Boys & Girls Clubs of North Louisiana hosts 1st Annual Youth Sports Banquet

The Boys & Girls Clubs of North Louisiana hosted its inaugural Youth Sports Banquet on Aug. 22 at the West Monroe Convention Center. This event centered around honoring youth sports coaches who volunteer their time to coach our youth in baseball, football, basketball, soccer, and softball (ages 12-and-under).

More than 180 nominations were received, and a committee narrowed down the list to three finalists in each category. These finalists were honored at the banquet with an awards ceremony, following dinner and a powerful message from Jase Robertson of Duck Dynasty.

The finalists in each category were as follows: softball – April Martin (9-10 Sterlington), Don Newcomer (9-10 Swartz), Brook Thomas (11-12 Sterlington), soccer – Jimmy Adams (U9 WOYSA), Brian Criswell (U9 WOYSA), Gregg Staggs (U11 WOYSA), basketball – Kelvin Horne (8-9 YMCA), Richard Hurd (9-11 East Ouachita), James Simmons (8U East Ouachita), football – Chris Ford (6-7 WOYSA), Jerome King (6-7 WOYSA), Ben Soignier (6-7 WOYSA), baseball – Zach Kenly (7-8 West Monroe Dixie Youth), Danny McGraw (9-10 Sterlington) and Jason Usery (7-8 East Ouachita Dixie Youth). (Winners in bold)

The banquet served as a fundraiser for the Boys & Girls Clubs of North Louisiana’s Northeast region. Honoring unpaid, volunteer coaches went hand-in-hand with the principles of the Boys & Girls Club – helping guide today’s youth in the right direction by teaching them valuable lessons while also having fun.