Home Care In Marksville, LA

MARKSVILLE, La. (KALB) - The Marksville Tigers put together one of their finest football campaigns in over half a decade last year, marching to an impressive 9-3 record. Yet, the taste of that success remains bittersweet.

The Tigers’ brilliant run came to a heartbreaking end in the second round of the playoffs, falling in an absolute 62-60 shootout against Mansfield.

This year, the Tigers hope to turn close losses into victories, fortify the defense and take the next step toward a championship.

The Tigers haven’t seen a season like last year since 2019, and the veterans who spearheaded that success are ready to build on it. With a massive group of talented seniors returning, the team spent the hot summer months gearing back up for another deep postseason run.

“Seniors stepped up this year, having some ownership, some leadership,” said Marksville head coach Josh Harper. “Coming off of a 9-3 season, they felt what’s ahead of us. They felt the games that close losses, a few games slip away. So they came with a mindset of go to work this summer.”

For the senior class, this final ride is about the deep bonds they have forged over the years.

“I’m very excited to play with my coaches and my teammates that I grew up with my whole high school career,” senior Bam Lavalais shared.

While Marksville’s offense was a powerhouse last season, the team dropped three games in which they surrendered a combined 173 points. To prevent another postseason shootout heartbreak, Coach Harper and his staff spent the off-season preaching physical play and defensive discipline.

“Last year we lost a few games defensively—some crucial plays, didn’t get stops when needed,” he said. “So that’s been a focus this year. We return most of our offense... so we need the defense to follow up and back up and get us some wins.”

The road won’t be easy. Marksville competes in one of the toughest districts in the state, featuring two nine-win powerhouses—including Jena, a state finalist. The Tigers are hungry to avenge last year’s setbacks against their district rivals.

“I really want to see Jena,” said Jayden Price. “They got the two good running backs. If we get the ball on the ground well, I feel like we can beat them.”

Many of Marksville’s football players are no strangers to championship-level pressure. Several key contributors, including Lavalais and Price, were vital pieces of the Marksville basketball team’s recent state championship run. They plan to translate that winning culture directly to the gridiron.

“I feel like it brings a winning motive to the football program, knowing that some people have actually been there and they know what it takes to get there,” Price explained.

As fall practice officially begins in pads, the Tigers aren’t shying away from their ultimate aspirations.

“Going far, going to the Dome is our goal, mainly,” Dashawn Jones said. “I feel like we got that mentality now. Last year, we got to bounce back from that.”

They open the season September 4 on the road against Catholic of Point Coupe at 7 p.m.

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MARKSVILLE, La. (KALB) - Marksville Elementary spent the summer replacing its old cafeteria walls with a new design featuring bold colors and oversized drums hanging from the ceiling, each printed with a word school leaders want students to carry with them throughout the day.

“This is what our students get to walk in every day and see first thing in the morning when they come in and eat breakfast with us,” Child Nutrition Program Supervisor Jenny Welch said.

Marksville Elementary and Bunkie Elementary both received redesigned cafeterias this summer. Marksville is the sixth school in the district to get the upgrade. The school board redesigned its four high school cafeterias a few years ago.

The school board has run summer meal box programs since the COVID-19 pandemic, which left extra revenue on the books. Welch said the redesign was a way to give back.

“This was one way that we felt: what better way than for the kids to want to come in and eat with us every day in this bright and colorful environment,” Welch said.

Palmer Hamilton designed the space. The project cost just under half a million dollars, paid for with federal child nutrition funds, according to Welch.

Welch said she saw students’ reactions firsthand on day one.

“To see their eyes just open and look around at all of the things. I think it was a lot for them to take in. Some of them even forgot to eat because they were sitting there just in awe at all that was surrounding them,” Welch said.

Avoyelles runs a four-day school week, and every student gets three free meals a day. Welch said the redesign lifted morale for both students and staff.

“They work really hard to feed all of the children at Marksville Elementary; they know each child by name, they ask them how their morning is, and they greet them with a big smile. So for them to have this environment surrounding them, it just matches the way that they want all of our children to feel every day when they walk in our cafeteria,” Welch said.

The current cafeteria was built in 1997. Welch said she hopes the redesign sends students off with something beyond a full plate.

“At the top, there are these huge drums that have all of the words that Marksville Elementary aspires for every student to have. It’s a way for them to reach for their dreams and walk in every morning, starting their day off, reaching for the sky, being the best version of themselves that they can,” Welch said.

Welch said the goal is to give students a reason to look up and a reason to look forward to a nutritious meal.

Welch said Plaucheville Elementary, Lafargue Elementary, Cottonport Elementary and Riverside Elementary are set for cafeteria redesigns as well.

She hopes those projects are completed by the end of the school year.

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Marksville Lady Tigers volleyball looks to make state run in year three

MARKSVILLE, La. (KALB) - What began as a suggestion during a physical education class has rapidly grown into one of Central Louisiana’s powerhouse volleyball programs. The Marksville Lady Tigers enter their third season with a 23-4 record from a year ago and a stated goal of reaching the state tournament.

Head coach JT Dunbar said the program’s origins trace back to gym class.

“In the gym, you know, for PE, and we were playing volleyball and they enjoyed the game a lot,” Dunbar said. “And they were like, Coach, why don’t we have a volleyball program over here? And as Athletic Director for so many years, I wanted to have a volleyball program, but just never could find anybody to really run it. I don’t know if they expected it to blow up this fast. They got to work, and again, they bought into what we were selling, and it’s been fun.”

Junior Kennedy McDaniel said the program’s growth has been visible from the start.

“In Central Louisiana, volleyball is not very big, and we’ve seen other people doing it, and we were like, hey, let’s get it going, let’s be the first in the parish,” McDaniel said. “I’ve seen the whole program grow, and, like, I’ve seen all my teammates grow into really special people.”

This season, Marksville will host the first-ever Cenla Jamboree, an event Dunbar said is aimed at growing the sport across the region.

“We’re going to host it over here at Marksville, continue to promote our games,” Dunbar said. “We have some teams that are really growing, teams that are experiencing success. We hope to lead the way, and we’re ready to do so.”

Dunbar came out of coaching retirement to lead the program, transitioning from a career coaching football.

“Being a football coach, coaching boys, got out of coaching, didn’t know this was going to happen,” Dunbar said. “Kind of itching to coach. And as I said, coaching is coaching. And whether it be in the weight room, whether it be on the court, and they respond really well.”

His players said the transition has worked.

“It’s not that different. He does not treat us any different. He has loosened up a little bit because, I mean, we are girls, but he is really harsh on us, which makes us the player we are today,” said junior Bella Brossette.

McDaniel echoed that sentiment.

“We don’t really see it as a difference. He comes to coach and we come to work. And he’s very rough, but we like it because we want to be pushed, we want to work, and we want to be the best we can be,” McDaniel said.

Dunbar said the program faces unique challenges without access to club volleyball, but believes the team is competitive at the state level.

“We have to do things differently over here because we don’t have club volleyball. We feel that we’re competitive on the state level. We were the top-ranked public school in our division,” Dunbar said. “It’s mostly a private school-dominated sport. We look to try to crack that code. And, you know, we have a solid group returning, and they’re hungry. And not only compete with some of those private schools, but beat some of those private schools.”

Last season, in the program’s second year, the Lady Tigers fell one win short of reaching the Cajundome. Brossette said the near-miss fueled the team.

“Being our second year, like, we would have never saw we would have made it that far because we’re so young, and it was everybody’s first time ever playing volleyball,” Brossette said. “So, making it there just shows that we can get that far, and we can grow as a team. Our school would be so proud of us and stuff because it would be, like, our first girls go into, like, an actual dome, like, further out, and not just our boys’ sports.”

McDaniel said a state appearance would carry meaning beyond the team.

“It would mean a lot to us. This is our third year, and most public schools in Louisiana don’t see this kind of stuff in the volleyball world,” McDaniel said. “Our community does support us a lot, but I think it would reel more people in because, yes, we do have a very good and successful basketball team, but we’re also in this gym, too. And we want people to know that. Like, we’re here, we’re here to stay, we’re here to win.”

Marksville hosts Leesville on Sept. 1 for their 2026 season opener.

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MARKSVILLE, La. (KALB) -The City of Marksville is addressing confusion over Item 5 on the agenda from Wednesday night’s city council meeting that appeared to indicate a water rate increase was being considered.

City Engineer Marcus Guillory said the agenda was worded incorrectly and apologized for the confusion. He said the item was never about raising water rates.

Instead, Guillory said the agenda item was intended to present findings from a recent audit of the city’s water system and equipment, including ways to make the system more efficient.

“It was a bit of a misunderstanding on my part, to be personally honest,” Guillory said. “What I really wanted to do was present some findings that we found from doing a little audit on your sewer and water rates.”

The audit also examined the city’s financial position over the past five years, reviewing cash based revenue and expenses for both the water and sewer systems.

“We reviewed the city’s audit financial statements for the water and sewer systems over the last five years,” Guillory said. “We looked at a cash basis in other words, we didn’t consider depreciation. We took the grants out. We tried to look at what do we spend every year maintaining the system and what revenue do we get in.”

Guillory said the audit compared operating revenues to operating expenses and debt service the day-to-day costs of running the utility for each system.

The mayor and city engineer both confirmed no water rate increase is planned. The focus remains on reviewing the audit findings and determining what improvements may be needed for the city’s water and sewer systems.

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