Rosegrant returns to Rosepine, this time as head coach

Published 6:00 pm Wednesday, December 6, 2023

Rosepine High School brought back a former assistant coach to take over the Eagles football program.

After a year at Dakota Wesleyan University in Mitchell, South Dakota, where he served as a defensive assistant and linebackers coach, Frank Rosegrant returns to Rosepine.

He was the Eagles defensive coordinator from 2018 to 2022 and helped lead the program to its first quarterfinal appearances in 2021 and 2022.

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Rosegrant replaces Brad Ducote, who spent the 2023 season as the interim head coach after his initial replacement, Troy Gardner, stepped down for personal reasons before the season began.

Under Ducote, the Eagles reached the quarterfinals for the first time in program history in 2021, earning him the Southwest Louisiana/American Press Coach of the Year award. Ducote was 46-22 in six seasons as head coach, winning more than 10 games three times.

DROPPING BUCKETS: Former DeRidder standout Domonique Davis continues to light up the scoreboard at Southern Mississippi.

On Saturday, the senior guard scored a season-high 25 points 61-59 upset of No. 19 Ole Miss (6-3).

Her jumper with 6 minutes left in the game put the undefeated Eagles up 54-52. She added a pair of free throws for a four-point lead with 2:14 remaining and a layup with 15 seconds left.

Davis is averaging 19.9 points a game and ranks fifth in the Sun Belt Conference.

Davis led DeRidder to the semifinals in 2017 and the quarterfinals in 2019 when she was named the Louisiana Sports Writers Association Class 4A MVP. Davis’ high school career totals were impressive with 2,843 points, 716 rebounds, 613 assists and 458 steals. She has three years of eligibility remaining.

RECORD: Lake Arthur senior point guard Vivian Sketoe set a school career scoring record Monday night.

She scored 19 points in a 47-34 loss at Iota to eclipse the old record of 2,201 owned by Heidi Duplantis since the 2001-2002 season.

Sketoe’s career scoring mark stands at 2,205 and helped lead the Tigers to the Class 2A state championship in 2021 and semifinals in 2020 and 2022.

PREP CLASSIC: The Prep Classic starts Thursday at the Superdome in New Orleans.

Three of the eight No. 1 seeds reached the Superdome, the fewest since the football state championships were split along select and nonselect lines in 2013.

No. 12 Opelousas will make its first appearance in a state title game and will face District 5-4A rival No. 2 Cecilia, led by dual-threat quarterback Diesel Solari, in the Nonselect Division II game. Cecilia won the regular-season meeting 25-22 on Oct. 20.

Cecilia (1995) and Ruston (1990) look to end long state championship droughts.

No. 1 Ruston lost in last year’s final and will face No. 6 Zachary in the Nonselect Division I game.

In the Nonselect Division IV game, 17-time state champion No. 4 Haynesville takes on defending champ No. 3 Oak Grove. The Tornadoes haven’t won a state title since 2014.

The Select Division II game will be a rematch between No. 1 St. Thomas More and No. 3 Lafayette Christian. STM won last year’s game 52-48. LCA is led by quarterback Ju’Juan Johnson, who became the state’s career total yardage leader after a 57-21 win over McDonogh 35 in the quarterfinals. He broke the record (13,659 yards) set by former Evangel Christian quarterback Brock Berlin. Johnson has 14,041 total yards.

Prep Classic Schedule

Nonselect

Division I — No. 1 Ruston vs. No. 6 Zachary, 7 p.m. Saturday

Division II — No. 2 Cecilia vs. No. 12 Opelousas, noon Friday

Division III — No. 3 St. James vs. No. 4 Union Parish, 3:30 p.m. Friday

Division IV — No. 3 Oak Grove vs. No. 4 Haynesville, 7 p.m. Thursday

Select

Division I — No. 3 Catholic-Baton Rouge vs. No. 8 Acadiana, 7 p.m. Friday

Division II — No. 1 St. Thomas More vs. No. 3 Lafayette Christian, noon Saturday

Division III — No. 1 St. Charles vs. No. 2 Calvary Baptist, 3:30 p.m. Saturday

Division IV — No. 2 Southern Lab vs. No. 5 Riverside Academy, 3:30 p.m. Thursday