Sports Center Saturday - Tiger Football Field Named in Honor of Coach, 1981

Concordia Sentinel - 10/8/1981

J. R. Peace Football Field - 2010

The following article appeared in the October 8, 1981 edition of the Concordia Sentinel:

J. R. Peace Football Field - Alexandria Town Talk, 8/10/2013

Sicily Island Football - The Beginning

Talented Tuesday - Joseph Raymond Peace

Sports Center Saturday - Memories of Homecomings Past

Sicily Island High School Homecoming Court - 1975

Homecoming ceremonies were held yesterday at Sicily Island High School.  Memories of past homecomings prompted the posting of this particular one from forty years ago.

This photograph of the 1975 Homecoming Court appeared in the Catahoula News Booster.  Seated at the top is Queen Denise Simmons with Todd Guice (football bearer) and Nikki Roberts (crown bearer) on each side.  On the second row are (LtoR) Florida Jackson, Jessie Johnson, Carol Bowman and Dawn Seal.  On the bottom row are (LtoR) Deborah Edmonds, Rebecca Douglas, Rutha Harber, Rhonda Williamson and Helen Henry.

The selection of Homecoming Courts at Sicily Island High School was unique to the school itself.  I was never aware of any other school whose process resembled ours.  Other schools held elections where the queen and her court were selected by popular vote from the student body.  At Sicily Island, the captain of the football team was always a senior.  He had the honor of selecting the queen from the student body while the remaining senior players chose the queen's court.

In 1975, the captain of the football team was Steve Robinson.  Below is a photograph of him with his queen, Denise Simmons.

Queen Denise Simmons and Captain Steve Robinson

For those who may be interested in taking a walk down memory lane to earlier years, old home movies from Homecoming parades as far back as the 1950s can be found at Roots from the Bayou's YouTube page.

Sports Center Saturday - Sicily Island District 3-B Football Stars, 1955

From the December 13, 1955 edition of the Monroe News Star:

Transcription:

Sicily Island, Newellton, and Wisner - considered the "big three" of Class B football district three - again headed the poll for all-district selections, claiming ten of the eleven berths on the first team.  Block of Jonesville cracked the monopoly by placing Roscoe Wilson, the No. 2 scorer in the area, in the backfield.

Sicily Island's district champions landed four places on the first team.  Newellton and Wisner placed three each.

There were four repeaters from the 1954 team - Jerry Don Head, Newellton end; Albert Dampier, Sicily Island guard; B. K. Miller, Sicily Island back; and Roy Shiver, Wisner back.  Four second team selections last year advanced to the first team this trip.  They are Dan Chapman, Wisner end; Sam Crawford, Sicily Island guard; John Wood, Newellton tackle; and Ralph Rayburn, Wisner back; Terry Von Head, Newellton back; and Dale Hoover, Davidson of St. Joseph repeated on the second team.

Miller, Rayburn, Dampier and Jerry Head were first string nominations of all coaches participating in the poll conducted for the Louisiana Sportswriters Association.

Rounding out the No. 1 team are Lynn Evans, Sicily Island guard; and Bill Parker, Newellton center.

Joining Terry Head and Hoover on the second team were Sam Duchesne, Newellton, and Wiley Rabb, Waterproof ends; Willie Walker, Block and Billy Booth, Wisner tackles; Ernest Armstrong, Davidson and John Lang, Newellton guards; Charles Stringer, Sicily Island center; and Billy Wiggins, Sicily Island, and Jerry Clark, Newellton backs.

Miller, tagged "Mr. Sicily Island" for Coach Raymond Peace's Tigers, is the district's leading scorer with 126 points, made two touchdown runs of 95 and 98 yards, was the passing arm of the Bengals and linebacker on defense.  Miller, a senior, weighs 155 pounds, stands five-foot-ten and made the all-state team last year.

Wilson, the smallest player on the squad at 125 pounds, was the spark of the Block High team that had a 50-50 season of five wins and five losses.  The five-foot-eight sophomore ranked right behind Miller in the district scoring race with 100 points.  Shiver and Rayburn, while without too impressive scoring records, still were ramrods of a Wisner machine that compiled a season record of seven wins, one tie, and three losses, bowing only to Sicily Island in district competition.

Cream of the line appear to be Sicily Island's Dampier and Newellton's Jerry Head.  Dampier, now a senior, was an all-state guard last year.  At 195 pounds and an even six feet, Dampier is co-captain of his club and bulwark of the Tiger line.  Jerry Head, a twin brother of Newellton's back, Terry, is considered the Bears' most outstanding athlete at six-oft-one and 165 pounds.  His coach, Jimmy Johnson tags him "a natural either on offense or defense" and especially great as a pass receiver.  Against Sicily Island, Head caught passes for 86 yards, and, for the season he gained 444 yards with passes, three for touchdowns and one conversion.

Talented Tuesday - B. K. Miller, Jr.

Sentimental Sunday - Lynn and Linda

Sports Center Saturday - Tigers to Battle Basile in Playoff Game, 1955

The following article appeared in the November 30, 1955 edition of the Monroe News Star:

Transcription:

MNS - 11/30/1955

Sicily Islanders To Battle Basile In 'B' Playoffs

SICILY ISLAND, La., Nov. 30

(Special)--After beating Block of Jonesville, 40-20 for their sixth straight league win without defeat and clinching the district 3-B championship for the second straight year, the Sicily Island Tigers have been working hard for their bi-district game with the Basile High Bears at Basile Friday night.

Basile won the 4-B football crown last week by defeating Cottonport, 14-7, and will face the Tigers with a fine array of backs, including Billy Fontenot, leading scorer in district four with 124 points, in addition to Clarence Weaver, hard driving fullback, and Oren Vige, an outstanding quarterback.

Coach Raymond Peace's Island Tigers will match them with all-state B. K. Miller, who scored six touchdowns in the last scheduled game against Block and is his district's leading scorer with 126 points.  Along with Miller will be such outstanding Sicily Island ball handlers as Billy Wiggins, Charles Gillespie, and Benny Frank Alford.

In the line, the Tigers' success of continuing in championship play will depend on all-state Albert Dampier, big Cook Crawford, Lynn Evans, Charles Stringer, Dean Wiggins, C. J. Richardson, Charles Enright, Harvey Ray Wells, and Tommy Wells.  All have played outstanding ball for Sicily Island this season.

The Tigers leave Sicily Island Friday morning at 8 o'clock by chartered bus for Basile.  Kickoff time that night is 8 p.m.

Sports Center Saturday - Sicily Island High Participates in Ruston Rally, 1933

Monroe News Star - 4/21/1933

Four members of the 1933 Sicily Island High School track team participated in a north Louisiana high school track rally in Ruston, Louisiana.

Ernest Roberts (Half Mile Run) was the son of Jeff Franklin Roberts and Emma Idell Stringer.  He married Mae Golmon and was the father of Ronnie, Tommy, James, Larry and Joe.  His siblings were Roy, Lorene, J. W., Frances, Dessie, Edith, Buddy and Emma Jean.

Yelvie Bondurant (Shot Put) was the son of Yelverton Bondurant, Sr. and Pearl Ensminger.  He married Edna Farley and was the father of Yelverton, III "Sonny" and Joseph "Joe."  His sister was Anita Bondurant Oliphant.

Cecil Blair (Javelin and High Hurdles) was the son of Homer Franklin Blair and Hersie Pearson. His cousin, Buddy Blair, was also a great athlete.

Sheffield Robinson (Mile Run),  I have been unable to find census records or any other documentation on Sheffield Robinson that connects him to Sicily Island.   If anyone has information on him, please leave a comment below or email me at rootsfromthebayou.com.

Sports Center Saturday: Catahoula-Franklin Parish All-Star Basketball Team, 1932

The 1932 Catahoula-Franklin Parish Basketball All-Star team was comprised of former high school and college stars.

Team members included the following:

K. Brooks - Manifest
R. Swayze - Jonesville
Pat Gibson - Harrisonburg
S. Gibson - Harrisonburg
B. Trichel - Harrisonburg
S. Trichel - Harrisonburg
Ernest Foster - Wisner
Beverly Faulk - Wisner
A. L. Brooks - Sicily Island
Simon Meyers - Sicily Island
Sprague DeWitt - Sicily Island

The All-Star team was formed in November of 1932 in advance of meeting the Brown Paper Mill basketball team in the Sicily Island High School gymnasium on December 2.

Monroe News Star - 11/22/1932

The Brown Paper Mill basketball team, known as the Safety Firsts, was comprised of players employed at the paper mill in West Monroe, Louisiana.   They were part of the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) which was a non-profit, multi-sport organization founded in 1888.

The 1932 team manager and player, Cary Phillips, later went on to coach basketball at the Northeast Center in Monroe. Other Safety Firsts team members were Lindy Hood, Ray Roden, Stone, Lawson, Evans, McNeely, Broom and Dowden.

Unfortunately, I have been unable to locate any articles references the outcome of the December 2, 1932 game.  If anyone has more information on members of either team or the outcome of the 1932 game, please leave a comment below or email me at rootsfromthebayou@gmail.com.

Sports Center Saturday - Atkins and Enright Selected to Northern All-Star Football Team, 1958

Monroe Morning World - 7/26/1958

Sports Center Saturday - Sicily Island Girls Basketball Team, 1947-48

Sicily Island High School Girls Basketball Team, 1947-1948

Front Row (LtoR):  Coach C. B. Coney, Bernice Bruce, Virginia Pearson, Mattie Bullock?, Barbara Jean Pearson, Patsy Seal, Mary Lou Mount, Maurice Cupit

Back Row (LtoR):  Betty Gambrell, Virginia Dent, Mickey Salter, Margie Evans, ?, Adele Vaught

Note that none of the girls are wearing basketball shoes.

Mickey Salter Thurman was kind enough to help with identifying her teammates.  When asked why they were wearing their dress shoes, she replied, "We didn't know they were taking that picture that day!"  I think the dress shoes add a nice touch and make this one of my favorite photographs.



Photograph is courtesy of Pam Twiner Thompson.  Thank you, Pam!

Sports Center Saturday - Sicily Island Boys Basketbell, 1949-1950

Sicily Island High School Boys Basketball Team - 1949-1950

First Row (LtoR):  Mahaffey, Taylor, Garrison, Stephens, Roberts

Second Row (LtoR):  Thurman, Smith, Cole, Barron, Punchard, Coach Peace


Yearbook photograph is courtesy of Karen Barron Egloff.

Sports Center Saturday - Sicily Island Girls Basketball, 1949-1950

Kneeling (LtoR):  Virginia Dent, Mickey Salter, Virginia Pearson, Betty Gambrell, Wanda Sue Passman, Bernice Bruce

Standing (LtoR):  Mary Lou Mount, Margie Ruth Evans, Emma Jean Roberts, Coach Cameron B. Coney, Eloise Barron, Patsy Seal, Maurice Cupit

Yearbook photographs are courtesy of Karen Barron Egloff.

Sports Center Saturday - Sicily Island Boys Basketball Team, 1948-1949

SIHS Boys Basketball Team, 1948-1949

Kneeling (LtoR):  Floyd Mahaffey, Donnie Baxter, Richard White, Boots Thurman, Sidney Ray Moffett, Buddy Roberts

Standing (LtoR):  Billy Cloy, Johnny Punchard, Nolan Stephens, Thomas Jackson, Larry Barron, Edmond Dobson, Russell Nelson, Coach Raymond Peace

Please leave a comment if someone has been incorrectly identified.

Photograph is courtesy of Karen Barron Egloff.

Sports Center Saturday - Sicily Island Boys Basketball Team, 1947-1948

Sicily Island Boys Basketball Team, 1947-1948

Back Row (LtoR):  Nolan Stephens, Boots Thurman, Tim Cupit, ?, Caly Daniel, Jr., Larry Barron

Front Row (LtoR):  Coach Little, Charlie Taylor, Edward Enright, Jr., Rex "Sonny" Guice, Benny Ray Mahaffey, C. Garrison

Photograph is courtesy of Pam Twiner Thompson, niece of Tim Cupit.

Sports Center Saturday - Sicily Island Boys Basketball Team, 1946-47

SI Boys Basketball Team, 1946-1947

Front Row (LtoR):  J. W. Barron, Thomas Blackmon, Sonny Guice, Boots Thurman
Back Row (LtoR):  Edward Enright, Jr., Billy Pat Seal, John Bowman?, Carroll Boles, Larry Barron, Coach Louis Little


Photograph is courtesy of Karen Barron Egloff.  Mickey Salter Thurman assisted with identification.
Thanks to both of you!

Sports Center Saturday - Lady Tigers, 1948

Lady Tigers Basketball Team - Sicily Island High School, 1948

Kneeling (LtoR):  Patsy Seal Dennis, Maureen Cupit, Mary Lou Mount White, Virginia Pearson Barron, Bernice Bruce, Margie Evans Poe

Standing (LtoR):  Betty Gambrell, Wanda Sue Passman McGuffee, Emma Jean Roberts Seal, Eloise Barron King, Virginia Dent Price, Mickey Salter Thurman

Photograph is courtesy of Karen Barron Egloff.

Sports Center Saturday - Sicily Island Basketball Tournament, 1971

Monroe News Star - 2/12/1971

Sports Center Satruday - Island Trackmen Involved in Accident, 1934

Monroe News Star - 4/23/1934

Sports Center Saturday - 1962 Jamboree

The following article appeared in the August 29, 1962 edition of the Monroe News Star:

El Tigre Yearbook - 1963

Sports Center Saturday - First Homecoming at Sicily Island High, 1948

The following article appeared in the November 3, 1948 edition of the Monroe News Star:

Sports Center Saturday - The Fear of the Sicily Island Box

The following article appeared in the November 21, 1974 edition of the Monroe News Star:

Sports Center Saturday - S I vs. University, Pre-Game Write Up, 1974

Monroe News Star - 12/10/1974

Note:  Though the reporter is not identified, it was most likely Ted Lewis.  Mr. Lewis often enjoyed painting Sicily Island in an unflattering light.  This was not the first (or last) article where he condescendingly noted our rural setting or our 'city cafe'.