As extreme heat continues to impact the state, today marks the first official day of football practice for Louisiana High School Athletic Association schools. Director of the Louisiana High School Coaches Association Terrence Williams says it’s extremely important for student athletes to be hydrated before, during and after practice or any type of physical activity. He says their coaches use common sense and know that it’s important to keep talking to the kids during practice…

cut 15 (18) “hydrated”

The LHSAA has issued an extreme heat warning to remind parents, coaches, and student athletes of the dangers of heat related illnesses.

Louisiana Tech opened fall camp Sunday and will hold its first practice this evening. 99 players reported to camp in Ruston as the Bulldogs hope to build on last year’s nine win season.

The NFL pre-season got underway last night as Minnesota pulled out a 14-3 win over Pittsburgh in the annual Hall of Fame game. The Saints will open pre-season play Thursday night when they travel to take on Baltimore and the team seems to be relatively healthy as gameday approaches. Defensive end Akiem Hicks and safety Jarius Byrd were the only players who missed practice this morning due to injury.

The Arena Football League has announced that the New Orleans VooDoo have ceased operations. The league took over operations of the VooDoo last month as part of its plan to solidify its financial condition. The team ended its season Saturday with a 36-33 loss to Jacksonville. The VooDoo ranked near the bottom of the league in attendance, averaging just over 4,000 fans per game in nine home contests in 2015.

Former LSU All-American Lynnika Pitts continues to emerge as one of the leading triple jumpers in the US. At the 2015 North American, Central American, and Caribbean Championships, Pitts took the bronze medal with a career best wind aided jump of 46 feet.