Byrd fans looking for a storybook ending to their otherwise disappointing season Friday night against archrival Captain Shreve instead came away licking their wounds at Lee Hedges Stadium.
Powered by the undauntable legs of senior Gabe Lockett, the Gators rolled 48-21 in the 49th running of the Backyard Brawl, which annually pits neighbor against neighbor in one of the longest running rivalry games in Northwest Louisiana.
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Lockett rushed for 336 yards and 5 TDs with four of the scores and 212 of the yards coming in the first half, when the Gators (5-4) dominated the Jackets (1-9). Lockett averaged 14.6 yards per carry while delivering TDs on runs of 11, 4, 63, 38 and 60 yards.
“I knew this was an important game because we needed a home game,” Lockett said. “Coming into the game I was dialed in and running hard. They couldn’t stop us. They couldn’t stop the run. Couldn’t stop the pass. I’m proud of my guys and we’re gonna go and do it next week.”
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The game ends the season for Byrd, while the Gators will find out Sunday if they did enough to warrant a home LHSAA playoff game in the first round as expected. Shreve’s victory means the Gator seniors went 4-0 against the Jackets, which is a rarity in the series.
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The Shreve defense held record-setting Byrd running back Christian Maxie to just 127 yards and one late TD when the game was out of hand. The senior concludes his career with 4,577 yards, the most in school history.
“That was our best collective effort defensively,” said Shreve coach Jeremy Wilburn, a former Byrd quarterback. “We were prepared from a scheme standpoint. I thought we had our guys in good positions to make plays and then they made those plays. We came back out at halftime and maintained that aggressive mentality on defense.”
Captain Shreve vs. Byrd football Friday evening, November 6, 2026, at Lee Hedges Stadium.
Byrd still leads in the series 29-20, but has lost its domination of the Gators. The Jackets had won 26 of the last 31 meetings with Shreve before the current run.
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“I think this group of seniors has understood the process a little more each year of how to prepare for a game like this and not let the moment be too big,” Wilburn said. “We had so many guys participate in such a productive way that it was truly a collective effort from all three phases. And we’re super proud of that.”
Jimmy Watson covers Louisiana sports for the USA TODAY Network. Email him at jwatson@shreveporttimes.com and follow him on Twitter @JimmyWatson6.
This article originally appeared on Shreveport Times: Captain Shreve’s Gabe Lockett dials in dominating runs against Byrd
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com
