Friday Night Fights: Welsh benefits from Ferriday, Lake Arthur disqualifications
Published 8:15 am Tuesday, November 19, 2024
The Louisiana High School Athletic Association handed down a double-forfeit ruling to Ferriday and Lake Arthur Monday afternoon after an on-field fight ended their bi-district playoff game on Friday.
With Ferriday leading 30-7 and less than 3 minutes left in the second quarter, a fight broke out between Ferriday and Lake Arthur players on the Ferriday sideline.
While the LHSAA’s policy is not to divulge details of rulings, the official playoff bracket was updated on its website at about 3 p.m. Monday to reflect the decision.
Information was not available as to what precipitated the fight, although the Natchez Democrat reported Ferriday assistant coach DeVante Scott said Ferriday was warned before the game by a Welsh coach that Lake Arthur planned to play dirty.
Welsh head coach Ronnie Courville adamantly denied the accusations in a statement to the American Press.
“Completely false, I called him (Scott),” Courville said. “He said it was a parent from this (Southwest Louisiana) area.
“He said the newspaper misquoted him. Lake Arthur is not a dirty team and there is nobody involved with our program that believes they coach that way. I’m not sold that they received a call at all.”
Lake Arthur head coach Tarius Davis said he was not ready to issue a statement and was waiting for the full details of the ruling, including what sanctions may be levied against the schools.
Welsh is the beneficiary of the double forfeit. The Greyhounds advanced to next week’s quarterfinals where they will play the winner out of No. 1 Haynesville and No. 16 Montgomery.
Courville said the week off will give them time to get healthy and that quarterback Jonovan Begnaud could return from an injury that has sidelined him since Week 7.
The LHSAA has been cracking down in recent years on fights during athletic games. Broadmoor and A.J. Ellender had to forfeit two games each after a fight in Week 1, while a fight between Comeaux and North Vermilion in Week 6 forced each team to forfeit their Week 7 games.
U-High out of playoffs
University High lost its legal appeal against the LHSAA on Monday to stop the organization from forcing it to forfeit seven games stemming from the use of ineligible players.
The ruling dropped the Cubs’ record to 1-9 and removed them from the playoffs. The LHSAA updated the Select Division II bracket to reflect the No. 2 Cubs forfeiting to No. 18 Booker T. Washington-New Orleans in the regional round. BTW will play the winner of No. 7 Leesville and No. 10 Loyola Prep in the quarterfinals.
Days before the LHSAA was scheduled to release the brackets, U-High
filed a petition for a
court injunction against the LHSAA, prompting fears that the start of the playoffs would be delayed. The LHSAA chose to temporarily reinstate the Cubs’ wins pending the outcome of the court case.
