THE ZACHA Y
ADVOCATE& T H E A D V O C AT E.C O M
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W e d n e s d ay, F e b r u a ry 25, 2026
$1.00N
12TH YEAR, NO. 20
Zachary girls and boys open playoffs as No. 1 seeds The Zachary High girls and boys basketball teams have had little to no fall off after both winning state championships last year. Coaches Tami McLure and Jon McClinton have retooled and come back with a vengeance. The opportunity for both programs to repeat appears to be in the cards. The Zachary High girls finished the regular season with a 26-3 record that included six straight wins including an undefeated record in District 4-5A, where they averaged over 70 points a game and held district opponents to an average of around 30 points per game.
Warren Brady ZACHARY SPORTS
The Broncos, led by lone senior Ava Raymond, earned the top seed and opened regional play at home on Feb. 23 against 17th seed Walker. Walker was a 53-39 winner over H.L. Bourgeois in the bi-district round. The Broncos beat Walker earlier in the season in a nail-biter 5146. The winner will play the win-
Zachary Broncos senior Aidan Givens drives the ball down court to spark a run in mid first quarter during a Feb. 17 game.
ner of Natchitoches Central and Destrehan in the quarterfinals. The Zachary High Boys finished the season 29-4 and also went undefeated in District 4-5A, finishing the season with an eight-game winning streak that included a victory over Catholic (68-56) on the road Feb. 20. The boys were equally impressive in district play with the closest district opponent only coming within 12 of the Broncos with three 30-plus-point victories in district. At the time of writing the boys are expected to be a top seed,
PHOTO BY SONYA GOSS
ä See BRADY, page 3G
Leila Pitchford AROUND ZACHARY
Thousands visit event Zachary Mayor David McDavid estimates 6,000 to 8,000 attendees were at the inaugural Mardi Gras parade.
Want to be an EMT? A 13-week EMT training program will start June 8. The class meets Mondays and Wednesdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Information sessions are scheduled for 6 p.m. March 12, 10 a.m. March 21, 9 a.m. March 26, 6 p.m. April 2, 9 a.m. April 7 and 10 a.m. April 11. Registration is limited. Call (225) 389-5155 for details.
Baseball coming Zachary Youth Park spring baseball registration is open through March 15. Visit www.zacharyyouthpark. org/registration to register. Age brackets have changed. If the child is 4 years old, a parent must coach or assistant coach.
Golf for Zachary athletics Zachary Athletic Foundation Golf Tournament 2026 is April 6 at Copper Mill Golf Club to support Zachary Athletic Foundation and the student athletes. Entry is $500 per 4-person team, which includes mulligan package, food, soft drinks and beer on course. Prizes include first, second and third places; closest to the pin; and longest drive. Registration and lunch are at noon. Tee time is at 1 p.m. Visit tinyurl.com/3z9ey8ba to preregister and for information.
A Celtic concert experience Madam Dulcimer (Amanda Roberts) and Lady Chops (Elizabeth Vidos) are bringing a Celtic concert celebrating St. Patrick’s Day with music originating from the countries of Ireland, Scotland and Wales to the East Baton Rouge Library. The show will be at 10 a.m. March 17 at the Zachary Branch Library. Check ebrpl. com to see other dates and times.
Discuss 1845 Black poets Join author Kim Jones for the premiere of her newly released book “Nouveaux Renaissance: Keeping Les Cenelles Alive,” at the Zachary Branch Library from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., March 1. Les Cenelles was a groundbreaking 1845 anthology featuring 17 African American poets.
ä See AROUND, page 2G
PROVIDED PHOTOS BY ZACHARY COMMUNITY SCHOOLS DISTRICT
Northwestern Elementary School teacher Ashley Pate, center, and Rollins Place students Jaden Minor and Madisyn Lawrence are superheroes at the 2026 Northwestern Elementary School Mardi Gras parade.
KINDER KREWE Zachary schools mark holiday with kindergarten Mardi Gras parade
On Feb. 12, the annual Northwestern Elementary School Mardi Gras parade rolled down to Zachary Early Learning Center and Rollins Place Elementary School. The NES students rode in their classtheme decorated wagon floats and were pulled by students from Zachary High School and Northwestern Middle School. The ZHS Band of Blue played while candy and beads were Wyatt Ewing, Vivian Foote and Amiya Bilberry dress in cowboy gear. ä More photos. PAGE 4G thrown.