After winning awards in the Louisiana Press Association Better Newspapers Competition, including a sweep in the Best Sports Story category, Ville Platte Gazette editor Tony Marks added to his totals for the year by earning a pair of awards in this year’s Louisiana Sports Writers Association annual contest.
Marks second place in the Outdoor Writing - Open Class category for a story he did on 16-year-old Jillian Rizzuto of Lafayette killing a large alligator in Miller’s Lake.
First place in that category went to former Gazette editor Raymond Partsch III from for a story he did on 1037TheGame.com regarding the impact the state’s first Bassmaster Classic champion has had on a state championship winning fisherman. Third place went to Joe Macaluso from The Advocate on falling from a tree stand can put you in the ER - or worse. Coming in at Honorable Mention was Don Shoopman with The Daily Iberian with a story on Loreauville outdoorsman, son, friends enjoying bountiful dove hunt.
It was the second time Marks placed second in the Outdoor Writing category. In 2017, he placed for a story on Kip Manuel hunting bears in Canada.
As sports editor of the Oakdale Journal, Marks also received an award in the Prep/Amateur Photohgraphy - Open Class division. He came out honorable mention for his photograph of the Oberlin High School baseball team celebrating after winning the 2019 Allstate/Sugar Bowl Class 1A Baseball State Tournament.
Bill Feig from The Advocate placed first with a photo of LSU signee Rammie Noel leaping over a goalie en route to scoring a goal during a soccer club match. Second and third place went to The Advocate as well as Hilary Scheinuk placed second with a photo of University High quarterback Tanner Lawson losing the ball on a sack by a Madison Prep player and Travis Spradling placed third with a photo of a couple from Plaquemine crossing the finish line of a 10K.
Sportswriter of the Year went to Chris Singleton from The Courier / Daily Comet who accumulated nine points with two first, one second, and one third place award. This is awarded to the writer who accumulates the most points (points awarded on a 3-2-1 basis) in regular writing categories. Marks finished with two points.
Because Marks competed up in Class 1, the Gazette finished with two points in Newspaper Sweepstakes behind The Advocate 38 (six 1st, five 2nd, 10 3rd), NOLA.com/The Times-Picayune 12 (three 1st, one 2nd, one 3rd), The Athletic New Orleans 12 (two 1st, three 2nd), The Daily Advertiser nine (two 1st, three 3rd), DesignatedWriters.com six (one 1st, one 2nd, one 3rd), Lake Charles American-Press six (two 2nd, two 3rd), The Town Talk six (one 1st, one 2nd, one 3rd), CrescentCitySports.com five (two 2nd, one 3rd), SaturdayDownSouth.com three (one 1st), 1037thegame.com three (one 1st), and Shreveport Times three (one 1st). TigerDetails.com and Monroe News-Star also received two points.
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Staff Report