A presentation on girls flag football, decisions on host sites for future championship events and appeals of sanctions were all part of the LHSAA executive committee’s summer meeting on Thursday at the LHSAA office.
“It’s been an interesting year,” Bonine said. “For the most part, weather was not a big issue for us.
“Once again, we will take a strong stance on sportsmanship (in 2024-25). We have fans and players getting into difficulties there.”
Multiple appeals
Bonine’s point on sportsmanship came after an afternoon of closed session appeals by multiple schools, several of whom appealed sanctions for fights that involved students and/or spectators.
The executive committee’s decisions on those appeals will be sent to the respective schools in the coming days.
Flag football
The New Orleans Saints made the girls flag football presentation, asking that the LHSAA adopt a pilot program for the sport as a spring sport.
Bonine told the committee that flag football is the fastest-growing girls sport nationwide, including in Section 3 of the National Federation of High Schools, the group the LHSAA belongs to.
The Saints started a 10-team girls flag football league in the New Orleans area this spring that included East Jefferson, West Jefferson, Bonnabel and De La Salle.
“We’ve got to survey schools and by policy it is a two-year pilot (program),” Bonine said. “(The Saints) are building the data for it and then we need to get 80 schools (committed to play). That is what our policy says.
“Once you get that, you put it on a two-year probation (pilot program) period and that gives everybody the opportunity (to compete).”
The Saints’ manager of youth football development Austin Pasco and his senior director Elicia Broussard Sheridan spoke to the committee and did a slide-show presentation.
More of the same
Only one LHSAA championship host site is potentially set to change as sites were approved in multiple sports by the committee.
Powerlifting, held at The Cajundome the past two years, is tentatively set to move to the Pontchartrain Center in Kenner for two years.
The Cajundome was approved as the volleyball site for the next four years.
Other familiar sites also receiving two-year bids include: soccer (Southeastern), tennis (Monroe), girls basketball (Southeastern), swimming, softball and baseball (Sulphur) and wrestling (Bossier City).
Thumbs-up for Bonine
The executive committee also completed its annual evaluation of Bonine in closed executive session. He said he received grade of 3.8 on a 4.0 scale.
“I am very appreciative of the committee. I work hard to be as transparent as I can with what I can,” Bonine said. “I have open lines of communication with the executive committee.”
Boyer honored
The executive committee recognized Mike Boyer of Teurlings Catholic for his 50 years as track and field announcer for LHSAA events — including cross country, indoor track and outdoor track.
To commemorate the honor, LHSAA assistant executive director Adam MacDowell presented Boyer with his own replica of the LHSAA’s championship trophy.
Boyer quipped, “I never met a microphone I did not like.”
Etc.
Bonine said a mid-November trial date has been set for Newman’s lawsuit over boys basketball sanctions the LHSAA levied this past year.
The LHSAA ruling stripped Newman of two previous titles and suspended coach Randy Livingston for a year.
But a restraining order put Livingston back on the bench and Newman in the playoffs. The Greenies then beat University to win the Division III select title.