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American Press
7 hours ago
- Sport
- American Press
Jim Gazzolo column: A winning night for everyone
On a hot summer evening, a lone running back took the handoff and began to race around the right end of the offensive line. After a few steps, he stopped and looked to throw a pass. After a few seconds, he began running again, surrounded now by a host of McNeese players, some blocking for him, others diving at his feet. With the voice of McNeese, Bruce Merchant, announcing his moves, the runner races toward the end zone and crosses the goal line, spiking the football in triumph. Players celebrated with him. At the other end of the field, kids from the ages of 8-18 tried on football equipment, kicked footballs through the goalpost, and attacked tackling dummies like they were linebackers on a Saturday evening. Tuesday night, on the eve of opening up their training camp, McNeese players and coaches took to the field in Navarre Stadium for an important workout with a bunch of kids who would otherwise never get a chance to experience such moments. All this took place during the fourth annual Victory Day at McNeese, when the Cowboys host children with special needs for a night of football and fun. It was an easy decision for the current Cowboy head coach, Matt Viator, to keep it going. In fact, he moved the event back to the start of training camp so that his entire team could participate. 'I think this is a great thing for our community,' said Viator. 'To see the smile on the kids and our players is great. 'The whole thing was great. To hear Bruce's voice that I have been hearing for years, was great. It's about the kids and our players, our players made the difference.' Started by former head coach Gary Goff, the mini camp has become a big hit with kids and their parents. The kids are given a few moments of living out their dreams while their parents take pride in watching. This night is close to the heart of McNeese Athletic Director Heath Schroyer, who has a son on the spectrum. 'People know what this means to me,' said Schroyer. 'To see the joy the kids get out of taking part in this is special. I think the players get something out of it also.' Players in the past have talked about what the day meant to them, giving them a different perspective. For most of the campers, just getting to run out on the field as their names are announced would be enough. They get to race between a line of cheering players in what resembles the start of any football game. Running with them is their camp buddy, who spends the rest of the time as their sort of tour guide for the night. There are a lot of things wrong with college athletics these days. Players are moving from school to school, money is being spent on players, and fans are confused about the future and team loyalty. Victory Day shows the good of college sports. A group of players helping a community they have become a part of just recently. This is a win for everybody and shows that college football isn't always about wins and losses, NIL deals, and the transfer portal. It can still be about putting a smile on a child's face. That's what victory looks like. • Jim Gazzolo is a freelance writer who covers McNeese State athletics for the American Press. Email him at jimgazzolo@
American Press
24-07-2025
- Sport
- American Press
Cowgirls will be road tested
Ayla Guzzardo will be taking her first McNeese team on the road a lot this season. (Kirk Meche/ Special to the American Press) Looking to raise the profile and ranking of her basketball program, first-year McNeese women's head coach Ayla Guzzardo will hit the road for all but two of her non-conference games this season. Guzzardo released the pre-Southland Conference portion of her schedule Thursday as the Cowgirls will open the season with the annual Kids' Game on November 3 in the Legacy Center. 'We are looking forward to our season opener, where we welcome the youth of Lake Charles to kick off our season,' said Guzzardo. 'We want to take that game and get kids interested in the Cowgirls so that they ask their parents to bring them back. It is a great way for us to interact with the community.' McNeese will host Pensacola Christian College and several thousand students from Calcasieu Parish schools for the fourth such game. The Cowgirls' only other home game before SLC play will also be against another non-Division I school, LSU-Alexanderia, on November 22. In the past, the McNeese women's team would play four non-Division I schools at home, a practice Guzzardo aims to eliminate in the future to improve the Cowgirl schedule and achieve better rankings. 'We will have more home games against Division I schools in the years to come,' said Guzzardo. 'We want to get our net ranking below 100 and even in the top 75. With 22 league games scheduled for this season and finishing previous commitments, the window for such contests at home this year was limited. 'I'm trying to get a 13 or 14 seed in the NCAA Tournament if we win our league,' said Guzzardo. 'We want to stay away from that 16 and 15 spot. We want to come in and play three or four, not one or two. Highlighting the non-conference schedule will be three games against teams that advanced to the postseason last year, including two games against teams that won NCAA Tournament games. A road game at Alabama will provide the first actual test of the season for the Cowgirls. The Crimson Tide is coming off an NCAA Tournament appearance last season, where they fell in double overtime to Maryland in the second round. The non-conference schedule also has McNeese traveling to Tarleton State, which fell to Lindenwood in the second round of the WNIT, followed by a road game at Utah Tech. McNeese fell to Utah Tech at home last season. McNeese will travel to Tempe, Arizona (Dec. 5-6) for a multi-team event hosted by Arizona State. The Cowgirls will take on Arizona State, another NCAA Tournament team that lost to Iowa State in the second round last season, as well as a game against Nevada. 'This is the hand we have been dealt, and we will deal with it,' said Guzzardo. 'Our goal is to get into some mid-major polls this year and to do that, we are going to have to win some of these big games. 'We know if we make the NCAA Tournament, we are going to have to play on the road in their gym, so we want to get used to those environments.' McNeese will also host one preseason scrimmage against a Division I foe and travel for another. Those scrimmages will not be open to the public. 'We will get to challenge ourselves early in the non-conference schedule against an Alabama team that made some noise in the NCAA Tournament last year,' Guzzardo said. 'We will be road warriors with trips to Utah Tech, Arizona State, and Tarleton, which is great because it will make us ready for our rigorous conference opponents.' 2025-26 McNeese Women's Basketball Non-Conference Schedule Nov. 3 Pensacola Christian College (Kids' Game) Nov. 6 at Alabama Nov. 16 at Tarleton State Nov. 22 LSUA Dec. 2 at Utah Tech Dec. 5-6 at Arizona State Tournament (Arizona State, Nevada) Home games in BOLD
American Press
22-07-2025
- Sport
- American Press
Back in the game
From left, Masey Lewis, Matt Viator and Will Bressi talk at Southland Media Day Monday in San Antonio. (Matthew Bonnette/McNeese Athletics) SAN ANTONIO – A decade has passed since Matt Viator sat in front of the Southland Conference media and answered questions about an upcoming season. A lot has changed since then. No longer are the Cowboys the top dog in the league, and Viator is no longer part of the old guard. Now, he's again the head coach at McNeese State, but he's trying to lead the Cowboys back up the SLC mountain, not stay on top of it. 'This has been exciting,' Viator said Monday at the Southland Conference Media Day in the San Antonio Convention Center. 'I'm highly motivated not to relive the past but for the future.' Viator returns to McNeese after nine seasons away from the program he built. His 78 wins are tied for the most in program history. In his first 10 years as the Cowboy head coach, Viator won four Southland titles, made the playoffs five times, and was named the league's Coach of the Year on three occasions. None of that matters now. 'This is a great opportunity for me,' said Viator. 'The McNeese program means a lot to me. The transition back has been good.' The program has not made the playoffs since Viator left and went 0-11 just two years ago. Last year, the Cowboys bounced back to go 6-6, but they haven't had a winning season since 2019. Viator wants that to change. 'I want to see McNeese get back to the standard it once had,' said Viator. The fans are excited for sure. Season ticket sales are up 70 percent from a year ago ,and the buzz is all over town. 'It is really exciting to see the fans getting involved,' said Viator. 'We have a great fanbase and want to reward them.' Viator also wanted to reward the players who elected to stay with the program. 'I wanted to give them a chance if they wanted to stay with us,' Viator said. 'I'm glad the ones that stayed are with us.' Viator brought two of his returning players with him to San Antonio, offensive lineman Will Bressi and defensive end Masey Lewis. Both have seen the difference with Viator's return. 'We are focused much more on the details every day at work,' said Bressi. 'We work on the small things to get better each practice.' Lewis pointed out how much the defense has been through over the years and what this season means to them. 'We have been together and have been through a lot,' Lewis said. 'We are a close group that can go through anything now.' This isn't a rewind for the coach. It is a start of an entirely new era. 'I still park in the same spot I did before, still take the same elevator up to my office, and see some of the same people,' said Viator. 'But a lot has changed since I was last here and I think for the better. That's what makes this exciting.' For him and McNeese fans.
San Francisco Chronicle
22-07-2025
- Sport
- San Francisco Chronicle
Judge reduces bail for Memphis guard Sincere Parker in domestic assault case
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Memphis guard Sincere Parker's bail was cut nearly in half Monday, two days after he was charged with assaulting his ex-girlfriend. Shelby County General Sessions Criminal Court Judge Greg Gilbert reduced Parker's bail from $120,000 to $75,000. Parker's attorney, Arthur Horne, told reporters that the bond had been posted. Parker is due back in court on July 29. He must remain at least 100 feet from his ex-girlfriend. She told police that the attack occurred on May 27 at the Memphis apartment the couple shared. She reported that Parker pushed her, slapped her in the face and choked her, leaving her bruised and bloodied, according to a police report. The woman also told police that Parker, 23, broke her cellphone because he didn't want her to have the digital key to the apartment. Horne told reporters that the incident was captured on a video call between Parker and his mother, 'which is fortunate for us and fortunate for our defense.' 'We plan on fighting this,' Horne said. 'This has been a long, ongoing saga between him and the ex-girlfriend. I just hope the public will give us time to sort through it so the whole story does come out because there are two sides to this. Right now, it looks like my client, Mr. Parker, is a woman-abuser, and that's not the case.' Horne said he believed the Memphis athletic department is waiting to see how the case unfolds before deciding whether to take action. Parker transferred to Memphis after averaging 12.2 points last season for McNeese, helping the Cowboys and coach Will Wade reach the second round of the NCAA Tournament. He played his first two seasons for Saint Louis. ___
American Press
21-07-2025
- Sport
- American Press
Cowboys picked for sixth
(Matthew Bonnotte / McNeese Athletics) SAN ANTONIO — Southland Conference coaches and Sports Information Directors don't think much about the return of Matt Viator to McNeese State. After the Cowboys improved six wins last season, the second most in Division I football, they made a change and brought back Viator after a nine-year absence. Yet the three-time SLC Coach of the Year and all-time winningest skipper in McNeese history sees his team picked for sixth in the league's preseason poll released Monday morning. McNeese managed to collect just 85 points, despite Viator's resume, which includes four championships and five playoff appearances in 10 years. That may just be the kick in the pants the Cowboys need as they look to get back in the race for a title after last year's 6-6 finish. Defending champion Incarnate Word was tagged as the favorite once again, picking up 15 of the possible 20 first-place votes. The Cardinals, who return preseason All-American wide receiver Jalen Walthall, finished with 158 points after going 11-3 last season. In just its second season back in the league, Stephen F. Austin was next with 137 points and three first-place votes. The Lumberjacks were one of three teams to finish last year with a 7-5 record. SFA finished just one point ahead of Southeastern, which was third at 136 and picked up one of the remaining two first-place votes. The other went to Lamar, which placed fourth with 112 total points. Both Southeastern and Lamar also finished 7-5 last season, but none of the three earned a second postseason spot for the Southland Conference in the FCS playoffs. Nicholls was picked fifth with 91 points despite the retirement of long-time head coach Tim Rebowe. Defensive Coordinator Tommy Rybacki will take over the program. Following McNeese, East Texas A&M, and Houston Christian came in tied for seventh with points. Northwestern State (39) placed ninth, with football newcomer Texas-Rio Grande Valley coming in last with just 24 points. SLC PRESEASON POLL 1. UIW 15/158 2. SFA 3/137 3. SELA 1/136 4. Lamar 1/112 5. Nicholls 91 6. McNeese 85 7t HCU/ETAM 59 9. NW State 39 10. UTRGV 24
