Ouachita opens Leonard Ceaser era with win, Byrd RB Christian Maxie breaks record

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Defending Division-I Non-Select champion Ouachita Parish shook off an early deficit to get the best of a memorable season-opener Thursday headlined by milestones for both teams.

The Lions roared back in the second half to beat C.E. Byrd, 44-37, and survive a record-setting 429 yards by Yellow Jackets running back Christian Maxie and start new coach Leonard Ceaser’s tenure at the helm on a positive foot.

“Ouachita has never lacked talent — never,” Ceaser told Louisiana vs. All Y’all on Saturday following its Bayou Jamb victory. “So I want these young men to want to be great young men and also play with confidence. Confidence is key. And if you prepare, preparation breeds confidence. So they’ve been doing that, and even though we’re young and a lot of people don’t know our young men’s name yet, eventually they’re gonna find out that Ouachita is still here, and I think we’re here to stay.”

Maxie’s monster night on Millhaven, nearly spoiling Ouachita’s festivities, is the most ever for a Byrd player, or any for a Shreveport school.

But after the Yellow Jackets had reclaimed a 29-23 lead midway through the third quarter, the Lions responded with three straight touchdowns from their own senior running back, Carter McClinton, who finished with five scores on the night.

Ouachita Parish will take its momentum into back-to-back road games, though both within Monroe, to Wossman in Week 2 and Neville in Week 3 before returning home Week 4 to host two-time defending Division-III Non-Select champion Sterlington.

The Yellow Jackets will have to shake back quickly, with Maxie and run game as an obvious positive on which to build, as their lengthy District 1-5A slate start next week.

C.E. Byrd will host Airline in Week 2, compete in a pair of non-district games at North DeSoto and against Pleasant Grove (Texas) before returning to league play the rest of the way in Week 5 at Benton.