There will be nothing but winners tonight as the 19th annual National Football Foundation and Hall of Fame Miss-Lou Chapter honors local scholar-athletes with a banquet at the Natchez Eola Radisson Hotel.

The banquet starts at 7 p.m.

Louisiana Tech head football coach Jack Bicknell III will be the featured speaker.

Bicknell, the second-youngest Division I-A head football coach, led Tech to an 8-3 season last year, including a win over Alabama. He led the Bulldogs to a school record eight straight wins and was named Louisiana Sports Writers Association State Coach of the Year.

The banquet’s main purpose to give scholarships to seven Miss-Lou area high school scholar/athletes.

Representing Natchez High will be senior lineman Michael Hamilton.

Cathedral High is being represented by running back/linebacker Patrick Beasley.

Quarterback William McGehee is nominee from Trinity Episcopal High.

Adams County Christian School will be represented by lineman Tim Baker.

End Jeremy Rowzee is the nominee for Vidalia High.

Ferriday High will be represented by quarterback Aron Thomas.

Quarterback Tom Terry Milliken is Huntington High’s nominee.

Junior high scholar/athletes from each school will also be recognized and awarded certificates.

Those students are Anthony Strauder of Natchez Middle School; John Paul Kenda III of Cathedral; Mark Brinegar of Trinity; Adam Pate of ACCS; Frederick Marsalis of Vidalia Junior High and Patrick Clayton of Huntington Junior High.

Also being honored at this year’s event is Claude Porter with the Distinguished American Award and E.P. James with the Contribution to Amateur Football Award.

Cost of the banquet is $15. Most of the money raised for the scholarships comes as a result of the Joe Fortunato Celebrity Golf Tournament, which will be held May 5-7 this year at Duncan Park.

&uot;We look for this year’s banquet to be another outstanding event,&uot; said NFFHF-Miss-Lou Chapter organizer Joe Fortunato.

Bicknell led Tech to an 8-3 record in his first year as head coach this past season.

While Bicknell will be the featured speaker, the stars of the show as usual will be the seven student-athletes from each of the immediate schools vying for scholarships.

Scholarships ranging from $750 for four participants, $1,000 for third place, $1,250 to the second top scholar/athlete and $1,750 for the overall winner.

Cathedral’s Barr Biglane won the top honor last year as Ole Miss head football coach David Cutcliffe was the guest speaker.