NATCHITOCHES, Louisiana. With two first-place results in the state-wide competition, members of the Ruston High School football broadcast team and the Lincoln Parish Journal received numerous awards at the 2024–25 Louisiana Sports Writers Association award presentation on Sunday.
First place in the General Sports Feature (Class II) went to Kyle Roberts, co-publisher of the Lincoln Parish Journal, for his story Brian Estes: Miracle Man, which chronicled the lifelong Bearcat fan’s unexpected heart collapse just before the 2023 state championship game and his subsequent recovery.
The lede was fantastic. Swift, snappy, and a joke that alluded to the plot. You felt as though you were on this terrifying journey with the family. The author did an excellent job of allowing the family to recount the events of this tragic heart attack from a range of perspectives. It’s not always simple to explain the specifics of a life-threatening situation, but I felt the author did a fantastic job from beginning to end. Additionally, the tone seemed suitable for the topic. The author followed through on the chronological cadence that was required to build the picture. All in all, it was an excellent read.
Malcolm Butler, co-publisher of LPJ, placed second in both the Class II Columnist of the Year and Class II Prep Writer of the Year categories for the second year in a row. Avery Ryan of Cedar Creek, Blake Robinson of Cedar Creek, Campbell Woodard of Cedar Creek, and a column on the football squad at Russell High were among Butler’s entries for the Prep Writer of the Year award.
A post about former Lady Techster Christie Sides, a column about the football team at Ruston High, and a column about LA Tech’s Lane Burroughs were among Butler’s submissions for Columnist of the Year.
For capturing freshman Dalen Powell running into the end zone for a touchdown versus Pineville, LPJ photographer Reggie McLeroy received honorable mention.
Along with Nick Brown, Toby Nations, and Matthew Carswell, Roberts is a part of the Ruston High School broadcast team that won first place for calling the Bearcat playoff victory over Destrehan, which led to Ruston High’s third consecutive state championship appearance.
Especially for someone listening from a different state or market, this was of exceptional quality, with excellent color analyst comments that had a hometown feel (passion/emotion) and excellent background information.
Under owner Brandon Forester, the Ruston High broadcast concluded its inaugural season on Q94.1 FM. The winning audio file was mixed and mastered by Rob Tucker. It is the second time in three years that the Ruston High broadcast has won the prize.
Butler and Chris Mycoskie received honorable mention for their ESPN+ broadcast of Tech baseball’s victory over Liberty in the 2024 CUSA Championships in Ruston, while Roberts took third place in College Radio Play-by-Play for his game-winning call of Louisiana Tech’s victory over Liberty during the Lady Techsters’ 2024–25 regular season.
