwise, Winnfield’s out of town games would take them to the Alexandria area to play Peabody, Menard and Pineville.                 
     Prior to the start of the season, Coach Dosher and his assistants got some indication of where the team stood in scrimmages against LaSalle and Neville. He didn’t find any surprises and that wasn’t necessarily good. The line play was spotty and porous. With proven talent in the backfield, the success or failure of the season hinged, in large part, on the development of the line. The final tune up before the regular season came in the Bastrop Jamboree. Winnfield faced Oak Grove and came away with a 14-7 win in the 24-minute match. Coach Dosher commented that the team made fewer mistakes than expected and were beginning to show signs of progress. Winnfield’s well-rounded offensive arsenal was demonstrated when David Caskey scored one touchdown on a 2-yard plunge, John Wayne Williams scored from 46 yards out after receiving a pass from Alan Carter and Jerry Keen rushed for 80 yards in what was the equivalent of half of a game. Randy Strickland was voted Best Lineman of the Jamboree.                  
     When season ticket sales were announced, local fans had even more than the usual incentives to purchase season tickets. New, red plastic seats with backs and armrests were installed in the season ticket section to provide extra comfort for season ticket holders. That enhancement only improved Stokes-Walker Stadium’s status as one of the state’s best high school football facilities.                 
     The Winnfield Tiger football program ushered in the new decade with a 27-8 loss to Jonesboro.  So, to give some indication of what was in store for the program in the 1970s, that would be the most points allowed until the regular season finale of the 1972 season and the 19-point margin of defeat wouldn’t be surpassed until a 21-point margin of defeat in the 7th game of the 1973 season.  Simply put, the loss to open the 1970 season would be one of only five regular season losses the program would sustain over the first three years of the new decade.               
     The reason for the Jonesboro win was simple. Jonesboro-Hodge was led by a backfield filled with both speed and brawn, with fullback Ronnie Underwood providing both blocking and running skills and halfbacks Johnny Jones and Mario Cage being break-away threats every time they touched the football. Simply put, Jonesboro-Hodge’s stable of backs matched Winnfield’s skill players and they had experience across their line; something Winnfield sorely lacked.                 
     Winnfield kept the game close through two quarters as the score only read 13-8 in favor of Jonesboro-Hodge at the half.  Winnfield’s touchdown came on a 45-yard scoring strike from Alan Carter to John Wayne Williams in the second quarter. However, that was as close as Winnfield would get in the season-opening loss.                   
     Winnfield made the mistakes you would expect out of an inexperienced team. Though Winnfield out-gained Jonesboro-Hodge 311 to 254 in total yardage, the most telling statistic was that Jonesboro-Hodge had a plus-three advantage in turnovers. Jonesboro-Hodge put together four time-consuming drives in scoring their four touchdowns. In doing so, Jonesboro-Hodge showed the difference between an experienced football team and one who was learning how to play the game. Experienced teams get the job done and capitalize on the opportunities given them. Winnfield was a young team with a lot to learn.                  
     Interestingly enough, two weeks later, that same Jonesboro-Hodge team faced a 2-0-0 Richwood team who had defeated Rayville 77-0 in the opening week of the season and pasted Winnsboro 108 -0 in the second week. Four backs who all ran sub 4.5 times in the 40, including Vongle Ray Coleman and Dale Zimmerman, led Richwood. That Richwood team also had speed and NFL-caliber talent at the wide outs in wide receiver Sammie White and tight end Joe Mitchell. All of the experts predicted a high scoring game, but Jonesboro-Hodge shutout Richwood 7-0. For the night, Richwood gained 208 yards of total offense compared to the 703 yards they had gained against Winnsboro. That was the only regular season loss Richwood would sustain in their first two seasons in the LHSAA. So, the 311 yards total offense Winnfield gained against Jonesboro-Hodge suddenly didn’t look too shabby after all.                 
     Winnfield’s first District 3-AAA opponent and first road game came in week two against the Leesville Wampus Cats. Leesville had been predicted to finish in the middle of the pack in district play, but the preseason predictions were so close that there did not seem to be a team who was clearly dominant. .                  
     Leesville took control of the game in the first half by shutting down the Tiger offense and posting two touchdowns themselves. The second touchdown came on a 51-yard run, enabling the Wampus Cats to move to a 13-0 lead. The Tigers blocked the second PAT attempt, but still trailed by two touchdowns at intermission.                 
     Leesville got the ball first in the second half, but you would have thought that another Winnfield team had emerged from the dressing room in the second half. In successive series, the Tiger defense forced a fumble, held Leesville to three downs and a punt and snared an interception. After each one of those defensive stops the Tigers promptly scored.  The first score came at the end of a 50 yard drive.  Then after the Tigers stopped Leesville on their next possession, Tiger return man John Wayne Williams returned his first of an eventual school record six career punt returns for touchdowns. This one covered 50 yards.  Finally, after the Tigers stopped the next Leesville drive with an interception and got a return to the Wampus Cat 4 Winnfield scored on the very next play to take a 20-13 lead. By then Leesville was, for all practical purposes beaten and that showed as Leesville’s penchant for self-destruction continued as they turned the ball over the next three times they had it as well. One of those was another fumble and the other two came on interceptions when Bill Stewart got his second of the game and Alan Carter got the other. The Tigers scored after two of those three turnovers to move the score to 34-13, which is where it stayed the remainder of the game.                  
      The young Tiger team turned a 13-0 halftime deficit into a win by scoring 34 second half points.  That was made possible by five turnovers, with the Tigers getting touchdowns after four of those. The Tiger defensive eleven repeatedly gave the ball back to the offense in excellent field position and the main thing the Tiger offense needed was a little confidence builder.  This game had the potential to make the young Tiger players feel like world-beaters.                 
     Tiger fullback Lynn Lasyone became the 13th Winnfield player to rush for three or more touchdowns in a game and the first since Jimmy Bolton, who scored three touchdowns against Natchitoches in the 1962 season. Lasyone had a career night, gaining 196 yards rushing on 19 carries. That was the second best rushing night in school history at that time. But, it was a complete team rushing effort for the Tigers as Winnfield rushed for 276 yards and gained 18 first downs against a Leesville line that the Tiger coaching staff had built up to be as tough as the Berlin Wall. .     
      The opening two games of the season had been marked contrasts. In the Jonesboro game, Winnfield only scored once after moving inside the Jonesboro 20 yard line five times. Against Leesville, the Tigers converted one turnover after another into touchdowns. One game was a show of blown opportunities, while the other showed what a difference capitalizing on mistakes can do.                  
      Though it was way too early to be consumed by such matters, the win did leave Winnfield with a 1-0-0 record in district play. After two weeks of the season, every district 3-AAA team had played at least one district game. There were five teams with no losses in district play, including Pineville with two district wins and Winnfield, Natchitoches, Oakdale and Menard with one district win.                 
      The one thing you can expect with a young team is inconsistency.  The 1970 season would be no different.  Winnfield’s next opponent was the Tioga Indians. Though Natchitoches was the odds on favorite to win the district, many coaches picked Tioga to win it all.  The week before, Tioga moved to a first half lead against a Natchitoches team who was riding a 15-game winning streak, but Tioga squandered that lead, losing to Natchitoches by a slim 22-15 margin. So, this was a good Tioga team and that showed as they built a 13-0 first half lead against Winnfield and took a hard-fought 21-6 win.                  
      The Tiger offense returned to the pattern they had shown in the season-opener when they committed one turnover after another.  For the night Winnfield fumbled the ball six times and lost two.  The team also threw 4 interceptions. So, in spite of moving the ball well when they held on to it, the Tigers simply couldn’t sustain a drive. Give the Tiger defense credit.  They did a good enough job for a win in holding  Tioga to a mere 80 yards rushing and 65 yards passing. But, when Tioga got the ball on turnovers in good field position they didn’t have to cover much ground to get their touchdowns. Surprisingly, the Tigers gained 196 yards passing, the third highest single-game passing total in school history. But, yards gained are meaningless unless they result in points. Winnfield gained 308 yards for the game, but only had a single touchdown to show for that effort. The loss dropped the Tigers to 1-2-0 for the season and 1-1-0 in district play.    
       When the head coach of the Marksville Tigers, Winnfield’s next opponent, learned that his school would be the smallest school in District 3-AAA, he opted out of competing for district honors. Though he started the season with a 1-2-0 record, that record was misleading. In the opening week of the season Marksville had dropped a 7-6 game to Plaquemine and had put up a good battle against a much larger Alexandria Senior High team in week two before dropping a 22-12 decision. Marksville finally broke into the win column in the third week of the season when they defeated a Bunkie team many predicted to win the District 2-AA title. Marksville would be no push over. That was especially true since Winnfield would enter the fray without the services of Greg Wagoner, Johnny Barton and John Wayne Williams, all out with nagging injuries.                 
      The game was played in Marksville and would be the last regular season away game that would take the Tigers more than 50 miles from home. It would turn out to be much more of a defensive battle than anyone expected.     
      Neither team scored any points through three quarters of play, though Winnfield did move to within the shadow of the Marksville goal line just before the half and toward the end of the third quarter. Then, late the third quarter George Tannehill intercepted a Marksville pass and returned it to the Marksville 42-yard line. Jerry Keen broke loose on the next play and was hauled down at the Marksville 4-yard line. Then the game got really sloppy. In consecutive plays, Winnfield turned the ball back over to Marksville on a fumble, only to regain the ball when Marksville returned the favor on the next play. Keen put a stop to all of that nonsense when he bolted over from the 4-yard line and attempted to add two points on the PAT try, but he was stopped on the extra point attempt, leaving the score at 6-0 with just over seven minutes to go in the game.                  
      Winnfield's defense then came in and took control of the ball game. After the defense stuffed Marksville on first down, defensive back Steve Adams got the ball back for Winnfield with an interception, which he returned to the Marksville 28-yard line.                 
       On the next play, Carter pitched the ball to Keen, who gathered the ball in and sprinted the full 28 yards for a touchdown. Keen closed out all scoring in the game when he bowled over right tackle for the two points to extend the Tiger lead to 14-0 with 5:29 remaining in the game.                  
      For the night, both teams combined for 10 turnovers, with Winnfield fumbling 4 times and losing 2 and giving up the ball once on an interception. But, for the third straight game, Winnfield found out that the team who turned over the ball the most would be the team who lost the game. Marksville coughed up the ball 7 times on fumbles and lost 4 of those and was intercepted 3 times for a total of 7 turnovers.                  
     Winnfield's seesaw season was beginning to take on a disturbing trend. One week the Tigers played good and the next they played poorly. That was mainly true on offense when there were times the team couldn’t hold onto the football and episodes of being unable to capitalize once they moved into the red zone. On the defensive side of the ball, the Tigers seemed to be getting better each week. After giving up 254 total yards to Jonesboro-Hodge in the opening game of the season and 262 total yards to Leesville in the second game, the Tigers held Tioga and Marksville to 145 and 144 total yards respectively. In four games, the Tigers had forced 20 fumbles and recovered half of those. Likewise, the defense had already gained almost a season’s worth of interceptions, getting 9 interceptions in the first four games. All of that would be needed as the Tigers prepared for one of their toughest opponents of the year - the Natchitoches Chiefs.                 
      Winnfield had reached the mid-season point with a 2-2-0 record overall and a 1-1-0 record in district play. After four weeks, the district race was shaping up to be as close as had been expected. Natchitoches (2-0-0) was sitting atop the district standings as the only undefeated team, but five teams were right behind with only one loss in district play. Those included Winnfield (1-1-0), Pineville (2-1-0), Tioga (2-1-0), Oakdale (2-1-0) and Menard (2-1-0). The first half of the season had shown no consistency in district play except for Natchitoches. The Chiefs had started the season by posting four straight wins to extend the school’s winning streak to 18 games. Otherwise, it was anybody’s guess as to who the favorite was each week in district play.     
      Tioga had lost to Natchitoches but had beaten Menard. Menard lost to Tioga but had beaten Pineville and Jena. Pineville had lost to Menard, but had beaten Jena and Peabody. Finally, Oakdale had also beaten Peabody and Jena but had lost to Leesville; the only team Winnfield had beaten in district play. So, the district race was still up for grabs and the Tigers could enhance their status with a win over Natchitoches.                 
     Every season has pivotal games. These are games that set the tone for the season, or at least set the tone for a particular portion of the season. The Natchitoches game was one of those games. Winnfield had the opportunity to shake things up in District 3-AAA with a win over Natchitoches. A Tiger win would give the team a 2-1 record in district play and leave the Tigers in no worse than a tie for first place. A loss by Natchitoches would move their district record to 2-1-0. The same night, four of five other teams with 2-1-0 records played each other, so it was conceivable that there could be only four teams with one loss in district play after the dust settled. On the other hand, if the Tigers lost to Natchitoches, they would fall two games behind Natchitoches in the district race and one game behind at least two other teams. So, Winnfield’s playoff chances would be significantly impacted by the outcome of the Natchitoches game.                 
       Winnfield was facing a Natchitoches team who had gaudy credentials. The Chiefs were the defending Class AA state champions and the school was riding an 18-game win streak. Many of the stars from that state championship team were lost to graduation, but Natchitoches still had a team full of good football players, including halfback Jim Knecht and center Steve McCain. But, it was across the defensive front where Natchitoches was very strong, with a line anchored by defensive end Donald Payne and tackle Ronald Dumars. Linebacker Donald Smith was considered one of the top linebackers in the district.     
     Winnfield started out the Natchitoches game as if they were a team capable of derailing the Natchitoches express. Midway through the first quarter, Winnfield moved inside Natchitoches territory where sophomore quarterback Steve Adams, starting his second varsity game, lofted a 34-yard pass to Jerry Dubois who was immediately downed at the Natchitoches 1-yard line. On the next play, Jerry Keen bowled over for the score to give the Tigers an early 6-0 lead. Then, the coaching staff made a critical decision. They elected to go for a two-point conversion and hung their hopes on the passing arm of young Adams but the pass fell incomplete. That left the score 6-0.                  
      Winnfield hurt themselves the remainder of the first half, losing two possessions on interceptions and one on a fumble. But the Tiger defense completely shut down the Natchitoches offensive attack in the first half. Natchitoches never moved into scoring position in the first half, with their deepest penetration being the Winnfield 34-yard line. When the two teams broke for halftime intermission, Winnfield still clung to their slim 6-point lead.                 
      The Tiger defense shut down Natchitoches on their first possession of the second half and quickly got the ball into the hands of the Tiger offense. Winnfield’s players had earned an advanced degree in the impact that turnovers have in football games, with virtually every game of the season being significantly affected by turnovers, either in Winnfield’s favor or to Winnfield’s detriment. The latter would be the case in Winnfield’s opening drive of the second half. Soon after gaining possession, a Tiger pass was picked off by Natchitoches’ David Roberts at the Winnfield 37-yard line and returned for a game-tying touchdown. Jim Knecht came in to attempt the important point-after-touchdown and successfully converted to give Natchitoches a 7-6 lead.                 
      The two teams exchanged punts the remainder of the third quarter with neither team threatening to score. At the start of the fourth quarter, Adams completed an 18-yard pass to Keen who took the ball down to the Natchitoches 5-yard line before he was downed. On first and goal, Keen was stopped at the line of scrimmage for no gain. Coach Payne called two straight pass plays in an effort go over the Natchitoches team since the Tigers were having trouble going through them. Both passes fell incomplete, giving the Tigers a fourth and goal from the six. Keen was called on to attempt a 21-yard field goal but the ball sailed wide of the goal posts.     
      Winnfield continued to shoot themselves in the foot the remainder of the fourth quarter. By the time the final horn sounded Winnfield had turned the ball over 6 times, with five of those coming on interceptions. Natchitoches escaped with a 7-6 win to maintain sole possession of first place in District 3-AAA. They did so by not completing a single pass in seven attempts and by gaining 176 rushing yards, with virtually all of those yards coming between the 30s. Winnfield was held to their lowest offensive production of the year, getting only 58 yards on the ground and 83 yards in the air.     
      It was the kind of loss that stays with you. The Tigers had opportunities that they let slip away. But, the most frustrating aspect of the loss is the fact that it took a defensive score to defeat the Tigers. With the loss, Winnfield dropped to 2-3-0 for the season and 1-2-0 in district play. The loss was a blow to the Tigers playoff hopes, but the team wasn’t out of the district race. However, they couldn’t afford another district loss because they had not played Oakdale and Menard, two teams who were still fighting for the district crown.                 
      After five weeks the district race was getting even more convoluted. Natchitoches maintained their lead in the district with a 3-0-0 mark, followed by Oakdale (3-1-0), Menard (3-1-0) and Pineville (3-1-0). Winnfield faced Peabody in week six, a team who had gained their first win in that school’s history the week before when they handed Jena a 30-23 loss in a “Battle of the Beatens.”  Coming into the game, both teams had not won a single game during the season.                  
      In Peabody, Winnfield saw a team they could compete with. However, the Tigers could not afford any more losses, so they could not take anyone lightly. Peabody was a dangerous team. They were a team full of players who had raw talent, and were a program that had just gotten a taste of what a victory feels like. Peabody was the second largest school in District 3-AAA, with an enrollment that was nearly double that of Winnfield’s. The top all of that, the game would be played on Peabody’s home turf.                 
      Winnfield cast all of that aside in defeating the Warhorses 20-6, but the game wasn’t a pretty picture. A total of 19 penalties were called in the game, with Winnfield picking up 8 of those and Peabody being flagged 11 times.     
       Most of the scoring came in the first half where Winnfield built a 13-6 lead. Keen set up the first touchdown when he raced 62 yards with the football before being downed at the Warhorse 4-yard line. He also scored the touchdown from 1 yard away and added the PAT to make the score 7-0.                  
      Peabody answered that touchdown in the second quarter when they drove for a touchdown to narrow the gap to 7-6, but they failed on a 2-point conversion attempt. That’s the closest they would come to the Tigers all night                 
      Winnfield increased their lead on their next series when they quickly moved to the Peabody 38-yard line, where Tiger quarterback Alan Carter spotted a wide-open Jerry Dubois who eluded two defenders in route to another six pointer. Keen’s kick failed but Winnfield took a 13-6 lead into halftime.                   
      Winnfield was the only team to put points on the board in the second half, that coming on a 2-yard keeper by Carter to cap a 67-yard drive. Keen added the extra point to close out the scoring for the night at 20-6.                       
       Winnfield ended the game with 196 yards rushing and didn’t turn the ball over even once on a fumble, though they did throw two interceptions for the night. That gave the team 17 interceptions through the first six games. Add the 7 fumbles the Tigers had given up to that total and you have a total of 24 turnovers the Tigers had given up for the season, for an average of just over 3 turnovers per game.                  
      The win upped Winnfield’s district record to 2-2-0 and gave the Tigers new life in the district race. The sudden shakeup in District 3-AAA came because of the outcomes of other games on the same night. Menard defeated Natchitoches to knock the Chiefs from the undefeated ranks. The same night, Oakdale handed Pineville their second loss in district play. That meant three teams had one loss in district play, including Natchitoches (4-1-0), Menard (4-1-0) and Oakdale (3-1-0) and three other teams had two losses, including Tioga (3-2-0), Pineville (3-2-0) and Winnfield (2-2-0).                  
      Winnfield still had games against Menard, Oakdale and Pineville, so the Tigers playoff hopes were still a matter they had control over. The Tigers were tied with Tioga in the loss column, but Oakdale, a team Winnfield had yet to play, had defeated the Indians. A win by Winnfield over Oakdale could break the Tigers tie with Tioga. There was still a lot of football to be played in the 1970 season and in the jumbled up District 3-AAA race.                 
      The game the following week would be against Menard and was another one of those pivotal games. The Eagles were tied with Natchitoches for first place, so the Tigers simply had to win the game if they were going to stay in the district race.     
       The sports world is littered with trite phrases. Those phrases are often discounted for being shallow and meaningless, yet all such phrases have a grain-of-truth in them. Consider the following: “Football is a game of inches.”  The 1970 Tiger team showed that to be true - literally. Playing the game of “ifs and buts”, had Jerry Keen’s field goal attempt against Natchitoches sailed several inches to the left and Winnfield gone on to defeat Natchitoches 9-7, Winnfield and Menard would be competing for first place in the district. Or, had the pass which Natchitoches intercepted and returned for their lone score of the game against Winnfield been an inch over the Natchitoches defender’s hands, the Tigers would be playing for first place in the district. Instead, the Tigers were playing for the opportunity to stay within one game of first place. A loss to Menard would drop the Tigers two games out of first place and put the Tigers playoff aspirations in serious jeopardy. It was crunch time for the Tigers.                 
      The same night Winnfield and Menard squared off, Natchitoches and Oakdale faced each other. So, there could conceivably be one team with one loss in district play left after the seventh week of the season. If Winnfield could defeat Menard and the Oakdale - Natchitoches game end in anything but a tie, there would be only one team left with one loss. That would move Winnfield into a tie for second place. And, if Oakdale could defeat Natchitoches and be that lone team with one loss, the Tigers could knock them out of first place with a win the following week. So, Winnfield still had plenty to play for.                 
     Menard was a team with four district wins, with their win over Natchitoches the previous week being the biggest win of the season in District 3-AAA. Menard capitalized on defensive turnovers to defeat Natchitoches, converting both a fourth quarter fumble recovery and interception into touchdowns to take a 13-0 win over the Chiefs. Menard came into the game with a 6-1-0 record, with their lone loss being an early season loss to Tioga. Menard and Winnfield were teams who were mirror images of each other. The Eagles had relied on a strong defense all season long, just as the Tigers had. The game had all of the makings of a defensive battle.                
      The first half of the game gave those in attendance the opportunity to see two items repeatedly sailing in the air - punts and flags. The opening 24 minutes was both a defensive show and a penalty shower, with most infractions being of the 5-yard variety. But, in tight defensive games, every yard counts, so the combination of stifling defenses and drive-killing penalties were enough to shut down both offenses. As a result, the score was deadlocked 0-0 at halftime.                 
       On Menard’s first possession of the second half, they took over at their own 33-yard line and it appeared the Tiger defense would stop the Eagles when they faced a third and long from the Winnfield 41. On the play, Menard went for broke and it worked. Menard halfback, Jim Songy, hauled in a pass, broke one tackle and ran 41 yards for the touchdown, exciting the homecoming crowd that had gathered in Bolton Stadium. The Tigers blocked the PAT, leaving the score 6-0.                 
      Early in the fourth quarter, the Tiger defense stopped Menard one yard away from a touchdown on a fourth down play to keep the team in the game. The Tiger offense came in and dug themselves out of that hole and in fact moved past midfield. However, that was the Tigers last penetration into Menard territory and the game ended with Menard clinging to their slim 6-0 lead.    
      For the night, Winnfield only gained 78 yards rushing and 54 yards passing. All of that only amounted to 7 first downs. Menard, meanwhile, doubled Winnfield’s totals, getting 13 first downs, 143 yards rushing and 109 yards passing. But, the combination of two good defenses and a total of 19 penalties (9 against Winnfield and 10 against Menard) kept the game a low-scoring affair.                 
      The loss dropped Winnfield to 3-4-0 overall and 2-3-0 in district play. With three losses in district play, the Tigers playoff hopes were again seriously dampened. The same night Oakdale handed Natchitoches their second consecutive loss, allowing the Warriors to move into a tie with Menard for first place in loop play. Both Menard and Oakdale had 5-1-0 district records. Natchitoches and Pineville shared third place in the district with 3-2-0 district marks, while Winnfield and Leesville shared fifth place with 2-3-0 records. Though Winnfield was two games out of first place, they still had a glimmer of hope. Natchitoches and Pineville squared off in week eight. If Pineville could defeat Natchitoches that would give the Chiefs three district losses. If Winnfield could defeat Oakdale they would hand them their second district loss. The following week, Menard and Oakdale faced each other, so Oakdale could drop to three district losses in the next two weeks. Winnfield and Pineville squared off in week nine in a game that Pineville could conceivably enter with two losses. So, it was certainly possible that there could be as many as four teams tied in second place with three losses after week nine. The only thing Winnfield had control over was what went on in their games against Oakdale and Pineville. If the Tigers won both of those games they could still be in the hunt.                 
      Coach Dosher called Oakdale the best team in the district. The Warriors came into the game with a 6-1-0 overall record and only one defeat in district play. That loss was a surprising 28-0 smashing of Oakdale by sixth place Leesville in week three. Oakdale had already faced three of the top four teams in the district and had defeated all of them; taking wins over Tioga, Natchitoches and Pineville.                  
     When Oakdale played Winnfield they had to be looking ahead to their next opponent, the Menard Eagles. However, in an interview with the Alexandria Towntalk, the Oakdale head coach had described the Tigers as “a very dangerous team” - and rightfully so. Except for a 1-point loss to third place Natchitoches and a 6-point loss to first place Menard, Winnfield would be fighting it out with Oakdale for sole possession of first place. Instead, the Tigers would go into the homecoming game in Stokes-Walker Stadium with intentions of being both a spoiler and preserving any chances they had of a playoff spot.               
      Late in the first quarter, Adams pinned the Warriors against their own goal line with a punt that was downed at the Oakdale 5-yard line. The Warriors responded by putting together a methodical 12 plays, 95-yard scoring drive. The final play of the drive was a 19-yard run around left end, which came at the 2:09 mark of the first quarter. Tiger linebacker Lionel Johnson broke through and blocked the extra point, leaving the score 6-0.                 
      The two teams exchanged possessions the sloppy way the next two times they had the ball when both teams turned the ball over on fumbles. That meant four possessions and four fumbles during the bulk of the second quarter. That quarter mercifully came to an end for both teams and the half time intermission gave each team a chance to regroup and (hopefully) regrip.                 
      In the third quarter Winnfield began their second possession at the Oakdale 47-yard line. After a series of runs by Parker, Keen, Caskey and Adams moved the ball to the 1, Adams pitched the ball to Parker who ran it in for a game-tying touchdown. Keen booted through the extra point to give the Tigers their first lead of the game. The clock read 00:46 in the third quarter.                 
      The fourth quarter was a battle royal, with one touchdown scored and one fight resulting in the ejection of two players. After Winnfield’s defense thwarted Oakdale on their first possession of the final quarter, the Tiger offense took over at mid-field. All of that was made possible after Oakdale downed a punt at the Tiger 33-yard line but were flagged 15 yards for a personal foul. On that possession, the Tiger offensive line, which had been the biggest question mark of the team coming into the season, blew open holes which Parker, Keen and Caskey found to their liking. The Tigers quickly moved to the Oakdale 3-yard line, where, on third down, Adams kept the ball and scored with 3:53 remaining on the clock. Keen kicked the PAT to up the Tiger lead to 14-6. Oakdale would have to score on their final possession of the night to maintain the top spot in the district.                 
       The Oakdale quarterback, who doubled as the outside linebacker, promptly threw the ball into the hands of Tiger safety Alan Carter, who picked off the ball at the Oakdale 48-yard line. That gave the Tigers a chance to run out the clock. On first down, Keen initially bobbled a toss from Adams, but once he got control of the ball he took off and wasn’t downed until he had made it 25 yards down the field. On the next play, Caskey ran through another gaping hole in the line to move the ball into the red zone.     
      The Oakdale interior men seemed more intent on fighting than defending their turf. That was clearly evident when, on the third play of the drive, Caskey again bolted up the middle for good yardage, after which a fight erupted between Winnfield and Oakdale, resulting in the ejection of two players. The game ended two plays later with Winnfield in possession at the Oakdale 18-yard line.                  
       The defeat of Oakdale, coupled with Natchitoches’ defeat of Pineville threw the district race into yet another tailspin. Menard defeated Leesville to hold onto first place with a 6-1-0 record, but Oakdale and Natchitoches had two losses in district play, while Winnfield and Pineville had three losses. Oakdale still had to face Menard in the ninth week of the season and Natchitoches still had district games against Jena and Leesville. Likewise, Pineville faced Winnfield and Tioga in the closing weeks, while Tioga faced Peabody and Pineville. So, Winnfield still had a mathematical chance of making the playoffs but they had to take care of Pineville to do so. They would get that chance the next week.                 
      Winnfield came into the game with a slightly revised offensive unit than they had opened the season with. Coach Payne knew coming into the season that he had two quarterbacks he could call on. One was the experienced Alan Carter, a junior, and the other was a good sophomore-prospect Steve Adams. Both were good athletes and had been used throughout the first part of the season in the defensive backfield. Both had also shared quarter backing duties, with Carter getting the call most of the time. The Tigers ran from a Pro Set, a scheme that demanded timing and precise pass routes. While young John Wayne Williams had raw talent and was being tried at the wide receiver slot alongside Jerry Dubois, Coach Payne was not satisfied with the progress of his passing attack. The Tigers had posted 161 yards through the air against Jonesboro-Hodge and 196 passing yards against Tioga, but those were the exceptions. In no other game had the Tigers passed for more than 100 yards and, as a team, the Tigers had only completed 38 of 123 passes, for a completion percentage of only 31%. All of that was about to change, a change that would not only impact the 1970 season, but the 1971 season as well. Here is Coach Payne’s account of how a newly found passing attack was born: ‘Like so many stories that look like great coaching moves, fate had more to do with (the revamped passing attack) than any coaching move. We (Winnfield) were playing Pineville. Our passing game was based upon three steps by the QB, backside cup, play-side aggressive, and a mandatory perfect 7-yard route. Our QB did not have all day to pass the ball, but it was an effectively designed passing game. The pass routes had to be run perfectly, however. John Wayne was having trouble running the routes and the timing was off. I will never forget those words said with that Alan Carter-drawl, ‘Coach, I can run a route.’  I sent him in. That was the birth of a great passing game at Winnfield. Two quarterbacks playing pitch and catch for several thousand yards.”     
       Payne moved sophomore Steve Adams into the starting quarterback slot and moved Alan Carter to a wide receiver slot. But, John Wayne Williams was not the type of player you would simply shift to the bench. So, he was moved him to a half back slot, giving Winnfield two players with excellent speed at that position in Jerry Keen and Williams                 
      Against Pineville, Adams would throw for 209 yards in an 11 of 27 passing nights. That was the second most passing yards ever thrown by a Winnfield quarterback, second only to the 221 yds. compiled by Ricky Jordan against Jena in the 1966 season. Adams broke, by 3, Jordan's record of 24 pass attempts in a single game and established a new school record with his 11 completions. Adams' favorite target for the night was none other than Alan Carter. It was a night of record-breakers as Carter hauled in seven passes for 170 yards. Carter's reception total was the most ever by a Winnfield receiver and his total yardage was the second highest, exceeded only by Robbie Richards 174 yards against Ferriday the season before. Ironically, it was Carter who was on the passing end of Richards' record-breaking night. But the new records didn't stop there. Jerry Keen paced the Tiger rushing attack with 116 yards on 31 carries. That was the most carries by a Tiger back in school history.                 
      The game started out like it was a scrimmage in the middle of summer practice. Winnfield turned over the ball the first two times they had possession, with the second fumble being recovered by Pineville after they had pinned Winnfield near the Tiger goal line. It took Pineville four plays to score, but score they did on fourth down to take a 6-0 lead. Winnfield blocked the extra point attempt and that closed out all of Pineville's scoring for the game.      
      That was all of the offense that Pineville was able to generate. For the night, the Rebels only gained 10 yards rushing and 35 yards passing. Pineville punted the ball 9 times, the most punts any Tiger opponent had ever been forced into up to that time, breaking the school record of 8 set by the 1961 team in their playoff game against Tallulah.                 
      Winnfield’s best opportunity to score in the first half came after Carter picked off the first of the team’s three interceptions for the night, and returned the ball to the Pineville 30. Winnfield advanced the ball to the Rebel 5 on a 12-yard pass reception by John C. Jones and a 12-yard run by Jerry Keen. But, four straight line plunges failed to produce a touchdown.                  
      The Tigers got back down to the Pineville 15-yard line the next time they got the ball but that series died-out there. Winnfield would have to be content with a rock solid defense and a 6-0 deficit at the halftime intermission.                  
      Winnfield had been a second half team all year long and that wouldn't change in the Pineville game. The Tigers picked up 14 points in the third quarter with both the offense and defense getting in on the scoring action. The first came on a 6-yard run by Keen . He also booted the extra point to give the Tigers a 7-6 lead.      
      The next touchdown was set up after the Tigers blocked the first Pineville punt of the second half that was recovered by Tiger linebacker Lionel Johnson in the end zone. Keen booted the extra point to give the Tigers a 14-6 lead. In just under five minutes time the Tigers had not only erased Pineville's lead, but had taken control of the football game. Winnfield shut down Pineville the remainder of the game and added an 11-yard fourth quarter touchdown pass from Adams to Carter, covering 11 yards, to end the game with a 21-6 victory.                  
      Coach Dosher was quick to praise his defensive unit and applauded the team for their second half effort. However, Coach Dosher lamented to an Enterprise reporter, "We coaches were tickled about the second half effort, but we wish the Tigers could play a whole game just once."                   
      In logging their first consecutive wins of the season, the Tigers improved their overall record to 5-4-0 and 4-3-0 in district play. Those consecutive wins had come against two of the strongest teams in District 3-AAA in Oakdale and Pineville.     
      Oakdale knocked off Menard the same night to move into first place and close out their district mark with a 6-2-0 mark. Menard's loss left them with a 5-2-0 mark in district play. They could tie Oakdale in first place with a win over Peabody in the season finale. Tioga also had a 5-2-0 district mark. They closed the season against Pineville. Though improbable, Winnfield still had a shot at the playoffs. Were Pineville to defeat Tioga and Peabody to defeat Menard, four teams would end the season with a 5-3-0 record including Winnfield, Tioga, Menard and Pineville. Winnfield had to defeat Jena to make that possible, but they needed some help from Peabody, who had only won one game. Expecting the Warhorses to defeat a 7-2-0 Menard team was hoping for a miracle.                  
       In Jena, Winnfield faced the largest team they had faced all year long. The Giants averaged 195-pounds a man across the defensive front, but that size had not helped the Giants win a single game. They had lost all eight of their contest, but a win over Winnfield would obviously give their season some meaning. For Winnfield, it was a homecoming for head Coach Joe Dosher who grew up in Jena.                  
      The Tigers had plenty of incentives heading into the final game. Probably the biggest was the opportunity to extend the longest streak of winning seasons since the earliest years of the program. Coming into the 1970 season, the Tiger football program had completed four straight seasons with winning records. After Brother Stokes left the program following the 1923 season, the only time the program had fielded 3 straight winning seasons was between 1960 and 1962. In fact, the only time the program completed two straight winning seasons in that same time period was between 1927 and 1928. So, the opportunity to post 5 straight winning seasons was something the school hadn't seen since the early 1920s.     
      Winnfield also had the opportunity to even the series record with Jena which now stood at 11-12-2. Coming into the 1970 season, Winnfield had won four straight games over Jena dating back to the 1966 season. Finally, a win over Jena would give the Tigers a respectable 5-3-0 mark in district play, good enough to finish in the top tier of the district                 
      The game would be played on a field water-logged from weeklong rains. Both teams had a tough time adjusting to the field conditions in the first quarter and the scoreboard reflected that when the quarter ended with nobody scoring. But, the second quarter was all-Winnfield as the Tigers scored three touchdowns.                 
      Jerry Keen scored two of those, with the first being 4-yard slosh on the opening play of the second quarter and the other being a 4 yard run in the closing minute of the quarter. Keen set up that second touchdown with a 67-yard run that got the ball down to the 7-yard line. Finally, Keen converted 2 of 3 extra point attempts in the first half.                 
      The third Tiger touchdown of the half came when after a Jerry Dubois interception which he returned to the Giant 25. Four plays later quarterback Alan Carter found tight end Greg Wagoner for a 20-yard scoring toss. Those scores enabled Winnfield to take a 20-0 lead into halftime.                   
      To start the second half, Coach Dosher inserted an all-senior lineup. They took the second half kickoff and moved 51 yards in seven plays for a touchdown, taking off six minutes of the clock in the process. Caskey was the workhorse on the drive, carrying the ball 6 times for 36 yards. Jerry Dubois caught a 4-yard pass to keep the drive going and Doug Hemphill, running out of the quarterback slot, carried twice for gains of 14 and 4 yards. Caskey got the touchdown on a 4-yard run. Hemphill attempted a pass for the two-point conversion but it was no good. That gave the Tigers a 26-0 lead, giving Coach Dosher a chance to play everybody.                 
      Jerry Keen got one more chance to show Winnfield fans what they could look forward to the next season when he ran 70 yards with the ball on a fourth quarter drive. The play was called back when the Tigers were flagged for clipping, but the team was enjoying the romp nevertheless. Jena, meanwhile, posted their lone score in the fourth quarter when Billy Sharbano ran 7 yards for a touchdown to close out the scoring for the night at 26-6.                                                                                                            
      Winnfield rushed for 202 yards and added 112 yards in the air to end the night with the team’s fourth 300 plus total offense outing. Jena was held to 38 yards rushing and 17 yards passing for a total of 55 total yards. Jena only punted 4 times, but they turned the ball over four times; twice each on interceptions and fumbles. Winnfield tossed one interception and lost the ball twice on fumbles. That gave the Tigers 35 turnovers for the season, compared to 34 turnovers the Tigers recovered.                 
      When the regular season ended, four District 3-AAA teams ended the season with 6-2-0 records in district play, including Oakdale, Menard, Tioga and Natchitoches. Of those, Oakdale was awarded the district title because they had defeated the other three teams. Ironically, Oakdale’s two district losses came against Winnfield, the number five team, and Leesville, the number seven team. Natchitoches got the nod as the runner-up in the district.                 
       Winnfield’s 6-4-0 record and district finish in the middle of the pack gives the impression that the team was an average football team. Without knowing anything else about the team, it would be understandable why anyone would draw that conclusion. However, consider the following:  For Winnfield, two plays likely kept the Tigers out of the playoffs and conceivably kept the Tigers from winning a district championship. The “if and but” game is a false game because you can never say how a game would have changed had one play been different. For example, it is tempting to say that had Natchitoches not intercepted a pass against Winnfield and returned it for a touchdown, Winnfield would have won 6-0. However, had Natchitoches not scored as they did early in the third quarter of that game, who’s to say they wouldn’t have called a different selection of plays the remainder of the game because they were playing behind, and who’s to say they wouldn’t have scored on one of those plays. Nevertheless, that play and Keen’s narrow miss of a field goal were pivotal plays that could have changed the outcome of that 7-6 Winnfield loss.     
      Likewise, Winnfield only lost to Menard by a score of 6-0, in spite of moving inside the Eagle red zone three times. The Tigers did the same thing against Tioga, moving inside the Indian 20-yard line four times and gaining over 300 yards, but they only scored once in a 20-7 loss. Winnfield could have won any of their district losses and had they won two of the three they would have been the district champions. But, “could haves” and “should haves” are for those who lose ball games. Championship teams find ways to win games, whether that be by talent, good coaching, lucky breaks or sheer will power. It is true that 6-4-0 could have been 7-3-0 or 8-2-0 or even 10-0-0. But Winnfield repeatedly proved to be their own worst enemy in the four games they lost.                 
       After the season, Coach Dosher attributed the team’s lack of playing experience coming into the season as the primary reason for the team’s failure to gain a playoff berth. He pointed to the obvious improvement of the defense as the season progressed, pointing out that Jonesboro-Hodge scored four touchdowns in the opening game of the season, Leesville scored twice the next week and Tioga scored three times in the third game. After that, no team scored more than one touchdown against the Tiger defense.                  
       In fact, the team had a good enough defense to be a playoff caliber team. The Tiger defensive unit gave some remarkable individual performances and ended the season with some impressive statistics. The most impressive statistics were those that highlighted the tight pass defense the team played. For the season, the unit only gave up 413 total passing yards. That was a modern day record for fewest regular season passing yards allowed. Prior to the 1960s few teams passed anyway, therefore, few passing yards were allowed. But, at a time when teams regularly threw for close to 100 yards or more per game, the 41.3 average per game posted by the 1970 team remains the standard at Winnfield Senior High School. Opponents attempted a total of 116 passes but only completed 36 of those, an average of just under 33%. The team intercepted 17 passes, which was second most in school history, behind the 24 interceptions made by the 1961 team. Only one opponent (Leesville) rushed for over 200 yards and no team gained as many as 300 total yards.                 
      Two of the most glaring reasons why the offense couldn't score more than they did were turnovers and failure to convert scoring opportunities into points. For the season, the team threw 21 interceptions (a school record) and fumbled the ball 24 times, losing 14 of those. Many of those turnovers came after Winnfield had moved into the opposing team's territory. Any coach will tell you that turnovers and penalties destroy scoring chances. The 1970 team made its share of both.                 
      On the other hand, it’s not like the offense was weak. By rushing for 1,595 yards and passing for 1,037, the team joined the 1966 and 1969 teams as the only teams in school history to rush and pass for more than 1,000 yards in each category. The 1970 teams rushing total was actually 19 yards more than the 1968 team, who competed in two playoff games. However, comparing season totals of one team to another is misleading because of the difference in the quality of opponents that teams from different years play.      
       The 1970 offensive unit ran a ball-control type of offense. That is revealed by the 133 first downs the team made, which tied the 1969 team for most regular season first downs.                   
      If nothing else, what the 1970 season did was give a solid corp of underclassmen an opportunity to gain all-important playing experience. Players who turned in the best offensive and defensive performances were juniors and would be back the next year. Jerry Keen ended the season with 857 yards rushing, which was the second highest total in school history at the time, trailing only Randy Poisso's 1,088 yds. earned two seasons earlier. He scored 63 points for the season, making him only the third Tiger player to score 60 or more points in a season. The other two included Henry Brewer, who scored 69 points in 1928 and Mike Tinnerello who scored 66 pts. in 1961. Keen ended the season with eight rushing touchdowns, the ninth most rushing touchdowns ever scored by a Tiger back.  

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KEY SEASON: 1971(Overall - 13-1-0, *District - 8-0-0)         
Opponent                   Results
Bastrop                       7-0       (Bastrop Jamboree)  
WEBSTER                W, 38- 6         
LEESVILLE              W, 54- 0*                               
Tioga                         W, 27- 0*                               
Jonesboro                  W, 34- 7                                 
Natchitoches              W, 14- 0*                               
PEABODY               W, 35- 6*                               
MENARD                 W, 66- 0*                               
Oakdale                     W, 20- 0*                               
PINEVILLE              W, 56- 0*   (HC)
Jena                           W, 54-16*                                
PLAYOFFS
JENNINGS                W, 34-0    (Regional)
Haughton                   W, 20-13  (Quarterfinal)
HAHNVILLE            W, 14-13  (Semifinal)
S. Lafourche               L, 0-10     (Final)     
      Championship-quality high school football teams don’t just happen. Championships are won when you combine a delicate mixture of good coaching and quality players. But, it is much more complicated than that. Coaches need players with talent, experience and leadership qualities. Among those players you need a mixture of brains and brawn. While football is a contact sport, it is important for players to “play smart. “  But, you have to have players who will “get after it”, as Coach Bankston was fond of saying, because the surest way to defeat an opponent is to out-hit and out-hustle them. You need players who want to win, and furthermore, you want players who think they will win. You need a group who can work together. Championship teams don’t just show up and win because they are good. Championship teams are built around players who are willing to work for the success they seek. A coach is fortunate if he has a unit that has a majority of those elements. But, for some coaches, once in a career (if they are lucky), they will have a group that has all of those qualities.      
     Coach Dosher said coming into the 1971 season that the incoming group was a “coaches’ dream.”  He had reason to think so. He had talented and experienced players. Coach Dosher had experience at every position on both sides of the ball. He stated before the season that he felt like he had 22 returning starters. What he did have were 18 returning lettermen and about half as many non-lettermen who he knew could play football. He had 18 players that had at least 10 games under their belt as starters and a core group of players who had played in as many as 20 football games. That kind of experience is indispensable.     
      Coach Dosher had talent. He didn’t just have players that had been on the field. Nine of his returning lettermen been named to the District 3-AAA All-District team the season before as juniors or sophomores, being named to either the first, second or honorable mention team. When the 1971 season would come to an end, he would have five players named to the first team AAA All-State team, the most number of All-State players ever assembled on any Tiger team. If that was to be taken literally, five of the twenty-two best players in Class AAA in 1971 played on one team - the Winnfield Tigers.      Coach Dosher had leaders on the team. Three of the school’s four representatives to Louisiana Pelican State were football players. The males selected as Class Favorites for each class, as well as the runners-up were all football players. In fact, the list of club officers and Who’s Who winners were liberally dotted with football players.     
      Coach Dosher had a close-knit group. Since the majority of the team’s starters came from the senior class, virtually all of those players had sat in classrooms together since the first grade and had shared many experiences growing up. The senior players had played football together for five years. When the senior football players entered the 7th grade at Winnfield Junior High School, they arrived at the school the same year that Hershel Machen was hired as head coach. As 7th graders, the team posted a 2-1-1 record and then two years later they gave Coach Machen his first undefeated team, outscoring the opposition 183-48 in a 6-0-1 season.       
      Though full integration of public schools in Winn Parish was in its infancy, there was an unusually high degree of cohesion between the white and black athletes on the team. But, whether examining relations between individuals, between races or between age groups, there was a high degree of cohesion among the team period.  Offensive Coordinator Robert Charles Payne would say years later that successful teams are filled with players who “love” each other. That is to say that the bond on a successful team is not due to the wins that team achieves, but rather the opposite. A successful team, Coach Payne would say, wins because of the bond of the players. The players of the 1971 were a close knit group before the 1971 season. The experiences of the 1971 season bound that group even closer.  In the ensuing decades after the close of the 1971 season those players would continue to “relate” in ways that are a testimony to the closeness of the group of players that made up the 1971 roster.      
     The team’s roster listed 56 players, the largest total in school history up to that point in time. Of that group, 22 were seniors, which was also the largest group of seniors ever assembled on one Winnfield football team up to that point in time. Rounding out the roster were 10 juniors and 24 sophomores. There wouldn’t be a lot of room for underclassmen to find playing time, but those that did were destined for post-season honors before their playing days were over and, in most cases, for college football scholarships.     
      Coach Dosher’s 22 “starters” were a collection of an almost equal number of two-way starters, offensive specialists and defensive specialists. The term two-way starters may be somewhat misleading, because almost none of those players stayed on the field much more than 35 or 40 minutes per game. Those players included the following: 
Two-way starters:      This group was led by Alan Carter. His primary position was safety, but Coach Payne had learned the year before how valuable Carter could be in the offensive scheme as a pass receiver. Plus, he had two years of varsity experience at the quarterback slot. In 1971, he would also be called on to be one of the Tiger punt return men, which was a testament to his sure hands and better than average speed.  Like Carter, Randy Strickland came into the season with two years of playing time under his belt. Strickland first cracked the starting lineup as a sophomore when he nailed down one of the defensive end slots. He relied on brute strength and an overall aggressive style of play. He would be positioned as a linebacker and offensive tackle. John Wayne Williams had speed to burn on the football field. As a result, he would be Carter’s mate on the punt return unit and he would be the Tigers’ primary return man on kickoff returns. But, Williams was more than a return specialist. He would alternate with Keen at the halfback slot and would be a starter in the defensive backfield. He was the type of player that if he ever got in the clear on a return, reception or carry you could chalk up six points. He, Carter and Strickland were voted Captain’s of the team. John C. Jones rounded out the defensive backfield with Carter and Williams, and was a wide receiver on offense. He was a “possession receiver” on offense, because if you ever needed a sure catch, Jones could get it for you. He was a smart player, a team player and one of the most well liked players on the team.  The final pair of two-way starters included two of the toughest players on the team. Those included a pair of fullbacks in Randy Parker and Lynn Lasyone. Parker played the game with abandon, just like he did life off of the field. He was a sure blocker in the fullback spot, but he could be called on to get the short yard and was an excellent pass catcher as well. On defense, Parker played the corner back position, which in the Tiger scheme was almost like an outside linebacker. Parker had the demeanor for that slot. Lynn Lasyone had matured physically as a junior high player. Because of his early maturation, Lasyone had been the leading linebacker in his junior high days and one of the leading ball carriers. Like Strickland and Carter, Lasyone was called on to play his sophomore year, but he went down with a leg fracture, which sidelined him for the season. Much like Strickland, he too relied on raw physical strength. When Lasyone hit you, you knew you had been hit, either as a ball carrier or a tackler. 
Offensive specialists: The biggest offensive weapon and leading ground-gainer from the previous season returned in the person of Jerry Keen. He was a speedster off the field as well as on the field. He owned all of the school’s hurdle records and would only add to that luster his senior year when he was named the Outstanding Track Man in District 3-AAA and State Champion. Though he didn’t possess the breakaway speed that John Wayne Williams had, Keen hit the holes quick and he possessed good balance. However, when he got in the clear, he was quite capable of breaking the long one. Keen was also the team’s place kicker.      
      One of Keen’s backfield mates was quarterback Steve Adams. He was arguably the best pure passer to ever play for the Tigers. He had the strength to throw the deep out pass, where a poorly thrown ball can be intercepted. He also had a feather touch, when needed, which enabled him to throw a screen pass or a safe pattern that had to be looped precisely. Offensive coordinator Robert Charles Payne called him the most complete quarterback he ever coached. He stated that he never had a quarterback who could check off like Adams, and, as Payne said, “Checking off doesn’t work unless your quarterback sees it and responds to it.”                  
       The Tiger offense had weapons. Besides the already mentioned assortment of backs and receivers, the team had a pair of receivers who Coach Dosher used solely on offense. Most notable was Greg Wagoner whose two letters at the tight end slot made him one of most experienced players on the team. He was a good blocker who had good hands. With Winnfield’s excellent stable of backs and bevy of wide receivers, all that opposing coaches needed was a tight end who was also a weapon. Winnfield had that in Wagoner. Besides the aforementioned Alan Carter and John C. Jones, Winnfield’s other possession receiver was Jimmy Price, a player with good quickness, who, like the rest of the team’s receiving corp, had good hands. In the Pro-style offense, precise pass routes were required and Price ran his was well as anyone on the team.     
       All of that talent in the backfield and at the wide out positions wouldn’t have been nearly as effective had they not had a group of linemen who gave them time to get in the clear and holes to run through. The Tigers had four lettermen and four returning starters in the offensive line. Other than Strickland at right tackle, the remainder of the offensive line consisted of the following:  Paul Larson was the leader of the group. He played his position with as much precision as anyone on the team. Though Larson wasn’t big (165 lbs.), his technique was so solid that he was just as adept at straight ahead blocking as he was at traps or power sweeps. Once his block was thrown, he could be counted on for down field support. Joining Larson at the other guard slot was Tucker Watts. Like Larson, Watts was a smart football player. He too relied on good form rather than brute strength. He wasn’t much larger than Larson so he had to use good technique. The fourth returning letterman in the offensive line was center Eddie Jenkins. In Winnfield’s multiple offense, linemen had to be proficient at both run and pass blocking. Since most teams ran a variation of a 4-4 defense, Jenkins was called on to pick up stragglers on most pass blocks or run down linebackers on most run blocks. Coach Payne said that one of his mentors, Coach Chick Childress, taught him to never get beat between the QB and center. He said he learned that if you had a smart kid at QB and a smart kid at center you will never lose a game because of a bad snap. Payne said he had that on the 1971 team.                  
       Robert Charles Payne said this about the offensive line and the approach he took to the 1971 offense: I always played my smartest players on the line because not only did they have to know how to block but they had to know who to block no matter what the defense did. I believed in the K.I.S.S. method (Keep it simple stupid). This is the reason that I usually designed the offense to go off tackle and sweep. (We didn’t do much) stunting inside the tackles. I usually had four people at the point of attack off tackle. (As for the middle of the line) I liked to trap inside and go down on linebackers.”           
      Winnfield had ten returning starters on offense. The only position that didn’t have a returning starter was the left tackle slot. During the season, Coach Dosher would use two players at that position. The first player to hold down that slot was George Tannehill, a letterman from the season before who had been a fullback throughout his playing career. The coaching staff knew that Tannehill could block because he had shown that ability as a fullback. Tannehill was a team player, so he agreed to shift from the more glamorous fullback slot to the tackle position. Midway through the season, Tannehill went down with an injury. In his place, the coaching staff would insert Hal Hickey. Though only a sophomore, he embodied the best of what both Larson and Strickland exemplified. Hickey was a smart player and a sound technician, but he had the size to waylay an opposing lineman. Hickey and quarterback Adams were the only underclassmen to play regularly on the offense.  
Defensive specialists:   The 1971 team was the best example of a true two-platoon team the school had ever had. Aside from the already mentioned two-way starters and offensive specialist, the team had seven players who focused solely on the defensive side of the ball. The defensive alignment used by defensive coordinator Jerry Bamburg was the 4-4 alignment, which called for two down linemen and two defensive ends. Those four positions would be manned by four of those defensive specialists. One of the down linemen was Leonard Jones. A returning letterman, Jones was one of the smallest men on the starting units. But, Jones used his quickness as his biggest asset. Any offensive linemen will tell you that they would much rather block an opposing lineman who was big and slow, rather than one who is quick. Jones disrupted more than a few offensive plays by getting into the backfield and meeting the ball carrier the same time the ball reached him. Joining Jones in the line was James Johnson, one of only two starters on the defensive side of the ball who was an underclassman. Offensive linemen had all they could handle in “Shoehorn” Johnson. He was the complete package at his position. He had size to take on the biggest tackle he would face and the quickness to outmaneuver the best guards he would face. One year later, he would be selected as the Most Outstanding Defensive Player in Class AAA.      At one of the defensive end slots, the team had one of the best players in school history at that position in James Hutchins. He was selected to the all-time Winnfield Tiger football team by fans voting on such 29 years later - and rightfully so. Hutchins had garnered All-District honors as a junior at the position. He used his bulk to take on pulling guards, but he was able to protect against the sweep as well as anyone who has ever played the position. At the other end slot was 6' 5" Roy Cotton, one of nine returning lettermen on the defensive side of the football. Cotton was the largest player on the team, standing 6"5 and weighing just over 200 lbs. Cotton used his size to his advantage. He was able to shuck pulling guards and literally “got in the way” of many an offensive play.     
       All great defenses have an outstanding corp of linebackers and the 1971 team would prove to be the strongest defensive squad in school history. Aside from Strickland and Lasyone, the line backing crew had three other players who focused solely on defensive play. The leader of that group was junior Lionel Johnson. He was arguably the best linebacker to ever play at the school up to that point. Sportswriters thought highly of him at the end of the season when he was named the Most Outstanding Defensive Player in the state in Class AAA and was named to the linebacker position on the All-Prep team. He had the total package when it came to line backing - quickness, aggression and smarts. On the team’s punt return unit, he led the return man down the lane created by the wall, destroying stragglers who somehow broke through the wall.     
       When any linebacker needed a breather, another junior came in to play in the person of Claude Smart. He came in at mid-season and filled in at the line backing slot without a step being missed. He took his game to the next level after high school, using his size and strength as his main tools. Rounding out the defensive squad at the corner back slot was Bill Stewart. As mentioned, in the Tiger defensive scheme, the corner back was more like a strong safety, a combination linebacker/defensive back position. Stewart relied on good form and quickness to break up short passes. Since teams couldn’t throw deep or run against the team, often times all they could try was the short stuff. Stewart and Randy Parker, his corner back mate, made sure that wasn’t available either. But, in Winnfield’s defensive scheme, the first responsibility was run containment. If ball carriers ever got outside of right end James Hutchins, they usually saw No. 40 waiting for them. Pound for pound, Stewart was one of the hardest hitters on a defense full of players who knew how to hit and how to take a hit.     
      Aside from that group, the team had a few other players who gave the Tigers more than adequate relief throughout the season. Those included Mickey Brewton (DB/WR) and Reynard Hamilton (FB), who were both juniors, and Charles Williams (C), a senior.    
       Besides being very good football players, that group of players was all-around athletes. Steve Adams, John Wayne Williams, John C. Jones and Alan Carter were four of the five starters on the basketball team. And, the track team was chock-full of football players, with Strickland (Shotput), Keen (hurdles), Jenkins (discus) and Adams (pole vault) establishing new school records in their events. In fact, sophomore running back Mike Lewis also established new school records in the 100-yard dash (9.9 sec.) and 220-yard dash (23.0 sec.), yet he remained a junior varsity player. Had the school fielded a baseball and golf team at the time there would have been many more multi-sport lettermen at the school.    
     The coaching staff consisted of Joe Dosher at the helm, Robert Charles Payne as the offensive coordinator and Jerry Bamburg as the defensive coordinator. Also assisting were Chal Rascoe and Jerry T. Smith               
       Those coaches got some indication of just how good their team was before the season started. Scrimmages during summer practice against Neville and LaSalle revealed the overpowering talent the team had on both sides of the ball. Winnfield had scrimmaged the larger Neville Tiger team the past summer and was understandably overmatched. However, in 1971, Winnfield outperformed Neville, and this ended up being a playoff-bound Neville team in Class AAAA. Then, the talent of the Tigers was clearly shown when the team traveled to LaSalle parish to scrimmage the AA LaSalle Tigers, who the Tigers easily controlled. Well into the scrimmage, Coach Bamburg had seen enough and exclaimed, “Let’s go home, this ain’t doing us any good.”    
      Winnfield’s final test before the regular season started came against AAAA Bastrop in their own Jamboree. Both Bastrop and Neville had been picked to slug it out for the 2-AAAA district crown. So, Winnfield would have a chance to compete against the best of the best of northeast Louisiana high school football. In jamborees you like to see good execution in all phases of the game. That’s exactly what the coaches got. In the first 12 minutes of the two quarter “game”, Alan Carter got a 67-yard punt return to set up an 8-yard scoring toss from Steve Adams to John Wayne Williams. Jerry Keen booted through the extra point to give the Tigers the only score of the contest. In two weeks time, Winnfield had prevailed over Neville and Bastrop, who would end up finishing the regular season with identical 9-1-0 records while playing in the state’s highest classification.      
      Opposing coaches in the district knew of the potential of the Winnfield team coming into the season when the Tigers were named one of the preseason favorites to win the district crown. Winnfield and Natchitoches were pegged as the coaches’ choices to compete for the district crown. In the preseason statewide poll, Richwood (Monroe) was the unanimous choice for the No. 1 slot, with Natchitoches coming in 4th and Winnfield garnering enough votes to come in 8th. That seemed like a big deal to the Tiger football team at the time. No player on the team had ever been a part of a team that had won a district crown or even been a part of a team who had played in a playoff game. This was the first group of seniors since 1965 that had never been on the sidelines of a playoff game during any part of their playing career.                
      Winnfield opened the regular season in Stokes-Walker Stadium against a new opponent, the Webster Wolves who were led by head coach Eddie Robinson, Jr., son of the legendary head coach at Grambling. Winnfield would have to contend with 200 lb. linemen at every slot across the defensive front and a backfield filled with speed.    
      One of the things a team has to deal with at some point of most seasons is poor weather conditions. That would be the case in the opening game of the 1971 regular season. The area was under the threat of severe thunderstorms at game time and the potential became a reality as the game wore on. The first half was played in a mere down pour, while the second half was contested in hazardous weather that forced a decision to run the clock non-stop in the second half.                  
      Despite the poor playing conditions Adams was able to connect on two first quarter touchdown passes, with both being of the 15-yard variety and with one going to Carter and the other going to Keen. The Tigers missed two-point conversion attempts after each of those touchdowns.     
      Late in the first quarter, Webster did get on the scoreboard at the end of a 60 yard drive. Little did anyone know at the time, but, thirteen more quarters would pass before the Tiger defense would be scored on again and that the Webster drive would be one of the longest drives the Tiger defense would give up all year.               
       Winnfield turned to their ground game in the second quarter and added two more touchdowns to take a 26-6 lead into halftime. Tiger fullback Lynn Lasyone got one of those scores on an 8-yard run and  quarterback Steve Adams executed a bootleg to perfection when he raced around left end 47 yards for a touchdown.    
       In the first half of the first game of the 1971 season, the Tigers had already shown that they could do something the teams of recent years had so much trouble with - score points. The 26 pt. first-half points were already more points than had been scored in 40 of the past 50 games.      
       It was because of the heavy rains and the clear advantage that Winnfield had over Webster that a decision was made to run the clock continuously in the second half, which, in effect, meant that the second half amounted to a little over a quarter of actual playing time.     
         Winnfield fans would get a taste of what was in store for the rest of the season when Webster dropped back for their first punt of the second half. Championship teams score with good defense and with good special teams. Before the 1971 season was over, the team would take advantage of special team scoring like no Tiger team before or since.     
      Winnfield’s punt return scheme called for the return unit (which was the Tiger defensive team) to  form a wall down one side of the field and have one of Winnfield’s two return men get behind that wall. Linebacker Lionel Johnson ran interference for the Tiger return man, essentially escorting the return man once he got behind the wall. To confuse the opposition, the Tigers dropped two return men, who ran a crossing pattern no matter which return man caught the football. Once the punt was fielded, the return man closest to the predetermined wall (either right or left) always ran in front of the other return man. If the return man closest to the wall caught the punt he handed off to the crossing return man. If the return man furthest away from the wall caught the ball he faked a handoff, pulled the ball in and set sail for the wall. Winnfield used Alan Carter and John Wayne Williams as their two return men. What a combination that would prove to be!     
        John Wayne Williams was the ball carrier on Winnfield’s first punt return of the second half. When Williams turned the corner to get behind the wall he was 51 yards away from pay dirt. On the return, Tiger corner back Bill Stewart landed a vicious block on a Webster defender, which earned Stewart the coveted Savage Award. That hit sprung Williams for a touchdown to up the Tiger lead to 32-6. The try for two points (the fifth of the night) was again no good, making that four of five two-point conversion attempts that were no good.     
        Webster went nowhere in the second half and the Tigers added one more touchdown, that coming in the fourth quarter when Tiger corner back Bill Stewart, who substituted at the halfback slot on the second offensive unit, caught a 2 yard pass from Adams to close out the scoring at 38-6.  Stewart had 4 carries for 14 yards on the drive to set up the touchdown.      
       For the night, the Tigers got 276 yards rushing on 46 running plays, an even 6.00 yards per carry average. In spite of the poor playing conditions, Adams had a 7 of 19 passing night for three touchdowns and 86 yards. Adams' three touchdown passing night enabled him to tie the school record for most touchdown passes in a game, equaling the record first set by Ray Jenkins in 1936 and tied by Ricky Jordan in 1966.  Webster only gained 88 yards rushing in 38 plays (a 2.4 yd. per carry average) and completed 2 of 12 passes for 42 yards.     
       Due to the poor weather conditions it wasn’t the kind of game where anyone had any real sense of how good the team really was. The main thing those interested in Winnfield football knew was that the Tigers were 1-0-0 and had scored more points in the opening game than had been scored in any game the previous season. The Tigers were off to a good start.    
        It had been three football seasons since a Winnfield team had been ranked in the Top Ten in a regular season poll. Winnfield's win over Webster enabled the team to move up one notch up the polls, moving into a tie with Destrahan for 7th place. Other notable teams in the top ten included Richwood (1st), Haughton (2nd), South Lafourche (3rd), Natchitoches (4th) and Hammond (5th), with the later being the defending state champions.      
        If the Webster game was a “good start”, then the Tigers would kick it into high gear the following week. In fact, before the night was over, the Tigers would put on arguably the most balanced offensive perform ever displayed by a Tiger team. The opponent would be Leesville, the Tigers first district opponent.    
        The game as a whole was an offensive master piece, but the first quarter in and of itself was a showcase of strengths that the 1971 team in all phases of the game. For starters the Tiger offense took the opening possession and got a touchdown on a 31-yard run by halfback Jerry Keen, who also booted the extra point to make the score 7-0. Then, it was the Tiger defenses time to shine and that they did when lineman James Johnson separated a Leesville ball carrier from the ball and Randy Parker fell on the ball at the Wampus Cat 15-yard line. Three plays later Jerry Keen ran straight ahead for a 9-yard touchdown. Minutes later Leesville was forced into their first punt of the night. Just like the Tiger defense set up the second Tiger touchdown, good special teams set up scores too. That would become quite clear in the Leesville game. The first time Leesville punted John Wayne Williams got a 60-yard return before Leesville managed to run him out of bounds at their own 14-yard line. The Tiger offense came in and quickly scored when Keen got his third touchdown of the quarter from four yards away. Keen’s touchdown run and extra point kick made the score 20-0. That first quarter explosion tied the 1955 team (vs. Farmerville) and the 1961 team (vs. Jena and Many) for most points scored in the first quarter. But, Keen became the first player in the program’s history to rush for three touchdowns in a quarter.    
        This was not just an outstanding offensive outing because the Tiger defense was relentless. The Tiger greatly contributed to the first half scoring barrage by forcing one fumble that the Tiger offense capitalized on with a 15-yard touchdown run by John Wayne Williams.. The Tiger offense hadn’t even had a chance to implement their offensive game plan, because they were in a goal line offense virtually every time they had taken control of the football. In three of the first four Winnfield possessions, they began play inside the Leesville 15-yard line.      
        The next time the Wampus Cats had the ball Tiger linebacker Lionel Johnson broke through and caught a Leesville ball carrier behind the goal line for a safety to up the Tiger lead to 28-0. After the ensuing free kick Winnfield capped the drive with an 8-yard toss from Adams to Wagoner. That upped the lead to 34-0, which was extended by one more when Keen kicked the PAT. The 35-0 lead at halftime was the second most first half points ever scored by a Winnfield team up to that point, trailing only to the 1961 team’s 41 first half points scored against Jena.      
        The Tiger kick return team got in on the scoring action when John Wayne Williams took the second half kickoff back 82 yards for a touchdown to bring the score to 41-0. Since Williams had also returned a punt for a touchdown in the season opener, he became the first player in school history to return more than one kick for a touchdown in a season. In fact, that return enabled the team to become only the third team to return two kick returns for a touchdown in a season. All of that and it was only the second game of the season. There was a great deal more to come.    
         The Tigers scored twice more in the second half, with one touchdown showing the versatility of the Tiger offense when halfback Keen connected with a wide-open John Wayne Williams, who had been inserted into the pro back position, for a touchdown.  That gave Williams three touchdowns for the game,  with one coming by rush, another by a pass reception and the third by his kickoff return. That marked the first time any Winnfield football player had scored touchdowns by three different means in a single game. Williams would duplicate that feat again during the season and is the only player to ever score touchdowns by three different means in a single game.      
       Later in the game the Tigers closed out the scoring on a 12-yard run by Keen, his fourth rushing touchdown of the night. That made the final score 54-0. Keen’s four rushing touchdowns tied him with Gabe Durham (1928), Teal Calhoun (1929), Hovey Harrell (1933) and Mickey Frazier (1955) for most rushing touchdowns in a single game. His 28 total points were the most points ever scored by an individual player in a single game.     
       The game was as complete a game as had ever been played by a Tiger team. The offense gained 31 first downs, which was still a team record at the turn of the century. That is even more amazing considering the fact that the offensive began three of their first four possessions inside the Leesville 15-yard line and thus didn't need to cover much ground on those possessions. For the night, the offense gained 477 total yards, which was 4 yards shy of the single game total yardage record of 481 yards set by the 1961 team against Natchitoches. Winnfield’s yardage was gained on a 263 rushing night and a 214-yard passing attack, making that the first time a Tiger team had rushed and passed for over 200 yards. That was also the second most passing yards ever thrown by a Winnfield team, with Adams connecting on 10 of 16 passes for 102 yards, Carter going 5 of 5 and Keen connecting on 3 of 3 passes. All total, the team completed 19 passes for the game, which was two more completions than the school record set by the 1966 team.    
        Individual school records were set in numerous categories. Keen was the team’s leading ball carrier, getting 111 yards on 12 carries. Williams added 101 yards in six carries, making those two the first Winnfield tandem to rush for 100 or more yards in a game, and they did it while alternating at the same position. Greg Wagoner set a record from his tight end position by snaring 8 receptions, the most single game receptions in school history up to that point.                            
       When all was said and done, the local paper was still asking, “Just how good is this Winnfield team? Was this a fluke? Or can the Tigers do it against stronger opponents?” Ever cautious, Coach Dosher warned that future opposition would be much tougher and stated that over confidence could be disastrous. In fact, the headlines from the account of the game in the Alexandria Town Talk the next day read, “54-0 and Coach is Unhappy.”  Coach Dosher was quoted as saying, “We won and we won handily, as the score indicates, but we took a physical beating.”    
     The win impressed the pollsters, however, who moved Winnfield from 7th to 5th in the Class AAA polls. Rounding out the Top Five was Richwood in first, followed by Natchitoches, South Lafourche and Hammond.     
     Tioga, the Tigers next opponent, appeared to be a team ripe for the taking. Though the Indians were coming off of an 8-2-0 season, they had experienced a coaching change and only had nine starters returning to the 1971 team. The squad as a whole only had 41 players and the heaviest man on the team weighed only 185 pds.      
     Every team has “off” games during the season, and this would be one of those types of games. Unlike the week before the Tiger offense never really did get started because of penalties and unforced errors. As a result, this game was won by the play of the Tiger defense a Tiger offense that prevailed in spite of itself.  The Tiger defense scored one first half touchdown when Leonard Jones fell on in the end zone to give the Tigers a 6-0 lead. Minutes later Tiger defensive halfback John C. Jones scooped up a fumble on the Tioga 28-yard line and was immediately dropped. The Tiger offense did the rest and it only took two plays to do that with fullback Randy Parker running through a hole opened up the middle by Larson and Jenkins for an 18-yard touchdown run. That made the score 14-0, which is where it stayed until the fourth quarter.      
     On the Tigers second possession of the final quarter, Jerry Keen broke loose for an apparent 70 touchdown run but the Tigers were flagged 15 yards for clipping. On the next play, fullback Randy Parker took the ball 50 yards before being downed inside the Tioga 10-yard line, but again the Tigers were flagged for clipping. With the ball at the Winnfield 35-yard line, John Wayne Williams ran the same play Keen had run two plays earlier with the same results. After taking the handoff from Adams, Williams started left and got to the outside where he appeared to be hemmed in at the sidelines. At that point he cut back across the field and ran the rest of the way untouched. This time, no flags were found on the turf, giving the Tigers a 20-0 lead which was increased by one point when Keen added the extra point kick.     
     The Tigers closed the scoring the next time they got the ball back when Adams hit Williams for a  scoring pass  to make the final winning margin 27-0.  The Tiger win was hardly a thing of beauty. For the night, Winnfield picked up 135 yards in penalties. Added to that were one interception and three lost fumbles. The Tigers passing attack just wasn’t there as the team connected on only 3 of 13 passes for 41 yards. The Tigers gained 249 yards rushing, which as much as anything shows how the Tigers were able to move the ball only to have one drive after another stopped by a penalty or a turnover     
     Like Winnfield, Tioga was stopped all game long by penalties, picking up 105 yards in penalties themselves. But, it wasn’t so much penalties as it was a stifling Tiger defense that stopped Tioga cold. For the night, Tioga only managed 5 yards rushing, which was a new all-time low for a Tiger defense.     
     The win moved the Tigers to 3-0-0 for the season and 2-0-0 in district play. The three wins to start the season was the best start since the 1961 season and the two district wins enabled the Tigers to move into a tie with Natchitoches and Peabody for first place in the district. None of those three had any losses in the district. Tied for second with one loss apiece were Jena, Oakdale, Menard and Leesville, while Tioga and Pineville were seeking their first win after opening district play with two losses.     
     Natchitoches lost a non-conference game to Class 4-A Alexandria Senior High School the same night Winnfield traveled to Tioga. That loss knocked the Chiefs from second in the Class AAA polls all the way down to a tie for 10th. Winnfield continued their climb up the polls. After three weeks of play, Richwood continued to lead the polls, with Hammond second and Winnfield third, followed by Haughton (4th), Hahnville (5th), Abbeville (6th) and Bossier (7th). The previously third place South Lafourche Tarpons lost to AAAA East Jefferson and dropped to a tie with Bossier in 7th.     
     In week four, Natchitoches and Peabody squared off on a Thursday night game won by the Chiefs. By defeating Peabody, Natchitoches knocked Peabody out of a tie for first place in the district race and set their sights on Winnfield. Since the Chiefs played on a Thursday night, they had the opportunity to travel to Jonesboro-Hodge to watch the Tigers face Jonesboro-Hodge in non-district completion. Winnfield and Natchitoches would square off the following week, so Natchitoches Coach Jim Bruning loaded up his whole team and took them to Jonesboro-Hodge to watch their next opponent live. Coach Payne showed them just enough to cause concern but not enough to give anything away.   
     When the Tigers traveled to Jackson parish they smelled blood because Jonesboro-Hodge was looking for their first win in four outings. It would be a record-breaking night for passing.    The Tigers built a 28-7 first half lead on the strength of a pair of touchdown runs (3 yds. by Williams and 6 yds. by Adams), an 18 yard pass from Adams to Wagoner and a 68 yard punt return by Alan Carter.  The latter touchdown gave the team two punt returns and one kickoff return for a touchdown during the season. Those three kick returns for touchdowns gave the team the school record for most kick returns for touchdowns in a season and the two punt returns were the most team punt returns for touchdowns in a single season. There was still plenty more to come.     
     Jonesboro-Hodge did mount a 75-yard scoring drive in the first half which would be the longest drive the Tiger defense would allow during the regular season. The score snapped a 12-quarter scoreless streak the Tiger defense had posted and made the game score 21-7 at the time, but Winnfield’s fourth touchdown of the first half made for the 28-7 margin.     
     Winnfield had effectively used it passing game in the first half and relied almost exclusively on passes to mount their first touchdown of the second half.  That drive was capped by a 39-yard touchdown-scoring pass from Adams to Carter, which made the score 34-7 and closed out the scoring for the night.     
     After that, Coach Dosher figured he had shown Natchitoches enough, so he pulled his starters and let his reserves finish off the game. There was no more scoring, but Natchitoches had seen the Tigers score in every way imaginable including two runs, two passes and a punt return. Those scores came from all quarters, with Winnfield’s quarterback, tight end, wide receiver and halfback all scoring.     
     The Tigers didn’t do much rushing wise, but then again they didn’t have to. The night belonged to Adams and Wagoner in the air. Adams passed for a school record 228 yards in a 14 of 22 passing night. He wasn't picked off a single time. Keen also connected on one pass to give the team 241 passing yards, a team passing record that stood until the end of the century. Adams’ 14 completions established a new school record in that category. His favorite receiver for the night was tight end Greg Wagoner who snared 9 passes for 157 yards, with the reception total setting a new school record. Carter added 71 yards on 3 catches and John C. Jones and Lynn Lasyone got in on the best passing night in school history, each catching one. Ironically, Adams also added to the record-breaking night on the receiving end, when he handed off to Keen, ran out of the backfield and snared a 15-yard pass. .     
     The Winnfield defense gave up 98 yards rushing and only 12 yards passing to Jonesboro-Hodge, allowing Jonesboro-Hodge only one completion in 11 attempts. For the fourth game in a row, the Tigers got an interception, picking off two Jonesboro-Hodge aerial. The defense also got one fumble recovery.      
      The win moved the Tigers to 4-0-0 for the season. Natchitoches' win over Peabody left Winnfield and the Chiefs as the only Dist. 3-AAA teams without a defeat, with both showing 2-0-0 marks in district play. Oakdale and Menard held down third place with 2-1-0 marks and Peabody was right behind with a 1-1-0 district mark. In the second tier of the district, Jena, Leesville and Pineville had 1-2-0 district records, while Tioga was winless with a 0-3-0 record. Unlike the previous season, this shaped up to be a season where two losses in district play could very well knock a team out of the playoffs. But, only two teams had a chance at going through district play with unbeaten records and those two teams met in week five of the 1971 regular season. Natchitoches and Winnfield entered the game as the Nos. 6 and 3 teams in Class AAA respectively. Richwood and Hammond still held down the Nos. 1 and 2 slots and Crowley moved from 9th to 4th in week four. Rounding out the Top Ten was Hahnville (5), South Lafourche (7), Bossier (8), Abbeville (9 - tied) and Jennings (9 - tied).  

KEY GAME:  As far as "Big Games" in Winnfield football history go, they don't get much bigger than the 1971 Winnfield - Natchitoches game. Fans voted the game one of the top five in school history 29 years later when the first fan poll was conducted.     

     The reasons for the big build-up to the 1971 game are many. For starters, both teams came into the game with a month’s worth of expectations, what with both teams making it into the preseason Top Ten poll in the Class AAA polls and both teams being picked to fight it out for District 3-AAA honors. Both teams had lived up to that billing during the first four games, with the only loss between the two teams being Natchitoches' defeat to ASH by a score of 21-6. It certainly appeared that the winner of the game would go through district competition with an undefeated record, so neither team could depend on help from any other team in the district. Though you can't afford to think that way with four district games remaining to be played, both teams went into the game thinking it was for the district title.     

     The Tiger football program had been involved in big games throughout its football history. Three of the biggest were the 1955 win over Neville, the 1961 defeat of Ruston and the 1968 upset of the No.1 ranked Winnsboro Wildcats. One thing all of those big wins had in common was that they were all played on Winn Parish soil. Winnfield wouldn’t have that advantage when they faced Natchitoches in 1971.      Natchitoches had a team with many of the same strengths that Winnfield had. They were led by junior quarterback Stuart Wright, who had passed 1,172 yards in his sophomore season. But, he was only one of the weapons the Chiefs had in their offensive backfield. The team had a pair of good backs in Al Gossett, son of Northwestern State University head football coach Glenn Gossett, and speedster James Oliphant. That backfield ran through holes opened by one of the best guard/tackle tandems in the district in guard Joe Morgan and tackle Jimmy Marcotte. On the defensive side of the ball, Marcotte shifted to tackle and was joined by linebacker Lance Rabalais. Both were destined for All District honors so it appeared this would be the toughest defensive line the Tigers would face and thus not be a team Winnfield could run right at. As it were, one of the biggest plays in the history of the program would come in this game and that play would be a trap run straight up the middle of the Natchitoches defense. All in all, though, the two teams looked evenly matched as the first chills of autumn first began to appear.    

     The first half was devoted to the two teams feeling each other out. Both coaches called for a conservative game plan to start the game, with both staying with their ground games virtually the whole first half.  As the game clock neared the end of the second quarter it appeared every bit like the two teams would head into the locker room at half time with the scoreboard reading just like it did when the game began.     

     In close games, it is often one play that makes the difference. Often that play is the result of some turnover, but these two teams were guarding against that. The one thing that Winnfield had begun to stake its reputation on was its attention to every phase of the game, including special teams and goal line play. That attention to detail would pay off for Winnfield.    

     With just under two minutes to go in the first half, Winnfield's defense stopped Natchitoches one yard short of a first down at their own 35-yard line. Natchitoches head coach, Jim Bruning elected to punt to the Tigers, knowing full well that the Tigers had returned two punts for touchdowns. But, he had punted to Winnfield twice earlier in the first half and had stopped both of those returns. Still, he knew that Winnfield was a dangerous return team and he had been telling his team that all week long. Championship teams still get it done even when the other team is expecting it.    

     The account of the next thirty seconds was best described in an article that appeared in the Alexandria Towntalk the next day. The article said, "Facing a fourth-and-one at his own 35-yard line, Natchitoches’ quarterback-punter Stuart Wright got off a beautiful 47-yard punt that was fielded by John Wayne Williams on the Winnfield 18.    

     Williams headed to his right, handing the ball off to Alan Carter swinging back to the left. The Tigs have been doing it all year. The play didn't surprise the Chiefs, but it didn't matter. The Bengals return unit opened up the entire left sideline (right in front of the Natchitoches bench) and Carter was off on an 82-yard punt return.    

     When he got to about the Chiefs 20, only Wright had a chance to stop him. Carter had teammate Randy Parker out front trying to take care of him. Parker turned Wright inside, Carter feinted the same way, then cut back to the sideline and raced untouched into the end zone, raising the football in the air with one hand as he crossed the goal line. There were 29 seconds showing in the first half.”                           

     Jerry Keen added the PAT to make the score 7-0. When the two teams headed into the locker room second later, Winnfield carried one thing into the locker room that Natchitoches didn't - a large dose of momentum.    

     Natchitoches didn't look the least bit deflated the first time they got their hands on the football in the second half. The Chiefs took possession of the football at their own 24-yard line and put together a time-consuming 15-play drive that took them to a first and goal at the Winnfield 5-yard line. Three stabs at the line managed to move the ball 4 yards, setting up a fourth and goal at the Winnfield 1-yard line. On fourth down, Bruning sent Al Gossett into the strength of the Chief line, the left tackle position. Gossett was met by James Hutchins (E), Bill Stewart (CB) and Lionel Johnson (LB) for no gain in a play every bit as important as Carter's earlier punt return.    

     As usual, goal line stands at the 1-yard line give the opposing offense the worst field position possible. So, while Winnfield had averted a touchdown, they still weren't out of the woods. Natchitoches' drive had taken up most of the third quarter, so, when Winnfield got the ball there were less than three minutes to go in the quarter.    

     Natchitoches had too good a defense to allow Winnfield to simply pound the ball at them and again the strength of the Natchitoches defense was found right up front. Coach Payne knew that a turnover that close to the goal line on the heels of the Tigers goal line stand would be disheartening so he didn't try anything fancy.  The Tigers moved away from the goal line somewhat, but the Tigers failed to pick up the necessary yards for a first down in three plays as they only moved out to the 8 yard line. On the other hand, Coach Payne would later say that defensive coordinator Jerry Bamburgh always encouraged Payne to “do whatever was necessary” to execute the Tiger offense in such situations. But, this time three running plays only resulted in giving Winnfield's quarterback-punter, Steve Adams  a tad more breathing room when he dropped back to punt.  Nevertheless, he was still standing in the Winnfield end zone. Coach Bruning called for a block, but the only thing Natchitoches' Marcotte and Payne hit after they got past the initial containment was punter Steve Adams, resulting in a roughing the punter call and a new set of downs for the Tigers at the Winnfield 18-yard line.     

     On first down, Jerry Keen carried for a seven-yard gain and appeared to fumble on the play, which Natchitoches recovered, but the officials ruled that Keen was down when the ball popped loose. With that ruling, the Tiger faithful gave a collective sigh of relief, but that relief would be nothing like the feeling that the Tiger camp felt at the end of the next play. The second down play would be another one of those “Plays of the Century” type of plays. Facing a second and three from the Natchitoches 22-yard line, Coach Robert Charles Payne called for the "20 Trap.”  On that play, Adams took the snap, faked a move to his left to draw the Natchitoches linebackers in that direction.  He then turned back and handed the ball to his halfback, who at that time was John Wayne Williams. The play was designed for the halfback to run the ball straight into the middle of the offensive line. Being a trap play, it was designed to have the right guard and center to double team the nose guard while the left guard pulled and took on the linemen left untouched by the right guard. If done effectively, the play cleared out the middle of the offensive line. Tiger center Eddie Jenkins and right guard Tucker Watts not only executed the double team to perfection when they drove the middle guard 5 yards off the line of scrimmage, but they ended up driving him into the weak side linebacker, taking both out on the play. Left guard Paul Larson pulled and met the Chief down lineman at the point of attack. Larson drove him out of the play as well. That gave Williams a wide-open hole at the line of scrimmage, which he bolted through.     

     Almost immediately it appeared that Williams would have enough running room for the three yards and a first down.  However, after getting just past the line of scrimmage, Williams was about to be met by the strong side linebacker, Lance Rabalais, when Tiger right tackle Randy Strickland, brushed Rabalais just as he was breaking down to hit Williams. The cut to the right that Williams made just after he crossed the line of scrimmage would have been enough to leave any would-be tackler grabbing air anyway. That move was one of William’s biggest tools. Had he run straight ahead, he would have been met head-on by the Chief linebacker and would have had close to enough first down yardage. Instead, upon seeing the on-coming linebacker, Williams' planted his left foot and sprung to his right and suddenly found daylight. That's when Williams used his other biggest tool - his after-burners. Williams quick cut to the right sprung him into the Natchitoches secondary, where only two men had any chance of catching him: the Natchitoches strong side halfback and the free safety. The Chief left end had taken himself out of the play when he simply made too big of a loop on his rush. By the time he realized where the ball was, he was staring at the back side of No. 22. That cleared out the whole right side of the Natchitoches line.     Tiger Pro back Jimmy Price slowed the Natchitoches halfback just enough with a roll block. When a defender was standing nearly stationary and Williams was at or near full steam, that defender could forget about making a play on Williams. So, when Williams blew by the Natchitoches halfback just past the right hash mark, all he had in front of him was clear sailing to the goal line, 65 yards away. Williams continued to angle to his right as the lone remaining Natchitoches defender, safetyman Oliphant, attempted to close the gap. Oliphant was a track man, so he had a chance – at least on paper he had a chance. When the play began on the Winnfield 22-yard line, the safetyman was lined up 10 yards down the field. When Williams crossed the Tiger 40, the safety had maintained his position and was attempting to close the gap by angling across the field. He had waited too long to move toward Williams, so his fate was sealed. By the time Williams crossed midfield, the Natchitoches safety man had moved in behind him and it became a foot race from that point on, but Williams had never been caught from behind and this time would be no different. Oliphant made one desperation attempt at the 15-yard line, diving for William’s heals, but Williams was a good 4 yards ahead of him at the time so that too did no good. When Williams cross the goal line the night air breathed fresher, the stars shown a little brighter and all seemed well in the world.     

     The two-touchdown margin suddenly seemed like two hundred points. The Tigers knew they had defeated Natchitoches at that point, but, there was still a quarter of football to be played.    

     At the start of the fourth quarter, Tiger corner man Bill Stewart intercepted a Stuart Wright pass and handed the ball back to the Tiger offense at the Chief 24-yard line. Williams, Adams and Keen combined to move the ball to a first and goal at the Natchitoches 3-yard line, where Winnfield's finesse game met Natchitoches' power defense. Four stabs at the line failed to produce a touchdown, leaving the Tigers the victim of a goal line stand this time.     

     After that, neither team seriously threatened to score again, giving Winnfield a thrilling 14-0 win to allow the Tigers to take the lead in the District 3-AAA race and gain a large measure of statewide respect.    

     Both teams came into the game with highly publicized passing attacks and just as impressive outside games. Yet, neither team would use their passing game much. What little success either team had came at the most unexpected place - right up the middle, with William's 78-yard burst up the middle being the biggest run of the game. Natchitoches' Gossett was the leading ground gainer of the night, getting 101 yards on 23 carries, with most of those yards coming on traps to the right side of the Natchitoches line. Williams led all Winnfield ball carries with 80 yards on six carries. Keen added 69 yards from the halfback position, but it took him 24 rugged carries to get even that much. All total, Winnfield gained 190 yards rushing to out-distance Natchitoches in that category by 48 yards. The Tigers only attempted 4 passes all game long. Adams connected on two of those, with Wagoner getting both of those receptions for a total of 20 yards. Stuart Wright was the most frustrated passer of the game, throwing 8 passes, connecting on one of those to one of his receivers and finding Alan Carter and Bill Stewart on two other passes. For the game, Natchitoches added 5 passing yards to their 142 yards rushing for 147 total yards. Each of the two teams lost one fumble and penalty yards were almost equal, with Winnfield picking up 79 yards in penalties and Natchitoches getting 82 yards.

      The win didn't impress the pollster nearly as much as it should have. Though Winnfield maintained its hold on the No. 3 slot in the Class AAA poll, both Richwood and Hammond increased their total points in maintaining their No. 1 and 2 slots. Natchitoches, meanwhile, fell completely out of the Top Ten, despite their strong showing against No. 3 Winnfield.     
     At the midpoint of the regular season the team statistics showed just how strong the 1971 Tiger team was.  The team won its first five games of the season to become only the fourth team to accomplish that feat. The others included the famous 1919 team, as well as the 1948 and 1961 squads. In those five wins the Tigers outscored the opposition 167 to 13, with Webster and Jonesboro-Hodge being the only two teams to score against the Tigers. Those points had come by way of 12 rushing touchdowns, 8 touchdowns by pass reception, 3 touchdowns by punt returns and 1 touchdown each by kickoff return and recovery of a fumble. The defense had shutout three opponents and had simply shut down each and every offense they faced. Through five games, only 459 yards had been gained on the ground and only 197 yards gained through the air. When teams found they couldn't run against the Tigers they had no choice but try to pass. They had even less success there as evidenced by the 16 of 61 combined passing totals by the first five opponents. The Tigers picked off 9 of those passes and had recovered 10 fumbles.     
     As impressive as those offensive and defensive numbers are, the last half of the regular season would be even more impressive. While the team had certainly won the hearts of every football fan even remotely associated with the Winnfield program up to that point in the season, what the team did in the second half of the regular season would have been hard for any unappreciative pollster to ignore.    
     Winnfield carried its 5-0-0 mark and unblemished record into its first home game in four weeks when the Tigers entertained the Peabody Warhorses. Sometimes, teams have a letdown after a big win, but the Tigers could not afford to slack up against the Warhorses or the next two teams on their schedule, for that matter. While Winnfield led the district with a 3-0-0 mark, right behind them were Natchitoches, Peabody and Menard with 2-1-0 district marks. The latter two would be Winnfield's next two opponents.      
     Peabody’s lone loss had been to Natchitoches and Peabody had shown their strength in that game, holding close to Natchitoches before losing it in the second half. It would take an upset for Peabody to defeat Winnfield, but Peabody had the material to pull off just such a win. And, the Tigers were ripe for the taking. The Tiger offense would have to crack a defense that had only been scored on twice in five games. This game had all the makings of a low scoring affair.    
     The first half of the game played-out like the Natchitoches game. The Peabody defense completely throttled the Tiger offense, but the Tiger defense was having even more success against Peabody’s offense. Peabody picked up only two first downs in the first half and struggled to get back to the line of scrimmage on most running plays.                 
     The only first half score came after Lionel Johnson picked off a Peabody pass. The Tigers capitalized on that turnover when a 23-yard run by John Wayne Williams was the big play in a drive that was capped by a sneak up the middle by quarterback Adams.  Jerry Keen added the extra point to give the Tigers a 7-0 lead at halftime.                 
     The powerful Tiger team exploded for four second half touchdowns to relieve any concern that any Tiger fan had about an upset. Two of those Tiger touchdowns came in quick fashion in the third quarter.  The first came after Lionel Johnson caught a fumble in mid-air on Peabody’s first series of the second half.  Two plays later, Adams hit John C. Jones on a post pattern, which resulted in a 27-yard touchdown. The next time the Tigers got the ball Coach Payne stayed with his passing game and Adams capitalized that on a drive capped by a 40 –yard pass from Adams to fullback Reynard Hamilton. That gave the Tigers a 21-0 cushion heading into the fourth quarter. 
     Peabody did manage to put a score on the board at the start of the fourth quarter but the Warhorse celebration was short-lived as John Wayne Williams returned in the ensuing kickoff 78-yards for a touchdown. Williams became the first Tiger player to return two kickoffs for touchdowns in a single season. Add his punt return for a touchdown earlier in the season to the total and Williams was clearly the school’s all-time return leader.     
     The killer-instinct of the was shown when Tiger defensive end Roy Cotton fell on a loose ball at the Winnfield 28-yard line only minutes later. The Tigers went for the jugular on first down when Adams hit Williams for a pass that moved the ball to the Peabody 6-yard line. Two plays later Randy Parker bowled over the line for the final touchdown of the night. Alan Carter snared a pass from Adams on the extra point attempt to make the final score 35-6.    
     Coach Dosher gushed over the performance turned his by his defense. That unit set a new school record when they held Peabody to a minus 25 yards rushing. The only offense the Warhorses got came through the air, where they completed 8 of 18 passes for an even 100 yards. For the sixth consecutive week, the Tigers picked off a pass and they added two fumble recoveries to their turnover total.     
     The defeat of Peabody, coupled with Natchitoches defeat of Menard the same night, put some distance between Winnfield and all other would-be challengers in District 3-AAA. Natchitoches remained the only team with one loss in district play. Peabody and Menard were tied for third with two losses.    
     When the Class AAA poll results were announced the following week, Winnfield earned their highest vote total of the season and picked up a first place vote for the first time all season. After seven weeks, there remained only three teams with untied, undefeated records in AAA. Those three made up the top three rungs of the AAA poll and included Richwood (58 pts), Hammond (51 pts.) and Winnfield (49 pts.).    
     The players on the 1971 had never tasted a playoff game as a player or a member of a team. There was a certain unfamiliarity about even seriously thinking about being a playoff team and evidence of that is shown by the fact that it wasn’t until mid-season that players began seriously pondering the playoffs. Just making the playoffs seemed like a good goal at the start of the season.     
    The Tigers next opponent was the Menard Eagles of Alexandria. Menard had enjoyed early season success, but by mid season, the Eagles were starting to experience the fate that so many teams face. Their starting halfback had been lost to an injury and their starting fullback was forced to drop off the team because of academic problems. This was not the same Menard team that had climbed to a No. 2 spot in the district. On the other hand, the week before Menard had put up 183 yards through the air against Natchitoches. Plus, the Eagles displayed a tough defense as well, stopping Natchitoches on three different drives inside their own territory.     
     Winnfield had dodged the injury bug for five games, but they wouldn’t be so fortunate against Peabody. Starting left tackle George Tannehill suffered a knee injury and was listed as definitely out for the Menard game and day-to-day after that. Junior reserve player, Mickey Brewton, underwent knee surgery following the Peabody game and was lost for the season.       
     Coming into the Menard game, the Tiger defense have easily proven their worth. In fact, the Tigers defense had posted the most dominating defensive performance ever witnessed the week before against Peabody in holding them to minus yards rushing.  The offense needed a truly break out game like that, and the Menard game would prove to be just such a game.    
     The Tiger offense scored all six times they had the football in the first half. Jerry Keen got three of those on runs of 15, 3 and 37 yards and Tiger fullback Randy Parker got the other when he bolted over the goal line from 1 yard out. Add John Wayne Williams to the first half scoring mix.  Williams got his second punt return touchdown of the year in the first quarter and this one took some creativity by Williams who was unable to get behind the Tiger wall on a short punt. This punt return only covered 36 yards, but his touchdown gave the Tigers a 21-0 lead in the first quarter, which broke the school record for most first quarter points first set by the 1961 team and then tied by the 1971 team against Leesville.  Later in the second quarter Williams got his second touchdown of the half on a 9 yard pass from Adams.  That came after Tiger linebacker Lionel Johnson jumped in front of a Menard pass at the Eagle 20-yard line and nearly returned it for a touchdown.  At that point the Tigers lead was 40-0 with just over four minutes to go in the half.  Neither the Tiger defense or offense rested.    
     In quick fashion, the Tiger defense shut down Menard in three plays, forced a punt and Williams set up the next Tiger touchdown with a 45 yard run from scrimmage.  That touchdown came when Adams rolled left and had the option of running or throwing. Either would have worked, but Adams kept and ran for the score to make it 46-0 as the clock showed less than a minute to go in the half. Keen added the PAT to make the halftime score 47-0.     
     The Tigers scored 26 points in the second quarter, which was the second most second quarter points ever scored by a Tiger team in that quarter, trailing the 27 pts. scored by the 1962 squad against Jena and tying the 1961 team’s total scored against Coushatta. But, the 47 first half points was a new standard for the school. At the time, the top five most first half points were:                                      
47 pts. 1971 vs. Menard, 41 pts. 1961 vs. Jena, 35 pts. 1971 vs. Leesville, 34 pts. 1969 vs. Winnsboro, 33 pts.1961 vs. Many, 1961 vs. Coushatta, 1962 vs. Jena          
     When you are leading a team 47-0 at halftime, there are no adjustments that need to be made. So, after a short meeting with his assistants, Coach Dosher called all of the seniors into the coaching office. He explained to the seniors that he didn't want to risk getting anyone hurt in a game that the Tigers had complete command of and that he planned on turning the game over to his reserves. He sought comments from the players, who asked if the team could be allowed to try to score 60 points before he took out the starters. Coach Dosher agreed, but he urged the players to execute and play heads up, because he knew that you could get hurt more easily if you were loafing.  It wouldn’t take long to get those two touchdowns.   
     Williams got a 50 yard return on the second half kickoff and in short order the Tiger offense move to the Menard 7 where Keen got his fourth rushing touchdown of the night.  That made the score 53-0. The Tigers also scored on their next possession on a 32-yard pass from Adams to Carter and Keen calmly booted through the extra point to make the score 60-0, with just under half of the third quarter to go. Coach Dosher called off the dogs at that point, turning over the game to his second units initially, and then the Tiger sophomore unit in the fourth quarter. Winnfield's 60-0 lead at the end of the third quarter broke, by 12 points, the previous high for points scored through three quarters.     
     Even the Tiger reserves had success in the fourth quarter. The Tiger second team defensive unit preserved the shutout by keeping Menard out of the end zone the rest of the game and the sophomore unit added 6 more points on a 13-yard scoring toss from Bill Rowell to Charles Oliver. That made the score 66-0, but the PAT kick failed.     
     Winnfield thoroughly whipped Menard with a combination of lightening-like strikes and a persistent ball control offense. For the game, Winnfield gained 28 first downs, second most in school history behind the 31 the team had gained against Leesville. The Tigers only punted three times, with all of those coming after the reserves took over. In fact, the first offense scored all eight times they had the ball.      
     Jerry Keen was the leading ground gainer, getting 131 yards rushing on only 11 carries. He also scored 30 points against Menard to become the all-time single-game scoring leader. Those 30 points upped his team-high scoring total for the season to 78 points. That broke the individual single-season scoring record of 69 points set by Henry Brewer in the 1928 season. John Wayne Williams was close behind with 66 points for the season. For the second time of the season The Top Ten Single-Season scoring leaders at the time were: 
No.           Player                                Year
78             Jerry Keen                      1971 (first seven games)
69             Henry Brewer                  1928
66             Gabe Durham                   1928                
                Mike Tinnerello               1961                                                       
                John Wayne Williams       1971 (first seven games)
63             Jerry Keen                      1970
60             Mack Fowler                   1968
56             Vernon McDonald           1948                  
                 Tommy Wyatt                  1959
54             Hovey Harrel                   1930  
                 Thomas Straughan           1952
                James Lloyd Collins         1961    
                Jimmy Bolton                   1962   
                Jerry Hightower               1966      
                Terry Skains                     1969      
     Against Menard, Adams hit on 8 of 11 passes for 157 yards and 2 touchdowns. He and the whole team made it through the seventh game of the season without throwing a single interception. More precisely, for the season, the team had thrown 129 passes and had not had one of those picked off. Of those, 67 had been completed for a 52% completion rate.    
     The Tigers moved to 7-0-0 for the season and 5-0-0 in district play. That moved the 1971 team into a tie with the 1919 and 1961 teams as the only teams to open the season with seven straight wins. The program was riding a 10-game win streak when games from the 1970 and 1971 season are taken into consideration. The previous longest win streaks in school history were the 11-game win streak in the 1961 season, the 8-game win streak during the 1966 season and the 5-game win streak recorded during the 1939, 1948 and 1969 seasons. Two more wins would set a new standard for win streaks for the program.      
     Winnfield's 66 points against Menard were the most points scored by a Tiger team in a game since the 1928 team posted 81 points against Oakdale, and was the fourth highest of all time, with every total exceeding the 66 point margin occurring either during the 1920s or during the 1919 season. Through seven games, Winnfield had racked up 268 points. That was already the fourth-highest points scored in a single season, trailing the 1961 (400), 1928 (385) and 1969 (289) teams. With three games remaining on the regular season schedule and an untold number of playoff games, each of those totals certainly seemed within reach. To catch the 1961 team during the regular season, the Tigers would have to average 44 points per game in the remaining four games.     
     The Tiger defense posted their fourth shutout of the year against Menard and maintained their claim to not having given up a touchdown through the air. Only three touchdowns had been scored against the Tigers, so Winnfield had outscored their opponents by a margin of 268-19. As impressive as the Tiger offense was in the 66-0 rout, the Tiger defense was just as impressive. For the game, Menard was held to a mere 5 first downs and 59 total yards - all on the ground. The Tiger defense picked off 3 Menard passes and recovered one fumble.     
     The same night that Winnfield was demolishing Menard, Natchitoches had its hands full with a pesky Oakdale punch. The Chiefs finally pulled that game out in the fourth quarter, taking a 7-0 win to preserve sole possession of second place in the district. Oakdale would be Winnfield's next opponent.     
     When you are leading the district, every team is gunning for you. That was especially so in week eight, because Oakdale, the Tigers next opponent, was a team struggling with dashed hopes. The reigning district champions came into the season with 21 returning lettermen. As a result, they thought that a repeat as district champions was very realistic. Yet, seven games into the season, Oakdale stood in third place in the district with two district losses. So, a win over Winnfield would make their season. The one thing Oakdale head coach Sonny Huff vowed to do was keep Winnfield from scoring on the punt return. That became bulletin board fodder for the Tigers. No one had so blatantly challenged the Tigers during the season.     
    Give Oakdale credit. They shut down the Tiger offense in the first half by keeping the Tiger offense out of the end zone.  But, they did not shut down the one thing Oakdale head coach Sonny Huff vowed to stop, that being the Tiger punt return. In the second quarter John Wayne Williams fielded the second Oakdale punt of the night, faked a handoff to Alan Carter, got behind the wall and ran 70 yards for a touchdown. That gave the Tigers a 7-0 lead and a chance to "do it when the opposition knows you are going to do it.”  It was Williams third punt return for a touchdown for the year.    
     The Tigers added some breathing room in the third quarter when a 60-yard drive produced a touchdown on a 7 yard run by fullback Randy Parker. Keen added the extra point to give the Tigers some breathing room at 14-0.    
     Later in the fourth quarter, Winnfield drove to the Oakdale 25 but Adams was picked off for the first time all season at that point. James Hutchins fell on a fumble on the next play though, giving the Tiger offense the ball at the Oakdale 23. From there Winnfield only took two plays to move to the 4-yard line, where fullback Lynn Lasyone got the call on a straight dive and he took the ball into the end zone for the final score of the night.     
     The Tigers won 20-0, but the offense had given his worst showing of the year. For the game, Winnfield picked up 159 yards rushing and 106 yard passing for 265 total yards, their second lowest total of the year. The Tiger offense was stymied by three turnovers (1 interception and 2 fumbles) and several key penalties. Winnfield only punted twice in the game, so the Tigers proved to be their own worst enemy.       
     It was the Tiger defense who turned in a performance that was now becoming routine. The defense limited to Oakdale to 5 first downs and only 54 total rushing yards. That gave the 1971 defense four of the six lowest total rushing yards allowed by any Tiger team up to that point in Tiger football history, including:  (- 25) yds.   1971 vs. Peabody, 5 yds. 1971 vs. Tioga, 7 yds. 1956 vs. Farnerville, 13 yds.  1961 vs. LaSalle, 54 yds.   1971 vs. Oakdale, 59 yds.   1971 vs. Menard.     
Oakdale completed 1 of 5 passes for 7 yards and became the first team to make it through four quarters without having a pass intercepted by the Tiger defense.    
     Through eight games, the offense had piled up 1,543 yards rushing and 1,036 yards passing. That was already the fourth highest single-season rushing total in school history. The Tigers were a chinch to become the school's most prolific passing team as the single-season leaders included the 1966 squad (1,296 yds.), the 1969 team (1,144 yds.), the 1970 team (1,037) and the 1967 squad (1,019). Those had been the only other teams to pass the 1,000-yard mark.    
     As the Tigers prepared for the ninth game of the season, several individual players had set or were nearing individual school records. Jerry Keen was the leading ball carrier on the team with 605 yards rushing through seven games, though he shared the halfback position with John Wayne Williams. He extended his school record single-season scoring total to 80 points against Oakdale. Greg Wagoner caught his 30th reception of the season against Oakdale to break, by two, Tommy Wyatt's single-season record for receptions. Wagoner total reception yards came to 386 yards or 12.9 yds. per catch. Through eight games, Steve Adams had completed 69 passes and was 10 completions shy of breaking Gary Green's 1967 record in that category. Adams was already the school leader in pass attempts with 134. With 942 passing yards, Adams was sure to become the school’s second 1,000-yard passer and was 122 yards away from Gary Green’s record 1,063 passing yards. Finally, Adams had thrown 13 touchdown passes, to break Mike Tinnerello's record 12 touchdown passes set in the 1959 season.     
     Winnfield raised its ever increasing margin of points scored to points allowed to 288 -19 with the 20-0 shutout win over Oakdale. That marked the fifth shutout of the year, tying the team with the 1961 team for the most shutouts posted by a team since the 1920 era teams played. The Tigers still had an outside shot at breaking the school record 400 total point total, but they would need to average 56 points per game in the final two games to do it. That was possible, but a lot to ask.                                                
     But, the main number that mattered to the players of the 1971 team as they prepared for the ninth game of the year was “10-0.”  The Tigers were quite aware of the rarity of an undefeated regular season in Winnfield Tiger football history; knowing that only the 1919 and 1961 teams had posted one. So, the team headed into the final two games of the season knowing they were two wins away from finishing the season with a 10-0 record and a chance to joint an elite group. Plus, a win over either of their final two opponents would clinch a share of the title. Assuming Natchitoches won out, Winnfield would need wins in both final games to win the title outright.    
     Pineville was the Tigers final regular season home opponent of the season. The Rebels came into the game with a disappointing 2-6-0 record that was difficult to understand for everyone. The Rebels started the season with 16 returning lettermen, with experience at most positions. When the preseason picks came out, Pineville was predicted to finish near the top of the heap. Instead, Pineville was on the verge of finishing in the cellar of District 3-AAA. Ordinarily, teams who have gone through that kind of season would be looking to just finish the season. But, each week Winnfield offered teams a chance to salvage something out of their season.     
     The schedule makers had Winnfield playing virtually each district opponent the week after they had played Natchitoches. Pineville had played the Chiefs to a 28-14 loss, but had rallied from a 28-point margin to narrow that score. As much as anything, that showed how this Rebel team wasn’t about to lie down for anybody.   
     The stands at Stokes-Walker were swelled by the homecoming crowd and the game was played under ideal weather conditions. This would be another dominating performance like the Tigers had shown on several occasions during the year.     
     The Tigers got off to a slow start, but once they got going there was no stopping them. Keen got touchdown runs on the second and third possession of the night to allow the Tigers to stake a 14-0 first quarter lead.     
     If you could have seen just one quarter of this game it would have been the second quarter where the Tiger scored three touchdowns, offering variety in the process.  The first touchdown came with Tiger defensive back John C. Jones picked off a Rebel pass and returned it  90 yards for a touchdown. Jones' 90-yard return was the longest touchdown of the year and fourth longest interception return for a touchdown in school history, trailing only Brooks Broussard and Mike Kelly's 100 yd. returns in 1955 and 1965, as well as John William Warner's 95-yard return in 1948.   
      By this point in the year knowledgeable fans looked forward to Tiger punt returns because the Tigers were seemingly a threat to score anytime the opposing team was in punt formation.  Those wanting another return got their wish when John Wayne Williams scored his fourth touchdown of the  year by way of punt return, with this one covering 60 yards. When combined with the two kickoffs Williams  eight kick returns for touchdowns. That was already more kick returns for a touchdown than had been scored in any previous decade. Prior to the 1970s, the most number of kick returns for touchdowns for a whole decade had come in the 1960s (6 punts and 1 kickoff) and 1940s (4 punts and 3 kickoffs). The 1971 team alone topped those totals through nine games.     
      Later in the second quarter Adams added to his touchdown passing total when he connected with Wagoner on a 20 yard scoring toss.  That closed out the first half scoring and gave Winnfield a 35-0 lead.     
     In short order, Adams began the second half with scoring tosses to Carter (13 yards) and Williams (22 yards) to up the Tigers’ lead to 49-0.  That gave Adams three touchdown passes for the night.  Williams also had three touchdowns on the night.  Heading into the fourth quarter he had already scored by way of a punt return and a pass reception.  He got his second trifecta of the year in the fourth quarter when he scored from 8 yards out on a run. That was the second game of the year that Williams had scored by three different means.  He is the only Tiger player to ever do that. Williams touchdown made the final score 56-0 Winnfield.      
     After the game, Coach Dosher cited Randy Parker as the defensive player of the game. He had blocked a punt, recovered a fumble and been in on double-digit tackles. On the offensive side of t0e ball, Dosher credited the Tiger offensive line, which consisted of Randy Strickland and Hal Hickey at tackles, Tucker Watts and Paul Larson at guards and Eddie Jenkins at center. But the game was the usual complete team effort.     
     The Tiger defense played another stellar game, limiting Pineville to a measly 35 yards rushing and 8 yards passing, for 43 total yards. The Rebels only gained 5 first downs, with three of those coming on penalties. For the game, Pineville attempted 10 passes, completing only 2 of those and having one intercepted.    
     Adams passed for 129 yards to raise his total for the season to 1,071.  That was 7 yards better than the previous record set by Gary Green during the 1966 season. Keen scored 18 points for the night, upping his single-season scoring record to 98 points, making him two shy of becoming the school’s first 100-point scorer.    
     Winnfield moved to 9-0-0 on the season and 7-0-0 in district play and finally began to impress the pollsters. The Tigers gained enough votes to move up one notch in the Class AAA polls to No. 2. Richwood, who had given up the No. 1 spot to Hammond the week before, resumed the top spot, while Hammond fell to third. All three of those teams remained the only undefeated teams in Class AAA and all three of those teams received the same number of first place votes they had received for the previous two weeks.                          
    Heading into the final week of the regular season, enthusiasm for Tiger football ran high on both the Tiger team and throughout the community. The Tigers finished the regular season against Jena and there were a number of achievable goals with a win. Those goals included an outright district title (though the win over Pineville had assured the Tigers of at least a tie with Natchitoches for the district crown). Two other goals the team was shooting for was an undefeated regular season record and the school’s single season scoring mark. The team came into the game having scored 344 points. Only two other Tiger teams had ever scored more than 300 points in a season. Those were the 1928 team (385) and the record holder, the 1961 team (400). So, the Tigers would need to score 42 points to overtake the 1928 team and 57 points against Jena to overtake the 1961 Tiger team and, quite frankly, the team wanted the latter. The defense came into the final game still having allowed only three touchdowns all season long.    
     Winnfield had to guard against two things in the Jena game: over confidence and injuries. On the other hand, you can’t go into a football game with thoughts that you are going to alter your style of play in order to avoid injuries. While no one had come within three touchdowns of the Tigers since the Natchitoches game, and Jena seemed hardly like a team who could pull off the upset, stranger things have happened on the football field. Before the night was over fans would see another installment of the John Wayne Williams Show.    
     By the time the first quarter ended Winnfield had recorded his second safety of the season and the Tigers followed that up on the next possession with a short scoring drive capped by an 11-yard run by Lynn Lasyone. That made the score 8-0, but the try for the two-point conversion failed.     
     The Tigers scored the next two times they had the football as well, with both of those scores coming in the second quarter. Lasyone got his second score of the night with a 4-yard run and Keen added the two point conversion on a sweep, making the score 16-0. That gave Keen an even 100 points for the year, which was 31 more points than any previous player had ever scored.     
       The next time the Tigers had the ball, Adams connected with John Wayne Williams for a 36-yard scoring strike. The Tigers also added two more points on the ensuing extra point conversion to make the score 24-0 with only a few minutes to go in the half.    
     Jena hadn’t made a first down up to that point in the game and they wouldn’t make one on their next possession either. As a result, they had no choice but to punt back to Winnfield, hoping that they could simply hold the Tigers out of the end zone in the remaining seconds of the half. Jena never expected the gift they received.    
     Tiger return man John Wayne Williams attempted to field the Jena punt at the Tiger 6-yard line, but he muffed his first punt of the year. A scramble for the ball ensued, but Jena came up with the ball at the 6-yard line. Jena took advantage when quarterback Danny Smith swept around right end for the touchdown and Sharbano added two points on an extra point conversion run to make the score 24-8 at the half. That marked the first time the Tiger defense had been scored on since the Peabody game, the sixth game of the year. That period covered 13 consecutive quarters.    
     The Tigers then scored both times they had the ball in the third quarter, with Williams getting his second touchdown reception of the game on the first score. The next time the Tigers had the ball they moved to a first and goal.  Carrying a 30-8 lead, the Tiger coaching staff began turning their attention to things other than defeating the Jena Giants. Winnfield had not really been pressed in a close game, but Coach Dosher knew that playoff opponents would be much tougher than the teams Winnfield had played in District 3-AAA. With a 22-point margin, he had the luxury of prepping for the playoffs in a live game situation. The Tigers hadn’t attempted or needed a field goal all season, but Coach Dosher knew that he might have to call on Keen to kick a field goal in the playoffs. So, on first down from the 5 yard line, Keen trotted onto the field and attempted a field goal in a game situation. Keen’s 15-yard field goal was good, upping the Tiger lead to 33-8. That’s the way the score stood when the fourth quarter began.    
     Jerry Keen upped the Tiger lead to 40-8, when he ran one in from 2 yards out at the start of the fourth quarter and tacked on the extra point. Then, after the Tiger defense shut down Jena, John Wayne Williams electrified the Tiger crowd with yet another punt return. He fielded a punt at the Jena 13-yard line, faked a handoff to Carter and set sail behind his wall of blockers before breaking clear of everyone near midfield. Williams returned that punt (his fifth of the year) 87 yards for a touchdown to up the Tigers lead to 46-8. Dosher again called on Keen to kick the extra point, which he did. That gave the Tigers 390 points for the year, enough to take over second place on the single-season scoring list, but the Tigers were only 11 points away from the outright scoring record.    
      Dosher sent in his second defensive unit at that point and Jena responded with a 77-yard pass for a touchdown. The Giants tacked on the two-point conversion to narrow the Tiger lead to 47-16. In scoring their second touchdown, Jena became the only team to score more than one touchdown against the Tigers. When the Tigers got the ball back, there was just over four minutes to go in the game. Coach Dosher did give his offensive unit a chance at the scoring record, leaving his first offensive unit in the game. After the Tigers moved inside Jena territory, John Wayne Williams got his fourth touchdown of the game on a 40-yard pass completion from Adams. That also gave Williams three touchdowns by pass reception, enabling him to tie the school record in that category. Keen added the PAT kick to make the score 54-16, and give the team its 398th point of the year. There simply wasn’t enough time left in the game for the Tigers to get any more points.     
    When the game ended, the Tigers were 2 points shy of the record, but that wasn’t on the mind of any of the Tigers. First and foremost were the district championship and the 10-0-0 season.      
     Williams matched Jerry Keen’s four-touchdown performance of the Leesville and Menard game to become the sixth Tiger player to accomplish that feat. Williams’ three-touchdown receptions enabled him to join David Harper (1936) as the only two players to catch three touchdown passes in a single game. Adams threw all of those touchdowns. That marked the third time Adams had thrown three touchdowns in a game during the 1971 season, with the other two being the Webster and Pineville games. Only two other Tiger quarterbacks had ever thrown three touchdowns in a game. Those being Ray Jenkins (1936) and Ricky Jordan (1966).    
     When the Tigers had a chance to reflect on the Jena game, they knew that they ended the regular season with 398 points, three short of the schools scoring record. And, though the 1961 team had scored their 400 points in an eleven game regular season, the Tiger offense still wanted that record. The Tigers rationalized that had they scored a touchdown from 2 yards away, instead of kicking the field goal on first down they would have had the necessary points. They could have also made those points with two-point conversions, but did not choose to go that route either. While the regular season scoring record was no longer possible, the team knew they would get the overall season record with their first touchdown of the playoffs.    
     The ten-game 1971 regular season saw most of the program’s offensive and defensive team and individual records fall. Some of the more noteworthy team offensive records set during the season include: 
1971 Total                                                        Previous High
First Downs (Game)  31 vs. Leesville                22 vs. Natchitoches (1954)
First Downs (Season)  166                                127 (1961)
Yards Passing (Game) 241 vs. Jonesboro          226 vs. Tioga (1966)
Yards Passing (Season) 1,403                          1,296 (1966 – 12 games)
Total Yards (Season) 3,442                              3,404 (1961 – 11 games)
Total Touchdowns  58                                     57 (1961 – 11 games)     
     One of the most amazing performances of the 1971 season was the Tiger punt return unit who recorded 7 touchdowns. Prior to the 1971 season, no team had ever scored more than one punt return for a touchdown in a season and there had only been a total of 12 punts returned for touchdowns between 1925 and 1970, a period of 55 seasons. Between the 1972 and 1999 seasons, there were only four teams who returned more than one punt for a touchdown.  Those included the 1982 team (5), the 1979 and 1984 teams (3) and the 1996 team (2). The 1971 Tigers added two more kickoff returns for touchdowns to give the team a total of 9 kick returns for touchdowns during the regular season.     
     Defensively, the regular season totals were even more staggering. The Tigers only allowed five touchdowns all season long. Those scores came on a 3-yard run by Webster in the opening game of the year and a 1-yard run by Jonesboro-Hodge. The sophomore defensive unit allowed a 3-yard run against Peabody and a 77-yard pass against Jonesboro-Hodge. The final touchdown was a 6-yard run by Jena after the Giants recovered a muffed punt inside the Winnfield 10-yard line. Otherwise, the Tigers recorded 6 shutouts and held opponents scoreless in 35 of 40 quarters.     The Tiger defense did that with the tightest defense that had ever been seen in the program. The more notable defensive records set include: 
1971 Total                                                              Previous Low
First Downs Allowed (Season) 67                           82 (1961)
Rushing Yards Allowed (Game) - 25 vs. Peabody   7 vs. Farmerville (1956)
Rushing Yards Allowed (Season)  594                    1,119 (1961)
Passing Yards Allowed (Season) 436 (2nd highest)  413 (1970)
Total Yards Allowed (Season)  1,533                      1,679 (1961)
Pass Completions Allowed (Season) 35                   36 (1970)
Interceptions  17 (2nd highest)                                24 (1961)
Fumble recoveries   18                                           17 (1965 & 1970)
Punts Forced   56                                                  39 (1961)    
   Individual leaders at the end of the regular season included Jerry Keen (805 yds. on 122 carries – 6.6 yards per carry average) and John Wayne Williams (542 yards on 39 carries – 13.9 yds. per carry average) running out of the same halfback position, giving the Tigers the most potent 1-2 punch at that position in school history. Combined, those two rushed for 1,347 yards in 161 carries, an 8.4 yard per carry average.     
     Steve Adams recorded the best regular season in school history at the quarterback slot when he completed 99 of 201 passes for 1,288 yards and 19 touchdowns. Adams only threw 5 interceptions during the season and added over 200 yards rushing. Greg Wagoner was the leading receiver in the Tiger passing attack, ending the regular season with 35 receptions. But, it was John Wayne Williams who was Adams' favorite target for touchdown passes, as Williams took 7 receptions over the goal line for scores.     
     Keen and Williams became the first players in school history to score over 100 points in a season. Heading into the playoffs, Williams was the team’s leading scorer with 114 points and Keen was second with 109 points. Williams total was 45 points higher than the previous single season high and both Keen and Williams still had playoff games to add to that total.    
     The Tigers made it through the season without suffering injuries to many key players. Mickey Brewton, reserve defensive back and wide receiver, sustained a season-ending injury midway through the season and Tiger starting left tackle George Tannehill went down with an injury. But, Tannehill's replacement, Hal Hickey, moved into that position and the Tiger line didn't miss a beat.    
     The entire Tiger football program enjoyed success during the 1971 season. The sophomore unit ended their season with a 7-1-1 record, winning the district title in the process and the freshman team posted an 8-1-0 record.     
     The final Class AAA poll showed Winnfield still in second place.  
1. Richwood  (3)      9-0-0             57                                                                                
2. Winnfield (1)   10-0-0             52
3. Hammond (2)    10-0-0              51  
4. S. Lafourche       9-1-0              37
5. Redemptorist      9-1-0               33
6. Crowley             9-0-1               32 
7. Hahnville           9-1-0                24
8. Natchitoches      8-2-0               15 
9. Jennings            8-2-0                10
10. Haughton        8-1-1                  9             
     Winnfield entered the playoffs as the school’s eight playoff representative. The overall school record in the playoffs was 1-7, with the 1968 team being the only team in school history to win a playoff game when they recorded a 7-0 win over Northwood of Shreveport. So, it had been one game and out for six of Winnfield's previous playoff teams and two games and out for the other playoff team.     
     The 1971 team hoped to improve on that record when they entertained the Jennings Bulldogs in the bi-district round of the playoffs. The Tigers were 10-0, but it was going to get tougher now. In the playoffs, every team was good, so, the Tigers had to not only stay tough, they had to turn it up a notch.    
     In 1971, there were eight districts in each classification. The district champions and runners up from each district made it to the playoffs. There were no wild card teams, so sixteen teams made it to the playoffs in each classification. In Class AAA, the playoff participants were:
District           Champion                    Runner-up
1                     Haughton (8-1-1)         Northwood  (8-2-0)                                                               
2                     Richwood (9-0-0)        Winnsboro  (8-2-0)                                                             
3                     Winnfield (10-0-0)      Natchitoches  (8-2-0)                                                             
4                     Crowley  (9-0-1)          Jennings (8-2-0)                                                             
5                     Abbeville (8-2-0)         St. Martinville  (7-3-0)                                                             
6                     S. Lafourche (9-1-0)    Hahnville (9-1-0)                                                             
7                     Redemptorist  (9-1-0) Denham Springs (7-3-0)                                                             
8                     Hammond (10-0-0)      Destrahan (8-2-0)     
     Winnfield's first opponent in the quest to win the state championship was the Jennings Bulldogs, runner-up of district 4-AAA. The Bulldogs were loaded with senior players like Winnfield, but they lacked the depth Winnfield had. As a result, many more of the Jennings players were required to play on both sides of the ball. The question in those situations is how well those players could hold up for four quarters. Jennings also didn't have the weapons that Winnfield had, so they didn't have the quick-strike capability of the Tigers. Rather, Jennings played a ball-control style of offense, and, like the Tigers, they were just as capable of passing as they were running. They relied more on their defense to keep them in ball games, not allowing more than two touchdowns against nine of their ten opponents. Their two losses came at the hands of Notre Dame of Crowley, by a score of 13-0 and to the district champion Crowley Gents by a 21-14 margin.    
     In fact, Jennings was a lot like Winnfield, only lesser so. The town itself was described by the Jennings Daily News Sports Editor as "a football crazy town."  So, the Tigers knew the west side stands would be packed with rabid south Louisiana fans. Jennings was a solid football program like Winnfield. On paper they were very similar to Winnfield. It was a game Winnfield was expected to win.    
     The Tigers opened the game by getting a 50-yard return from John Wayne Williams.  Only moments later, with the ball resting on the Jennings 25, Adams passed to John Wayne Williams in the end zone for a score and just like that the Tigers jumped to a 6-0 lead. The appeared to be easy, but the remainder of the first half would be anything but easy.     
     The teams traded punts the rest of the first half. Every time Jennings punted their game plan was obvious - don't punt to a Winnfield return man. Jennings was perfectly content to angle each of their punts out of bounds, rather than risk a good return by the dangerous Tiger return team.      
     Jennings also seemed determined to force the Tigers into a running game, blitzing Adams every chance they got and that moved payed off in the first half. Winnfield never mounted another scoring threat in the opening two quarters. In response, the Tigers forced Jennings to contain Winnfield's outside game. You can wear a team down two ways. You can pound the ball down a team's throat or you can run a team to death by forcing them to run down your backs on wide sweeps. Winnfield pinned its hopes on the latter.    
     The Tiger defense simply played their usual stellar game in the first half. Jennings never made it into Tiger territory until late in the second quarter and it took a miscue on the Tiger punt team to allow that. After a Tiger drive stalled out at the Winnfield 40, punter Steve Adams kneeled to scoop up a low snap from center. His knee touched the ground in the process, giving Jennings the ball on the Tiger 27. After that, Jennings moved to the Tiger 15 with a pounding ground game. That's when the Tiger defense went to work. James Hutchins nailed a Jennings ball carrier for a 2-yard loss, setting up a second and twelve. On the next play, the Jennings ball carrier tried the left side again, only to be met by Tiger cornerback Bill Stewart, who dropped him for a 5-yard loss, making it third down and 17 from the 22. Jennings managed to get short gains on the next two plays, but a fourth down pass reception got the Bulldogs only as far as the Tiger 11. Winnfield's offense came in and ran out the clock at that point, preserving the 6-0 half time lead.    
     The opening possession of either half are important and that was proven yet again when Alan Carter intercepted a pass at midfield on Jennings’ first possession of the second half and the Tiger offense scored two plays later, with Keen’s run from 12 yards out getting the touchdown to make the score 12-0. The PAT pass try was no good.    
     Then, the game returned to the pace it had followed throughout the first half when the two teams exchanged punts throughout the remainder of the third quarter. That meant the Tigers took a 12-0 lead into the fourth quarter. The Tigers had not given up two touchdowns in a quarter all year and there had only been one game where the Tigers had given up two touchdowns period. So, this game appeared to be in the hands of the Tiger defense. But, the defense would get more than enough help from the Tiger offense in the fourth quarter.    
     By the start of the fourth quarter, one thing was becoming obvious - Jennings was getting tired. That didn't bode well for the Bulldog defense.  In fact, the Tiger offense scored all three times they had the ball in the fourth quarter.  Keen got one of those on a 20 yard run, while Carter, substituting for a shaken up Adams, ran a bootleg 18 yards for a touchdown. That touchdown came after defensive lineman James Johnson had recovered a fumble.  In a 60 second span the Tigers had turned a 14-0 game into a 28-0 game. Then, the Tigers finished off Jennings with a 70-yard drive capped by a 3-yard run by Williams to make the final score 34-0 Winnfield.     
     Winnfield’s entry to the 1971 playoffs was capped with an exclamation mark. The Tigers rolled up 244 yards rushing, with Keen getting 110 of those yards in 22 carries. Winnfield elected to stay with their ground game all night long, attempting only six passes and completing 2 of those for 67 yards. The main thing the Tiger offense did was play ball-control and run the Jennings defense in the ground. They also made no turnovers, which hadn't occurred since the second game of the season.     
     As usual, the Tiger defensive numbers were eye opening. For the night, Jennings only managed 58 yards rushing and 61 yards though the air. Jennings only made 6 first downs and after having the ball inside the Tiger 20 in the second quarter, they never came closer to the Tiger goal line than the Winnfield 40 the rest of the game.     
     The win was the 11th of the season, tying the 1971 Tigers with the 1961 Tigers for the most wins in a season. By scoring 34 points against Jennings, the 1971 Tigers moved ahead of that same 1961 team (400) for most points scored in a season, with the season total now standing at 432. The win also extended the program’s win streak to 14 games, the longest such mark in school history up to that point or three better than the previous record set by the 1961 team. Another streak was maintained in the Jennings game. Since the program’s last loss (the Menard game of the 1970 season), no opponent had thrown a touchdown against the starting Tiger defense. That meant the starting Tiger defense had gone 14 consecutive games without giving up a touchdown by pass reception.                  
     By defeating Jennings, the 1971 team became only the second team in school history to win a playoff game. Plus, by defeating Jennings in Stokes-Walker Stadium, the team ran the playoff record at that venue to 2-0.    
     A high school coach from Haughton High School who was scouting the Tigers gave this assessment of the Tigers for the Winn Parish Enterprise, "Winnfield physically punishes their opponents and then takes advantage of their weariness to score with lightening-like thrusts by air, on the ground, or with the recovery of errant passes and fumbles." 
  

KEY GAME: There were few surprises in the bi-district round of the AAA playoffs as seven of the eight district champions won their first round games, with the only exception being Hahnville’s win over Abbeville. Winnfield's opponent in the quarterfinals would be the Haughton Buccaneers. Coach Dosher was quoted in the Enterprise as saying that Haughton "would be the biggest hurdle to date, no doubt about it.”  That wasn't just "coach talk.”  Haughton gave the Tigers some serious match-up problems. For starters, the Buccaneers matched Winnfield where the Tigers had capitalized all season long - with speed. In fact, Haughton had more team speed than Winnfield did, with three backs that had run the 100-yard dash in under 10 seconds. Tiger defensive coordinator Jerry Bamburg told an Enterprise reporter “Haughton’s backfield speed is better than that of the University of Oklahoma", the No. 2 team in the country at the time. He wasn't exaggerating. The best of them all was 205 pd. fullback Arry Moody. He was the reigning AAA state champion in the 220-yard dash. His frame and speed made him an especially difficult load to bring down. Moody had also been timed at 9.8 in the 100-yard dash. But, Haughton also had the reigning state champion in the 100-yard dash in halfback John Brewer.  Additionally, tailback Lonnie Lars gave the Bucs a third back faster than any player on the Tiger team. But, of that bunch, Moody was clearly the most dangerous football player. He had scored 128 pts. for the season and was the leading scorer in Class AAA. On top of that, Moody was the team's leading tackler at the weak side linebacker position.     

     But the Bucs weren't just a good running team, though that is what they relied on the most. Senior quarterback Gene Couvillion could hit the quick out to Lonnie Lars when teams overplayed the run or he could burn you with the deep pass. On the line, Haughton outweighed Winnfield close to 30 pounds a man. So, Haughton's had everything the Tigers had in terms of speed, plus they had more, in that the Bucs came at you with bulk across the line to wear down opposing linemen.    

     Like Jennings, Haughton had a number of players who went both ways. So, the Tiger coaching staff preached the necessity of playing four quarters of football, telling the team that if they would hang tough for three quarters, the Tigers would win the game in the fourth quarter because the Tigers would be fresher.     

     The biggest mystery about the Bucs was how they weren't 11-0-0 on the season. Playing in the tough District 1-AAA, Haughton defeated both Bossier and Jesuit, who as late as the sixth week of the season were 7th and 8th in the Class AA polls. Their only loss in district play came to district runner-up Northwood, who defeated Haughton 28-21. The only other setback in the Haughton schedule was a tie with Bethune High School, a Class AAAA school out of Shreveport.    

     The game would be played the day after Thanksgiving and though it was a home game for Haughton, the Buccaneer coaching staffed voluntarily moved the game to roomier Airline Stadium in Bossier City. The Tiger team was given a send-off pep rally at the Winn Parish Court House at 1:30 on game day and a busload of Winnfield fans and just as many in private cars followed.    

     Winnfield came into the game at less than 100%. Several key starters had been saddled with flu-like symptoms all week long, with the sickest of them being Alan Carter.    

     Defensive coordinator Jerry Bamburg came into the game with intentions of stopping the Buccaneer outside game, even if that meant that he would give up the middle somewhat to do so. To accomplish that, he spread his defenders out more than they had been spread all year. Plus, he figured with linebackers Lionel Johnson and Randy Strickland, teams weren’t going to simply blow the Tiger out up the middle. But, the one thing he knew was that he had to stop was the Haughton outside game, made all the more dangerous by the Buccaneer speedsters.     

     The Tiger defense stopped Haughton in three plays on their opening possession and the Tiger offense responded almost as if to show that they were a unit to be dealt with themselves. After the Tiger offense made it to the Haughton 48-yard line on their first possession, the first magic of the night occurred when Adams hit John C. Jones on a slant pattern at the Buccaneer 30-yard line. From there, Jones did all the rest of the work himself, eluding two would-be tacklers in route to a 48-yard touchdown reception. Just like that it was 6-0 Winnfield with 9:33 showing on the first quarter clock. The PAT was missed when Keen's kick was blocked by Larry Strogen.    

     Defensive coordinator Jerry Bamburg’s scheme designed to shut down the Haughton outside game worked throughout the remainder of the first quarter and most of the second quarter. Tiger outside linebackers Randy Parker and Bill Stewart continually hauled down Moody and Brewer just as they attempted to make that final cut to get outside. In fact, the Tigers were so intent on stopping the outside run that it was a quarterback sneak that actually set up the Bucs first touchdown of the night. Midway through the second quarter, Haughton was in possession of the ball at midfield when quarterback Gene Couvillion called his own number and almost scored, but the Tigers finally drug him down at the Tiger 8-yard line. Two plays later, Moody finished off the drive on a 1-yard plunge. Haughton kicker Rock Hensley tacked on the extra point, to give Haughton a 7-6 lead midway through the second quarter. That marked the first time the Tigers had trailed in a football game all season long.     

     The two teams traded punches the rest of the first half, and though Winnfield gave up some big yardage up the middle they accomplished their mission of shutting down the Haughton outside game. Haughton almost got back on the scoreboard before the half after a partially blocked Lasyone punt rolled out of bounds at the Winnfield 18-yard line. But, the Tigers held Haughton for short gains on first and second down and threw Moody for a loss on third down. The Bucs went for a 30-yard field goal on fourth down, but the kick sailed wide left.    

     Haughton ground out 95 yards on the ground in the first half. They had good athletes and they were fired up and that’s why they were winning. But, Winnfield had good athletes too. When both teams have good athletes, athletes cancel each other out. That’s when it’s up to the coaching staff to come up with something. Jerry Bamburg went in at halftime and made the adjustments that he thought would take care of Haughton both up the middle and on the outside. First, he called for the defense to return to the normal spread that they had used all season long. Bamburg reasoned that he could stop the outside game with his defensive ends and cornerbacks. The second move he made was to insert linebacker Lynn Lasyone into a defensive tackle slot to add size and quickness to the Tiger defensive front. By returning to the 4-4 alignment, he moved his linebackers in closer to the middle of the field to shut down the middle. No one had run up the middle against that alignment, so Bamburg felt like he had made the adjustment that would shut down Haughton in the second half.      

     Bamburg's move paid big dividends on Haughton’s first series of the second half when Lasyone, playing from his new defensive tackle position, made a jarring tackle on Moody at midfield, forcing a fumble that defensive back John Wayne Williams scooped up and returned to the Haughton 39-yard line. The Tigers then capitalized by moving to the Haughton 2-yard line in eight plays, all on the ground. From there, Parker regained the lead for the Tigers when he willed the ball over the goal line on a straight dive. Adams’ attempted run for the two point conversion was stopped inches short of the goal line, leaving the score 12-7, with a quarter and a half to go in the game.     

     The game had been a cleanly played game up to that point, but a late third quarter fumble by the Tigers proved to be very costly. Haughton recovered the fumble, which was the Tigers lone turnover of the night, at the Tiger 32-yard line. Haughton responded by mounting a 9-play scoring drive, with Moody getting his second touchdown of the night with an 8-yard run. That moved Haughton back into a 13-12 lead after which Winnfield blocked the extra point.     

     The two teams exchanged punts at the start of the fourth quarter, but the Tigers won the battle of field position when Winnfield dangerous return man John Wayne Williams hauled in the punt near midfield and cut and slashed his way to the Haughton 29-yard line. The offense came into the game with half a quarter to go and the whole season riding on whether or not they could get the job done. That offense was unaccustomed to playing catch up ball, much less fourth quarter catch up ball.    

     Winnfield’s season hinged on the Tigers ability to move 29 short yards, but those 29 yards are the longest 29 yards on the field. Keen had already kicked a 15-yard field goal during the season and a field goal would do it for the Tigers. All the Tiger offense was that they had to score some way, somehow. The game was beginning to take on a desperate quality.    

     The hopes of everyone connected with the Tiger program were immediately lifted when Jerry Keen broke for an 11-yard run on first down to move the ball to the 19-yard line. Williams then picked up 3 yards on the next play to set up a second and seven from the 16. Keen then nearly got it all on the next play when he bolted to the 4-yard line. There wasn't a single person sitting in Airline Stadium when Keen broke clear and a huge sigh came over both crowds when Keen was brought down at the 4 - one a sigh of relief and the other a sigh of frustrated anticipation.    

     With a first and goal from the four, Winnfield took three stabs at the line and barely made any progress, setting up a fourth and goal from the one. Coaches Payne and Dosher spurned the field goal attempt that if successful would have made the score 15-13. Instead Coach Payne went for the touchdown on fourth down, but the Bucs held. The Haughton sidelines erupted and the Tiger fans fell limp as the Tiger offense trotted off the field. There were just over four minutes to go in the game.    

     The real prospects of the season coming to an end crossed the minds of more than one Tiger football player during the ensuing minutes. Plus, the knowledge of knowing that the Tigers had moved to a first and goal from the 4 and not scored only made that prospect even more maddening. If the Tiger defense could hold Haughton, the Tigers could still get the ball back one more time.     

     Haughton's goal line stand meant they had to take over at their own 1-yard line. From there, the Tiger defense played their most important series of the year. Three downs netted the Bucs only three yards as the Tiger defense swarmed Haughton on three successive plays. That gave Haughton no choice but to punt the ball back to Winnfield.     

     Punting with no room to spare, Haughton got off a good punt, which Alan Carter fielded at the Buc 40-yard line. He was quickly hemmed in and he ran out of bounds at that point of the field. However, there were penalty flags lying on the Airline Stadium turf as Winnfield had drawn a penalty for being off sides on the play. With his coaches frantically telling him to decline the penalty, Haughton captain Arry Moody inexplicably accepted the penalty, forcing Haughton to punt again.    

     That gave the Tigers a chance for another punt return, which was as good as any play in the Tiger arsenal. Alan Carter again fielded the punt near the same spot he had fielded the previous punt, only this time he had a chance to hand off to John Wayne Williams. As the Tiger wall formed down the Winnfield sidelines, Williams streaked toward the same sidelines, but he was able to do something Alan Carter had not been able to do on the previous punt return - turn the corner and get behind the wall. After Williams made it behind the wall set up by his blockers he worked his way down to the Haughton 18-yard line. As a result, the Tiger offense would take over 22 yards further down the field than they would have had Haughton not re-kicked the punt. Instead of being 40 yards away from the end zone, the Tigers were only 18 yards away.    

     When the Tiger offense took over, there was just 1:24 showing on the clock. It was heart-pounding time. On first down, both John Wayne Williams and John C. Jones split wide left. At the snap, Williams ran a flag route, carrying the halfback with him. Jones ran a down and out and was wide open in the area Williams had cleared. Adams spotted Jones and hit him with a pass just before he ran out of bounds at the Haughton 8-yard line. That gave the Tigers a first down eight paces away from the end zone.     

     Adams was dropped for a 6-yard loss on the next play, setting up a second and goal from the 14. Adams called time and went over to confer with Coach Payne to hear his plan for cracking the Haughton defense. When Adams came back to the huddle, he brought with him the play Coach Payne wanted. There was but a little over 60 seconds remaining on the clock. Payne called for a pass to his fullback coming out of the backfield. On the play, Tiger pro back Alan Carter was inserted into the Tiger offense for the first time all night. Since Carter was drained from a weeklong bout with the flu, he had been held to defensive duty only up to that point. As it were, Carter would be used as a decoy. At the snap, Carter who had been split wide to the right side, ran a down and in pattern and cleared out the right side for Parker running out of the backfield. That left Tiger fullback Randy Parker all alone at the Haughton 8-yard line. Adams dropped straight back, set up and spotted the wide-open Parker. Adams then drilled the ball to Parker, who caught the pass, turned and was met by two defenders at the 2-yard line. Parker carried those two defenders and the hopes of thousands into the end zone with him to give the Tigers a touchdown. Parker was mobbed in the end zone by his fellow teammates, while pandemonium broke out in the Tiger stands and sidelines.      There have been single plays in Tiger football history that have been longer and plays that have been more spectacular. In the Natchitoches game six weeks earlier, Carter's punt return and Williams' run were equally as thrilling. However, there had never been a play as decisive as the Adams to Parker touchdown toss. “The Catch” enabled the Tigers to take an 18-13 lead in a playoff game and potentially propel the Tigers to a semifinal playoff game - the furthest any Tiger team had advanced in the playoffs. Coming as it did, in the final minute of the quarterfinal game, “The Catch” enabled the team to continue their playoff run.     

     Later in the  week Parker continued to receive praise from his teammates. Parker was not one to gloat over himself, and in a state of false humility, he shrugged off the catch exclaiming, "Yeah, but what if I had dropped the ball."      

     After Parker's touchdown, Williams caught a pass from Adams for two points to make the score 20-13. There was still 00:54 seconds showing on the clock, so Haughton still had time for their own miracle. Though a Haughton score seemed like a cruel injustice to the drained Tiger fans, the Bucs didn't die easy. A pass completion and a 15-yard penalty against the Tigers got Haughton into Tiger territory. From there, Haughton tried three straight passes, getting down to the Winnfield 30 before the Tiger defenders knocked down a final pass at the Tiger 3-yard line.     

     Tiger fans stormed the field and many of those filed into the dressing room with the team. Champions find a way to win games and there was no better example of that than the Haughton game. Bamburg's halftime adjustments paid off, as the Tiger defense limited the Bucs to just 44 yards rushing in the second half and only 17 yards passing. That gave Haughton a total of 139 yards rushing and 39 yards passing for the game. Arry Moody was held to only 63 yards on 20 carries. But, not every defensive accomplishment can be measured in numbers. Had the Tiger defense allowed Haughton to run out the clock when they got the ball with just over three minutes to go in the game, the Tigers would have never even had a chance to stage their great comeback. And, had the Tigers allowed Haughton speed merchants to run wild, the offense could not have won a scoring battle. On a broader scale, the final four minutes of the game were a summary of the whole season. The Tiger defense held Haughton at a time when Haughton could have won the game by simply hanging onto possession of the football. Then, the Tiger kick return team gave the offense excellent field position, effectively shortening the field to only 18 yards from pay dirt. Then, the Tiger offense found a way to get the ball into the end zone, with the touchdown coming on a pass to a receiver out of the backfield.    

     The offense simply played its most courageous game of the year. The Tiger offense matched speed with speed, and out-gained Haughton by 17 yards rushing, getting 159 yards on the ground. The Tigers added 81 yards through the air, with Adams only throwing 7 passes, but connecting on 4 of those. His fourth completion of the night was the biggest pass completion any Tiger fan had ever witnessed as it resulted in the Randy Parker touchdown. Some teams would have crumbled after failing to score late in an important game after driving to a first and goal at the 4-yard line, but the Tigers used precision passes, good catches by John Wayne Williams and Randy Parker and good pass blocking by the Tiger offensive line to get the win.

      The 1971 Tigers thus became the first team in school history to win twelve football games in a season and the first team to win two football games in the playoffs. Aside from the effect that the win had on the season, the Haughton win also impacted the program as a whole. While individual wins alone can be crucial for a single season, certain wins are important to the development of the entire program. The program needed to get over the hump of simply making it to the playoffs. Winning programs are obviously built on winning and that includes winning playoffs games. So, the work that was begun by the 1957 team in making the Tigers a “playoff team”, and furthered by the six playoffs teams between 1959 and 1968, was furthered by the Haughton win. By becoming the first Winnfield team to advance to the semifinals in the playoffs, the 1971 team further aided the program in developing a statewide reputation and gave future Tiger football players a path to follow.     
     After traveling in the quarterfinal round, the Tigers not only had a chance to play in the semifinals, but they also had the opportunity to host the semi finals in Stokes-Walker Stadium, where the program was undefeated three playoff games.     
     The same night the Tigers defeated the Bucs, No. 8 Hahnville defeated No. 4 Redemptorist 25-13 to set up a semifinal match ups between Winnfield and Hahnville. In other quarterfinal-round action; No. 7 Crowley knocked off No. 1 Richwood 15-14 and No. 5 South Lafourche rolled over No. 3 Hammond 33-6. Of that group, Winnfield was the only remaining undefeated team in the Class AAA ranks.     
     The semifinal match-ups would pit an 11-1-0 Hahnville team against the 12-0-0 Tigers. Across the state, the 11-1-0 South Lafourche Tarpons would travel to Crowley to face the 11-0-1 Gents. Both Hahnville and South Lafourche played in the same district, with Hahnville’s 22-8 loss to South Lafourche during the regular season being their only setback. Winnfield came into the semifinal game knowing that they were one win away from a title game. Plus, they also knew that if Crowley knocked off South Lafourche, the game would be played in Winnfield. That's the scenario the Tigers hoped for, so that's the only way the Tigers imagined it. The bottom line is that most high school kids simply don’t keep up with the details of high school football like the most adult fans do. Most of the players of the 1971 team certainly knew about Hammond and Richwood, because the Tigers had been battling it out with those two in the top three spots of the Class AAA polls since early in the season. Few players knew much about any other team in the top ten except Natchitoches. So, when Richwood and Hammond were knocked off in the quarterfinal round, the reasoning of most players was something like this – “Two of the top three teams have been defeated, leaving Winnfield as the only remaining Top Three team. Plus, the Tigers were the only undefeated team remaining. That must mean that Winnfield is the best team remaining in the playoffs.”  Simple logic, admittedly, but that’s how most high school kids think. So, the 1971 Tigers headed into the semifinal game thinking they were the team to beat in Class AAA. Would you want it any other way?     
     When you get down to the last two games, the teams are there because they do what they do very well. Though Hahnville was a district runner-up, they were a very talented team. All the local newspapers cautioned against frowning on Hahnville for being only a district runner-up because all sang the praises of the only team that had defeated Hahnville all year - the South Lafourche Tarpons. One paper even reported that a football coach at Nicholls State University called South Lafourche the best high school football team he had ever seen. So, it wasn’t a surprise that both South Lafourche and Hahnville were still in the playoffs. What was surprising was that South Lafourche had lost a game at all during the season.    
     The Tigers of Hahnville were led by one of the best quarterbacks any Winnfield team had ever faced. Called, the most valuable player in south Louisiana high school football by some sportswriters, Hahnville quarterback Jim Hartman was a double threat as a runner and a passer. During the regular season, Hartman threw 121 passes and completed 63 of those for 1,016 yards and 14 touchdowns.     
     As a team, Hahnville was bigger than Winnfield - just like Haughton was. Their defensive front averaged close to 210-pounds per man, in comparison to the Tiger offensive line who averaged around 180-pounds per man. Hahnville didn't have the speed of Haughton, but they were plenty fast. The Alexandria Town Talk said that, "quickness may be a better word to describe the maneuverability of the Hahnville Tigers, especially leading rusher Percy DeJean, who had gained 887 yards on 137 carries over the course of the regular season.”  Though only 145 lbs., Coach Dosher called DeJean "cat quick.”  The thing that caused the most concern for the Tiger coaching staff was the multiple sets that the Hahnville offense ran out of. Hartman was a running quarterback who threw most of his passes off of sprint outs or play action maneuvers. When his receivers were covered, he simply tucked the ball and was a dangerous weapon himself when that occurred.     
     If getting to the state finals wasn't incentive enough for Hahnville, a chance for a rematch with district rival South Lafourche was more than enough. Hahnville was a football town, rich in tradition and full a rapid football fans who would follow "their Tigers" anywhere. Hahnville had made six consecutive trips to the playoffs and were coming off a year that also carried them to the semifinals. The game would be the most important football game ever played on Winn parish soil, considering the spoils awaiting the victor.     
     On game day, the coaches had to content with just the kind of distraction they didn’t want right before an important game. The District 3-AAA All-District team was printed in the newspaper the day of the semifinal game and the Tiger coaches were furious. The Tiger players were a little surprised at their reaction, but the coaches explained that they didn’t want anything to take away from the task at hand.  
     Week long rains dampened the playing field, but the skies cleared on game day. The rains were caused by an early winter cold front that dropped temperatures to near the freezing mark at game time, making the largest crowd to ever watch a football game in Winn parish one cold bunch. Both stands were packed and spectators lined the field five deep in some places. What they saw was one thrilling football game that would be won in the fourth quarter.    
     After the two teams exchanged punts during most of the first quarter, Hahnville got the first break of the game when they intercepted an Adams pass and returned it to the Tiger 28. Fifteen more yards were tacked onto the return when the Tiger were flagged for a late hit, moving the ball to the 13.    
     The Tiger defense allowed Hahnville 8 yards in three downs. On fourth down, Hahnville needed 2 yards for a first down and 5 for a touchdown. They called on their leader Hartman to get those yards on an option right. On the play, Carter came up and met Hartman at the line of scrimmage, stopping him short of a first down and giving the ball back to the Tigers.    
     The Tiger offense came in and moved the ball out to the 31-yard line, where Hahnville fell on a loose ball to again take control deep inside Winnfield territory. Two plays netted Hahnville a minus 6 yards, setting up a third and 16 from the Winnfield 37. The Enterprise’s description of the next play reads as follows, “Hartman dropped back two steps, faked a pass and cut through a big opening in the left side of the Tiger line, angled to the left sidelines and ran for a touchdown and a 6-0 lead for Hahnville.”  The snap on the extra point sailed over the holder’s head and a scramble for the ball ensued, with Winnfield smothering the Hahnville holder near the 15-yard line. Nevertheless, Hahnville took a 6-0 at the beginning of the second quarter.    
     Winnfield got a decent gain on the kickoff, getting out to the Tiger 37-yard line. From there, the Tiger offense went to work. Parker gained a first down on the first play of the series, but the Tigers were flagged for offside, negating Parker’s run. That made it second down and 15 from the Tiger 32.    
     On the next play, Adams rolled to his left and lofted a pass to John C. Jones at midfield. Jones was covered by a defender, but he hauled in the pass, shook free of the defender and set sail for the goal line. Good downfield blocking enabled Jones to get by the final would-be tacklers, enabling him to cross the goal line standing up and tie the score at 6-all. Keen moved the Tigers ahead when he converted on the extra point attempt. The score came with just under ten minutes to go in the half.    
     Hahnville took over the second quarter and never let Winnfield into their end of the field. Meanwhile, Hahnville began one possession at the Tiger 40-yard line but had that possession end when linebacker Randy Strickland picked off a Hartman pass at the Tiger 24 to snuff out that drive.     
     The next Hahnville possession began at the Tiger 34-yard line after a short punt. But, after working the ball down to the 17-yard line, the Winnfield defense put up a stiff resistance to keep Hahnville out of the end zone, leaving the halftime score 7-6 in favor of Winnfield.     
     Hahnville threatened to regain the lead on their first possession of the second half, but the Tiger defense held yet again after Hahnville had moved to the Winnfield 13-yard line. The next time Hahnville got the ball back they put together their best drive of the night.     
     Quarterback Hartman and tailback DeJean combined to move the ball down the field with quick line burst and safe passes by Hartman. Once Hahnville reached the Tiger 16, Hartman kept the ball for an 8-yard gain and then, tailback Percy DeJean, bolted over the right side of the line for the final 8 yards to enable Hahnville to retake the lead. Coach Bob Gros spurned the two point conversion, calling for the extra point kick instead, which was good, making the score 13-7 Hahnville as the third quarter came to a close.     
     An Alexandria Town Talk sports writer asked Coach Gros after the game why he went for the 1 point conversion instead of the two and he offered the following explanation, “We had to call time out when DeJean was hurt on the TD run, so we figured they would be looking for the two-pointer and would be set to stop it. Plus, we didn’t feel their kicker was too accurate. We thought maybe he would miss if they scored again, and we’d still have a tie.”    
     Winnfield took over after the kickoff at the Tiger 38-yard line. A series of runs got the Tigers to the Hahnville 42, where Adams found a wide-open John C. Jones on a pass play to move the ball to the Hahnville 27. Three plays netted only 2 yards, setting up a fourth and eight from the 25. Adams went to his favorite target on fourth down, hitting Greg Wagoner just as he was met by a Hahnville defender. Wagoner held on the ball at the Hahnville 17, giving the Tigers a new set of downs.    
     After three plays netted 6 yards, the Tigers found themselves in yet another fourth down situation. With just over eight minutes to go in the final quarter and the Tigers trying desperately to close the 13-7 gap, offensive coordinator Robert Charles Payne called for a play that had tight end Greg Wagoner run a post pattern. Adams spotted him just as he broke into the clear and he drilled the ball to his tight end. Wagoner caught the ball at the 5-yard line and raced untouched into the end zone for the game-tying touchdown. Keen came in and did what Coach Gros of Hahnville hoped he would not do, he booted the crucial extra point to give the Tigers a 14-13 lead with 8:23 remaining on the clock. That marked the fourth lead change of the night.    
     When Hahnville got the ball back, they moved to midfield, where they got greedy. Though there was still over six minutes in the game, Hartman tossed a long pass, which Carter picked off at the Winnfield 25-yard line. That enabled the Winnfield offense to come in and take some time off of the clock as they moved the ball deep into Hahnville territory before electing to punt when that drive stalled out.     
     The punt sailed into the end zone, giving Hahnville the ball at the 20-yard line when they took over. There was only had 1:24 remaining on the clock. Ironically, that’s the same amount of time Winnfield had to work with a week earlier, but there was one big difference. At the time Winnfield was only 19 yards away from pay dirt, while Hahnville was 80 yards away.     
     Hartman lined up in the shotgun and attempted to pick the Tigers apart. Instead, John C. Jones did the picking when he picked off a Hartman pass near midfield and returned it to the Hahnville 15. Fifteen of Jones’ return yards were erased when the Tigers were handed a 15-yard penalty. There was only 00:19 remaining on the clock and Adams and company easily ran out the clock to preserve the 14-13 win.     
     As the score indicated, it was a game of two evenly matched teams. Winnfield ended the night with 219 total yards to Hahnville’s 212. Hahnville got most of their yards on the ground, gaining 140 yards rushing, with Hartman getting 67 of those yards. Hartman threw 15 passes and completed 6 for 72 yards. But, he was picked off 3 times and the Tigers extended the program’s streak of not allowing a touchdown through the air to 16 straight games.    
    Tiger Jerry Keen led all rushers with 84 yards in 18 carries. The rest of the team only got 25 yards rushing. Adams completed 5 of 13 passes for 110 yards, with 69 of those yards coming on the Tigers two touchdowns. Adams was picked off once and the Tigers lost one fumble.     
     For the second straight week, the Tigers came back to win in the fourth quarter in demonstrating the kind of late-game play that all coaches call for. In attempting to offer an explanation for the late game heroics, Adams told a Town Talk interviewer, “I guess we realize just how much more important it is then.”    
     When the Tigers went into the dressing room to find out who their next opponent was, they knew that a Crowley win would put the state title game in Stokes-Walker Stadium. The coaching staff came out and told the team that South Lafourche had defeated Crowley 16-14, so the Tigers would have to travel to Galliano for the championship game - a place no Tiger player had ever been to or even heard of.    
      In preparing for South Lafourche, the first thing most people did was get out the Rand McNally to find out where in the world Galliano, Louisiana was. Few people in Winnfield had heard of Galliano, let alone been there. What people found was a town that was about as far south in Louisiana as you can travel and still be on solid ground. Some people joked that you could get there, but only by boat. While the 1923 Tiger football team had played Warren Easton in New Orleans, the trip from Winnfield to Galliano would be even longer, making this the longest road trip in the program’s history. The trip would take a minimum of six hours by car.    
     South Lafourche High School was a new school, being formed in 1966 after Larose-Cut Off High School and Golden Meadow High School were consolidated. When South Lafourche High School was formed, they didn’t have to start from scratch in building their football team. Due to a consolidated enrollment, the school played in the state’s highest classification. But they had more than numbers because they had a nucleus of players from the 1965 Larose-Cut Off state championship team. In its initial year of enrollment, South Lafourche High School took an undefeated record to the state title game where they were defeated by Broadmoor 24-0. Members of the Tarpon 1966 team included former LSU players Art Cantrelle and Ronnie Estay.      
     After that inaugural season the program went into a decline that resulted in back-to-back losing seasons in 1968 and 1969.  By 1970, the school’s enrollment had leveled off at 954, which allowed the school to drop from Class AAAA to Class AAA for the 1970 and 1971 seasons.  Then, beginning with reclassification after the 1971 season the school moved back up to the state’s highest classification and has been there ever since.     
    In the school’s first year in Class AAA, the school went 4-6-0. So, when the 1971 season began, the senior football players from South Lafourche were much like the senior players from Winnfield. None of those players had ever played on a team that had gone to the playoffs, but they looked up to former players had enjoyed recent success.    
     South Lafourche was ranked No. 3 in the preseason poll and finished the year ranked No. 4, the highest ranking of any school with a loss. The Tarpons stayed in the Top Ten all year and did that by going 9-1 during the regular season with several wins over 4A opponents, including an 86-0 pasting of lowly McDonough 35. The Tarpons biggest win of the season was a 22-8 victory over the Hahnville Tigers. The Tarpons only loss was a 14-12 decision to 4A South Terrebonne.      
     South Lafourche’s playoff wins included a 28-14 decision over St. Martinville in the bi-district round, followed by a somewhat shocking regional round 33-6 drilling of No. 3 Hammond, who was undefeated at the time. The Tarpon team held Hammond to 68 yards rushing and only 57 yards passing. In the  semifinals South Lafourche defeated Crowley by a 16-14 margin and they did it the way they had won most games all season. The Tarpons relied on a bruising ground game and only rarely passed. They played a tough brand of defense, as demonstrated in their semifinal round win over Crowley when they held the Gents to 78 yards rushing and 147 yards passing. In that game, South Lafourche showed their main weakness. The Tarpons gave up two touchdown passes.     
     The strength of the South Lafourche team was their defense which was led by three players who would be named to the All State team after the end of the 1971 season, Those included end Wayne Adams (6’ 2”, 200 lbs.), was the MVP – Defense in District 6-AAA; tackle Mickey Bouffanie (6’ 1”, 245 lbs.) and linebacker Dwayne Galijour. The remaining front men for South Lafourche weighed in at 260 and 245.  All total, the South Lafourche front four average weight was more than 80 pounds heavier than the average weight of the Winnfield offensive line.      
     In an interview for The Enterprise, Coach Dosher stated, “Their front four is as big as the New Orleans Saints.”  He lamented that the South Lafourche defensive front, “is the biggest ball club I’ve ever seen in high school football.”    
     Winnfield was quite familiar with the South Lafourche defense because the Tarpons ran the same 4-4 defense the Tigers used. They forced teams into running wide or throwing the ball, but that played into the strength of the Winnfield offense strength. The Tigers were clearly overmatched up the middle. That’s why Coach Robert Charles Payne did not have a single play between the tackles on his offensive game plan. His game plan was quite simple and was written out on the five-page plan he handed out to his offensive players. Payne wrote, “We will establish our passing (he underlined “passing” for emphasis) game. South Lafourche is very big. We have to get outside of them running and throwing. We will throw as much as possible and run enough to keep them honest.”  He concluded, “They are a lot bigger than we are, but we are quicker (“quicker” got three lines under it). I feel if we can get outside and free in the secondary, we can score.”    
       So, the Tiger offensive game plan was full of sweeps, quick pitches, option passes and quick slants. The goal line offense consisted of four plays -  the 28 sweep, the 28 option, the 18 sprint and the 26 bootleg. The Tiger’s bread and butter plays all year had been the 28 sweep and the 29 pitch. Adams and his receivers had shown for thirteen straight games that you had better be prepared to defend against the pass, as Winnfield was not afraid to use their wide outs, backs or tight end to throw to. But, for the first time all year Winnfield had one dimension of the offense completely taken away, that being plays up the middle.    
     On offense South Lafourche relied primarily on 205 lb. fullback Mark Bouzigard. He came into the game as the school’s first 1,000-yard rusher, getting over 1,300 yards in the first thirteen games of the season. Bouzigard ran behind an offensive line that was led by All-State tackle Peter Orgeron. Tiger scout Chal Rascoe characterized the South Lafourche offense this way, “They run the ball right down your throat. They’re not that fast, but they have powerful runners who run right through you.”  South Lafourche relied on their “Possum Gang” defense to keep opponents off the scoreboard and then scored enough points with their ground control offense to win ball games. The biggest obstacle that Winnfield had to overcome was getting past that huge South Lafourche defense. As Coach Payne stated, the Tigers planned on going around and over the top, not right at the Tarpons.     
     Because of the great distance between Winnfield and Galliano, the Tiger football team left for the game a day early. A send-off was held at 9:00 a.m. at the high school the day before the game.     
     In the pre-game account of the impending title game that appeared in the Winn Parish Enterprise, assistant coach Jerry Bamburg stated that weather would be a factor in the contest. Bamburg said, “If the field is wet, the Tarpons will have a definite advantage due to their superior weight advantage.” Of the many details that concerned the Tiger coaching staff, one of their biggest concerns was also the biggest thing they had no control over.     
     That’s why it was especially disheartening when the first thing the Tiger coaches and players saw when they looked outside on game day was a down pour. The rains didn’t last all day and the clouds cleared well before game time. But, the early morning rains, coupled with the low-lying south Louisiana soil took in the rains and held the water at the surface. The Tiger team wouldn’t know just how much of an issue that was until they reached the stadium where they saw puddles of standing water standing on the field. In one puddle, a milk cartoon was floating around, being blown by the wind. By north Louisiana standards, the field was in very poor conditions. Tarpon fans and players would later say that they were used to playing on wet fields.  There was no rain falling at game time, but one of the most important jobs in the stadium would be that of the person who dried off the footballs because every time the ball touched the playing field it got wet and caked with mud. The effects of the field on Winnfield’s biggest tool, its speed and quickness, was not yet known.   
    By kickoff the 8,000 seat Tarpon Stadium was filled to the brim and it is estimated that an additional 2,000 spectators ringed the field. It was and is the largest outdoor crowd to ever watch a Winnfield Tiger team play a football game.  Winnfield fans have always supported Tiger football, and despite the distance of the title game, some 3,000 Winnfield fans followed the Tigers to Galliano. But, the Tarpon fans outnumbered the Tiger fan two to one. It was a very intimidating environment. On top of that, when Winnfield supporters opened up the game program, they saw a full-page ad that gubernatorial candidate Edwin Edwards had bought which read, “Go Tarps, Bring the Title Back to South Louisiana Where it Belongs.”

KEY GAME:     The first quarter was easy to sum up because neither team did much. South Lafourche lost 21 yards on their first possession when Tiger linebacker Randy Strickland dropped Tarpon quarterback Dwayne Galijour for a 24-yard loss on a third down conversion attempt.  The Tarpons second possession also failed to pick up a first down and their third possession was stopped when John C. Jones intercepted a Tarpon pass at the Winnfield 31 yard line. That play was largely due to a strong blitz put on by Strickland.     Winnfield also had the ball three times in the first quarter. Their first drive picked up one first down, but that all.  The other two possession were stopped by Tiger turnovers, with the first being a fumble and the second coming on an interception.     

     Each team had the ball three possessions in the first quarter. Though neither team came close to scoring, the Tiger offense had looked the best though. In three possessions, Winnfield had gained 56 yards and two first downs. In comparison, South Lafourche ended the first quarter with a minus 15 yards of total offense and no first downs.     

     It was during the second quarter that the field was starting to get churned up. The Tigers attempted to run wide on the Tarpons three straight times, but failed to pick up much of anything on those three downs. On one play, John Wayne Williams took a pitch from Adams like he had done so many times during the season, sprinted to the outside and planted his foot to turn up field. There was no Tarpon defender within 10 yards of Williams but when he planted his foot he completely lost his footing and fell down untouched. That scene would be repeated over and over as the field conditions deteriorated.    

    Over the course of the next six minutes the Tiger teams continued to throttle the Tarpon offense, allowing only one first down and forcing the third Tarpon punt of the night in their first four possessions.      The game turned real sloppy at the midpoint of the second quarter.  Both offenses finally got going with each moving into the opposing side of the field only to have those drives halted by fumbles. While both teams had very strong defensive units, the high number of turnovers in this game had to be attributed to the wet field conditions.  As the game neared the end of the first half Winnfield had lost the ball twice on fumbles and once on an interception. South Lafourche had coughed up once on a fumble and once on and interception.     

     South Lafourche would have the last possession of the first half in a drive that began at their own 44 yard line. With 56 yards to cover and under two minutes to go in the half there was no time for the Tarpon ball control offense, so they opened up their offense for the first time and they had immediate success. A completed pass and a draw play got the ball inside the Tiger 30 with the clock running. Then the Tarpons nearly scored when another completed pass went all the way down to the Tiger 2-yard line. With twenty seconds showing on the clock the Tarpons took one shot at the Tiger end zone, but were unsuccessful. So, with 00:07 remaining in the half, South Lafourche head coach Ralph Pere’ sent in his field goal kicker, Danny Foret, to attempt a 23-yard field goal which he made to give South Lafourche a 3-0 lead as the two teams broke for the half. The Tigers trailed for the third straight playoff game.     

     During the first half, Winnfield had the ball five possessions. Winnfield punted the ball three times in the first half and turned the ball over three times. Two of those turnovers came after the Tigers had made their only penetrations into South Lafourche territory. The Tigers were having less and less success running the football in the deteriorating field conditions as they only gained 20 rushing yards in the second quarter.  The Tigers would have to find some way to adjust.    

     Yet another fumble that was lost by Winnfield on the second half kickoff almost proved to be disastrous as the Tarpons recovered the ball at the Tiger 29 yard line.  However, the Tarpons returned the favor on the next play.  After that the two teams exchanged punts throughout the first half of the third quarter.    

     The biggest play of the night came on the Tarpons fifth punt return of the game. Tarpon return man Gerald Savoie caught the ball at the South Lafourche 28-yard line and broke through the initial containment. He then bolted up the middle and got to the Winnfield 31-yard line before he was downed; making that a return of 41 yards. There was a little over five minutes showing on the third quarter clock. That would easily be the best starting point of any Tarpon series up to that point.    

     The Tarpons took three stabs at the line and netted only 4 yards to set up a fourth and six from the Tiger 27-yard line. On fourth down, Tarpon quarterback Dwayne Galijour completed a 10-yard pass to Ivy Lasseigne to move the ball to a first down at the Winnfield 17 yd. line. Three running plays gave the Tarpons just enough yards for another first down, making it first and goal from the seven. Then, on first down, shifty running back Gerald Savoie ran the ball into the end zone to give the Tarpons a 9-0 lead with 00:44 remaining in the third quarter. Foret upped the lead to an even 10 points with his extra point kick. That was the widest deficit the Tigers had encountered all year.     

    Winnfield came into the game with a plan of passing the ball as much as possible. On a dry field, the Tigers would have likely thrown the ball more than 30 times. The field conditions had cut that total in half. But, facing a 10-point deficit, the Tigers had no choice but to open it up. Plus, for two weeks in a row the Tigers had come from behind in the fourth quarter and on both occasions that comeback was orchestrated by the Tiger passing game.     

     Often times the Tiger offense the best when they had to the most. That appeared to be happening yet again on the Tigers first possession after the Tarpon touchdown. Key plays that included a 12 yard run by Keen on a draw play and a 19 yard pass completion from Adams to Carter moved the ball to the Tarpon 44 yard line. Then a pass inference call against the Tarpons moved the Tigers to a first down at the Tarpon 34.  The Tigers were on the move. After short gains on the next two plays Coach Payne went for it all on third down when he had Adams throw to John C. Jones in the end zone. As the ball neared Jones the pass appeared to be on target, but the ball sailed just off of his fingertips. On fourth down, Carter attempted a halfback pass but that pass also fell incomplete. The Tigers gained 43 yards on the drive, the longest by either team on the night; but, with 8:37 remaining in the contest the Tigers still trailed by ten points. A touchdown on that drive would have potentially made the score 10-7 with plenty of time for the Tigers to find some way to get back onto the scoreboard.     

     South Lafourche took over and did exactly what they needed to do - run time off of the clock. Two first downs, coupled with a penalty against the Tigers moved the Tarpons to the Winnfield 25-yard line. The Tiger defense held on three straight running plays and then dropped Galijour for a 16-yard loss on fourth down to give the ball back over to the Tigers at the Winnfield 41-yard line.     

     Winnfield took over with 3:30 remaining in the game. Simply put, the Tigers had to score on this series, and for that matter, they had to score quickly.  Again the Tiger offense moved the ball, first when  Adams completed a 23-yard pass to John Wayne Williams, and then when the Tarpons were again flagged for pass interference to move the ball to the Tarpon 23. There was 2:11 showing on the clock. Adams tossed the ball to Wagoner, but the ball bounced off of Wagoner’s hand and was intercepted at the South Lafourche 7-yard line by Jack Dantin. It was at that point that the outcome of the game seemed certain and tears started to flow.    

     Winnfield quickly got the ball back on a fumble recovery, but the Tigers just as quickly turned the ball back over to South Lafourche on a bad exchange between quarterback and center - the first time that had happened all season long. The Tarpons came in and ran two running plays for no gain and Galijour was dropped for a 9-yard loss on third down. Several years later, Coach Joe Dosher relinquished his position as head coach. When asked by an Enterprise reporter about his fondest memory as a head coach he said, "Probably the most significant and memorable time in my career came in the 1971 season during the final six seconds of the state championship game against South Lafourche. We were behind 10-0 with time running out and they had the ball. Every one of our players were fighting and scrapping to get the ball. To me, that is the mark of true champions - never giving up until the final whistle blows."     

     With 00:27 showing on the clock South Lafourche punted and the ball bounced off a Winnfield football player, which South Lafourche recovered. The Tarpons came in and ran out the clock, handing Winnfield its first loss of the year.                 

     The scene that followed was a case of two extremes. The Tarpon faithful stormed the field, mobbed the players and attempted to tear down the goal post, but no Winnfield player would see much of that. At the final horn, the players and coaches ran to the dressing room, where the only sounds heard were a locker room full of sobbing football players.     

     Very little was said in the dressing room except for occasional congratulatory remarks made by those supporters who were allowed in the dressing room. Friends and family members greeted the players when they finally exited the dressing room, but it was one of those times when words offered little relief.      When the Tigers filled the bus for the long ride home, the stadium lights shown on the deserted field. All the celebrations had been carried to private homes and surrounding bars. Those players on the right side of the bus stared at the field as the bus pulled out and soon everyone was asleep on the bus. When the bus pulled to a stop in Winnfield, the sun was just coming up. The players collected their belongings and headed home. There would be no riding through the streets of Winnfield in celebration of a state title like the players had planned. And, for the majority of the senior football players there would be no more competitive football.    

     The biggest explanation for the loss was no offense. And, the biggest explanation for no offense was the fact that the Tigers primary advantage (team speed) was negated by the wet and muddy field. The Tigers were held to only six first downs, 29 yards rushing and 61 yards passing for only 90 yards in total offense. Turnovers also plagued the Tigers who gave up the ball once on an interception and three times on fumbles. However, South Lafourche turned the ball over even more, giving up four fumbles and two interceptions. Though the Tarpons offensive numbers weren’t that spectacular (135 yards rushing and 28 yards passing), they capitalized on one drive and one good punt return to get both of their scores.    

     After a loss it is easy to speculate. The biggest question mark will always be, ‘How would the Tigers have fared on a dry surface.’ It may very well be that the much bigger Tarpon defense would have stopped the Tiger offense under any game condition. The Tiger defense certainly played well enough for the team to win. The most frustrating aspect of the loss is that the Tigers didn’t get to use their only advantage – that being their team speed on offense. On the other hand, in sports, like in life, you often have to deliver at the moment you are called to and you only have one chance to do so. Though the Tigers had to contend with the elements as much as they did the opposition in the title game, such was the case of pre-Superdome Classic state championship games. The championship game and the 1971 season ended on ifs and buts and might-have-beens.     

     The 1971 loss to South Lafourche was voted the most disappointing loss in school history by the fan poll taken 29 years later. That’s because the team had taken the townsfolk on a thirteen-week trip through exciting punts returns, last minute touchdowns and plays of every kind, as well as more wins than any other team had posted in a single season, only to have that end on a bitter note.  The loss was like a death to those closest to the program, requiring every bit the same grieving process that a person must go through when facing the death of a person. In a season with so much good, it would be a mistake to focus on the worst part.

    It wouldn’t do the season justice to break it down with numbers and statistics because the best that the season offered was more than that. Suffice it to say that the team established new records in virtually every rushing, passing, scoring and win category on both sides of the ball. What was more important was that the team drew the community together and placed a giant stepping-stone in the Tiger football program. The season established a standard for future teams to shoot for. Just one more win would have made the season as complete as a season can be, but by any standard the season was a resounding success.  The 1971 team combined talent with a driving will to win. The latter was most evident in the Haughton and Hahnville games when the Tigers staged fourth quarter comebacks to keep the season going. No one left the South Lafourche playing field thinking the Tigers hadn’t given it all, and that’s all you can ask of any football team. Those individual players were positioned perfectly in all three phases of the game - the offense, the defense and the special teams. The Tiger offense had weapons and enough versatility to give every defensive coordinator Winnfield faced worries. Coach Payne had just the type of players he needed for his Pro-style offense. The offensive unit was later characterized by quarterback Steve Adams as a finesse offense. “We were certainly not an over-powering offense,” said Adams of the 1971 offensive unit. “We relied more on skill, speed, quickness and desire.”  Coach Payne said that his offense required “smart players”, rather than players who relied on brute strength. The players fit the mold for that style of play. The offensive line only averaged a little over 170-pounds a man and the team as a whole had no more than two players who weighed over 200 lbs. Adams described his backfield mates as “explosive, good pass receivers and capable of scoring from anywhere.”  In Keen and Williams, the team had speed to burn and unprecedented quickness. Those two combined to score 256 points during the season, 130 by Williams and 126 by Keen. Both shattered the individual single-season scoring record of 69 points, as prior to 1971 only a hand full of players had ever scored more than 50 points in a season. To put Keen and Williams’ accomplishment in perspective, only four Tiger teams had scored more than 250 points in a season, including the 1961(400), 1928 (385), 1969 (289) and 1960 (250). But, Winnfield’s scoring wasn’t a two-player affair, as 210 points were scored by 11 other players, giving the team 13 players who scored points, the same number of players who had scored for the 1928 team and two short of the total number who had scored for the 1961 team. As a team, the 1971 squad ended the season with a school record 466 points, to break the school record by 66 points. To put that in perspective, only two teams prior to the 1971 season had ever scored more than 300 points.    
      As prolific as the 1971 team’s offensive unit was (and it broke most offensive records), that phase of the team was not nearly the strongest point of the team. Many teams practice their special teams so that they won’t make mistakes in that phase of the game on Friday nights. In 1971, special team play became one of the team’s weapons in its own right. All total, 9 kicks were returned for touchdowns, with the Tigers scoring on a kick return in all but one regular season game. Prior to the 1971 season, the most single-season kick returns for a touchdown ever made by one team was two, that being done by the 1948 team who returned one punt and one kickoff for a touchdown. When kick returns didn’t result in points for the 1971 team they usually resulted in excellent field position. And, give the 1971 offense half a field to work with and they usually capitalized. That is but one example how those two phases of the game complimented each other.                  
     The offense was strong and the teams’ kick return units were feared weapons, but those two phases of the game still weren’t the phase of the Tiger team that gave opposing coaches the biggest obstacle to overcome. How to score on the 1971 Tigers was the question coaches attempted to answer week after week and none found a satisfactory answer. Defensive coordinator Jerry Bamburgh’s defensive team did their job better than any team who has ever suited up for the red and white.      
    Bill Stewart, one of the corner men of that defensive team described the unit like this. “We rarely blitzed. The inside linebacker did occasionally, but the strong safety and cornerbacks never did. I think Coach Bamburg figured our people were good enough to play it basic and get the job done.” And, get the job done they did. The 1971 defensive unit rewrote every defensive record, most of which still stand today. Linebacker Lionel Johnson had one of the most prolific years a defensive player has ever had at the school. He is credited with being in on 154 tackles and that’s just for the regular season. If he averaged 15 tackles per game during the regular season and then played in four playoff games, it is reasonable to assume that Johnson was in on close to 200 tackles. Only two other players have ever been given credit for over 150 tackles in a season. Charles Poisso was the first who is credited with 174 tackles during the 11-game 1967 season and Marcel Mills is the other. Mills was credited with 164 tackles in the 14-game 1982 season. The only other player who is known to have been in over more than 125 tackles in a season is Lionel Johnson himself who is credited with 143 tackles for the 1972 season. So, Johnson likely set the school record for tackles in a season during the 1971 season. What makes that especially spectacular is that he did that while surrounded by a supporting cast of excellent defensive football players. On the other hand, in outstanding defenses, linebackers are freer to do their job. Johnson is also the only defensive player who has ever recorded two safeties in one season. For all of that, he was named the most outstanding defensive player in Class AAA and named to the All-State and All-Prep teams.    
      The one thing opposing offensive units weren’t going to do was run the football against Winnfield. Likewise, forget the long play against the 1971 unit. The pass rush was too much and the coverage too good. Stewart added, “If I had been an offensive coordinator preparing for the 1971 defensive unit I would have made me and Parker (cornerbacks) and Carter (safety) play more man-to-man coverage.”  Take away the long ball and the running game and all that leaves is short passes out in the flat. That kind of offense requires the right kind of personnel and a whole lot of patience. Stewart went on, “Of course, if that would have started happening (an offense chipping away at the Tiger defense), Coach Bamburg would have had an answer, like more blitzing of the quarterback.”  Plus, opposing teams usually got behind so quickly against the Winnfield’s high scoring offense, making it difficult to “be patient” against Winnfield. That was yet another example of how each phase of the Tiger team fed off of the accomplishments of the other. The ‘71 offense didn’t feel like they had to score points, because they knew the defense was going to shut everyone down. That relaxed attitude allowed the offensive unit to play a freer game than a unit who felt like they had to outscore the opposition. Likewise, the offense knew that the punt return team was capable of scoring as well. So, when opposing teams got behind and tried to open up their offenses, the Tiger defense feasted on a steady diet of interceptions and pressure- induced turnovers. The defensive unit wrecked opposing team’s confidence and the offensive unit rubbed salt in the wound by taking advantage of any subtle let down or the repeated great field position they got. Basically, opposing teams couldn’t outscore the ‘71 offense, but, that didn’t really matter. They couldn’t score against the defense anyway.    
      Offensive Coordinator Robert Charles Payne summed up one of the keys to the success of the 1971 team, a “secret” that has been shared by other successful teams as well. He said, “I was trying to remember some of the starters on the NLU team I was a part of when I was a freshman in college. I could not believe it, but I could not name a single starter. So, I thought I would try to see if I could name the starters at Neville (High School) my senior year. Well, low and behold, not only could I name the starters, but I could name every player on the squad. Bottom line: NLU went 2-8-0 my freshman year, while Neville went 14-0 my senior year. Do you win because you love each other or do you love each other because you win?  I think the answer is obvious.”    
     Probably the most impressive statistic related to the 1971 unit had nothing to do with offensive production, defensive prowess or special team proficiency. The 1971 unit was the youngest team in the history of Tiger football to advance in the playoffs, if not one of the youngest teams in the state to ever play for a state title. By the end of the century, the tactic of holding players back in their middle school years so that they would be one year older than most other children once they reached varsity level competition grew to a widespread practice. As a result, some of the teams who competed in Louisiana high school football in the 1990s had a number of 18 and even 19 year old players on their starting unit. That gave those teams and those individual players one or in some cases two more years to mature physically, emotionally and mentally. How many individuals have growth spurts once they reach 18 or 19 years old?  The answer is a lot.    The 1971 team was the exception because the 1971 team was a very young team. A young team is usually indicative of a team made up of underclassmen. It is an almost certainty that a good high school football team needs a strong senior class. Ironically, the 1971 team had both the largest senior class in the history of program and was one of the youngest team. In the case of the 1971 team, the starting 22 were made up of 18 seniors and 4 underclassmen, so it was a senior-dominated team. The team had the most number of seniors on the roster (22) and most number of senior starters ever fielded. However, there was not a single player on the team who began the season more than 17 years old. In fact, most of the starters were 16 years old or younger when the season began. That is because virtually none of the starting seniors had ever been held back and many had birthdays that fell late in the year. The oldest starter on the team was Roy Cotton, who was 17 years old when the season began and didn’t turn 18 until December of that same year. So, no player was 18 years old at any point in the season. Over half of the starters turned 17 during the season or had just turned 17 before the season, while a handful of players were 16 or younger throughout the season.     
     Likewise, there were essentially no transfer students that impacted the team. Every player on the team, save one, was raised in Winnfield and had thus attended Winn Parish public schools all of their life. The only exception was James Hutchins who moved to Winnfield during his elementary years when his father transferred in with the U. S. Forest Service.     
     When the season ended, five Tigers were voted to the Class AAA All-State team. Five first team All-State players on one football team was unprecedented in Winnfield football annals, as no previous Tiger team had ever had more than one first team All-State player.    
     The 1971 Tiger team and the individuals who played on that team set numerous single-game, single-season or career records. Some of the more notable records established during the 1971 season are listed below. In cases where one of those records has been broken since the 1971 season, the current standing of that individual or team record is noted in parentheses.    
     Coach Dosher concluded his first two seasons with a 19-5-0 record. That was the most wins any Tiger coach had gotten by the end of their first two seasons. Prior to Coach Dosher, the best first two-year totals were posted by Alwin Stokes (9-0-0) and Tommy Bankston (14-8-2). At the time Coach Dosher’s 19 wins was the fourth most by a Tiger head coach, just ahead of Ben Cameron and Emmett Cope (both with 15 wins). Heading into the 1972 season, Coach Dosher needed 9 wins to tie Tommy Bankston, who was in third place, but he had a ways to go to reach both Hoss Newman and Alwin Stokes who each had over 40 wins as a Tiger coach. 
Individual Records Set That Still Stand (as of 2012): 
Punt Returns for TD (Season)                      5      John Wayne Williams
Punt Returns for TD (Career)                       6      John Wayne Williams
Kickoff Returns for TD (Season)                 2      John Wayne Williams (tied by 2 others)
Safeties (Season)                                          2      Lionel Johnson
Tackles (Season)                                      175+    Lionel Johnson
TD's by 3 or More Means (Game)                3      John Wayne Williams
Touchdown Passes (Season)                       24      Steve Adams
Pass Completions (Season)                       113      Steve Adams 
Individual Records Set That Have Since Been Broken (current position on all-time list): 
Pass Completions (Game)                           14     Steve Adams (3rd)
Passing Yards (Game)                              228     Steve Adams (2nd)
Passing Yards (Season)                          1,607     Steve Adams (2nd)
Pass Attempts (Season)                            233      Steve Adams (2nd)
Touchdown Passes (Career)                       33      Steve Adams (2nd)
Pass Receptions (Game)                               9      Greg Wagoner (2nd)
Rushing TD/s (Career)                                23      Jerry Keen (8th)
Rushing TD's (Season)                               13      Jerry Keen (13th)
Rushing TD's (Game)                                   4      Jerry Keen (7th)
Total TD's (Game)                                       4      Jerry Keen & John Wayne Williams (8th)
Total TD's (Season)                                    21      John Wayne Williams (6th)
Total TD's (Career)                                    25      Jerry Keen (8th)
Extra Pt. Kicks (Season)                            35      Jerry Keen (4th)
Extra Pt. Kicks (Career)                              50      Jerry Keen (4th)
Pts. Scored (Game)                                     30      Jerry Keen (7th)
Pts. Scored (Season)                                 130      John Wayne Williams (5th)
Pts. Scored (Career)                                  207      Jerry Keen (4th)
Touchdown Passes (Game)                                 Steve Adams (3 times)
Receiving TD's (Game)                                  3      John Wayne Williams (tied by two others)                   
Receiving TDs (Career)                                 9      John Wayne Williams (7th) T
Team Records Set That Still Stand (as of 2012): 
Passing TDs (Season)                                 25
First Downs (Game)                                   31 vs. Leesville
First Downs (Season)                               220
Punt Returns for TD                                    7
Kickoff Returns for TD                              2 (tied by 4 others)
Qtrs. Held Opp. Scoreless                        45
Pass Comp. Allowed (RS)                        35
Win Streak (Overall)                               16 (tied in 1982-1983)
Team Records Set That Have Since Been Broken: 
Wins in a Season         13
Wins to start a season   13
Points Scored Season     466 (3rd)
Scoring Average                                      33.29 (3rd)
Passing Yards (Season)                           1,722 (2nd)
Total Touchdowns (Season)                    68 (2nd)          
Total Yards (Season)                              4,463 (3rd)
PAT Points                                             43 (2nd)
Safeties (Season)                                      2 (2nd)
Rushing Yds. Allowed (Gm)                     -25 vs. Peabody  (3rd)
Rushing Yds. Allowed (RS)                       594 (2nd)
Total Yds. Allowed (RS)                          1,535 (2nd) 
Post Season Honors: 
Alan Carter                      WR, DB     All-District, All-State (DB), All-Prep     (DB)    
Lionel Johnson                LB             All-District, All-State, All-Prep (M. V. Def. Player - AAA)                
Greg Wagoner                 TE              All-District, All-State                
James Hutchins               DE             All-District, All-State                   
John Wayne Williams      RB             All-District, (HM All- District DB), All-State                
Paul Larson                      OG             All-District                
John C. Jones                  DB             All-District                
Steve Adams                    QB             All-District                       
Roy Cotton                       DT             All-District                
Eddie Jenkins                  C                All-District                                          
Jerry Keen                       RB             All-District                                               
Randy Strickland              OT             All-District, (2nd Team LB)                
Tucker Watts                   OG             2nd Team All-District                              
Randy Parker                   DE             2nd Team All-District                
Leonard Jones                 MG            2nd Team All-District                
Bill Stewart                       CB             HM All-District

1972 (Overall - 9-2-0, *District - 7-1-0)     The headlines screamed it out - "Rebuilding Year Faces '72 Tigers.”  Any time team losses 21 lettermen, you figure that there will be a lot of untested players the next year. That was the case heading into the 1972 season. Only seven lettermen returned from the 1971 squad and only four of those had been starters the year before. The returning starters included Steve Adams at quarterback and Hal Hickey in the offensive line. Adams shattered the school passing record the season before, throwing for 24 touchdowns and over 1,600 yards. The only other returning letterman on the offensive side of the ball was backup fullback Reynard Hamilton. The defense returned two starters in linebacker Lionel Johnson and lineman James Johnson, but that was saying a mouthful.  Lionel Johnson had established himself as one of the school’s best defensive players of all-time the previous season and that was rewarded when post season awards were handed out when Johnson was named the Outstanding Defensive Player in the state in Class AAA.  James Johnson was on the verge of the same type of season . The team also had returning lettermen in linebacker Claude Smart and defensive back Mickey Brewton. All of those players were seniors except Hickey, who was a junior.     
     Aside from the graduating seniors, offensive coordinator Robert Charles Payne also departed after the 1971-1972 school year. The coaching staff that remained to assist Coach Dosher was Jerry Bamburg, Chal Rascoe, Jerry T. Smith and new addition Mike Tinnerello, quarterback at the school during the 1959 through 1961 seasons.     
     The good news was that Coach Dosher had 58 players out for football when summer drills ended. Coach Dosher stated, "We have a bunch of bodies out there and we'll try to make football players out of them."  But, with only 13 seniors on the rosters Dosher knew he would have to play a lot of young and inexperienced players, which is usually the formula for a trying season.     
     There was one thing that the 1972 team had in common with the 1971 team - relatively small linemen. Only four players on the team weighed in at over 200-pounds, with the biggest player being Martin Hutto, a 220 lb. sophomore.     
     The team would play the same exact schedule that had been played the season before and the Tigerswould again compete in the nine-team District 3-AAA. Coach Dosher begged-off predicting an early-season favorite in the district, but he pointed out that Natchitoches, Oakdale and Pineville were always tough.                                                                                           
     When the Tigers ended summer two-a-days, Coach Dosher spoke to the Rotary Club and he was a realist, stating "We don't have a solution for all our problems, but we're optimistic.” The Tigers handed Jena a 14-8 defeat in the first annual Quarterback Club Jamboree, the first jamboree game ever played in Winnfield.     
     By the time the regular season began, Coach Dosher had settled on the following starting lineup: 
Offense                                                                 Defense
Ronnie Crayton       WR   5' 11"        155 Jr.        James Johnson   T     5' 11"    195       Sr.
Charles Davis          LT     6' 1"          170 Jr.       Willie Coleman    T     5' 11''    155       Jr.
Phil Hoggard            LG    5' 9"          170 Jr.       Wilson Curry       E     6' 5"      205       Sr.
Matt Milam              C       5' 11"        165 Jr.       Tommy Dowling  E     6' 1"      185       Jr.
Hal Hickey               RG    5' 11"        190 Jr.        Gary Jones          CB   5' 10"    170       Jr.
Steve Williams         RT    5' 11"        190 Jr.        Rex Keiffer         CB   6" 2"     165       Sr.
Glen Anderson        WR   5' 10"        150 Soph.    Claude Smart       LB   6' 5"      185       Sr.
Steve Adams            QB    5' 11"        165 Sr.       Lionel Johnson    LB   6' 2"      200       Sr.
Reynard Hamilton   FB     6' 1"          185 Sr.        Charles Oliver    HB  6' 2"      160       Jr.
Pat Hemphill            HB    5' 11"        170 Jr.        Ronnie Johnson  HB  6" 1"     180       Sr.
Roosevelt Robinson  SB  6' 0"          185 Soph.    Mickey Brewton S      5' 8"      155       Sr.     
     That meant that the offense would have nine inexperienced underclassmen. In 1972, that was one of the biggest concerns of the coaching staff. In contrast, the Tigers had seven seniors on the defense. So, the Tiger coaching staff pinned their hopes on the defense getting the team through the first part of the season while the young offense developed. What was appealing about Coach Dosher’s starting lineup is that it included 22 different players, so he did have some depth.    
     Coach Dosher knew he had a proven talent in Adams at quarterback and he said so when he was quoted as saying that the Tigers would have to throw the ball more than even the previous season. And, Reynard Hamilton gave the Tigers a dependable ball carrier in the backfield, though he didn’t possess the breakaway speed that the Tigers lost with the departure of Jerry Keen and John Wayne Williams. Crayton and Anderson had both shown promise on the junior varsity level. But, the biggest question mark of the offense and the team as a whole was the offensive line. For Adams to complete passes he would have to have time to throw the ball and for Hamilton to get anywhere on the ground he would have to have holes to run through. Whether the Tigers young line could provide that would go a long way in determining what kind of season the team had.    
     Winnfield traveled to Webster of Minden to open the season, carrying a preseason ranking of No. 7 with them. Young teams need early success, so like all opening games of the year, this one came with an air of importance, and maybe more so than usual.    
     Webster opened the game by taking the opening kickoff and marching down the field, but the Tiger defense stiffened at the Winnfield 13. That would be the furthest penetration the Wolves would make until late in the fourth quarter.    
     The Tiger offense posted four first half touchdowns, with the first three coming on runs by Reynard Hamilton (5 yards) and Roosevelt Robinson (7 & 19 yards).  Then, just before the halftime intermission the 1972 team picked up where the 1971 left off when Ronnie Crayton, took a punt and raced 63 yards for a touchdown. The 1971 team had set a school record with seven punt returns for touchdowns. After the punt return Rowell’s kick made the score 28-0 and the game was over for all practical purposes.     
     That kind of scoring production was not anticipated in the opening game, much less the opening half. Plus, the defense was exceeding everyone’s expectation. When Webster went in at halftime, they had only made one first down, hadn’t completed a pass, and had gained less than 20 total yards.     
     Winnfield tacked on a fourth quarter touchdown when Pat Hemphill was on the receiving end of a Steve Adams pass good for a touchdown. Rowell converted his third extra point of the night to close out all scoring at 35-0.     
     It was a complete team victory. The Tiger offense, who entered the game with so many question marks, passed their first test. That unit gained 212 yards rushing and 72 yards passing for a total of 284 yards. They put four touchdowns on the board and at times gained yardage in huge chunks.     
     The Tiger defense, meanwhile, completely shut down Webster. The Wolves ended the night with only 45 total yards, with all of that coming on the ground. Webster's had trouble holding on to the football all night long. The Wolves fumbled 8 times and lost 6 of those, with Winnfield converting three of those fumbles into touchdowns. What pleased the coaching staff even more is that they got that kind of defensive performance without the services of two of their expected starters. Both James Johnson and Claude Smart missed the opening game. Smart was still healing a broken hand he received in summer practice and Johnson sustained a separated shoulder before the season started. So, the Tiger defense would only get better with their return.    
     Winnfield opened district play the following week against Leesville and they would do so on the road. The game would also provide Tiger fans with two individual records. The Wampus Cats didn't figure to be one of the stronger teams in the district, but Coach Dosher always respected every opponent. He summed up the match-up this way in an Enterprise interview, "Leesville and Winnfield are just alike. We are both rebuilding."     
     In fact, Leesville took an early 7-0 lead, but the Tigers scored on their next series when Adams hit Glen Anderson with a 53-yard scoring bomb. The game then slowed to a crawl until midway through the second quarter. That all started when Winnfield fumbled near their own goal line, but the Tiger defense stiffened, prompting Leesville to attempt an 18-yard field goal, which they made. When the Tigers got the ball back they put together a sustained drive, capped by an 8-yard scoring toss from Adams to Mike Lewis. That gave the Tigers a 14-10 lead; a lead they wouldn't surrender the rest of the game.    
      Just before the half, the Tiger defense pinned Leesville against their own goal and forced them to punt from just outside the goal line. Tiger speedster Mike Lewis hauled the punt in at the Tiger 45 and raced 55 yards for a touchdown. Rowell added the extra point to make it 21-10 at the half. Lewis' punt return extended a remarkable string of six-straight regular season games that the Tiger program had returned a punt for a touchdown. In fact, the Tigers had scored on some sort of kick return in 9 straight regular season games, dating back to the Jonesboro-Hodge game the previous season. From the opening game of the 1971 season to the second game of the 1972 season, there had only been one game (vs. Tioga in 1971) where there hadn't been a kick return for a touchdown. So, counting the Leesville game, the Tiger program had scored a touchdown by kick return in 11 of 12 games over the 1971 and 1972 seasons.                 
     Nothing much happened in the third quarter, but Adams threw two more touchdown passes in the fourth quarter. Both of those passes were to Glen Anderson, with the first covering 42 yards and the second being a 32-yarder. That gave Adams four touchdown tosses for the night, making him the first Tiger quarterback to accomplish that feat. Adams hit on 7 of 27 passes for 196 yards. That was the most pass attempts by a Tiger quarterback in a game and the 196 yards was the third highest individual passing yards in school history. Anderson made the record books also, joining David Harper and John Wayne Williams as the only receivers to catch three touchdown passes in a single game.     
     In the end, Winnfield defeated Leesville 35-10 to open up district play with a win. Like the season before, the Tigers won the opening two games of the season with impressive performances on both sides of the ball. There was one other similarity between the 1972 and 1971 seasons. The biggest game of the year in the district was shaping up to be the Winnfield - Natchitoches game. Natchitoches opened their season with two wins as well and was ranked in the top five of the Class AAA poll. But, Winnfield couldn't afford to be looking ahead to Natchitoches. They still had games against Tioga and Jonesboro-Hodge to be played before they entertained Natchitoches.    
     Winnfield had surprised nearly everyone by scoring 70 points in the opening two games. In scoring ten touchdowns in two games, the Tigers were showing a lot of versatility. Five of the ten touchdowns had come through the air, two had come on punt returns and the remaining three came by rush. Winnfield's defense had set up three of those touchdowns with the recovery of fumbles near the opposition’s goal line.  The offense was playing a brand of football that no one expected that early in the season, but it wouldn't last. In the third game of the year, the Tiger offense looked like they hadn't been on the field all season. The Tioga game was marked with one penalty after another, dropped passes and fumbles. Most of the 110 penalty yards the Tigers got in the game came in the first half.  The Tiger defense, was shutting town Tioga, however, so when the first half ended the score was deadlocked at 0-0.  Tioga only gained one first down in the opening two quarters and barely got any offense going at all, ending the half with only 32 total yards - all on the ground.    
     The Tiger offense settled down long enough midway through the third quarter to put together back-to-back scoring drives. The first covered 54-yards and was capped by a six yard keeper by Adams right over Matt Milam, his center. Rowell's kick made the score 7-0. The next drive covered 91 yards and 15 plays, with most of those plays being made by Hamilton from the fullback position, including a 1-yard plunge to cap the drive. Rowell tacked on the extra point to end all scoring at 14-0.     
     Winnfield "won ugly" but there is no designation in the won/loss column for those kinds of wins. The Tigers practically ran up and down the field against Tioga, getting 244 yards rushing and 83 yards passing for 327 total yards. But, the Tigers fumbled the ball five times and lost four of those. They also had one pass intercepted and picked up 10 penalties for 110 yards to effectively stop themselves.     
     The Tiger defense did more than keep Tioga off the scoreboard. In posting their second shutout of the young season, the Tiger defense held their third consecutive opponent to under 100 total yards. Tioga got 66 yards on the ground and didn't complete a pass in five attempts. In three games, the Tiger defense had only given up 28 yards through the air and 171 yards on the ground. What was equally impressive was the fact that the Tiger defense had only allowed 12 total first downs in those first three games, a total that most teams get in one game. Finally, the program had gone 21 consecutive games without giving up a touchdown through the air.   
     In taking their second district win, Winnfield stayed tied with Natchitoches and Peabody for the lead in the district race. All three had 2-0-0 marks in district play and were the only teams in the district with undefeated records at that point in the season. That logjam would be broken in the fourth week of the season as Natchitoches played Peabody. Winnfield entertained non-district rival Jonesboro-Hodge the same night and had to keep from looking past the Jackson parish Tigers to Natchitoches, Winnfield's next district opponent. That usually wasn’t a problem when Winnfield played Jonesboro. Winnfield headed into the fourth week of play ranked fourth in Class AAA, while Natchitoches maintained the number two slot.     
     When the 1972 version of the Winnfield - Jonesboro-Hodge game began, the skies over Stokes-Walker stadium were dark and threatening. That's because the area was under a severe thunderstorm watch for the evening. The Tiger offense got going about the time the rains hit. With only five minutes showing in the first half, the Tigers marched half the field on a series of passes to finally break into the scoring column, with Reynard Hamilton getting the final yard of the drive. Rowell booted the extra point to give Winnfield a 7-0 lead, which they took into halftime.                 
     With the way the Tiger defense was playing that seemed like enough points, but the Tigers got some insurance points in the second half when Charles Oliver became the third Tiger return man to a punt the distance.  His return went 63 yards and though the PAT was missed the 13-0 lead Winnfield had seemed very secure because of the wall Winnfield was putting up on defense and the deluge that fell throughout the second half. Up to that point in the game, Jonesboro-Hodge had not made a single first down, let alone move into Winnfield territory.      
     Winnfield tacked on a third touchdown early in the fourth quarter to take a 19-0 lead, and soon thereafter the referees ended the game early because of dangerous lightening that had made its way to the north side of Winnfield. The game was called with 10:15 remaining on the clock but the outcome of this game was settled much earlier.    
     Through basically three quarters of play the Winnfield defense forced 10 punts and only allowed Jonesboro-Hodge 1 first down, 4 yards rushing and 21 yards passing. The 10 punts were the most punts a Tiger defense had ever forced, breaking the old record of 9 set jut two seasons earlier. That total could have obviously been more had the game lasted a regulation amount of time. The 25 total yards allowed by the defense was 1 yard short of the school record for fewest total yards allowed.     
     The first four games of the 1972 season were the most impressive display of defense ever shown at the opening of a season. In those four games, the Tiger defense had shutout two opponents and only allowed 13 first downs, 175 yards rushing and 49 yards passing for a total of 224 yards. You don't have to do much else on the football field to win games when you play that kind of defense.    
      The Tigers moved to 4-0-0 for the season with the win over Jonesboro-Hodge and extended the school's regular season win streak to 17 games, the longest in school history. Natchitoches knocked off Peabody 28-14 to set up the game of the year in District 3-AAA for the second consecutive year. The Chiefs and the Tigers were the only two teams in the district with untied, undefeated records. Jena was in third place in the district with a 1-0-1 record and Peabody was right behind with a 1-1-0 record. Winnfield's playoffs hopes would be decided the next two weeks as the Tigers played Natchitoches and Peabody in back-to-back games. By all indications, the district champion and runner-up slots would be decided by those two games.    
     It was only the midpoint of the season, but Winnfield had reached that point of the season that all good seasons bring you to. All good seasons have a game that  “makes or breaks” a season - and, a game that “characterizes” the season. The Natchitoches game, for the fourth season in a row, was that game. In 1969, the Tigers met Natchitoches in a non-district game and went down to a defeat that would mark the beginning of a three game losing streak. Natchitoches went on to win the Class AA state title that year. Winnfield came back the next year with hopes of avenging that loss, but dropped a close 7-6 decision, with the lone Natchitoches touchdown coming on an interception return for a touchdown. That loss effectively kept the Tigers from sharing in the district crown. Then, the 1971 team finally got over the hump, breaking Natchitoches’ backs with two long touchdown runs, one on a punt return just before half and the other on a 75-yard John Wayne Williams dash in the third quarter. So, recent Winnfield - Natchitoches games had been exciting and decisive. During that four-year span, Natchitoches was 35-6-0 overall, while Winnfield was 29-8-1.    
     Winnfield came into the game with an 11-game home win streak. That was the longest home win streak since the 13 consecutive wins posted between 1927 and 1929. The only other home win streak of any length since the 1920s was the 7-game win streak posted between 1960 and 1961.     
      Unlike the Jonesboro-Hodge game, it was a clear night and that bode well for both teams’ offenses. Natchitoches was led at quarterback by three-year starter Stuart Wright. He was the second team All-District quarterback the season before behind Adams, and was off to another good year. He was a dangerous passer, but he hadn’t had his best games against Winnfield. As a sophomore he was 0 for 7 and during his junior year he completed 1 of 8 passes and threw two interceptions; one each to Alan Carter and Bill Stewart.  So Wright into the Winnfield game with a career 15/1/2 passing record for only 5 total yards against Winnfield.     
     Wright was still a weapon but he wasn’t the only weapon the Chiefs had. Halfback Perry Joe Gibson and fullback Jimmy Oliphant provided Natchitoches a one-two punch in the backfield. Natchitoches had only given up four touchdowns for the season, so they had earned their No. 2 Class AAA ranking with a solid defense and an offense averaging just under 28 pts. per game. Heading into the fifth week of the season, Richwood maintained the No. 1 slot in the Class AAA polls, a position they had held all year, and Redemptorist was ranked third, between Natchitoches and Winnfield.    
     Like the most recent two games, throughout the first half it was the respective defensive units and punters that dominated the game. Late in the first quarter, Natchitoches appeared to gain the edge in the field position battle when they pinned the Tigers at the 4-yard line on a well-placed punt. Then, the Chiefs got the break they were playing for. The Tigers fumbled on second down and Natchitoches recovered on the Tiger 7-yard line. Winnfield’s defense held tight for two downs, but Natchitoches scored on third down to take an early 6-0 lead. The point-after attempt was no good.    
     The Tigers put together a good drive on their next possession, getting into Chief territory as the first quarter clock was winding down. Then, disaster struck again for the Tigers. Natchitoches intercepted an Adams pass and returned it to the Tiger 25-yard line. Then, two plays later, Oliphant broke through the middle for the Chiefs second touchdown in a three minutes time. Wright converted on the extra point attempt this time, giving the Chiefs a 13-0 lead with 2:05 showing in the first half.     Winnfield could have gotten down at that point, but the Tigers had a weapon that had gotten them a touchdown in virtually every regular season game during the past two years - the kick return. In fact, you didn’t have to ask any other team about the Tiger punt return unit because it had been an 82-yard punt return for a touchdown the year before that thrust Winnfield into the lead      
     After the second Natchitoches touchdown, Ronnie Crayton fielded the ensuing kickoff and headed for the sidelines, drawing the Natchitoches pursuit toward him. He was met by a criss crossing Charles Oliver, who he handed off to at the Tiger 15-yard line. Oliver turned on the after-burners and set sail for an 85-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to get Winnfield right back in the football game. Oliver's return matched the fourth longest kickoff return in school history, matching Jackie Givens (vs. Leesville -1946) and Randy Poisso (vs. Winnsboro - 1968), who both made 85-yard kickoff returns. The two longest kickoff returns had been made by Givens (95 yds. vs. St. Mary's - 1945) and John Harrington (92 yds. vs. Jena - 1955). Rowell converted the extra point kick after Oliver's touchdown to make the score 13-7. With three quarters to play, it was still anybody’s’ ball game. Oliver’s kick return extended the programs string of regular season game kick returns for a touchdown to twelve straight games and fourteen of fifteen games.      
     Winnfield received a gift on their kickoff to the Chiefs when the Natchitoches return men inexplicably failed to cover the kick. The Tigers recovered the football at the Natchitoches 25-yard line and the dizzying momentum shift gave Winnfield a golden opportunity to not only get back in the game, but also to take the lead as they were successful in covering the kick. But, the Tigers didn't advance the ball at all, as three Adams passes fell incomplete and a fourth down conversion attempt failed.       In the first half Natchitoches had capitalized on two Tiger turnovers, while Winnfield had come up short when they gained the ball deep in Natchitoches territory. They would get another gift early in the third quarter when Tommy Dowling fell on a Chief fumble at the Natchitoches 27. On first down, Adams bootlegged around the left end for a 14-yard gain down to the Natchitoches 13, but the ball was jarred loose just as Adams was hit and Natchitoches recovered.     
     That became the deepest penetration Winnfield would make in the second half. As a result they never were able to make up the 6-point halftime deficit. In fact, neither team scored in the second half, as Natchitoches made their 13-7 halftime lead stand up.    
     The game was essentially won by the Natchitoches defensive unit whose two takeaways led to both Chief touchdowns.  Likewise, once the Tigers got inside the 20, the Chief defensive unit simply shut down the Tiger offense. In close games, the team who makes the fewest mistakes usually win. Winnfield had five turnovers and Natchitoches had four.     
     The Tigers had trouble moving the ball all game long. For the night, the Tigers only picked up 54 yards on the ground and 60 yards in the air. That was the lowest rushing total for a regular season game in over five years. Adams was 4 of 14 and had two interceptions, but that was a better night than Stuart Wright had. He was 0 for 4 with two interceptions, ending his career against Winnfield by completing 1 pass in 19 attempts and throwing four interceptions in three games.    
     With the win, Natchitoches moved into sole possession of first place in the district with a 3-0-0 mark, followed by Jena at 3-0-1 in second, Leesville in third with a 3-1-0 mark and Winnfield in fourth at 2-1-0. Peabody, the Tigers next opponent had dropped to 1-1-1 in the district. That marked the first time Winnfield hadn’t been in first place in a district race in two years. The loss also snapped the program’s regular win streak at 17 games.    
     Maybe the Tiger offense spoiled everybody by opening the season with two impressive performances. In those games, the Tigers played relatively error-free ball on offense. Since then, the Tiger offense has been error-prone as they had turned the ball on fourteen times in three games. 
     If the Tigers were going to have any chance at making the playoffs, they would have to cut back on those kinds of mistakes and would likely have to win their remaining games. First up would be Peabody, an opponent the Tigers were expected to defeat. Above all, Coach Dosher wanted a clean game against Peabody, but we don't always get what we want.    
     The start of the game was filled with one turnover after another. Lionel Johnson intercepted the ball on the very first play of the game to give the Tigers the ball at the Peabody 38-yard line. However, on second down the Tigers fumbled the ball back over to Peabody on second down. The next time the Tigers got the back they worked the ball to the Peabody 6-yard line, where Adams was intercepted in the end zone to end that drive. Another Tiger fumble just before the half gave Peabody the ball at the Tiger 18 and except for a staunch Tiger defense Peabody could have taken the lead.  As it were, the score remained tied at 0-0 as the two teams broke for intermission.    
     A turnover would decide this game and that turnover came in the third quarter Charles Oliver made the play of the game when he stepped in front of a Peabody pass near the Peabody 20 yard line and returned it to the Peabody 4-yard line with 1:13 showing on the third quarter clock.  Three plays later Hamilton blew through a hole opened by Hickey and tackle Lionel Johnson to give the Tigers a 7-0 lead. That would be the only score of the night.                  
     Winnfield got 124 yards rushing and only 28 yards in the air. Give this win to the Tiger defense. They held Peabody to minus eight yards rushing and 109 yards in the air. Peabody only had the ball inside the Winnfield 20-yard line once. In two years time, Peabody had netted -25 and -8 yards rushing against Winnfield, for a total of -33 yards.     
      Any bad taste Tiger fans had in their mouth about the less than impressive win was quickly changed the next morning when they read the results from around District 3-AAA from the night before. Menard, Winnfield's next opponent, knocked off Natchitoches by a score of 6-0 and Leesville defeated second place Jena. That made a horserace out of the district finish. Four teams had one loss in district play, including Leesville, Natchitoches, Winnfield and Jena. Of those, Leesville moved to first place in the district with their four wins, while the others had three wins. Jena also had one tie on their district mark. Remarkably, Menard got only their second win of the season against Natchitoches, improving their overall record to 2-4-0 and their district mark to 2-2-0. Rounding out the district standings were Peabody (1-2-1), Tioga (2-3-0), Pineville (1-3-1) and Oakdale (0-4-0)           
     When Winnfield prepared for Menard it was their poor showing during the season that was somewhat of a surprise. Against Natchitoches the Eagles had out gained Natchitoches 260 to 73 in total yards.  But, Menard wasn’t all offense. They held Natchitoches to only 5 first downs and kept the Chiefs off the scoreboard.    
     Menard scored two first half touchdowns, almost literally on the first and last plays of the half.  The Eagles did score on the first play from scrimmage when they intercepted an Adams pass and ran it back 36 yards for a score. Then, with forty-five seconds to go in the half Eagle quarterback Wayne Mathews’ threw a 17-yard touchdown pass. That broke a streak of 24-straight games that the starting defensive units of the Tiger football program had gone without giving up a touchdown pass; though the sophomore unit gave up a TD pass in the 10th game of the 1971 season. Ironically, the last team to score a touchdown pass against a starting Tiger defensive unit was the 1970 Menard team.  Menard’s second touchdown gave them a 13-12 lead, as Winnfield had scored earlier in the half on a 77-yard pass completion from Adams to Anderson and a 1-yard run by Hamilton which culminated an 80-yard drive. At the time the 77-yard pass for the touchdown was the third longest pass completion for a touchdown in school history up to that point. Brooks Broussard and Dale Reeves held the school record with the famous 80-yard pass on the last play of the Neville game in 1955 and the Alan Carter to Robbie Richards 78 yd. touchdown pass during the 1969 Ferriday game was the second longest.    
     The second half belonged to Winnfield as the Tigers first capitalized on a fumble recovery at the Eagle 31 yard line when they mounted a short drive to take an 18-13 lead.  Then the Tigers put together a long drive,  with virtually all of the yards coming on the ground, to up their lead to 25-13. That closed out the scoring. 
     The Tigers ripped the Menard defense for 302 total yards. That was the same defense that had held Natchitoches to under 100 total yards. The Tigers got 191 yards on the ground and 111 yards through the air. The Tiger defense shut down the Menard attack, limiting the Eagles to 32 yards rushing and 99 yards through the air. Winnfield converted Mickey Brewton's fumble recovery and interception into second half touchdowns to overcome a 13-12 deficit at halftime.    
     The topsy-turvy District 3-AAA race took another turn after week seven. Winnfield moved back into a tie with Natchitoches for first place, with both holding a 4-1 record in district play. Peabody dropped Leesville from the lead in the district with a 6-0 win. In four weeks time Winnfield had gone from a tie for first, to fourth, to second and back into a tie for first. Such was life in District 3-AAA during the early 1970s.    
     Winnfield got a breather following the Menard game as they faced a winless Oakdale Warrior team.  Coach Dosher didn't need much help in convincing the Tigers of how dangerous Oakdale could be because he had the Natchitoches 14 Oakdale 7 score from the previous week to show his troops that Oakdale was a team capable of playing with the best in the district.      
     However, Winnfield clicked on both sides of the ball in posting a relatively easy 42-0 win. The Tigers took a 14-0 lead at the half, but Ronnie Crayton excited the Tiger crowd by returning the second half kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown. That was the second longest kickoff return in school history, being 2 yards shy of Jackie Givens' 95-yarder that came during the 1945 season. That gave the team five kick returns for touchdowns during the season; three on punt returns and two on kickoffs. Only two teams, including the 1971 team (9) and the 1982 team (6) have ever returned more kicks for touchdowns.     
     The Tigers scored once more in the third and two times in the fourth to account for their fifth, sixth and seventh touchdowns. Crayton almost got his second touchdown by return of the half when he sprinted into the end zone on a punt return, but, the dreaded yellow flag called the play back after the Tigers were penalized for clipping.      
     It was a night of good individual performances as well as outstanding team play. The Tiger defense held Oakdale to only 4 first downs and 84 total yards. Oakdale ended 7 of their possessions with punts, one with an interception, and two others with fumbles. The defense posted their fifth shutout in eight games. That was the 11th shutout in the past 18 regular season football games. And, if you go all the way back to the start of the 1970 season (a period covering 28 football games), Winnfield had either shutout or given up only one touchdown to 21 of those 28 opponents.     
     But, it was a night for Tiger offense as well. Reynard Hamilton had the best night a Tiger back had had in years when he carried the ball 19 times for 168 yards to pace the Tiger 282 yard rushing attack. By kicking 6 of 6 extra points, Rowell had the second best kicking night any Tiger kicker ever had. Steve Stroud booted 7 of 7 kicks against Jena in the 1966 season and Jerry Keen also kicked 6 of 6 kicks against Menard the season before.     
     With two games to go in the district race, Natchitoches and Winnfield remained tied with 5-1-0 marks. Right behind were the Jena Giants with a 4-1-1 district mark and Leesville with a 5-2-0 district record. Every other team had at least three losses in district play.     
     Coming into the next to last game of the regular season, Jena had a chance to make things interesting in District 3-AAA because the Giants played Natchitoches and Winnfield in consecutive weeks. Winnfield could take-over first place in the district with a win over Pineville, their next to last opponent and a win by Jena over Natchitoches. The only part of that equation that Winnfield had any control over was their play against the Pineville Rebels. In The Winn Parish Enterprise, Coach Dosher cautioned that "On any given night, any 3-AAA team can beat any other 3-AAA team."  During the 1972 season, that axiom had been proven to be true more times than once, as Menard had knocked off Natchitoches and both Peabody and Oakdale had played the Chiefs close. Peabody also came within a touchdown of defeating the Tigers. Despite their dismal record, Pineville had only lost to Natchitoches by a 28-12 margin in a game in which the Rebels filled the air with 30 pass attempts, 13 of which they connected on for 211 yards.     
     Playing the "what-if" game, if both Winnfield and Natchitoches lost in the ninth game of the season, Jena would move into first place with a 5-1-1 record. That would leave Leesville, Natchitoches and Winnfield tied at second with 5-2-0 records. Leesville played a non-district opponent in the ninth week and squared off against Natchitoches in the final week, the same night Jena and Winnfield faced each other. So, the district race was anything but settled.    
     The program had its first chance at back-to-back playoff berths since the 1967-1968 season with a win in the final two games of the season. That would take a win over Jena in the season finale, but the Tigers first had to get past Pineville.                  
     Winnfield traveled to Pineville to take on the Rebels on a field soaked by daylong rains. There was still a drizzle falling at game time so Winnfield would have to contend with both the Rebels and the elements. In the end, Winnfield got all of the points they needed in the first half as the Tigers scored once in each of the first two quarters on a short run by Hamilton and a keeper by Adams. The first score came on the tail-end of an 80-yard drive and the second score was set up by a fumble recovery by Willie Coleman at the Tiger 48-yard line, which was followed by a 47-yard pass from Adams tot Ronnie Johnson which set up Adams’ run. In the end Winnfield prevailed in a 14-0 win.      
     For the game, Winnfield limited Pineville to a minus twelve yards rushing and 130 yards in the air. Pineville completed 13 of 27 passes, but all of that went for naught as the Tigers recorded their sixth shutout of the season in nine games. Winnfield’s offense found the going tough on the soggy field, getting 148 yards rushing and 47 yards passing. Coach Dosher singled out Willie Coleman and Johnson for their play on the defensive line and Matt Milam, Phil Hoggard and Charles Davis for their play on the offensive line.      
     The district race got a little clearer after the ninth week of the season. Natchitoches defeated Jena 19-0 to drop the Giants to 4-2-1. The Winnfield and Natchitoches wins moved their district leading records to 6-1-0 and Leesville lurked right behind at 5-2-0. The Tigers could assure themselves of at least a tie for the district crown with a win over Jena. If the Tigers won, they still had a shot at an outright district title if Leesville defeated Natchitoches. But, if the Tigers lost to Jena any number of possibilities loomed. Should the Tigers lose and Natchitoches win, the Tigers would come in second because Leesville would have a 5-3-0 record and Jena would have a 4-2-1 record. However, if the Tigers lost and Natchitoches lost, the district would end in a three-way tie between Winnfield, Natchitoches and Leesville. In that scenario, the two representatives to the state playoffs would be decided by nothing more sophisticated than a coin toss.     
     The Tigers didn’t want the flip of a coin to determine whether they gained a playoff slot. There was one way to assure that didn’t happen - beat Jena. Winnfield’s only shot at a district title would be a Leesville win over Natchitoches coupled with a Tiger win over Jena. Natchitoches ended that possibility when they beat Leesville in a Thursday night game. Therefore, the Tigers headed into the Jena game knowing they had to defeat Jena to gain a share of the crown. But, Natchitoches’ victory over Leesville assured that Natchitoches and Winnfield would represent the district in the playoffs. Since Natchitoches had defeated Winnfield, the Chiefs would get the nod as the first place team no matter if Winnfield beat Jena or not.    
     The Giants were a formidable opponent. Though they were coming off back-to-back losing seasons, Jena was 6-2-1 heading into the final week of the season. The Giants had played Natchitoches neck and neck until late in the fourth quarter when the Chiefs got a touchdown on a sustained drive. Then, Natchitoches scored two more touchdowns on interceptions to take a 19-0 decision over Jena.                 
     Against Winnfield Jena took a 7-0 lead in the first quarter, but the Tiger defense turned the game around with turnovers in the first half. Rex Keiffer scooped up a Giant fumble and ran 22 yards for the Tigers first touchdown, then, Wilson Curry fell on a fumble in the second quarter at the Jena 35, after which the Tigers scored in only three plays, with the drive capped by a 4-yard run by Reynard Hamilton. Rowell made true on both of his conversion attempt to make the score 14-7.    
     On the ensuing kickoff, Winnfield appeared to have Jena return man Derrick Lee hemmed up, but he broke free of the initial containment and scored on an 80-yard return. Momentum shows no partiality, so just like that Jena got back in the game. The Giants converted on the extra point kick to make it 14-14 with just over five minutes to go in the half.    
     In the closing two minutes of the half the two teams exchanged the ball in a dizzying series of turnovers that began with a Mickey Brewton interception of a pass at the Jena 49. Two plays after Brewton’s interception, Jena linebacker Dave Crawford picked off an Adams pass and returned it to the Winnfield 38-yard line with just over a minute to go in the first half. Jena then scored on a 20-yard pass with only five seconds remaining on the clock. Jena’s enthusiasm was hardly dimmed when they failed to convert on the extra point and headed to the locker room with a 20-14 lead.    
     The back and forth nature of this game continued in the third quarter, first when Winnfield regained a 21-20 lead when Hamilton followed pulling-guard Claude Smart into the end zone for a score from five yards out. Jena answered on their next series by moving the length of the field on a drive aided by two personal fouls against Winnfield. The Giants scored from the four to take a 26-21 lead. That was the fifth lead chance of the game. The Giants went for two on the ensuing conversion and failed leaving the score 26-21 at the end of the third quarter.    
     After an exchange of punts, Winnfield took possession at the Tiger 41-yard line. On first down, Adams went to his favorite target, Glen Anderson, and the move paid off in a big way. Anderson caught the ball in the flat and broke free for a 31-yard gain to the Jena 22-yard line. The two teams had been sparring at each other all game long, with late hits setting up the previous Jena score. This time it would be Jena who drew a penalty when they were flagged for a late hit at the end of Anderson’s run. That moved the ball to the Giant 13-yard line. After three plays, Winnfield faced a fourth an inches from the Jena 3-yard line. Adams got the call on fourth down and he sprung into the end zone behind a block made by guard Hal Hickey for the go-ahead touchdown. Rowell upped the lead by one more point when he kicked his fourth PAT of the night to give the Tigers a 28-26 lead. There was still over eight minutes to go in this game so no lead was safe.    
     Jena got some meaningless yards on their next drive, but they failed to make a third down conversion near midfield and elected to punt to Winnfield at the 4:28 mark, hoping for a turnover or another stop by their defense. The Tiger offense would give them neither as they kept the ball the remainder of the game to secure a co-championship.     
     The final statistics showed just how close the game was. Winnfield out gained Jena in first downs by a 14-13 margin and in both rushing yards (169 to 106) and passing yards (86 to 70). Both teams punted three times, both teams threw one interception and both team fumbled the ball twice. It was a game that either team could have won, but it was Winnfield who did the little things to win, if converting extra point kicks is ever considered a “little thing.”                  
      The 1972 Tiger team finished the regular season with a 9-1-0 (.900) record, which tied them with the 1923 and 1928 teams for the fourth-best regular season winning percentage. The 1919 (7-0-0), 1961 (11-0-0) and 1971 (10-0-0) teams were the only teams with a better record. The 9 wins of the 1972 season was tied for third-most single-season wins in school history, matching the nine win regular seasons of 1923, 1928, 1948 and 1966 teams and trailing the 11 wins of the 1961 season and the 13 wins of the 1971 season.     
     The Tiger offense ended the regular season with 1,430 yards rushing and 867 yards passing. That gave them 2,297 total yards. Those rushing and passing marks were the fifth highest in school history at the time and the total yardage was sixth highest. The main factor that kept the Tiger offense from getting more yardage was their propensity to turn the ball over. For the season, the Tiger offense gave up the ball 9 times on interceptions and 20 times on fumbles. At the time, that was the most fumbles by a Tiger team in a single season and the second most interceptions ever thrown.     
     On the defensive side of the ball, the Tiger eleven put up impressive numbers that rank the 1972 defense among the best that have ever played at the school and marked the third season in a row that had happened. In the ten-game regular season the defense gave up 604 yards on the ground, which was only 12 yards more than the school record set just one season earlier. For the third straight year, the Tiger defense limited the opposition to under 500 yard passing, as the 1972 team ended the regular season with 485 yards passing yards allowed. Overall, the Tiger defense limited their ten opponents to just 1,060 total yards, which was 35 more yards than the 1971 defense allowed. The 1972 teams total is the second lowest total yards allowed in the regular season. All season long, the Tiger defense seemed to follow every Tiger turnover with a turnover of their own. For the season, the Tiger defense recovered 20 fumbles and intercepted 10 passes.     
     The squad became the 9th team in school history to score more than 200 points by scoring 226 for the regular season. At the time, those 226 points were the 7th highest in school history, right ahead of the 1919 (220) and 1966 (202) team totals. But again, it was the defensive against scoring that was the most impressive number. The defense only allowed 66 points during the regular season. Even by the end of the century, that was the sixth lowest total points allowed during the regular season, only surpassed by the 1919 (0), 1925 (7), 1971 (35), 1925 (51) and 1940 (63) teams. Finally, at the time, the 160-point differential (the difference between the total points scored and points allowed) was the fifth highest in school history, exceeded only by the points differentials of the following teams: 1971 (363), 1961 (329), 1923 (229) and 1919 (220).    
     Most importantly, the team was the co-champion of District 3AAA and would represent the school in the playoffs. That made the 1972 team the 9th team in school history to compete in the playoffs. Since Winnfield was defeated by Natchitoches, the Tigers would represent the district in the runner-up slot. That meant they would face a district champion in the first round and that district champion would be the 4th ranked Crowley Gents. Eleven months earlier, Winnfield hoped they would meet Crowley in the playoffs because had that happened the game would have been for the state title and the game would have been played in Stokes-Walker Stadium. Both Winnfield and Crowley made the semifinals in 1971 and both played home games in the semifinals. Crowley lost a close 16-14 game to the South Lafourche Tarpons after upsetting the top-ranked Richwood Rams in the quarterfinals. So, both teams had advanced deep into the playoffs the previous years.    
     Crowley came into the 1972 game with an 8-0-1 record after waltzing through their district with an undefeated record. District wins included victories over Jennings, Deridder, Eunice, Westlake and Washington of Lake Charles. Their only non-win was a 0-0 tie with St. Martinville, the district champs of District-5AAA.     
     The Gents outweighed the Tigers around 15 pounds per man across the line and both backs in their backfield weighed over 200-pounds. Crowley had a strong rushing attack, but they were just as adept at passing the ball. They averaged over 30 pts per game during the regular season. Awaiting the victor of the Winnfield - Crowley game was the winner of the Haughton - Richwood contest. Crowley ended the season ranked behind Richwood (1), Morgan City (2) and Comeaux (3). Right behind Crowley was Natchitoches (5), Redemptorist (6), Lutcher (7) and Winnfield (8).     
     When the Tigers traveled to Acadia parish to take on the Gents, they would do so with injuries to several key players. Quarterback Steve Adams came into the game with a pulled thigh muscle and All-State linebacker Lionel Johnson was hobbled somewhat by a sprained ankle. That injury list would be compounded during the game when starting center Matt Milam went down with a shoulder injury.      
     Winnfield got the first break of the game and it came in the one phase of the game Winnfield had been dominant in the past two seasons - the kicking game; only this time, it wasn’t an impressive punt return that set up the first Tiger score. After holding the ball for the first six minutes of the game, the Tigers were forced to punt after their opening series drive stalled out. The Tigers got off a sky-high kick on the punt, giving the Tiger return unit plenty of time to cover the punt. The only thing the punt return man for Crowley would have seen just before he caught the ball was No. 76 Lionel Johnson breathing down his throat. Just as the return man caught the ball, Johnson leveled him with a brutal tackle, sending the return man one way and the ball the other. Hal Hickey recovered the fumble on the Crowley 26 and the Tiger offense came in and immediately went to work.     
     In two plays the Tigers had a first and goal from the five. On the next play Adams rolled out and scored on a keeper to give the Tigers an early 6-0 lead, which was increased to 7-0 after Rowell converted the extra point.     
     Then the game became a defensive battle throughout the rest of the first half. However, Crowley did put a scare in the Tigers just before half when they got as far as the Tiger 7-yard line, but key defensive plays by the Tiger secondary at that point kept the Gents out of the end zone. The Tigers, in turn, drove all the way down to the Crowley 37 with two and a half minutes to go in the half. From there, Adams hit Hamilton who was all alone at the 10-yard line. After making the catch, Hamilton turned and bolted over the goal line to give the Tigers an apparent two-touchdown lead. Winnfield was flagged for an illegal receiver being down field, however, which brought the ball all the way back to the midfield stripe. The Tigers couldn’t match their earlier scoring feat and ran out the clock trying.     
     The first half had been a defensive demonstration by both teams. Crowley picked off three Winnfield passes and otherwise put a tight web around the Tiger passing game. Winnfield had found some running room, but not enough to keep anything going. Crowley also found that their passing attack was severely restricted by the tight Tiger defense as they completed only one pass in the first half.    
     In the third quarter, the game progressed slowly, with neither team getting anything going against the other’s defense. Then, late in the third quarter Crowley won the field position battle when they began a series at their own 48-yard line. After moving to the Winnfield 32-yard line in a half-dozen plays, Crowley completed a 32-yard scoring toss to move to within one point of the Tigers. Crowley lined up to kick the all-important game-tying extra point, but the snap from center was too low. What a break that turned out to be. The holder had to scramble to field the fumbled snap and in the process he got past the Tiger containment and ran into the end zone for a two-point conversion to give Crowley an 8-7 lead. Sometimes a disaster can turn into good fortune.     
     Winnfield tried to battle back in the fourth quarter but two interceptions and a slew of penalties effectively stopped the Tiger comeback. The Tiger defense gave the team a chance to win in the fourth quarter, not allowing Crowley to get anywhere near the Tiger goal line. But, the Tigers weren’t able to overcome what had been their biggest enemy all season long - turnovers. For the night, Winnfield threw 6 interceptions, the most interceptions ever thrown in a game by a Tiger team. Though the Tigers didn’t fumble the ball once, 100 yards in penalties served to be just as disastrous to the Tiger drives. Winnfield gained 138 yards rushing and 87 yards through the air on a 7 of 34 passing night by Adams. The Tiger defensive played well, but not well enough to overcome the offense’s mistakes. Winnfield held Crowley’s powerful offense to 136 yard rushing and 83 yards passing, allowing only 4 completions in 15 attempts. The Tiger defense intercepted one pass and fell on two fumbles. But, the one fumble the Tigers didn’t recover, the fumbled snap from center on Crowley’s lone extra point attempt proved to be the play of the game.    
     Winnfield finished the season with a 9-2-0 record. Considering the fact that everyone rightfully believed that the 1972 season would be a rebuilding year the degree of difference between the initial expectations and the eventual outcome was as large as has ever been witnessed in Tiger football. Costly mistakes kept the team from being an even bigger success, but a nine-win regular season and a playoff berth would be very acceptable goals for most any season. In the end, someone forgot to tell the 1972 Tigers that it was a rebuilding year.    
     Any time you have a season such as the 1972 season, where the team exceeds everyone’s expectations, it would be easy to assume that the group was a bunch of over achievers. That wasn't the case. There are several explanations for why the 1972 team performed beyond what was initially expected of them. In general, the team would be characterized as a very strong defensive team, one of the strongest in school history, coupled with a better than average offense. Add in one of strongest special teams displays in the history of the program and you have a very good football team.    
     The 1972 season was part of an amazing 30-game stretch of the best display of defensive football ever demonstrated at the schools.  That all began in the fifth game of the 1970 season and lasted until the final game of the 1972 season. In that 30-game stretch, the Tiger defenses shutout 14 opponents and 25 of 30 opponents scored one touchdown or less. The five other teams scored two touchdowns, so no opponents during that stretch put more than 16 points on the scoreboard. All total, the program only gave up 21 touchdowns in those 30 games. The first team defensive units of the 1970 through 1972 season went 24 straight games without giving up a TD through the air. Those defensive units also didn’t give up the big play. Only one of those 21 touchdowns covered more than 20 yards, with more than half (11) coming from 10 yards out or less and 16 of the 21 touchdowns came from 15 yards or less.    
     When the All-District team was announced in 1972 Winnfield led all teams with seven first team selections, followed by six from Natchitoches. James “Shoehorn” Johnson was named the Outstanding Lineman in the district and was also named the Outstanding Defensive Player in the State in Class AAA after also being named to the AAA All-State team. Joining him on the All-State team was Lionel Johnson, who became the first Winnfield football player to repeat as a first team All-State player.      
     Shoehorn Johnson made over 100 tackles from his defensive tackle position, recovered 7 fumbles and even made one interception. Lionel Johnson had equally impressive numbers, recording 146 tackles, recovering six fumbles and getting one interception. That gave Johnson over 300 tackles in his junior and senior seasons alone. If you also add in the unknown number of tackles that Johnson made his sophomore season, he likely had well over 350 career tackles. No player playing before Johnson had come close to that mark and there is only one player who has played after him who recorded over 300 career tackles, that being fellow linebacker Ricky Chatman. Those two would be selected to the all-time Winnfield Tiger football team as selected by a fan poll during the 2000 football season.    
     The leader of the Tiger offense was Steve Adams. He finished his career at Winnfield with the most prolific passing numbers in school history. Records Adams set for single-season or career marks are as follows:                                                                                      
                                                                             Previous                                   End of       
Category                             Amount                       Record                                     Century        
Passing Yds. (Game)          228 (vs. J-H 1971)        221 (Ricky Jordan-1966)         2nd       
Passing Yds. (Season)        1,607 (1971)                1,063 (Gary Green-1967)           2nd       
Passing Yds. (Career)        3,253                           1,671 (Gary Green)                   1st       
TD (Game)                        4                                 3 - by several                             2nd (tied)       
TD Passes (Season)           24 (1971)                    13 (Ricky Jordan-1966)             1st       
TD Passes (Career)           33                               20 (Mike Tinnerello)                2nd       
Pass Attempts (Game)       31 (vs. Crowley ‘72)    24 Ricky Jordan                        2nd       
Pass Attempts (Season)     233 (1971)                   156 (Gary Green-1967)              2nd       
Pass Attempts (Career)     455 (1970-1972)           220 (est.) Ricky Jordan)            1st       
Pass Completions (Game)  14 (vs. J-H 1971)          14 (Jordan-'66, Green-'67)        3rd       
Pass Completions (Season) 113                               78 (Gary Green-1967)             1st     
      Coach Dosher ended his third year at the helm of the Tiger program with a 28-7-0 mark. That tied him with Tommy Bankston for third place on the all-time total win list. His winning percentage was .800, which was the second highest in school history. During his first three years, Coach Dosher’s record in district games was 20-4-0. That was one win shy of Coach Hoss Newman’s record of 21 district wins.

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1973 (Overall - 8-3-0; *District - 6-2-0)  For the fourth straight season the Tiger program experienced a flip-flop in the team makeup coming into the season. The 1969 team was a senior-dominated group, followed by the junior-dominated 1970 team, followed by the senior-dominated 1971 team, which was followed by the junior-dominated 1972 team. It was an odd numbered year, so, as if on schedule, the 1973 team was a team built around a solid group of players in the senior class. In actual numbers, though, the team was fairly evenly distributed throughout the various classes, with 20 of the 59 players on the roster being from the senior class, 19 coming from the junior class and 20 coming from the sophomore class. However, the 20 seniors comprised one of the largest senior groups of all time at the school and those seniors would be expected to carry the load.    
     The seniors on the team had been on teams that had played in 25 games during the previous two seasons. No group of seniors had ever been a part of teams who had played that many games during their sophomore and junior seasons. That was because the seniors of the 1973 team had played on teams that had made two straight playoff appearances. That, in effect, was like playing two and a half seasons. More than any group of seniors in the past, this group knew what it took to make a playoff run. Winning football games and competing in playoff games wasn't something foreign to this group. That was an advantage this group of seniors had over other teams before the season even began. This group of seniors had been a part of two teams that had combined to win 22 football games. Prior to 1971-1972, the highest two-year win total was 19 wins compiled by the 1960 & 1961 football teams. Since the highest three-year win total was 25 wins (1959 to 1961 and 1960 to 1962), all the 1973 team had to do was win four games to be a part of the winningest three-year period in the school's football history. Also, this group could join the seniors of the 1961 and 1968 teams as the only group of seniors to make three straight playoff appearances.    
     The team certainly had the talent to not only win four football games, but also many more. As for individual talent, start with the offense. The offense had to only replace two starters, one at the quarterback slot and the other at the full back slot. Otherwise, there were nine starters and over a dozen returning lettermen that had played offensive football for the Tigers the previous year.     
     The offense would be built around a talented offensive line that returned intact. Included in that group was All-District center Matt Milam, second team All-District guard Hal Hickey and Honorable Mention All-District Tackle Charles Davis. Phil Hoggard returned to man the left guard slot and Paul Harlan had played at both the guard and center slot the season before. At the right tackle slot was Steve Williams, who sustained an injury during the previous season after beginning the season as a starter. All were experienced, all were a close-knit group and maybe most important, all were seniors.    
     Playing outside the interior linemen was a group of football players who had break-away potential.  Glen Anderson, Ronnie Crayton and Mike Lewis all possessed exceptional physical abilities. Anderson was the leading receiver on the team the year before as a sophomore, Crayton had returned two kicks for touchdowns the year before and Lewis, a senior, was the fastest man on the team and one of the fastest players in school history. At the tight end slot was Allen Berlin, a sturdy 6' 3", 190 senior who played the tight end slot with the mentality of a defensive player. Crayton was slated to play the slot-back position and would be joined by Cody Cummings at that position. In the backfield, the Tigers had speedster Mike Lewis at the halfback slot, senior Gary Jones at the fullback position and sophomore halfback, Freddie King, who had been the scoring leader on the 9th grade team the season before. Coach Dosher also had senior Pat Hemphill available for offensive duty if he was needed, but he was projected more as a defensive player. The offense would be guided at quarterback by junior Richmond Gunter, who had been brought up in the "Machen-System" at that position. The known strengths of the offense were the strong offensive line and the capable receiving corp.     
     Where graduation losses hit the Tigers the hardest was on the defensive side of the football, though the team had six returning starters from a defense that was one of the best in school history. Returning at the defensive ends slots were senior Tommy Dowling and junior Al Long. Returning starters at the down linemen positions included Roosevelt Robinson, a junior, who was playing his last year of eligibility, and 260 lb. junior Martin Hutto, who was one of the largest players to ever start for the Tigers.     
      The least experienced group on the defense side was at the linebacker and cornerback slots. The linebackers would include senior Pat Hemphill and junior Buster Davis. Both had played the year before, but not as starters. At the cornerback slot, the team had a group of players who would have to be tested because none of them had started at the position before. Those included senior Mark Shelton and juniors Gary Gresham and Daryl Turner. The secondary would be led by solid senior Charles Oliver, who was one of the best athletes on the team. He would be joined by underclassmen Henry Jones (junior) and Markus Jones (sophomore).     
     Following the 1972 season, it was time to reclassify high schools in Louisiana. Size requirements used for the upcoming school year were based on the number of male students enrolled and included the following breakdowns: AAAA - 400 boys or more, AAA - 200 to 399.5 boys, AA - 100 to 199.5 boys and so on. For the October 1971 and October 1972 periods, WSHS had an average enrollment of 239.5 boys. At the time of reclassification, WSHS had 203 boys. Therefore, Winnfield qualified as a AAA school, but just barely. The trend continued that Winnfield would be among the smallest school in the particular class they played in. That had been the case seemingly every time reclassification rolled around.    
     With reclassification, District 3-AAA would lose three teams. Gone were Natchitoches, who moved up to AAAA; Menard, who moved down to AA; and Oakdale who stayed in AAA but moved to another district. Those teams’ places would be taken in District 3-AAA by Marksville, Bolton and perennial rival Jonesboro-Hodge. As for non-district opponents, Winnfield would replace Webster on the schedule with Ruston and would add Deridder as a non-district opponent. True historians of the program could appreciate that schedule because it gave the program a chance to renew some old rivalries with games against Bolton and Ruston. The schedule also continued the long-time rivalry with Jonesboro-Hodge and it preserved the newer rivalries, such as Jena and Pineville.    
     Of the many goals the team had coming into the season, one was the chance to get the program to the playoffs for the third straight year. That had only been accomplished two other times. The first group to accomplish that was the 1959 to 1961 teams, with the 1966 to 1968 teams being the only other. Obviously two other goals that the team had were to win the district championship and, of course, defeat Jonesboro-Hodge.    
     To those who had followed Winnfield football during the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s, the Tiger's first opponent of the season would be a familiar foe because that opponent was the Ruston Bearcats. The Bearcats were a team that every high school football player from the 1940 season through the early 1960s wanted to defeat because they were one of the premier programs in the state at that point in history. From 1936 to 1959, Winnfield teams did not win a single game against Ruston, despite playing every year. The 1960 team finally broke that drought when they tied Ruston 13-13 and the 1961 team went one step further when they defeated Ruston 21-6. Then, the Tigers lost three straight to Ruston between 1962 and 1964 and the series halted with reclassification. The 1973 game would be a chance for a Tiger group from a different era to have a shot at the Bearcat mystique.    
     Ruston was coming off back to back sub-par seasons, with the 1971 team going 2-8 and the 1972 team going 6-4. The Bearcats also came into the 1973 season with a new head coach in Jack Gray. Winnfield, on the other hand, didn't show much in the opening Jamboree, scoring no points in a 0-0 tie with Jena.    
     If fans came to the opening game of the season looking for offensive fireworks, they walked away disappointed.     
The first half was a battle-royal defensively. All in all, the two teams punted the ball to each other six times apiece in the first half and neither team came close to scoring, making the halftime score 0-0. The two teams got two first downs each in the first half and Ruston never entered Winnfield territory.    
      In the third quarter Ruston took advantage of the only time they had the ball in Winnfield territory all night and that came after the Bearcats recovered a fumble at the Tiger 14-yard line. One play later Ruston scored to make the score 6-0, but the PAT try failed.     
     The Bearcats almost duplicated that feat at the start of the fourth quarter when they recovered another fumble, this on at the Winnfield 15. But, the Tiger defense stuffed Ruston in three downs, prompting Ruston to line up for an apparent field goal attempt. Coach Gray called for a fake and the Bearcats completed their pass on the fake but Winnfield narrowly dodged a bullet when they dropped the Ruston receiver on the 1-yard line.     
     In three plays, Winnfield moved to a first down at the Winnfield 14 yard line. That set up the biggest play of the game with just over four minutes to go in the contest. The situation called for a safe play, but someone forgot to tell Winnfield that. On first down, Gunter took the snap from Milam, dropped back inside the Tiger 10-yard line and lofted a 50-yard pass to a streaking Glen Anderson. When Anderson hauled the pass in, he was past the mid-field stripe, and he out-ran all would-be tacklers the rest of the way. That tied the score at 6-all, giving the Tigers a chance to take the lead with a successful extra point kick. Tiger kicker Bill Rowell already had one year under his belt as the Tiger place kicker. That experience paid off as Rowell sent the ball through the uprights to give the Tigers a 7-6 lead, which held up the rest of the game.      
     Gunter and Anderson's 86-yard connection was the longest pass completion for a touchdown in school history at the time. Ironically, the old record had been a game-deciding play as well, coming on the last play of the Tigers 1955 game against Neville. That play was an 80-yard completion from Dale Reeves to Brooks Broussard. Prior to 1973, there had only been 14 completions for a touchdown that covered 50 or more yards. All but two of those had come since the 1965 season. Anderson himself had been on the receiving end of another of those tosses when he scored on a 77-yard pass completion against Menard the season before. So, at the time, Anderson had caught the longest and fifth longest touchdown passes in school history. He joined Robbie Richards and Wayne Woods as the only players with multiple 50-plus-yard touchdown catches. Each of those had two such receptions. On the throwing end, both Ricky Jordan and Alan Carter had thrown three touchdowns that covered 50 yards or more and Steve Adams had thrown two such passes, with those being the only quarterbacks to be in on multiple passes that covered over half the field.      
     Winnfield only picked up 5 first downs, 109 yards rushing and only 5 more yards through the air other than the 84-yard play. But, all of that was more than Ruston got as the Tiger defense held Ruston to 5 first downs, 80 yards rushing and 9 yards through the air on a 1 of 4 passing night. Ruston didn’t throw any interceptions and only lost one fumble. The two teams combined to punt the ball fifteen times.        
     Winnfield followed that win with a 21-10 decision over non-district foe Deridder. The Tigers jumped to a first quarter lead on a five yard pass from Richmond Gunter to Glen Anderson.  That was Anderson’s seventh touchdown catch of his career, allowing Anderson to move past Alan Carter into fourth place on the career touchdown reception list. Anderson was two TD receptions behind the career marks of Tommy Wyatt (1959) and John Wayne Williams (1970 & 1971). He was six behind Wayne Wood's school record of thirteen, established between 1965 and 1967.     
      Winnfield turned the ball over the next two times they had possession, which resulted in ten Deridder points and enabled Deridder to take a 10-7 lead at the half. However, the Tigers scored 14 unanswered points in the second half to get the win.  The two touchdowns came on the opening possessions of the third and fourth quarters and both were made on short runs by Gunter.    
     Winnfield got its second win of the season, in spite of two interceptions and four fumbles, three of which the Tigers lost. But, the Tiger defense all but insured the victory by allowing only 93 rushing yards and six first downs. Through the air, the Tigers allowed Deridder only one catch out of eleven attempts. That one catch netted a minus 4 yards, tying the school record for fewest single-game passing yards allowed which was set in 1966 against Ferriday.      
     Coach Dosher was uncharacteristically upbeat about the team’s performance. He heaped praises on the offensive line, singling out Berlin, Williams, Hickey, Milam, Hoggard, Davis, Anderson and Harlan. "We looked good," declared Dosher to the Enterprise, "especially in the second half.”        
      The two non-district games proved to be a good tune-up for district play. Every other game the Tigers would play the remainder of the regular season would count toward the district standings. Bolton, Peabody and Winnfield had all jumped out of the gate with undefeated records after two weeks of the season. Bolton looked to be the powerhouse of the district, after scoring 106 points in their first two games and allowing only 19 points. The Bears had moved atop the Class AAA rankings in the sportswriter’s poll.    
     Winnfield traveled to Tioga in week three for the first of three straight road games. Since the game marked the beginning of district play, it took on a little more importance. The game had all the makings of a early season encounter because turnovers and penalties were in abundance. Winnfield marched up and down the field the whole game but only had two scores to show for all of that offense. The contest was a series of "off-side penalties, fumbles and errant passes" as the Enterprise reported.  All of the points in this game came in the first half, first when Tioga capitalized on a fumble recovery by taking a short 42-yard drive in for a score to post a 6-0 lead.  However, that would be the only points Tioga would get for the night and would be the only time the Indians would move into the Winnfield red zone.    
     Winnfield got all of their points in the final four minutes of the first half. The first came when Gunter connected with Anderson for their second long bomb of the season. With the ball at the Winnfield 37, Gunter threw the ball 33 yards to Anderson, who caught the ball in stride at the Tioga 30 and outran a Tioga defender to the goal line to complete the 67-yard play. Rowell’s kick was no good leaving the score knotted at 6-6. The Tigers then shut down Tioga in three plays and got the ball back and moved to the Tioga 10 with a half a minute to go until intermission. Winnfield went nowhere on first down, but the Tigers got on the scoreboard when Freddie King broke through the line on a 10-yard run with just 18 seconds showing on the second quarter clock. Rowell again missed on the extra point try, leaving the score 12-6 when the two teams broke for halftime.  Winnfield made it to the Tioga red zone twice in the second half without scoring, while  Tioga went nowhere offensively.     
     The Tiger defense played their third-straight good game, limiting Tioga to only 5 first downs and 40 yards rushing. Tioga completed two passes for 62 yards. Winnfield gained 187 yards rushing and 84 yards passing, with most of those yards coming on the long Tiger drive to begin the second half.      
     With the win, Winnfield joined Peabody (2-0) and Bolton (1-0) as the only two teams with undefeated records in district play. Every other team had one win and one loss except Jena and Marksville who were looking for their first win after two district losses.     
     The relatively easy early-season schedule continued in the fourth week of the season when Winnfield traveled to Marksville to take on the 1-3-0 Tigers from Avoyelles parish. Two of Marksville's losses had been to district foes, including a 15-0 defeat to Peabody and a 20-12 loss to Jonesboro-Hodge. But, in an interview for the Enterprise, Coach Dosher repeated what he had been saying for the past three seasons, "There are no patsies in 3-AAA, they're all tough."  So, Dosher remained upbeat about his team’s chances but cautioned about over confidence.     
      The contest would be another low-scoring affair and for the third time of the season, Winnfield allowed an opponent to score first, this one coming when Marksville gathered in a first quarter fumble at the Winnfield 20. Marksville scored in two plays, with the touchdown coming on a 15-yard pass into the end zone. The PAT failed and that ended Marksville’s scoring for the night.     
     Winnfield moved up and down the field throughout the first half but never got any closer than the Marksville 20-yard line. As a result, Winnfield was moving the ball but had absolutely nothing to show for it at the half. That left the score 6-0 Marksville when the two teams broke for halftime.      
     The Tigers then erupted for two touchdowns in the third quarter to nail down fourth win of the year, this one coming by a score of 14-6. The first touchdown came at the end of a long drive that was capped by a 3-yard run up the middle by Gunter. Here’s the Enterprise’s account of the series of events that led to Winnfield’s second touchdown: “With fourth and 11 at the 19, Marksville kicked to the Winnfield 48, and Oliver got 1 yard on the return, but the Avoyelles Parish unit was penalized and now stood at their 14. They then kicked again, but Winnfield was penalized for unkind treatment to the kicker, and the ball was moved out to the 30. Henry Jones took the next punt from his 42 to Marksville 30, but Winnfield was penalized back to their 31 for clipping and the stage was set for another long TD drive.”    
     On the drive, Gary Jones accounted for over 50 yards rushing, picking up big chunks of yards after the Tigers got past midfield. Once Jones got the ball to the 3-yard line, it was only a question of who would score. That question was answered when Jones broke through the right side of the line for the score. Rowell added the extra point to up Winnfield’s lead to 14-6 as time expired in the third quarter and closed out all scoring for the night.    
     In the end, Winnfield picked up their fourth win of the season in as many outings, but it wasn’t a thing of beauty. For the night, Winnfield got 250 yards rushing and 20 first downs. Winnfield only completed one pass for 14 yards but they didn’t have to pass much because they were having so much success on the ground. A combination of four fumbles and eight penalties combined with poor execution at key times kept Winnfield from scoring more than what they did. Winnfield only punted the ball once in the game. Winnfield had two running backs go over the 100-yard mark as Darryl Turner ended the night as the leading rusher with 128 yards and Gary Jones added 127 yards.     
     The Tiger defense held Marksville at bay all game long, limiting them to 21 yards rushing and only 46 yards through the air. Marksville only picked up 5 first downs and they couldn’t hold onto the ball either. They fumbled the ball six times during the game.     
      By winning the first four games of the season, the 1973 team added to the string of wins that had been piling up during the past three seasons. From the first game of the 1971 season, through the fourth game of the 1973 season, the program had a record of 26-3-0. That was already one win more than had ever been recorded in any three-year period and there were still at least six games to be played in the 1973 season.     
      With the win Marksville, Winnfield stayed tied with Bolton in first place with no losses in district play. But, right behind those two with only one loss was Jonesboro-Hodge, Winnfield’s next opponent. Jonesboro-Hodge was coming off an impressive win over previously undefeated Peabody in a game in which Jonesboro-Hodge running back Greg Jackson scored five touchdowns. Overall, Jonesboro-Hodge was 2-2-0 for the season, compared to Winnfield's 4-0. When the two teams met for the 44th renewal of the rivalry, Jonesboro-Hodge carried a 24-17-2 lead in the series. But, Winnfield had won two in a row and four of the previous five games.     
     For the third straight game Winnfield would be involved in a game where only three touchdowns were scored. Winnfield scored the first of those and that came on the Tigers opening possession of the night.  After moving to the Jonesboro-Hodge 25, Winnfield got into scoring position when Gunter lofted a pass to Allen Berlin, who won a tug-a-war for the ball at the Jonesboro-Hodge 2-yard line. Gunter scored on the next play and Rowell booted the extra point to give Winnfield a 7-0 lead.     
      Just before the half Jonesboro-Hodge took advantage of good field position from a punt return when they scored on a 30-yard drive to tie the game up at 7-all.  Fullback Greg Jackson caught a pass from 9 yards out for the touchdown.     
      Winnfield recovered two fumbles in the second half inside the  Jonesboro-Hodge 20 but were unable to score on either of those drives. Jonesboro-Hodge also made it inside the Winnfield 20 twice in the second half. Henry Jones got an interception to stop the first scoring threat. However, the next time Jonesboro-Hodge got the ball they were 77 yards away from Winnfield’s end zone, however they covered 72 of those yards on one pass play that went for a touchdown and enabled Jonesboro-Hodge to take a 13-7 lead with only minutes to go in the game.     
     Winnfield got the ball back with only minutes to go in the contest but fumbled the ball over to Jonesboro. Jonesboro-Hodge fell on the ball four straight times and Winnfield took over with time for only a couple of plays that went nowhere.     
      The gut-wrenching loss was hard to take considering Winnfield squandered two scoring opportunities from inside the Jonesboro-Hodge 20-yard line. It took a tough Winnfield defensive effort to keep the game close, as Jonesboro-Hodge also moved into scoring position two other times in the game and came away without points. All in all, it was a defensive battle that was decided like most such games are decided - on one key play. That play was Jackson's 72-yard touchdown catch late in the fourth quarter.     
      The loss dropped Winnfield to 4-1-0 for the season and 2-1 in district play. That dropped Winnfield out of a tie with Bolton for first place in the district race. Sitting with one loss in district competition were Winnfield, Peabody and Jonesboro-Hodge. Week six would be a telling week in the district as Winnfield faced Peabody and Jonesboro-Hodge had to travel to Bolton.    
      Winnfield's hopes of a third-consecutive playoff appearance hinged on their performance during the next fourteen days. After taking on Peabody, Winnfield faced Bolton, the strongest team in the district and, according to the sportswriters, the number one team in the state in Class AAA. The Tigers could ill-afford to lose both of those games, because three losses in district play would likely keep them at home come playoff time. Considering the strength of Bolton, the Peabody game suddenly became a "must-win” game. The Warhorses came into the game reeling from their first loss of the season. Like Winnfield, Peabody opened the season with four straight wins. They too knew that the winner of the Winnfield - Peabody game had an inside track to the playoffs. As usual, they had a stable of athletes who had size and speed.    
     What they didn't have was home field advantage. After playing three straight games on the road, Winnfield returned to Stokes-Walker Stadium for a pair of games against Peabody and Bolton before returning the road again.     
     The game was played on Peabody's end of the field almost the entire first half. Peabody only made two first downs and a handful of yards in the first half, while the Tigers moved into Peabody territory four of the five times they had the ball in the opening two quarters. The first half played out like the whole season had been played - a tight defense front by Winnfield and a Tiger offense that moved the ball well until it got in scoring position.    
      The Tiger defense set up the first Winnfield touchdown in the second quarter when they got their first of four interceptions. Taking over at the Peabody 40, Winnfield scored in short order, with the touchdown coming when Gunter hit Glen Anderson with a 27-yard scoring toss. Rowell booted the extra point to make the score 7-0 with 3:10 left in the second quarter.    
     The ferocious play of the Tiger defense continued on Peabody’s next series when Marcus Jones intercepted a pass at the Peabody 36. Five plays later Turner scored on a run from the five, with the touchdown coming with 19 seconds remaining in the half. Rowell booted the extra point to make the score 14-0, but, it might as well have been 114-0 the way Peabody was playing.     
     In the third quarter, Winnfield moved their margin to 17-0 with a 31-yard Bill Rowell field goal, the first field goal of his career. Though Peabody did get on the board in the final quarter Winnfield answered that score and walked away with a key 24-6 win.     
     The win allowed Winnfield to improve their record to 5-1-0 for the season and 3-1-0 in district play. As such, the Tigers moved into sole possession of second place, with Bolton still holding down the number one slot with a 4-0-0 mark after they defeated Jonesboro-Hodge the same night. Right behind Winnfield were three teams with 3-2-0 records, including Jonesboro-Hodge, Peabody and Tioga.     
     Coach Dosher was upbeat after the win. "We can't say enough about the way the boys performed", said Dosher in a post game interview with The Enterprise. He singled out Hickey for blowing open holes all game long as well as Milam and Leland Wilson, the later who played the game with a broken hand. Turner had one of the best rushing nights in Tiger football history, getting 191 yards on 41 carries. That was the most carries by a Tiger back in school history and the second-highest rushing total, trailing Terry Skains (1969) school record by only 10 yards.      
     Winnfield got a chance to test their ability against the No. 1 team in the state when they took on Bolton for the 1973 Homecoming game. Since the two schools hadn't faced each other since the 1940s, few people appreciated the role that Bolton had played in the history of Winnfield football, as Bolton had been a significant fixture in the early years of the program. The 1973 game would mark the renewal of that old rivalry.  The two programs had met since the 1944 season.  Bolton fourteen of the most recent meetings, making that the longest win streak that an opponent had over Winnfield at the time.  Overall Bolton led the series with an 18-5-1 record.     The game was much more important than just a reestablishment of an old series. The district championship was likely on the line, so for Winnfield the game meant the season. Bolton was seeking that school's first undefeated season and saw Winnfield as one of the biggest stumbling blocks to that record.     
     The Bears had all the ingredients to go a long way in the playoffs. During the first six games of the regular season they had only given up 33 points and only allowed two touchdowns in four district games. But, they didn't just win with defense. They were a high-scoring group, having already piled up 252 points for the season, a 42.0 point-per-game scoring average. They had scored more points than Winnfield and Jonesboro-Hodge had scored combined. The bottom line was that Winnfield was the underdog and it would take an upset to uproot the Bolton Bears.    
     Bolton showed why they were the number one team in the state right off the bat when they took the opening kickoff of the game back 85 yards for the touchdown. Bolton got back on the board two more times in the first half, with the first touchdown coming at the end of a 10 play drive and the second touchdown set up by a punt return to the Winnfield 25 yard line. As a result, Bolton went in at halftime with a 21-0 lead.     
     Nothing much happened in the second half for either team as the two defensive units took over the game. In the end, Winnfield couldn't get on the scoreboard, and though the Tiger defense held Bolton to half of their normal scoring production, Bolton increased their win streak over Winnfield to 16 straight games.      
     Winnfield only managed 113 yards rushing against Bolton and 8 yards passing on a 1 of 7 effort. Coach Dosher had wanted his offense to look like King Kong, but King Kong doesn't get shut out. The shutout loss was only the third time a Tiger team had been shutout in 42 games during the 1970s and only the seventh time the Tigers had been shutout in the past 100 games, a period dating back to the 1965 season.     
     Bolton only completed 2 of 9 passes for 35 yards, but they got 206 yards on the ground. Turnovers, in the form of two lost fumbles, halted two Bolton drives and the Bears picked up 120 yards in penalties. But, the game was won at the line of scrimmage. Winnfield's smaller line couldn't handle the Bolton defensive line like they had others and though Robinson and crew harassed the Bolton backs all game long, Bolton got the yardage when they needed it.     
     While the loss made the Tigers district title hopes something virtually out of the question, the team still had a shot at the playoffs as the district runner-up. Winnfield and three other teams had two losses in district play. Those included Tioga, Peabody and Oakdale. Winnfield had already defeated Tioga and Peabody and had a chance to knock Oakdale out of the running in the upcoming game. So, Winnfield was still in a position where they controlled their own destiny. What they couldn't afford was one more loss in district play.                 
     The same night that Winnfield traveled to Oakdale, Bolton played Peabody. So it was likely that there would only be two teams with two losses following the night’s action. One of those would be the winner of the Winnfield - Oakdale game.     
      Winnfield had been a relatively low-scoring bunch all year. Through seven games the team only scored 85 points, for a scoring average of 12.1 points per game. There had only been two games where the team had scored 20 or more points. In the final three games of the regular season the team would more than double their point total, getting 99 points in those games and scoring over 30 points in each. The first of those opponents would be Oakdale.     
     The Oakdale game certainly didn’t start out like a high scoring affair. The Tigers held only a 7-0 lead at the 5:00 minute mark of the third quarter. That lone touchdown came at the end of a long 13-play, 70-yard drive in the second quarter that was capped by a 4-yard Darryl Turner run. The Tigers had moved up and down the field, but like they had done all season, once they got close to the goal line they couldn’t capitalize.      
     Oakdale didn't find the same success in the first half, picking up only three first downs and ending every possession with either a punt or a turnover. But, at the 5:00 mark of the third quarter the Tigers struck with a vengeance. Two Tiger possessions, sandwiched between a three and out by Oakdale resulted in two touchdowns for Winnfield to extend the Tiger lead to 19-0.     
     Oakdale finally got on the scoreboard, but Winnfield answered with two fourth quarter touchdowns to take a 34-6 win.  King got both of the final two touchdowns on short runs.                  
     Winnfield had their most productive offensive night of the season, getting a season-high 278 yards rushing to go along with 76 yards passing for 354 total yards. The Tigers played ball-control, getting 21 first downs and only punting 3 times. The Tiger defense did their usual good job, limiting Oakdale to 98 yards rushing and 31 yards passing. The secondary allowed only one pass completion in 11 attempts. Oakdale found themselves in punt formation 8 times.     
     As expected, Winnfield (4-2) and Bolton (6-0) won their games, clarifying the district race somewhat. Bolton wrapped up the district crown with their 16-6 win over Peabody and Winnfield beat one of the two other teams who had two losses going into the eighth week of the season. Tioga (4-2) defeated non-district foe Menard to maintain a tie with Winnfield in second place. The Tigers had already defeated Tioga earlier in the season, so Winnfield would get the nod as the district runner-up in the event those two ended the season with identical records. But, a slip up by the Tigers in either of their final two games of the season could keep them at home. Winnfield closed the season with games against Pineville and Jena. Those two were battling to stay out of the race for the last place finish in the district.     
     Winnfield closed out the home portion of their regular season against 4-3-1 Pineville. Against the Rebels, Winnfield didn’t wait until the second half to get going as they took a 31-0 lead into halftime.    
     Charles Oliver set the tone for the first half when he fielded the opening kickoff at the 15 and returned the kick 85 yards for a touchdown. That was just a taste of what was in store for the home crowd in the first half. Oliver's return was the fourth longest in school history at the time, matching one other 85-yarder Oliver had in his career; that one coming his junior year. Winnfield scored two more touchdowns in the first quarter, with both being scored by Darryl Turner.      
     In the second quarter, Rowell added a 25-yard field goal and Gunter hooked up with Glen Anderson for a 33-yard touchdown pass, Anderson’s 10th career touchdown. That pass play came in the final minute of the half and upped the Tiger lead to 31-0.     
     Coach Dosher substituted liberally in the second half, but the scoring didn’t stop. Late in the game  Freddie King scored on a 78 yard run.  King's run was the 9th longest run from scrimmage for a touchdown in school history, tying Randy Poisso who had a run of similar length against Tallulah.    
     On this night of the unusual, it was only fitting that the game would end with fireworks as there would be three more touchdowns scored in the final four minutes – all by Pineville. The first touchdown came on a short drive that was filled with passes. Then the Rebels picked off a halfback pass at midfield and scored in only three plays to move the score to 39-12.    
     Finally, with 1:57 showing on the clock, Pineville executed an on-side kick and scored in three plays to move the score to 39-20 with only 34 seconds remaining in the game. That closed out the scoring, however.     
     The Tigers got 303 rushing yards for the night, which was the most team rushing yards posted in over four years. Pineville’s offense had great difficulty getting past Al Long, Roosevelt Robinson, Gerald King, Buster Davis and Gary Gresham on the ground, getting only 68 total rushing yards. As a result, they had no choice but to fill the air with passes. For the night, the Rebs got 158 yards in a 10 of 24 passing night. Winnfield picked off 3 of those passes and also got three fumbles recoveries to seemingly be in possession all night long.      
     The last game of the season had Tioga pulling for the Jena Giants. That is because Tioga needed the Giants to upset Winnfield in the season finale to have a shot at the playoffs. Tioga played winless Marksville in their district closer so they felt confident about their chances. But, Jena had only won three games all season Tioga was hoping for an upset.      
       Since the 1960 season there had only been one team (1967) that had gone through and entire season without posting at least one shutout. If the 1973 team were going to avoid joining that list they would have to shutout Jena in the final regular season game. What was most ironic about that was the fact that the 1973 defense was a very strong defense, with that phase of the Tiger team clearly being the strongest unit of the team.     
     The Tigers, in fact, got their shutout against Jena and posted three touchdowns themselves to take a 26-0 win. The first half of the Jena game was hardly what Coach Dosher wanted to see in the final game of the regular season. One mistake after another throttled the Tigers, but Jena was just as mistake prone, so neither team could sustain any sort of drive. Finally, on Winnfield’s final two possessions of the first half, the Tigers got going, scoring touchdowns on each to take a 14-0 halftime lead. Gary Jones scored both touchdowns; one on a run of 10 yards and the other on a run of 1 yard.     
     In the first half, Jena had only gained one first down, hadn’t completed a single pass and barely had any positive yards rushing. Once Winnfield cut back on their mistakes, they scored two touchdowns. All the Tigers had to do was play solid football in the second half and a first round playoff appearance awaited them.    
      Winnfield got two more touchdowns in the second half, with Jones getting the first one on a 6-yard run at the six minute mark of the fourth quarter and the other coming after Buster Davis intercepted McCartney at the Giant 43 and returned the ball to the 24. A series of running plays got the ball to the 2 where Gunter scored on a sneak. In the 26-0 win, Winnfield got 224 yards rushing and didn't complete a pass in three attempts. The Tigers only punted the ball twice and picked up 18 first downs.    
     The Tigers ended up holding Larry McCartney to zero pass completions in ten attempts and intercepted two of his passes. Jena only got 26 yards on the ground. At the time, that was the third fewest total yards allowed in a game, behind the 24 yards allowed against Farmerville in the 1955 season and the 25 total yards allowed against Jonesboro-Hodge the season before.     
      Winnfield finished the season with a 8-2-0 record overall and a 6-2-0 record in district play. Bolton finished the season undefeated and Tioga finished with an identical record as Winnfield. The Tigers got the nod as the district runner up and had to travel in the first round of the playoffs to play the champions of District 4-AAA, the Westlake Rams.     
     It was a season of extremes for the Tigers in many ways. During the first six games, the Tigers only scored 85 points and were shutout against Bolton. But, the offense came together in the final three games, scoring 99 points and rushing for over 800 yards. During the season, the offense gained yardage in big chunks at times and scored four touchdowns that covered more than 50 yards. There were other times when the Tiger offense was their own worst enemy, fumbling the ball a school record 28 times and losing 18 of those. But, of late, the Tigers had found a running game and some measure of momentum heading into the playoffs.      The one constant of the season was the play of the defense. Bolton was the only team who managed to rush for over 100 yards against the Tiger defense. One of the most telling statistics of the defensive prowess of the 1973 season was the fact that six opponents got 6 or fewer first downs. That meant that almost nobody sustained a drive of any length against the Tigers.     
     With the playoff berth in hand, the seniors of the 1973 team became only the third group of seniors that had been to the playoffs all three years of their high school playing days, joining the 1961 and 1968 seniors in that feat. But, the team wasn't satisfied with just making the playoffs. Though the 1973 team became the tenth Winnfield team to make the playoffs, after years of simply trying to get to the playoffs, the goal now was to advance in the playoffs, something only two Winnfield teams had ever done, those being the 1968 and 1971 teams.      
     The Tigers seemed to match-up well against the 7-3 Westlake Rams. Both teams had playedDeridder during the season, with Winnfield taking a 21-10 decision and Westlake eking out a 6-point win. Westlake mainly relied on a running game, but the Tigers were particularly strong against the run. Westlake was unranked in Class AAA, despite being the District 4-AAA champions. So, as first round draws go, Winnfield had a good one. The big advantage that Westlake had was not only the home field advantage but also the advantage of playing a team who had to travel over three hours to get to their stadium.    
      Westlake scored on their first possession of the night, and they did it on one of the longest runs by an opponent up to that point in the decade as a Ram misdirection play netted 61 yards and a touchdown.     
     Give the Tigers credit. Two minutes later the Tigers were in the end zone when Darryl Turner capped a drive with a 27 yard run. Rowell’s kick was wide, leaving the Tigers training the Rams 7-6.    
     Mistakes killed the Tigers the remainder of the first half. The first big one came after Winnfield fumbled near midfield, which Westlake recovered. The Tiger defense stuffed Westlake in three plays, but another Tiger mistake kept that drive going when Winnfield picked up a pass interference on fourth down to move to the Winnfield 23-yard line. Two plays later, the Rams scored on a 20-yard pass to gain some breathing room and added the extra point to make the score 14-6 with 4:37 left in the half.     For the rest of the game, Winnfield played the defensive game everyone expected coming into the contest. During the second half, Westlake never made it into Winnfield’s end of the field, so the defense did what they had to do to keep the team in the game.     
     For Winnfield, the second half was a study in frustration. The Tigers took their opening possession of the half inside the Westlake 10 and appeared poised to score the potential game-tying touchdown. But, Turner was stopped at the Westlake 1 on a fourth down play. After that, the Tigers couldn’t get anything going until the final minutes of the game, when the Tigers had the ball and needed to find some way to score to keep the season going. With the ball resting just past the midfield stripe and twenty-one seconds to go in the encounter, Gunter lofted a pass that was on the mark but was dropped at the Westlake 5-yard line. On the next play, he threw again to the end zone, where a Westlake defender out-jumped a Tiger receiver for the ball. Westlake ran out the clock after that and moved onto the quarterfinals by virtue of their 14-6 win over the Tigers.     
      Statistics of the game reveal how close the game was. Westlake led in first down 13 to 12, but trailed in yards rushing 116 to 176. Total yardage was 194 for Westlake, thanks to a 78-yard passing night. Winnfield got 182 yards rushing but only had 6 yards passing. The Rams punted 6 times to 5 Tiger punts and both teams were penalized 8 times. As for turnovers, both teams were intercepted once and Winnfield lost two fumbles, one more than Westlake. Winnfield’s second turnover set up Westlake’s second touchdown.     
     Winnfield ended the season with an 8-3-0 record. That gave the program eight straight winning seasons, dating back to the 1966 season. To show you how far the program had come, there had only been one period between 1929 and 1965 when the school had back-to-back winning seasons, that coming between 1960 and 1962. Otherwise, the only other time the Tiger football program had consecutive winning seasons was during the Stokes-era of the late 1910s and early 1920s, and then between the 1927 & 1928 seasons. But, to really show you how far the program had come, the 8 wins of 1973 improved the Tiger program’s record in the 1970s to 36-8-0. After four seasons, that was already more wins than had been gained in the entire decade of the 1930s (31) and nearly as many wins as was earned during the 1940s (40) or the 1950s (41). Finally, the 8-3-0 mark in 1972 combined with the 13-1-0 record of 1971 and the 9-2-0 record of 1972 gave the program a three-year record of 30-6-0. That was five more wins than had ever been gained during any previous three-year period.    
      When you make the playoffs, you either win the state title or you end the season on a losing note. For some people, that equates to success or failure. But the season was far from an unsuccessful season. On the defensive side of the ball, the year was one of the best in school history. For the regular season, the team only gave up 770 yards rushing. That marked the third season in a row that opponents had failed to gain 1,000 or more yards rushing against the Tigers for the season. To put that in perspective, the fewest rushing yards allowed by a Tiger team for a season prior to the 1970s was the 1,117 yards allowed by the 1961 team. The 1971 and 1972 teams combined total for rushing yards allowed was only 1,078 and the 1973 total was 347 yards below the 1961 total. All three of those teams between 1971 and 1973 exceeded the previous school record for passing yardage allowed as well. That record was set by the 1961 team, who only allowed 560 passing yards. The 1971, 1972 and 1973 were within 50 yards of each other in regular season passing yards allowed, with the 1971 team allowing 431 yards, the 1972 team allowing 432 yards and the 1973 team allowing 462 yards. The 1973 season marked the fourth season in a row that opponents had failed to reach 500 or more passing yards against the Tigers in the regular season. The Tiger defense of 1973 gave up a few more points than did the defenses of recent years, but they still managed to hold opponents to below 100 for the regular season, allowing only 94 total pts.  The decade of the 1970s was the Golden Era for defensive football and the first four teams of the team established team defensive records that stood up the throughout the first one hundred years of Tiger football.    
     The offense gained 2,067 yards rushing to become only the fourth team in school history to rush for over 2,000 yards in a season. The 1961 team led that category with 2,975 yds., followed by the 1969 team (2,194 yds.) and the 1971 team (2,039 yds.). Almost half of that yardage (47%) came in the last four games of the season, which is also when the offense began scoring. The 1973 offense was geared around the running game, as the team only threw 66 passes all season long. That was the fewest number of passes thrown since the 1964 season.     
     The only game the Tigers were clearly out of was the Bolton game and even in that game the Tigers played the No. 1 team in the state close in the second half after going in at halftime trailing 21-0. The Tigers were a single touchdown away from their opponent in their only other two losses of the season and in both of those the offense only managed one touchdown. The lack of an offense at the most critical times had been the downfall of the last three Tiger teams. The 1971 team was shutout in the state final game, after scoring a school record 468 points. The 1972 team only had two losses. In the first of those losses, which was to Natchitoches, the Tigers needed one touchdown to at least tie the game and needed only two more points in their first round playoff loss to move forward in the playoffs Westlake. The 1973 team's playoff hopes came to an end when they ran up and down the field against but could only manage one touchdown.     
     Coach Dosher improved his record at Winnfield to 36-10-0. That moved him into third place on the all-time win list and made his winning percentage .782, which was the highest winning percentage of any coach that had served two or more years. He passed Hoss Newman (21) for most wins in district games, ending the season with 25 total district wins in his career at Winnfield.                                                    

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1974 (Overall - 6-4-0; *District - 3-4-0)  Teams come and go, but “the program” remains. When the 1957 team became the first team to earn a playoff spot, and the 1959 through 1961 teams followed that up with consecutive playoff appearances, the level of expectation changed forever in the Tiger football program. Prior to that time, a “good” season typically meant a season where the team won more games than they lost. But, the program had developed to a point to where “just winning” was no longer acceptable. The late 1950s-early 1960s success, followed by Coach Tommy Bankston’s gospel-like “preaching” of championship-quality football, culminating with the 1971 team’s progression to the state title game raised the bar far higher than it had ever been. Winning district titles, advancing in the playoffs and competing for the state title became the measures of success. Once the program began winning district titles and winning games in the 1966 season, the program kept on winning. Coming into the 1974 season, the program was riding a streak of eight straight winning seasons and had made playoff appearances in six of previous eight years, including three straight appearances, So, as the 1974 football season rolled around, the football program at Winnfield Senior High School was on solid ground.    
     All of that is to say that with the growth and evolution of a winning program comes higher expectations and thus expectations for higher and higher levels of performance. Winning seasons became a minimum expectation, competing for the district championship became the norm and advancing in the playoffs became the real challenge.     
     Coming into the 1974 season, it appeared that the chances of accomplishing any of those goals  would be a tall order. For starters, the program was hit hard by graduation losses from the season before as 22 seniors were lost to graduation. In addition, three lettermen moved out of town, which further decimated the corp of experienced players the Tigers had. Seventeen players from the 1973 team had been selected to the All-District squad and a dozen of those were seniors. Three players had been selected to the All-State team and they were gone. To top all of that off, the 1974 team simply didn’t have a lot of numbers in the senior and junior classes. Whereas the 1973 team had 22 players from the senior class, the 1974 had just over that number (26) in both the senior and junior classes. If 1974 were going to be a winning year of any sort, it would take almost total dedication by players and a supreme coaching job.    
     There were indications that several teams on Winnfield’s schedule had improved from the season before after preseason scrimmages and jamborees finished. But, Winnfield did little to impress anybody during that same time period, especially after coming away from the Winnfield Quarterback Club Jamboree with a 0-0 tie against Jena.     
     Coach Dosher was a “play-‘em-one-game-at-a-time” type of coach, so he didn’t openly fret too much about the formidable task that the 1974 team seemed to face. On the other hand, in an interview for The Enterprise he flat-out said, “This is a rebuilding year for us. I’m not saying we’re not going to win some ball games, but it will be a little harder this year than last year.” That all seemed reasonable, but Coach Dosher had talked about a rebuilding year prior to the 1972 season, the year the team went 9-2-0 and were the co-champions of District 3-AAA. Tiger fans knew by now that when Coach Dosher expressed concerns about an opponent or a season as a whole, they had to take that with a grain of salt.    
     The squad had ten returning lettermen to build a team around. Most of that experience was evident on the defensive side of the ball where the team had seven starters that had a season of playing time under their belt. That defense would be built around senior lettermen Mike Kelly and Buster Davis at linebacker, and an all-senior line of Martin Hutto, Gerald King and Mike Shows. The coaching staff moved Richmond Gunter, the team’s quarterback the season before, to the defensive side of the ball for his senior season where he would man the defensive end position. He would be joined by fellow senior Philip Whitehead on the other side of the line. One of the most experienced players of the defense, though, was two-year letterman Henry Jones. He would play the important safety position. Aside from those seniors, the team had juniors Tommy Chatman and sophomore Bruce Shephard to play in the line and would depend on a pair of juniors in Danny Parker and Randy Brewton to round out the defensive backfield.    
     The offense would be a lot younger than the defense. Taking over the quarterbacking duties wassophomore Lyn Bankston. He was the son of former head coach Tommy Bankston and was cut out of the same cloth that his father was - which is to say that he was a competitor. The Winnfield football program hadn’t had many individuals that had started at quarterback as a sophomore, but the most recent ones who had were among the best the program had ever produced. That short list included Mike Tinnerello (1959), Alan Carter (1969) and Steve Adams (1970). To start at any position as a sophomore takes talent. That was especially true at the quarterback slot.     
     Joining Bankston in the backfield would be only one senior, Darryl Turner. Turner was the leading rusher from the season before and he was quite capable of either breaking a long one or carrying the ball 20 or 30 times a game. The rest of the backfield would be underclassmen but they were all very talented. Two were returning lettermen in juniors Marcus Jones and Freddie King and the other was talented sophomore Nathan Johnson. At the end position, Coach Dosher had a pair of juniors in Mike Kimble and Keith King, as well as senior Randy Hemperly    
     The interior line was a mixture of experienced seniors and untested underclassmen. But, there was no hiding the fact that every starting lineman from the season before was no longer available. So, the biggest question mark on the whole team was the offensive line. Coach Dosher had two lettermen he would use in the offensive line; those being seniors Gerald King at guard and Martin Hutto at tackle. Other seniors available in the offensive line were center Keith Elliot and tackle Howard Wilson. The other guard position would have to be filled by underclassmen and Coach Dosher planned on using either junior Buford Jordan or sophomore Oberal Merchant                        
     Winnfield opened the season on the road against the Ruston Bearcats. The last time the Tiger football program played in James Stadium was the 1961 season. Winnfield won that game 21-6, but that was the only game Winnfield won on Ruston’s home field in twelve meetings between 1937 and 1959. So, James Field specifically, and the Ruston program in general were well respected by Tiger football followers who had seen Ruston dominate the series in the 1940s and 1950s.             
     Ruston had a huge size advantage in the interior line and as predicted, the game was won at the line of scrimmage. What wasn’t expected was that it would be Winnfield who would control the line of scrimmage. Ruston was frustrated all night long, making only 5 first downs and 76 total yards. No one expected a record performance by Winnfield but they almost got one, as the Tiger defense forced Ruston to punt 9 times, one short of the school record. In the end, Winnfield scored once in the opening quarter and again in the third quarter to walk away with a 14-0 win. Aside from a rock-solid defensive front, a large measure of credit was due to the Tiger defensive secondary that held Ruston to only 2 pass completions in 12 attempts for 15 yards. Winnfield picked off 4 Bearcats passes, with Henry Jones getting three of those in one of the best nights a Winnfield secondary man ever had up to that point.  Scoring for Winnfield were Freddie King from 34 yards out and Turner on a 1-yard plunge.     
     The Tiger offense was surprisingly effective against Ruston, getting 191 yards rushing. Young Bankston only attempted 5 passes and he completed 2 of those. Winnfield had one other touchdown taken off the board after Henry Jones returned a punt 90 yards for a touchdown, only to have the run nullified by a clipping penalty. But, the showing of the whole team in the opening game was impressive enough, especially since Ruston never made it inside the Winnfield 20-yard line. The pollsters didn't think it was a rebuilding year in Winnfield when they made the Tigers the sixth best team in Class AAA when the first poll of the year was released.   
     The next week the Tigers took on Deridder and their Veer offense that had produced a 28-6 win in week one.  However, against Winnfield the Deridder Veer never got untracked. The only time Deridder came near the Tiger goal line was late in the third quarter when they moved to the Winnfield 7.  However, Martin Hutto fell on a fumble at that point and Deridder never threatened to score again. So, the Tigers could have won the game with the late first quarter touchdown they scored or the safety they got in the second quarter. Likewise, they could have won with just the 4-yard touchdown run by Freddie King to make the score 14-0 with 4:39 to go in the game. However, the most dramatic play of the game came in the closing minutes of the game when the Tigers were really only focused on running the clock out. The Tigers got the ball back at the Tiger 18-yard line following a punt. On the first play from there, one sophomore (Lyn Bankston) handed off to another (Nathan Johnson) and the result was one of the longest runs in school history. Johnson burst through the line and quickly got into the Deridder secondary. After that, it was a foot race, but Johnson opened the gap between himself and his nearest pursuer as he sprinted 82 yards for a touchdown to make the score 20-0 with just over two minutes to go in the game. The run tied Johnson with Thomas Straughan (1951) for the fourth longest scoring run from scrimmage in school history. Only Ronnie Parker (1961) and Dan Carr (1948), who ran for 85-yard touchdowns, and John Glyn Jackson (1943), who had a 97-yarder, had runs that covered more distance.    
     Winnfield won their second game of the year following the same formula they had used in the opening game: good defense and a good enough offense. Deridder got 121 yards rushing and 66 yards passing, but they had trouble holding on to the ball, losing three fumbles and 1 interception. The Tigers managed 235 yards rushing, but over one-third of that came on Johnson’s long run. Basically, it was a defensive struggle, with both teams punting six times and the two combining for twenty first downs. What defensive coordinator Jerry Bamburg liked the most was that his defense had played eight quarters and not been scored on yet.     Winnfield moved to the No. 5 spot in the AAA polls with their impressive win over Deridder, however, there were two other 3-AAA teams ranked even higher. Like the season before, the Bolton Bears were putting together another outstanding regular season and were the No. 1 ranked team in the AAA. Pineville, after two solid wins to open the season, was the fourth-ranked AAA team. That marked the first time Winnfield had been part of a district in which three teams were ranked in the Top Five.    
      The Tigers began district play in week three against the winless Tioga Indians. Tioga had only scored 14 points all season and in two outings Tioga had given up 60 points, so Coach Dosher was looking for some scoring from his offense. Going into the game, Dosher stated, "Our offense is getting more balanced each week, but I'm looking for them to bust it wide open. We're due for some big scoring."  On the other side of the ball, what more can you ask from a defense that had yet to yield a touchdown.    
     As if he had ordered just what he wanted out of a catalog, Coach Dosher got everything he wanted in the Tioga game, including two record-breaking performances. The defense extended their scoreless streak to twelve straight quarters as they pitched their third shutout of the season. But, it was a night for offense and a passing performance never before seen in Tiger football game. Prior to the Tioga game of 1974, there had only been six football games played in which a Tiger quarterback tossed more than two-touchdown passes. The first player to accomplish that feat was Ray Jenkins, who threw three touchdown passes against Oakdale in 1936. It would be 30 years before that feat was duplicated when Ricky Jordan also tossed three touchdown passes against Jena in their rematch game of the 1966 season. Steve Adams tied those two and he did it three times during the 1971 season, passing for three touchdowns against Webster, Pineville and Jena. Then, he claimed the single-game touchdown passing mark the following year when he passed for four touchdowns against Leesville. Lyn Bankston vaulted to the head of that list against Tioga by throwing six scoring passes as Winnfield routed Tioga 42-0.    
     Bankston got his first touchdown midway through the first quarter after Buster Davis blocked a Tioga punt and Winnfield recovered it at the Indian 22. Bankston’s toss came on the first play after that when he hit Freddie King coming out of the backfield. Bankston's extra point attempt was blocked leaving the score 6-0.    
     Two series later, Henry Jones got the ball back for Winnfield on an interception, which he returned to the Tioga 45. Bankston came in and again completed a touchdown pass on first down, this one going to Nathan Johnson coming out of the backfield. The try for the extra point was no good, but Winnfield had clearly taken over control of the football game.     
     That was only highlighted on the next series of plays. Winnfield nailed the Tioga return man on the 2-yard line on the ensuing kickoff. After Tioga was penalized on first down, Mike Shows and Buster Davis combined to drop the Tioga ball carrier in the end zone for a safety, making the score 14-0.    
     Winnfield got on the board one more time in the first half. The Tigers put together a time-consuming, 13-play drive that took up the bulk of the second quarter. With 3:34 remaining in the half, Bankston completed the drive by hitting Henry Jones with a 16-yard scoring toss and added the extra point to give the Tigers a 21-0 cushion at the half. That gave Bankston three touchdown passes for the half.    
     In the second half, the Tigers scored three of the six times they had the ball. The first score came at the end of another time-consuming drive in the third quarter when Bankston hit King with a 15-yard scoring pass. King was also on the receiving end of the final touchdown of the night, this one covering 11 yards. Sandwiched in between was a 42-yard pass from Bankston to Mike Kimble at the beginning of the fourth quarter.    
     Freddie King joined David Harper (1936 vs. Oakdale), John Wayne Williams (1971 vs. Jena) and Glen Anderson (1972 vs. Leesville) as the only players to catch three touchdown passes in a game. But, young Bankston showed no signs of sophomore inexperience in completing 13 of 27 passes for 207 yards and six touchdowns. His attempts and completion totals were among the highest in school history as well, with his completion total being one short of the school record and the total passing yards being the third most ever thrown.    
     The Tiger defense held their third opponent of the year to under 100 yards rushing, allowing only 84 rushing yards and 80 passing yards. The opportunistic defense jumped on four fumbles and intercepted one pass in doing their share in a game where it would have been impossible to single out any one player. But, on a night when the stars were in alignment for Winnfield football, Lyn Bankston had one of the most incredible nights ever seen on the Tiger gridiron. The icing on the cake was that it all happened in Stokes-Walker Stadium.    
     The Tigers battled Marksville in a 14-6 win in the fourth game of the season. Winnfield took at 7-0 lead at the half on a first quarter touchdown by Freddie King.  Then Marksville made it close in the third quarter when put together a sustained drive to narrow the gap to 7-6, however the Winnfield secondary broke up a try for two points, leaving the score 7-6, with just over half of the third quarter to go.    
     The Marksville offense got going again at the beginning of the fourth quarter. Marksville moved to a first and goal at the Winnfield 3, but the Winnfield defense held strong from there and eventually took the ball over when Richmond Gunter fell on a fumble. Winnfield responded by putting together a drive that ate time off of the clock and resulted in a 20-yard scoring toss from Bankston to Mike Kimble. The touchdown came with thirty-five seconds remaining in the game, giving Winnfield a hard-fought 14-6 win.                                                                    
     The win moved the Tiger's record to 4-0-0 overall and 2-0-0 in district play. Both Pineville and Bolton moved to 4-0 for the season the same night and Pineville maintained a half-game lead in district play by virtue of their 3-0-0 record. As impressive as Winnfield had been up to that point in the season, both Bolton and Pineville had been equally outstanding. Through four games, Winnfield had outscored the opposition 90-6. Pineville was seven points better than that, outscoring their opponents 97-6. But Bolton had put up even more impressive numbers as they had scored 135 points through four games, while allowing only 20 points.    
     The season before, Winnfield came into the fifth game of the year with a 4-0-0 record and, in fact, the Tiger program had gone 16-0-0 in the first four games of the 1971 through 1974 seasons. Like the season before, Winnfield was ranked No. 4 in the Class AAA polls. To say that District 3-AAA was competitive would have been an understatement. Bolton still held down the No. 1 slot and Pineville was No. 3.     
     After playing a "too close for comfort" game against Marksville, Winnfield had a breather against Jonesboro-Hodge in week five. Winnfield shutout Jonesboro in the first half and scored one touchdown, but the Tigers put the game out of reach in the third quarter. Winnfield scored on their opening possession of the second half, forced Jonesboro-Hodge into a three and out and then took possession at their own 14-yard line. On the first play of the drive, King ran off-tackle, broke into the clear and left everyone behind for an 86-yard touchdown run. Bankston added his third straight extra point to make the score 21-0.     
     Then, on the first play following the ensuing kickoff, Richmond Gunter picked off a Jonesboro-Hodge pass at the 24-yard line and strolled into the end zone, giving the Tigers three touchdowns in a four-minute span.     
     The rest of the game was pretty much scrimmage work, as the Tiger defense completely shut down Jonesboro-Hodge and Winnfield got two more scores. The first came with 9:24 remaining in the game when Bankston hit Kimble with an 8-yard pass for a touchdown. The second touchdown came on a straight-up-the-middle, 65-yard punt return by Nathan Johnson. Bankston's touchdown pass to Kimble gave him 8 touchdown tosses for the year, which was already the fourth highest single-season mark in school history, behind Mike Tinnerello (12 in 1959), Ricky Jordan (13 in 1966) and Steve Adams (24 in 1971). Since Tinnerello was a sophomore at the time, he also held the sophomore TD passing record, while Bankston’s eight TD passes were the second most ever thrown by a sophomore quarterback.     
     Jonesboro-Hodge avoided a shutout when they recovered a fumble against the Winnfield second unit and returned it 88 yards for a touchdown with only 00:58 remaining on the clock. That made the score 41-6, a win assistant Coach Bamburgh called "our best effort of the year, both offensively and defensively.”  Bamburg had good reason to be happy. His defense limited Jonesboro-Hodge to only 3 first downs and 45 total yards. Jonesboro-Hodge got 43 yards on the ground and only 2 yards in the air on a 4 of 14 passing night. It's hard to make yardage when you don't have the ball. The Tiger defense recovered three fumbles and had two interceptions. But, the biggest reason Jonesboro-Hodge didn't have the ball was because the Tigers offense played ball-control all night long. Jonesboro-Hodge only ran 38 plays compared to Winnfield's 55. In doing so, Winnfield ground out 275 yards rushing and added 66 yards in the air.     
     Excuse Coach Dosher for feeling somewhat content, though he never was completely comfortable at any point during any season. Though he had a team who began the season with question marks, he had a team riding the crest of a five-game win streak, a team vying for a district title and a team who carried a top five ranking. The 1974 team became only the fourth team in the 66-year history of the school to open the season with five wins, joining the 1919, 1961 and 1971 teams in accomplishing that feat. In a season labeled a "rebuilding year" at the start of the season, the 1974 team's contribution to nine-straight winning season seemed to be a lock, a playoff appearance seemed within grasp and a district championship seemed like a possibility. All the Tigers needed to do was keep playing like they had been.     
     The second half of the season would prove that in football, like in life, you should never take anything for granted. After all, Winnfield did have five district games remaining and four of those games would be against the two teams the Tigers were tied with in first place, as well as the fourth place team (Oakdale) and fifth place team (Peabody). Winnfield would play each of those in consecutive weeks before ending the regular season against currently winless Jena. What made the remaining schedule even tougher was that Winnfield would face Peabody, Bolton and Pineville on the road, with the only games remaining in Stokes-Walker being the Oakdale and Jena games.     
      Peabody would be the first of the four district hurdles the Tigers had to clear. The Warhorses were 3-2-0 for the season and 2-2-0 in district play. On paper, Winnfield appeared to have the edge. Games aren’t played on paper.    
     The game was a defensive battle from start to finish. Winnfield got on the board in the first quarter after recovering a Peabody fumble at the Warhorse 24 yard line. The Tigers found the going tough, however they were able to get outside of Peabody on a pitch from Bankston to Freddie King from 1 yard out. Bankston added the extra point to give Winnfield 7-0 lead.    
     In the second quarter Peabody separated Nathan Johnson from the football and recovered the fumble at the Winnfield 7-yard line. The Tiger defense held strong for three downs, but on fourth down, Peabody attacked the middle of the Tiger defense and were successful in getting in the end zone. Though it was early in the game, Peabody faked the extra point kick and were successful on a two point conversion to take an 8-7 lead.    
     That would be the only points Peabody would score in spite of the fact that they ran four plays inside the Winnfield 5 yard line on one possession of the second half.  Meanwhile, Winnfield never moved inside the red zone until the final minute of the game. Winnfield began their final possession of the night  at mid-field with 1:28 left in the game trailing 8-7. Peabody dropped five back to protect against the pass and it backfired on them. In five plays, the Tigers moved to a first down at the Peabody 12-yard line, with just enough time to run one more play. On the final play of the game, the outcome of the contest hinged on the running ability of Nathan Johnson. Though Johnson picked up 7 yards on the carry, Peabody dropped him at the 5 as time ran out.     
     It was a hard loss to take for many reasons. First off it  was the first loss of the season and the loss appeared to significantly damage Winnfield’s hopes of a district title. Second, it was a game the Tigers felt they could have won. Winnfield led Peabody in virtually every statistical category. Both teams ran 41 rushing plays, but Winnfield made the most of their possessions. Winnfield had 161 total yards to Peabody’s 98.      
     In a decade known for the best defensive units in the history of the program, the most impressive display of defensive came in the 50-game period that began with the third game of the 1970 season and stretched to the sixth game of the 1974 season, the Peabody game. During that 50-game stretch, the Tiger football program went 40-10-0. In all ten of those losses the Tigers scored one touchdown or less and likewise in five of those ten losses the Tiger defenses held the opposition to one touchdown or less. It’s not like quality defensive play was the only thing witnessed by Tiger fans during that particular 50-game stretch. The highest scoring offensive unit (1971) in school history up to that point was fielded during that period. There were recording-breaking offensive accomplishments during that stretch, including the longest pass reception for a touchdown, the most single-season passing yards and the most points scored in a game in modern times, just to name a few. Likewise, the 1971 and 1972 season’s fielded the most potent kick return teams ever put together at the school. But, the one constant was the play of the Tiger defensive units fielded from the 1970 season through the 1974 season. There was one other constant: all of those units were guided by one person – Jerry Bamburg.    
     The numbers are staggering. The primary goal of any defense is to keep the opposition from scoring. During that 50-game stretch Winnfield only gave up 45 touchdowns, for an average of less than one touchdown per game. Only one opponent scored as many as four touchdowns in a single game during that stretch (Jena, 1972) and only three other opponents scored more than two touchdowns in a single game (Tioga, 1970; Bolton, 1973 and Pineville, 1973). Turn that around and you can say that Winnfield held 46 of those 50 opponents to two touchdowns or less. Winnfield didn’t have to get into too many scoring battles during this period. Eighteen teams were shutout, with an additional nineteen teams held to one touchdown. That means that 37 teams (74%) of the teams Winnfield played during that period were held to one touchdown or less. That took a lot of pressure off of the Tiger offenses to score.      
     One thing that occurred time and time again during this period is the number of times the Tiger defense gave the ball to the respective Winnfield offensive units in excellent field position. Takeaways gained on the opponents side of the field or series that begin at mid field or further makes for much less work by an offense.  That is what the defensive units of the early and mid 1970s did for Winnfield football.     
     To keep a team from scoring, a defense has two simple, basic missions – keep the opposition from running or passing. Most any offensive coordinator will tell you that they need to gain at least 200 yards rushing for a game, and if they have any kind of passing attack at all, a 100 yard outing would be something to shoot for. During the 50-game stretch beginning with the third game of the 1970 season and extending to the sixth game of the 1974 season, Tiger offensive units gained either 200 yards rushing or 100 yards passing in 33 of 50 games. By comparison, Winnfield’s opponents only cracked the 200-yard rushing barrier five times during that period and only passed for 100 or more yards five times. Even if you use more conservative numbers, the results are just as impressive. During the same 50-game period, Tiger defensive units held the opposition to under 100 yards rushing 31 times (62%) and under 50 yards passing 33 times (66%).  In over half of the games in that 50-game stretch, the Tiger opposition failed to reach 100 total yards, as 26 of 50 teams failed to reach the century mark for total yards.      Collectively, in those fifty games the opposition rushed for 3,271 yards and passed for 1,691. If that sounds like large numbers, consider that this total represents an average of 65.4 yards rushing per game and 33.8 yards passing per game. That is an average of only 99.2 total yards per game. Any defensive coordinator in the country will accept that average.     
      Where the Tigers were stingiest on defense was in the passing game. The lowest regular season totals ever amassed in the program came during this stretch, as the 1970 team set the standard for fewest passing yards allowed (413 yds.), a record which still stands today. It wasn’t until the 2001 team held the opposition to under 500 yards passing that the teams from the early 1970s held the first four spots for fewest passing yards allowed. As it stands, there have been only six teams in modern times that have held the opposition to under 500 yards passing during the regular season. In rank order, those include:                                                  
Fewest Regular Season Passing Yards Allowed                                                                   
Year           Total
1970                    413
2001          417
1971          431
1972          440
1973          472
1968                      493      
     Winnfield’s opponents attempted 626 passes during that 50-game stretch and only competed 195 (31%) of those. Tiger defenders picked off 74 of those passes. Only five of the 45 touchdowns allowed came through the air and Tiger reserve players allowed three of those.     
     But, it’s not like opposing teams had much more success on the ground. Five opponents were held to negative rushing yards and an additional twenty-nine teams failed to gain 100 yards rushing – a figure typically seen as a good rushing night for a single back. So, over two-thirds (68%) of the Tiger opponents during this particular 50-game stretch failed to cover the length of the field on the ground for all of their carries in the game.      
      That kind of defense would be needed as the 1974 team headed into the final four games of the regular season. That wouldn’t happen because almost inexplicably the yardage came in chunks and even more staggering than that, the points came in totals unheard on in the Bamburg-era. In short, the wheels were about to come off the 1974 season.     
      Winnfield hopes of regrouping after the disappointing Peabody loss couldn’t have come against a tougher team. In week six, the Tigers traveled to Alexandria to take on Bolton, the No. 1 team in District 3-AAA and the No. 1 team in the Class AAA rankings. The Bears were, by far, the strongest team the Tigers had faced all year. Simply put, Bolton had no weaknesses. They had a strong passing game, complete with three receivers who were game-breakers. But, Bolton led the district in rushing and had the leading scorer and rusher in the district. All of that was made possible by an offensive line who averaged over 200-pounds per man. Bolton had scored more points than anyone in the district (208).    
     If possible, Bolton was even stronger on defense. The Bear’s first team defense had yet to yield a point all season long, and the second team had only given up four touchdowns. Bolton beat people by frustrating them with their defense and then ringing up the points with their offense. They had fresh bodies on the field most of the time because they only had one player who played both ways.     
     Winnfield came into the game a little banged up, with the most noticeable loss being running back Daryl Turner. Only four seasons earlier, four teams tied for the District 3-AAA title with two losses. Since then, every champion had either gone through the season with an undefeated record or only had one loss. Since the creation of District 3-AAA in 1970, no team had made it to the playoffs with more than two losses. In 1974, it appeared that Pineville and Bolton would battle it out for the district crown as both teams headed into the home stretch with no district losses. Winnfield's loss to Peabody meant that the Tigers would likely have to beat both of those teams if they were to have any shot at the district title and at beat at least one of those if they were to earn a spot in the playoffs. And, of course, the Tigers would have to win every other game as well.     
     Coming into the Bolton game, Winnfield had only been shutout in three games during the 1970s. That was 3 games out of 52 that had been played. The Bolton game made it 4 out of 53 as the Bears rolled to a 28-0 win over the Tigers. That was the most points a Winnfield team had given up since the 1969 season.     Bolton had the type of team that had Winnfield played them five times, they still wouldn’t have beaten them any of those. It was Bolton’s year in District 3-AAA and almost Bolton’s year in Class AAA as the Bears went on to take the district crown with a 10-0-0 regular season. After that, Bolton won three straight playoff games and traveled to Monroe to take on the Richwood Rams at their home stadium for the AAA state title. Richwood had been a fixture in Louisiana high school football during the 1970s. They regularly put together one of the best teams in the state during the regular season, only to lose out early in the playoffs. The Rams finally got their first state title in 1974 when they defeated Bolton 28-8.    
     Bolton defeated Winnfield with a solid ground game that piled up 258 yards rushing, the most rushing yards allowed by a Tiger defense in the 1970s. The Bears nearly cracked the 100-yard mark through the air as well, posting 91 passing yards to give Bolton 349 total contrast. In contrast, only two of the Tigers six playoff opponents during the 1970s had managed to gain over two-hundred total yards; those being Hahnville in 1971 (212 yds.) and Crowley in 1972 (219 yds.).     
     The loss dropped Winnfield to 5-2-0 overall and 3-2-0 in district. Bolton and Pineville remained on top of the district with 5-0 record. Tied with Winnfield in third place was Peabody (3-2-0) and right behind was Oakdale with a 2-3-0 record.      
     The tail spin ending to the season continued the next week when Oakdale took a 22-20 win and like the Peabody game earlier in the season this was one of those losses that tends to stay with you.  Oakdale took a 16-0 lead in the first half and some teams would have rolled over at that point.  Not the 1974 Winnfield Tigers. Winnfield took control of the game in the third quarter when they pounded on a fumble 45 yards away from pay dirt on Oakdale’s first possession of the half. Seven plays later, Nathan Johnson got the Tigers on the scoreboard with a 3-yard run. Lyn Bankston booted the extra point to make the score 16-7 with just over eight minutes to go in the third quarter. The comeback had begun.   
      The next time the Tigers had the ball the Tiger offense went right back to work. Nathan Johnson got 17 yards in three straight carries to give the Tigers a first down at the Winnfield 40. The Tigers went for it all on first down and they got it when Bankston hit Mike Kimble 40 yards down the field, after which Kimble strolled into the end zone from 20 yards out. Bankston added the extra point to make the score 16-14 with 2:14 remaining in the third quarter.     
      The next time Winnfield had the ball they were driving for the go-ahead touchdown when Bankston was intercepted at the Oakdale 28-yard line. The Oakdale defender returned the ball to the Winnfield 40 and Oakdale moved that distance in nine plays to extend their lead to 22-14 with 6:09 remaining in the game. Winnfield still had a chance to tie the game with a touchdown and a two-point conversion and the Tigers still had fight in them.     
      Bankston directed the Tigers on a 62-yard, seven-play drive, culminated by a 34-yard Bankston to Kimble pass for the score. With the scoreboard reading 22-20 and 3:39 remaining in the game, the Tigers obviously went for two. Bankston rolled out, and under a heavy rush, threw the ball into the end zone, but the pass fell incomplete. The game wasn’t over with yet, though.    
      An inspired Tiger defense came in and shut down Oakdale in three plays, forcing a punt with just over two minutes to go in the game. Winnfield only got to the Tiger 12-yard line on the return and were pushed back even further when they were flagged for a clipping penalty. With the ball resting on the Winnfield 2-yard line, Winnfield got to their own 16 in two plays, setting up one of the most thrilling plays of the season. With the clock showing just under a minute to go in the game and the Tigers trailing by two, Bankston found Mike Kimble all alone on the sidelines and hit him with a pass. Kimble appeared to be headed for a touchdown as he easily got past mid-field and neared the Oakdale goal line. But, Oakdale’s safetyman had an angle on Kimble and brought him down just short of the goal line at the Warrior 3. Winnfield had forty five seconds to get the 3 yards they needed to win the game. On first down, the Tigers tried the same play they had scored their first touchdown on, sending Darrell Turner straight ahead on the wham play. But, Turner was rocked at the line of scrimmage and he fumbled, which Oakdale recovered at the 1-yard line. Oakdale ran out the clock and walked away with the win.    
      If the Tigers psyche wasn't shattered coming into the game, it certainly was now. Like the Peabody game, Winnfield came away from the Oakdale game thinking they could have won this one. It was a game of ifs and buts. The 5-0-0 start and No. 4 ranking seemed like 100-years ago. After losing three straight and facing the powerful Pineville Rebels, there was an air of disgust in the Tiger camp.    
      Heading into the next to last week of the season, both Pineville and Bolton were tied for first place in the district, with the two scheduled to meet the final week of the season. Though many Tiger fans hoped that Pineville would be looking ahead to Bolton, those who knew football knew that Pineville would not be overlooking Winnfield. A loss to Winnfield would make the Bolton game meaningless. Plus, Winnfield was a team every kid from Pineville wanted to beat. Winnfield came into the 1974 came riding a five-game win streak over the Rebels.      
     In the first eight games of the 1974 season, Pineville had scored 214 points and given up only 18. By comparison, Winnfield had scored 156 points and given up 70. The game would be played on Pineville’s home turf where Winnfield had not lost since the 1965 season. The Tigers hopes of avoiding four-straight losses in 1974 seemed slim at best.   
     Pineville came into the game ranked No. 3 in Class AAA and they proved from the start that they were one of the best teams in the state. Rebel quarterback Bud Cespiva connected on 9 of 13 passes for 157 yards and continually got the Rebels into scoring position. When he did, the Rebels capitalized to the tune of four touchdowns, with a fifth touchdown added by a recovered the end zone. Pineville showed a balanced attack, getting 212 yards on the ground and 157 yards through the air for 369 total yards and 16 first downs. Pineville moved to a 35-0 lead through three quarters and then coasted to their ninth win of the season in the final quarter. The 35 points that Pineville scored represented the most points scored by a Tiger opponent in the 1970s, the most points ever scored against a Bamburgh-led defense at Winnfield, and only the fourth time an opponent had scored thirty or more points against a Winnfield team since quarterback Lyn Bankston’s father became head coach at Winnfield during the 1966 season.  The loss to Pineville marked the program’s fourth straight loss. That was the longest losing streak since the 1965 team lost seven consecutive games.     
     Winnfield turned their attention to the season-ending game against the Jena Giants. Winnfield had the opportunity of finishing the season at home and they still had one thing to play for. Heading into the final game of the year with a 5-4-0 record, the team had a chance to extend the school’s streak of winning seasons to nine years with a win over Jena. When the team was 5-0 and needed only one more win to secure the winning season, that seemed like a modest goal. That now became the talking point of the week heading into the Jena game.     
      The Giants had only won two games all year and had given up the second-most points in the district (200). While Jena lacked strength up front, there was no shortage of talent in the backfield. Junior running back Connie Hatcher was the type of back who, according to Coach Bamburg, “will run off and leave any man on the field if he gets a good opening.”      
     At the end of the first quarter, Jena led 7-0 and it appeared the Tigers would have to work much harder than anyone expected to get the win over Jena. But, the Tiger offense got going in the second quarter and by the time the two teams broke for halftime, Winnfield had scored more points than they had in any game since the fifth game of the year.    
     Buford Jordan, Tiger linebacker, set up the first Tiger touchdown when he recovered a Jena fumble on a punt return at the Giant 19-yard line. On second down, Nathan Johnson caught a pass from Bankston and ran right up the middle of the field for a 14-yard touchdown. Bankston tied the game up with his extra point kick with 6:56 showing on the second quarter clock.    
     Two plays later, Tiger defensive lineman Bruce Shepard fell on a loose ball in the end zone to up the Tiger lead to 13-7. The play was set up after the Tiger kick return team nailed the Jena return man inside the Giant 10-yard line.     
      Winnfield’s defense continued their mastery over Jena on the next series when they dropped the Giants for losses totaling 21 yards, forcing them to punt from their 1-yard line. The Jena punter shanked a punt off his foot, giving Winnfield the ball at the Jena 27. On first down, Bankston hit Kimble with a 25-yard pass, good for a first and goal from the Jena 2. Johnson got the score on the next play to enable Winnfield to move to a 21-7 lead. Johnson’s touchdown culminated a four-minute span in which the Tigers had scored 21 points.    
     Winnfield scored the first three times they had the ball in the second half to move to a 42-7 lead. Jena scored a meaningless touchdown with 17 seconds showing on the game clock to make the final score 42-13. Winnfield had their most productive offensive night of the year, getting 218 yards rushing and 158 yards passing for 376 total yards. The Tigers only ran 46 plays all night for an average gain of over 8 yards per play. Lyn Bankston threw 17 passes and connected on 10 of those, with two of those going for touchdowns. Leading rushers for Winnfield were Darrell Turner who got 86 yards on four carries and Nathan Johnson who had 58 yards on 12 carries.     
     Winnfield ended the season with a 6-4-0 record overall and a 4-4-0 mark in district play. That was good enough to finish 5th in the district, the first time a Tiger team had finished out of the top two spots since the 1970 team, who also finished fifth. Bolton polished off Pineville 32-14 to take the district crown, while Pineville finished second. Peabody came in fourth with a 5-3-0 mark and Marksville took the fourth spot with a 4-3-1 record.     
     Tiger football fans entered the season with guarded expectations, considering the number of holes that had to be filled and the necessity of playing sophomores at key positions. Before the season began, a 6-4-0 season didn't seem unreasonable. But, the team performed beyond what anyone expected in the first half of the season, rolling to five wins and allowing only two touchdowns in the process. When the Tigers rose to the No. 4 spot in the state, that probably was a case of Winnfield being rated higher than what they were capable of sustaining. The Tigers were clearly over-matched against Bolton and Pineville. The fact that Winnfield played two teams during the regular season who were among the top five teams in the state shows the level of competition the Tigers had to face in the second half of the season.     
     It could be argued that the Tigers could have won the losses to Oakdale and Peabody. In both of those games turnovers and missed opportunities inside the opponent’s goal line spelled the difference in the game. At best, the team could have finished at 8-2-0. That still would have kept Winnfield at home during the playoffs.     
     It is best to focus on the team and individual accomplishments during the season. Anyone who followed the Tigers during the 1974 season saw their share of exciting, record-breaking plays and tough, tough defense. True, winning is why you play the game. But, is it possible to focus on winning without being consumed by it?  There are other measures of success to a season than the bottom line. All things considered, the 1974 season was a success.     
      Lyn Bankston ended the season with 12 touchdown passes. That tied him with Mike Tinnerello for third place on the single-season touchdown-passing list. Like Tinnerello, he accomplished that feat in his sophomore season, so he tied the sophomore touchdown passing record. His favorite target on almost half of those touchdown passes was Mike Kimble, who ended the season with 5 touchdown catches. That was tied for the third-most touchdown catches in a single season, behind Tommy Wyatt's 9 TD receptions (1959) and John Wayne Williams' 8 TD catches (1971). Kimble tied seven other Tiger receivers.      
      A month after the season ended Coach Joe Dosher turned in his letter of resignation, leaving behind the head coaching position he had held for five seasons. Coach Dosher cited personal health reasons as the explanation for his departure. He elected to stay in the Winn Parish school system in a teaching capacity.     During Dosher's five-year tenure he guided the Tigers to a 42-14-0 record. He left the position with the third-highest number of wins by a coach, trailing only Hoss Newman (53) and Alwin Stokes (47). Dosher got his wins in a five-year tenure, while Stokes and Newman coached 12 and 10 years respectively. Coach Stokes won .746 of the games he coached, highest among coaches that had coached two years or more at Winnfield High School. Joe Dosher won .750 of the games he coached, which at the time was just ahead of Stokes’ feat, but trailed the .900 winning percentage posted by Zollie Bennett who only coached one season (1928). Bennett’s mark was the highest winning percentage ever posted by a Tiger coach.     
      Dosher left the program with a 30-10 record in district games.  That topped Hoss Newman’s record of 21 district wins and remains the most district wins during the first 100 years of Tiger football.     
     By the end of the 1974 season, only three Tiger coaches had taken teams to the playoffs, including Hoss Newman, Tommy Bankston and Joe Dosher. Coach Dosher's 1971 team went further than any team in school history, making it to the Class AAA finals. In five seasons, Dosher coached in six playoff games. That was more playoff games than Coaches Newman or Bankston coached in combined. Coach Dosher led the school to one out-right district title, one co-championship and one runner up. In the process, his teams won 30 district games; the most district game wins by any Tiger head coach who coached during the 20th century.

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1975 (Overall - 5-5-0, *District - 5-3-0)  In February 1975, Jerry Bamburg was hired to take over the head coaching duties at Winnfield Senior High School in actions taken by the Winn Parish School Board. Considering his credentials, his selection should have been the easiest personnel hire the school board ever made. Bamburg had been the defensive coordinator at the high school since 1970. During that time, he was the driving-force behind the most dominant defensive units ever put together at the high school. For that five-year span, 70% of the offenses he designed defensive plans against scored one touchdown or less. When a Bamburg-defense was on the field, the Tiger offense usually only had to score a couple of touchdowns to enable Winnfield to win the game. Specifically, the Tigers were 40-1-0 between 1970 and 1974 whey they scored 12 points or more. His defenses consistently gave the Tiger offense the ball in or near scoring territory and effectively demoralized teams with their overpowering play.    
     So dominate were the Tiger defenses during the first half of the 1970s that those units rank among the top-four of teams who played in the twentieth century in almost every statistical category. When you consider just the regular season statistics, here's how the defensive units from 1970 to 1973 rank when compared to other Tiger football teams during the first 100 years of Tiger football: 
                First                     Rush                           Pass                 Total                 Pass       
Year        Dwns   Rank        Yds.          Rank          Yds.     Rank    yds.      Rank    Compl.  Rank                      
1970          97         11           1,306            9             413          1       1,719       6       36          4       
1971         65           4             594           5             431          2      1,533     5       35         2       
1972         64           3             484           1             432          3         916     1       37          3       
1973         60           1 (T)       567           4             437          4       1,004    2       26          1     
     The Winnfield job would be Bamburg’s second stint as a head coach. After coming to Winnfield as an assistant under Coach Tommy Bankston in 1966 Bamburg left Winnfield in 1969 to take over the Ferriday head-coaching job. He returned to Winnfield in 1970, where he orchestrated the amazing run of defensive units who gained a statewide reputation. Under his guidance, six Tiger defensive players were selected to a first-team All-State slot and two players were named the Most Outstanding Defensive Players in the state. Upon accepting the head-coaching job at Winnfield Bamburg stated, “This is one of the best head coaching opportunities in the state of Louisiana because of the interest shown by the town and the kids that play the game.” That was one of the key reasons for the success of the program.    
     The program lost one assistant coach following the 1974 season when Chal Rascoe requested to be assigned solely to the classroom. New hires in the football program were David Elkin and Clay Bohanan. Elkin had coached in the high school ranks since the 1969 season, serving as head coach at Wisner High School prior to coming to Winnfield. Bohanan came to Winnfield from Bossier City, where he had been the head football coach at Green Acres Jr. High School.    
     The Tigers lost 11 seniors from the season before, but those would be replaced with 14 seniors on the 1975 roster. Nine of those seniors were letterman, and the team as a whole had 17 returning lettermen. Bamburg, of course, would stay with his 4-4 defense and he had a slew of seniors to choose from to man that defense, including eight lettermen that had played in the secondary at one time or another. On offense, Bamburg choose to go with an I-slot to take advantage of the stable of backs that he had. The offense, like the defense, would be made up of a core group of seniors.      
    Every high school team needs senior leadership. Coach Bamburg knew he had a number of seniors who could play. No coach knows whether his seniors will step-up and provide the leadership the team needs. Heading into the opening game, here’s the starting offensive and defensive unit announced by Coach Bamburg 
Offense                  Pos.      C          Defense                        Pos.      C
Lyn Bankston       QB       Jr.        Tommy Chatman          DT       Sr.
Freddie King        RB       Sr.        Rankain Curry              DT       Jr.
Travis Luther       FB        Sr.        Steve Jones                  DE       Sr.
Nathan Johnson    RB       Jr.        Keith King                    DE       Sr.
Buford Jordan       C          Jr.        Travis Luther               LB       Sr.
Bruce Shepherd    OT       Jr.        Buford Jordan               LB       Jr.
Ricky Gray            OG       Sr.        Randy Brewton             CB/P    Sr.
Steve Jones          OG       Sr.        Oberal Merchant          CB       Jr.
Howard Wilson     OT       Sr.        Marcus Jones               DB       Sr.
Keith King            OE       Sr.        Danny Parker              DB        Sr.
Mike Kimble        WR      Sr.        Freddie King              DB         Sr.     
     Winnfield again competed in the highly competitive District 3-AAA. After sitting out of the playoffs the year before, the team entered the season with three goals. First, win the district title. That hadn’t been done since the 1972 season when the Tigers shared the title with Natchitoches. Second, make the playoffs. It had been two years since the seniors were on a team who played in a playoff game and the underclassmen had never been on a playoff team. Third, have a winning season. The program had gone nine years without having a losing season. Prior that streak, the longest streak of winning seasons since the 1920s was three, which came between 1960 and 1962.      
     The Tigers opened the season at home against the West Monroe Rebels. Coach Bamburg went into the game knowing that he would have his hands full against the AAAA club, but he also knew that such a non-district game could pay dividends once district play began. Bamburg said in an interview with The Enterprise,  “We know that West Monroe likes to play leather-popping, helmet-cracking, gang-tackling type football, but then we have a reputation for that ourselves.”           The two teams traded scores as if the game was being scripted by some Hollywood movie writer.  In the first quarter the Rebels got on the scoreboard and successfully converted a 2-pt. conversion.  On the next series Winnfield scored and also converted a 2-pt. conversion to tie the score at 8-all. The two teams then put back-to-back 72 yard scoring drives together in the second quarter and both missed on PAT tires to keep the score tied at 14-all.  It appeared Winnfield would take a lead into half when Tiger senior Ricky Gray blocked a West Monroe punt and recovered the ball at the Rebel 2-yard line. Three plays later Travis Luther got the ball into the end zone, but the PAT kicked failed leaving the score 20-14 in favor of Winnfield West Monroe got the ball back and with under a minute to go in the half completed a 59-yard scoring toss to tie the score at 20-all, and, as if to keep things in sync, they too missed on their extra point attempt.  That left the score tied 20-20 at the half.    
     Winnfield never could figure out a way to overcome the speed of West Monroe in the first two quarters. So, if they were going to beat the Rebels they would have to outscore them.     
     Winnfield didn’t keep pace in the third quarter, however as West Monroe scored eighteen unanswered points in the opening six minutes of the third quarter on runs of 71 and 29 yards and they got six more points on a pair of two-point conversions and a safety.      
     Character revealed - that's what happened for Winnfield after West Monroe moved to their 38-20 lead. Winnfield only got back to the 14-yard line on the kickoff return after West Monroe scored their fifth touchdown. But, that return set up the longest pass play in Tiger football history up to that point. On first down, Bankston took the snap from center, dropped back and hit Mike Kimble right between the numbers. After Kimble caught the ball, he shook off one lone Rebel defender and ran 86 yards for a touchdown. Bankston added the PAT kick to make the score 38-28 with 3:35 remaining in the third quarter. But, Winnfield’s comeback attempt was short-lived as neither team scored in the fourth quarter. Coach Bamburg wasn't completely dissatisfied with the loss. After the game, he stated, "We are not used to getting 38 points scored on us, but we were happy to be able to score 28 against a fine West Monroe team. There will definitely be some changes made on the defensive squad for us, and the offensive starters may see some changes also."     
     There had only been one other time in school history where the Tigers had scored 28 or more points and lost the game. That game had been played 21 years earlier (1954) when Jena defeated Winnfield 48-29 in a district playoff game. In fact, there had only been six times in the 66-year history of the program that a Tiger team had scored twenty or more points and lost. Those losses came in 1942 (25-33 vs. Jonesboro), 1950 (20-25 vs. Jena), 1954 (29-48 vs. Jena), 1969 (26-42 vs. Wossman), 1974 (21-22 vs. Oakdale) and 1975 (28-38 vs. West Monroe).    
     One glaring statistic explained the loss. West Monroe rushed for 449 yards against the Tigers, the most rushing yards any Winnfield team had ever given up. Coach Bamburg wasn't used to giving up much more than that in a total season. The Rebels didn't attempt a single pass, so they gained a total of 449 yards, which was the second most in school history, trailing only the 473 yds. given up in 1959 against Ruston.    
     Things didn't get any easier for the Tigers the second week of the season as they opened district play against Tioga. After a team gives up over 400 yards rushing, the last they want to see is another strong rushing team, but that's what Tioga presented. They were led by junior Chris Williams who had rushed for over 1,000 yds. as a freshman before sustaining a season-ending knee injury in the opening game of his sophomore season. Williams had a 6' 2", 190 lb. frame which didn't slow him down one bit, as he was clocked at 9.8 seconds in the 100 yd. dash.     
     As it turned out, Williams was a non-factor in the game as the Tigers held Tioga to 166 rushing yards as a team and only one touchdown in a Tiger 28-14 win. Tioga got on the scoreboard first after an errant snap from center on a Tiger punt was recovered by Tioga at the Winnfield 17 yard line.  Winnfield scored once in the first half to take a 7-6 lead, but put the game away in the third quarter with two touchdowns to take a 22-6 lead into the fourth quarter. Both teams scored once in the fourth to account for the final 28-14 score.       
     The win evened Winnfield's record at 1-1-0 overall and 1-0-0 in district play. Coach Bamburg was pleased with the play of his team on both sides of the ball. He told The Enterprise, "The defense improved over last week’s showing against West Monroe, and we expect them to get better as the season progresses."      
     There were no breathers on the Tigers early schedule as the Tigers faced their third-straight undefeated team in the Marksville Tigers. Marksville had opened the season with a 28-14 win over Bunkie and defeated Jonesboro-Hodge 26-6 the week before. They were one of three undefeated teams in District 3-AAA, with the others being Peabody and Menard.  Bamburg's defense would again be tested in the Marksville game. In the decade of defense, Winnfield fans weren't defense would get the job done. But, Bamburg labeled Marksville as "stronger than West Monroe.”  The sportswriters thought highly of Marksville as well, voting them the 8th -ranked team in Class AAA coming into the third week of the season. Winnfield was the underdog.    
     Coach Bamburg had one basic game plan in mind coming into the Marksville game: stop the option play and force Marksville to pass. It was the kind of defensive plan he trusted his defenses to be able to carry out. He felt he had to shut down the running game and deep threat and, if anything, give up only the short stuff. The game would be played in Stokes-Walker Stadium.    
     Winnfield took charge of the game early when junior quarterback Lyn Bankston threw a 79-yard scoring strike to Mike Kimble two minutes into the ball game. Bankston also booted the extra point to give Winnfield a 7-0 lead. That stirred the hometown crowd, but there was even more in store as the first quarter was all-Winnfield. Nathan Johnson had an 80-yard punt returned called back late in the opening quarter, but he got his touchdown anyway after the Tigers drove to the Marksville 36-yard line. Johnson's touchdown-run on that drive accounted for 36 of his 159 total rushing yards for the night.     
     It wouldn’t be until the third quarter that another score was made and this one would be made by the visitors. That made the score 14-7 in favor of Winnfield as the fourth quarter began.      
     Winnfield’s defense played like Coach Bamburg wanted all game and that included getting a fourth quarter take-away by way of fumble recovery when linebacker Buford Jordan rocked a Marksville ball carrier with a jarring hit that caused a fumble which defensive end Keith King picked up and returned to the Marksville 10-yard line. Three plays later Johnson put the Tigers back on the scoreboard when he raced in from 1-yard out. Bankston’s kick made it 21-7. That lead was extended in the fourth quarter when Bankston capped a drive with a 1-yard run and added the extra point to make the score 28-7. As the game neared the final minutes, Marksville pushed over another touchdown but failed on a two-point conversion attempt, making the final score 28-13.    
     Coach Bamburg called the win “undoubtedly our most complete football game to date.”  He added, “both the offense and defense played good football. We did exactly what we wanted to do.”  What the Tigers did was limit Marksville to 131 yards rushing and 133 yards passing. Marksville completed 12 of 20 passes, but only one of those carried over 10 yards. Nathan Johnson got 159 of the Tigers 194 rushing yards and Lyn Bankston had one of his best nights as a Tiger, completing 4 of 9 passes for 163 yards and a touchdown. By defeating the 8th ranked team in Class AAA, the Tigers showed they were no average football team.     
     The win moved Winnfield into a tie with Pineville (2-0) for first place in District 3-AAA, with both being the only undefeated teams in the district. Winnfield also vaulted into the top ten of the Class AAA ranking, moving to the No. 6 slot while Marksville completely dropped out of the rankings. Other 3-AAA teams ranked in the poll of week three included Pineville (3), Bolton (11) and Peabody (19).     
      Winnfield appeared to have a breather the following week when the Tigers traveled to Jena to take on the 1-2-0 Giants. Jena was in the cellar of District 3-AAA.     
     For whatever reason, the Tigers had trouble getting going against Jena. After the game, Coach Bamburg stated, “We weren’t staying with our blocks and our concentration seemed to go out the window. It was more a mental thing than physical, but we got on the right rack in the second half. “                
     Jena scored first in the opening quarter to take a 6-0 lead. Though Winnfield snapped back with a touchdown and successful PAT to grab a 7-6 lead Jena scored before the half after recovering a Tiger fumble at the Winnfield 39-yard line to take a 14-7 lead into the half. That’s the way the score stood until late in the third quarter when Nathan Johnson was instrumental in moving the Tigers 80 yards in six plays to set up a 2-yard run by fullback Travis Luther. That tied the game at 14-all.    
     All of that set up the decisive fourth quarter, which the Tigers dominated. Bamburg explained why in an interview for The Enterprise, saying, “(Jena) had about nine players going both ways, and there was no doubt they would tire-out before the end of the game.”  Winnfield had the ball four times in the final quarter and scored on all four to win going way in a 40-14 shellacking. Two of those drives were set up by takeaways by the Tiger defense. The Tigers scored a school-record 26 points in the explosive fourth quarter. That marked only the third time a Tiger football team had scored 20 or more points in the fourth quarter. The other two times came in the 1971 season when that squad posted 22 fourth-quarter points against Jennings in the first round of the playoffs and 21 fourth-quarter points against Jena.     
      Winnfield had a second straight impressive rushing night, getting 213 total rushing yards, with Nathan Johnson getting 158 of those on 21 carries. Bankston completed 5 of 15 passes for 94 yards.  

KEY GAME:     The win impressed the sportswriters who moved the Tigers up one notch into 6th place in the Louisiana Class AAA rankings. That was two spots below the fourth-ranked Pineville Rebels, the Tigers next opponent. Like Winnfield, Pineville came into the game with a 3-1-0 record overall and a 3-0-0 record in district play. The game pitted two of the best football teams and two of the best players in central Louisiana against each other.     

     Pineville was unscored on in three district games. That Pineville defense was led by linebacker Marshall Cowley, who many sportswriters compared to former Winnfield star Lionel Johnson. Winnfield’s offensive attack was led by junior Nathan Johnson who had gained 508 yards in five games and was on pace to become Winnfield’s third 1,000-yard rusher. But, field general Lyn Bankston gave Winnfield a double threat in the Tiger backfield, so the Tigers offered a multi-dimensional offensive attack. By all appearances, the game would be the game of the year in District 3-AAA.    

     As Coach Bamburg expected, or even hoped, the first half was a defensive battle. That is to say that Coach Bamburg had enough faith in his offense that he knew if his defensive-game came around, he would find a way to score points.     

     It appeared that there would be no scoring in the first half when Winnfield had possession of the ball and the score tied 0-0 with under two minutes to go in the half. That’s when Pineville picked off a pass at mid-field. A series of passes got the Rebels down to the Tiger 9 with one seconds to go. The Rebs called time out and kicked a 24-yard field goal to go up 3-0 at half.    

     The third quarter was filled with turnovers, with Winnfield recovering four fumbles and Danny Parker getting one interception. But, for Pineville to have that many possessions, Winnfield had to turn the ball over as well and that they did. Bankston was intercepted once, Johnson fumbled once and the Tigers had a punt blocked. None of that resulted in any scoring for either team, so the game entered the fourth quarter with Pineville still clinging to a 3-0 lead.     

     Winnfield had squandered its best scoring opportunity of the night after recovering their final fumble of the third quarter at the Pineville 18. On first down, Johnson ran for 8 yards, but fumbled the ball over to Pineville. Two plays later, the two teams exchanged ends of the field with Pineville in possession near their own 20.      

     Winnfield got a second chance on the first play of the fourth quarter when Pineville fumbled yet again and Buford Jordan recovered at the Pineville 13. Johnson got the call three straight times, making 8 yards on those three carries to set up a fourth and two from the Reb 5. Lyn Bankston was quite capable of kicking a game-tying field goal, but Coach Bamburg wasn’t playing for a tie in Stokes-Walker Stadium. He sent Johnson up the middle and again Pineville kept him out of the end zone and just short of a first down.     

     Bamburg trusted his defense and they came through for him when they limited Pineville to just 5 yards in three plays, setting up a punt from the end zone. The Rebs got off a good punt and the Tigers only got a short return, but they had the ball at the Pineville 44-yard line with just over seven minutes to go in the game. On first down, Bankston completed a 23-yard pass to Greg Batts to move the Tigers down to the Pineville 21. Johnson got the call on first down and he took full advantage of the opportunity. He broke past the initial forward wall, shook free of a couple of would-be tacklers and sprinted into the end zone to give Winnfield a 21-yard touchdown run. Bankston made it 7-3 when he kicked the extra point. The Tiger defense then came in and shut down Pineville on two more possessions to seal the victory.      Coach Bamburg summed up the game in a post game interview with the Enterprise, saying. “It was a well-played, well-controlled, fine, fine football game, and showed what high school football is all about. Both teams played as well as they could, and we were just happy to come out on top.”  As far as big wins in Stokes-Walker Stadium, this one ranked right up there.    

     Johnson had his best night as a Tiger, getting 184 yards on 31 carries to lead the Tiger offensive attack. Bankston only completed 3 passes all night, but they were important ones, with his final completion of the night being the play that setup Johnson’s touchdown run. Pineville only got 117 yards rushing in 34 rushing attempts and only got 61 yards passing. It was by far the best defensive performance of the season for Winnfield. The Tiger defense ended the night with five turnovers.

      The win propelled the Tigers into the No. 3 spot in the AAA polls and sole possession of first place in District 3-AAA. Pineville dropped to No. 9, making them the only other 3-AAA in the top twenty. Right behind Winnfield in the district standings were four teams with only one loss. Winnfield had beaten two of those in Marksville and Pineville. Since both were ranked in the top ten at the time Winnfield secured those wins, it would have been reasonable to assume Winnfield had played the strength of District 3-AAA and were thus headed to a district title and the playoffs. However, Winnfield still had some work to do. Looming on the schedule was a date with Menard, one of the two remaining teams with only one loss in district play. Menard was 4-1-0 for the season, like Winnfield. The other team with one loss in district play was old nemesis Bolton, who was 3-2-0 on the season.    
     Winnfield had played against some of the toughest offenses in the district and had shut them down. Against Menard, they would face the team Coach Bamburg claimed to have one of the toughest defenses. That wasn’t just “coach-talk.”  Through five games, Menard had only allowed 26 points. The game would be a chance to see how well the Tigers handled prosperity. There were two things the Tiger coaching staff had to guard against. First, the Tigers were coming off a key win and though Menard was sitting high in the district standings, there is always a danger of a letdown after a big win. Second, the game would be a road game. On the other hand, the Tigers had seemed to hit mid-season stride in good form on both sides of the ball. The Tiger offense didn’t have a lot of trouble moving the ball against Pineville, but they did have trouble holding on to the ball. Coach Bamburg knew that turnovers would kill you in close games.    
     Those closest to the program knew that the position the Tigers were in heading into the sixth game of the season was the same position the team had been in at the exact same time the past season. Like the season before, the 1975 Tigers came into the season with only modest expectations of the team. Yet, in both seasons, after five games the Tigers were sitting in first place in the district and were ranked in the top five in the state. The season before the Tigers went 5-0 in the first five games and in 1975 they were 4-1. One thing that Tiger fans hoped for was that the fortunes of the 1975 team wouldn’t change in the second half of the season like they had in the last half of the season before when the team went 1-4.      Winnfield’s first test in the second half of the season would be a stern test as the Tigers took on Menard.  The Eagles had the same record that Winnfield had, going 4-1-0 record overall and a 2-1 record in district play.     
     The respective defensive units did dominate this game, as expected. In the first half Winnfield only had the ball once in the Menard red zone and they failed to score on that drive.  Winnfield stopped one Menard drive in the first half at the Tiger 1-yard line, but Winnfield gave the ball back to Menard five plays later when the Tigers fumbled at the Winnfield 29. In turn, Menard took five plays to get into the end zone, with the score coming on a 1-yard run at the 4:43 mark of the second quarter.     
     Menard took the second half kickoff and moved 60 yards in six plays to up their lead to 14-0. The touchdown play came on a 26-yard pass. That would be all of the points the Eagles would need as Winnfield never moved closer than the Eagle 17-yard line in the second half.     
     Winnfield never could generate any offense, getting 140 yards rushing and 69 yards in the air. Menard didn’t do any better, though, rushing for 146 yards and passing for 34. But, they put together one drive and capitalized on a key fumble deep in Winnfield territory and that was the difference in the game.     
      The loss made the district race a horse race with Winnfield, Menard, Marksville and Bolton each having only one loss in district play. Of those, Winnfield only had Bolton remaining on their schedule, while Menard had Marksville and Marksville had both Menard and Bolton. Aside from the impact on the district standings, the loss to Menard dropped the Tigers from 3rd to 9th in the Class AAA polls.    
     Probably the main team the Tigers wanted to defeat the most coming into the 1975 season was the Bolton Bears. Since resuming the rivalry in 1973, Winnfield had lost to Bolton two straight years. But, like the season before, the Tigers could not afford another loss in district play if they wanted to stay in contention for the district crown, so they couldn’t afford a loss to anyone.    
     Bolton came to Winnfield with a good passing quarterback in Richard Starling and an offensive attack that liked to use the whole field. Defensively, Bolton returned two All-State players from the 1974 state runner-up team in linebacker John Fisher and tackle Allen Connell. They ran a gap-8 scheme and dared you to throw the football against them. That meant that the Tiger offensive line had their work cut out for them and the outcome of the game could very well hinge on how much time they gave Bankston.    
     Winnfield pleased the homecoming crowd by getting on the scoreboard late in the first quarter and then tacked on a 2-pt. conversion to take an 8-0 lead. However, Bolton scored twice in the first half, with one touchdown coming at the end of an 11 play, 83-yard drive and the other coming on shorter drive highlighted by a 51 yard run. All of that allowed Bolton to take a 12-8 halftime lead.     
     The lead changed twice in the second half, first when Winnfield scored in the third quarter to move ahead by a 14-12 margin.  However, Bolton scored late in the third quarter to regain the lead at 18-14 and then tacked on another touchdown midway through the fourth quarter to take a seemingly insurmountable 24-14 lead.      
     Give the Tiger offense credit. They took the ball the length of the field on their next possession, with Bankston hitting Keith King with a touchdown pass on a fourth and goal from the 1. Bankston added the extra point, making the score 26-21, but there was only 2:20 remaining in the game. The Tiger defense hadn’t stopped Bolton’s running game all night long and they wouldn’t do it on their final drive as Bolton ran five plays and ate up the remaining time on the clock.     Bolton ripped the Tigers for 310 yards rushing, making that only the ninth recorded time in school history that an opposing team had rushed for over 300 yards. The workhorse for Bolton was Don Quinn, who gained 208 yards on 33 carries. Nathan Johnson came into the game as the leading rusher in Central Louisiana with 799 yards in 145 carries. He was limited to a mere 48 yards in 14 carries. As a team, the Tigers only got 109 yards rushing, but the Tigers knew coming-in that they would have trouble against Bolton's eight man front. The Tigers got 144 yards passing and did crack the Bolton defense for three touchdowns. Bamburg stated, "Anytime we score 21 points, I feel we should win the game, but our defense did not perform like we wanted them to."  Bolton's ball control offense gained 23 first downs during the contest, the most first downs an opponent had ever totaled against a Tiger team. Bolton basically pounded the ball down the field, eating up yards and time with their four touchdown drives.    
     The loss moved Winnfield (4-2-0) and out of a tie for first place in the district into sole possession of fourth place. Atop the district standing were Menard (4-1-0), Marksville (3-1-0) and Bolton (3-1-0). Whereas Winnfield had been solidly in first place two weeks earlier, with losses to both Menard and Bolton, Winnfield's hopes of even making the playoffs were in serious jeopardy. Menard and Marksville squared off the next week so something had to give there. Winnfield needed two things: they needed to win the rest of their games and they needed help from somebody else if they were going to make the playoffs. Menard (9) and Marksville (10) entered the Class AAA Top Ten, while Winnfield continued their slide, moving to fourteenth.     
     Coach Bamburg was frustrated with his team but still very determined. He told the Enterprise, "We're going to have to find 11 football players who want to play football, even if we have to go to the junior high to get them."  What he wanted the most was good effort and he didn't think that everybody was giving everything they could. "We are still in the race for the district title, " said Bamburg, "and until we are eliminated completely, the ball club will not give up.”      
     Bamburg shook up his defense for the next game against Peabody. He started Lyn Bankston, Al Harrel, Kennon Anderson and Willie Green in the secondary. At linebacker, he stayed with Travis Luther and moved Oberal Merchant in from the cornerback slot. Rankain Curry remained at the defensive end slot as did Bruce Shephard at a tackle slot. Tony Warren (NG), Carl Bruce (DT) and Dennis Brown (DE) got their first starting nod.     
     That alignment gave Bamburg what he wanted, limiting Peabody to only 56 yards rushing and 27 yards passing for a total of 83 yards. For the night, Peabody only got 6 first downs but they only punted the ball twice. That's because they lost the ball seven times on turnovers. Peabody fumbled the ball an incredible 13 times, losing 5 of those. That was easily the most fumbles an opponent has ever made against a Tiger team. They only attempted three passes but they had two of those picked off. All of that should have pointed to a clear-cut Tiger blowout. However, despite that defensive performance, Peabody moved to a 22-0 lead just before the half.     
     Peabody returned the opening kickoff of the game 60 yards to set up their first touchdown. The touchdown came on a 27-yard pass on the fourth play of the game. That was their only pass completion the whole night. Peabody tacked on the two-point conversion to move to an 8-0 lead with 9:09 left in the opening quarter.     
     The first of two Lyn Bankston interceptions set up the next Peabody score. After returning the ball to the Tiger 30-yard line and getting an extra fifteen yards as a result of a personal foul, Peabody scored two plays later to move their lead to 14-0.     
     Two minutes later, Peabody was right back in scoring position when Randy Brewton's punt was blocked and the ball recovered at the Tiger 7-yard line. It only took Peabody two plays to move the score to  20-0, which was extended to 22-0 when they ran for two points following the touchdown.     
     From that point on, Peabody went nowhere. The Warhorses only picked up one first down the rest of the game and only ran 17 plays during the whole second half. Peabody was by no means three touchdowns better than Winnfield. But, they had capitalized on a good kick return, an interception and a blocked punt to surge ahead of the Tigers. There was more than one disgusted Tiger loyalist in the stadium at that point.    
     Winnfield began their comeback after Peabody’s third touchdown when Dennis Brown returned the ensuing kickoff back 90 yards for a touchdown. Brown's return was the fourth longest kickoff return for a touchdown in school history up to that point, trailing the 95 yd. return of Jackie Givens against St. Mary's in 1945, the 93 yd. return by Ronnie Crayton in 1972 against Oakdale and John Harrington's 92 yd. return against Jena in 1955. Dan Carr had also gotten a 90-yard kickoff return against Natchitoches during the 1950 season.     
     The Tigers moved the scored to 22-8 in the third quarter when the Tiger punt return unit tackled the Peabody punter in the end zone for a safety. The Tigers also scored on the next series to narrow the Peabody lead to 22-16, when they scored on a 1-yard run by Luther and were successful on a 2-point conversion. But, it was the Peabody defense who stiffened in the fourth quarter as well and neither team was able to add to their totals. In the end, Peabody won the game with good defense, good breaks and what Coach Bamburg called "the poorest example of officiating that I have seen in my 15 years of coaching."    
     Nathan Johnson was held to his lowest rushing total of the year, getting only 43 yards on 20 carries. That rushing total was one-third of his per-game rushing average. As a team, the Tigers only gained 89 yards rushing in 38 attempts and Lyn Bankston was only able to connect on 7 of 19 passes for 64 yards.     
     The nightmare that the Tiger faithful feared at mid-season was unfolding. Just like the season before, the Tigers were mired in a second-half-of-the-season losing skid that had taken the Tigers from the top of the heap in district 3-AAA to the middle of the pack. The loss to Peabody effectively killed any chance the Tigers had of making the playoffs, moving Winnfield to 4-3 in the district. It was cruel irony that the team leading the district was Marksville with a 5-1-0 record, with their lone loss being to Winnfield.     
     The Tigers overall record was 4-4-0. That meant that the Tigers had to win their final two games to keep the school’s 9-year streak of winning seasons alive. They would have a 2-5-1 Jonesboro-Hodge team in week nine to clinch a non-losing season and would finish the season against AAAA ASH.  Despite their poor record, Jonesboro-Hodge was not a team the Tigers could take lightly. The week before Winnfield played Bolton, Jonesboro-Hodge played the Bears to a 20-20 tie. Against the other top competition, Jonesboro-Hodge lost 15-0 to Menard and 26-6 to Marksville.     
     Winnfield became the sixth team to score more than 20 points against Jonesboro-Hodge when they ended the home portion of their schedule with a 23-8 win over Jonesboro-Hodge. Winnfield averted a scoreless first half when Lyn Bankston passed to Mike Kimble with only 16 seconds remaining before the half to take a 7-0 lead into the locker room. Coach Bamburg later told an Enterprise reporter, “Our offense was sluggish in the early going. We had too many fumbles and missed blocks. But they came on real strong in the second half and moved the ball real well.”   
    Winnfield dropped the ball on the turf four times in the first half and lost all four fumbles. But, it was a different story in the second half. Travis Luther got a 10-yard touchdown run in the third quarter and a 1-yard scoring run in the final quarter to give the Tigers two second half touchdowns. Sandwiched in-between those two touchdowns was Jonesboro-Hodge’s lone touchdown of the game, that coming on a 26-yard pass. Oddly enough, Winnfield had the ball on the 1-yard line in the final seconds of the game and were content to run the clock out since they held a 15-8 lead. However, Jonesboro-Hodge called time out before the game clock could run out so Winnfield got one final stab at the line. On the final play of the game, Luther ran over from 1-yard out and Nathan Johnson tacked on the two-point conversion to make the final score 23-8.    
     For the night, Johnson upped his season rushing total to 894 yards with a 120-yard effort. That kept him in the lead of all rushers in central Louisiana. All total, Winnfield got 235 yards on the ground compared to 153 for Jonesboro-Hodge. Winnfield only threw 5 passes, completing 2 of those for 14 yards.      
     The win moved the Tiger record to 5-4-0 for the season and guaranteed the team a non-losing record. They still had a chance at a winning record with a win over ASH in the final game. Winnfield finished district play with a 5-3 record. The same night Winnfield defeated Jonesboro-Hodge, Bolton got past Marksville 7-0 to move into the District 3-AAA lead with a 5-1-1 record. Heading into the final week, Menard and Marksville each had 5-2-0 records. Marksville finished the season against Peabody and Menard closed out at Pineville. Should Peabody and Pineville win those games, all four of those teams would end the season with the same district record as Winnfield. But, if either Menard or Marksville won their final games, Winnfield would be out of the running for the runner-up spot. Still, Winnfield had a mathematical chance of making the playoffs, but their hopes looked slim.    
     Winnfield ended the season like they started it, playing a AAAA team who ran the wishbone. The Tigers had not been very effective against strong running teams all season long, so ASH figured to be a formidable opponent for Winnfield. Defensively, ASH ran an eight man front, much like Peabody, who the Tigers had trouble running against.     
     Against ASH, the Tigers were out-manned from the start. After the Trojans moved to a 7-0 first quarter lead, starting Tiger quarterback Lyn Bankston went down with a severe cut across the bridge of his nose which came when he was making a tackle on defense. Bankston was taken to the hospital, where he received stitches and never returned to action. Winnfield basically had no answer to ASH who scored  two touchdowns in both the second and third quarters to move to a 35-0 lead. Then they turned the game over to their reserves and coasted to the win.    
     With Bankston out, the Tigers had to essentially abandon the passing game. The running game went nowhere as the Tigers only got 70 yards in 43 running plays, less than a 2-yard per carry average. Coach Bamburg summed the game succinctly for the Enterprise when he stated, “We got beat by a better football team. They whipped us, but good.”  ASH was never pressed to a punt in the game, making that only the second recorded time in school history an opposing team didn't punt the ball. The first time that occurred was against Jena in the 1965 season. ASH did lose two fumbles, but Winnfield topped that with 4 interceptions and 2 fumbles lost.    
     The Tigers ended the season with a 5-5-0 record, which included losses to begin and end the season and three straight district losses in the middle of the season. It was a season of extremes. In three of their losses, the Tiger defense gave up rushing yards in huge amounts, including 449 against West Monroe, 310 against Bolton and 201 against ASH. Yet, in their other two losses they held Peabody to 56 yards rushing and Menard to 131 yards rushing.      
     The Tiger offense was the scoring leader in the district, ending district play with 163 points and ending the season with 190 total points scored. But, it was scoring defense where the Tigers suffered the most, as the team gave up 187 points all season, the most points given up by a Tiger team since the 1965 season. To put that in perspective, the combined total points allowed by any two other teams that had played for Winnfield during the 1970s was less than had been given up in 1975.    
     It was the first season since Coach Bamburg became defensive coordinator in 1970 that one of his defenses didn't record a shutout. The 1975 defense only held two opponents to less than two touchdowns. Prior to 1975, the most number of teams in a single season to score more than two touchdowns against a Bamburg-coached defense was the 1974 unit, who gave up more than two touchdowns to only three teams.     
     Winnfield finished in a three-way tie for third place in the district with Menard and Pineville. Each of those finished with 5-3 records. Bolton won the district crown with a 6-1-1 record and Marksville came in second with a 6-2 mark. Since Winnfield had beaten Marksville, had the Tigers defeated either Peabody, Bolton or Menard they would have been the District 3-AAA representative in the playoffs as the runner-up.      
     Individually, the brightest spot of the season was the running of Nathan Johnson. He ended the year with 984 yards in 199 carries to become the leading rusher in Cenla. That was 200 yards more than his nearest competition. Johnson’s total was the third highest single-season rushing total in school history, behind Randy Poisso's 1,088 in 1968 and Jerry Keen's 1,008 in 1971. Both of those players got yardage in playoff games, which meant Poisso got his yards in a 12 game season and Keen got his in a 14-game season. Therefore, Johnson's 98.4 per game rushing average was the highest per game average in school history up to that point. His 199 carries were 11 more than Poisso's school record 188 that he got in the 1968 season.     
     Fellow junior Lyn Bankston moved his career touchdown passing total to 19. That was enough to move him into third place on the school's career touchdown passing list, trailing only Mike Tinnerello (21) and Steve Adams (33).     
     By ending the year with a .500 record, the program’s 9-year string of winning seasons was broken. However, the 1975 season marked the 10th straight year that Tiger football was played without a losing season, thus making that streak the longest of its kind. The only other streak of non-losing seasons that lasted more than three years was the eleven-year streak from 1918 to 1928.  

KEY SEASON:
1976 (Overall - 11-3-0; *District - 7-1-0)          
Opponent                                Results
NATCHITOCHES                   27-0  (Jamboree)
W. Monroe                               L, 21-25                                                           
TIOGA                                     W, 25-16*
Marksville                                 W, 15-8*                      
JENA                                       W, 47-0*                      
Pineville                                    W, 33-6*                      
MENARD                                W, 35-13* (HC)
Bolton                                       L, 7-14*                       
PEABODY                              W, 21-0*                      
Jonesboro                                 W, 32-6*                      
ASH                                         W, 42-0                
PLAYOFFS
Jennings                                    W, 13-6  (Regional)
HAUGHTON                           W, 29-3  (Quarterfinal)
Catholic, BR                             W, 37-13  (Semifinal)
JESUIT, S'PT                           L, 0-7   (Final)      
     Ever since the Tiger football program fielded its first playoff team in 1957, only two groups of seniors (1964 & 1965) graduated without ever being a part of a playoff team. Those were also the last teams to post losing records at the schools. When Coach Tommy Bankston took over the program in 1966, he told his incoming sophomores “if you stay, you will win and you will be champions.”  That would be the case for not only the teams Coach Bankston led, but it had been true for every other sophomore group since 1966. After Coach Bankston’s declaration, only two groups of seniors entered their final year of eligibility without ever playing on a playoff team. The first group to do that was the seniors of the 1971 team and the second would be the seniors of the 1976 team. That should have been a good omen for the 1976 team. The 1971 senior-led team disregarded the notion that playoff experience is essential in developing a championship team. That group was the last team to win an outright district title and the only Tiger team to ever make it past the first round of the playoffs.     
     The 1976 team entered the season with hopes of playing for a district crown, getting a playoff appearance and making a title run. But, they also wanted the one thing the 1971 team didn't get - a state championship. There were some similarities between the two teams. Both had large senior classes, with the 1971 team having 22 seniors on the roster and the 1976 team having 20. The seniors on each squad would make up the bulk of the starting positrons. Each team was assisted by underclassmen who would be highly decorated by the time they completed their eligibility and each had an underclassmen at the linebacker slot who dominated their position throughout their playing career. Both teams were hungry after seeing the Tiger teams from the past two seasons come oh so close to the playoffs only to lose out by the slimmest of margins. Finally, each team had a bunch of competitors who wanted to win and who would fight to the end to win.     
     As far as expectations go, to say that the 1976 team were a good bet to make it to the state finals would be stretching it. On the other hand, only those programs that have made it to the “Big Dance” year in and year out really expect to get there every year. For everyone else, optimism and speculation must be littered with a dose of realism, because it takes a whole lot of variables to come together for a team to make it to the state title game. On the other hand, 17 and 18-year-old kids think they are invincible so the 1976 team began the season thinking they were going to be state champions. That’s what you want every Tiger team to think.     Whatever success the team would have, they would do so with a completely revamped coaching staff. Jerry Bamburg moved up to the assistant principal position at the school after the 1975-1976 school year, creating a vacancy in the head-coaching position. Lured to Winnfield to accept the head coaching slot was Larry Dauterive, a brash 34-year-old who was known for his innovative offensive schemes and fast-talking demeanor. Prior to coming to Winnfield, Dauterive had served as the offensive coordinator at Lafayette High School and he had head-coaching experience at Fatima High in Lafayette and New Iberia Junior High. At Fatima, he had an overall record of 29-4-1 in three years. While at Lafayette, the teams he helped coach went 27-5-1. So, Dauterive knew what it took to be a winner.   
     When the man spoke he got people’s attention. Soon after taking over the head coaching reigns he addressed the Kiwanis Club in Winnfield and offered the following tidbits: “I like to win, to score and to make something happen. I’m an eternal optimist. We will be aggressive. We may be out-manned, but we will never be outplayed.”  By the time he finished his speech, you could feel the enthusiasm in the room generated by his talk.     
     The main thing that Coach Dauterive brought to Winnfield was a completely revamped offensive scheme. That was his thing. He was to offensive football what Jerry Bamburg had been to defensive football in Winnfield. Dauterive’s offense playbook had 144 plays that consisted of multiple sets, misdirections, sophisticated pass patterns, cross blocking and everything else he had conceived in 11 years of coaching. One thing he promised was a wide-open attack.      In Dauterive’s mind, football was not for everyone. Like Coach Bankston from an earlier time, Dauterive preached that champions stay and do right. “You cannot wish a championship team,” he stated. “Football is a game of emotion and enthusiasm. Every athlete has a heart button and the 44 boys we have, have heart buttons which can be touched,” Dauterive said. After you were around him any period of time, you began to believe in what he said. But, believing is one thing - going out and doing it is another.    
     Besides Coach Bamburg, other coaches who departed after the 1975 season were David Elkin and Mike Tinnerello. Their replacements would be former Tiger quarterback Ricky Jordan and Mike Boyce. Jerry T. Smith and Clay Bohanan were the lone holdovers from the year before and Randy Poisso transferred in from the Junior High to take over the freshman team.     
     When Dauterive began assessing his talent, he began with three players - Lyn Bankston, Nathan Johnson and Oberal Barnes (who changed his last name from Merchant). You have to have a leader at quarterback and Bankston offered that. He had ability, but first and foremost he was a leader. He was a gutty runner and he possessed a good passing arm. There had been better pure passers at the school, but skill alone does not win you games at the quarterback position. Bankston was the type of quarterback you wanted under center when the game was on the line. He didn’t get you beat with mistakes and he seemed to will his team to perform.    
     Nathan Johnson was coming off of the greatest junior campaign by a running back in school history and was primed to take over every rushing record at the school. After two seasons he had already rushed for over 1,500 yards. He was a cinch to become the school’s first career 2,000-yard rusher if he stayed healthy and he was certainly capable of breaking the single-season rushing mark, a mark he had come within 200 yards of his junior year. Had he not been such a valuable asset on offense, Johnson would have been a fixture in the defensive backfield. Like Bankston, he was an athlete who in the old days would have easily been a two-way player and would have excelled on both sides of the ball. But, it was in the offensive backfield where he was most needed, though he would certainly get plenty of playing time on the defensive side of the ball. His running style made him the complete package at that position. With his powerful leg drive, Johnson was the man you wanted when you needed the short yard. But, when he broke past the line, he had the moves to make one-on-one tacklers grab for air. Johnson didn’t have blinding speed, but don’t let him get into the clear because he was more than capable of breaking the long one. He had a sense for holes and didn’t spend too much time running sideways. Johnson and Bankston together  in the backfield made for a lethal combination.     
     Oberal Barnes was the defensive specialist of the team. He had the tenacity to play the linebacker spot, and his lateral pursuit ability made him an asset at either the defensive end or outside linebacker slot. His teammates selected him to be one of the team captains so he was well-liked and respected by those that played around him.    
      In Dauterive’s sophisticated offense he needed skill people and the Tigers had no shortage of those. Joining Johnson in the backfield was senior transfer student Jimmy Husser. He had put up numbers the year before that had exceeded Johnson’s. As a junior running back at Stall High School in Charleston, South Carolina, Husser scored 20 touchdowns and had over 1,900 yards of total offense. Dauterive put Husser in the wingback position to give the Tigers two playmakers in the backfield.    
     Rounding out the backfield was junior fullback Lester Mills. With talented runners all around him, Mills would be used primarily as a blocking back. But, Mills could be counted on to get the short yard and in Dauterive’s offensive schemes he would even be called on to split out and run pass pasterns.   
     The pass catching duties would be handled primarily by Greg Batts, Dennis Brown, Dexter Holden and Mickey Zimmerman. Of those, Brown and Zimmerman would focus most of their time on their defensive duties but both were good athletes who had to be brought into the offense. Dennis Brown was one of the fastest players on the team. Though only an incoming junior, he was the reigning Class AAA high hurdles champion. Like Brown, Dexter Holden was a junior who was a gifted athlete. He had the potential to be the go-to guy when Bankston needed the sure passing yard.     
     All of that talent wouldn’t be unleashed if they didn’t have good blocking up front and that was somewhat of a question mark heading into the season. The only letterman slated to start in the offensive line was two-year letterman Bruce Shepard at the right tackle position. He was the leader among the linemen of the team. He had used his smarts and size (he was 6' 2", 200 lbs.) to become one of the most dependable blockers during the past two seasons. The rest of the line would be made up of newcomers to their respective poisons. At center was letterman Rankain Curry. He had been a defensive specialist the past two seasons at the defensive end slot, but Dauterive wanted his 6' 6", 220 lb. frame in the middle of the Tiger offensive line. Dauterive moved two other players to the offensive line that had previously been ball handlers. One was Reagan Stewart, who lettered as a tight end the season before and the other was Steve Barnes, who was a back-up quarterback the previous season. Both were slated to play the guard positions. What both offered was quickness, which in Dauterive’s schemes was essential because all that his backs needed was a brief opening. Rounding out the interior line was senior Frankie Shelton, who had lettered at the center position the year before. He was moved to the left tackle slot. Shelton stood 5' 9" and weighted around 180, so he relied more on quickness and finesse. How well that group came together would play a large part in determining how well the season went.    
     On defense, Shepard and Shelton would be used in the line with senior Karl King brought in toplay the middle guard slot. King was a converted fullback, so he had good quickness. But, the main thing he had going for him was that he liked to hit people.    
     At the defensive end slot, Dauterive would start the year with Oberal Barnes and Dennis Brown. But, he moved Buck Carter and George Moss into those positions soon after the season started. Moss was the starting defensive end going into the season but he broke his hand at the end of summer practice, thus delaying his return to the starting lineup. As a junior, Carter had played all over the field on defense. The season before, he lettered as a linebacker and he was tried in the defensive backfield at the start of summer practice. He too was injured at the end of summer practice but he took up a defensive end position upon his return.      Dauterive had a pair of tough linebackers in two-year letterman Oberal Barnes and Ricky Chatman, the latter being a freshman who seemed to have unlimited potential. For a 14-year-old to start at the varsity level he must be good. For that freshman to be handed the middle linebacker position he must be a “can’t miss” player. Chatman was that type players. When asked what he liked about the line backing job he stated quite simply, “My job is to go find the ball and knock whoever has it down.”  He had the position boiled down to its most basic level. The secondary would be made up of Brown, Mills, Zimmerman and Willie Green. Zimmerman was the only senior of the bunch, but all had varsity experience.     
     In summary, the team had a talented group of 15 or so players who would make up the nucleus of the starting unit. There were as many as five players who would be expected to play both ways, which was always a concern, particularly since the Tigers were playing at the AAA level. Dauterive went into the season telling anyone who would listen that he would field a good team. But, what he mainly promised was an offense that could move the ball and score points. In Dauterive’s mind, offense wins championships.    
     The District 3-AAA coaches made their annual predictions for the order of finish in the district. Pineville got the nod as the team to beat. Other teams selected to contend for the title were Tioga, the Doug Moreau-led Marksville Tigers and the perennial favorite Bolton Bears. Winnfield was predicted to finish in the middle of the pack.    
     Dauterive would have been a success at anything he choose - motivational speaker, car salesman, Chamber of Commerce president.  Whenever he spoke, he had you believing in what he said. Excerpts from some of his pre-season talks around town that were printed in The Enterprise show the kind of enthusiasm and positive attitude the man possessed. “The Tigers, the coaches, the principal, the teachers, the football fans are all in for a big surprise!,” he started off one speech. He continued, “The Winnfield Tigers will win this year!  We’re going all the way. We are going to win the state championship!.”  He would then explain why and how that would happen. “We are going to motivate the Tigers by touching their “heart button”,” he said. “Every Tiger is going to give 110 percent of his effort every game. We’ll beat our opponents with extra effort. Winners are workers. We will outsmart our opponents. We are going to score and score and score again.”  His enthusiasm was contagious.     
     It didn’t take long for Coach Dauterive to make believers out of Tiger fans. The high-octane offense he promised was shown early as the team ran up and down the field in a couple of scrimmages during summer practice. Then, the team walked all over AAAA Natchitoches 27-0 in the annual Winnfield Jamboree. By this time, the players were believers of the “Dauterive Gospel” and now the fans were jumping on the train. But, big plays in pre-season match-ups are one thing. “Bring on the season” was what most Tiger fans were saying.     
     There would be no change in the schedule from the season before. The Tigers played in District 3-AAA for the seventh straight year and again played West Monroe and ASH as non-district opponents. The last two Tiger teams had played their best football in the first half of the season; combining to go 9-1 in the first half the regular season and 2-8 in the last half. The 1976 team had their work cut out for them in the first half of the season because the opening two district games pitted Winnfield against Tioga and Marksville, so it was likely that two of the biggest challenges of the season would come in weeks two and three.                           
     For the second straight year, Winnfield would open the season against West Monroe. The 1976 game would be played on the West Monroe field. The Rebels returned their quarterback and one of their starting backs from the season before. Across their line, they averaged just over 200 lbs. per man.    
     The two teams matched each other touchdown for touchdown through three quarters. About the only difference in the game as the fourth quarter began was that Winnfield had converted after each of their touchdowns while West Monroe had not. Each team scored one touchdown in each of the first three quarters and Lyn Bankston had booted three extra points to give Winnfield a 21-19 lead heading into the fourth quarter.  Winnfield had gotten their touchdowns a pair of runs by Nathan Johnson (3 & 70 yards) and an 11 yard run by Lester Mills.  The Tigers were their own worst enemy throughout the game.  West Monroe got their first touchdown after a conventional drive, but they scored their second touchdown when their defensive end picked off a Bankston pass and returned it 30 yards for a touchdown. Johnson’s 70 run came on the first play from scrimmage after the interception return. Aside from the interception, Winnfield turned the ball over two more times in the first half and picked up nearly a half dozen penalties to effectively kill any other drive they had.      
      The Tigers were holding a 21-13 lead late in the third quarter and appeared to have a West Monroe drive stopped when “the turning point of the game” occurred, according to head coach Larry Dauterive. Facing long yardage for a first down, West Monroe tossed a long pass down field and Tiger defensive back Willie Green was called for a pass interference. The official closest to the play called an incomplete pass but another official across the field threw a flag, with the pass interference call standing. Two plays later, West Monroe completed a 25-yard pass for a touchdown, but missed on a two-point conversion attempt to make the score 21-19.    Winnfield only got as far as the Rebel 42 on the next series and were facing a fourth and long when Dauterive decided to go for it. He later explained his decision. “We almost had our previous punt blocked and we had a sophomore (Woody Grigg) snapping the ball. There would have been a lot of pressure on him and the kicker. If I had to do it over again I would have kicked the ball.”      
     The Tigers gambled and lost. With the good field position, West Monroe had a chance to open up their offense some, and they did. It took the Rebels only five plays to move the 58 yards to the Tiger end zone and take a 25-21 lead with just over three minutes to go in the game.    
     The Tigers still had fight in them. Bankston directed the team on a drive that began at the Winnfield 35 and moved to the West Monroe 25 with under a minute to go in the game. From there, Bankston tried three straight passes but his receivers couldn’t hold onto the ball. On the final play of the game, Bankston was sacked, giving West Monroe a come-from-behind win.    
     Dauterive summed the loss of by exclaiming, “We just beat ourselves.”  Penalties and dropped passes served as major factors in the loss. But, Dauterive was proud of this team on both sides of the ball. “The team played its heart out,” said Dauterive, “and outside of their first touchdown, they (West Monroe) did not move the ball that well on us.”  The Tiger defense had to play without the services of young Ricky Chatman who injured an ankle in the jamboree.    
     The Tiger defense held West Monroe to 155 yards rushing and 124 yards passing. The Tiger’s got more total yards than West Monroe, picking up 211 yards o the ground and 108 in the air. Nathan Johnson served notice that he would be a running threat by getting 172 yards on 17 carries. Bankston connected on 8 of 18 passes, but he had a number of passes dropped that were right where they needed to be when they hit the receiver. Ever the optimist, Coach Dauterive proclaimed, “I guarantee you we will be ready for Tioga come next Friday night.”      
     Winnfield opened district play against Tioga, one of the toughest teams in the district. Tioga came into the game ranked eighth in Class AAA, while Winnfield received a single vote following their close loss to AAAA West Monroe. The two teams boasted the two best runners in central Louisiana and two of the best backs in the state. The Tigers, of course, claimed Nathan Johnson who was the leading rusher in Cenla as a junior. His opening game performance quickly moved him to the top of that list at the start of the 1976 season. Tioga was led by Chris Williams, who rushed for 1,066 yards as a freshman two seasons earlier. He was joined in the backfield by Lloyd Carpenter who rushed for close to 1,000 the season before. Tioga opened the season with a 28-7 win over Oakdale and their 1976 team was touted as the best team in school history. Ricky Chatman returned to the starting lineup and he would be needed to help stop the vaunted Tioga rushing attack.    
     Tioga took an early 8-0 lead when they forced a fumble on Winnfield’s opening possession and Chris Williams raced 66 yards for a touchdown on the very next play. At the start of the second quarter Chris Williams extended that lead when he bolted 67 yards for another touchdown. Tioga upped the lead to 16-0 when they converted their second two-point attempt. Winnfield made only one serious scoring threat in the first half, that one coming near the end of the second quarter. After driving to the Tioga 11, Bankston hit Holden for what appeared to be a touchdown, but the ball popped loose after Holden hit the ground. Though Dauterive questioned the call, his pleas were to no avail.      
     Tioga almost broke the game open early in the second half, taking the second half kickoff from their own 35 to the Winnfield 13. Games and even seasons have turning points – sometimes several turning points. As for the Tioga game and the 1976 season in general one of those turning points came at that point. It all started when Tiger lineman Frankie Shelton took charge, dropping Williams on two straight plays, and then forcing Williams to get rid of the football before he wanted to on a half back pass. Dauterive said, "We became a football team (when we) stopped Tioga on that drive."  The Tigers did turn the game around after that series.    
     After the stop, Winnfield drove 87 yards in 15 plays to get on the scoreboard. Johnson carried 7 times for 49 yards in the drive. After the Tigers reached the Tioga 1-yard line, Jimmy Husser got into the end zone. The two-point conversion failed, leaving the score 16-6.     
     That's the way the score stayed until the fourth quarter. In that final period, it was Tioga who seemed to come unglued as they were trying to protect their 10-point lead. At the start of the fourth quarter, Tioga was flagged for a pass interference, which gave Winnfield a first down at the Tiger 40. Three plays later, Bankston hit fullback Lester Mills with a routine pass that turned into a 43-yard gain to the Tioga 5-yard line. Tioga held for three downs, but Nathan Johnson finally got into the end zone on a 6-yard run on fourth down. Winnfield again missed the two-point conversion attempt, leaving the score 16-12.    
      Tioga fumbled the first two times they had the ball in the quarter. Oberal Barnes fell on the first one at the Tioga 35, but Winnfield couldn't capitalize. After the Tigers pinned Tioga at the 10-yard line, Frankie Shelton fell on another fumble at the Tioga five. The Tigers wouldn't squander that opportunity as Nathan Johnson got in the end zone on the first play following the fumble recovery. That made the score 18-16, giving Winnfield their first lead of the game      
     Any coach will tell you how mistakes kill a football team. Tioga gave away a 16-0 lead by picking up damaging penalties and completely losing grasp of the football in the fourth quarter. They fumbled the ball after their first three possessions, with their third fumble coming on the kickoff following Winnfield's third touchdown. Willie Green jumped on the loose football at the Tioga 6-yard line and three plays later Husser got his second touchdown of the game when he ran the ball in from 2 yards out. Bankston sailed through the extra point to make the score 25-16, a lead which held up until the end of the game.    
     Dauterive was exuberant after the game, stating "I'm so proud of this team because they did not quit when they were down. They did the things they had to do, and they won.”  Winnfield gave up 286 yards rushing, but close to half of that came on Williams' two long runs. Virtually everything Tioga got came on the ground, as they only completed one pass for seven yards. A team doesn't have to make a lot of mistakes to lose a football game. Tioga only picked up two penalties during the game and they didn't throw an interception. But, one of those penalties was critical in the Tigers second touchdown and the three fumbles the Indians lost completely disrupted play for them in the fourth quarter. A defensive stand in the third quarter and an opportunistic offense in the fourth quarter gave the Tigers their first win of the season and a key district win.    
     As expected, the Tigers got their yards on the ground as well, getting 130 yards in 25 carries by Nathan Johnson and 54 yards in 11 carries by Jimmy Husser. As a team, the Tiger got 231 yards rushing and 52 yards passing. Winnfield lost two fumbles but did not throw an interception.    
     The win caught the eye of the pollsters who gave Winnfield 18 points. That was good enough to move Winnfield to the No. 12 slot. Heading the weekly poll after two weeks of the season was the defending state champion Lutcher Tigers with all ten first place votes. Jesuit of Shreveport was the second place team, while two District 3-AAA teams were ranked in the top ten. Bolton was the fifth-ranked school and the Tigers next opponent, the Marksville Tigers, were the seventh-ranked school. District 3-AAA had five teams ranked among the seventeen school who received votes, including the aforementioned teams, as well as Peabody (13th) and Tioga (17th).     
     Though not unprecedented, it is unusual to have two tough district games so early in the season. The 1959 and 1960 teams played Mansfield, their primary competition for the district crown, in the second game of the season and the 1966 team got a big win over Tallulah in their opening district game. By facing both Tioga and Marksville in the opening two district games, Winnfield was facing two of the three teams everyone expected would be the Tigers biggest hurdles in route to the district crown. The other was perennial favorite Bolton.    
     When Marksville and Winnfield were preparing to play each other, each was fighting early-season injuries to several starters. For Winnfield, Ricky Chatman was still hobbled by an ankle injury and was listed as doubtful for the game. Starting guard and defensive end Steve Barnes had to be taken to the hospital following the Tioga game because of heat exhaustion. Barnes also broke his wrist in the Tioga game. Oberal Barnes would move into Chatman's middle linebacker slot. But, the Tigers were at full strength at the defensive end slots. Buck Carter had returned to the starting lineup the week before and George Moss made his return from the injured list in the Marksville game. Marksville's lost their leading rusher for the season in an opening game win over Bunkie. But, that didn't slow the team down much in their 21-0 win over Jonesboro-Hodge the week before.    
     Against Winnfield, Marksville had a hard time getting their outside running game going in the first half, with Moss and Carter repeatedly making outstanding plays. But, the Avoyelles Tigers certainly had their scoring chances in the first half. On their first two possessions Marksville was inside the Winnfield ten. Their first drive ended with a failed field goal attempt and the second was halted by Oberal Barnes on a fourth and goal attempt at the 4-yard line.     
     Those two defensive stands by Winnfield kept the Tigers in the football game, however Marksville eventually did get on the scoreboard in the first half, that coming when they completed a 50-yard pass for a touchdown in the second quarter. They also added a two-point conversion to take an 8-0 lead into halftime.      Like the week before, Winnfield waited until the final seconds of the third quarter to take the game over. After a drive appeared to stall out at the Marksville 13, Winnfield lined up to attempt a field goal, but Dauterive called a fake on the play. On the play, the ball was snapped straight to Tiger kicker, Lyn Bankston, who lofted a pass to Nathan Johnson coming out of the backfield. Johnson did the rest on that play and also got the two-point conversion on the next to tie the game at 8-all.    
     The fourth quarter is for champions and Winnfield showed that when they put together a 12 play, 74-yard drive midway through the final period to get the go-ahead touchdown. Johnson finished off the drive on a 6-yard run straight up the middle. That closed out the scoring by both teams with the scoreboard reading 15-8 Winnfield.    
      The game was a defensive battle from start to finish. Winnfield put together the only drive of the game of any length and that was the difference in the ball game. For the night, Winnfield got 257 yards rushing, with Johnson getting 129 of that on 25 carries. Bankston added 70 yards on five completions, with one of those completions going for a touchdown. Marksville got 171 yards rushing and 101 yards passing, but they only managed 9 first downs.     
     Any win is a good win, but the Tigers were learning early on that they were never out of a game. They could very easily have been 0-3-0 after the first three games, but fourth quarter rallies against Tioga and Marksville got the Tigers two wins and vaulted them to the lead in District 3-AAA. The only other school in the district with no losses in league play was Menard, who was 3-0 overall and 1-0 in district play. Every other team was 1-1 except Jonesboro-Hodge, who was 0-2. Winnfield jumped all the way to the No. 5 ranking with their win over Marksville. Ahead of Winnfield were the only remaining undefeated teams in Class AAA, including Lutcher, Jesuit, Denham Springs and Central (BR). Bolton, Tioga and Menard occupied the thirteen through fifteen positions.     
     Coach Dauterive bragged on his boy’s character and the way they played 48 minutes of football. But, what he wanted was a solid game for 48 minutes. The Tigers next opponent seemed to offer the Tigers their best chance for a breakout game as the Tigers returned to Stokes-Walker Stadium to play long time rival Jena. The Giants were coming off their first win of the season after defeating Jonesboro-Hodge 19-0. No player on the Winnfield team had ever played on a Tiger team who lost to Jena, or hardly ever remembered a game in which Jena had defeated Winnfield. Quarterback Lyn Bankston might have been the only one to even hear about the last time Jena beat Winnfield, because that happened in 1966, the first year his father was head coach at the school. That loss forced Winnfield and Jena into a post-season tiebreaker to settle the district title. Winnfield defeated the Giants in the follow-up game and had won all nine games since then. Prior to the 1960 season, Jena owned Winnfield, jumping out to a 9-3-2 record over Winnfield in the first fourteen games of the series. But, Winnfield began to turn the series around in 1960, winning 14 of 17 games played between 1960 and 1975.    
      Winnfield would have the Jena game to give Ricky Chatman another week of rest. Otherwise, the Tigers were fully loaded to take on the Giants and hopefully get something going in the first half for a change. Coach Dauterive prided himself in devising offensive game plans. He knew he had weapons on offense, but he also knew the Tigers had been killing themselves. So, he knew it was just a matter of time before the team put it all together.    
     Jena didn't make many errors against Winnfield, throwing only one interception, getting only four penalties and not fumbling the ball a single time. The Giants also didn't do much of anything else either. In fact, when the fans left to drive home, they had been witness to a record-breaking defensive performance. The Tiger defensive eleven held Jena to 2 first downs and forced them to punt the ball 8 times, the third most punts forced in a game in school history. All of that is to say that Jena went nowhere offensively. The defense set school records with fewest rushing yards allowed (- 31) and fewest total yards given up (10), in completely throttling Jena's offense. Jena wasn't about to score against Winnfield and never came near the Tiger goal line. To get the win, Jena would have had to score a lot because besides being an outstanding defensive game, the Tiger offense gave Coach Dauterive what he had been looking for all season - scoring.    
     Jimmy Husser got the Tigers on the board in the first quarter with a 14-yard run and the rout was on. Before the night was over, Lyn Bankston threw three touchdown passes, two to Dexter Holden and another to Jimmy Husser and the Tigers got three more rushing touchdowns to blast Jena 47-0. Husser had his best night as a Tiger, scoring twice on runs of 14 and 65 yards, as well as catching a 39-yard pass from Bankston for a touchdown. All total, Husser gained 126 yards on just five carries. Nathan Johnson got one of the touchdowns on a 14-yard run. He ended the night with 101 yards on 11 carries to up his season total to 536 yards after only four games. That also made his fourth straight 100-yard rushing performance, an unprecedented feat in Tiger football history. The final touchdown of the game was made by Dennis Brown, who took a handoff and raced 41 yards for the score.     
     The Tiger offense posted the fifth-best rushing night in school history, getting 337 yards on the ground. They also became only the fourth Tiger team to ever break the 450 total yardage barrier, getting 454 yards for the night. Except for critical mistakes, the margin of victory could have been a lot higher. Winnfield committed 10 penalties, lost three fumbles and had one pass interception. The team also continued to be plagued by dropped passes, several of which could have potentially gone for scores. But, it was a night for celebrating. Dauterive was quick to single out Husser on offense, as well the Tiger defensive end tandem of George Moss and Buck Carter   
     Winnfield kept its stronghold on first place in the district with a 3-0 record and were joined there by the 2-0 Menard Eagles. Three teams remained tied in third place with only one loss in district play. Winnfield had handed one of those teams their lone loss, that being Tioga. They would get a shot at one of the other teams in that group the following week when they traveled to Pineville. The Tigers couldn't afford to look ahead, but there was no way to avoid looking at the task that they had lying in front of them. In consecutive weeks, Winnfield would face Pineville, Menard and Bolton. Each of those were solid opponents and, in fact, represented the toughest teams in the district outside of Tioga. After Winnfield's win over Jena, they moved to No. 4 in the Class AAA poll. But, right behind them in 7th place were the 4-0 Menard Eagles. Winnfield had three tough games in as many weeks. There could be no letting up.     
     Pineville was the preseason favorite in the coaches’ poll. However, an early-season loss to Bolton showed everyone that the Bears weren't ready to give up their dominance of District 3-AAA just yet. Still, Pineville was a good football team. The Rebels were guided by Phil Brocato at quarterback, son of Pineville head coach Frank Brocato. He guided the Rebel's Veer offense with skill and precision. Coach Dauterive said of Brocato, "He has quick feet and is the key to their offense. If we can stop (him), we can stop the Rebels."    
     For the first time, the Tigers bolted out of the gates in a football game and put Pineville in a catch-up mode before the second quarter began. That was made possible by a three-touchdown barrage by the Tigers.    
     That all started with a time-consuming opening-possession drive by the Tigers that covered 88 yards and took18-plays. Tiger fullback Lester Mills ended that drive with a 12-yard catch from Bankston.     
     Ricky Chatman, starting his first game since the opening game of the year, fell on a fumble on Pineville's first play of the game, giving the Tigers the ball at the Pineville 38. That's the distance Nathan Johnson covered when he got the call after the Tiger offense trotted onto the field.     
      On the next kickoff, Oberal Barnes pasted the Rebel return man, causing a fumble that Al Harrel fell on at the Rebel 33-yard line. Mills ran for 25 yards on first down and Johnson finished off the 3-play drive with a 2-yard run to give the Tigers three touchdowns in a four-minute span.     
     At the end of the first quarter, Winnfield led 19-0. After that, the Tiger offense coasted somewhat, getting a third quarter touchdown when Bankston threw a 3-yard pass to Dennis Brown. That same combination connected again in the fourth quarter, this time from 22 yards out, to give Winnfield five touchdowns for the night.     
     Pineville, who was playing without their starting quarterback, never did get untracked until they scored a late fourth quarter touchdown on a 2-yard run. As a result, the Tigers recorded a surprisingly easy 33-6 win. Pineville head coach Frank Brocato said that loss of his starting quarterback wasn't the primary difference in the game. Rather, he credited Winnfield's defense for limiting his offensive attack to only 43 yards rushing and 55 yards in the air. Linebackers Chatman and Barnes controlled the game from the outset. Chatman seemingly tried to make up for the three games he missed in one night by making 14 tackles, recovering a fumble and intercepting one pass. But, Barnes' statistics were equally impressive as he made 10 tackles and caused 2 fumbles.     
      Coach Dauterive, commenting on the apparent let down after the first quarter, said, "We didn't seem to have the killer instinct in the second quarter. We didn't take advantage of Pineville's mistakes. It could have been 40 to nothing at the end of the first half."  Nathan Johnson did his part, though, getting his fifth-straight 100-yard game by rushing for 153 yards to up his season total to 689 yards. The most 100-yard games by a Tiger running back in a single season was six, made by Johnson himself the season before. Johnson's two touchdowns upped his scoring total for the season to 56 points. He was the district leader in rushing and points scored.    
     Winnfield climbed to third place in the Class AAA poll after the Pineville win. Lutcher still maintained their stronghold on first place and Jesuit continued in the second spot, positions both teams had held onto all season long. District 3-AAA was represented by three teams in the polls including Winnfield (3), Tioga (8) with their 4-1 record, and the Tigers next opponent, the Menard Eagles (4).    
      By all appearances, the game of the year in District 3-AAA would be played in Stokes-Walker Stadium on October 15th. On that night Menard came to town with their 5-0 record. The Eagles hadn't been scored on all season long. It was homecoming night for Winnfield, but the crowd would have been just as large had it not been.     
     Menard was clearly the surprise team of the district. No one expected much of the Eagles before the season started because they only had three seniors on the team. Through five games, the Eagles won the old fashioned way - with defense. The only game Menard had shown any sort of offense in came against the district cellar-dweller Jonesboro-Hodge. In that game, Menard put 30 points on the board. But, in their other four wins, they had only scored a total of 27 points, with 15 of those points coming on field goals. In fact, in three of their five wins, field goals accounted for the only points they scored, with two being 3-0 wins and the other being a 6-0 win. As the season progressed, teams were starting to separate themselves in the district race. Bolton and Tioga lurked behind undefeated Winnfield and Menard with only one loss. Those four teams appeared to be the teams who would fight it out to see who would represent the district in the playoffs.      Coming into the Menard game, the Eagles were leading the district in points allowed, having not given up a single point. Winnfield was in second place, allowing 30 points in four district games. After the night was over, those two teams would switch places in that particular district ranking.     
     Winnfield scored the first points Menard had allowed all year when Lyn Bankston dove over the goal line from 1 yard out just before the half to enable Winnfield to move to a 6-0 lead. The try for the extra point sailed wide.     
       Winnfield got the ball one more time before the half and they were attempting to pad their lead before the half when Bankston was intercepted and the ball returned to midfield. Menard then used two penalties to move to the Winnfield 10 with only seconds remaining in the half. At that point, Menard got on the scoreboard when Eagle quarterback Kenny Barorede threw a 10-yard scoring toss. Menard tacked on the extra point to enable Menard to take a 7-6 lead into halftime.     
     Winnfield was at the halfway point of the season. It had been this game, the sixth game of the season, that had started the tumble of the past two teams. There were several similarities between the last two seasons and the way this season was unfolding - at least there were on the surface. In each of the seasons from 1974 to 1976, the team reached the halfway point with at least four wins. And, in each season, Winnfield climbed to at least the No. 4 ranking in the state, with the Tigers being ranked 3rd at this point in the season in 1975 and 1976. Like the previous two seasons, the 1976 team was having trouble in the sixth game of year as they headed into the locker room trailing Menard and facing their first district loss if they didn’t rally in the second half. But, there were differences between this team and the previous two. Mainly, the 1976 team had been a second-half team all year. They had put up impressive second-half comebacks against both Tioga and Marksville. So, there was no panic in the locker room. Besides, Coach Dauterive always believed that the only people who could beat the Tigers, were the Tigers themselves.    
     Dauterive told his players they were going to win the game in the second half, and he told them they were going to score on the opening possession of the game. He knew how to motivate. Winnfield took their first possession of the third quarter right down the field and got a go-ahead touchdown from Nathan Johnson. He scored on a 5-yard run to give the Tigers a 12-7 lead. On the ensuing kickoff, Dennis Brown scooped up a fumble at the 15-yard line and ran it into the end zone to extend the Tiger’s lead to 18-7. Johnson made it an even 20 for the Tigers when he ran in the extra point. For the rest of the game, the Tiger offense played as well as they were capable. Fullback Lester Mills, who rarely carried the ball, got a 56-yard touchdown run at the start of the fourth quarter and Jimmy Husser padded the lead with a 14-yard pass reception near the end of the game. Bankston added a two-point conversion after Mills’ touchdown and a kick after Husser’s to make the score 36-7. Menard added a late score to make the final score 35-13.     
     Winnfield shredded the vaunted Menard defense for 35 points and they did it every which way. Nathan Johnson hit the century mark for the sixth straight game, getting 130 yards on 23 carries and Lester Mills also crossed the 100-yard mark by getting 110 yards on only four carries. Dauterive credited Bankston with his best game of the year. For the night, he threw 14 passes, completing 8 for 134 yards and had one go for a touchdown. But, the Tiger offense was again halted by mistakes in the form of one interception, five fumbles and the bulk of the 155 yards in penalties thrown against Winnfield. The Tigers were flagged 13 times in the game.    
     Dauterive gushed over his defense. “Our defense is getting better each week,“ said Dauterive. “ The whole defense played well,” he added. As a unit, they held Menard to 23 yards rushing and 106 yards through the air. The defensive numbers for the linebackers and secondary as a whole weren’t that impressive, but there was a good reason for that. The defensive front accounted for six quarterback sacks and 23 solo tackles. Those primarily responsible for that were Buck Carter and Frankie Shelton with two quarterback sacks each. But, middle linebacker Ricky Chatman led the team in tackles with 10.     
     The district standings heading into week seven had Winnfield on top with a 5-0 record. Menard and Bolton sat in second place with 3-1 records. Then there was a group of three teams with two losses, including Pineville (3-2), Marksville (2-2) and Tioga (2-2). Sitting in the cellar of the district were Peabody (1-3), Jena (1-4) and Jonesboro-Hodge (0-5).    
      Winnfield had a chance to knock off their final major threat in the district race when they traveled to Alexandria to take on “The Spoiler”, the Bolton Bears. In week seven, a win by Winnfield over Bolton and a win by Tioga over Menard would clinch the district title for Winnfield. But, Bolton had a long history of spoiling good seasons in Tiger football and had basically “owned” the Tigers in head-to-head competition over the years. The old-timers remembered hearing of Bolton knocking off the great 1928 team, handing that team their only loss in a 9-1-0. In the early years of Winnfield football, the school from Alexandria was the one school that dominated Winnfield. Coming into the 1976 football season, teams from the Tiger football program had lost 18 straight games to Bolton. When you scan all the years of Winnfield football, certain teams have clearly dominated the Tigers. Schools like Ruston and Byrd certainly come to mind, but Bolton was clearly in that bunch of schools. Bolton was one of six schools that the Winnfield Tiger football program had sustained double-digit losses to. The Tigers had lost to Bolton 21 times in 25 games. The other schools on that list included Jonesboro-Hodge (25 losses in 46 games), Neville (11 losses in 15 games), Ruston (26 losses in 39 games), Byrd (10 losses in 11games) and Natchitoches (15 losses in 44 games). Most of those teams prevailed against Winnfield when the Tigers weren’t beating anybody. But, of all those teams, Bolton had handed the Tigers the most critical losses, the kind that knocked the Tigers out of the playoffs or out of a district title.    
     But, it wasn’t decades-old losses that people where thinking about in 1976. The losses to Bolton that people remembered the most were the ones that had come during the past three seasons. Wins by Bolton in each of the past three seasons had either kept the Tigers from winning the district championship or knocked them out of any chance to make the playoffs. Coming into the season, Bolton and Peabody were the only two teams that the seniors of the 1976 squad had played against twice and never beaten. Heading into the 1976 season, if you had asked any player which team they wanted to beat the most, the team you would have most often heard would have been the Bolton Bears.    
     The scouting report on Bolton revealed them to be a big, strong team with a good quarterback. Like all good teams, they played good defense. In recent years, it was Winnfield who was chasing Bolton in the district race. In 1976, Bolton had a chance to play spoiler yet again, only they didn’t just want to spoil Winnfield’s season. Bolton still had a shot at the district crown with a win over Winnfield. They had one loss in district play, that coming to Menard the third week of the season.    
      The game started out pretty much like expected, with the two defenses battling it out. The game within the game - the game of field position and turnovers - wasn’t being won by anyone. Then, early in the second quarter, Bolton got the first break of the game when they recovered a Winnfield fumble at the Winnfield 48. Bolton moved to the 16-yard line, where David Guidry, their gifted quarterback, completed a touchdown pass. The Bears missed the extra point and took a 6-0 lead into halftime.     
     Winnfield put together a drive at the start of the third quarter and scored on a 6-yard pass from Bankston to Jimmy Husser. Bankston also connected on the extra point to give the Tigers a 7-6 lead with 7:06 remaining in the third quarter. That’s the way the score read as the fourth quarter began.     
     The game shouldn’t have been that close. The Tigers had driven to the Bolton 20-yard line three times without scoring. All total, there were 9 fumbles in the game. But, Winnfield had lost 4 of 5 fumbles, while Bolton hadn’t lost any of their 4 fumbles. Bolton scored their first touchdown after recovering their first fumble. Then, with Winnfield clinging to a one-point fourth quarter lead, the Tigers fumbled the ball yet again and Bolton recovered their fourth fumble of the night. This time, though, they got the ball at the Winnfield 11-yard line. Like they did after their first fumble recovery, Bolton capitalized on this one too when Guidry got the score from that point of the field to give Bolton a 14-7 lead. That’s the way the score remained throughout the remainder of the game.     
     Just when Winnfield thought they were going to escape with a win, Bolton got a go-ahead score by one of the most frustrating ways to lose a game, when you hand the ball to the opposition in scoring position. Winnfield couldn’t pull out the win like they had earlier in the season when they got behind. A lot of long faces walked out of the Bolton Stadium because the Tigers and Tiger fans felt like they had handed the game to Bolton.     
     Winnfield had enough offense to win the game. Nathan Johnson got 81 yards in the first half, but he only got 25 more yards in the second half to end the night with 106 yards rushing. And, Lyn Bankston completed 11 of 14 passes for 115 yards. Husser caught 7 of those passes, with one going for a touchdown. Winnfield gained 18 first downs during the game, only had one penalty flag thrown against them and only punted twice. If ever there was a game where turnovers made a difference, this one was it. Had Winnfield held onto the ball, the outcome of the game could very well have been different.     
     The Tiger defense didn’t exactly shut down Bolton, allowing the Bears 283 yards rushing and 101 yards passing for 384 total yards. But, like Winnfield, Bolton made it inside the Winnfield three different times without scoring.     
     Coach Dauterive attributed the loss to mental breakdowns. After the contest he told an Enterprise reporter, “We weren’t ready mentally. Nobody seemed ready to play and that is my fault.”  After holding onto sole possession of first place in the district since the second week of the season, Winnfield’s chances for a district title suddenly were in jeopardy. Bolton had district games against Jena and Marksville. Winnfield supporters suddenly became fans of those two schools, because a win by either over Bolton coupled with wins by Winnfield in their final district games would give Winnfield the title. But, Dauterive wasn’t one to wallow in a loss. “We have to put this game behind us,” Dauterive told the Enterprise. “We have to win the next two games to get in the playoffs.”  Winnfield didn’t actually have to win the next two games to secure a playoff spot. Winnfield and Bolton were the only teams with one loss in the district and there were three teams with two losses in the district. Since Winnfield had beaten all three teams who had two losses, one more win would clinch a playoff spot for the Tigers. That’s the one thing the Tigers still had control of, regardless of whether they were the district champions or not.     
     Winnfield fell from 3rd to 7th in the AAA polls following the loss to Bolton. Lutcher remained on top with a 7-0 record. Two other teams had undefeated records, including Jesuit and Winnsboro. Jennings rose to 4th in the polls and Central of Baton Rouge moved to 5th. Rounding out the top ten were Westlake (6th), Haughton (8th), Catholic of Baton Rouge (9th) and Tioga (10th). Bolton rose to 11th and Menard was in 13th.     
     Winnfield’s next game was a home game against a 3-3-0 Peabody squad. The Warhorses were a team who were capable of playing with anybody. The question was, “Which Peabody team will show up?”  The week before, they demonstrated their big play capability against Jonesboro-Hodge with scoring strikes of 80, 72 and 57 yards, but, in earlier games they had difficulty scoring at times. Winnfield needed the win as much as if they were playing for the district title, because in fact they were. A sidelight to the game was Nathan Johnson’s quest to become the school’s third player to rush for over 1,000. Johnson came into the game with 975 for the season. With three games to go in the regular season he was a cinch to break the single-season rushing record because he only needed 114 more yards to overtake the school's leader, Randy Poisso.    
     The Halloween night game would be played under miserable weather conditions. Rain and cold weather made for a sloppy field and kept fans away in droves. It was the kind of night where Dauterive wanted to take care of business and get back home. That's exactly the kind of game it was - nothing fancy, nothing spectacular, but a win nonetheless.    
     Winnfield scored first late in the first quarter after Frankie Shelton fell on a Peabody fumble at the Warhorse 40. Winnfield proceeded to move into scoring position, where Lyn Bankston took the ball over from the 1-yard line. Turnovers played a role in one other Tiger touchdown as well. Shelton got his third fumble recovery of the night in the fourth quarter, this one at the Peabody 2-yard line. Bankston scored on the first play after that recovery. Sandwiched between those two touchdowns was a third quarter 35-yard pass from Bankston to Dexter Holden. That play concluded a 60-yard drive by the Tigers. The three Winnfield touchdowns were the only points scored in the game, giving Winnfield a 21-0 win and clinching a spot in the playoffs for the Tigers.     
     It was a miserable night for offense and the statistics showed that. The two teams combined for only 11 first downs, with Winnfield getting 7 and Peabody picking up only 4. Winnfield got 135 yards rushing, with Johnson being the game's leading rusher with 60 yards. That marked the first time he had been held to under 100 yards all season. But, he moved his season total to 1,035, second-best individual total in school history and 54 yards shy of the all-time mark.     Lyn Bankston hit on 4 of 12 passes for 103 yards, but his contributions couldn't be limited to simple passing statistics. He accounted for 154 total yards, which included 51 yards rushing. Bankston figured in on all 21 of Winnfield's points, rushing for two touchdowns, throwing one touchdown pass and kicking three extra points.    
     The Tiger defense played one of its best games of the year. At the half, Peabody had not made a first down and they had crossed midfield only once in the game. In the end, Peabody had 21 yards rushing and 25 yards passing. Winnfield only lost 1 turnover, that being a fumble. Peabody wasn't so fortunate. The Warhorses dropped the ball five times and lost three, with the Tigers turning two of those into touchdowns. Winnfield also got one interception.     
     The win upped the Tigers record for the year to 6-2-0. That not only clinched a winning season, but it guaranteed the program its twelfth consecutive non-losing season.     
      Most importantly, the win clinched a spot in the playoffs for the Tigers. What was undecided was whether Winnfield would represent the district as the champion or the runner-up. Winnfield only had one district game remaining, that coming the following week against Jonesboro-Hodge. If the Tigers beat Jonesboro-Hodge, that would give them a 7-1 record in district play and clinch a share of the district title. Bolton had a 5-1 district mark, with two district games remaining, one against Jena and the other against Marksville. If Bolton won those two games, both the Bears and Winnfield would tie for the district crown, but Bolton would get the championship slot in the playoffs by virtue of their win over Winnfield. Menard was the only other team in the district with no more than two losses. Their district record stood at 4-2. If they won their final two district games and Bolton lost either of their final two, Menard would get into the playoffs at the district runner up and Bolton would be out of the playoffs because Menard defeated Bolton. In that scenario, Winnfield would be the outright district champion.     
     After Winnfield's win over Peabody, the Tigers moved up from 7th to 4th in the Class AAA poll. Both Lutcher and Jesuit remained the only undefeated teams in Class AAA, as Winnsboro lost for the first time, and as a result, fell from 3rd to 8th. The remaining Top Ten included Jennings (3rd), Haughton (5th), Catholic-BR (6th), Bolton (7th), Central-BR (9th) and Menard (9th).     
     Winnfield closed out district play on the road against Jonesboro-Hodge. The game seemed like a lock for Winnfield because Jonesboro-Hodge was mired in one of their worst seasons ever. For the season, Jonesboro-Hodge's overall record stood at 1-7 and the Tigers were winless in six district game. Teams had been scoring points in bunches against Jonesboro-Hodge, so over-confidence was a factor Dauterive would have to contend with. Dauterive was a realist. He said, "We're taking them one at a time. Any loss now would hurt us."  Dealing with people is one thing, and technical knowledge is another. With his players, Dauterive did both.     
     Winnfield closed out their district schedule with a 32-6 win over Jonesboro-Hodge. Mickey Zimmerman got the Tigers on the scoreboard in the first quarter when he intercepted a pass and returned it 25 yards for a touchdown. Winnfield was up to their old habits in the first half, losing three fumbles. That only served to keep the score down, because Jonesboro-Hodge was going nowhere.     
     At the half, Jonesboro-Hodge had minus five yards in total offense. Frankie Shelton was a one-man wrecking crew in the first half, getting three sacks in spite of suffering from flu-like symptoms that kept him out of the second half. Winnfield added a second quarter touchdown on a 45-yard pass from Bankston to Holden to take a 14-0 lead into halftime. That score came after Holden returned a punt from the Winnfield 20 to the Jonesboro-Hodge 45. The touchdown came on the next play.    
      The Tigers broke the game open in the third quarter when they scored two more touchdowns to take a 26-0 lead into the final quarter. Lester Mills scored both touchdowns for the Tigers with fumbles figuring in on both scores. The first touchdown came when Mills fell on a fumble in the end zone. Later in the same period, Rankain Curry returned a fumble to the Jonesboro-Hodge 5 and Mills got in the end zone on the first play after the fumble recovery.     
     Coach Dauterive substituted liberally in the final quarter. Zimmerman took over for Bankston at quarterback and he directed a drive that culminated in a 14-yard touchdown pass to Dexter Holden. The attempt for two points failed after the touchdown, but the touchdown upped the Tiger lead to 32-0. Late in the game, Jonesboro-Hodge connected on two consecutive passes of 54 and 32 yards to score and avoid a shutout.    
      Winnfield clinched a share of the district crown with the win and moved their season record to 7-2-0. Winnfield only got 147 yards rushing against Jonesboro-Hodge. Nathan Johnson was held to his lowest rushing total of the year, getting only 56 yards on the ground. That was enough to move his season total to 1,091, three yards ahead of Randy Poisso's single-season rushing record.      
     Winnfield finished the regular season against a non-district opponent, but they had a score to settle in their final game against A.S.H. The two teams had only met once on the playing field, that coming in the season-ending 35-0 win by A.S.H. the year before. That matched the 35-0 loss to Pineville in 1974 and the 41-6 loss to Caldwell in 1965 for the biggest margin of defeat in the past ten years.     
     A.S.H. was a AAAA team who had no chance of a winning season. The Trojans came into the game with a 3-5-1, but they had faced Sulphur, the top-ranked quad-A team the week before and held their own. Winnfield would be facing their second wishbone team of the year, but Dauterive liked his chances against a running team. The main thing that excited Coach Dauterive though was a spot in the playoffs. He figured if he got in the running for a state title, he and his players would figure out a way to make a title run. All he wanted was the opportunity. In his assessment of A.S.H., Dauterive said, "ASH is a good football team and should give us a good game to tune-up for the playoffs."    
     Prior to the final game of the regular season, schools around the state learned what the enrollment figures would be for reclassification that would occur before next year. After seven years of playing in District 3-AAA, Winnfield learned that they would drop to AA. The range for Class AA was 292 to 599. Winnfield had a two-year average of 529, which gave them the opportunity to move down to Class AA if they so choose. Since entering Class AAA, Winnfield had competed against the likes of South Lafourche, Natchitoches and Bolton who had enrollments two and three times the number of kids at Winnfield. Dauterive was elated with that prospect of moving down, telling an Enterprise reporter, "It just isn't fair for us to continue playing schools like Bolton which has better than 1,500 students, while we have a little more than 500. I'm glad to be with the people we're supposed to be with."  Dauterive only voiced what Tiger fans had been saying for years. "We will be playing teams our own size, and we won't have to get the players up eight straight weeks like we do now," Dauterive added.     
      There were a few personnel changes going into the A.S.H. game. The biggest question mark coming into the game was the condition of Jimmy Husser. He had injured his shoulder prior to the Jonesboro-Hodge game diving for a pass in pre-game drills. The other change came on the offensive side of the ball as well where sophomore tackle Donnie Purser took over for Frankie Shelton, who focused his play solely to the defensive side of the ball.     
     Husser settled all doubts about his physical condition on the third play of the game. Bankston hit Husser with a pass that went 64 yards for a touchdown to give the Tigers an early 7-0 lead. For the night, Husser caught five catches for 113 yards. Husser was a tough competitor who didn't let a little pain spoil his play on game night.    
     After that, the first half settled down to a defensive battle. When the two teams went in at halftime, the score remained 7-0, but there were 35 points yet to be scored in this game, though nothing in the first half indicated there would be much offense at all.     
     On the Tiger's first possession of the second half, Winnfield drove to mid-field, where Nathan Johnson scored from 48 yards out. That run and Bankston’s ensuing PAT gave Winnfield a 14-0 lead which they took into the fourth quarter. A.S.H. had done nothing to dent the Tiger defense, so it appeared Winnfield would walk away with a typical defensive-style win; with two big scores being the difference in the game.     
     But, there was nothing typical about the fourth quarter. Johnson was the first Tiger to score in the fourth quarter, when he went in from 3 yards out at the 10:46 mark. The touchdown came after Johnson had connected with Holden on a halfback pass good for 42 yards.    
     The next time the Tigers got the ball, they moved straight down the field, with Bankston getting another touchdown for the team, this one coming from a yard out. Bankston added his fourth kick of the night to make the score 28-0.     
     A.S.H. fumbled the next two times they had the ball and each led to a Tiger touchdown. After A.S.H.'s first fumble of the fourth quarter, Dauterive inserted his reserve unit. On the first play Mickey Zimmerman completed a 36-yard pass to Buck Carter to up the lead to 35-0. Then the Trojans fumbled inside the Tiger 20 on their next series, after which Zimmerman came in and directed the team back into the end zone, scoring himself from 3 yards out. That made the final score 42-0.    
     Guard Steve Barnes said, "We were just repaying them for what they did to us last year."  That they did and more. A.S.H. only got 49 total yards for the game, with all of that coming on the ground. The wishbone went nowhere against Winnfield, and A.S.H. turned the ball over six times. Chatman and Dennis Brown each got an interception, and ASH fumbled the ball five times, losing four of those. Tiger lineman Bruce Shepard and linebacker Ricky Chatman were the leading tacklers getting 10 each.    
     Dauterive got just the kind of game he wanted heading into the playoffs. The 28-point fourth quarter broke, by two, the record for the most points ever scored by a Tiger team in the final quarter. That record still stands today. Winnfield played the most error-free game of the year on offense. Not only did the Tigers not lose a fumble, they didn't fumble the ball all. That was the first time that had happened all year. Bankston and Zimmerman combined to connect on 7 of 14 passes for 191 yards, one of the ten-best passing nights in school history. Winnfield added 180 yards on the ground, with Johnson breaking the century mark for the first time in three games when he got 124 yards. That enabled him to end the regular season with 1,215 yards rushing, the most single-season yards in school history.     
     The team ended the regular season with 2,187 rushing yards, with Johnson accounting for 55% of that total. That made the 1976 team the fifth team in school history to gain more than 2,000 yards rushing. The team’s total was the third highest ever, trailing the 1961 team's total of 2,975 and the 1969 team's total of 2,194. In the passing department, the team just missed becoming the fourth team to throw for over 1,000 yards, as they ended the regular season with 936 yards. But, when passing yards and rushing yards were combined, the team had gained 3,123 total yards, becoming only the fourth team to gain more than 3,000 total yards. Leaders in that category for the regular season were the following teams: 1971 (3,490), 1961 (3,404) and 1969 (3,338).     
     There were two dubious records the Tigers set as well. Their 29 fumbles were the most any Tiger team had dropped in a regular season and the 15 fumbles lost was the second most. Also, the team was penalized 74 times for 717 yards. The yardage total surpassed the previous record of 675. Since the championship 1971 team held that record, that gives cause to wonder if championship teams simply play more aggressively and thus pick up more penalties.     
     The defense ranked among the best in school history as well. A new single-game rushing total record was set against Jena, when the team limited Jena to minus 31 yards rushing. For the season as a whole, the team only gave up 1,025 total rushing yards, which was fourth-best in school history. The 1976 team held six opponents to under 50 yards rushing. They also were one of eight defensive units in school history who held their combined opponents to under 2,000 total yards. The 1976 team gave up 1,734 total yards, which was seventh best in school history.     
     One thing the team could do was score points. The 278 points scored during the regular season was the fourth highest ever posted, with the only teams to score more being the 1961 (400), 1971 (398), 1928 (385) and 1969 (289) teams. With at least one playoff game ahead, the team had a chance to become only the fourth team in school history to score more than 300 points overall. The record for most points in a total season was 466 by the 1971 team. Other teams who had scored over 300 points were the 1961 team (400) and the 1928 team (385).      
     Winnfield finished third in the final Louisiana sportswriters poll. The final poll looked like this: 
Team                          Record Votes 
  1. Lutcher (8)             10-0-0   98 
  2. Jesuit (2)                10-0-0   91 
  3. Winnfield                8-2-0    72 
  4. Jennings                   9-1-0    69 
  5. Bolton                      8-2-0    46 
  6. Winnsboro               9-1-0    41 
  7. Haughton                 6-3-1    29 
  8. Central - BR            7-2-1    24 
  9. Catholic - BR           6-2-2    21
10. Destrahan                 8-2-0    19     
   Both Winnfield and Bolton finished district play with 7-1 records, so Bolton got the nod as the District champ in the first round of the playoffs by virtue of their win over Winnfield. The Bears would play the District 4-AAA runner-up, who was Westlake. Winnfield faced the District 4-AAA champions, the Jennings Bulldogs. If the sportswriters knew anything, that made for the most compelling first round matchup in the state since Winnfield finished the regular season ranked 3rd and Jennings ended the season ranked 4th. Had Winnfield won the district title, the first round pairings would have been reversed and Winnfield would have met the winner of the Jesuit vs. Wossman game in the quarter-finals. As it was, Winnfield had a good draw in the overall playoffs. Winnfield was in a bracket that included teams from the bottom half of the sportswriters Top Ten list. Aside from Winnfield and Jennings, other ranked teams in Winnfield's side of the bracket included Winnsboro (6) and Haughton (7), who would meet in the regional round if both survived the first round. Also in Winnfield’s bracket were Catholic (9) and Destrahan (10). So, if the final sportswriters poll was any indication of team strength, Winnfield would face a lower-ranked team each week of the playoffs until they got to the final. If they got past No. 4 Jennings, they would face a 6th or 7th-ranked team and if they got to the semifinals they would face either a 9th or 10th-ranked team or an unranked team. But, the playoffs offered a different brand of football. In a 16-team playoff format, where only district champs and district runners-up make the playoffs, every team is good.    
     The bottom half of the bracket include both Lutcher (1) and Jesuit (2), who would meet in the semifinals if they made it that far. Other ranked teams in that bracket included Bolton (5) and Central (8). There were more unranked teams in the lower bracket (4), but the bottom bracket had the two teams that had occupied the top two spots all season long in Lutcher and Jesuit.     
     Jennings won the District 4-AAA with a 9-1-0 record. They were a senior-dominated ball club with only one non-senior on the starting unit. Coach Dauterive compared the Jennings defense to that of Menard: "small and quick.”  Since the Bulldogs were the district champs, they got to host the regional game. If all of that weren't enough for Winnfield to contend with, the game would be played on a field soaked by rain.     
      Nathan Johnson got the Tigers started on the opening kickoff by almost getting the Tigers on the board to start the game. Johnson returned the kick 83 yards before being hauled down at the Jennings 6. Two plays netted a minus two yards, so Dauterive called for Lyn Bankston to go over the top of the Jennings defense. On the play, Bankston found Husser all alone in the end zone and hit him with an 8 yards scoring toss. Bankston cleared the cross bar on the extra point and just like that Winnfield had a 7-0 lead. After that, the game became a defensive battle for the remainder of the first half with neither scoring.    
     The field was barely fit for competition when the two teams resumed play in the second half. That set the stage for turnovers and Jennings made the first when  the Jennings punter had a snap sail over his head and the Tiger defense fell on the ball at the Jennings 12-yard line. The Tiger offense came in and worked the ball to the 8-yard line, where Bankston hit Gregg Batts for a touchdown to up the lead to 13-0. Bankston's extra point boot failed.    
     That changed the complexion of the game entirely. Instead of protecting against a single play that could potentially tie up the score, Coach Dauterive had some breathing room. Suddenly the 13-point lead seemed huge. As a result, Dauterive elected to punt on third down on several occasions the remainder of the game.                     
     Jennings came close to scoring late in the third quarter when they drove to the Winnfield 6-yard line. However, Dennis Brown tipped away a fourth down pass to keep the Bulldogs out of the end zone. That enabled the Tigers to move into the fourth quarter with a two-touchdown lead.     
     Jennings did put up a battle to the end. The Bulldogs began a drive late in the fourth quarter and took advantage of two consecutive pass interference calls against Winnfield to move into scoring position. Jennings got on the scoreboard the same way Winnfield had, on a pass from inside the 10-yard line. The extra point kick failed after the Jennings touchdown making the score 13-6 with 2:53 left in the game.    
     Winnfield played it conservatively on their last possession, and Jennings used their timeouts to get the ball back with a chance to tie the score or even win the game. Give Jennings credit. They got into Tiger territory and moved inside the Winnfield 20-yard line with under a minute to go in the game. Then, on the last play of the game, the Bulldog quarterback dropped back to attempt a pass into the end zone. Buck Carter was blitzing on the play and he hauled down the Jennings quarterback for a 5-yard loss before he could get the pass off.     
     Winnfield was more than happy to escape with a 13-6 win because it wasn't a night for offensive football. Winnfield got 85 yards rushing to Jennings' 65. Nathan Johnson was held to a mere 21 yards in the contest. The Bulldogs led in passing yards, getting 45 yards on 5 completions. Winnfield completed 3 passes for 21 yards. There were no interceptions thrown and each team fumbled twice. The only significant difference in the post-game statistics was in penalty yards, where Winnfield had 120 yards in 11 penalties, while Jennings was flagged 5 times for 51 yards.     
     The win broke a streak of two straight playoff losses for the Tiger program and made the 1976 team only the third team in school history to win a playoff game. The 1976 team's win over Jennings moved the program's playoff record to 5-10, with the 1971 team getting 3 of those wins themselves.    
     There was a similarity between the 1971 playoffs and the 1976 playoffs. In both of those years, Winnfield opened the playoffs with games against Jennings High School and advanced to the quarterfinals to face the Haughton Buccaneers. There were also some similarities between the 1976 version of the Haughton Bucs and the 1971 version. Both Haughton teams came at Winnfield with speed to burn. The 1971 Bucs had fast Arry Moody, while the 1976 squad had a young player by the name of Joe Delaney. He had already been clocked at 9.4 in the 100 and was the Buccaneer's leading receiver. The Bucs were one year removed from a state title in Class AAA and they also returned to the finals two years later, only to lose that one. In 1976, Haughton had finished second to Jesuit in District 1-AAA. They came into the quarterfinal game with a 7-3-1 record after taking a close 7-6 win over District 2-AAA champion Winnsboro in the opening round of the playoffs.                                          
     There was one big difference between the 1976 match-up against Haughton and the 1971 encounter. Unlike the 1971 game, which took place in Airline Stadium in Bossier City, the 1976 game would be played in Stokes-Walker Stadium, where the Tigers were 3-0 in playoff games.     
     Haughton took an early lead when they booted a 28-yard field goal in the closing seconds of the first quarter and it appeared that the 3-0 score would stand up until halftime as neither team could get anything going offensively in the first half. But, in the closing minutes of the second quarter, Tiger nose guard Karl King recovered a fumble at the Haughton 18. It didn't take the Tigers long to capitalize on that miscue when Bankston hit Mickey Zimmerman with a 10-yard scoring toss which gave Winnfield a 7-3 lead heading into the locker room at halftime.     
      It is repeated often that in tight games turnovers make the difference. This game would be the showcase example of that. After the two teams moved through most of the third quarter without scoring, cornerback Willie Green brought the hometown crowd to its feet when he stepped in front of a pass at midfield and raced 53 yards down the sidelines for a touchdown. There was 1:16 showing on the third quarter clock when Green scored. The touchdown made the score 14-3 Winnfield.      
     Haughton head coach Bobby Ray McHalffey was infuriated by the mistake. The next time Haughton had the ball he attacked the opposite side of the Tiger defense with the same play he had just gotten a pass intercepted on. What he saw was a replay (almost). This time Dennis Brown got the interception and he returned the ball to the Haughton 4. It took two plays, but Winnfield upped their lead when Lyn Bankston took the ball in from the three. Dauterive called for a two-point conversion which Bankston completed to Willie Green to make the score 22-3. But, the Tigers weren't through. Haughton fumbled on the ensuing kickoff and Dennis Brown recovered for Winnfield at the Buccaneer 14. Haughton was flagged for a personal foul, which moved the ball to the 7. The Tiger offense went on the field and added another touchdown, this one coming like the first Tiger touchdown of the game, from a 10-yard pass from Bankston to Zimmerman. Bankston kicked the extra point to make the score 29-3. In a three minutes span of time, Winnfield had moved from a 7-3 lead to a 29-3 lead thanks to two interceptions and a fumble recovery. After that, Haughton went nowhere, while Winnfield moved on to the semifinals.    
     Dauterive credited his defense for the win, stating, "Our defense played a great game. It was great the way we contained their speed.”  For the night, the Tiger defense got four fumble recoveries and two pass interceptions. Four of those turnovers led to touchdowns by Winnfield. That was clearly the difference in the game. Otherwise the offensive statistics were almost equal, with Winnfield getting 151 yards rushing to Haughton's 137. In the passing department, Winnfield had 49 yards to Haughton's 37. Both teams had 8 first downs and both teams had an almost equal number of punts and penalties.     
     Haughton tailback Sonny Lewis was the leading ground gainer getting 136 yards rushing while Nathan Johnson led the Tiger attack with 96 on 18 carries. That moved Johnson's ever- increasing single-season rushing total to 1,278 yards.     
     The 1976 team really established themselves as one of the school's best teams with their win over Haughton. The win enabled the team to become only the third team in school history to win at least 10 games, joining the 1961 team (11) and the 1971 team (14) in that category. But, more importantly, the 1976 team joined the 1971 team as the only two teams to advance past the quarterfinals of the playoffs and the only two teams to win at least two playoff games. That's the name of the game when you get to the playoffs: win and you get the next prize, lose and you go home.  

KEY GAME:  Unlike the 1971 Tiger team, who played their semifinal game in Stokes-Walker Stadium, the 1976 Tiger team would have to earn their way into the title game on the road. But, that meant that they would host the championship game in Winnfield if they won. One thing the Tigers knew if they dared look past their semifinal opponent was that if they did make it to the title game they would either meet the No. 1-ranked team in the state or the No.2 -ranked team in the state.  Lutcher (1) and Jesuit (2) met in the semifinals in what those two were calling "the real" state championship game. In fact, Jesuit head coach Tony Catanese said so in a pregame interview for the Shreveport Times, when he was quoted as saying, “I’m sorry that we are meeting in the semifinals rather than the finals. I really think that these are the best two teams in the state.”  But, the only thing Winnfield was focusing on was their own semi-final round opponent, the Catholic High School Bears from Baton Rouge.    

      Catholic entered the playoffs as the District 6-AAA runner-up and the 9th-ranked team in the state. After getting past St. Martinville in the opening round, Catholic and Mandeville played to a scoreless tie in the quarterfinal round. Catholic was awarded the win by virtue of having a 6-3 first down advantage. Coach Dauterive summed up the Catholic team quite succinctly for the Enterprise when he said, "They rely on their defense to win. In their last 27 quarters they've given up only seven points."  In two playoff games the Bears were unscored on. The "Bad News Bears" defense had recorded six shutouts during the season. They were led by Jeff Tanguris, their 6' 2" 230 pound defensive tackle, who was named the outstanding defensive player in his district and labeled the best down lineman in the Baton Rouge area. The other standout on the Catholic defense was linebacker Brett Capone, brother of former LSU linebacker Warren Capone    

     Playoff games are often low-scoring affairs, where good defense determines the outcome. Winnfield's 26-point margin of victory in the quarterfinals was unexpected almost as much as the 35-point margin of victory the 1971 team posted in the opening round of the playoffs against Jennings. But, the great 1971 team had nail-biters the rest of the way, getting past Haughton 20-13 on a late touchdown and also scoring a fourth quarter touchdown to take a 14-13 semifinal win. When Tiger fans arrived at Olympia Stadium in Baton Rouge for the 1976 semifinal Winnfield, anyone with any football sense was expecting a low-scoring affair. Coach Dauterive had fallen in love with his defense during the course of the year, but he was still an offensive-minded man at heart. He might have been the only one who was thinking big offense numbers when the Tigers prepared to meet the Bears. When asked by an Enterprise reporter what the appearance in the semifinals meant to him, Dauterive didn't mince his words. "It means everything!  It's the epitome of coaching and the height of success. It's reaping the fruits of what we worked so hard for. God takes care of people who take care of themselves."    

     At lot of things go into advancing in the playoffs. Luck certainly plays a role, as does other intangibles that teams have little control over. But, there is no substitute for plain old hard work, good execution and peaking at the right time. Once the 1976 team got rolling in the playoffs (and particularly in the second half of the Haughton game) they reached their peak performance of the year. Thankfully that carried over to the Catholic game. Winnfield not only played their best game of the year against Catholic, but their performance was the most complete playoff game ever played by a Tiger team up to that point. What made the performance so impressive is that the team executed on both sides of the ball in walking away with a 37-13 semifinal win.     

     Coach Dauterive acknowledged the effort for the Enterprise, saying, "That's what I've been expecting for some time now." He had been looking for a good offensive game and he got it against Catholic. Dauterive said, "The only time we've been stopped was against Bolton and that time we stopped ourselves."    

      Winnfield scored early and often to essentially put the game on ice by halftime. Here's how it all happened. Freshman linebacker Ricky Chatman broke through and blocked a Catholic punt the first time they kicked the ball. The Catholic punter fell on the ball in the end zone to give the Tigers a safety. Then, as often happens, three plays after the free kick Winnfield was back on the scoreboard when Bankston completed an 18-yard pass to Jimmy Husser. Bankston added the extra point to make the score 9-0 just minutes into the contest.     

     The Catholic kicking game contributed to the next Tiger touchdown as well when the Catholic punter dropped the snap and was tackled on the Catholic 18-yard line. The Tigers quickly moved to the 7-yard line where quarterback Lyn Bankston ran in for the second touchdown of the first quarter. He also added the extra point kick to give the Tigers a 16-0 first quarter lead.    

      The highly touted Catholic defense was nowhere to be found in the second quarter. Winnfield scored on two of their possessions, with Lester Mills getting the first on a 19-yard run and Nathan Johnson getting the second on a 45-yard run. Bankston added the extra point kick after each of those touchdowns to give the Tigers a 30-0 first half lead. This came against a defense that had not given up many more points than that during the course of the entire season. If you want to demoralize a team, that's one good way to do it. Another good way is to continually send them three and out. That's what the Tiger defense was doing to Catholic in the first half. However, the Winnfield defense did let up in the closing minutes of the half, allowing Catholic to get on the scoreboard with only 24 seconds remaining in the second quarter. The touchdown came on a 7-yard pass to make the score 30-7. The Tigers could play the second half knowing they had the state finals secure in their grasp.  However, the game still had to be played. In fact, Catholic narrowed the margin a little more in the third quarter when they scored on an 11-yard pass play to make the score 30-13. Winnfield got back to a 24-point margin in the fourth quarter when Dexter Holden caught a 15-yard pass from Bankston to end all scoring for the night at 37-13.      

     The Tiger win over Catholic was as complete a team victory as you would want in any game, much less a semifinal game that propelled you to the championship game. Start with the Winnfield defense. Catholic only gained 6 yards rushing in the game and only added 91 yards in the air. Had it not been for Tiger mistakes, Catholic could have very easily been shutout. That was the only black mark on the game. The Tiger defense only allowed 9 first downs and forced Catholic to punt 7 times. The Bears didn’t turn the ball over a single time. So, they didn’t really hurt themselves. They simply couldn’t go anywhere against the Tiger defense.    

     But, Catholic had relied on their defense all year long to keep them in ball games, enabling them to win by low scores. Their defense was no match for Winnfield speed or power game. The Tigers rolled up 220 yards rushing, with Johnson getting 101 yards on 12 carries. Bankston had one of his best outings of the year, completing 8 of 12 passes for 118 yards and two touchdowns. He didn’t throw an interception.     The 1976 Tigers won their 11th game of the year against Catholic, tying them with the 1961 team for second most wins in a season. The leader of that category was the 1971 team, who won 13 games.

      Just down the road, Jesuit was attempting to defeat the defending state champion Lutcher Tigers. Luther came into the game with the longest win streak in the state with 29 consecutive wins. In spite of playing in front of a rabid Lutcher following and facing the No. 1-ranked team in the state, Jesuit claimed a 17-7 win to earn the school’s second appearance in a state title game. That set up a title matchup between Winnfield and Jesuit in Stokes Walker Stadium in one of the most important nights in Winnfield sports history. Never before had there been a state championship game contested in Winnfield in any sport.     
     Jesuit High School was no stranger to Winnfield Tiger football, nor were they to the Bankston family. In former Winnfield head coach Tommy Bankston’s first two years at Winnfield he faced Jesuit in the first round of the playoffs and came home from Shreveport with decisive losses both times. Winnfield had to play both of those games in Jesuit’s back yard. This game would be played in Stokes-Walker, where Winnfield liked their chances. The 1976 title game would mark the fifth playoff game played in Stokes-Walker Stadium, where the Tigers had a perfect 4-0 record in playoff games up to that point.    
     The week before the game became a war of words between Jesuit head coach Tony Catanese and Larry Dauterive. Both were confident men and Dauterive in particular was never one to hold his tongue and the Shreveport Times chronicled it all. Dauterive called his backfield “the best in Triple-A.”  He said Winnfield had “a seven-point advantage” heading into the game because the game would be played in Winnfield. Dauterive characterized the game as one pitting “Winnfield’s quickness with the strength of Jesuit.”  Catanese downplayed Winnfield all week. Dauterive had a 144-play playbook and was just as likely to line up in the wishbone as he was the I. To that, Catanese replied, “It doesn’t matter how many looks they have, they have the same basic plays that they run out of. They want you to be afraid of those formations. I don’t think those different formations will be a turning point in the game. “ As for Winnfield’s reported advantage in quickness, Catanese said, “I think he’s (Dauterive) overplayed quickness versus brute strength. Their backfield is quick but look at our Greg Page. Nobody can be much quicker than that. They are not any quicker on their offensive and defensive lines that we are.”  But, the fires were really stoked when Catanese claimed his team was “more disciplined” than Winnfield. In response, Dauterive told one sportswriter that Winnfield would send the big city boys home “with their helmets stuck up their ass.”  Both coaches boldly predicted flat out victories. By the time the game began, both teams had more than enough bulletin board material.    
     There never had quite been the atmosphere at Stokes-Walker Stadium like there was come game night of the 1976 title game. There had been capacity crowds at local games before and the 1971 Hahnville game had every seat in the stadium taken as well as the sidelines ringed with fans. A crowd estimated at well over 5,000 came that frigid night, making that the largest crowd to ever watch a football game in Winn Parish. Anticipating an overflow crowd for the 1976 title game, Winnfield had bleachers brought in from Fort Polk to increase the capacity to approximately 7,000. In spite of those accommodations, there was standing room only by game time.    
     Make no mistake about it. Jesuit would be the strongest team Winnfield had faced all year. That was particularly true of Jesuit’s defensive. The Flyer defense had been one stingy group all year, giving up only 31 points in the regular season and 27 points in the playoffs in helping guide the team to a 13-0-0 record. All of those points had been given up in clumps. Bossier and Southwood had both scored 14 points against Jesuit in their identical 21-14 losses. The only other team to score against Jesuit in the regular season was Ruston, who got a lone field goal in a 10-3 loss. Jesuit had shutout seven opponents during the regular season. Jesuit relied on their defense because they weren’t a high scoring team. The Flyers went through an undefeated 10-game regular season by scoring over 21 points only twice. They won with defense.    In the playoffs, Jesuit narrowly got by Wossman in the regional round, taking a 3-0 win. Then, a surprisingly pesky Bolton bunch gave Jesuit yet another scare in the quarterfinals, putting up a battle before losing 23-20. In doing so, Bolton scored more points against Jesuit than anybody had all year. But, like Winnfield, Jesuit posted their most impressive win of the year in the semi-finals when they showed both offense and defense in a 17-7 win over Lutcher.    
     Jesuit had a mixture of star players on both sides of the ball. Jesuit lost their leading rusher in the first playoff game when Paul Cordaro (955 yds. rushing during the regular season) went down with a broken collarbone. Later in the playoffs, their second leading rusher, Steve Thornton, also went out with an ankle injury.      One big weapon that Jesuit had was Steve Scott, their kicker, who had made nine field goals during the season. All season long, Jesuit had done whatever it took to win so they were used to making adjustments. Another leader of the team was two-way player Gene Mack, a 6' 2", 220 lb offensive and defensive tackle. He was headed for All-State honors on offense. The defensive backfield was led by Greg Page, who had made 13 interceptions coming into the championship game. He also had been thrust into the offensive scheme with the untimely injuries in the Flyer backfield.     
     Jesuit rarely threw the ball and their leading rushers were out for the season. The game figured to be a low scoring affair, but title games had historically shown more offense that you would imagine, almost contradicting the old saying that defense wins champions. In the 50 years of LHSAA sanctioned games preceding the 1976 game, there had only been 22 games where the two teams combined to score 10 or fewer points. That period covered 176 games, so championship games weren’t usually characterized by defensive struggles. On the other hand, Winnfield fans had been witness to one of those 22 games five years earlier when the 1971 Tiger team and South Lafourche combined to score only 10 points, all by the Tarpons.    
     A thinking man would have told you that Winnfield’s defense should be able to handle the Jesuit offense. You could have figured that the Tiger defense could hold their end of the bargain and that only a big mistake would allow Jesuit to score over one touchdown, if that much. So, the real question was how well the Tiger offense could handle the Flyer defense. Since the Tiger offense had just dismantled a good defense in the Catholic game, you had to figure that they were brimming with confidence and primed for another good outing.  Dauterive said that Jesuit couldn’t shut Winnfield out. He had never been shut out before in his coaching career, so he felt confident in what he was saying.   
    For many fans and past players, a championship title would be a sweet salve for past disappointments because when an individual team succeeds, the whole program succeeds. That goes for both the teams that have played in the past and contributed to getting the program where it is, as well as the teams to come, who continue to build on the foundation laid by past teams.    
      An article that appeared in the Shreveport Times following the game, described the atmosphere of the game quite well. “Eight chartered busses (came from) Shrevetown. They had come for forty-eight minutes of football between a big city powerhouse that had won a state title as recently as 1967 and a small town entry so small it is destined next year to be dropped into Class AA and a program that had not won a statewide football championship since 1919 when it turned back Shreveport High.”  

KEY GAME: It was a good night for football. Unlike the game played in 1971, this one would be held on Winnfield’s home turf, but more importantly, it would be played under much better field conditions. A missy drizzle fell at times during the game, but weather would not be a significant factor in this game like it had been in the 1971 game. The setting was ideal and the surrounding were familiar to all of those associated with the red and white. Strung across the press box atop Stokes-Walker was one huge banner that read, “We Can, We Will.”  Those were the words that the Jesuit players and fans had to see when they looked across the field at the Winnfield home side.     

     Winnfield got the ball first and was immediately in trouble when the Tiger return man was downed at the Winnfield 7-yard line. That didn’t faze the Tiger offense who responded by driving out to the 42-yard line. At that point, the Tigers made their first critical mistake of the night when tight end Gregg Batts fumbled a pitchout, which Jesuit recovered at the Tiger 37. The Tiger defense came in and shut down Jesuit in three plays, but the turnover halted Winnfield’s early momentum. After that, the first half turned into the kind of game many people expected - a battle of the two defenses.     

     Three minutes into the second quarter, Jesuit sophomore Drew Dossett intercepted the only pass Bankston would give up all night long. But, Jesuit couldn’t capitalize on that turnover either, just like they failed to make something out of their first quarter fumble recovery. After failing to get anywhere in three downs, Catanese sent in Scott to punt the ball and the result was a high spiral that pinned Winnfield at the Tiger 19.    

     Winnfield went nowhere on first and second downs, so Dauterive elected to quick-kick on third down. Jesuit had not made a single first down up to that point in the game and had only gained 18 total yards. So, Dauterive liked his chances better by getting away from the Winnfield end zone and relying on his defense to shut down Jesuit yet again. Winnfield had been having good success with stunts and blitzes and were getting to the ball on some plays at about the same time the handoff was made. Most of the blitzes were made by the Tiger defensive ends George Moss and Buck Carter, but, the Tigers were sending as many as eight players on some plays, especially when Jesuit went to a sprint-out or drop-back pass formation.     

     The quick-kick was downed by Winnfield at the Jesuit 44 and came at the midpoint of the second quarter. On first down, Jesuit tailback Greg Page was dropped for a 2-yard loss by Ricky Chatman. The Flyers continued their backward movement when they picked up an illegal motion penalty before they could get off the second snap of the series. Dauterive accepted the penalty, saying, “I wanted them as deep as I could get them.”  That had been Jesuit’s first penalty of the night (and one of only two penalties they would get all night.). That made it second and seventeen for Jesuit at their own 37-yard line. It appeared Dauterive’s thinking was paying off - quick-kick to Jesuit, shut them down and get better field position.     

     Jesuit called a play on second down that had worked for them the week before. Catanese had used a short screen pass to tailback Greg Page to get some yardage on one of the few passes they had attempted in the semifinal game. At the snap, tailback Greg Page rolled to an area of the flat vacated by blitzing defensive end George Moss. Page would be covered by defensive back Nathan Johnson who had the assignment of covering anybody coming out of the backfield. In an interview for Jerry Byrd’s book Football Country, Jesuit quarterback John James Marshall said, “(Winnfield) was blitzing every play. They were wide open, so we let ‘em come.”  And come Moss did. As Marshall dropped back to pass, Moss was barreling down on him. Then, just as Marshall cocked his arm to throw, Moss stretched out as far as he could and jumped as high as he could, in an effort to block Marshall’s pass. Tailback Page would later say, “Their defensive end was coming across real hard. Oh, they were coming across. The end left me wide open.”    

     Marshall ended up getting the ball just past Moss’ onrush. When Page caught the ball at the Jesuit 35, he was three yards behind the line of scrimmage but all alone in the flat except for his own linemen who had drifted out to set up the screen. He immediately picked up some good blocks from both his tackles, got past the initial containment and showed the speed Catanese had referred to before the game. Once Page got into the secondary he simply outran everyone 63 yards to the end zone to give Jesuit a touchdown and a 6-0 lead. Scott converted the extra point to make the score 7-0 at the 5.22 mark of the second quarter.   

    The play marked the first and only first down Jesuit would make in the first half. It would also be the first and only pass the Flyers would complete in the whole game. For Page, who had been inserted into the offense when the regular Jesuit tailback went down with a broken collarbone in the opening round of the playoffs, it was only his second reception of the season. None of that mattered.     

     That’s the way the scored remained until halftime. It had been a first half marked by defense. Jesuit only had one first down in the half and Winnfield only had two. The scene was nothing new for the Tigers. That was the fifth time they had trailed going in at halftime. They had been a second-half team all season long. In each of the previous four games when the Tigers trailed, they came back and won.      

     In the third quarter, Winnfield went right to work. After the Tigers got near mid field on one of their first possessions of the half, Dauterive send Dennis Brown on an end around and he got 23 yards to take the ball to the Jesuit 39. Bankston then connected with Mills for 11 to move to the 28 and the Tigers were on the move. Bankston, ever the warrior, then rolled out, pitched to Johnson and even threw a block that sprung Johnson on a 12-yard run that moved the Tigers to within 16 yards of the Flyer goal line, making that Winnfield’s deepest penetration of the game.    

     Johnson got the call again on first down and he made it to the 10-yard line, but the hated yellow flag was seen lying on the field after the run and the play was nullified. Tiger wingback Jimmy Husser was called for an illegal crack-back block on the play and the penalty was devastating. Not only did it erase a good run, but, instead of having the ball second and four from the 10, Winnfield had the ball first and 24 from the 30. On the next play, Zimmerman was inserted in the backfield to try a halfback pass. Instead, he was hauled down for a 10-yard loss. The Tigers tried a pass on second and third down that fell incomplete, so the Tigers had to punt. That’s when Winnfield almost got their biggest break of the game. The Jesuit return man called for a fair catch and fumbled the ball, which Winnfield recovered inside the Flyer 15. However, Winnfield was flagged for interfering with the fair catch. “Six inches is a little too close,” said the Monroe official who made the call. After the penalty, Winnfield had a fourth and 52 from their own 44 after having it second and four from the 10.     

     After Jesuit returned the next punt to the Flyer 36, Jesuit gave up the ball for only the second time of the game, this one coming when Greg Page fumbled on first down just as the fourth quarter was getting started. Chatman fell on the ball at the Jesuit 37, giving Winnfield a fresh set of downs. The Tigers came into that series with the knowledge that Jesuit hadn’t stopped them on their previous possession, as much as they had stopped themselves.     

     Johnson picked up 5 yards on first down and then made it 7 yards down the field on second down to give the Tigers a first down at the Jesuit 25. Bankston then got 5 yards on a keeper and threw 11 yards to Mills for another first down at the Jesuit 9. With the tension mounting, Winnfield reached the Flyer 4, after which Winnfield was besieged by the very thing that had hurt them all season long. In five football games, the Tigers had sustained over 100 yards in penalties. The team ended the regular season with the most penalty yards ever sustained by a Tiger team. A penalty would factor in the Tigers second penetration inside the Flyer 10 when Husser was again called for an illegal crack-back block, giving Winnfield the ball at the Jesuit 20. The next three plays yielded nothing, so the Tigers lined up for an apparent field goal on fourth and goal, but Dauterive had other things planned. The Tigers faked the field goal and had Bankston throw a screen pass to Johnson. Anything short of the goal line would not be enough, since it was fourth and goal. Johnson picked up 12, getting down to the Jesuit 8-yard line, but that’s as far as he got.    

     Jesuit’s offense had not been a factor in the second half. The Flyer’s had only picked up one first down in the half to go along with their single first down in the opening half. Since most of the second half had been played in Jesuit territory, Dauterive figured if he kept knocking on the door he would eventually get in the end zone. A tie was as good as a win for the Tigers, because they had a decisive advantage in first downs as the final minutes of the game neared. That’s what would determine the 1976 state champion if the game ended in a tie.    

     After Johnson was chopped down just short of the Jesuit goal line, the Tiger defense quickly got the ball back to the Tiger offense. After Winnfield shut Jesuit down in three plays, the Flyers punted to the Winnfield 38. There wasn’t a person in the whole stadium with a normal pulse rate when the Tigers got the ball back with 4:27 left to play and needing a touchdown.           

    A first down play went nowhere and Bankston was dropped for an 11-yard loss on the next play, setting up a third and 21. Dauterive called for Husser to get the ball on an end around on the next play. He circled and took the handoff from Bankston and immediately found himself in trouble. Husser probably covered 20 on the run, but most of that came as he ran one way and then another in the Tiger backfield. When he was finally dropped, he actually only picked up three yards. However, Jesuit picked up their second penalty of the night and it would be a 15-yarder when the Flyers were flagged for a face mask penalty. That gave Winnfield a fourth and 3 from the Tiger 46.     

     The Tigers faced a situation where three yards were needed to keep the drive and likely their last hopes going. Dauterive sent in his punting team, but you never knew what to expect with Dauterive. He faked the punt, having Grigg snap the ball to Mills instead who got three and a half yards on the play. Winnfield had new life with a first down at midfield with just under two minutes to go in the game.      Johnson fumbled on first down but recovered the ball himself. However, he lost 12 yards on the play. Bankston tried two passes but neither found their mark, though Husser made a spectacular catch that appeared to give the Tigers the yardage they needed. However, Husser was just out of bounds when he made the catch.    

    With 2:06 showing on the clock and the Tigers facing a fourth and 22 from their own 38, Dauterive elected to punt the ball this time, liking his chances of getting better field position with another good defensive stand. That ploy almost worked when Jesuit went for 2 yards on first down, then 3 and 2 yards on second and third down. That sent them back into punt formation on fourth down, but their sure-footed punter got off a 43-yard punt to the Winnfield 35.     

     Winnfield had no choice but to pass this time as there was under a minute to go in the game and the Tigers had no timeouts. Bankston was just the type of player you would want in that situation. The Tigers always had a chance as long as there was time on the clock as far as he was concerned. So, with 32 seconds showing on the clock, Bankston dropped back, but he couldn’t find and open man. He headed for the sidelines to stop the clock, but didn’t quite make it. Jesuit dropped him inside the field of play and with it kept the clock running. Winnfield never ran another play.    

     Winnfield played a superb defensive game. Jesuit only managed 3 first downs and only netted 43 yards rushing. But, Jesuit did get the most important 63 total passing yards the school has ever gotten. All of that came on one play, which was the only pass they completed all night. But, that one play was the only points scored in the ball game. In the end, that’s the only statistic that really matters.    

     The Jesuit defense held Winnfield to 107 yards rushing, limiting Nathan Johnson to 53 yards in 19 carries in his final game as a Tiger. Lyn Bankston had a 6 of 17 passing night, with those six completions going for 38 yards. Both teams punted the ball 8 times and turnovers weren’t a significant factor, with Jesuit giving up the ball twice on fumbles and Winnfield only giving it up once, that one being on a fumble as well.    

    The game boiled down to three critical plays. The first was, of course, the screen play Jesuit scored on. Had Jesuit not scored on that play and not found a way to score the rest of the game, Winnfield would have out-distanced Jesuit in first downs by a 9 to 3 margin. The other two critical plays were the two 15-yard penalties against Winnfield that backed the Tigers away from the Jesuit goal line, both times from inside the Jesuit 6. The Tigers could have survived the critical screen pass had they scored on either of those possessions, because again, they had the advantage in any tie-breaker.    

     Jesuit celebrated on the field for a full hour after the game. Many a Winnfield fan went home in stunned silence and the tears flowed in the Winnfield dressing room and stands just about the time the skies opened up to a full rain. But, on this night, the collective Tiger following shed tears, and the loss only opened up old wounds for more than a few Tiger players and fans.    

     Jesuit head coach Tony Catanese gloated over the Jesuit shutout. “That son of a bitch said we couldn’t shut them out,“ said Catanese in front of a Shreveport Times sportswriter, referring to Dauterive’s claim that “nobody” could shut the Tigers out.

      The way in which the Tigers lost to Jesuit continued an ironic trend in key Tiger losses. Arguably the four most disappointing losses in the school’s history up to that point included the following:  1. The 1928 (7-6) loss to Bolton that kept the Tigers from an undefeated season and a playoff spot. 2. The 1961 (12-0) loss to the eventful state champion Tallulah Trojans in the first round of the playoffs. 3. The 1971 (10-0) loss to South Lafourche in the Class AAA title game. 4. The 1976 (7-0) loss to Jesuit.  The common thread in those losses was that the Tigers were shut down offensively in those four losses. The irony of that is that those four teams were highest scoring teams in school history up to that point, with over 1,400 points amassed by those four teams collectively. Those four teams held virtually all offensive records at the school. In 12 total playoff games, the Tigers had been shutout four times. Three of those times included the 1961, 1971 and 1976 losses.    
     There is a tendency to judge a football team by the last game they played. That is true at any level, whether it be a high school playoff game, a college bowl game or a professional playoff game. The fallacy of that approach is that a team’s accomplishments over the course of the season are either ignored or there is a “yes, but, what have you done for me lately” quality about judging a team by its most recent performance. But, the thing about building a program is that you keep raising the bar and expecting more and more. Heard in the stands, late in the fourth at one state title game was the following statement by a fan of a particular team. His team had gone through the regular season undefeated, had advanced to the state title game and were winning 21-7 with two minutes left on the clock. Said the fan, “This is great and all, but we should have walked away with this game.”  You never can please some people.    
     By any measure, the 1976 season was a huge success. It was one of the best seasons in the history of the school. The team won 11 games, which was more games than every team that had ever played at the school up to that point in time, save one, the 1971 team. Most importantly, the team achieved the goal that every high school football player and coach would like to achieve but only a handful ever have; that is, to compete in a title game. Simply getting there is so difficult that well over 95% of the high school football players will never know what it is like to compete in a title game. The 1976 team was the 68th team to compete for Winnfield High School. Up to that point, only two of those teams competed on the field for a state title and the 1976 was one of those.    
      The reasons the 1976 team made it to the finals are many. In general, the team had all the major ingredients required of a championship team, including a great defense, a solid offense, excellent coaching and individual game-breakers among its players. But, the reason for the team’s success was no mystery to Coach Dauterive. He cited one of the most critical components that a successful high school football team must have - senior leadership. "I cannot put into words what those 20 seniors meant to the program," Coach Dauterive said in an interview for The Enterprise. "They taught us how to win. They laid the foundation for our whole program."  A core group of those seniors had been starters for three years and an even larger group were two-year starters. When they reached their senior year, they basically had the drive and determination (let alone the talent) to get the team to the playoffs after a two year absence. The Tigers were picked to finish fourth in the district, but the seniors of the team had their share of watching the playoffs from the sidelines.    
     As a team, the group finished the season among the top three in most significant offensive and defensive categories at the school. Some of the more important ones include:  Most Rushing Touchdowns (4th with 28), Most TD Passes (2nd with 20), Most Points Scored (3rd with 355).     
     Like the 1971 team, the 1976 offense offered opposing teams a balanced attack. Because of that, defenses couldn't key on either the running game or the passing game. Finals statistics show the 1976 team gained 3,913 total yards, the second most ever at the school. That total was achieved by rushing for 2,751 yds. (2nd on the list to the 1961 team's 3,133) and passing for 1,162 yds. (2nd on the list to the 1971 team's 1,722 yds.).     
     The defense set a school record against Jena by allowing - 31 yards rushing and ended the season averaging 90.9 yds. rushing per game and 67.4 passing yards per game. Only West Monroe scored more than two touchdowns against the Tigers. To show how rare that was, only four teams had ever gone through a season by holding every team to two touchdowns or less (1919, 1923, 1928 and 1971 teams).      
     Individually, Nathan Johnson and Lyn Bankston finished among the best that had ever played their respective positrons. Johnson finished his career as the single-season (1,432) and career (2,561) rushing leader at the school. He finished his career with 15 games where he rushed for 100 or more yards. To put that in perspective, Jerry Keen was second on that list with five 100-yard rushing games. Johnson rushed for 20 touchdowns in his career, second-most on that list at the time.     
     Bankston was a gritty performer who first and foremost was a leader. When you are creating a quarterback, that's the quality you want to start with. But, he could perform. Bankston had the second most prolific passing season in school history in 1976 when he passed for 18 touchdowns and threw for just over 1,000 yards. In his career, Bankston set three records that stood throughout the twentieth century, including being a partner in the longest pass completion for a touchdown (86 yards to Mike Kimble in 1975), completing the most touchdown passes in a single game (6 vs. Tioga as a sophomore) and throwing 37 career touchdown passes, four ahead of the former career-leader Steve Adams. Mike Tinnerello had been the only other quarterback that had thrown for more than 16 touchdown passes in a career, ending his career with 20 touchdown passes. Lyn Bankston was a valuable asset to the teams he played on as a kicker as well. He kicked 57 extra point kicks in his career, which made him the career leader at the time. All total, Bankston converted 57 of 66 kicks for a .864 conversion percentage.     
     The team was filled with good football players. Nine players were selected to the All-District squad and Nathan Johnson and Dennis Brown also made the All-State team at their respective positions. The All-State team was not dominated by any one team, with 17 schools being represented by the top 22 offensive and defensive players. To show you the level of competition the 1976 team played during the course of the season, the Tigers played against 9 of those players and Winnfield, of course, had 2 other on their squad. That's not to say that the talent on the team was limited to those players that earned post-season honors. That was particularly true in the completely rebuilt offensive and defensive lines that included Frankie Shelton, Karl King, Regan Stewart and Steve Barnes. That group had to learn a complicated system. Most of the offensive line came into the season with little or no experience in the line.  Running backs and quarterbacks don't get 1,000 yards in offense if they don't have good blocking in front of them. This group, who were so inexperienced at their positions prior to the season came together and performed as if they had been together as a unit throughout their high school careers.     
     Then there were players like freshman Ricky Chatman, who wasn't on anyone’s post-season team, but who was the leading tackler week after week, and who made the defense the tough unit that it was.  Finally, when Coach Dauterive said he had the best offensive backfields in the state (which was also one of the few things Coach Catanese of Jesuit agreed with) he wasn't just talking about Bankston and Johnson. Dexter Holden and Lester Mills scored 11 touchdowns between them and had to be figured into any defensive plan devised to stop the Tiger offense.    
     Football programs are built one stone at a time. But, in some years, much more progress is made in building the program. While the 1976 team didn't win the state championship, like the 1971 team the 1976 unit showed future Tiger players that a kid from Winnfield could make it to the title game. The 1976 season was a special season in its own right. But, the contributions to the program as a whole were one of the primary contributions of the team. The dividends would be seen in the very near future. 
Post Season Honors: 
Nathan Johnson                RB             All District, All State
Dennis Brown                   DB             All District, All State 
Rankin Curry                    C                All District
Buck Carter                      DE             All District
Lyn Bankston                   QB             2nd Team All District
Oberal Barnes                  LB             2nd Team All District
Bruce Shepard                  OT             2nd Team All District
Mickey Zimmerman         DB             2nd Team All District.
Jimmy Husser                  WR            2nd Team All District

1977 (Overall - 5-5-0; District - 5-4-0) Coach Dauterive came into the 1977 season with the task of replacing 20 seniors. To make the challenge even greater, a total of 16 of those departing seniors had been starters. Dauterive lost the leading rusher in school history, as well as his starting quarterback and leading receiver from the year before. The entire offensive line graduated, as did the starting defensive line. Most people were using words like "rebuilding" and "inexperienced" to describe the 1977 season and team.  Not Larry Dauterive. Here were his goals entering the 1977 season as told to The Winn Parish Enterprise:  "Our first goal is to go 10-0 and win the district," said Dauterive. "Our second goal is to win the state championship." Larry Dauterive expected to win, believed he would win and never considered any other possibility.    
     As the regular season approached, Dauterive did, in fact, lack experienced players, but he never raised that as a concern. During the 1977 season, the term “starter” would take on a new meaning. During of the course of the season and every game Dauterive would play of a lot of players.      
     In assessing the upcoming season for The Enterprise, Dauterive said, "The key to the 1977 season will be the offensive line."  He would have to replace all five starters, but he reasoned he was in a similar position the year before. He knew he had talented athletes he could insert in the backfield positions. But, he also knew he had to have manpower up front to block for those athletes. What raised the hopes of the coaching staff was the performance of the offensive line during spring practice. But, what Coach Dauterive continually talked about was the size of his linemen. "Finally I have a team that has both quickness and size. I've never had a team that had size," said Dauterive. Heading into the regular season, the group that would man the offensive line positions included Mark Swilley (5' 10", 175 lb.) center, Terry Mixon (6' 0", 190 lb.) guard, Todd Roberts (5' 9" 165 lb.) guard, Donnie Purser (5' 11", 185 lb.) tackle, Mike Kennedy (6' 4", 245 lb.) tackle, Woody Grigg (6' 7", 215) tackle and Tommy Campbell (6' 1", 200 lb.) tackle. It was a young bunch, with Kennedy and Roberts being the only seniors in the group. All the rest were juniors except Tommy Campbell, who was a sophomore.    
     Dexter Holden (Sr.) appeared to be heir-apparent to the vacancy at quarterback created by the departure of Lyn Bankston. However, before the season was over Terry Joe Ramsey (Jr.), Mike Crawford (Soph.) and Brent Hubbard (Jr.) would all take snaps from center.     
     In Dauterive's backfield senior Willie Green would take over the tailback slot and senior Lester Mills would get the nod at the wingback slot. One of Dauterive's boldest moves was to call on Ricky Chatman to play the fullback slot. That move would require Chatman to play on the offensive side of the ball as well as man his regular duties at linebacker where he had been a sensation his freshman year. Alternating with Chatman at fullback would be junior Stafford Moses. Other backs that showed much promise despite their young ages were Garry Powell (So.) and Jeffrey Dale (Fr.). Both were being looked at for the tailback slot.      Probably the biggest group of players on the offensive side of the ball as far as sheer numbers go would come from the receiving corp. When Terry Joe Ramsey wasn't playing quarterback, he would be positioned at a flanker spot. Joining him would be Brent Hubbard (Jr.), Kevin Wagoner (So.), Randy Husser (Jr.) and Otis Jackson (Sr.). Also, Terry Holden (Sr.) figured to be the starting tight end and Arthur Bell (Sr.) and Lorenzo Lewis (Jr.) would complete the large group of receivers.    
     That group gave Coach Dauterive a two-deep roster on the offensive side at most positions. It included an almost equal number of senior and junior players, as well as five players from the sophomore class and one freshman. The experience that the fifteen underclassmen of that group would get by playing in 1977 would be like making an investment in the future of the Tiger program. How those underclassmen would perform their first year was, of course, one of the big question marks heading into the season.     
     Several of those players would be expected to also play on the defensive side of the ball. The most notable was Ricky Chatman, who would be the starting linebacker, period. And, Woody Grigg and Donnie Purser would play defensive tackle, period. All of those were givens. But, in addition to those, Dauterive had Tommy Campbell, Mixon and Kennedy he could play in the defensive line, as well as senior Todd Williams, who was the biggest player on the team at 6' 4", 275 lbs. Rounding out the defensive line were juniors John Tice and Charlie Holden. At the defensive end slots, Lorenzo Lewis (Jr.), Jeff Anderson (Sr.), Terry Holden (Sr.) and Kevin Poisso (So) figured to handle most of the starting duties.     
     The Tiger defensive backfield would consist of Garry Powell and Stafford Moses at cornerback, with the deep back rotation consisting of Brent Hubbard, Randy Husser, Stafford Moses and Dexter Holden. Of that group, Holden was the only senior. In addition to those, Dauterive had freshman Jeffrey Dale and sophomore Craig Cummings.    
     Winnfield dropped to Class AA for the 1977 season, and while they were picked as the team to beat in District 1-AA, you couldn't figure the Tigers would run away with it. Despite Winnfield's success in the AAA ranks, Winnfield was having to replace the vast majority of their starters. But, when a team playing in AA has as much depth as the Tigers had, not to mention their size, that team has to be taken seriously.   
     Winnfield was not paired with AA patsies, and like recent years, Winnfield would be a part of a large district. District 1-AA would be a ten-team district made up of Winnfield, Haynesville, Homer, DeSoto, Many, Mansfield, Jonesboro-Hodge, Arcadia, Coushatta and Plain Dealing. The only non-district opponent Winnfield would play would be Ruston in the opening game of the season.     
     You could divide District 1-AA into the haves and have-nots. Haynesville and Homer were clearly the elite teams of the district. Those two had competed in a combined 15 state championship games and had nine state titles between them. Both schools had long football traditions, but both had enjoyed recent success as three of Haynesville championship game appearances had come in the 1970s as had one of Homer's. Of those two, Homer was loaded, returning 24 lettermen from the season before.     
     Jonesboro-Hodge was, of course, no stranger to Winnfield. After several dismal seasons, they were looking to turn things around with a new head coach in Don Shows. Jonesboro-Hodge, along with Haynesville and Homer were expected to fight it out for the district crown. But, when a state runner-up drops one class, you automatically have to figure they will be a force to be contended with.    
     Success in football, as in life, is often built on expectations. Expectations for Winnfield football were certainly raised by the recent success of the program, and one of the most outspoken persons who was talking-up winning was Coach Dauterive himself. All during the spring of 1977 and into summer practice he talked of winning games and titles.         
     The biggest difference that the 1977 season would bring to the Winnfield football program was the opportunity to play in Class AA. Coach Dauterive continually talked about finally getting to compete against “people our own size.”       
     There were some changes in the coaching staff prior to the 1977 season. Larry Dauterive retained Randy Poisso, Jerry T. Smith and Clay Bohanan as assistants. However, Ricky Jordan left Winnfield after a one year stint. Two new assistant coaches joined the staff for the 1977 campaign. One was Ron Mayeaux, whose primary responsibility would be to work with the freshman team. The other addition was ex-Tiger head coach Joe Dosher, who would take over the coaching of the offensive and defensive line. He shared those responsibilities with Coach Bohanan. Poisso would coach the receivers and defensive ends.    Sometimes it takes an outsider to remind the locals of something they already knew. Coach Dauterive did that in an interview for The Enterprise before the season started. In talking about the Winnfield job, Dauterive said, “In all the places I’ve coached, Winnfield has the best situation. The support for football by the administration, the town and the kids is fantastic,” said Dauterive. It had been that way throughout the history of the program and Dauterive knew that. He cited tradition and participation as the two reasons Winnfield has had the success they have had in football. “I really wouldn’t say Winnfield has more quality athletes than anywhere else. The school just gets more participation out of the athletes it has,” Dauterive said. He said that Winnfield got “99% of the people capable of playing football out for the sport.”  And, Dauterive explained, “the reason the school gets those kids out is because of the schools winning tradition.”  Success breeds success.    
     Winnfield outscored Natchitoches 14-6 in the annual jamboree, but one the Tigers would be tested in the season opener against Ruston. What got the most press coming into the 1977 Ruston game was the fact that Ruston’s quarterback, Tom Jones, was the brother of professional quarterback Bert Jones. Dauterive called Jones “the best passer we will face this season.”  The one thing Ruston had besides a strong passing game was size up front. The game would be played at James Stadium in Ruston.     
     Winnfield would counter with an offensive already depleted by injuries. Starting quarterback Dexter Holden hurt his ankle in the jamboree game. His place would be filled by sophomore quarterback Mike Crawford.    
     The Tiger offense sputtered all throughout the game and continually hurt themselves with penalties and turnover.  The most costly turnover came on a fumble just before the half that Ruston recovered at the at the 15 yard line.  Ruston scored on a 3 yard run soon thereafter to take a 6-0 lead and that would be the only score of the game. In the end, Winnfield gave up two fumbles and Crawford threw two interceptions as Winnfield failed to score a point. The Tiger offense only got 88 yards rushing and only made 14 yards on three completions. Only nine months earlier, Coach Dauterive was heading into the state title game with the claim of never having a team shutout. Now he had coached two consecutive games where his teams were shutout.      
     It’s hard for a 0-1 team to be over confident, but Winnfield liked their chances heading into the Jonesboro-Hodge game. Jonesboro-Hodge hadn’t fielded a winning team since the 1970 season and had only won three games in the past two years. In fact, the school had tied a school record for futility by going 1-9 the season before. That matched the worst record the school had ever produced. As usual, you couldn’t rely on Jonesboro-Hodge’s record to predict how they would perform against Winnfield.  Jonesboro-Hodge had a coaching change prior to the 1977 season, turning the program over to young Don Shows. The three most recent coaches had left the school with losing records. Shows was attempting to turn that around and he seemed to be having some immediate success. Jonesboro-Hodge lost to Ruston 7-6 in the jamboree, but they opened the season with a 14-8 win over Mansfield. Leading the Jonesboro-Hodge attack was junior quarterback Michael Malone         
     Winnfield’s defense played their second-straight outstanding game. The Tiger defensive eleven only allowed Jonesboro-Hodge past midfield twice in the game and when the horn sounded at the end of the fourth quarter Jonesboro-Hodge had not reached the Winnfield end zone.  The Winnfield defense limited Jonesboro-Hodge to 64 yards rushing and 46 yards passing, with Chatman (13) and Hamm (11) leading the team in tackles. Chatman recovered one fumble and caused two others. Jeff Anderson recovered three fumbles for Winnfield, as Jonesboro-Hodge was continually harassed by the Tiger defense. The Tiger defense played well, and about the only thing they didn’t do that could have helped the team was score, because through four quarters, the Tiger offensive, like Jonesboro-Hodge, couldn’t get into the end zone either.    
     Winnfield had their chances. The Tigers made it as far at the Jonesboro 20 three times with fumbles ending the first two penetrations. The final time came with only a minute left in regulation when Chatman forced a fumble and Anderson got the recovery at the Jonesboro-Hodge 20. Winnfield made it all the way down to the Jonesboro-Hodge 4-yard line with 53 seconds remaining on the clock. Dauterive elected to try a field goal from there, but the Tigers never got the kick off when the snap from center was mishandled. That sent the game into overtime.     
     Winnfield won the toss and elected to send their defense on the field first. Under the new tiebreaker system, each team got the ball at the 10-yard line and had four plays to score. Each team got the ball an equal number of times until the deadlock was broken. Jonesboro-Hodge responded by scoring on their second play to take a 7-0 lead. Winnfield attempted four passes on their overtime possession and didn’t complete any to fall to 0-2 on the season.     
     For the second straight week, the reason for the Tiger loss was obvious: no offense. Though Winnfield tried their second quarterback of the season (Dexter Holden) against Jonesboro-Hodge, they still couldn't move the ball. Winnfield didn’t complete a pass in eight attempts, and the Tiger rushing attack couldn't make up for that, getting only 94 yards. Other than the play of the Tiger defense, about the only bright spot for the Tiger team was the punting of Terry Joe Ramsey. He punted the ball 8 times for a 48-yard average, with many of those punts pinning Jonesboro-Hodge deep.     
     The contest would mark the third consecutive shutout of Dauterive’ offense. As far as the 1977 season was concerned the inexperience of the team was being revealed; most noticeable on the offensive side of the ball.      
     None of the players on the Tiger team were alive the last time Winnfield opened the season 0-2. That hadn't occurred since the 1958 season. In fact, in the previous 11 seasons, there had only been one team (1970) that had lost two games in the first half of the season.     
     After the loss to Jonesboro-Hodge, seven seniors quit the team. Included in that group were six starters and one reserve. Most notable among that group was two-year letterman Willie Green (tailback/cornerback) and Lester Mills (wingback/defensive back). Other starters who quit included tight end Arthur Bell, receiver Otis Jackson, linebacker Gerald Hamm and lineman Mike Kennedy. That only gave the Tigers five seniors on the team and all were in the starting lineup.  That group included Jeff Anderson at defensive end, Todd Roberts and Todd Williams in the line, Terry Holden at tight end and Dexter Holden. The team was filled with underclassmen prior to the mass exodus of seven seniors and had only begun the season with a dozen seniors on the roster. Now, the team would have as many as 9 underclassmen on the field at any given point.     
     That created a shakeup in the starting lineup heading into the third game of the year. The biggest move was to put Terry Joe Ramsey into the starting quarterback spot and send Dexter Holden to a tailback spot. Sophomore Ricky Chatman and junior Stafford Moses would continue to split time at the fullback slot. New faces at the wingback position would be sophomores Randy Husser and Greg Powell. That made Holden the only senior in the backfield. In the line, Purser moved to the left tackle slot and Todd Roberts moved into Purser's right guard position. That made Roberts the only senior on the offensive line. Terry Holden moved to the tight end slot, where he would be the only senior among the receiving corp. Junior Brent Hubbard and sophomore Kevin Wagoner figured into the flanker spot.     Dauterive completely changed his defensive alignment, moving from a five-man to a six-man front. He kept Jeff Anderson (Sr.) and Lorenzo Lewis (Jr.) at the defensive end spots. For down linemen, he used three underclassmen and one senior.  That group included Woody Grigg, Donnie Purser, Todd Williams and Tommy Campbell. Williams was the only senior. Chatman would be the lone linebacker in the defensive scheme. The secondary would consist of Stafford Moses, Brent Hubbard, Greg Powell and Randy Husser, all underclassmen.    
     Winnfield got to try out that new alignment against another 0-2 team in the Arcadia Hornets. Arcadia had played league-leading Homer tough before dropping an 18-6 decision the week before. With cellar-dweller Coushatta coming just ahead of the Arcadia game, Dauterive knew he could still turn his season around and give his players some confidence as they prepared for a tougher part of the schedule. There's nothing like winning to get everyone in the right mood, so a good showing against Arcadia was crucial. In fact, the game had a "must-win" quality about it, given the recent defections of the senior players.    
     The Tigers did, in fact, have a good showing against Arcadia. The Tigers rolled to a 21-0 halftime lead and then poured it on in the second half to walk away with a 48-0 win. Holden scored three of the Tiger touchdowns and booted 6 of 7 extra point kicks. The final touchdown of the night was scored by an upcoming freshman player, who Dauterive had been telling fans they would "remember for a long time", when Jeffrey Dale scored on a 9-yard run.    
     Afterwards, Dauterive was elated. "No one deserved the win more than we did because of our hard work and the adversity we had," Dauterive told an Enterprise reporter. He was especially pleased with the emotion his team played with. He also attributed the win to something that had been missing on the team: leadership. According to Dauterive, that leadership came against Arcadia by way of Terry Joe Ramsey, Ricky Chatman, Dexter Holden and Brent Hubbard.      Coming into the game, the Tiger defense had been playing outstanding all year. They exceeded their past performances against Arcadia though, limiting the Hornets to only 3 first downs. That's because they held Arcadia to 0 yards rushing and only 69 yards through the air. The Hornets turned the ball over 3 times on interceptions and twice on fumbles. But, the Tiger offense played just as amazing. After two error-filled games to open the season, the Tiger offense played the first Winnfield-coached Dauterive game where there were no turnovers. Ramsey connected on 7 of 15 passes for 156 yards in his first start as a quarterback. Winnfield got 131 yards rushing in the balanced attack.     
     After the third week of the season, Homer and Haynesville were undefeated with 2-0 records. It was a mild surprise that they were joined by a 2-0 Many squad atop the list but it was a downright eye-opener that Jonesboro-Hodge was one better than all of those after they had opened the season with three straight district wins. In the first three weeks of the season, Jonesboro-Hodge had already matched their win total from the previous two seasons combined. Tied for fifth place in the district were Winnfield and DeSoto with 1-1 records. Three teams had 0-2 records in district play, including Arcadia, Coushatta and Plain Dealing, while Mansfield opened the season with three district losses.     
     In the Class AA polls, five teams from 1-AA received votes. Those included Homer (6th), Jonesboro-Hodge (7th) and Haynesville (8th). Out of the top ten, but also receiving votes were Many (18th) and Winnfield (20th). Two teams headed the poll; Notre Dame of Crowley and John Curtis Christian School  from River Ridge, Louisiana    
     Winnfield's fourth opponent of the year figured to be a breather. Winnfield had both recent and long- term history on its side coming into their next game against the Coushatta Choctaws. Coushatta was 0-3 in 1977 and were 1-8-1 the season before, so they weren’t exactly a winning program.     
     It was another dominating effort by the Tiger defense. Coushatta only found its way into Winnfield territory twice in the game. Coushatta made it as far as the Winnfield 49 in the first half and the Tiger 35 in the second half. Coushatta only made 3 first downs and only gained 24 yards rushing and 71 yards passing. As a result, Coushatta never scored, while Winnfield posted six touchdowns in a 40-0 win. The scoring came on three touchdowns by Holden and one each by Chatman, Dale, Hubbard and Stafford Moses. Winnfield again showed an efficient offense, getting 168 yards rushing and 118 yards passing in a 6 of 10 passing night. For the second-straight game, the Tigers didn’t turn the ball over.    
     The win was a costly one for the Tigers as starting center Mark Swilley went down with a separated shoulder, Jeffrey Dale sustained a pulled leg muscle and Dexter Holden re-injured his ankle. Also Jeff Anderson injured his wrist and was expected to miss several weeks of action.    
     Winnfield moved to an even 2-2 for the season and were right back in the playoff hunt. Jonesboro-Hodge continued their remarkable turnaround with their fourth district win of the season and were followed by a 3-0 Many team. But, four teams were tied in third place with 2-1 records, including Winnfield, Homer, Haynesville and DeSoto. Winnfield’s playoff hopes were still very much alive.    
     When you are playing young players like Coach Dauterive was having to, there is no substitute for game experience. He was able to give his underclassmen game experience against the weaker teams of the district and he hoped that would pay off when they played the tougher teams toward the end of the season. The fifth game of the year would be played against cellar-dweller Mansfield. Since Dauterive had five starters out, he would have to shuffle his lineup. Replacements included Randy Husser in Holden’s tailback slot, Woody Grigg in Swilley’s center spot and sophomore Tommy Campbell in Grigg’s right tackle position. Finally, Terry Holden would fill in for Jeff Anderson at the defensive end spot, a position he had never played.     
     Mansfield came to play. That was evident when capitalized on an early interception to take a 7-0 lead and then scored in the second quarter on a 77-yard pass play to up their lead to 14-0.  After the game, Coach Dauterive said, “Our kids could have gotten down when they were behind 14-0.”  Instead, the players kicked it into high gear. Dauterive inserted freshman Jeffrey Dale after the Mansfield touchdown and the payoff was immediate. After the Tigers moved to mid-field, Ramsey connected with Dale on a 50-yard scoring pass to get the Tigers back in the game. Then, with two minutes to go in the half, sophomore Ricky Chatman picked off a Mansfield pass and returned it 30 yards for a touchdown to tie the game up at the half.    
     The momentum that Winnfield had gained was erased on the first play from scrimmage of the second half. On that play, Mansfield got their second long touchdown pass of the game when they completed a 68-yard pass for a touchdown. They upped their lead to 21-14 with the PAT.    
     That’s the way the score remained until late in the third quarter. Garry Powell intercepted a pass and returned it to the Mansfield 40.  Later in that series Ramsey and Hubbard connected for a touchdown. Powell’s extra point was blocked leaving the score 21-20 Mansfield as the fourth quarter just got underway.    
     The two teams exchanged punts on their next possessions and Ramsey went down with an injury to further complicate the crisis-a-minute season. In came junior signal-caller Brent Hubbard. All he did was connect on five of six passes in directing the Tigers to the Mansfield 1-yard line to set up the go-ahead touchdown. However, Chatman fumbled on the next play to turn the ball back over to Mansfield. Mansfield elected to punt the ball out of the end zone and play defense from there, rather than risk a turnover or safety. That gave Winnfield the ball at the Mansfield 38. Give Mansfield credit because that strategy almost paid off. After limiting Winnfield to only two yards on three downs, Dauterive sent in his field goal team on fourth down. Dauterive loved to run the fake in that situation and he this time as he had Ramsey, the holder on placement kicks, throw to Chatman who ran the whole 30 yards to give Winnfield a 27-21 lead with just over two minutes to go in the game. The Tiger defense came in and shut down Mansfield on their last series to secure the win.    
     It was the kind of win Dauterive figured he could use the rest of the season to remind his team of the value of never quitting. Winnfield had to come from behind twice and that kind of effort can have a carry-over effect. On a night when the Tiger running game wasn’t going anywhere (77 yards), the Tiger passing game and the Tiger defense (as usual) made the difference.  Winnfield attempted 27 passes and connected on 11 of those for 153 yards and three touchdowns. Winnfield held Mansfield to minus three yards rushing. The two long pass plays enabled Mansfield to roll up 164 yards passing. They got 145 of that in two plays and only completed two more pass all night.      
     Winnfield improved their overall record to 3-2-0 for the season and 3-1-0 in district play. However, as far as Larry Dauterive was concerned, his team was 3-0-0 since the “reorganization” caused by the departure of the bulk of his senior class. That’s the kind of attitude he had and that’s what he tried to convey to his team. The particular alignment he had on the field had not lost a game and he reminded them of that - anything to get an edge.    
     In district play, Winnfield was tied for third place with Haynesville; both having 3-1 records. Jonesboro-Hodge (5-0) and Many (4-0) continued to lead the district and Homer (2-2) and DeSoto (2-2) were right behind Winnfield and Haynesville. Every other team had eliminated themselves from any serious run at a playoff slot. If Jonesboro-Hodge and Many continued to win, those two would obviously be the district’s representatives in the playoffs. Winnfield couldn’t do anything to keep Jonesboro-Hodge out of that mix, but there was still a lot that Winnfield controlled. If Winnfield won out, they could finish no worse than a tie for second place. Coach Dauterive certainly liked winning district titles, but the bigger prize came at the end of the playoffs. No matter what you do during the regular season, if you can get to the playoffs anything can happen. He had the 1976 season to prove that point. The biggest test of the season to date for “Tiger Team II” came the following week when they entertained the 4-1-0 Many Tigers. A win over Many would move Winnfield into no worse than a tie for second place. Since Jonesboro-Hodge played winless Plain Dealing the same night, you had to figure Jonesboro-Hodge would win that game.     
     Many was legitimate, possessing both a good running game as well as the ability to go over the top. The latter concerned the Tiger coaching staff after the Tiger secondary gave up two long touchdown passes against Mansfield. Winnfield had two juniors and two sophomores in the secondary, so for once Dauterive had a concern about some aspect of his defense.     
     Homecoming 1977 would be celebrated with Winnfield still adjusting to injuries.  The Tigers entered the Many game with their third shuffled lineup in the offensive line. Guard Todd Roberts, the only senior in the offensive line, was injured in the win over Mansfield. Sophomore Kevin Poisso was moved into the starting rotation to take Roberts’ place. Junior John Tice took over the right tackle spot from Tommy Campbell who was being used mainly on defense.     
     That’s not the kind of thing you want to be doing in the middle of the season, but you would have thought the linemen were LSU linemen in disguise. The Tiger backs had a field day against Many. The Tiger offensive line dominated the game and as a result the Tigers easily had their most productive running game of the year, getting 223 yards on the ground. That enabled the team to control the football and get into scoring position. Once they did, the Tigers used their passing attack to take a well-earned 21-0 win over Many.     
     The Tigers used their fourth starting quarterback of the season when Brent Hubbard got the call for the Many game. On Winnfield’s first series of the night Hubbard connected with Terry Joe Ramsey for a score and an early lead. Holden made the score 7-0 with a successful PAT. Hubbard’s touchdown pass enabled him to join Dan Carr (1949), Brooks Broussard (1955), Mack Fowler (1968), Robbie Richards (1969) and Alan Carter (1970 & 1971) as the only players who had ever thrown and caught a touchdown pass in the same season.     
     The Tigers put together another long drive in the second quarter and added another fourth quarter touchdown to account for all of the Tiger point. Many only made it inside the Tiger 10 yard line once, but Garry Powell stopped that drive with an interception in the end zone.      
     Holden ended the night with 133 yards in 21 carries to become the first back of the 1977 season to go over the 100-yard rushing mark. It was no mystery to Coach Dauterive as to how or why Holden had such a good game. He summed up the game this way for The Enterprise, “The game was won at the offensive line of scrimmage and I take my hat off to all our linemen.”   
     The win was a huge confidence-booster for the Tiger football team. It gave the team four wins in a row and moved the team into second place in the district. Jonesboro-Hodge continued to lead the district with a 6-0 record, while Winnfield, Haynesville and Many were tied in second with a 4-1 record. Three of those teams received votes in the weekly Class AA sportswriters poll. Jonesboro-Hodge had worked its way up to the No. 3 slot, behind Notre Dame (1) and John Curtis (2). Haynesville and Winnfield were tied in 11th place, one vote shy of 10th place White Castle.    
     The season could already be broken down into two phases, if you will. The first phases consisted of the uncertainly that surrounded the team when the season began and the tough losses to begin the season. The second phases consisted of the four-game winning streak that had effectively turned the season around. With four weeks to go in the season, Winnfield’s win over Many propelled them into a stronghold in the No. 2 spot in the district. But, the Tigers were facing a critical three-game stretch where they traveled to Homer and DeSoto before returning to Stokes-Walker Stadium to play Haynesville. If they could get past those three teams they could essentially lock up second place because they would finish the season against last place Plain Dealing. As it turned out, those three games would essentially represent the “third phase” of the season.     
     Homer was a team desperately needing a win to have any chance of making the playoffs. After starting the season 2-0, the Pelicans split the next four games to make their overall record 4-2 and their district mark 3-2. Losses in district play came to Many and Jonesboro-Hodge. In fact, Jonesboro-Hodge ripped Homer 34-0 for their widest margin of victory of the season.    
     The first half of the Homer game settled nothing. When Homer and Winnfield went to the dressing room at halftime, the score read just the same as it had when the game began - 0-0. But, the Tigers had their chances and those chances came gift-wrapped. Three times in the first half Homer muffed catches on punt returns and three times Winnfield recovered, all inside the Homer 25. Winnfield could not convert any of those turnovers into points, however. Unlike the week before, the Tigers just didn’t look crisp on offense in the first half.    
     The game changed in the final fifteen minutes of the contest.  Homer broke the scoreless tie in the third quarter, but Winnfield bounced back with two fourth quarter touchdowns to take a 13-7 lead. In a season filled with one crisis after another, yet another blow to the program came on the first touchdown drive when Brent Hubbard was lost for the season when he injured his knee. However, Dexter Holden came in and took over at quarterback directed the drive that got the Tigers their second touchdown.            
     With less than two minutes to go in the game, the Tigers had possession of the ball near their own 45-yard line. All they needed to do to secure the win was run out the clock. However, facing a third and long, Coach Dauterive elected to punt the ball instead of running one more play. A bad snap sent Ramsey running for the football and he almost got off some sort of kick. But, Homer blocked the punt and took over at the Winnfield 35.     
     With just over a minute to go in the game, Homer tied the game at 13-13 with a four-play scoring drive that was aided by a pass interference call. Homer also made the important extra point to take a one-point lead. There would be no miracle finish for Winnfield on their last series, so the Tigers dropped to 4-3 overall and 4-2 in league play.      
     Holden had another good rushing night, getting 98 yards on 21 carries. But, he was hurt in the game and listed as doubtful for the next game. The Tiger defense did their job against Homer, holding the Pels to only 6 yards rushing. For Winnfield it was a case of poor execution once they got inside scoring position, 100 yards in penalties and a key blocked punt. Football games are often decided by key plays or the lack thereof. Winnfield was the victim of both in this one.    
     Winnfield hadn’t completely lost control of their own destiny with the loss. The Tigers moved into third place in the district, one game behind Haynesville and Many, but they still had a shot at the playoffs. They, of course, needed to defeat Haynesville in two weeks and they needed Many to lose another district game. Since Many had yet to play Jonesboro-Hodge, that seemed possible. And, oh yeah, the Tigers also needed to take care of DeSoto and Plain Dealing who still remained on their schedule.    
     Winnfield was one banged up team as they prepared to play DeSoto. Hubbard was out for the season and Holden, who bruised his shoulder in the Homer game, was out for at least one week. Also out was Todd Roberts, who was due to return after one more week. Winnfield did get center Mark Swilley back for the DeSoto game, but he was not 100%. Both Purser and Grigg had nagging injuries but it would take a lot to keep those two out of a football game.    
     Terry Joe Ramsey returned to the quarterback slot.  He would have Chatman at fullback and freshman Jeffrey Dale at tailback, playing in the place of Holden. Winnfield needed Dexter Holden in the game, if for nothing else to occupy the flanker spot that both Brent Hubbard and Terry Joe Ramsey had manned throughout the season. Holden’s shoulder couldn’t take the punishment that regular duty at tailback would require but he could run pass routes.     
     DeSoto had four losses in district play, but they had what Dauterive called “the best overall talent in the district.”  They had been very unpredictable, playing good one week and bad the next. With a team like DeSoto, you never knew which team you would face.     Like the week before, Winnfield went into the locker room at halftime mired in a 0-0 battle. However, this time Winnfield took the lead first in the game when Holden turned an 8-yard catch into a 63-yard touchdown run.  The PAT was no good, leaving the score 6-0.     
     That shaky lead held up until the fourth quarter when DeSoto put together their best drive of the night in the fourth quarter.  The drive was kept alive by, what Dauterive would later call “one of the best receptions” he had ever seen.  DeSoto scored from 13 yards out on the next play and tacked on the extra point to take a 7-6 lead, a lead that held up the rest of the game. .      
     This was a game of two evenly matched teams playing down to the wire. One team made their extra point and the other didn’t. Winnfield had 230 total yards and DeSoto had 223. The two touchdowns came as a result of two great plays, one being Dexter Holden’s catch and run and the other a pass reception to set up DeSoto’s touchdown. The game was decided on an extra point - it was just that close.    
     The loss was a fatal one as far as Winnfield’s playoff hopes. Jonesboro-Hodge had locked up one District 1-AA slot in the playoffs with a 7-0 district record while Haynesville was in sole possession of second place with a 6-1 record. Since Winnfield had three losses in district games they had no chance of making the playoffs because neither Jonesboro nor Haynesville could end the year with more than two district losses. In an interview with the Enterprise Coach Dauterive said, “We’re playing the next two games for next year.”      
     The season had been one of extremes. The Tigers had lost their first two games by scores of 6-0 and 7-0 , with the second loss coming to third-ranked Jonesboro-Hodge in overtime. There was a mass exodus of senior players from the team following the Jonesboro loss. The team then ran off four consecutive wins by an average margin of victory of 29 points to move into second place in the district and a No. 11 statewide ranking. Then the pendulum swung back, when the Tigers dropped two consecutive one-point games to kill any and all playoff chances. Dauterive figured he could just as easily have been 8-0 instead of being 4-4.    
     Haynesville came to Winnfield with a mission to accomplish. The Golden Tornado had snapped an 11-year streak of playoff appearances the year before. That made the 1976 Haynesville team the first team that Tor Head Coach Alton “Red” Franklin had not taken to the playoffs.     
     They say that bad luck comes in threes. Three consecutive one-point losses would be a cruel way to finish up a season, but that’s exactly what happened to the Tigers as Haynesville took a 3-2 win over the Tigers.     
     Though all the points that were scored during the game came in the decisive fourth quarter, it shouldn’t have been that way. Halfway through the first quarter, Holden got behind the Haynesville secondary and Ramsey lofted a perfect spiral to him, but the ball went right through the usual sure-hands of Holden. That would be just one of several dropped passes by Tiger receivers. Two other times Winnfield threatened to score, but the Tigers couldn’t convert once they got inside the Haynesville 20.     
     With time running out in the fourth quarter, Haynesville got the break of the game when they recovered a fumble at the Tiger 37. From there, Haynesville used a pass interference call and several running plays to get to the Winnfield 13. The Tiger defense yielded little more on the next three downs, so Coach Franklin sent in his place kicker to attempt a 22-yard field goal on fourth down. The ball sailed through the uprights giving Haynesville a 3-0 lead with 5:24 left in the game.     
     An interception by Haynesville on Winnfield’s next possession gave the Tors the ball at the Haynesville 3-yard line.  The Tigers stuffed the Tors three straight times and Coach Franklin had his punter take a safety on the fourth down play, making the score 3-2 with 1:02 remaining in the game. A good return on the free kick following the safety or big play thereafter would give Winnfield a chance to win with only a field goal. But it was not to be, as Haynesville kept Winnfield out of the end zone to preserve the 3-2 win.     
     Winnfield limited Haynesville to 103 yards of total offense, all on the ground. The Tors didn't pick up a single penalty all night but they also didn't pick up many first downs, getting only 5 for the game.    
     For Winnfield, Terry Joe Ramsey had the sixth-best passing night any Tiger quarterback had ever had; completing 13 of 28 passes for 193 yards. But, it was the passes that got away that hurt the Tigers the most as a number of passes went through the hands of Tiger receivers. That can't be said for Tiger receiver Kevin Wagoner who had 8 catches for 116 yards, which was a top ten all-time performance. The Tigers were forced into their passing game when they found absolutely no room running against Haynesville. For the night, the Tigers only gained 13 yards rushing, the second lowest recorded total in school history up to that point.     
     Winnfield moved to 4-5 on the season, meaning they needed a win against Plain Dealing in the season finale to avoid posting the program’s first losing season in 12 years. Jonesboro-Hodge had locked up the district title with a 47-12 pasting of Many. That gave Jonesboro-Hodge nine wins to open the season, a complete flip-flop from the 9-loss season they had suffered through the season before. They were on the verge of completing the school’s first undefeated regular season and their first playoff appearance since the 1970 season. Once Jonesboro-Hodge got into the playoffs they knocked off No. 1 Notre Dame 34-15 in the semifinals to earn a spot against John Curtis in the title game, where Curtis waltzed to a 45-0 win. Jonesboro head coach Don Shows had made a remarkable turnaround of the Jonesboro-Hodge program. By improving from a 1-9 season in 1976 to a 13-1-0 record in 1977, Shows guided Jonesboro to the biggest turnaround of a program in Louisiana high school football history. But, the closest Jonesboro-Hodge came to losing prior to the title game was the 7-0 overtime win over Winnfield.     
      Winnfield played a 1-8 Plain Dealing team to close the season. During the season, the Tigers either won big or they lost by the slimmest of margins. Against Plain Dealing, it would be a case of the former as the Tigers closed the season with a 34-6 win. Six different Tigers scored points that night. Winnfield moved to a 27-0 halftime lead, increased that to 34-0 at the end of the third quarter and then Dauterive emptied the bench, allowing his reserves to do mop up work.     
     Scoring for the Tigers were Dexter Holden (3 yd. run), Terry Joe Ramsey (1 yd. run) and Stafford Moses (5 yd. run). The longest scoring plays of the night belonged to Kevin Wagoner who caught a 39-yard toss from Holden and Garry Powell who ran 56 yards for a touchdown. Lorenzo Lewis got in on the scoring when he caught a two-point conversion from Terry Joe Ramsey. All total, the Tigers gained 210 yards rushing while limiting Plain Dealing to 41, with 28 of that coming late in the fourth quarter when the Lions finally got on the scoreboard against the Tigers reserves. Ramsey did nothing for his punting average because the Tigers never punted in the game.    
     Winnfield ended the season 5-5-0. The five losses came by a combined total of 16 points, with three of the losses being by a 1-point margin. All of the five wins were by 21-point margins or more. The Tigers could have easily finished the season with anywhere from a 6-4 record to a 10-0 record because they could have won any of the games they lost. The most frustrating part of the season was that they won the minimum they could have. Since they were in every game, it didn’t feel like a 5-5 season.     
     It was a testament to the team’s skill and desire that they played as well as they did. The 1977 team was a young team, playing mostly underclassmen. The bad thing about playing so many underclassmen is that you usually have a few more mistakes to contend with. The good thing about playing so many underclassmen is that you have them back the next year - experienced and game-ready.    
     Though injured throughout the season, Dexter Holden led the team in total offense (773 yds.), scoring (77 pts.) and rushing (428 yds.). Ramsey led the team in passing (36 of 81 for 618 yds. and 5 touchdowns) and punting (37.4 avg.), alternating between flanker and quarterback during the season. The leading receiver was sophomore Kevin Wagoner, who made 16 catches for 280 yards.     
     Defensive leaders were Ricky Chatman with 123 tackles and three interceptions and Woody Grigg with 79 tackles. The Tiger defense only gave up 64 points, making them the seventh straight team of the decade to give up less than 100 points in the regular season. If that trend continued, the 1970s would be the first decade that happened. Winnfield averaged just under 3 turnovers per game, getting 16 fumbles and 10 interceptions.     
     On the offensive side, Winnfield rushed for 1,215 yards and passed for 961. The team scored 191 points. However, it was the record-breaking Tiger defense that was impressive week after week. Only two opponents (Ruston and Haynesville) rushed for over 100 yards against the Tiger defensive eleven. Four opponents were held to under twenty-five yards. As a result, the team only allowed 428 yards rushing, the lowest total ever recorded during the regular season during the twentieth century. The defense gave up 787 yards passing for 1,215 total yards allowed, an average of only 121.5 yards per game. That was 118 yards fewer that the regular season team record of 1,533 set during the 1971 season. The best part about those numbers is that the defense that accomplished that returned virtually intact the next season.     
     Winnfield lost 12 seniors off the 1977 team, 7 after the second game and 5 more after the season ended. That meant that the bulk of the team returned the following season. The 1977 team, therefore, can be characterized as the training ground for the juniors and sophomores who would have the responsibility of taking over the Tiger program the next two years. The season was also a lesson in perseverance. The players learned to play with pain and to play when they were behind. Sometimes one season sets-up the next season. The lessons learned during the 1977 season would carry over the next two years and the dividends made it all worthwhile.       
     
KEY SEASON: 1978 (Overall - 12-1-0; *District - 9-0-0) 
Opponent               Results
NATCHITOCHES   14-6    (Jamboree)
Ruston                     W, 34-33 (2ot)  
JONESBORO         W, 41-12*            
Arcadia                   W, 62-8*               
COUSHATTA        W, 78-0*               
Mansfield                W, 55-6*               
Many                      W, 40-0*               
HOMER                 W, 43-0*               
DESOTO                W, 49-7*   (HC)
Haynesville              W, 19-16* (4ot) 
PLAIN DEALING  W, 61-0*                
PLAYOFFS
TALLULAH           W, 27-7     (Bi-district)
Bunkie                     W, 31-7     (Regional)
ST. LOUIS              L, 20-21     (Quarterfinal)                             
     In 1978 twenty lettermen returned from the 1977 team, making that one of the largest groups of returning lettermen ever in the program. What made that even more amazing is that the group wasn't a senior-dominated group. The twenty lettermen were split evenly between the senior class and returning underclassmen. In fact, the senior class of the 1978 team was small for its time as only 12 players came from that class. Throughout the decade, teams typically had close to 20 seniors on their squads, but not the 1978 team. What that senior class lacked in numbers, it more than made up in talent. They were as talented a group of seniors as had ever come through the school. And they were backed up by several underclassmen that were destined to be among the best football players to ever come out of Winnfield. Any coach taking the 1978 team through spring drills would have been licking his chops at the prospects for the next season. Here's why.     
     One of the biggest questions Coach Dauterive was facing was where he was going to play everybody. He had many options. At the quarterback slot, he had three returning players that had guided the Tiger attack at one point or another during the previous season. Those included Brent Hubbard (Sr.), Terry Joe Ramsey (Sr.) and Mike Crawford (Jr.). There seemed to be no question in Dauterive’s mind which of those he would start the season with and it wouldn’t be returning All-District quarterback Terry Joe Ramsey. It was a case of Ramsey being just as gifted at the wide receiver slot as he was at quarterback, as well as Brent Hubbard being a talented quarterback. Hubbard was a gritty competitor who offered the team leadership, a good arm and good running skills.     
     In the rest of the backfield the team didn’t have just one all-star quality back who would carry the load. Rather, Dauterive had a half dozen returning lettermen at running back he could run in and out of the offense, assuring the team would have a fresh set of backs throughout every game. The lone seniors of the bunch were Stafford Moses and Kenny Crayton. Both of those weighed in at under 150 pds., but size is not everything in high school football. Both Crayton and Moses were quick, shifty, running backs who fit in real well in Dauterive’s misdirection offensive schemes. The junior class offered the biggest stable of backs, with four returning lettermen in Ricky Chatman, Garry Powell, Kevin Poisso and Craig Cummings. Non-lettermen from the junior class also dotted the backfield in Tim Jordan, Artie Horn and Tai Fanene. Rounding out the backfield crew was one complete football player in sophomore Jeffrey Dale. He had lettered as a freshman, playing in both the offensive and defensive backfield.     
     When it comes to go-to guys, the Tigers had not one but two of those types at the wide-out slots. Ramsey had proven his value at a wide receiver slot the previous year, but the leading receiver from the 1977 campaign returned as well in Kevin Wagoner, a junior. Those two would be backed up by juniors  Tony Wilson, Dale Cook, Bobby Huey and Reeves Flurry. Dauterive moved 6' 7", 235 pound Woody Grigg to the tight end slot the season before, where he seemed to be a natural, particularly in executing Dauterive’s blocking schemes. Grigg would be backed up by Perry Rainwater at tight end.    
     Sometimes a team will have an impressive arsenal of backs and receivers like the 1978 team had and only need any kind of support from the offensive line to generate an offense. One of the least of worries for Coach Dauterive heading into the 1978 season was his offensive line, where he had five returning lettermen. Included in that group was returning All-District guard Terry Mixon and All-District defensive guard Donnie Purser who had played several positions in the offensive line the season before. Those two, as well as fellow senior Charlie Holden were projected to hold down the offensive guard slots.     
     At tackle, Dauterive planned on using returning lettermen Mark Swilley (Sr.), who was also experienced at center. Tommy Campbell had also earned a letter the season before as a sophomore and, like Swilley, was capable of playing either the tackle or center slot.     
     Rounding out the offensive line were juniors Robert Rhymes and Mike Chandler at the tackle position and 6' 1", 235 Joey Ates, who would start off the year at center. Those three, as well as the other linemen Dauterive had offered the team the same options that the players in the offensive backfield offered. That is, you could effectively put any of those offensive linemen at any offensive line position, giving the team depth across the entire offensive side of the ball. In sum, the offense had experience and depth, giving Coach Dauterive a chance to unleash his high-powered offense against AA competition.     
     But, the absolute least of Coach Dauterive’s worries was his defensive unit, where he only had to replace three starters. There is absolutely no substitute for playing experience in high school football and that is what he had among his defensive starters. They were a talented bunch that had been the strength of the 1977 team. That is most noted in the basic fact that the 1977 defensive unit held 8 of 10 opponents to one touchdown or less.     
     The leader of the defensive was junior Ricky Chatman, who was beginning his third season as a starter for the Tigers. As a sophomore he was voted to the All-District team and, in fact, was the runner-up in the voting for Outstanding Defensive Player. He carried a 6' 2", 205" frame, and if his freshmen and sophomore seasons were any indication of what to expect, the Tiger program was set at the linebacker slot for the next two seasons. Joining Chatman at the other linebacker slot was Kevin Poisso, who at 6" 2", 210 lbs., offered the team one of the biggest line backing tandems in Class AA, not to mention one of the most talented sets of linebackers.     
     A linebackers job is made all the easier when he has a good defensive line in front of him. Chatman and Poisso played behind arguably the strongest defensive line in school history – before or since. A pair of returning All-District performers in Donnie Purser and Woody Grigg anchored that group. Like Grigg, Purser was tall, standing at just over 6' 2" and weighing in at 200 lbs. With 6' 6" Grigg and Purser at the defensive tackle slot, opposing quarterbacks would have trouble seeing over those two, that is, when they weren’t running for their lives. Rounding out the defensive line was 6' 2", 235 lb., junior Tommy Campbell at the nose guard slot. Also slated for action at the nose guard position was 6' 0", 210 lb. Tai Fanene, as well as Joey Ates. Like the offensive line, the defensive line had depth, but Purser and Grigg would not be sitting on the sidelines very much when the Tiger defense was on the field.    
     A pair of juniors would man the defensive end slot. Those included Craig Cummings (5' 7", 145) and Perry Rainwater (6' 1", 190). They would be backed up by Robert Rhymes, Mark Swilley and Mike Chandler    
     Like the offensive backfield, the defensive backfield would be rich in depth and talent. Included in that group were returning starters Stafford Moses at weak safety and Garry Powell at cornerback. Jeffrey Dale would begin the season at the other cornerback position and Tim Jordan would play rover. Terry Joe Ramsey rounded out the starting defensive secondary and Kevin Wagoner, Kenny Crayton and Dale Cook would ably back up the starting unit. Between the two offensive and defensive backfields, Dauterive had the luxury of having eight players who he could alternate at most any position.      
     The team as a whole offered the Tiger coaching staff versatility, what with any given player the ability to play any number of positions. With the kind of depth the team had, the prospects of throwing 11 fresh bodies at the Class AA competition they would be facing left Coach Dauterive eager to start the season. It is unusual for a Class AA team to have as many quality football players. That factor alone gave the 1978 team a huge advantage heading into the season.     
     In preseason prognosticating, the coaches of District 1-AA made Winnfield a unanimous choice to win the district title. Though Jonesboro-Hodge only returned four players from their 1977 state runner-up team they received the second most votes in the coaches balloting. Haynesville and Homer rounded out the teams predicted to finish in the top tier of the district.     
     The coaching staff remained virtually intact from the season before. Clay Bohanan and Joe Dosher returned to coach the offensive and defensive lines respectively; Randy Poisso would coach the wide receivers and defensive ends and Jerry T. Smith would assist with the junior varsity. The staff did have one newcomer in Joe Young, who took over the freshmen team.   
     Preseason scrimmages are opportunities for coaches to see how their players perform against live competition. Coach Dauterive must have been elated as his watched his team roll over one team after another in a series of scrimmages during August of 1978, including a 12 touchdown barrage against Block and outstanding performances against AAA Pineville and Menard. Finally, the Class AA Tigers took on AAAA Natchitoches in the Chief jamboree and walked away with 14-6 win.     But, it’s in the regular season where it really counts, so the Tigers of 1978 entered the regular season with expectations around the town running high. The team would play the same opponents they had faced the year before.                                
     Ruston would offer the Tiger defense a good opening-game challenge. Kenny Sims led Ruston at quarterback. He was the reigning AAA state champion in the quarter mile and he was surrounded by speed in the backfield. How well the Tigers could contain the speed of the Ruston offense became the biggest question Coach Dauterive had as he prepared for Ruston.      
     Ruston jumped out to a 13-6 halftime lead, but Winnfield was always a dangerous team coming out at halftime when Larry Dauterive was guiding the team. That’s not only because of his ability to make adjustments at half time, but also his capacity to convince his players that they were the better team, even if they were behind.      Winnfield knotted the scored in the third quarter on a 9-play, 52-yard scoring drive. However, Ruston regained the lead after they recovered a Tiger football 20 yards away from the end zone and scored on a throw by Sims. That touchdown gave Ruston a 20-13 lead as the fourth quarter began.    
     At that point of the game, Winnfield had only committed two turnovers but Ruston had converted those into 13 points. In the fourth quarter it was Winnfield’s turn for an unexpected break. The play came after Winnfield had pinned Ruston near the Bearcat goal line. With the ball at the Bearcat 10, Ruston fullback James Robinson was set to receive a handoff from Kenny Sims. The ball and Ricky Chatman arrived in Robinson’s chest at about the same time, resulting in a Bearcat fumble, which Chatman also recovered. After moving down to the Ruston 4-yard line, the Tigers scored after Hubbard rolled out to his right, squared around to make a left-handed throw and hit Ramsey in the end zone. Tommy Campbell made the important extra point kick to tie the score at 20-20.    
     That’s the way the score remained throughout the remainder of the fourth quarter. Had the game been played two seasons earlier, Winnfield would have opened the season with a 0-0-1 record. But, the LHSAA had instituted a tie-breaking system the season before. In fact, Winnfield had already played in one such overtime game when they dropped a 7-0 decision to Jonesboro-Hodge in the second game of the 1977 season. The system used to settle tie games called for each team to get the ball 10 yards away from the opposing team’s goal line. Each team had four downs to score, with the game ending if one team scored more points than the other in an equal number of series.    
     Winnfield won the coin toss and Coach Dauterive elected to go on defense first. Ruston responded by scoring on their first play when Kenny Sims took the ball the full ten yards for the score and Ruston converted the extra point to take a 27-20 lead. That meant that Winnfield’s task was plain and simple - they had to score a touchdown and they had to convert on their extra point attempt. All of that was to just gain a tie.    
     On their possession the Tigers moved down to the Ruston 1-yard line, where Kenny Crayton got the ball in the end zone. Then, Tommy Campbell came in and converted his third extra point kick of the night to tie the score at 27-27.     
     Coach Dauterive felt like luck was again on his side when the Tigers again won the coin toss. Like before, Dauterive had his troops go on defense first, but again Ruston put the ball in the end zone when Kenny Sims drilled a pass to Kenny Lewis for a touchdown. Then Kevin Poisso got the most decisive block of an extra point by a Tiger football player that anyone could remember.  That blocked opened the door for the Tigers. First things first, though. The Tigers had to get a touchdown themselves before they would even have a chance to capitalize on that block.   
     Winnfield got short yardage on each of their first three stabs at the Ruston, with the third down play taking the ball to the Ruston 3-yard line. That meant that Winnfield would have one play to either tie the game up with a touchdown or go back to Winnfield with a 33-27 overtime loss. On fourth down, Hubbard took the snap from center, rolled down the line and pitched the ball to Jeffrey Dale who got outside the containment and scored. Tommy Campbell then came in and kicked the decisive extra point to make the score 34-33, giving Winnfield its first overtime win ever, its first win ever decided by a kick on the last play of the game and, most importantly, its first win of the 1978 season. Campbell later responded to a question by an Enterprise reporter of whether he felt pressure on the kick. "No," he replied, "I knew that if I missed it I would get another chance."                    
     Coming into the 1978 season, Jonesboro-Hodge was the defending district champion. Winnfield had been the unanimous choice among the coaches of the district to unseat Jonesboro-Hodge, but the Jackson parish Tigers were predicted to come in second. In Hollywood, Winnfield and Jonesboro-Hodge would have faced each other in the final game of the year with the district title on the line, but Hollywood didn’t make out Winnfield’s 1978 schedule. As it was, those two teams would face each other in the second week of the season in the district-opener for Winnfield. Jonesboro-Hodge had already opened district play in the opening game of the season when they completely dismantled Mansfield in a 40-12 win. Jonesboro-Hodge appeared to have picked up where they left off in their 13-win, 1977 season. That was somewhat of a surprise since Jonesboro-Hodge had been hit hard by graduation. However, one player Jonesboro-Hodge did return to the 1978 squad was quarterback Mike Malone, the returning leader of the Jonesboro-Hodge squad. Any plans Winnfield of making a run at the district crown had to include a win over Jonesboro-Hodge. On the other hand, any Winnfield Tiger football season wasn’t as complete as it could be unless a win was made over perennial rival Jonesboro-Hodge. Jonesboro-Hodge came into the game ranked second in Class AA and Winnfield was the fifth-ranked team. To add to the excitement, it would be the home opener for Winnfield.     
     Those who went to the game wanting to see a good competitive football game left disappointed. On the other hand, those who went hoping for a Winnfield win left feeling completely satisfied. Winnfield took charge of the game in the first half and never let up in whipping Jonesboro-Hodge 41-12. Winnfield was so clearly superior to Jonesboro-Hodge that they got away with one interception and six fumbles, four of which they lost.    
      In the game Kevin Poisso became the first Tiger player to both throw and catch a touchdown pass in the same game.  In the first half he lofted a pass from his halfback position and connected with Terry Joe Ramsey for a touchdown.  In the second half Poisso caught a touchdown pass from Hubbard.  There have been only seventeen times in the history of Tiger football when a player threw and caught touchdown passes in the same season.  Poisso and Freddie King (vs. Jonesboro-Hodge, 1999) are the only players to do that in the same game.     
     Poisso touchdown catch on the Tigers opening possession of the third quarter made the score 27-0.  After that, Jonesboro’s Mike Malone scored two touchdowns to get Jonesboro-Hodge back in the game.  However, the 27-12 Winnfield lead was extended in the fourth quarter Winnfield scored twice to make the final score 41-12.    
     For the night, the Winnfield offense got 155 yards rushing and 196 yards passing. That was the seventh most productive team passing night in school history. Hubbard was responsible for 153 of those yards with his 7 completions, while Poisso added 43 yards on his lone completion.      
     After two weeks of the season, the Tigers were beginning to live up to the lofty expectations that everyone had of them. The gutty performance against Ruston was the type of win that sticks in the back of your mind throughout the season. But, the win over Jonesboro-Hodge gave the team a huge edge in the district race. And, by beating the No. 2 team in the state, the sportswriters thought enough of Winnfield to move them from fifth to third in the weekly poll. That poll was headed by John Curtis, who received 7 of 8 first place votes. Winnfield received the other first place vote.      
      After the win over Jonesboro-Hodge, Winnfield had the luxury of playing three of the weaker teams of the district in consecutive weeks. Those included Arcadia, Coushatta and Mansfield. That would give the team a chance to further jell so that they would be at top form during the second half of the season when they faced Haynesville, Homer and Many.  Those were the teams considered most likely to challenge Winnfield and Jonesboro-Hodge for a playoff spot.    
      About the only personnel changes that had occurred on either side of the ball up to this point in the season was the transfer of Kevin Poisso from linebacker to a defensive end slot. He was replaced at linebacker by Charlie Holden. Other changes included moving Tim Jordan from rover to cornerback, which would allow Artie Horn to take over the rover spot.      
     Over the stretch of the next three games the Tigers were about embark on a scoring binge, the likes of which had never been seen in Tiger football history. Coming into the 1978 season (the 70th season of Tiger football) there had only been seven teams who had scored 100 or more points in three consecutive games. Those teams included the 1919, 1923, 1928, 1961, 1969, 1971 and 1976 teams. Of those teams, the ones who had scored the most number of points in a three-game stretch were:                        
Pts. Scored         Year         Opponents                       
177                    1928          71-0 vs. Bunkie, 87-0 vs. Oakdale, 19-0 vs. La. Normal (JV)                       
144                    1971          56-0 vs. Pineville, 54-16 vs. Jena, 34-0 vs. Jennings                          
142                    1961          54-0 vs. Natchitoches, 50-6 vs. Jena, 41-0 vs. LaSalle                                  
130                    1969          28-20 vs. Jonesboro, 60-24 vs. Winnsboro, 42-0 vs. Jena    
     The 1978 team surpassed all of those by ringing up 195 points against Arcadia, Coushatta and Mansfield. In those decisive wins, the Tigers prevailed by scores of 62-8 (vs. Arcadia), 78-0 vs. Coushatta and 55-6 (vs. Mansfield). The 78 points the Tigers scored against Coushatta were the most points scored by a Tiger team since the 1920s and the first time a Tiger team had surpassed the 70-pt. mark since the 1928 season. To put those 195 points scored in just three games in perspective, that was more points than sixty-eight of the previous seventy nine Tiger teams had scored in an entire season.       When the 195 points scored in those games were added to the points scored by the 1978 team in the first two games of the season, that gave the 1978 270 points for the first five games of the year. That was already the sixth most points scored in a season, giving the 1978 team a very realistic shot at becoming the all-time leading scorer. The leader of that group was the 1971 team who had scored 466 pts.  Right behind them were the following teams: 1961 (400 pts.), 1976 (357 pts.) and 1969 (289 pts.). The only other team to score 250 or more points was the 1960 team who scored an even 250 pts. Only six other teams has scored over 200 points, including the 1948 (242 pts.), 1923 (236 pts.), 1972 (233 pts.), 1919( 210 pts.), 1966 (209 pts.) and 1974 (201 pts.) teams.      
     Against Arcadia the Tigers rolled to a 42-0 half time lead, thanks to four touchdowns in the second quarter. The 28-point second quarter explosion was the most points ever scored in the second quarter by a Tiger team, breaking the record of 27 second-quarter points scored by the 1962 team against Jena. By scoring 42 points by halftime, the team became the third Tiger team to score 40 or more point in the first half of a football game. The first Tiger team to do that was the 1961 team who rang up 41 points against Jena in the first two quarters. Then, the 1971 team topped that with a 47-point outburst against Menard. So, the 1978 team’s 42-0 halftime lead was the second most points ever scored by a Tiger team through the first two quarters.          
     In the second half, Coach Dauterive was able to empty his bench, but the Tigers got three more touchdowns.  For the night Tommy Campbell booted eight straight extra point kicks. That broke the school record for most extra points and most consecutive extra point kicks in a game. Steve Stroud had set that record in 1967 when he connected on 7 of 7 extra point kicks.     
     Coach Dauterive called the Arcadia game "a complete team effort" because the Tiger offense rolled up 334 yards rushing, with 11 different players sharing in that production. That marked only the 12th time a Tiger team had rushed for more than 300 yards in a game. The team only added 51 yards passing, on a 4 of 13 passing night, but the Tigers didn't need much of a passing game.     
     Though the Arcadia game was one of the most impressive offensive outputs in school history, that was only a prelude to what the team showed against Coushatta, the Tigers next opponent. That shouldn't have been unexpected. The Choctaws came into the game riding a 47-game losing streak, a period that covered five years. Coushatta had come close to snapping that losing streak in the opening game of the season when they dropped a 14-6 decision to Ringgold. But, that was tempered by the fact that Ringgold was playing in the school's first football game ever. Coushatta was everything Winnfield wasn't. The Choctaws lacked depth, as they had 10 players who played both ways. They were a young team, with the offensive backfield filled with nothing but underclassmen. The Coushatta program knew nothing but losing throughout the 1970s, while the Winnfield was in the midst of the most productive decade in school history.       
     Against Coushatta, the Tigers posted a 35-0 half time lead by their starters and then the reserves tacked on 43 points in the second half to account for the 78 points scored by Winnfield. The 43-point second half total broke, by 8 points, the school record for second half points that had come only two seasons earlier against ASH. The team entered the fourth quarter with a 62-0 lead. That marked the third time in school history that the program had entered the fourth quarter of a game with as much as a 50-point lead. The first team to accomplish that was the 1971 team who led Menard 60-0 after three quarters. The week before, Winnfield led Coushatta 56-0 at the end of three quarters, so the 62-point margin was the largest lead a Tiger team had ever entered the fourth quarter with. The team then posted three fourth quarter touchdowns.     
     The bad thing about blowout wins is that most people think you are running up the score. But, when you are doing it with your reserves, those who understand the game know such criticism isn't warranted. Coach Dauterive said it quite succinctly the week before when he said, "Our offense is geared around scoring points. I can't tell my players to not score."  The 78 points scored by the Tigers was the third most points ever scored by a Tiger team. Ironically, the school record for most points ever scored in a game also came against Coushatta when the 1919 team posted 94 points on the board in that shutout win.      
     It was another productive night on the ground for the Tigers as they got 313 yards rushing, giving them close to 650 yards rushing in two games. Against Coushatta, Winnfield added 148 yards passing to finish the night with 461 total yards, the third-highest single-game total yardage figure ever attained, trailing only the 481 yards gained against Natchitoches during the 1961 season and the 500 yards gained against Leesville during the 1971 season. Ramsey did nothing to add (or subtract) from his punting average because the Tigers never punted during the game. That was only the seventh time that had ever happened.     
     The Tiger defense played an equally impressive game and also got in the record books when they shattered the school record for fewest rushing yards allowed. For the night they held Coushatta to a minus 65 yards rushing, easily surpassing the minus 31 yards allowed against Jena during the 1976 season. The Choctaws did add 113 yards on a 10 of 24 passing night to end the game with 48 total yards.      Joining in the scoring feast was twelve players including Terry Joe Ramsey (6), Stafford Moses (6), Jeffrey Dale (12), Artie Horn (12), Kevin Wagoner (6), Tony Wilson (6), Greg Lewis (6), Mike Crawford (6), Earl Funches (6), Tommy Campbell (4), Tommy Latham (3) and Perry Rainwater (2). Not only was that the most number of players that had ever scored in one game while playing for the Tigers, that was more players than had scored in most previous seasons from one Tiger team.     
     The truth of the matter is that the Tigers didn’t roll up 140 points in the past two games against two football giants. And, while other teams of the 1970s had played weak teams, a weak AA team is generally worse than a weak AAA team. But, the most important fact is this. It wasn’t like Winnfield was playing down and beating a weak team. Winnfield was finally playing in classification that contained schools that were similar in size to Winnfield’s. Given that equalizing factor, each school has an opportunity to build a football program. Some schools just to it better than others.    
     As a team, the 1978 squad had scored 225 points through the first four games. That was easily the most points ever scored through the first four games of a season, as only two other teams had scored as many as 150 points through the first four games, including the 1928 team (171 pts.) and the 1971 team (153 pts.)  The team was a cinch to become only the sixth team to score more than 300 points for the season, but the school record of 466 points (held by the 1971 team) was 241 points away. They could get that during the regular season by averaging just over 40 points per game throughout the six games that remained in the regular season.     
     The decisive win over Coushatta finally got the Tigers enough votes to move up to the number two spot in the Class AA poll. They even picked up another first place vote in the process. However, they still trailed the number one-ranked John Curtis Patriots who garnered six first place votes to Winnfield’s two. Rounding out the top ten were Newman (3), Notre Dame (4), Opelousas Catholic (5), Block (6), St. Louis (7), Haynesville (8), Church Point (9) and Cottonport (10).    
     The three-game scoring feast was completed the next week when Winnfield hit the road to take on the Mansfield Wolverines. The game had all the makings of being a breather as Mansfield was looking for their first win. To make matters worse, Mansfield had lost their leading rusher the week before as a result of a season-ending injury. Several other Mansfield starters were sidelined for the encounter with injuries that had depleted the already small team to only 19 players.   
     Mansfield was ripe for the taking, and Winnfield took, and took and took. Before the night was over, the Tigers posted the most productive offensive outing ever produced by a Tiger team. Team records were set for most yards rushing (451) and most total yards (625). That was only the second time a Tiger team had rushed for more than 400 yards and only the third time a team had gained a total of 500 or more total yards. Never before had a team gained over 600 total yards. The Tigers were able to do that by adding 174 yards passing to their impressive rushing total. The passing total alone was one of the ten highest single-game passing totals in school history up to that point.     
     By the end of the first quarter, Winnfield held a commanding 28-0 lead to break, by six points, the most first quarter points ever scored. Winnfield gained 147 of their rushing yards on their first three touchdowns as Kenny Crayton ran 60 and 30 yards for touchdowns and Ricky Chatman got a touchdown on a 57-yard run.     
     The Tigers added two more second quarter touchdowns to take a 42-0 lead.  At that point in the game  Campbell was a perfect 6 of 6 for the half, raising his season total to 26 of 28 kicks.     
     Aside from the fact that the 1978 season was shaping up to be a banner season, one thing would be certain about the 1979 team. With the way the 1978 team was blowing people away in the first half, plenty of underclassmen were getting varsity playing experience. As a result, the team fielded the next season (1979) would not have to contend with a factor that has plagued many a football team, that being lack of experience among it's returning starters.    
     For the third straight week Coach Dauterive turned the second half over to his back-up units and they responded by getting two more touchdowns, while limiting Mansfield to a single fourth quarter touchdown. Freshman Tommy Latham booted his fourth extra point conversion for the year in the second half. Not many teams have the luxury of having a good back-up place kicker, but Winnfield had that kind of depth all over the field.  In the end, Winnfield prevailed in a 55-0 win.     
     Afterwards, Coach Dauterive was reported to have said that he felt like the team could have blocked every one of Mansfield's 10 punts (which tied a school record for most punts forced). However, he added that he wanted to work on his offensive execution so he called for a return on every punt. Winnfield improved to 5-0 for the season and 4-0 in district play, while Mansfield had just the opposite record.     Winnfield closed ranks on top-ranked John Curtis following the win, moving to within 6 points of the Patriots. The closet team to Winnfield continued to be the Newman Greenies who were lagging 24 points behind.    
     As the Tigers prepared for their sixth opponent of the year, for the first time all season, Winnfield was preparing to play a team with a winning record. The opponent would be the 3-2-0 Many Tigers. The only loss Many had in district play was to Homer. Otherwise, Many was sitting in the upper tier of District 1-AA with a 3-1 record. The same night Winnfield was taking apart Mansfield, Many escaped with a 14-13 win over the same Arcadia team Winnfield had defeated 62-8. That should have shown how far apart the No. 1 team in the district was from the No. 4 team.    
     In the first half of the Many game, Winnfield had the attention span of a 6-year-old listening to a two-hour sermon. In the first half alone the Tigers were flagged 11 times for 85 yards and committed two turnovers. As a result, the Tigers led at halftime by a margin of only 14-0.     
     When the Tiger starters went into the locker room at halftime, they did so knowing they had plenty more playing time ahead of them in this game. That wasn't necessarily bad. Sometimes a team needs a wake-up call to show them that they aren't invincible.     
     The Tigers responded just like you would want them to when they took their first possession of the second half in for a touchdown, after which Campbell booted through his 29th extra point of the season to up the lead to 21-0. That moved Campbell into a tie with Carroll Long (1961) for second place on the single-season extra point conversion list. That list was headed by Jerry Keen who kicked 35 extra points in 1971. Right behind Campbell and Long were Lyn Bankston, who kicked 28 extra points in 1976, and Steve Stroud who booted 21 in 1967.    
     In the end, Winnfield prevailed in a 40-0 shellacking of Many. Every team has an "off" game during the year. When you can have an off game and still win by 40 pts. you know you are powerful. By the end of the game the Tigers had picked up 16 penalties for 141 yards; making that one of the most penalty-filled games any Tiger team had ever played. The Tigers lost the ball twice on turnovers, once on an interception and once on a fumble. But, like the week before, once the Tiger offense got clicking they moved into high gear. For the night the team recorded the schools fourth 500+ total yardage game, as the offense ground out 328 yards rushing and 181 yards passing for a total of 509 yards. Hubbard had one of his most efficient nights of his career connecting on 8 of 14 passes for all of the 181 yards. His favorite target was Terry Joe Ramsey, who caught 6 passes for 141 yards, one of the ten-best performances by a receiver in Tiger history up to that time.     
     The Tiger defense held Many to 72 yards rushing and 66 yards passing. That was the fourth-straight opponent the Tigers had held to 80 or fewer rushing yards. In that same span the Tigers had only given up two touchdowns. All of that contributed to the Tigers 6-0-0 overall record and 5-0-0 record in district play. The six wins to begin the season allowed the 1978 squad to join the 1919, 1961 and 1971 teams as the only Tiger teams to begin the season with as many as six wins. Those also were the only teams to complete the regular season with undefeated records. With four more games remaining in the 1978 regular season, talk was beginning to increase about the prospects of the programs fourth undefeated regular season.    
     The weekly sportswriter’s poll took an interesting turn after week six of the season. John Curtis and Winnfield remained 1-2 in the polls but both Curtis and Winnfield lost points and the two gave up two first place votes to two other teams in the top ten. Oddly, the teams who picked up first place votes were ranked as far down as Nos. 7 and 9, as St. Louis (7) picked up one first place vote and Patterson (9) picked up the other.     
     Everyone knew about the talent Winnfield had in all of their skill people, since Winnfield was putting up basketball-like scores each week. Likewise, Grigg and Purser were showing the same dominance across the defensive line that had earned them All-District honors the season before, not to mention the play of linebacker Ricky Chatman who everyone had grown accustomed to. The one unit that was certainly starting to impress people equally as much was the offensive line. Mark Swilley had been moved to a tackle slot from the center position he had filled the season before and his play was superb. Big Tommy Campbell was inserted into the center slot at mid-season and he, along with right guard Donnie Purser, gave the Tigers a solid wall of blockers from the middle of the line all the way out past tight end Woody Grigg. But, left guard Terry Mixon and left tackle Robert Rhymes were as steady as a coach would want. You don't gain over 2,000 yards rushing as a team with only good backs. Those backs have to have holes to run through and this group was giving the Tigers backs openings most backs only dream about.     
     After two weeks on the road, the Tigers returned to Stokes-Walker Stadium to face Homer and DeSoto in consecutive weeks. Winnfield led the district with a 5-0 record. Tied for second in the district with one loss was Jonesboro-Hodge and Haynesville. Jonesboro’s loss had come to Winnfield, while Haynesville’s loss had come to Jonesboro.     
     Homer came into the game with a 4-2-0 overall record and a 3-2-0 mark in district play. The Pelicans two district losses came against Jonesboro-Hodge and Haynesville.     
     Homer came to town with one of the most talented quarterbacks in the district in senior John Lee. He had passed for 958 yards and 12 touchdowns in the first six games of the season. He had completed the vast majority of those passes to just three players. It would be the biggest test of the year for the Tiger secondary. If they could shut down the Homer passing game, they would shut down the heart-and-soul of the Pelican offensive attack. On the other hand, if the Pelicans were to have any chance of mounting a passing attack, they first had to keep Grigg, Purser, Campbell, Poisso and Rainwater out of their backfield. Nobody had done that yet.    
     Against Homer Winnfield played as solid of a game as they had played all year. In the efficient manner they had shown all year, the Tigers took the opening kickoff and went 65-yards to get on the scoreboard first. Hubbard completed three of four passes in the drive and capped the series with a 2-yard run. Campbell added the extra point to make the score 7-0. The Tigers scored three more times before the half to take a 28-0 lead.  One of those touchdowns came on an 80-yard run by Chatman and another came on a 15-yard reception by Grigg..    
     Chatman had a field day on both sides of the ball. Besides forcing a fumble, he led the team in tackles with 11 and was also the leading rusher in the game with 134 yards. A total of 80 of those yards were made on an early second quarter touchdown run. Campbell booted all four extra point attempts of the first half to add to the Tigers 28-0 halftime lead.     
     Homer quarterback John Lee was neutralized throughout the game, mainly because he had no time to set up. The Tigers had Lee scrambling all game long and they managed to sack him four times and pick off two of his passes. For the night, Lee attempted 25 passes and completed 10 for 126 yards. But, since Homer couldn't get anything going on the ground (the Tigers limited Homer to 14 yards rushing) the Pelicans could never get near the Tiger end zone. The Tiger defensive line alone made 22 tackles, with those tackles evenly distributed among Purser, Grigg and Campbell.    
     Winnfield added 8 more points in the third quarter and 7 more in the fourth to take a 43-0 win. Charlie Holden recorded a safety when he tackled the Homer quarterback in the end zone and Ramsey got a touchdown on a 62-yard punt return.    
     The win did not come without a price as the Tigers lost their first starter of the season to an injury. This time bad news came in two’s. Tiger guard Terry Mixon, a returning All-District performer, broke a bone in his ankle and was expected to miss at least a month's worth of games. Also, senior running back Kenny Crayton suffered a badly sprained ankle and was considered doubtful for at least one game.     Winnfield faced a 4-2-1 DeSoto squad for the Homecoming game of 1978. DeSoto’s two losses had come against Jonesboro-Hodge and Haynesville. In some ways, DeSoto had what Homer lacked – size. They averaged over 200 lbs. per man across their line. Their tackles weighed in at 250 and 230 lbs. and the mainstay of their offensive line was 230 lb. center Seben Berry. When he and nose guard Tommy Campbell collided, there would be 460 pounds of meat and muscle meeting in the middle of the line. But, where DeSoto was strongest was on the defensive side of the ball. In seven games, DeSoto had only allowed 34 points. Winnfield hadn’t been held to under 34 points in any game during the season so something had to give there. Through seven games, the Tigers had scored 353 points. That made the 1978 squad only the fifth team to score more than 300 points during the regular season. With three games remaining on the regular season schedule, they were staring the regular season scoring record square in the eyes. That mark was 400 points, set by the 1961 squad. The Tigers only needed to average 16 points per game to get that record. They were averaging more points than that per half.     
     Coach Dauterive told everyone who would listen that DeSoto was a team “ready to explode.”  He asserted that DeSoto was “one or two breaks” away from being an undefeated team. Dauterive was most concerned about the distractions that all Homecoming weeks provide. He was quoted in the Enterprise as saying, “I hope we don’t lose (our) perspective on what the most important thing about this week is and that is the game.”  Actually, the most important thing in Coach Dauterive’s mind was only one thing - winning the game.    
     Heading into the eighth game of the season, the Tiger offense was poised to join the 1969 and 1971 teams as the only squads to gain over 2,000 yards rushing and 1,000 yards passing during the regular season. Through seven games, the 1978 team had gained 1,967 yards rushing and 978 yards passing. Also, only four other Tiger teams had rushed for over 2,000 yards, including the 1961 team, who was the leader of that group with 2,975 yards in an eleven game season; as well as the 1969 (2,194), 1976 (2,187), 1971 (2,082) and 1973 (2,004) squads.     
     The slightly revamped offensive alignment included Joey Ates in Terry Mixon’s guard slot and Ricky Chatman and Tony Wilson alternating at Crayton’s position in the backfield. Otherwise, Dauterive went with the same starting crew he had been going with in recent weeks.   
     Winnfield certainly couldn’t afford to be looking ahead, but everyone knew that the opponent the Tigers would face following the DeSoto game was Haynesville, who seemed to be the only district opponent who stood between the Tigers and an outright district championship. On the other hand, that kind of thinking has gotten many a football team beaten when they failed to appreciate every opponent.    
     Like they had done all season long, Winnfield jumped out quickly when they scored on their opening possession of the night. However, it wouldn’t be until the second quarter that Winnfield would get their next points. The next two Tiger scores were set up by fumble recoveries; one at mid-field at the other at the DeSoto 26 yard line.  Chatman scored two of the Tigers touchdowns and Hubbard and Ramsey connected on their sixth touchdown pass of the year for the third Tiger touchdown.      
     The 21-0 halftime score was the smallest margin that the Tigers held at halftime since heading into the locker room of the Ruston game locked in a 13-13 tie. The Tigers didn’t seem to be on fire in the first half, however things can change quickly in a football game.     
     The third quarter was vintage Tiger-football. Winnfield scored on the opening kickoff and then, on the ensuing kickoff, Craig Cummings and Artie Horn rocked DeSoto speedster Albert Lewis at the DeSoto 5-yard line, separating the ball from Lewis in the process. Tiger Mike McFarland realized a players dream when he fell on the loose ball in the end zone for a touchdown. Latham added the extra point to give the Tigers a 35-0 lead.    
     Each team scored again, with the Tigers getting their points on a 69 yard run by Chatman on the Tigers first play after the DeSoto touchdown.  After Chatman’s touchdown run there was just over 9 minutes remaining in the third quarter.  In other words, in the first three minutes of the third quarter, the two teams had combined for four touchdowns in moving the score at halftime from a 21-0 Winnfield lead to a 42-7 score. It almost appeared that the 1978 could play as good as they wanted to.   
     At the six-minute mark of the fourth quarter, the 1978 team made history when Brent Hubbard moved the ball one small yard for a touchdown. Hubbard’s touchdown gave the team 401 points for the regular season, which was the most regular season points ever scored by a Tiger team. Latham added the extra point to close out the scoring by both teams at 49-7.    
     Dauterive called the effort “the most complete game we have played all season.” The Tigers got 262 yards rushing and 77 yards passing against a DeSoto defense that had been strong all year. On the defensive side of the ball, Winnfield limited DeSoto to only 6 yards rushing. DeSoto did have some success through the air, as they connected on 10 of 24 passes for 171 yards. But, only one of those passes contributed to a touchdown.     
     The win moved the teams record to 8-0-0 overall and 7-0-0 in district play. That moved the 1978 team into third place for most wins to begin the season, one ahead of the 1919 team. Heading that list was the 1971 team who won 13 straight to begin the season, followed by the 1961 team who won 11 straight. But, one of the most impressive things that the 1978 team was doing was putting points on the board. By scoring 402 points for the season (and in only 8 games mind you), the team was by far the most prolific scoring bunch in school history       

KEY GAME:  As Winnfield prepared to play their next to last game of the regular season they finally played a game that they could get up for. For starters, they traveled to one of the toughest places for a visiting team to win a football game in the state of Louisiana because they traveled to the home of the Haynesville Golden Tornado. Secondly, Haynesville represented the only team that had a reasonable shot at standing between the Tigers and an outright district title. Right behind Winnfield in the district standings were Jonesboro-Hodge and Haynesville, both with 6-1-0 records. A loss by Winnfield to Haynesville would throw the district race into a three-way tie. The tiebreaker would then fall to point differential in games played. Haynesville had lost to Jonesboro-Hodge by a 2-point margin and Winnfield had defeated Jonesboro-Hodge by a 29 pt. margin. Therefore, a win by Haynesville over Winnfield by any margin of 3 or more would give Haynesville the district No. 1 spot in the playoffs and knock Jonesboro-Hodge out of the playoffs. Haynesville was a dangerous team because they had to defeat Winnfield to get into the playoffs. They were a good team and they were motivated.      

     On the other hand, Winnfield could clinch a share of the District title with a win over Haynesville. If Coach Dauterive needed other incentives to use for the game, he played the “revenge” card, citing Haynesville as one of the teams that had handed Winnfield one of their three one-point losses the season before.     

     Haynesville was a team the Tigers had to take seriously. On offense they were paced by 200 lb. fullback Augusta Randle. Coach Red Franklin also had his typically strong offensive line that was manned by four seniors and a junior; each of those having at least two full years of playing experience. But it was the Haynesville defense that got the attention of Coach Dauterive. Nobody had been able to move the ball much against Haynesville and they were reported to have the best defensive squad in the district outside of Winnfield. The Tigers came into the game averaging 50.25 points per game, making them the highest scoring team in all of Class AA. Dauterive always had confidence in his offenses. He wouldn’t see much offense in this game.     

     Coming into the Haynesville game the 1978 Tigers had played a total of 32 quarters of football. During that span, the Tigers had only failed to score in one quarter, that being the second quarter of the Ruston game, the opening game of the year. When Winnfield and Haynesville went into the dressing room at halftime, that number was increased to three quarters of scoreless football for the Tigers during the season because Winnfield had not put any points on the board in the first half. Outside of the 6 points they had scored against Ruston in the first half, the lowest points the Tigers had been held to in any other game during the opening two quarters was the 14-point first half against Many and the 19-point first half against Jonesboro-Hodge.    

     About the only thing that can be said about the first half of the Haynesville game is that both teams played outstanding defense. Winnfield was the only team who mounted any sort of scoring threat, moving all the way down to the Haynesville 3-yard line. But, a goal line stand by Haynesville kept the Tigers out of the end zone. Haynesville simply went nowhere, not only in the first half but also throughout the game. The Tor offense only gained 78 yards rushing and 32 yards passing for the whole game. Their four first downs through four quarters shows how much difficulty they had in sustaining any drive.    

     For Winnfield, Hubbard had an uncharacteristic off night as he connected on only 3 of 18 pass attempts and threw 3 interceptions. But, it was Hubbard who broke the scoring drought for Winnfield when he dove over the goal line from 1 yard out at the five-minute mark of the third quarter. In a game where every play was magnified, young Tommy Latham came in and booted the extra point to give Winnfield a 7-0 lead.       The Tigers looked like they were going to parlay that touchdown into a win, but in close games one play can turn the game around. That one play came midway through the fourth quarter when Haynesville got one of their interceptions at the Winnfield 6-yard line, putting them in instant scoring position. Haynesville took immediate advantage when they went over the top and connected on a 7-yard scoring toss. In came Douglas Edwards to attempt the all-important game-tying extra point. Edwards was the same Haynesville kicker who had booted a 27-yard field goal the season before against Winnfield, which was the deciding factor in their 3-2 win over the Tigers. Edwards again disappointed Tiger fans when he kicked the ball through the uprights to give Haynesville a tie at 7-7.     

     Winnfield mounted a furious attempt to get near the Haynesville goal line in the closing minutes of the game and they did move from their own 17 to the Haynesville 29. At that point, one more first down would have moved the Tigers into legitimate field goal territory but it was not to be as Haynesville held Winnfield on downs and then went nowhere on their final series of the game. That sent Winnfield into their second overtime period of the season and the third overtime game in the school’s history. Winnfield was 1-1 in overtime games, losing to Jonesboro-Hodge the season before 7-0 in overtime, but taking a 34-33 decision in the first game of the 1978 season, with Tommy Campbell’s second extra point of the overtime period being the difference in the game.   

     Ironically, had there been no overtime rule in effect, Winnfield would have maintained their lead over Jonesboro-Hodge in the district race with a 7-0-1 record in district play, compared to Jonesboro-Hodge’s 7-1-0 record.     

     Winnfield entered the overtime period, where anything can happen, with the perfect season and outright district title on the line. Likewise, had there been no overtime rule in effect, the 1978 team’s record for the season would be 7-0-2. Since, overtimes are used to settle the outcome of a game, the 1978 Tigers had a chance to go for an undefeated record instead of having to settle for two ties.    

     The Tors won the coin toss and elected to go on defense first. That move appeared to pay off after Haynesville held Winnfield to short yardage in three downs, forcing Winnfield to attempt a field goal from 25 yards out. Winnfield had two good place kickers, but neither had ever kicked a field goal, much less one to win a game. Tommy Campbell, on the other hand, had booted two extra points in a pressure-packed situation, so he at least had kicked under adverse conditions. But, Coach Dauterive was going with freshman kicker Tommy Latham, who came in and made the kick as if it were routine.    

     That gave Haynesville a chance to win the game with a touchdown. However, in their first possession of overtime they also had to settle for a field goal when they ended up losing yardage in three downs. They too had a good place kicker and senior Douglas Edwards did his part in extending the game when he converted a 29-yard field goal to send the game into a second overtime.    

     Haynesville had the ball first in the second overtime. After moving near the Tiger goal line, Haynesville was forced to try an 18-yard field goal when they faced a fourth and three. Edwards gave the Tors the lead when he sailed the ball through the uprights.    

     Prior to the Haynesville game, there had only been 7 field goals made in the history of Winnfield football, with Steve Stroud kicking 3 of those during the 1967 season, Bill Rowell booting two during the 1973 season and Jerry Keen and Carroll Long kicking one each during the 1971 and 1961 seasons respectively. Long's kick covered 32 yards and was the existing school record for the longest field goal. In the second overtime period, Latham would be called on to tie that record when he was forced to kick from the 22-yard line after the Tigers lost yardage in their first three stabs at the line. Latham became the first player to kick multiple field goals in a game when he sailed his second kick of the overtime period through the uprights.    

     That sent the game into a third overtime period.  Winnfield had the ball first and again could not punch the ball into the end zone so in came Latham who was true on a 20-yard boot. But, Haynesville came right back and Edwards forced a fourth overtime period when he too connected on a 20-yard field goal to make the score 16-16.   

     In the fourth overtime period Haynesville had the ball first. The Haynesville contingent roared their approval when the Tigers were flagged for pass interference, which gave the Tors a first and goal from the 4-yard line. But, the crowd was silenced on the next play when fullback Augusta Randle was separated from the ball, which Donnie Purser fell on. That gave Winnfield an opening, but Coach Dauterive played it a little cautiously. He took three stabs at the line, with the third down play moving the ball to the Haynesville 1-yard line. That set up a fourth and goal, giving Dauterive the option of attempting to get a touchdown from only 1 yard away or relying on a play that requires a good snap, a good hold and a good kick. Dauterive choose the latter.  On the other hand, if the kick were true, the Tigers would walk away with a win.     

     In came freshman Tommy Latham for his fourth field goal attempt of the night and he did what he had done on the other three when he nailed the kick, giving Winnfield one of the most dramatic final plays of a game and certainly one of the most decisive kicks in school history.    

     So rare were field goals that Latham’s four field goals in overtime not only allowed him to claim the single-season record for field goals made, but he also became the school's career leader. Since he was only a freshman, he would certainly add to that total before his playing career was over    

     Coach Dauterive called the overtime win "poetic justice.”  He reasoned that the previous year Haynesville had defeated Winnfield with a field goal, so it was only right that Winnfield would turn around and defeat Haynesville with a field goal.     

     The win was a good learning tool. The Tigers already knew they could score when they executed well. They also found out that they could score when they absolutely had to. Championship teams find ways to win football games. If that means kicking four field goals to do so, that's what the 1978 team was capable of doing.    

     Though the Haynesville game was a defensive battle throughout, one bright spot for the Tiger offense was the rushing performance of Ricky Chatman. He ended the night with 146 yards in 20 carries, giving him the best rushing night since Nathan Johnson two seasons’ earlier.

      The win clinched the district title for Winnfield and moved the team one win away from the school’s fourth perfect regular season record. They could get the latter with a win over a 1-8-0 Plain Dealing Lion team in the season finale. Coach Dauterive knew he had the better football team but he also knew he needed a good offensive outing to serve as a springboard for the playoffs. He had senior Kenny Crayton back in the lineup after a two-week absence due to a sprained ankle, but he wouldn't really need Crayton against hapless Plain Dealing. The Lions weren't without talented football players, with speedster running back Mike Godbolt being the fastest player on the field, as evidenced by a 9.8 100 yard dash time he had turned in during the previous track season. But, like so many other teams the Tigers had faced during the season, Plain Dealing didn't have near the depth, much less overall talent to stay with Winnfield.    
     As expected, Winnfield rolled to a 33-0 halftime lead, and kept the pressure on in the second half in taking a 61-0 win over Plain Dealing. Tiger leading rusher Ricky Chatman only carried the ball twice all night but he made the most of those two carries as he scored from 13 yards out on the second play of the game and came right back on the Tigers next series and bolted 59 yards for a touchdown. That was all Coach Dauterive needed from him on the offensive side of the ball.     
     The win moved the Tigers to a perfect 10-0-0 for the season and 9-0-0 in district play. The final win couldn't have been any more decisive. For the night, Winnfield got 223 yards rushing and 158 yards passing in a balanced offensive attack. But, the Tiger defense played one of its best games of the year in holding Plain Dealing to only 2 first down, minus 8 yards rushing, and 10 yards passing.      In taking the 1-AA district crown, the 1978 team earned the school it’s seventh district crown, and first outright title since the 1971 season. The team would make the school’s twelfth appearance in the playoffs, where the program’s record was 7-12.     
     The sportswriters stayed with their the same top-two teams they had stuck with since early in the season. The final Class AA poll results were: 
Schools                         Record             Votes 
1. John Curtis (5)         10-0-0               86 
2. Winnfield (2)         10-0-0              78 
3. Cottonport               10-0-0               68 
4. Kinder                      9-1-0               57 
5. St. Louis (1)              9-1-0              50 
6. Newman                  9-1-0               45 
7. Church Point            8-1-0               33 
8. Patterson (1)            9-1-0               29 
9. Jonesboro-Hodge     9-1-0                21
10. Cathedral-Carmel   8-2-0               19    
     John Curtis was clearly deserving of their ranking. The Patriots were the reigning Class AA state champions, having demolished Jonesboro-Hodge 45-0 in the 1977 title game. They were riding a 23-game win streak and had, in fact, made three straight appearances in the Class AA title game, winning the 1975 and 1977 titles, but coming up short in the 1976 title game. During that period, John Curtis had posted a combined record of 46-4-1 and were fast becoming a power in Louisiana high school football.    
     Winnfield, meanwhile, not only completed one of the best seasons in school history win-wise, they also rewrote the regular season record book in many categories. For starters, the team scored 482 points, to break not only the regular season scoring record (400 by the 1961 team), but also the overall scoring record of 466 points posted by the 1971 team in 14 games. The team set a modern-day record for most points scored in a game (78 vs. Coushatta), most points scored in the first and second quarters of a game (28 vs. Mansfield and Arcadia, respectively) and most second half points (43 vs. Arcadia).    
     The strength of the offense lay in the rushing game. During the season the team posted the highest single-game team rushing total (451 vs. Mansfield) and ended the season with 2,662 rushing yards. That was the second-highest regular season rushing total ever posted in the program, trailing only the 2,975 yards gained in the 11-game 1961 season. The only other teams who had ever rushed for more than 2,000 yards in a regular season were the 1969 team (2,194 yds.), the 1976 team (2,187 yds.), the 1971 team (2,039 yds.) and the 1973 (2,004). The 1978 team also posed the third-highest regular season passing yardage total (1,267). That enabled them to end the season with 3,904 total yards, which was a new school record and almost 500 yards more than the second and third place teams in that category who were the 1971 squad (3,442 yds.) and the 1961 team (3,404 yds.). Those were the only three teams in school history who had gained over 3,000 yards during the regular season.     
     But, the team didn't win with just an overpowering offense. The defense was just as proficient in doing their job. They set records for fewest first downs allowed in the regular season by only giving up 60, which was 5 fewer than the 1971 team, the previous record holder. They also set records for fewest rushing yards allowed in a game when they held Coushatta to minus 65 yards and fewest rushing yards allowed for a regular season (498). The defensive unit only gave up 801 yards through the air to end the regular season with 1,299 total yards allowed. That was the third-lowest total yards allowed, with the 1972 defensive unit leading that category with 916 total yards allowed. The 1978 squad set a record for fewest total yards allowed in a game when they held Plain Dealing to 2 total yards, which was 8 fewer than the previous record of 10 total yards allowed by the 1976 team against Jena.     
     When you consider how far the Winnfield football program had come in only 20 years it was nothing short of amazing. It took the school 49 years to ever play in a playoff game. Once the school made it into the playoffs at the end of the 1957 season, they would return to the playoffs 11 of the next 21 seasons. After making the playoffs for the first time in 1957, it took the school 11 more years and eight playoff appearances to win a playoff games, with the 1968 team being the first to accomplish that. But, after the 1971 and 1976 teams made it to the state finals only to lose two heart breakers, the expectation now was to not only make the title game but to win it all. If ever a Winnfield team had a shot at that, the 1978 team seemed to offer one of the best chances. Since the playoff format now called for a Bi-district round, it would take the 1978 Tigers five playoff wins to get a state title.     
     As district champs, Winnfield got to host the first-round Bi-district playoff game. Their opponent would be the District 2-AA runner-up Tallulah Trojans, who came into the game unranked in the Class AA polls. The Trojans carried an 8-2-0 record into the game. Those who had followed Winnfield football over the past two decades certainly were familiar with the Tallulah football program. The Trojans had been Winnfield's opponent in their very first playoff appearance in 1957, as well as their opponent in three of the Tigers first four playoff appearances. Winnfield didn't win any of those games, with the 1961 loss being one of the most disappointing losses in school history. That was the only loss the 1961 team sustained that year. The program gained some measure of revenge when the 1966 squad knocked off Tallulah early in the regular season in a game many considered to be turning point of the season and entire football program after two straight losing seasons. But, Winnfield ended that season tied with Jena and Tallulah for the district crown and though the Tigers got past Jena in the first game played to decide the district championship, they had no gas left in their rematch with Tallulah. Though the 1967 and 1968 Winnfield teams defeated Tallulah, the 1969 teams lost a bruising battle to Tallulah, who went on to become the state runner-up that same year. Coming into the 1978 game, the two teams had played 11 games, with Tallulah holding a commanding 8-3-0 record in the overall series. Only three Winnfield teams had ever won a first round playoff game, those being the 1968, 1971 and 1976 squads. If the 1978 team was going to be the fourth they would get to do it against a program that had been a nemesis of the Tiger football program.    
     Winnfield had a record-breaking performance against Tallulah, but it was not the kind of record the Tigers wanted to break. For the night, the team dropped 10 fumbles on the ground to set the single-game record for most fumbles. That, as much as anything, served to stop one Tiger drive after another.     
     Winnfield moved inside the Tallulah 25-yard line five times in the first half but only had 7 points at halftime to show for it. That's because they fumbled the ball four of the five times they had the ball in scoring position in the first half.     
     Winnfield jumped to a 7-0 lead in the first quarter when they drove 50 yards in only three plays. Hubbard got the Tigers on the board when he ran the ball in from 5 yards out, after which Tommy Latham added the extra point.     
     In the second quarter, Tallulah got on the scoreboard in a bizarre set of circumstances that was soundly greeted by a chorus of boos from the Tiger stands. Here's what happened. After the Tigers had driven to a first and ten at the Tallulah 22-yard line, Brent Hubbard rolled out to his left to find an open receiver. Under a heavy rush, Hubbard appeared to throw an incomplete pass at the feet of an oncoming Tallulah defender. Instead, a Tallulah player picked up the ball and returned it 75 yards for a touchdown. The official later explained that while it did appear that Hubbard's arm had moved forward, he actually still had the ball in his hand when he pulled the ball back in and the ball dropped out of this hands for a fumble. That made the score 7-7, which stood until halftime.     
     During the regular season, Winnfield had scored 242 first half points and 223 second half points. So, this Tiger team was a force for the full 48 minutes. Winnfield showed that in the third quarter when they moved to a 21-7 lead behind a 1-yard run by Hubbard and a 7-yard run by Chatman. Winnfield took the second half kickoff and got their first score after Chatman powered the ball for a total of 61 yards to set up Hubbard’s score. Chatman added his third quarter touchdown two series later and added a fourth quarter touchdown to make the final score 27-7. For the night, Chatman led all rushers with 138 yards on 17 carries. The team as a whole gained 284 yards rushing and 128 yards passing on a 6 of 11 passing night. Winnfield lost 4 of the 10 fumbles.    
     Tallulah never got into scoring range by way of their offense that was limited to only 38 yards rushing and 51 yards passing. The Tiger defense set up the final two Winnfield touchdowns, with the first of those coming after Woody Grigg recovered a fumble at the Tallulah 25 and the other coming after the defense forced Tallulah to punt from near their own end zone. After Ramsey got a good return, the Tiger offense only had 35 yards worth of work to get back into the end zone.    
     You have never seen a quieter winners locker room. The team knew they had not performed as well as they were capable and Coach Dauterive told them so. He lauded them for giving a good effort, but he focused on the number of mistakes the team had made. He would later tell the Enterprise, "This will do us some good. They know now what the playoffs are all about. Everyone they play will be tough or they would not be in the playoffs."      
     With the win the team improved to 11-0-0 for the season. That allowed the 1978 team to the join the 1961 and 1976 teams for second most wins in a season.  The team had two wins to go to tie the 1971 team for most wins in a season. The 11 wins to open the 1978 season was equal to the 11 wins the 1961 team earned to open that season and was two shy of the 13 wins the 1971 team opened the season with. The program was riding a 12-game winning streak that began with the win in the final game of the 1977 season. That was four wins shy of the school record that came during the 1970 and 1971 seasons.    
     Roll back the clock 20 years and any Tiger team would have been satisfied to just make the playoffs. Roll the clock back only 10 years and the 1968 team was looking for the first playoff win. You know your program has progressed when you win a playoff game, and win it by a 20-point margin and there is a sense of dissatisfaction.    
     Despite the mistakes, in the playoffs the name of the game is winning and moving on. That’s what the Tigers did. The win sent the Tigers on the road to play the Bunkie Tigers. They were the District 3-AA runner-up and had come into the playoffs unranked, mainly because they were only .500 for the year with a record of 5-5-0. Bunkie had earned a bye for the first round of the playoffs so about the only positive thing you could make out of their 1978 playoff experience was that they were well rested.    
     The strength of the Winnfield defense was their play against the run. Bunkie was a running team who relied on the wishbone. The leading rusher was 190 lb. fullback Billy Hendrix. But, the main thing Coach Dauterive was focusing on was his own Tigers. He had been saying all year long that the only team who could beat the Tigers was the Tigers themselves. Heading into the Bunkie game, he told an Enterprise reporter, “We must not become our own worst enemy. We have to do away with the fumbles that stopped us several times last week. We made too many mistakes.”    
     During the first week of the playoffs, only one of the top ten teams was defeated, that being Patterson. Winnfield knew that they would face the winner of the Opelousas Catholic (unranked) vs. St. Louis (5) game if they defeated Bunkie. The other ranked team on Winnfield’s side of the bracket were # 3 (Cottonport) and # 4 (Kinder). Characteristically, Dauterive said, “We don’t care who we will be playing.”  He always felt like if he was in the playoffs, he had a chance.    
     Winnfield opened the game against Bunkie like they team they were capable of being. The Tigers took their opening series 68 yards in five plays to get on the board first. Chatman got the score for the Tigers when he ran 6 yards for a touchdown. The improvement in the Tiger offense was immediately obvious. If only it had lasted. Winnfield only made two more penetrations inside Bunkie territory in the first half. One of those drives was stopped by a fumble and the other was halted by Bunkie.  That left the halftime score 7-0.  The good news for Winnfield was that the Bunkie rushing attack was nowhere to be found and, in fact, Bunkie had not made a first down and had only gained 11 yards of offense in the first half.    
     Winnfield opened the first half with a scoring drive and did the same thing to open the second half when they went 74 yards in 7 plays, with Brent Hubbard bowling over from the one. The touchdown was set up by a Jeffrey Dale run from the Bunkie 16 to the 1, where he ran out of bounds and was knocked unconscious. Dauterive later told the Enterprise, “At that point of the game, Bunkie forgot about trying to win the game and started trying to hurt us.”  He added, “The bad thing is our kids started to retaliate.”  The extra point was blocked, but the 13-0 lead seemed a lot larger considering the way the Winnfield defense was playing.     
     Maybe all of that woke up the Tiger team because Artie Horn intercepted a pass and returned it to the Winnfield 24-yard line on Bunkie’s next series. From there, Ricky Chatman took matters into his own hands. On the first play of Winnfield’s second series of the second half, Chatman took the ball, headed to the left side of the Tiger line and bolted past Bunkie’s initial containment. Once Chatman got in the clear, nobody came close to catching him as he motored 76 yards for a touchdown and effectively put the game out of reach at 19-0. The pass for the two-point conversion failed.    
     After that, the game became a mere tune-up for the next round of the playoffs for the Tigers. Winnfield also scored on the third series of the third quarter when Jeffrey Dale scored on a 2-yard run. That was in response to Bunkie’s only touchdown of the night that came on a 55-yard halfback pass. After Dale’s touchdown the Tigers failed on yet another two-point conversion attempt, leaving the score 25-7 as the two teams headed into the final quarter.    
     In the final period, Terry Joe Ramsey intercepted a pass and returned it to the Winnfield 43. Then, on the next play, Hubbard drilled a pass to Ramsey who had gotten behind the Bunkie defense. Ramsey hauled the pass in and raced 57 yards for a touchdown to close out the scoring for the night, with Winnfield taking a 31-7 win.     
     The 25-point second-half explosion gave Coach Dauterive the type of momentum he hoped would carry over to the next round. Winnfield got 289 yards rushing and added 165 yards through the air, as Hubbard had a good night passing, connecting on 8 of 12 passes. Chatman was the leading rusher with 168 yards in 16 carries, which was one of the ten-best rushing nights ever by a Tiger back and best playoff rushing performance by a Tiger rusher.    
     As satisfying as the Tigers offensive performance was, the story of the game was the play of the Tiger defense. Winnfield limited Bunkie to 5 first downs and only 41 yards rushing. Almost all of Bunkie’s offense production came on five pass receptions by Nickey Descant that accounted for 90 of Bunkie's 95 passing yards. As usual, there were a slew of Tiger defenders who got in on tackles, with Chatman leading them all with 11 tackles. Donnie Purser had 9 tackles, followed by Grigg and Holden with 8. Both Ramsey and Horn had interceptions, both of which set up touchdowns. Coach Dauterive, however, noted that defensive ends Perry Rainwater, Craig Cummings and Kevin Poisso were at least partially responsible for many of those tackles because they continually turned plays to the inside.    The 12th win of the season allowed the 1978 team to post the second most wins in a season, trailing only the 13 wins posted by the 1971 team. The program’s winning streak now stretched to 13 games. 

KEY GAME:  With only eight teams left in the playoffs, Winnfield entered the quarterfinals facing the toughest opponent they had played all year. After playing district runners-ups in the opening two rounds of the playoffs, things were about to change. When you get as far as the quarterfinals, the teams who remain are quality football teams. In the quarterfinal round, Winnfield faced District 5-AA champion St. Louis. The Saints had ended the season ranked No. 5 in the state, with their only loss during the season coming to AAAA Lake Charles by a score of 19-7. In their first two playoff games, St. Louis had rolled over Mamou by a score of 32-0 and No. 7 Church Point by a score of 35-0.     

     A strong offense, a smothering defense and team depth. That description could have been used to describe either Winnfield or St. Louis. The Saints had a 1,000-yard passer in Keith Jones, who had thrown for 12 touchdowns. Their leading rusher was 205 lb. fullback David Foret, who had rushed for 1,232 yards during the regular season and added two 100-yard rushing nights in each of the opening two playoff games. They used 22 different starters, which kept the team fresh in the second half. The final weapon that St. Louis offered was a very sound coaching staff. Head Coach Tom Couste told a reporter for the Alexandria Towntalk before the game that his team "did what we can with what the other team gives us."  He went on, "We'll have a game plan (against Winnfield) but what we do best is adjust as the game goes on." All things considered, Winnfield was about to face the toughest team they had faced all year.     Winnfield came into the game at relative full strength. Terry Mixon was the only starter who would not suit up for the game. Likewise, Kenny Crayton had not fully recovered from an ankle sprain he sustained in the latter part of the regular season. However, Chatman had taken over the Winnfield backfield and came into the game with 1,023 rushing yards for the season, making that the third-best single-season rushing total in school history. On balance, the game appeared to match two teams with equal strengths. One advantage Winnfield had was the location of the game, which was Stokes-Walker Stadium. At that point in time, seven playoff games at been played in Stokes-Walker Stadium. The Tigers record in those seven games was 6-1, with the only loss being the 1976 title game loss.     

     The thing that was foremost on Coach Dauterive’s mind as the team prepared for St. Louis was the sudden increase in turnovers by his team, mainly in the form of fumbles. Through the first seven games of the season, the team fumbled the ball 15 times. In the two playoff games, the team had fumbled the ball an almost equal number of times as they had fumbled 14 times and lost 5 of those. Turnovers get teams beat, though the 1978 team had yet to taste defeat in 12 games. Nevertheless, coming into the St. Louis game Coach Dauterive told the Enterprise, “We cannot beat ourselves with things like missed blocks and fumbles. They (St. Louis) have a very, very good football team that can take advantage of mistakes.”  The Tigers weren’t playing as consistently and as sharp as you need to play in the playoffs. Mistakes seemed to be plaguing the Tigers. On the other hand, there was no reason to think that they couldn’t get back on track.    

     Against St. Louis, it quickly became evident that the Tigers would have to win the game in spite of themselves, because mistakes continued to plague the Tigers. After the Tiger defense shut down St. Louis on their first series of the night, the sure-handed Terry Joe Ramsey fielded the initial Saint punt at the Winnfield 20, where he was separated from the ball. A scramble for the ball ensued but St. Louis recovered the ball at the Winnfield 1-yard line. In a game where neither team could afford to give the other anything, Winnfield essentially spotted St. Louis a touchdown because the Saints moved into the end zone on their first play following the Tiger fumble, taking a 7-0 lead in the process - advantage St. Louis.     

     Garry Powell returned the ensuing kickoff 42 yards to the St. Louis 40. On first down, Coach Dauterive resorted to razzle-dazzle to get back into the game. Hubbard took the snap and pitched the ball to Chatman, who in turn pitched the ball to Ramsey coming across the field on an end around. When Ramsey got to the middle of the field he pitched the ball back to Hubbard who lofted a pass to a wide-open Kevin Poisso who had gotten a full 15 yards behind the St. Louis defense. The only thing Poisso had to do to score was catch the ball and that he did. After that, he ran untouched to the end zone and Tommy Latham added the extra point to tie the score 7-7.    

     Later in the first quarter Winnfield fumbled the ball yet again and St. Louis recovered at the Winnfield 15-yard line. Give the Tiger defense credit because they only allowed the Saints 6 yards in four plays.      Two series later Winnfield put together an 80-yard drive, which was culminated by a 6-yard Ricky Chatman touchdown run. The Tigers moved to a 14-7 lead with Chatman’s run and Latham’s extra point. “After we stopped their drive and went on to score to take the lead, I thought we had the game under control,” said Dauterive after the game. But, good teams respond to adversity and that’s exactly what St. Louis did.     

     On their next series, St. Louis got a big break when the Tigers were flagged for pass interference. Coach Dauterive thought St. Louis should have been called for an illegal block on the play, but the call stood, giving St. Louis a first down at the Winnfield 30-yard line. On the next play, St. Louis broke a good run, taking the ball all the way down to the Tiger 4-yard line. Then, on the next play they got back into the end zone on a touchdown run by David Foret, their talented fullback. They also made their extra point to tie the score at 14-all.    

     That’s the way the score stayed until halftime. The Tiger had played solid in the second half all year, so there was hardly any sense of urgency in the Tiger camp at the halftime break. The 1978 Tigers had played sloppy in the first halves of the first two playoff games and then settled down in the second half. So, those who were looking for a similar trend against St. Louis, reasoned that the Tigers had “survived” the first half of the St. Louis game with a 14-14 tie and were set to take control of the game in the second half.    

     That’s not what happened as the Tigers fumbled the ball away on their first two series, with the second fumble coming after the Tigers had driven to the St. Louis 19. The second fumble put the Tigers in a fourth and 22 situation from the St. Louis 27. In response, Dauterive sent Tommy Latham in to attempt a 45-yard field goal. The ball had the distance, but it hit the left uprights. In sports, inches can make a difference in wins and losses. Four inches to the right and the ball sails through the uprights, giving Winnfield a three-point lead.     

     The Tiger defense, who had been so strong against the run all year long, gave up their longest run of the year on the next play. Fullback Foret smashed through the right side of the line, broke into the clear and set sail for a 73-yard run. Only a touchdown-saving tackle by Stafford Moses stopped Foret at the Winnfield 7-yard line. The Tigers held St. Louis out of the end zone for two straight plays, but Foret got the ball into the end zone on third down. St. Louis also converted on the extra point kick to enable St. Louis to take a 21-14 lead, which they carried into the final quarter.    

     On the next Winnfield series, the Tiger offense put together one of the longest and most time-consuming drives of the season when they went 84 yards in 14 plays to close the gap to a 21-20 margin. The Tigers had to make good on three third down conversion attempts to keep the drive alive. After Winnfield got to the St. Louis 1-yard line, Brent Hubbard took the ball over for the touchdown.    

     Latham came in to tie the game but the kick sailed wide left. Latham had made 21 of 25 extra point kicks during the season and he had converted four pressure-packed field goals against Haynesville. But, in a game where many things went wrong, the missed extra point left Winnfield still trailing St. Louis 21-20.     However, there was still plenty of time left in the game and the Tiger defense bought the team even more time when they quickly shut down St. Louis on their next possession. That enabled the Tigers to get the ball back with five minutes to go in the game.     

     Chatman got the series jump-started when he carried the ball 17 yards from the Tiger 23 to the 40. With the leg of Latham, all the Tigers needed to do was move inside the St. Louis 20 to have a reasonable chance at a field goal and the lead. But, on the next play, the Tigers had to contend with their final mistake of the night when St. Louis tipped a Hubbard pass at the line of scrimmage and got an interception to take back over control of the football.     

     Though the Tiger defense again held St. Louis and put the ball back into the hands of the Tiger offense nothing came out of that final drive. Thus ended the Tigers title hopes and an end to a season filled with a ton of scoring and second-most wins in school history.              

     Statistically, Winnfield out gained St. Louis in every category, getting 204 yards rushing to 185 by St. Louis. The Tigers also had 114 yards passing to the Saints 80. Finally Winnfield had 6 more first downs than St. Louis. But, Winnfield also led in categories that explained why they lost the game as they fumbled the ball four times to St. Louis’ one, and threw one interception to St. Louis’ none. The Tigers picked up five penalties to St. Louis’ one. St. Louis won because they committed fewer mistakes or, it would be more appropriate to say that Winnfield lost because they committed more. It is true that St. Louis actually won because they converted three extra point attempts to Winnfield two. But, Dauterive himself said, “The game was not decided with that missed kick.”  Too much other happened or could have happened that figured into this loss. It would be way too overly simplistic to boil the loss down to a single missed extra point.     

     For the fifth straight week, Chatman was the leading rusher, ending the night with 150 yards in 27 carries. He scored one touchdown and also was the leading tackler of the night with 10 tackles. Hubbard had a good night, connecting on 6 of 11 passes and connecting on the flea flicker for a touchdown. Purser and Grigg ended the night with 9 tackles apiece. St. Louis ran 52 plays from scrimmage, so that meant Chatman, Purser and Grigg accounted for over half of the tackles for the night.     

     In terms of losses, this was no ordinary loss. Losses are hard to take when they: end a team’s title hopes, when they are of the narrowest of margins and when you feel like you have contributed as much to the loss as the opposition. This loss had all of that. After a team strings together 12 straight wins, scoring by wide margins and seeing their ranking stay at or near the top of the class all season long, they gradually begin to think of themselves as being one of the best teams in the state. The 1978 Tiger team was certainly a legitimate contender for the 1978 Class AA crown. But, a home loss in the quarterfinals is not something legitimate contenders are supposed to do (though many a team have had playoff runs end as they were “not supposed to”). Once the playoffs began, the team began committing too many mistakes.  The team fumbled the ball 18 times during their three playoff games. Teams with less talent than the 1978 team have done better in the playoffs because they played error-free football. You can't beat yourself in the playoffs and expect to beat the good teams. The Tigers were so clearly superior to Tallulah and Bunkie that they were able to overcome their mistakes. Though the Tigers scored three touchdowns against St. Louis, that did not make up for the four critical fumbles and the single interception.    

     St. Louis went on to play in the Class AA title game, losing a 20-14 decision to No. 4-ranked Kinder.Kinder finished the season with a 12-1-0 record, the same as Winnfield's, while St. Louis finished with a 12-2-0 record.

      In retrospect, the ease at which the team rolled through the bulk of the regular season may have given the offensive squad a false sense of superiority. Close games against Ruston and Haynesville should have shown them that they couldn't simply walk over every opponent they faced. Coach Dauterive said as much when he sat down and assessed the season for the Enterprise two weeks after the season ended. In commenting on the mistake-filled playoff run, Dauterive said, "I think the lack of competition our district offered was a reason. We had nine district games and a lot of the teams were very weak."  While the offense unit was able to run up impressive numbers on the scoreboard and in the stat book, much of that was earned against teams who offered them little or no resistance.     
     On the other hand, Dauterive was quick to add that he thought he had a very solid football team. "There is no doubt in my mind we had the best team in the state," Coach Dauterive said. "But, when you put the ball on the ground like we did and make mistakes like we did, you can't win."       
     The team ended the season with a 12-1-0 (.923) record, which was the second most wins in a season and second highest winning percentage ever amassed at the school up to that point. In addition to the previously mentioned regular season records the team set, some of the more notable team records set during the overall 1978 season included: 
                                                 1978                 Previous           Year
Category                                   Total                 Record             Set
Points Scored                            560                       466               1971
Rushing Touchdowns                 65                          45               1961
Yards Rushing                         3,439                     3,133             1961
Total Yards                             5,088                     4,463             1971
Field Goals Made                        4                           3                1967
Safeties                                      3                           2                1971     
     The team had a solid rushing attack, gaining over 200 yards rushing in all but two games. For the season, the team rushed for a 7.2 yard per carry average. With all of that production on the ground, you would think that the offense was one-dimensional. Though they were the leading rushing unit of all time, they also had the second-highest total passing yards, gaining 1,649 yards through the air, which was just 73 yards behind the 1971 team's school record.                  
     The 1978 defensive unit was the most consistent aspect of the overall team’s play. That unit only gave up 775 yards rushing and 1,021 yards passing in holding 13 opponents to 109 points. That phase of the game could be counted on week after week. You can't have a championship team without an excellent defense, and the 1978 defensive unit was one of the most solid in school history.    
     You obviously don't put up those kinds of numbers without having individual stars. The 1978 team did not rely on any one or two superstars. Rather, they were a team filled with good high school football players. On offense, Chatman came on at the end of the season and posted seven-straight 100+ yard rushing efforts. That enabled him to end the season with 1,173 rushing yards, the second-best single-season rushing effort in school history up to that time. Chatman got those yards in only 116 carries, for an amazing 10.1 per carry rushing average. For the season, Chatman scored 14 rushing touchdowns, which was one better than Jerry Keen's single-season record.    
     Jeffrey Dale (608 yds.) and Kenny Crayton (448 yds.) combined to give the Tigers another 1,000+ rushing yards, but seven different players picked up more than 100 yards rushing for the season.      Quarterback Brent Hubbard ended the season with 1,511 yards passing, which not only made him the fifth quarterback to pass the 1,000+ passing yardage total but was the second-highest passing yards a Tiger quarterback had ever thrown for, being only 96 yards behind Steve Adams' (1971) school record for single-season passing yards. Hubbard connected on 10 touchdown passes during the season, which was the fifth-best single-season effort.    
     Hubbard's favorite target was Terry Joe Ramsey, who had the best season a receiver ever had at the school, before or since. If you start with Ramsey's receiving yards, he clearly had the best season ever, as he became the first Tiger receiver to gain over 1,000 yards receiving, ending the year with 1,042 receiving yards. That was more than double the previous high of 504 yards gained by Glen Anderson during the 1972 season. Even at the end of the first 100 years of Tiger football Ramsey is the only receiver who has ever had more than 1,000 receiving yards. Ramsey got those yards on 37 receptions for a per catch average of 28.1 yards, the highest per catch average in school history by far. Those 37 catches were one short of the single-season reception record set by Greg Wagoner during the 1971 season. Ramsey turned 7 receptions into touchdowns, which was 2 shy of Wagoner's single-season record and one short of second place John Wayne Williams’ total. Kevin Wagoner, with 16 catches, and Kevin Poisso, with 15 catches, also had double-digit receptions for the season.    
     During a record-setting scoring season you would expect that a lot of players got in on the scoring action and they did. A total of 22 players contributed to the scoring record, by far the most number of individual players to score from one Winnfield team. Four previous Tiger teams had scored over 350 points. The total number of players scoring points on those teams included: 1928 (12), 1961 (15), 1971 (13) and 1976 (12). The leading scorers for the team were Ricky Chatman and Brent Hubbard, who each had 84 points on 14 rushing touchdowns.     
     Other than the Tiger defense, the other aspect of the team that was as solid as you can get was the kicking game. Though he didn't get many opportunities to punt, Terry Joe Ramsey led the team in punting with a 37.2 average in only 24 punts. The Tigers had not one, but two excellent place kickers in Tommy Campbell and Tommy Latham. For the season, Campbell connected on 33 of 37 extra points (.892) and Latham kicked 24 of 29 extra points (.828). Those were two of the best single-season efforts in school history, trailing only Steve Stroud’s .913 performance in 1967 for highest kicking percentage. Latham kicked four field goals during the season, all in the Haynesville game, to become the single-season and career leader in field goals made.    
     On defense, Chatman led all tacklers with 113 total tackles. Right behind him were fellow linebacker Charlie Holden (91) and the entire defensive front, consisting of Woody Grigg (86), Donnie Purser (81) and Tommy Campbell (70).     An indicator of the health of a program is the success of the developing teams. Winnfield couldn't have been any stronger there. The junior varsity team completed the season with an 8-0-0 record, allowing only four touchdowns and posting five shutouts in the process. Also, the 9th grade team finished the season with a 9-0-0 record, outscoring their opponents 206-40. The Tiger program appeared to be set for as far down the road as anyone cared to reasonably look.    
     That future would occur without Larry Dauterive at the helm of the Tiger program. After the 1978 football season he accepted a position on the Louisiana Tech coaching staff. His tenure at Winnfield had been marked with unprecedented success. Though he was only at the school for three years, when he left he had recorded the fifth-most wins by a coach at the school, with 28 wins. His overall record was 28-9-0. That was a winning percentage of .757, giving him the second-highest winning percentage among Tiger coaches who had coached for two years or longer. The leader in that category was Alwin Stokes (.746). Dauterive’s biggest legacy was guiding two teams deep into the playoffs. At the time of his departure, only he, Joe Dosher (3) and Tommy Bankston (1) had ever won a playoff game. Dauterive was the leader of that group with five playoff wins.  
Lettermen:       
Seniors: Kenny Crayton, Woody Grigg, Marty Harrel, Charlie Holden, Brent Hubbard, Gregg Martin, Terry Mixon, Stafford Moses, Donnie Purser, Terry Joe Ramsey, Mike Simmons,           Mark Swilley 
Juniors: Joey Ates, Tommy Campbell, Mike Chandler, Dale Cook, Ricky Chatman, Mike Crawford, Craig Cummings, Artie Horn, Bobby Huey, Tim Jordan, Kevin Poisso, Garry Powell, Perry Rainwater, Robert Rhymes, Kevin Wagoner, Tony Wilson 
Sophomore: Jeffery Dale                 
Freshman: Tommy Latham     
Post Season Honors: 
Woody Grigg                           DT                   All District, All State
Terry Joe Ramsey                  OE & P            All District, All State (End)
Ricky Chatman                       LB                   All District, All State
Donnie Purser                        DG                   All District, HM All State           
Brent Hubbard                       QB                   All District       
Mark Swilley                          OT                   All District
Stafford Moses                       DB                   All District
Perry Rainwater                      DE                   All District
Tommy Campbell                   C                      2nd Team All District               
Kevin Poisso                          OE                   2nd Team All District                 
KEY SEASON: 1979 (Overall - 11-2-0, *District - 5-0-0)         
Opponent                 Results
NATCHITOCHES       15-0     (Jamboree) 
SICILY ISLAND      W,28-12               
Pineville                     W,13-0                
Minden                      L,9-10                                                        
RUSTON                  W,30-13               
RINGGOLD              W,55-7*  (HC)                                                  
Coushatta                  W,48- 0*                                 
MANSFIELD            W,37-13*  
MANY                      W,27-0*  
Jonesboro                   W,7-6* (OT)    
PLAYOFFS           
VIDALIA                 W,28-6      (Bi-district) 
ST. LOUIS                W,14-9      (Regional) 
Delhi                         W,47-27    (Quarter-final) 
JOHN CURTIS         L,7-21       (Semi-final)  
     In the spring of 1979, Doug Moreau was hired to take over the Winnfield Senior High School football program. He would be the school’s 30th head football coach. Moreau came to the program from Marksville High School, where he had been the head football coach. Prior to that, he had served on the coaching staff at Mandeville High School.     
     Only two assistant coaches remained from the 1978 undefeated season.  Those were Randy Poisso and Joe Dosher. In addition to Coach Dauterive, assistant coaches Clay Bohanan, Jerry T. Smith and Joe Young left the program after the 1978 season. Hired to replace those three were Tony Acosta, Mark Kavanagh and Mike Hearne.    
      Coach Moreau couldn’t have inherited a program in much better shape than the Winnfield program. The Winnfield job was considered one of the plum jobs of the state at the time. That’s because in the 1970s alone the program had been in the playoffs five times and had been to the championship game twice. Moreau and his assistants had Winnfield’s winning tradition to build on, but the 1979 season would be anything but a season that depended on tradition alone. What made the 1979 season so promising was the return of 24 lettermen from the 12-1-0, 1978 team. While a solid corp of senior football players departed after the 1978 season, the 1979 team was loaded with more than enough talent to make them a bonafide title contender.    
     Like many good high school teams, the 1979 squad would be a senior-dominated unit. The team had eight seniors on both sides of the ball that had started at one time or another. There would be no question that this would be a senior-led ball club. Likewise, there would be no question who the team leader would be. Entering his senior season was Ricky Chatman, already a three-year letterman, two-time All-District linebacker, as well as an All-State linebacker from the year before. The only other times the Tiger program had a returning first team All-State football player was the following: Don Jones (OG) 1961, Mike Spangler (DE) 1967 and Lionel Johnson (LB) 1972. Chatman had already established himself as not only one of the best linebackers in school history, but one of the best football players, period. Chatman first appeared in the Tiger lineup as a freshman when he played linebacker for the 1976 AAA state runner-up team. He had dominated that position ever since. With his speed (he was the District 1-AA reigning champion in the 220-yard dash) he had been used in the offensive backfield the past two seasons. During his sophomore and junior seasons Chatman had already rushed for 15 touchdowns and rushed for over 1,400 yards. His 1978 rushing total was 1,173 yards, which was the second-best single-season rushing total in school history. Though Chatman was clearly one of the best linebackers to ever play at the school, he came into his senior season third on the career rushing list as well. He only needed a little over 500 yards to overtake Jerry Keen (1,960) who was in second place on that list, but it would take another banner season to catch career-leader Nathan Johnson who had close to 3,000 yards rushing in his career. As a starter, Chatman had played on three teams with a combined total of 28 wins. No previous Tiger player came into their senior season having played on teams that had won as many games. So, besides being extremely talented and experienced, Chatman knew what it took to win and knew what it was like to play in playoff games, having already played in seven of them. If ever there were a player who defined senior leadership, Ricky Chatman surely was that player.     
     The strength of the 1979 squad would be the defense. Any time you lose players the caliber of Woody Grigg and Donnie Purser you think rebuilding year. But the defensive line that those two vacated would still have returning starter Tommy Campbell and a slew of lettermen set to fill the three down linemen positions. Those included senior Tim Jordan and junior Chip Little. Moreau planned on moving Craig Cummings and Kevin Poisso to linemen slots to take advantage of their quickness. Both of those had played defensive ends the season before. The entire group were seniors except Little    
     At the defensive end slot, the Tigers had returning All-District performer Perry Rainwater, a senior. He would be joined on the other side of the defensive line by sophomore Earl Funches. All total, that gave the team six returning lettermen across the defensive front, with five of those being seniors.    
     Joining Chatman behind the line was junior Greg Lewis at the other linebacker position. He was a returning letterman who had seen action in both the offensive and defensive backfields. Lewis and Chatman gave Winnfield unprecedented speed at the linebacker slot.     
     Winnfield's secondary had a set of returning lettermen, with the leader of the bunch being junior Jeffrey Dale. The secondary would be a seasoned bunch, consisting of seniors Bobby Huey, Kevin Wagoner and Artie Horn. Moreau also had junior Teal Dick who he would insert in the defensive rotation.     
     The offense was just as established with returning lettermen. The only real question mark was a big one though because the biggest hole to fill would be at the quarterback slot. Senior Mike Crawford already had two years of reserve duty under his belt so he seemed like the logical choice to take over a starting role. But, Coach Moreau was giving sophomore Greg Powell and even Jeffrey Dale a look. Moreau used an option style of offense so he needed speed and ball-handling skills at all backfield positions, but especially so at the quarterback slot.     
     At the running back slots, Moreau had proven talent and more than enough speed. Returning starters included Chatman and Jeffery Dale at the tailback slot. Greg Lewis would be called on to fill the fullback slot, but returning second-team All-District wide receiver Kevin Poisso was also given strong consideration at the fullback position.     
     Though Moreau planned on running the ball as much as possible, any offense still needs a passing attack. The Tigers had two-year starter Kevin Wagoner at a wide receiver slot to serve as their go-to guy. Wagoner had led the team in reception yardage his sophomore year, before sharing receiving duties with Terry Joe Ramsey his junior season. Additional support in the receiving corp would come from seniors Perry Rainwater and Bobby Huey, as well as junior Chuck Jurek    
     Like the defensive line, the offensive front would be made up of seasoned veterans. Returning starters included Robert Rhymes and Tommy Campbell. Fellow seniors Tim Jordan and Bob Barton gave the team experience in the offensive front. A pair of junior linemen in Chip Little and Mark Hennigan gave the team additional bulk across the line, as both weighted in at over 200 lbs. Senior Jay Frazier and junior Chris Carter were expected to provide backup duty.     
     Like Coach Dauterive from a season before, Coach Moreau would have the luxury of having two good place kickers in Tommy Campbell and Tommy Latham. Latham had handled the kickoff duties all of the season before and had taken over scoring responsibilities as well late in the season. That was not due to any need to replace Campbell other than to allow Campbell to focus solely on his defensive duties.     
     With the type of defense the team had, you had to think that opposing teams would have a hard time  scoring against the Tigers. In Chatman's three-year tenure he had only seen four teams score more than two touchdowns against a Winnfield team. The 1979 defensive unit appeared to be just as capable of that type of defense. When you go into the season thinking you only need to score a couple of touchdowns a game to be in every game, that takes a lot of pressure off of the offense. However, with game-breakers Chatman, Dale and Wagoner on the offensive side of the ball, the Tigers appeared more than capable of putting up points.     
     It would have been an outright insult to just have a goal of finishing the season with a winning record. This team was capable of defending the District 1-AA crown and were playoff-seasoned, so a state title run was among the team’s list of goals. Expectations were running high for the season and that is exactly the way you want it to be.     Reclassification occurred after the 1978 season. Winnfield remained in Class AA, but District 1-AA was cut almost in half. Under the revised district alignment, Winnfield moved to District 3-AA along with Jonesboro, Coushatta, Mansfield and Many. Remaining in District 1-AA were Homer, Haynesville, Plain Dealing and DeSoto. That left Winnfield with the opportunity to schedule four non-district opponents they would open the season against.    
     In the season opener, the Tigers would face a team new to the Winnfield program in Sicily Island. The Islanders were no stranger to Louisiana high school football, however, because they had made two state final appearances in the previous dozen years; being the Class B runner-up in 1967 and the Class A runner-up in 1974. Sicily Island was a regular fixture in post-season play during the 1970s.     
     After opening the season at home against Sicily Island, Winnfield hit the road for three straight road games and all of those would be against AAA teams, including Pineville, Minden and Ruston. After that, district competition would begin against light-weights Ringgold and Coushatta, followed by home district dates with Mansfield and Many. The district crown was expected to be settled on the last week of the regular season when Winnfield traveled to Jonesboro.     
     The sportswriters thought highly enough of the Tigers to vote them the No. 5-ranked team in the preseason poll. Heading that poll was the defending state champion Kinder, followed by runner-up St. Louis. Rounding out the top five were John Curtis (3) and Patterson (4).    
     The Tigers didn't do much to impress during the annual summer scrimmages, battling Marksville to a 6-6 tie in a sluggish performance. Coach Moreau chalked that up to his team’s lack of familiarity with the new offensive schemes he had installed. However, the Tigers did show promise of things to come in the annual Winnfield Jamboree where the Tigers faced Natchitoches, who played out of District 2-AAAA. The previous season the Chiefs were the champions of that district and were out to avenge a 13-7 defeat to Winnfield in the Jamboree.    
     For the fourth straight year, Winnfield took a Jamboree win over the Chiefs, scoring two touchdowns and keeping Natchitoches out of the end zone. In four years time, Winnfield had outscored Natchitoches by a combined score of 70-12 in the annual jamboree. In fact, Winnfield had not lost a jamboree encounter to any team since dropping a 6-0 decision to Bolton in the 1968 Cosmopolitan Jamboree in Alexandria.    
     Coming into the final season of the decade, the program had only lost 28 games during the 1970s. That was easily the fewest losses the program had sustained since the decade of the 1920s, with the losses from each decade since then totaling the following: 1930s (57), 1940s (51), 1950s (61) and 1960s (40). Records from games played during the 1920s are incomplete, but there are 19 known losses from that decade and quite possibly closer to 30 losses. Over one-third (10) of the losses from the 1970s had come either in the opening game of the season or in the final game of the season. Five of those final game losses had come during the five playoff appearances by Tiger teams in the 1970s, while four had come in the opening game of the season.      
     The Tigers opened the 1979 against Sicily Island, a new opponent for the Tiger football program. That added to the air of excitement and anticipation at the beginning of a new season.    
     Sicily Island parlayed a fumble return and an interception return into a 12-0 first half lead. What followed, however, was the turning point of the game in Coach Moreau's estimation. He inserted junior quarterback Jeffery Dale into the quarterback slot for the final series of the half and he guided the offense to a touchdown to make the score 12-7 at the half.     
     Many football teams have won football games in the second half because they were the better-conditioned team. Such was the case for Winnfield against Sicily Island. The Tigers scored the first three times they got the ball in the third quarter to jump to a 28-12 lead. Chatman got the first two scores on runs of 27 and 56 yards and Dale added the other on a 10 yard run on a series set up by a fumble recovery by Kevin Wagoner at the Sicily Island 30. All of that closed out the scoring at 28-12 to give the Tigers a 1-0-0 start to the season.     After a sluggish first half, the Tiger offense came to life against the battle-weary Islanders in the second half. Kevin Poisso led all rushers with 140 yards on 14 carries, followed by Chatman with 112 yards in 11 carries. As a team, the Tigers gained 285 yards rushing. The Tiger defense held Sicily Island to 55 yards rushing and 75 yards passing.      
     In the second game of the season against Pineville Coach Moreau tried all three of his quarterbacks in the first half. However, neither Crawford, Dale nor Greg Powell could ignite any sort of offense. Thankfully, Pineville found the going just as tough because they hadn't even moved into the Tigers end of the field when they went into the locker room at halftime.   
     The offense did fare much better in the second half, but the Tigers did get on the scoreboard in the third quarter thanks to an 85-yard punt return for a touchdown by Jeffrey Dale. At the time, the return was the school's sixth-longest punt return for a touchdown, with the longest being a 91-yarder by Wayne Wood during the 1967 season.     
     Winnfield failed to add points on the PAT when the snap from center was bobbled by Crawford. That left the score 6-0 with 7:59 remaining on the third quarter clock. That's the way it appeared the score would remain the rest of the game until Pineville blocked a Tiger punt with a little over four minutes to go in the game. The ball was recovered by Pineville at the Winnfield 34-yard line.    
     Pineville picked up 8 yards on their first two downs, but lost all of that on a third down screen pass. That set up a fourth and 10 from the 34 with only 2.25 remaining in the game. On the play, Tiger cornerback Bobby Huey stepped in front of a pass in the flat and returned it 68 yards for a touchdown to put the nail in the coffin. Latham sailed through the PAT to give the Tigers a 13-0 lead that held up the rest of the way.    
     The Tiger defense, nicknamed the "Pallbearers" before the season started, had not only posted a shutout, but they had scored all 13 of Winnfield's points. For the whole game, Pineville only gained 67 yards rushing and 24 yards passing. Winnfield only allowed 4 completions in 18 attempts. Chatman and company forced four fumbles and seven punts. This win belonged to the Tiger defense.    
     Coach Moreau attributed the poor offensive showing to penalties and his belief that the Tigers "weren't in the game mentally”. Moreau knew that defensive units usually perform better than offensive units early in the season, but he was getting far less offensive production that he had anticipated.    
     Winnfield jumped all the way to the No. 2 slot in the Class AA polls with their win over Pineville. Heading the poll was St. Louis. Winnfield put their No. 2 ranking on the line in the third week of the season when they traveled to Minden to take on the Crimson Tide from District 1-AAA. Minden had opened the season with a 13-12 win over Byrd High School and followed that up with a 44-3 thrashing of Natchitoches.     
      The strength of the Minden team was their defense, who Coach Moreau said "look like mountains."  That was because Minden averaged 6' 1" and 210 pds. across the defensive front. Moreau didn't mince words when he talked of his team’s chances in an interview for The Enterprise. "We'll have to play three times better than we've played in our first two games to be anywhere near them," said Coach Moreau. He was, of course, mainly referring to the Tiger offense. After two weeks of the season, Moreau still hadn't settled on a starting quarterback, but Moreau was liking his defensive squad more and more each week. .     
      That defense would be called on to contain a Minden offense that was talent-rich in the backfield. The biggest threat came from sophomore running back Raymond Tate. He stood 6' 1" and weighed in at 210 pounds. His running style was much like Chatman's in that once he got a head of steam going he was tough to bring down.     
     As expected, the game was a defensive battle throughout. But it didn't start that way. On Minden's very first play of the game they completed a 74-yard pass to 9.6 sprinter Johnny Rice for a touchdown. Junior safety man Chuck Jurek, who was filling in for the injured Kevin Wagoner, was burned on the play but Moreau would later say that Jurek came back and played "a super game" after that. The Tide only completed one other pass all night long, but that one would be decisive as well. Following Rice's touchdown catch, Minden tacked on the extra point to take an early 7-0 lead.    Winnfield responded by mounting a 61-yard drive that was capped by a 23-yard touchdown run by Ricky Chatman to get the Tigers within one of Minden. Latham failed on the PAT attempt, leaving the score 7-6.     
     The quick-strike nature of the opening minutes of the game were deceiving, because after that neither team got anything pretty much the rest of the game. In fact, Minden only had one more scoring opportunity and Winnfield only had two more scoring chances. Winnfield’s first opportunity came late in the second quarter after the Tigers recovered a Raymond Tate fumble at their own 38-yard line. The Tigers then moved to a first and goal at the Minden 10-yard line, but self-destructed after a series of penalties pushed them back to just inside the Minden 20-yard line. Facing a fourth and goal from there, Moreau elected to send in Tommy Latham to attempt a 36-yard field goal, which he made to give the Tigers a 9-7 lead. Latham had been tied with Carroll Long for the longest field goal in school history after kicking a 32-yarder against Haynesville the season before. Latham's kick thus gave him sole possession of the record and upped his career lead in field goals made to five.     
     Minden’s lone scoring opportunity came on their opening possession of the second half. After moving to the Winnfield 39-yard line, Minden completed their second and last pass of the night to move to the Winnfield 23. From there, they moved to a first and goal at the 8-yard line, where Winnfield held on three downs and even pushed Minden back to the Tiger 14. Looking at a 31-yard field goal attempt on fourth down, Minden elected to try their hand at a three-pointer and the results were the same as Winnfield's, allowing the Crimson Tide to regain the lead at 10-9.     
      Late in the third quarter, Winnfield moved all the way to the Minden 23, but, the Tigers committed one of their eight fumbles for the night at that point, which Minden recovered. The Tigers never threatened to score again.     
     Commenting to an Enterprise reporter, Coach Moreau gave his own reasons for the loss when he said, "all our weak points stood out against a strong team."  He was referring mainly to the eight fumbles the Tigers had, which they lost three of. The Tigers only completed 2 of 9 passes for 21 yards, had seven penalties thrown against them and only had a 14.7-yard punting average on three punts.    
     There were several bright spots in the game. The Tiger defense shut down Minden as a whole and Tate in particular, as the Tide running back only got 47 yards rushing in 28 attempts. The rest of the team only gained 6 more rushing yards for the game. In contrast, Ricky Chatman led all rushers with 130 yards in 13 carries.      
     Moreau said something to an Enterprise reporter following the loss that made sense to those who appreciate football for more than just wins and losses. He said, "(the game) made a few boys reach down and get it that haven't had to before. I believe the game will really help us in the long run."  No one likes to lose, but sometimes non-district games, whether they are wins or losses, make your team a stronger team. And if that helps you to win a district title and playoff games, that is a case of tough competition being far more important than the bottom line of wins and losses.     
     Winnfield dropped to fifth in the Class AA polls following the loss to Minden. That left the Tigers and John Curtis as the only teams in the top ten with any losses. St. Louis continued to hold down the No. 1 spot, followed by John Curtis (2), Kinder (3) and Patterson (4). Besides Winnfield, the only other north Louisiana teams receiving any votes were Benton (6), Block (8), Jonesboro-Hodge (12), Haynesville (13), Farmerville (15) and Mansfield (16).    
     In District 3-AA, Many, Mansfield and Ringgold had opened the season with 3-0 records. Winnfield and Jonesboro, the two teams predicted to vie for the District crown had identical 2-1 records, with Jonesboro-Hodge’s loss coming with a 6-0 loss to Haynesville. Coushatta broke a six-year losing skid with a win over Southfield, a newly formed school out of Shreveport.    
     Winnfield was idle in the fourth week of the regular season, giving them a week to heal their wounds before closing out the non-district portion of their schedule by entertaining the Ruston Bearcats. Ruston was coming off a dismal 2-8 season, but like Winnfield they entered the 1979 season with a new coach. Guiding the program was Chick Childress, former long-time assistant in the vaunted Neville High School program. Ruston came into the game with an unimpressive 1-3-0 record, but looks can be deceiving. Ruston opened the season with a loss to AAAA-power Neville by a score of 19-0. They defeated Ouachita Parish High School the second week by a 6-0 margin and then lost to West Monroe 17-0 in the third week. In their 1-AAA district-opener, Ruston dropped a 7-0 decision to leading title-contender Springhill.     
     The only personnel changes Moreau announced coming into the game was his decision to allow Jeffrey Dale to focus solely on the tailback slot on the offensive side of the ball. Dale would alternate with Ricky Chatman at that position. That meant that Moreau would go with either Mike Crawford or Greg Powell at quarterback.    
      The Ruston game started out like every other game the Tigers had played in 1979, and that wasn’t good on the offensive side of the ball. Midway through the first quarter, Bearcat Antonio Rabon got between Mike Crawford and his pitchman and took the football out of the air, returning it 30 yards for a touchdown.  After that, Winnfield took control of the game and when the final horn sounded Winnfield walked away with a 30-13 win.    It was a night of superlatives.  Chatman scored two of the Tigers four touchdowns, with one coming from 56 yards and the other covering 52 yards. Those were Chatman’s 7th and 8th  career touchdown runs of 50+ yards or more. At the time, the school had only 45 recorded touchdown runs from scrimmage that covered that distance, so Chatman had scored one-fifth of all touchdown runs that covered 50 or more yards. To put that in further perspective, only eight other players had ever scored two or more touchdowns from 50 yards or more away. That group consisted of Bobby Gates and Mack Martin who each had three touchdown runs of 50+ yards, and the following who had two touchdown runs of that distance:  Freddie King, James Lloyd Collins, Jimmy Bolton, John Wayne Williams, Mike Tinnerello and Ronnie Parker    
      Another bright spot of the night came by way of the foot of Tommy Latham.  In the first half he was called on to attempt a 47-yard field goal, which he made.  That eclipsed his own school record 36-yard field goal.    
     It was a night where Ricky Chatman was clearly the game’s MVP, even though it was a performance that was getting to be fairly typical. In addition to scoring two long-distance touchdowns, Chatman led all rushers with 125 yards in only 7 carries. But, as impressive as Chatman was as a runner, it was at linebacker where he was one of the bluest, blue-chippers of the state. On that side of the ball, Chatman had a fumble recovery, an interception and 6 solo tackles to go along with 9 assisted tackles    
     The Tiger rushing attacked was aided by a 117-yard performance by Jeffrey Dale and a 64-yard outing by Poisso. Ruston's rushing attack, meanwhile, was held to a mere 51 yards.     
     Winnfield stayed put at the No. 5 spot in the sportswriter’s poll, but they did pick up one first place vote. The top four spots remained unchanged as well with St. Louis heading the list with 6 first place votes, followed by Kinder, Curtis and Patterson. All of those teams had one first place vote except Curtis who had no first place votes.          
     Throughout the 1970s, Winnfield had played either eight or nine district games each season. Therefore, the four game non-district schedule the 1979 team opened the season with marked the first time in ten years that a Tiger team has had the opportunity to prepare for district competition with a sizeable slate of non-district games. Winnfield came out of the non-district portion of their schedule with a 3-1-0 record. The Tiger offense seemed to have arrived during the Ruston game. On the other side of the ball, the Tiger defense had performed as well, if not better, than expected (and a lot was expected). Through four games the Tiger defense had only given up two touchdowns, though three more touchdowns had been scored by opposing defensive units turning turnovers by the Tiger offense into touchdowns.      
     Winnfield’s first district opponent was Ringgold, who was having a surprisingly successful year. They were riding a 4-1-0 record.
Complete district standings were: 
                 District Overall
Mansfield    2-0-0   5-0-0
Ringgold     1-0-0    4-1-0
Winnfield    0-0-0    4-1-0
Many         1-1-0     4-1-0
Jonesboro   0-1-0     2-3-0
Coushatta   0-2-0     1-3-0 
     Mansfield had jumped out of the starting gates with an undefeated record. One of their wins had come against Jonesboro-Hodge so they gave early notice that they would have to be contended with in the district race.    
     It was hard to take Ringgold’s record seriously because most of their competition had been of the cream-puff variety, including Cotton Valley (38-18), Southfield (13-7) and Coushatta (32-0). However, the Redskins did claim an eye-opening win over Haynesville (13-7) as one of their wins. Their only loss was to a good Rayville squad by a score of 21-0. Ringgold ran a split-six defense, which was the same alignment that Ruston used. With the speed the Tigers had, Moreau belief was that if (and when) his backs got outside of Ringgold’s forward wall it would be off-to-the-races.   
     Mismatch – that is what the 1979 Winnfield vs. Ringgold game was, plain and simply. In any other era the game would be one of the most dominating performances by a Tiger team, but, being played in an era of stifling defense and runaway offense, this game almost gets lost in the shuffle.  A simple summary shows how dominating Winnfield was over Ringgold. In the first half, the Tiger offense ran 20 plays, but they had scored on six of those plays.  In the six series that the Tigers had the ball, their longest drive took only 5 plays. Two other drives took 4 plays, one took 3 plays and the final two drives took only 2 plays. Every time the Tiger offense got the ball they scored.  One of those scores was another long-range run by Chatman, with this one going 70 yards.    
     As impressive as that is, the play of the Tiger defense was even more notable. For starters, the defense did not allow a first down in the opening half, let alone a score. In fact, the Tiger defense by themselves,  scored enough points to defeat Ringgold after getting a safety. Three fumbles recoveries inside Ringgold territory set up three of the Tiger touchdowns. In the end, Winnfield took a 41-0 lead at the half and the game was over.   
     Each team scored once in the second half, with Winnfield taking a 55-7 win when all was said and done.  Chatman didn’t extend his string of 100-yard performances, ending the night with 87 yards rushing. But that’s not because he couldn’t have. He only carried the ball six times and that was enough to lead the team in rushing. It was a shared effort that allowed the Tigers to gain 309 yards rushing. Poisso had 69 yards rushing on 8 carries and the remainder of the Tigers rushing yards were made by Mike Crawford, Greg Powell, Greg Lewis and Terry McGee                                                
     The impressive win was not enough to move the Tigers up in the sportswriters poll. That’s because the teams above the Tigers kept on winning. Besides Winnfield and John Curtis, the only teams in the top ten with any losses were district foe Mansfield (4-1-0), who sustained their first loss of the season the week before against North Caddo, and Notre Dame (4-2-0).    
     The game against Coushatta in week six was a mere tune-up for the critical district match against Mansfield the following week. Coushatta was in last place in the district and thought the program broke a 53-game losing streak in their season opener against newly formed Southfield School, they resumed another losing streak by dropping the next four games.      The Tigers took a 21-0 first quarter lead and then systematically scored again in each of the other quarters to walk away with a 48-0 win.  Coushatta never threatened to score, and Coach Moreau had the luxury of not having to use either Ricky Chatman or Jeffrey Dale on offense. In running their record to 5-1-0, the Tigers pitched their second shutout of the year. Up to that point in the season, the Tigers had outscored their opposition by a combined margin of 183-42. By getting their fifth win of the season, the Tigers guaranteed the program its fourteenth consecutive non-losing season. 

KEY GAME:       The win over Coushatta was the programs 12th straight district win. That was three wins shy of tying the school record that came between the 1958 and 1961 seasons. The Tigers had a chance to tie that record in the game-of-the-year in District 3-AA. The contest pitted the No. 5-ranked Tigers against the No. 9-ranked Mansfield Wolverines. Each team had only suffered one loss for the season, with Mansfield’s loss coming by a 13-7 margin to AAAA North Caddo. Mansfield’s wins had come against Plain Dealing (14-0), Logansport (61-0), South Cameron (14-6), Many (7-0), Jonesboro-Hodge (6-2) and Ringgold (38-0).     

     Mansfield only had two district games remaining, with one of those being against Winnfield and the other against Coushatta. So, since the Wolverines were undefeated in district play and since a win over Coushatta was almost a certainty for them, the only thing that stood between Mansfield and the district crown was the Winnfield Tigers. Of course, that was like saying the only thing that stood between the western settlers and California was the Rocky Mountains.     

     Mansfield had ridden the back of quarterback Lewis Spencer all season long. He was the player who made their offense go, prompting Coach Moreau to proclaim to an Enterprise reporter, “We’ve got to stop Spencer. He throws the ball well and scrambles a lot.”  That meant that the Tiger down linemen and ends had their work cut out for them. If they could contain Spencer, Moreau had no worries about Chatman and Lewis’ abilities to stop him up the middle. In fact, Moreau went one step further, saying, “I feel like we can play defensively with anybody in the state.”  (He was, of course, only referring to high school teams). All in all, the game shaped up as one of the most important regular season games that the Tiger program had been involved in some time. To top it off, the game would be played in Stokes-Walker Stadium.     Mansfield had a total of eight players who went both ways, so they came to Winnfield knowing their best chances would come in the first half. They had relied on their defense all year long, having given up only three touchdowns through the first six games. Therefore, Mansfield felt like any game in which they scored two touchdowns they had a reasonable shot at winning. Coach Moreau countered by stating to an Alexandria Towntalk reporter before the game, “I feel like the first five minutes of the game will be real important. We've got to let everybody know early that nobody is going to be the District Champs but Winnfield.”    

    The Tigers didn’t bolt out of the starting blocks like Coach Moreau wanted. In fact, Mansfield kept Winnfield off of the scoreboard throughout the opening quarter and though they weren’t generating much offense themselves, Mansfield was quite content to engage Winnfield in a defensive battle.    

     But oh how quickly things can change in a football game. Just 57 seconds into the second period, Kevin Poisso took a handoff at the Mansfield 32-yard line, burst through the left side of the Wolverine defense and scored standing up. Latham added the extra point to enable Winnfield to get on the board first with a 7-0 lead.    

     On the next defensive series, the Tigers drove Mansfield 13 yards backwards in three plays, forcing the Wolverines to punt from inside their own 10-yard line. Jeffrey Dale, Tiger return man, took in the punt at the mid-field stripe and carried the ball the distance to quickly up the Tiger lead to 13-0, which was increased by one when Latham made good on his PAT try.    

     Dale's punt return was his second of the year and the 29th punt return for a touchdown in school history. Up to that point, only two players had ever returned more than one punt for a touchdown in a single season, those being John Wayne Williams who returned an incredible 6 punts for touchdowns during the 1971 season and Alan Carter who returned two punts for a touchdown during that same 1971 season. Dale also joined Alan Carter (2) and Williams (7) as the only players to return more than one punt for a touchdown in an entire playing career.    

     At that point in the contest Winnfield appeared to have the game under control….that is until Lewis Spencer intercepted a Mike Crawford pass.  That seemed to motivate Mansfield, who drove 40 yards in five plays (all passes by Spencer) to get on the scoreboard right before the half.      

     The Tigers took the second half kickoff and roared down the field to up their lead to 21-7. That appeared to allow Winnfield to regain the momentum they had gained in the second quarter.  However, Mansfield returned the ensuing kickoff to the Winnfield 30 yard line, which was followed by a scoring pass by Spencer on the next play which allowed Mansfield to shut down any momentum Winnfield had gained.  Chatman blocked the extra point try, leaving the score 21-13.    

     That's the way the score stood as the two teams exchanged ends of the field to begin the fourth quarter. In that final period the Tigers played like a coach dreams his team will play in the final quarter.      

     First the Tigers got a 46-yard field goal from Latham to up their lead to 24-13.  Chalk one up for the kicking game.  Then Ricky Chatman stepped in front of a Spencer pass at the Mansfield 25 which was followed on the next play by a 13-yard touchdown run by Kevin Poisso. That moved the score to 31-13.  Chalk one up for the Tiger defense. Finally, with only minutes to go in the game the Tiger offense had the chance to run out the clock, but they wouldn’t do that because Chatman scored from 31 yards out on the third play of the series. That touchdown run came after Dale had sprinted 38 yards for an apparent touchdown, only to have the score nullified by a clipping penalty. Chatman's run and Latham's PAT made the score 37-13.     

     When Mansfield got the ball back, the disgusted Mansfield coaching staff elected to punt the ball on first down. After that, Winnfield simply ran out the clock to take the convincing district win. After giving up only 21 points during the season, Winnfield's 37-point barrage appeared to be more than the Wolverine coaching staff could take.    

     Leading the Tigers rushing attack was Chatman, who had 90 yards rushing in only 9 carries. He was followed by Kevin Poisso who got 72 yards in 7 carries from the fullback slot. Dale added 46 yards in 8 carries. The Tigers limited Spencer to 10 of 28 passes and though he throw two touchdown passes the Tiger's showed Mansfield that two touchdowns would not be near enough to derail them.

      The win propelled the Tigers into sole possession of first place in the district with a 4-0-0 mark. Tied for second were Mansfield and Jonesboro-Hodge with identical 4-1-0 records. Though the Tigers knocked off a fellow top ten-ranked team and did so in impressive fashion, the win apparently didn't impress the state's sportswriters because Winnfield remained in fifth place for the fifth straight week. The top five continued to include St. Louis, John Curtis, Kinder and Patterson. Each of those maintained their undefeated records except John Curtis, who, like Winnfield, had a 6-1-0 record. Right behind Winnfield were two undefeated teams in Block and Belle Chasse. They were followed by three 7-1-0 teams in Opelousas Catholic, Cathedral Carmel and Sunset.           
     The Tiger Express rolled on to the ninth game of the year with a game against Many in Stokes-Walker Stadium. Many was a middle-of-the-pack district team, having a 4-4 record overall and a 1-2 record in district play. However, their two losses in league play were close 7-0 and 6-0 losses to Mansfield and Jonesboro-Hodge respectively. Many head coach Melvin Odgen was a realist. Before the game he told the Enterprise, “We can’t shut down the Winnfield attack completely. We’ll just have to try to shut their game down one area at a time and try to outguess them.”           
     It was a night where Jeffrey Dale’s talents were showcased. For the night, the 6' 3", 195 lb. Dale had 165 yards rushing in 12 carries to lead the Tiger attack. That moved Dale’s season total to 411 yards in 50 carries. He scored two touchdowns by rush and threw for another touchdown. Finally, he had two touchdown runs called back, one on a punt return and another on a 70-yard interception return. For the season, Dale had 7 touchdowns by rush, had scored all three of the Tiger touchdowns through the air and had returned two punts for touchdowns.     
     Also scoring for Winnfield in the 27-0 win were Chatman, on 23-yard run Bobby Huey, on a 4-yard scoring toss by Dale. The win moved the Tigers record to 7-1 overall and a perfect 4-0 in district play. It also assured the Tigers of a playoff spot and gave the program 14-straight district wins, which was one district win shy of tying the  school record for consecutive district wins. Also, the Tigers finally moved out of fifth place in the sportswriters poll, but only slightly. Both Patterson and Winnfield got 44 points, which tied them for fourth place in the poll. That poll was still headed by undefeated St. Louis, while 7-1 John Curtis continued their stronghold on second place, with 9-0 Kinder rounding out the top five. The only other team in District 3-AA to receive any votes was Mansfield, who was in the No. 12 spot.     
     As the Tigers prepared for their final regular season game one thing was not settled in District 3-AA…that being the district champion.  Winnfield had already locked up a playoff slot as they came into the game with a 4-0 district record. Jonesboro came into the game with a 3-1 record, having already lost to Mansfield, who had already finished district play with a 4-1 mark. If Jonesboro defeated Winnfield, that would leave those three tied with 4-1 records. The system used to break such ties was the point differential in the games played. When all of the math was done, Jonesboro had to defeat Winnfield by 18 or more points to make the playoffs. If they did, they would not only earn a playoff spot, but would gain entry into the playoffs as the district champions. In that scenario, Winnfield would enter the playoffs as the district runner-up. A win by Winnfield would, of course, send Winnfield to the playoffs as the champions and Mansfield as the runner-up. In fact, a loss to Jonesboro by under 18 points would still send the Tigers to the playoffs as the district champion. The game was also an opportunity for the program to end its second consecutive season with an unbeaten record in district play. Though virtually no one knew, the game was also an opportunity for the team to tied the school record for most consecutive wins in district games, a streak which stood at 15 straight. The record came with the last two district games of the 1958 season, the five district games of the 1959 season and the four district games of the 1960 and 1961 seasons.      
     Jonesboro came into the game well-rested after being idle in the 9th week of the season. They had a 5-3-0 overall record, with their losses coming to Haynesville (6-0), Neville (18-12) and Mansfield (6-2). Thus, Jonesboro-Hodge was 16 pts. shy of an undefeated season. Jonesboro was good.      
     The game turned out to be one of the best defensive battles that a Winnfield team had played in some time. When the two teams broke for halftime, not only did the score read 0-0, but also neither team had run more than three plays in any series because both teams lacked a first down. In a game where Jonesboro-Hodge needed points, they were having a tough enough time getting yards, much less points.    
     Winnfield’s best drive of the night came in the third quarter when they took eight minutes off the clock in a 14-play drive that moved the Tigers all the way down to the Jonesboro12-yard line. In doing so, Winnfield ate almost eight minutes off of the clock. Facing a fourth and one at the 12, Coach Moreau spurned the attempt to get a first down and instead send in Tommy Latham to attempt a field goal. At the last second, Moreau called time out and changed his mind, sending Ricky Chatman back into the game to pick up the measly yard. Jonesboro put up a wall on the play and prevented the Tigers from getting back to the line of scrimmage.    
     After that, the game got real sloppy. The rest of the game was marred by one turnover after another. In the final seventeen minutes of the game alone, Jonesboro-Hodge threw three interceptions and added one more fumble to the two they had dropped in the first half. Winnfield wasn’t much better. For the contest, Winnfield gave up four interceptions and lost two fumbles. As a result, the game ended in a 0-0 tie. Only four first downs were gained by both teams, with all of those coming in the second half.     
     Prior to the 1977 season there was no tie-breaker system in the Louisiana high school football during the regular season. So, had this game been played prior to the 1977 season the 1979 Tigers would have finished the regular season with a 7-1-1 record and 4-0-1 record in district play.  They would have, of course also claimed the district title, which they would anyway because Jonesboro came into the game needing to defeat Winnfield by 18 pts. 
     With the tie-breaker system that was in place in 1979 Jonesboro could not score 18 points because the method of breaking ties was to play overtime periods until one team has more points than the other, whether that be a 1 more point or a maximum of 7 more points.  Each team got the ball at the 10 yard line with the opportunity to score any way they could from there.     
     Jonesboro won the coin toss to begin the overtime period and elected to take the ball first to go against the customary strategy of putting the ball in the opposing team’s hands first. Winnfield stuffed Jonesboro-Hodge for no gain on first down and the home crowd at Caldwell-Peacock Stadium groaned when Jonesboro-Hodge was flagged for a delay of the game penalty on second down, making it second and 15. Up to that point in the game, sophomore quarterback Anthony Anderson had thrown 19 passes and connected on only one. His 20th pass of the night, however, found a receiver in the end zone, enabling Jonesboro-Hodge to take a 6-0 lead. Spurning the extra point kick, Jonesboro-Hodge head coach Lonnie Callahan went for the two-point conversion but his troops had about as much success on the extra point attempt as they had all game long, which was close to nothing.     That meant that Winnfield had to find a way to score a touchdown so that reliable Tommy Latham could get the win for Winnfield with an extra point kick. To no one’s surprise, Ricky Chatman got the call on both first and second down. He responded by advancing the ball 5 yards on first down and to the one and a half-yard line on second down, setting up a third and goal from 50 inches away for a touchdown. On the third down play, the ball was faked to Chatman and instead given to fullback Greg Lewis who burst into a stacked up line. Though everyone in the stands was looking for it, no official signal of a touchdown came. After the ball was spotted, it rested with one tip of the ball one inch from the goal line. That left Winnfield with one play to claim the outright district title, to keep their unbeaten string in district games alive and to pull out yet another win over Jonesboro.    
     On the fourth down play, Chatman was given the ball and he responded by bursting into the end zone. In came Latham to try a relative chip shot, considering he had kicked four field goals to win the last overtime game he was involved in. His kick was dead-center, allowing Winnfield to escape with a 7-6 overtime win.     
      The bruising defensive battle was not expected. The Tigers were held to 90 yards rushing, though Chatman ended the night with 93 yards on 23 carries. The team came into the game averaging over 250 yards rushing per game. In fact, the game marked the first time a Winnfield team had been held to under 100 yards rushing since the 1977 season when Haynesville held the Tigers to only 13 yards rushing.     
      Coach Moreau stated for the Enterprise, “They (Jonesboro-Hodge) came out ready to play. They had two weeks to get ready for us and they did a good job of scouting us.”  Coach Moreau was especially displeased with his offensive performance. He stated, “We seemed to make crucial mistakes (on offense) to keep us from scoring. I did think our backs ran harder than they had all season long.”  But, he hardly had any reason to be displeased with his defense and he wasn’t. “Defensively, our entire unit was superb. Greg Lewis was in on 17 tackles. Jay Frazier played his best game of the season and Jeffrey Dale and Ricky Chatman both had excellent performances for us,” said Moreau. He summed up his assessment of the game best by stating, “I’m just glad to get out of the game with a win.”    
     The win gave the school its eighth district title in football and its first back-to-back district titles since the 1960-1961 seasons. In gaining a playoff berth, the school would be entering post-season play for the 13th time, all coming in the twenty three-year period between 1957 and 1979. The 8-1-0 regular season record gave the 1979 team the eighth-best regular season winning percentage (.889) in school history. Five teams had ended the regular season with unblemished records, including the 1918 (2-0), 1919 (7-0), 1961 (11-0), 1971 (10-0) and 1978 (10-0) teams. Only three other teams had ended the regular season with only one loss, including the 1923, 1928 and 1972 teams who each had nine wins to go with their loss. The eight wins tied the 1979 squad with the 1948, 1954, 1960, 1968, 1973 and 1976 squads for eighth place on the regular season total win list.     When the final Class AA rankings were announced, the top five slots looked they way they had virtually all of the regular season. But, it seemed like each sportswriter had their favorite teams among the top five because each received at least one vote for first place.
     The final rankings were: 
School                         Record             Pts. 
1. St. Louis (3)           10-0                  80 
2. Kinder (1)              10-0                  72 
3. John Curtis (2)         8-1                  71 
4. Patterson (2)          10-0                  64 
5. Winnfield (1)          8-1                 63         
6. Belle Chase             9-1                  36     
    St. Helena             10-0                  36 
8. Cathedral Carmel     9-1                  29 
9. Benton                     9-1                 26
10. Ville Platte             7-3                   8    
      Haynesville            7-3                   8     
     Winnfield entered the playoff in the same bracket with #1 St. Louis and #3 John Curtis. The only other top ten team on that side of the bracket was #10 Ville Platte, but St. Louis and Curtis offered two huge obstacles. No. 2-ranked Kinder was the defending state champion and had the state’s longest winning streak in Class AA, which stood at 17 games. Since St. Louis and Kinder had faced each other in the 1978 finals, both were favorites to return to the championship game.     
     Winnfield entertained the Vidalia Vikings in the bi-district round of the 1979 playoffs. The Vikings were coming off a 7-2-0 regular season that saw them secure a spot in the playoffs in the final week of the season when they narrowly defeated a decent Block team by a score of 7-6. During the year, Vidalia’s losses came to Tallulah (31-13) and District 4-AA champ Bunkie (34-7).      
     Vidalia ran from the Power-I formation and only used their passing game when they absolutely had to. That played right into the hands of the strength of the Tiger team. The only opponent of Winnfield that gained more than 100 yards rushing was Jonesboro-Hodge, who got 119 yards. The other factor going in Winnfield’s favor was team depth. Vidalia had eight players who were two-way starters, so Winnfield also figured to have the advantage stamina-wise in the second half.     
     Never in the history of the school had the program gone two seasons in a row with playoff wins. With the Vidalia game being played in Stokes-Walker Stadium and Winnfield being the prohibitive favorite, this surely seemed to be the year when the Winnfield program would make consecutive runs in the playoffs.     
     The only question mark in the Tiger camp coming into the game was the question that had followed the team since the opening game - Who would be the starting quarterback?  Senior Mike Crawford had sustained an injury in the latter part of the regular season that had limited his playing time, but Coach Moreau was fully prepared to go with sophomore Greg Powell, even though it was playoff time.    
     Winnfield jumped to a 20-0 lead before Vidalia knew what hit them. The first touchdown came after defensive tackle Robert Rhymes fell on a loose ball at the Vidalia 7-yard line. Two plays later Jeffery Dale got the ball in the end zone, after which the Tigers failed on the extra point when the snap from center was bobbled. That left the score 6-0.    
     The next time Winnfield got the ball they started play at their own 32-yard line. With sophomore signal-caller Greg Powell under center, the Tigers drove to the Vidalia 9 yard line where Chatman got the score to enable Winnfield to stake a 12-0 lead. Latham converted the extra point kick this time to move the lead to 13-0.     
     Then, on Vidalia’s first play from scrimmage following the Tiger touchdown, the Winnfield defense again played take-away when Teal Dick recovered a fumble at the Vidalia 15-yard line. From there it only took the Tigers four plays to score, with sophomore running back Earl Funches blasting over the goal line from 1-yard out. Latham also converted the extra point to give Winnfield a 20-0 lead.    
     The rest of the game was pretty much a defensive battle. Two more touchdowns were scored, however, and both were set up by turnovers. The first came in the second quarter after a Tiger punter Kevin Poisso had a snap sail over his head, which was recovered by Vidalia at the Winnfield 30-yard line. Seven plays later Vidalia’s sophomore receiver Keith Woodside caught an 11-yard scoring toss. That made the score  20-6 Winnfield at the time.  Then at the four-minute mark of the final period Tiger defensive lineman Tommy Campbell fell on a Vidalia fumble at the Winnfield 31. Winnfield then put together a 10-play drive that was capped by a 17-yard touchdown run by Chatman. The snap for the extra point was fumbled, but Latham picked the ball up and ran it into the end zone to give the Tigers their final margin of 28-6.     
     The win enabled the 1979 team to become only the fifth of Winnfield’s thirteen playoff teams to win a playoff game. In other words, for eight of the previous Tiger playoff teams it was one-game-and-out because they lost the first round game. The primary reason for the win was a solid performance by the Tiger defense who held Vidalia to only 43 yards rushing and fell on four fumbles, while intercepting two passes. Those turnovers set up three of the Tigers four touchdowns. 

KEY GAME: Few high school football players get a chance at redemption against a playoff opponent.  The Tigers of 1979 had that chance in the second round of the playoffs because they would have a second shot at the St. Louis Saints. It was St. Louis who had upset the Tigers in the quarterfinal round the season before to stop to what had been an undefeated season. On top of all of that, St. Louis gained their 21-20 win over the Tigers in Stokes-Walker Stadium, making that only the second playoff game loss in that venue in seven playoff games. So, the 1979 team had a rare opportunity to avenge one of the more bitter playoff losses the program had ever sustained.    

     For the players of the 1979 team the St. Louis program was not an easy program to forget. You remember teams who defeat you in the playoffs.  However, St. Louis had been ranked #1 in the Class AA polls since the second week of the season. St. Louis was one of only four undefeated teams in Class AA. So, in a sense, Winnfield had been chasing St. Louis for a year.  In spite of their lofty ranking, St. Louis had not put up particularly impressive numbers during the year. They didn’t blow people out, because the average score of the games they had played was 26-10. They scored 30 or more points in only four of eleven games and only shutout one team. What they did was win. They came into the game with an 11-0-0 record, with their first round playoff win being a 26-6 decision over Welsh. Like all good playoff teams, they had a solid defense.    

     Coach Moreau’s game plan was simple - stop the Cardinals on first down and force them to throw because St. Louis preferred to run the football. Head Coach Tom Couste said coming into the game that his main goal was to “run the ball against a fantastic (Tiger) defense.” No one had been able to accomplish that all year, but in the playoffs you can expect opposing teams to do things that “no one else” has done.       The first half of the regional round game was a virtual replay of the game played the year before. Midway through the first quarter, St. Louis’ leading rusher, Paul Debetaz, broke loose for a 50-yard gain. Only a shoe-string tackle by Jeffrey Dale at the Winnfield 4-yard line prevented a touchdown. From there, the Saints only took two plays to get on the scoreboard. They also tacked on the extra point to jump to a 7-0 lead.    

     Then the game settled down to a defensive battle, but, it was a cruel set of circumstances following a great defensive play by the Tigers that ended up giving St. Louis more points. Late in the second quarter, St. Louis picked off a Tiger aerial and returned it to the Winnfield 28-yard line. The Saints’ offense came in and attempted to get all of that yardage on first down with a pass into the end zone. However, Tiger defender Bobby Huey intercepted the ball at the goal line and was rocked hard by the intended receiver. That resulted in a fumble that rolled out of the back of the end zone, giving St. Louis a safety and a 9-0 lead that held up until halftime.     

     Neither team could make anything out of the first possession of the second half, but Jeffrey Dale got the Tigers on the scoreboard when he hauled in the first St. Louis punt of the second half and returned it 56 yards for a touchdown. That was Dale’s third punt return for a touchdown for the year. Latham’s extra point moved the score to 9-7 with 4:54 showing on the third quarter clock.    

     After stopping St. Louis on their next series the Winnfield then put together a long drive that began at the 16-yard line. After driving to the St. Louis 35 yard line Chatman broke a run of 29 yards to give the team a first down at the Saint 6. It took the Tigers three plays but they took advantage of that field position on third down when Chatman scored from 2 yards out and Latham upped that lead to 14-9 with his successful PAT.     

     Aside from scoring, the Tigers had eaten up the bulk of the fourth quarter clock with the drive. When St. Louis got the ball back there was 5:33 remaining in the game. Beginning play at their own 24, St. Louis went with their air attack and made steady gains to move to the Winnfield 32 in 10 plays. As the game passed the two minute mark, linebacker Greg Lewis made one of the biggest plays of the game when he sacked St. Louis quarterback Pat Montalano for a 9-yard loss, moving the ball back to the Winnfield 41. Then, on the next play, Montalano dropped back to pass but slipped down, resulting in a 7-yard loss. Two plays later, St. Louis was facing a fourth and 23 from their own 47 with just under a minute to go in the game. Running out of the shotgun, Montalano found his intended receivers covered so he was forced to dump a pass out into the flat, which the Tigers stopped at the Winnfield 40-yard line, 10 yards shy of a first down. The Tiger offense came in and ran out the final forty-five seconds of the game to give the program one of its biggest playoff wins in school history.    

     It is important to put the win in perspective. Prior to the 1979 season, Winnfield had faced four No. 1-ranked teams in the playoffs and had lost to every one of those. Those included Tallulah in 1957 and 1960, Delhi in 1959 and Jesuit of Shreveport in 1967.  In the 22 playoff games prior to the St. Louis game, Winnfield had met 7 teams who had ended the regular season with a ranking higher than Winnfield. The Tigers were 0-7 in those contest. The win over St. Louis thus became the first time a Winnfield team had defeated a higher ranked team in the playoffs, as well as the first time a Winnfield team had defeated a No. 1-ranked team in the playoffs.Here is a list of every playoff opponent Winnfield had faced up to the 1979 St. Louis game, including the rank of the Tigers, the Tigers opponent and the outcome of the game.       

 Year (Winnfield’s rank, opponent, opponent’s rank, outcome)     

1957 (unranked) -  Tallulah (1), lost 6-27

1959 (unranked) - Delhi (1), lost 0-31

1960 (3) – Tallulah (1), lost 7-32

1961 (1) – Tallulah (2), lost  0-12

1966 (3) - Jesuit, Sp. (5), lost 7-39

1967 (7) - Jesuit, Sp. (1), lost 13-47

1968 (?) – Northwood (9), won 7-0; Westlake (6), lost 6-14

1971 (2) – Jennings (9), won 34-0; Haughton (ur), won 20-13; Hahnville (7), won 14-13; S. Lafourche (4), lost 0-10

1972 (8) – Crowley (4), lost 0-7

1973 (?) - Westlake (ur), lost  6-14

1976 (3) -  Jennings (4), won 13-6; Haughton (7), won 29-3; Catholic, BR (9), won 37-13; Jesuit, Sp. (2), lost 0-7

1978 (2) – Tallulah (ur), won 27-7; Bunkie (ur), won 31-7; St. Louis (5), lost 20-21

1979 (5) – Vidalia (ur), won 28-6; St. Louis (1), won 14- 9                             

      There was another interesting aspect of not only the win, but the state of affairs in the Tiger football program. Coming into the decade of the 1970s the program had played in eight playoff games and had a 1-7 record in those playoff games. After the win over St. Louis, the programs record in playoff games played during the 1970s alone was 10-5. As a result, the term “winning football” which had become synonymous with Winnfield during the 1960s, became solidified during the 1970s as the program improved its overall playoff record to 11-12 with the win over St. Louis.

      The win over St. Louis moved the team into the quarterfinals for the fourth time in the program’s history. In the Tigers’ side of the bracket, Winnfield would face unranked Delhi in one quarterfinal game, while No. 3 John Curtis would face No. 10 Ville Platte in one of the other quarterfinal game. On the other side of the bracket, No. 4 Patterson played No. 6 Belle Chasse and No. 2 Kinder faced No. 10 Haynesville.     
     The game with Delhi sent the Tigers on the road for the first time in the 1979 playoffs. Of all of the quarterfinal draws Winnfield could have gotten, Delhi was by far the most desirable opponent. You like to think that every team in the playoffs deserves to be there. But, in fact, Delhi had backed into the playoffs. After finishing the regular season with an overall 3-7 record and 3-2 record in district play, the Bears thought their season was over after they finished in third place in District 2-AA. However, District Campion McCall was ruled ineligible for the playoffs after it was determined they had used five ineligible players during the season.  That resulted in them forfeiting all of their district games and sent Delhi into the playoffs as the District 2-AA runner-up.     
     During the season, Delhi’s three wins came by the slightest of margins, including victories over Waterproof (13-8), Tallulah (7-0) and Delta (7-0). On the other hand, their losses were fairly close as well, with their largest margin of defeat when the 12 pt. loss to McCall. The other six losses had come by margins of 7 or less points and five of those opponents had made the playoffs. Winnfield and Delhi had faced two common opponents during the season in Sicily Island and Vidalia. Winnfield defeated Sicily Island 28-12, while Delhi lost to the Islanders 13-12 and Winnfield whipped Vidalia 28-6, while Vidalia defeated Delhi 20-14. .     
     If you viewed Delhi’s regular season record and the manner in which they made the playoffs you might have thought the Tigers would walk all over Delhi. However, Delhi proved they belonged in the playoffs when they followed a first round bye week with a 13-7 bi-district win over No. 9-ranked Benton, the District 1-AA champs. In that game, Delhi tailback Kenneth Smith rushed for 171 yards, including a 70-yard touchdown run.    
     Delhi was just the type of team who was dangerous in the playoffs. Head Coach Billy Calvert explained why for the Enterprise, stating, “We’re having a good time (in the playoffs). There’s no pressure on us whatsoever..”  After Delhi learned they had made the playoffs, Coach Calvert decided to take the “let’s have fun”, so Delhi was just the type of Cinderella-team who could ride their laid-back approach deep into the playoffs.      
     The 1979 Delhi squad relied on the Power-I and basically rode the back of Kenneth Smith, who gained over 1,000 yards rushing during the season. Only three teams had managed to score more than one touchdown against the Bears, so like all good teams, they knew how to play defense. Coach Moreau directed his troops attention away from Delhi’s four-win season. He knew how tough it is to win in the playoffs, saying in an Enterprise interview, “Everybody you play is capable of beating you..”     
     Any worries Coach Moreau had about his players being over confident were taken care in the first half when not much offense was shown by either team. In fact, Delhi got on the scoreboard first when they capitalized on a fumble recovery at the Winnfield 22 yard line and scored on the next play to take a 7-0 lead.     
     That seemed to get the Tigers attention as they responded by taking their next possession 62 yards in only 5 plays, with the final play being a 44-yard sprint by Ricky Chatman. Just like that the Tigers got back into the ball game, but a blocked PAT prevented Winnfield from tying the score.     
     The game then took on a methodical pace until Winnfield put together a 9-play scoring drive in the second quarter to take their first lead of the game by a 12-7 margin.  The touchdown came on a 15-yard run by sophomore quarterback Greg Powell.      
     Someone should have issued a storm warning at that point, because the Tigers took control of the football game in the last half of the second quarter in such a manner that Delhi must have been wondering what hit them.    
     The Tiger defense quickly shut down Delhi, enabling Winnfield to get the ball back near midfield with just over four minutes to go in the game. After two plays moved the Tigers to the Delhi 25-yard line, Powell hit Teal Dick with a pass that he turned into a touchdown. On the extra point attempt, Powell bootlegged the ball around right for a score to up the Tiger's lead to 20-7.    
     Winnfield again held Delhi to three and out, thus giving the Tigers the ball back following a punt near midfield. With only 2:25 left on the clock, Winnfield wasted no time on that series as Powell tossed a 12-yard pass to Bobby Huey on first down to move to the Delhi 40. Then, Powell took the ball on a play similar to the one he had scored the two-point conversion off of, only this time he ran 40 yards for a touchdown. Latham's PAT made the score 27-7, but the Tigers still weren't through.    
     With less than 100 ticks remaining on the clock, the best thing Delhi could have done was run out the clock - but they didn't. Winnfield's defense held yet again, enabling the Tigers to get the ball back at mid-field with only 16 seconds showing on the clock. The Tigers ran a flea-flicker on first down that enabled them to move the ball to a first and goal at the 8-yard line with only 3 seconds remaining on the clock. The Tigers had time to run only one play, but that's all they would need as Powell easily scored and Latham booted the PAT to send Delhi into the locker room trailing by a 34-7 margin.    
     The Tigers had turned a 7-6 first quarter deficit into a 34-7 lead by scoring 28-unanswered points, all in the second quarter. That feat tied the 1979 team with the 1978 team (vs. Arcadia) for most points ever scored by a Tiger team in the second quarter. In fact, that total equaled the most points ever scored in any quarter by a Tiger team. To do so in a quarterfinal playoff game made the feat even more impressive.    
    Young Greg Powell had played one of the best halves of football by a Tiger quarterback in some time. He had taken over for injured Mike Crawford toward the latter part of the season. The game experience he was getting was making him a better football player on almost a weekly basis. After the game, Moreau told the Enterprise, "I believe a real key to (Powell's) success tonight came the week before against St. Louis. He gained a little confidence in that game and it really showed tonight."  In the first half, Powell ran for three touchdowns and threw for another. Coming into the game, only twelve Tiger players had ever rushed for three or more touchdowns in a single game, with 10 of those being 3-touchdown performances and 2 being 4-touchdown performances. The latter came from Mickey Frazier (vs. Farmerville, 1955) and Jerry Keen (vs. Leesville, 1971).      Coach Moreau elected to go with his second team offense when the second half started. Moreau wanted to use the rare playoff blowout to rest his starters for the following week, as well as protect them against injury. Delhi wouldn't allow Coach Moreau to relax though.    
     The Bears scored on their opening possession of the second half, pounced on a Tiger fumble on Winnfield’s opening possession and then scored four plays later to move the score to 34-21 Winnfield. Suddenly Delhi was within two touchdowns of Winnfield and since there was plenty of time left on the clock, Delhi had every reason to think they could get that.     Moreau sent his starters back into the game at that point and the Tigers stopped the hemorrhaging  when they put together a 9-play drive that was capped by a 1-yard run by Jeffrey Dale. That enabled the Tigers to move to a 40-21 lead.     
     Delhi moved up and down the field the remainder of the game, but they never did get back into the end zone. Winnfield, meanwhile, added one more touchdown, this one coming in the fourth quarter when Chatman ran 42 yards for a score. Latham closed out the scoring for the night with a successful PAT, making the final total 47-13. That total allowed the 1979 team to set a new record for most points scored in a playoff game, breaking the school record of 37 points scored by the 1976 team against Catholic of Baton Rouge. The 34-point margin of victory tied the 1971 team’s school record 34 pt. margin of victory set against Jennings in a 34-0 playoff win.    
     It was a game filled with rushing offense. Winnfield got 206 yards on the ground, with Chatman leading the Tiger attack with 114 yards rushing on 8 carries. Delhi out gained Winnfield on the ground by almost 100 yards, as they finished the night with 331 yards rushing. They also added 75 yards through the air to end the night with 406 total yards. That was the most rushing yards a Tiger team had given up since allowing West Monroe to gain 449 yards during the 1975 season. It was also the seventh most rushing yards allowed during any game of the 1960s or 1970s. The 406 yards in total offense Delhi gained marked only the third time since 1950 that a team had gained over 400 total yards. The first time came during the 1957 season when Neville gained 417 yards, followed by the 1975 West Monroe game in which the Rebels got all of their 449 total yards on the ground.     The win improved the Tigers record to 11-1-0, which matched the 1961 and 1976 teams for third-most wins in a season by Tiger team.  More importantly it moved the Tigers into the semifinals, making the 1979 team only the third Tiger team to advance to the semifinal round of the playoffs. Like the 1971 Tiger team, the 1979 squad would get to play the semifinal game at Stokes-Walker Stadium.    
     The 1979 playoffs had been a study in contrast for the Tigers. In the first and third rounds, Winnfield had faced two unranked teams in Vidalia and Delhi. In the second round, Winnfield had knocked off the No. 1-ranked St. Louis Saints and in the semifinals the Tigers would get a chance to play the No. 3 team in the state in the John Curtis Patriots.    
     John Curtis had established themselves as the small school football program of the state. The 1979 season marked the 10th consecutive year that the Patriots had made the playoffs, but it was the last half of the decade that John Curtis really dominated the Class AA ranks. From 1975 to 1977, John Curtis played in consecutive championship games, winning the title against Notre Dame (13-12) in 1975 and against Jonesboro-Hodge (45-0) in 1977. They were the Class AA runner-up in 1976, losing a rematch to Notre Dame (14-7). The Patriots did not made the championship game in 1978. Like Winnfield, they were eliminated much earlier in the playoffs than anyone expected, so after a two-year absence from the title game, John Curtis was hungry.     
     Coming into the 1979 season, every high school in the state knew that if they made it to the title game, they would play in the Louisiana Superdome. That gave the LHSAA a chance to hold championship games in football at a so-called neutral site. For schools like John Curtis and their other Jefferson and Orleans parish counterparts, the prospects of playing a championship game in their own back yard was quite motivating.     
     John Curtis came into the 1979 contest riding a 10-game winning streak. Their only loss of the season had been a 7-0 decision to AAAA Acadiana in the opening game of the season. The Patriots came into the season needing to replace 8 departing defensive starters. Head Coach J. T. Curtis, Jr. found his replacements like he always did, because his defense had held all but two opponents to one touchdown or less. In an interview for the Enterprise before the semi-final game, Coach Curtis said, "We were extremely young on defense earlier in the season but these fellows have improved rapidly."    
     While the John Curtis defense was frightening enough, it was the Patriot offense that gave Coach Moreau as much or more concern. John Curtis boasted two returning All-District running backs in Greg Dubroc and Camille LeFort. Both ran from the halfback slots in the Patriots split backfield. During the season each had gained over 800 yards rushing. That offense scored 30 or more points in 7 games and topped the 50-point mark three times. The Patriots got to the semifinal game with playoff wins over unranked Independence (21-12) and No. 10-ranked Ville Platte (12-7). Those relatively close playoff wins made some fans think that John Curtis was overrated.      Both Coaches Moreau and Curtis predicted a physical game. That's because both teams preferred to run the football and both teams had solid defenses. The two teams appeared to be fairly evenly matched. In typical "coach-speak", J. T. Curtis, Jr. said, "I feel like the game will be won by the team that makes the fewest mistakes." Moreau matched that with a pre-game comment of, "I feel like the team that comes out and wants it the most will win. There's no doubt it will be a real physical game."  Competing in the other semifinal game was No. 2 Kinder, the defending Class AA champs, and Patterson, the No. 4 team in the state.      
     To start the game, Curtis forced a three-and-out, got a 14-yard punt return and began their first series of the night at the Winnfield 33-yard line. Curtis quarterback Lance McHan and crew came in and worked their offensive like they did in practice. McHan got two yards on a keeper on first down and then handed off to LeFort on second down. He went straight up the middle, cut to his right and bolted 31 yards for a touchdown. The PAT was good, making the score 7-0. John Curtis had served notice that they had come to play.     Like they had done all season long, Winnfield answered yet another opponents touchdown with one of their own when they went 60 yards in six plays, with Chatman getting the ball in the end zone on a 1 yard plunge. The big play of the drive was a 30-yard run by Kevin Poisso that moved the ball to the Curtis 16. Latham tied the scored at 7-all.    
     The furthest Winnfield got the rest of the first half was to the Curtis 33 yard line, where Latham was just short on a 43-yard field goal attempt.  Meanwhile, Curtis made inside the Winnfield red zone twice more in the first half and scored both times.  The second touchdown was set up by a 45 yard punt return to the Winnfield 29 yard line.  As expected Curtis was strong in all phases of the game. When the two teams went to their respective locker rooms at half time Curtis held a 21-7 lead.     
     In the second half, Winnfield simply couldn't finish off any drive. The Tigers made it into John Curtis territory almost every time they got the ball, but the staunch John Curtis defense repelled every assault thrown at them. Winnfield almost got on the scoreboard after Kevin Wagoner took the ball on an end-around and dashed into the end zone for an apparent 5-yard touchdown run. But, the play was nullified when the Tigers were flagged for an infraction.     
     John Curtis never got back into the end zone in the second half either, meaning the Patriots hung on for a 21-7 win. In the second half, John Curtis used a solid ball-control offense to keep the ball away from Winnfield. Running back Greg Dubroc took over in the second half, getting the bulk of his 97 rushing yards in the final two quarters. He ended the game as the leading rusher, while his backfield mate LeForte had 83 rushing yards to add to the 279-yard team rushing effort by John Curtis.     
     Winnfield countered with an 88-yard rushing effort by Chatman who carried the ball 14 times. Dale got 46 yards in 11 carries and Poisso had 36 yards on 5 carries. Greg Powell played another good game at quarterback, as he carried the ball 10 times for 52 yards and completed 6 of 13 passes for 58 yards.     
     The following week, John Curtis met Patterson in the Louisiana Superdome and recorded the school's third state title in a convincing 28-0 win. That offered Winnfield some consolation, knowing they had at least lost to the state champion. Some thought that it would have been "better" had Winnfield lost to John Curtis in the championship game instead of the semifinals, but if you ask the players of the 1971 or 1976 Tiger teams, losses in those games hurt just as much, if not more.         
     The 1979 Tigers finished the season with an 11-2-0 record. That record and the team's advancement to the semifinals made them one of the best teams to ever wear the red and white. When you consider that the school had been fielding football teams for 71 years, the fact that the 1979 team was one of only three Tiger teams to ever make it the semifinals secured their place among the school's best.    
     The 1979 team’s formula for success was a familiar one for teams from the 1970s. They pounded opponents with a dominating rushing attack and held their opponents out of the end zone with a stifling defense. By accumulating over 2,600 yards rushing, the team became only the fifth team in school history to accomplish that feat. And, by amassing over 3,000 total yards, the team joined the 1978, 1971, 1976 and 1961 teams as the only squads to accomplish that.     
     As far as scoring, the team ended the year with a total of 350 points scored; sixth-most of all time up to that point. The only teams to exceed that total were the following teams: 1978 (560), 1971 (466), 1961 (400), 1928 (385) and 1976 (355). When the Tigers of 1979 scored touchdowns, almost all came by rush. The team scored 49 total touchdowns, with 41 coming by rush. Aside from the 41 rushing touchdowns (third most in school history), the team scored three touchdowns on punt returns (all by Jeffrey Dale), two on pass interceptions and three more on pass receptions. That was the fewest number of team touchdowns by reception for the decade. In fact, during the 1960s and 1970s combined, only four teams got fewer than four touchdown receptions in a season, including both the 1968 and 1979 squads with 3, the 1964 team with 2 and the 1963 unit with one.     
     The 1979 defense only gave up 124 points, but just over 40% of those (48) came in the final two playoff games when Delhi scored 27 and John Curtis got 21. Prior to that, the only opponents to score more than a single touchdown against the Tigers were Sicily Island, Ruston and Mansfield.  Each of those teams scored only two touchdowns. Only four Tiger opponents managed to gain more than 100 yards rushing against the staunch Tiger defense.      
     When post-season awards were handed out that was born out when a total of 14 players were selected to the All-District team and four players earned first team All-State honors. Only the 1971 team, with five first team All-State players, had ever fielded a team with more All-State players.     
     Though the team was certainly not a one-man team, Ricky Chatman was clearly the most dominate player on the team. That’s because he was one of the best all-around football players to ever play at the school. Even if you only focused on his primary position, which was linebacker, he had dominated that position as well as anybody had ever dominated any position while playing for Winnfield. The fact that he broke into the starting lineup as a freshman was impressive enough, and he didn’t start as a freshman on a weak Winnfield team since Chatman began his career on the 1976 Tiger team, who was the Class AAA runner-up. Chatman was rewarded with a selection on the All-District squads from his sophomore to his senior season. Only one other player in school history had ever be named to the first team All-District squad three years, that being Wayne McFarland, who was a three-year All-District tackle from 1959 to 1961. Chatman joined McFarland and Mike Tinnerello as the only Tiger players ever named to the first team All-District squad as a sophomore. And, he joined Lionel Johnson (1971-1972) as the only player to earn back-to-back first team All-State honors.    
     If Chatman had only been a defensive player, his stature at the school would be just as secure. But, from his sophomore year on, Chatman also played in the offensive backfield where he used his sprinters’ speed to run past people and his bulk to run over people. Chatman represented the school in the 220-yard dash in the state track meet, which was a testament to his speed. During his sophomore year, Chatman was primary used as a blocking back at the fullback slot. During his junior and senior seasons, Chatman was switched to the halfback slot where he posted two of the best rushing seasons in school history. Chatman gained over 1,000 yards rushing in each of those seasons to become the first player in school history to rush for over 1,000 yards in two seasons. Through the 1979 season, the only players who had crossed the 1,000 barrier in a single season were: 
1. Nathan Johnson -  1,577 yds. (1976)
2. Ricky Chatman - 1,210 yds . (1979)             
3. Ricky Chatman - 1,173 yds   (1978)             
4. Randy Poisso - 1,088 yds. (1968)
5. Jerry Keen - 1,072 yds. (1971)        
     What made Chatman's rushing totals even more impressive was the fact that he got those yards in relatively few carries. During Chatman's junior and senior season, he only carried the ball 116 and 106 times respectively. That gave him just over a 10.0 yd. per carry rushing average his junior year and over an 11.0-yard per carry average his senior year. Chatman usually only carried the ball 8 to 10 times per game. When he carried the ball, though, he produced. In his career, he ran for 31 touchdowns, which broke Jerry Keen's record of 25 career rushing touchdowns. The only other players in school history who had recorded as many as 20 career rushing touchdowns were John Wayne Williams (23), Nathan Johnson (23) and Jimmy Bolton (20). Over one-third of Chatman's touchdowns covered 40 yards or more, with 9 covering 50 yards or more. His longest touchdown run was an 80-yarder which he got against Homer his junior year.      
     The loss to John Curtis not only ended one of the most successful seasons in the school’s history, but it also ended the most successful decade in the history of the program. Teams from the 1970s averaged 8.6 wins per season. Fans were treated to the equivalent of almost two extra regular seasons’ worth of games during the decade because the teams of the 1970s played 17 playoff games. The Tigers won 11 of those playoff games, thus enabling the program to improve its playoff record from 1-7 at the beginning of the decade, to 12-13 at the end the decade.    
     The 1979 team won all five of the district games they played, thus extending the program’s winning streak in district games to 15 straight. That tied the school record for consecutive district wins, with the record holder being the teams between the 1958 and 1961 seasons. Only fifteen years prior to the 1979 season the program was mired in the longest losing streak in district games. That streak also lasted 15 games, and included all of the district games of the 1962 through 1965 seasons. The turnaround of the program in 1966 came with the opening district game that year when Winnfield defeated Tallulah.     
     During the 1970s, the program easily had the highest winning percentage in district games of any decade. The program’s record in the 1970s in district games was 61-18-0, a winning percentage of .772. In the 1960s, the program won an even .500 of its district games, compiling a record of 21-21-2. Finally, in the 1950s, the program went 18-22-1 in district games for a winning percentage of .451.     
     So, the success of the 1970s only served to further lay the foundation for future success in the Tiger program because one truism in high school football is that winning begets winning, whether that be from one season to the next or one decade to the next. As the program moved into a new decade, it wouldn't be long until the program reached the pinnacle of success.  
Lettermen: 
Seniors: Bob Barton, James Bell, Tommy Campbell, Ricky Chatman, Mike Crawford, Craig Cummings, Reeves Flurry, Jay Frazier, Arthur Horn, Bobby  Huey,         Greg Jones, Tim Jordan, Kevin Poisso, Perry Rainwater, Robert Rhymes, Scott Swilley, Kevin Wagoner                       
Juniors: Jeffery Dale, Teal Dick, Mark Hennigan, Chuck Jurek, Greg Lewis, Chip Little, Dayne Waxley, Chris Carters, Daryl White 
Sophomores: Earl Funches, Tommy LathamGreg Powell, Terry McGee, Richard Williams, Glynn Creel, Cedric Huey, Ken Maloy, Andy White 
Post Season Honors: 
Ricky Chatman                 RB/LB      All District (Outstanding Def. Player), All-State (Class AA Defensive MVP) Parade All-American, HM All-State (RB)
Tim Jordan                       OG           All District, All-State          
Jeffery Dale                      RB/DB     All-District, All-State
Craig Cummings               NG           All-District, All-State
Tommy Campbell             DT           All-District, Honorable Mention All-State
Kevin Poisso                    DT           All District, 2nd Team All-District (RB)
Mark Hennigan                OG           All District
Kevin Wagoner                OE            All-District
Tommy Latham                Kicker       All-District
Chip Little                        OT            All-District
Perry Rainwater                End           2nd Team All-District                     
Greg Lewis                       LB            2nd Team All-District
Robert Rhymes                C              2nd Team All-District
Bobby Huey                      DB           2nd Team All-District    

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