BATON ROUGE - For the first time in the NHL's history, a Louisiana-born player made their debut.

The Boston Bruins' Mason Lohrei played for the team Thursday night after being called up due to injuries on the roster. Lohrei earned an entry level contract with the Bruins' organization after playing for Ohio State for two years and playing through an amateur tryout contract with the AHL's Providence Bruins for a year.

Lohrei, a defenseman, registered an assist in his first game off Pavel Zacha's goal in the first period.

Lohrei was born in Baton Rouge on January 17, 2001, while his father, David, was the head coach of the ECHL's Baton Rouge Kingfish.

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DERIDDER - Fire crews from Zachary and Baton Rouge packed up supplies and headed to Beauregard Parish on Saturday to help firefighters battle the wildfires that are consuming the land. 

The groups are a part of a "strike force" that are working with many other fire departments across Louisiana to fight the wildfires in the state. 

On Monday, the fires were still burning. Zachary Fire said crews on the ground were working in coordination with planes dumping water. 

It is unclear how long it will take to get the fire contained and extinguished. 

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SATSUMA - A multiple-vehicle crash in Livingston Parish left 12 people injured and shut down I-12 in both directions.

According to traffic information, I-12 was closed both east and westbound in Satsuma to accommodate AirMed after a severe crash on the eastbound side past South Satsuma Road, but the Interstate has since been reopened.

According to emergency officials, all 12 of the injured people were brought to the hospital. Two of them were children and while three of the patients were listed to be in critical condition, Acadian Ambulance said none of the reported injuries were life-threatening. 

Law enforcement said Friday morning that it was still unclear as to what caused the crash. 

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BATON ROUGE - Two people are confirmed dead -- one of them after threatening police -- in an incident at Fairway View Apartments on College Drive Friday night.

Baton Rouge police were called there shortly before 10 p.m. -- a call that initially involved a child custody dispute, officers said 

Shortly after the first units arrived, 23-year-old Dantonior Stalling allegedly raised a weapon and pointed it at an officer. Despite repeated efforts to get Stalling to lower the gun, he refused -- and was shot.

The second person killed, 18-year-old Dyshon Williams, was discovered at the complex already suffering from critical gunshot wounds.

Witnesses told WBRZ they observed a fight that evening at the community's workout facility.

College Drive was closed off and traffic into and out of the apartments was restricted for much of the night.

No officers were hurt.

Fairway View Apartments is located on College Drive, just north of I-10. It is the same complex where three people, including a toddler, were shot to death on Memorial Day 2021.

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HAMMOND, La. – Defending Southland Conference champion Southeastern Louisiana University football team has entered into an agreement to face reigning FCS national champion South Dakota State in a home-and-home series beginning in 2024, SLU officials announced Friday. 

The two-game series will feature two of the three teams in FCS which have been ranked in the final FCS polls each of the past four years. The first meeting will see the Jackrabbits visit Hammond Sept. 21, 2024 with Southeastern returning the trip to Brookings, South Dakota Sept. 18, 2027. 

South Dakota State is the latest perennial FCS power to agree to a home-and-home with Southeastern. Last summer, SLU and Eastern Washington announced a home-and-home agreement for 2023 and 2024. 

“This series is great for not only both of our programs, but FCS football as a whole,” Southeastern head football coach Frank Scelfo said. “These home-and-home series between teams ranked consistently among the nation’s best brings added national exposure to both programs, but proves the top teams in FCS football are prepared to travel across the country to compete against the best competition.” 

Over the past decade, Southeastern has won three SLC championships and advanced to the NCAA FCS playoffs five times – including to the second round in three of the past four years. SLU has had at least one All-American on its roster for 11 consecutive seasons. 

South Dakota State won its first FCS national championship in 2022, finishing 14-1 overall. The Jackrabbits have made 12 trips to the FCS playoffs, including 10 straight from 2013-22. 

“South Dakota State has a rich history and is one of the premier FCS programs in the nation and we’re honored to play such a quality opponent,” Scelfo commented. “FCS home-and-home series like these give our program an opportunity to showcase who we are and test ourselves against the nation’s best.” 

The Lions report to campus Aug. 1 with fall practice officially opening Aug. 2. Southeastern opens the 2023 season with three straight nonconference road contests, beginning with a Sept. 2 trip to Mississippi State. The game versus the Bulldogs kicks off at 3 p.m. in Starkville, Mississippi and will be televised on SEC Network and can be heard on the Southeastern Sports Radio Network (Kajun 107.1 FM, The Highway 104.7 FM, The Boss 103.7 FM/WFPR 1400 AM).

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Southern baseball scored 22 runs and registered 25 hits in a doubleheader sweep of Prairie View on Sunday at Lee Hines Stadium. O'Neil Burgos was unconscious at the plate, homering three times on the afternoon. 

Southern moves to 17-24 overall and 12-9 in the SWAC. Jaguars will be back on The Bluff Tuesdsay, May 9th as they'll host the University of New Orleans.

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HAMMOND, La. – Lamar scored early and often Saturday on the way to a 7-1 win over the Southeastern Louisiana University baseball team in Southland Conference action at Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field.
 
The Cardinals (24-18, 8-9 SLC) scored single runs in the second, third and fourth innings before plating a pair in the fifth. Two more runs in the eighth wrapped up Lamar's offense in the game as they pounded out a total of 15 hits off Southeastern (19-20, 4-10 SLC) pitching.
 
From the second through fifth, Lamar rapped out three hits in each inning
 
Tyler Finke (3-for-5) led the way at the plate once again for Southeastern, driving in the Lions' only run in the ninth. Jake Killingsworth (2-for-4) and TJ Salvaggio (2-for-3) also turned in multi-hit performances at the plate for SLU.
 
Lamar starting pitcher Hunter Hesseltine (3-1) kept the Lions off balance, tossing 6.1 scoreless innings to earn the win. He scattered six hits and two walks, striking out three batters.
 
Andrew Landry (2-6), the first of four SLU pitchers, suffered the loss. He allowed three runs on eight hits in 3.1 innings of work. Landry walked two and struck out one.
 
Both teams combined to strand 23 runners.
 
UP NEXT
The series wraps up Sunday at 1 p.m. It is another Military Sunday game with all active duty military personnel and veterans receiving free admission (must show Military ID at the ticket window).
 
SLU will send right-hander Brennan Stuprich (3-3, 5.60) to the mound in the series finale. He will match up against Cardinal right-hander Patrick Hail (2-0, 3.13).
 

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KENTWOOD - A man was struck and killed as he was walking on a highway in Tangipahoa Parish Friday evening.

State Police said the crash happened shortly before 6 p.m. on LA 10 near North Jackson Road in Kentwood. It claimed the life of 24-year-old Timothy Warden Jr. of Loranger.

Troopers said Warden was wearing dark clothing and walking in the roadway when he was struck by an oncoming SUV.

Warden was severely injured and taken to a hospital where he later died. The driver of the SUV was wearing a seatbelt and wasn't hurt, police said.

Toxicology samples were taken from Warden and the driver as part of an ongoing investigation, but troopers don't suspect impairment as a factor in the crash.

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Zachary native and Incarnate Word quarterback Lindsey Scott Jr. has been invited to the 2022 Walter Payton Award  Announcement Stats Perform released on Monday. The Walter Payton Award is given to the best offensive player in FCS football. Scott is one of three finalists invited to the FCS National Awards banquet on Jan. 7 in Frisco, Texas. 

Heading into the quarterfinals with the Cardinals, Scott has accumulated 62 total touchdowns (55 passing and 7 rushing) on 4,185 yards with just six interceptions on the season.

He continued his dominating play in the second round of the FCS playoffs on Saturday, Dec. 3 as the Cardinals defeated Furman to advance to the quarterfinals. He finished the game with a SportsCenter Top 10 touchdown pass, a game-winning touchdown pass, and 518 total yards of offense. 
 
Scott has rewritten the FCS record book, being just the third player to pass for seven touchdowns in one game (twice) and he set the single-season record for touchdowns responsible for and points responsible for with 378. His current passing efficiency of 210.6 is higher than the FCS single-season record.

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Southeastern freshman running back Derrick Graham has developed himself into a solid contributor for this Lion offense. His patience and perseverance a huge reason why the Lions are making their third playoff appearance in four years. Graham, better known by his nickname "Rodeo", has carried over many of his traits riding and roping on horses onto the football field in helping Southeastern to a Southland Conference championship.

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HAMMOND, La. – The Southland Conference champion Southeastern Louisiana University football team will compete in the NCAA FCS playoffs for the fifth time in school history, hosting Idaho for a first round matchup Saturday at 6 p.m. in Strawberry Stadium. 

Southeastern (8-3) received the SLC’s automatic bid after winning its third league title in program history. The winner of the SLU-Idaho first round contest will advance to face sixth-seeded Samford Saturday, Dec. 3 at 2 p.m. in Birmingham, Alabama. 

SLU is among the 24-team playoff field for the second straight season and the third time in the past four years. The Lions have previously made postseason appearances in 2013, 2014, 2019 and 2021. 

Season ticket holders, as well as faculty and staff will have until Tuesday at 4 p.m. to purchase their tickets through the Southeastern Athletics Ticket Office. Starting Wednesday at 9 a.m., the remaining allotment will be made available to the public.

 
Ticket office hours this week will be Monday through Wednesday from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. and Friday from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. The Southeastern Athletics Ticket Office number is (985) 549-5466 and the office is located on the first floor of West Stadium.
 
Prices for Saturday's contest are as follows:
- Chairbacks: $40
- Reserved bench: $26
- Youth bench seats (ages 3-12): $16

- SLU student tickets (ID required): $11 *restricted section  

TICKETS
For ticket information, contact the Southeastern Athletics Ticket Office at (985) 549-5466 or visit www.LionSports.net. Southeastern will continue offering mobile ticketing as the primary source for securing tickets for the 2022-23 season. All tickets will be available via e-mail or text message in a PDF format for fans to download on their phone or print at home. Tickets can also be downloaded to Apple Wallet.

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BATON ROUGE - A kitchen fire that scorched a home off Perkins Road Sunday afternoon started when food was left to fry unattended.

The Baton Rouge Fire Department said they responded to the fire shortly before 1:30 p.m. Sunday at a house on Germantown Drive, in a neighborhood not far from Perkins Road.

Crews arrived to find smoke and flames spilling out of the home's front windows, and both residents were safe outside. Heavy fire was coming from the rooms near the kitchen.

The fire was contained to the kitchen side and extinguished around 30 minutes later. The rest of the house sustained heavy smoke damage, according to the department.

One of the occupants of the home told fire officials they were frying food when they walked away for a few minutes. They returned to the kitchen to find the entire room on fire.

The Red Cross was contacted to help the two displaced residents, fire officials say.

In a release about the house fire, BRFD said the following:

"Unattended cooking is the leading cause of kitchen fires this time of year. We want to remind everyone to stay in the kitchen and focus on the food while cooking on the stovetop."

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HAMMOND, La. – The No. 19/20 Southeastern Louisiana University football team dropped a 31-28 decision to Texas A&M-Commerce in Southland Conference action Saturday afternoon at Strawberry Stadium.
 
The loss was the first of the season at home for SLU (3-3, 1-1 SLC) and spoiled the Lions' Homecoming celebration. Texas A&M-Commerce (3-2, 1-0 SLC), which is in its first season as a Division I and Southland member, finished with a 485-384 advantage in total yards on the way to a win in its league debut.
 
Carlos Washington Jr. rushed for three touchdowns to lead the Southeastern offense. Making his first career start under center in place of the injured Cephus Johnson III, Eli Sawyer completed 21-of-39 passes for 253 yards for SLU with Gage Larvadain (six catches, 48 yards) his primary target.
 
Donniel Ward-Magee led Southeastern with 12 tackles, while Arlen Williams (two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery), Darrius Harry (two sacks) and Donte' Daniels (one forced fumble, one fumble recovery) were among the other defensive standouts on Saturday.
 
Texas A&M-Commerce did much of its damage through the air, as Eric Rodriguez threw for 374 yards and four touchdowns on 26-for-38 passing. The trio of Andrew Armstrong (eight catches, 153 yards, 2 TD), Jaden Proctor (7-62-1 TD) and Kenedy Snell (6-113-1) were the top targets for Rodriguez.
 
Southeastern drove into Commerce territory on the opening drive of the contest, but were turned over on downs. Two plays later, Rodriguez found Snell wide open for a 69-yard touchdown and a 7-0 lead with 10:30 left in the opening quarter.
 
The team's traded empty possessions and on the final play of the first quarter, Williams stripped Spencer Long and recovered at the TAMU-C 32-yard line to give Southeastern an instant scoring threat heading into the second quarter.
 
The host Lions took advantage of the short field. Jessie Britt capped a three-play scoring drive with a six-yard touchdown run to knot the score just over a minute into the second quarter.
 
Texas A&M-Commerce broke the tie on a 33-yard field goal by Emmanuel Adagbon with 5:30 remaining in the first half.
 
After the two teams traded punts, Southeastern took the lead on its final drive of the second quarter. Washington Jr. bulled in from a yard out to send SLU into the break with a 14-10 lead.
 
The advantage would be short-lived. On the first play of the second half, Armstrong took a quick slant from Rodriguez and raced 77 yards untouched for a touchdown and a 17-14 TAMU-C advantage.
 
After SLU was forced to punt, the visiting Lions added to their advantage. Proctor ran under a 23-yard scoring pass from Rodriguez that gave TAMU-C a 24-14 advantage.
 
Southeastern drove into Texas A&M-Commerce territory on the ensuing drive, but was turned over on downs. After the SLU defense made a stop, the host Lions went on a seven-play, 51-yard scoring march to cut into the deficit. On fourth-and-one, Washington Jr. took a direct snap and powered in from four yards out to cut the TAMU-C advantage to 24-21 heading into the final quarter.
 
After a penalty extended its drive, Texas A&M-Commerce extended its lead back to double digits. Armstrong hauled in a four-yard touchdown pass from Rodriguez to cap a 16-play, 80-yard scoring drive that took over eight minutes off the clock and gave the Lions a 31-21 lead with 8:22 left in the contest.
 
Southeastern would not go away quietly. SLU went on a 12-play, 64-yard scoring march that Washington Jr. capped with a one-yard plunge to cut the lead to 31-28 with 4:44 remaining.
 
SLU would never get the ball back, as the visitors garnered four first downs to run out the clock and hand the Lions their first home loss of 2022.
 
After a bye week, the Lions will be back in action on Oct. 22, traveling to Jacksonville State for a 1 p.m. nonconference contest to open a three-game road swing.  The game with the Gamecocks will be televised on ESPN+ and can be heard on the Southeastern Sports Radio Network (Kajun 107.1 FM, The Highway 104.7 FM, The Boss 103.7 FM/1400 AM).  

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For a team that got shutout to open SWAC play, the Southern Jaguars did the shuttin' up Saturday night against UAPB. The 59-3 victory featured an inspired effort from quarterback BeSean McCray, 4 passing touchdowns to go along with one rushing. 

The defense wasn't too shabby itself. The Jaguar secondary forcing 4 interceptions, 3 in the first half, as well as allowing just three yards rushing.

With the win, Southern moves to 2-2 with Eric Dooley's return to Prairie View looming next Saturday.

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Plaquemine senior offensive lineman Jayden Rogers is a huge part of why the Green Devils are undefeated. He's a powerful force on the football field but finds his softer side as an orchestra level musician.

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HAMMOND, La. – CJ Turner ran down a 59-yard touchdown pass from Eli Sawyer on the game's final play to give the Southeastern Louisiana University football team a thrilling 41-35 walkoff win over No. 4/7 UIW in the Southland Conference opener for both teams Saturday evening in Strawberry Stadium.
 
The win for the Lions (2-2, 1-0 SLC) marked the highest-ranked opponent SLU has defeated since a 34-21 win over No. 4 Sam Houston on Nov. 16, 2013. UIW fell for the first time in 2022, dropping to 3-1 overall and 0-1 in league action.
 
UIW tied the game on a four-yard touchdown pass from Lindsey Scott Jr. to Marquez Perez with 21 seconds remaining. After the tying score, the first overtime game in Strawberry Stadium since a 31-24 SLU win over Northwestern State on Oct. 14, 2006.
 
Southeastern had other plans. On the first play of the drive, Carlos Washington Jr. busted loose for 22 yards down to the Lion 41-yard line. Washington, who finished with a game-high 120 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries, gave SLU a chance to be aggressive.
 
A short Sawyer incompletion set up the final play with five seconds remaining. Turner got behind his defender and caught a long pass down the right sideline from Sawyer and ran in for the game-winning score. It was the first walk-off touchdown win for SLU since an 82-yard touchdown pass from Justin Alo to Brandon Acker in a 31-24 victory over McNeese on Oct. 8, 2016.
 
In addition to putting SLU in the driver's seat to start Southland Conference play, it gave Southeastern its first win in five tries over the Cardinals.
 
"We started that drive with the run knowing that if Carlos was able to bust one we had two timeouts to play with," Southeastern head coach Frank Scelfo said. "Once we had one play left, we knew we were going to take a shot. Eli and CJ made a great play."
 
Sawyer, who came in in the first quarter after starting quarterback Cephus Johnson III suffered an injury, finished 15-for-24 for 256 yards and two touchdowns in by far his most game action as a Lion.
 
"We have a next man up mentality," Scelfo said. "Eli is like everyone else on our team in that he prepares himself to be successful. We had some other guys step up. Brockhim Wicks made his first start at right tackle and made the most of his opportunity."
 
While Sawyer's play marked the first major notch in his belt, Turner's catch was just the latest achievement for one of the most accomplished players in school history. The LaPlace, Louisiana native finished with five catches for 139 yards and two touchdowns after the game-winner.
 
The 100-yard receiving game was the 10^th of his career, tying the school record set by teammate Austin Mitchell. His two scoring receptions give him 22 in his career, which tied him with Southeastern Athletics Hall of Famer Felton Huggins for third in school history. Scelfo was pleased to see Turner thrive after missing the past two narrow shootout losses at UIW in 2020 and 2021 due to injury.
 
"CJ was looking forward to the opportunity to play UIW after missing the last two games against those guys," Scelfo commented. "He came up with a lot of big plays for us tonight throughout the game.
 
"We want our team to believe in themselves as much as our coaching staff believes in them," Scelfo concluded. "We don't need them to be spectacular; we just need them to do their job. If we do that, we're going to have a very successful season. The breakdowns we had tonight were due to people trying to do too much. But this group is really starting to buy in to what we're doing."
 
A 23-yard punt return by Darius Lewis set the Lions up in Cardinal territory and led to SLU's first score. Johnson found Ivan Drobocky from nine yards out to give Southeastern a 7-0 lead with 7:33 left in the opening quarter.
 
After the team's traded empty possessions, UIW evened it up in the final minute of the quarter. Scott scampered in from six yards out to knot the score at 7-7 with 17 seconds remaining in the first quarter.
 
A 43-yard kickoff return by Gage Larvadain set SLU up near midfield. Nine plays later, Washington Jr. bulled in from two yards out to put the Lions back up, 14-7, with 11:17 remaining in the first half.
 
UIW answered on the next possession. Marcus Cooper hauled in a 60-yard screen pass to advance the ball to the red zone. Three plays later, he capped the drive with a four-yard touchdown run to tie the game at 14-14 with just over nine minutes remaining.
 
SLU answered with a six-play, 60-yard drive to retake the lead. Washington Jr. slid around right end from five yards out to put the Lions ahead, 21-14, with 6:53 left.
 
The Cardinals tied it up heading into the break. CJ Hardy hauled in an 18-yard touchdown pass from Scott to even the score after a back-and-forth first half.
 
Southeastern ate up over six minutes on the opening drive of the third quarter. The Lions converted two lengthy third downs in a scoring drive that was capped by a 29-yard field goal by Riley Callaghan that put SLU up, 24-21, with 8:49 remaining in the third quarter.
 
UIW took its first lead on the ensuing drive. Darion Chafin pulled in a five-yard touchdown pass from Scott to cap a 14-play, 79-yard scoring march and put the Cardinals up, 28-24, with 2:45 left in the third quarter.
 
After a 23-yard Callaghan field goal cut the lead to 28-27 early in the fourth quarter, the Lion defense came up with a big stop to help Southeastern retake the lead.
 
Facing a fourth-and-five from their own 46-yard line, the nation's highest-scoring offense tried to extend the drive. Anthony Britton Jr. harassed Scott into an errant throw to give the Southeastern offense a drive starting in Cardinal territory.
 
Seven plays later, Sawyer found Turner from 15 yards out for the go-ahead touchdown. On the ensuing two-point conversion, Jessie Britt made a tough catch just inside the right pylon to give SLU a 35-28 cushion with 6:14 remaining.
 
Scott found Brandon Porter on a 54-yard pass on the next UIW drive to move into the SLU red zone. On the next play, Markell Linzer picked off Scott in the end zone to end the Cardinal threat.
 
The UIW defense stiffened and forced a Southeastern punt on the next drive and the Cardinals took over at their 45-yard line with 3:25 left. The veteran Scott showed his maturity on the final UIW drive, going 5-for-5 on a nine-play march that culminated with his scoring toss to Perez that tied the score and set up Sawyer and Turner's heroics.
 
Donte' Daniels led the Southeastern defense with 11 tackles, as he and Tyrik Mitchell each were credited with tackles for loss. Scott threw for 333 yards, three touchdowns and one interception on 27-for-38 passing. Former Lion Cooper led UIW with 61 yards rushing and 94 yards receiving.
 
The Lions will continue their home stand next Saturday at 6 p.m., hosting Murray State in nonconference action at Strawberry Stadium. The game will be televised on ESPN+ and can be heard on the Southeastern Sports Radio Network (Kajun 107.1 FM, The Highway 104.7 FM, The Boss 103.7 FM/1400 AM).
 
Next Saturday's contest versus the Racers will also be the Hall of Fame Game. Kevin Fogg (baseball), Harlan Miller (football) and Natalie Santana (soccer) will be honored at halftime of the football game after a private induction ceremony is held earlier in the day.

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Former Catholic Bear George Hart shunned the hometown LSU Tigers for a chance to live out his dream of playing major college football. Even if that meant working his way up through special teams to earn a roster spot with the Sun Devils.

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The newest member of the Raising Cane's team, LSU running back John Emery spoke Sunday afternoon about the journey through his most recent academic turmoil, one in which has him suspended for the first two games of the 2022 season.

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Losing 70 pounds plus back surgery are just the tip of the ice berg when it comes to the journey Scotlandville offensive lineman Jamall Franklin had en route to Houston. The 6'7, 370 pound senior committed to the Cougars on Wednesday saying they were one of the only team that stayed with him during his trying times.

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Senior 5 star wide receiver Shelton Sampson made his commitment official Saturday afternoon, pledging to Brian Kelly and LSU. His final four came down to Texas A&M, Alabama, Florida State and the Tigers.

The Seminoles were thought to be a huge player in Sampson's recruitment since former Catholic head coach Gabe Fertitta is now on staff at FSU. Sampson saying that relationship made it tough and that he really didn't finalize his choice until earlier this week.

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