Manuel, Marks win LSWA awards

Staff Report

NATCHITOCHES - Awards were announced on Sunday, June 23, in the 2023 Louisiana Sports Writers Association Annual Contest. Outgoing sports editor of the Ville Platte Gazette Rhett Manuel and editor of the Gazette Tony Marks (who is also sports editor of The Oakdale Journal) combined to win six awards in the contest.
Manuel won first place in Pro-College Event - Class II with a story on Will Wade and McNeese earning a win over Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns. The judge commented, “The lede, while arguably not exactly objective and not exactly tied to the rest of the story, made me want to keep reading. Third graph did a good job summing up what happened, which is good to get to quickly. Perhaps a bit too much play-by-play in the story, but a good account of what happened and reaction to it. Nice job folding in multiple voices too.”
In the same category, Marks placed second for a story on Will Wade taking the spotlight at Southland Conference Media Day. Placing third was T. Scott Boatright, of the Lincoln Parish Journal, with a story on Bayou Classic between Grambling and Southern.
In General Sports Column - Class II, Marks placed third with a column on coming, seeing, and being conquered in Omaha for the College World Series. First place went to Doug Ireland, of the Natchitoches Parish Journal, for a column addressing cancellation of Northwestern State’s football season after shooting death; second place went to Bob Tompkins, of the Rapides Parish Journal, for a column on being that time of year to endure coaching jargon; and honorable mention went to Dan McDonald, with McD Media, for a column about 50-year sports career defined by Jim Croce plane crash.
In General Sports Feature - Class II, Marks placed second on a story about two-time Super Bowl winning quarterback Eli Manning reflecting on career. First place went to Malcolm Butler, of the Lincoln Parish Journal, with a feature on Ruston High coach overcoming personal mistake that almost cost him his career; third place went to John James Marshall, of Designated Writers, for a feature on the struggles of Parkway’s Trenton Lape; and honorable mention went to Jake Martin, of The Ouachita Citizen, on a feature on former prep star rides AAA shuttle after MLB debut.
In Outdoor Writing - Open Class, Marks placed third with a feature on local attorney Daniel Barzare presenting case in support of local delicacy. First place went to Don Shoopman, of The Daily Iberian, for a harrowing tale of survival and loss for a local shrimp fisherman; and second place went to Louis Bonnette, of the Lake Charles American Press, for a story about hunter finally bagging a deer on Colorado trip.
In College-Pro Photography - Open Class, Marks placed third with a picture of local fan Anita Haywood holding up a K sign at the College World Series. First place went to Michael Johnson, of The Advocate, with a photo of LSU wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. diving into the end zone; and second place went to Hilary Scheinuk, also of The Advocate, with a photo of LSU third baseman Tommy White celebrating hitting a home run at CWS.
In the major awards, Best Section went to The Advocate; Prep Writer of the Year - Class I was Les East, of Crescent City Sports; Prep Writer of the Year - Class II was to Jake Martin, of The Ouachita Citizen; Beat Writer of the Year was Will Guillory of The Athletic; Columnist of the Year - Class I was Rod Walker, of The Times-Picayune | NOLA.com; Columnist of the Year - Class II was Doug Ireland, of Natchitoches Parish Journal; Story of the Year went to John James Marshall, of Shreveport-Bossier Journal; and Sports Writer of the Year was Rod Walker, of The Times-Picayune | NOLA.com.
On the day before the awards luncheon, during the LSWA’s business meeting, Marks was elected as the organization’s secretary.
“I am honored to serve in this capacity,” Marks remarked. “This is a great opportunity to represent such a wonderful organization as the LSWA and to represent Ville Platte and Evangeline Parish on the state level.”
According to the LSWA Constitution, the secretary shall keep the minutes of all meetings of the organization and handle the general correspondence. The secretary shall with the assistance of the treasurer keep a membership list of the organization and oversee the distribution of all-state stories. The secretary in cooperation with the president shall issue the periodic newsletter. The secretary shall issue certificates to athletes chosen to all-state teams.
Marks, as secretary, replaces Will Weathers, of Geauxpreps.com. Weathers was elected vice president and replaced John Marcase, of Pineville. Marcase was elected president and replaced Raymond Partsch III, of ESPN 103.7 Lafayette.
The other officers are Treasurer C. Kent Lowe, of LSU; Vice President/ Sports Information Matt Sullivan, of University of Louisiana at Lafayette; Chairman of Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Doug Ireland; High School Liason Robin Fambrough, of The Advocate; and Web Master/ Social Media Lori Lyons.