2024 The Zone Photo Shoot in Longview (79).JPG

LONGVIEW — A football player walks into a high school gym with a hard hat, chainsaw and a sledgehammer… But don’t worry, it’s not what it looks like!

While this may normally be an unusual sight, it’s an annual occurrence and fun tradition for high school football players participating in The Zone preseason magazine photo shoots in East Texas. Others brought props like cowboy hats, chains and flags to make the most of their time behind the camera at the shoot, where professional photos were taken for the Longview News-Journal and Tyler Morning Telegraph’s exclusive football magazine set to debut Aug. 25.

A total of 222 players from 22 area teams filled the Pine Tree High School Pirate Center on Thursday evening for the first of two preseason photo shoots. The second will be held June 20 at Tyler High School where more than 40 area schools are expected to attend.

As players and coaches entered the building, they were welcomed by the newspaper’s circulation and advertising staff. Longview News-Journal Sports Editor Jack Stallard and Tyler Morning Telegraph Sports Editor Phil Hicks spoke to coaches and players about what to expect for the shoot before they headed off to group photos by Morning Telegraph Sports Photographer Michel Alfaro. Next, sportswriters Brandon Ogden and Thomas Bingham directed players to multimedia journalist Audrey Blaschke, who took the players’ headshots. Veteran photographer Les Hassell captured high-energy shots of individual players as teams waited for their time in front of the green screen, where the CBS19 sports team was filming sports promotions.

In addition to photos taken this June, the magazine will feature 150 glossy pages filled with key stats and players, team breakdowns, schedules and more for about 140 teams in the region. It is an exclusive product available to subscribers of the News-Journal and Morning Telegraph, so high school football lovers are encouraged to go ahead and sign up for a subscription so you don’t miss getting a copy. To subscribe, visit subscribe.news-journal.com or subscribe.tylerpaper.com. Parents and coaches of players who took part in the shoot are eligible for a discounted rate and can subscribe by contacting the News-Journal customer service team at 903-237-7777, or 903-597-1121 for the Morning Telegraph.

The Zone magazine is a combined effort of the sports, marketing, advertising, circulation, photography and design staffs at M. Roberts Media newspapers in East Texas. This year’s preseason photo shoots are made possible by a number of supporters, including presenting sponsor Christus Orthopedics & Sports Medicine Institute. SIG/Ramey Insurance also supported the event and players left with The Zone water bottles featuring SIG/Ramey’s logo.

Advertising opportunities are still available in The Zone magazine. For information, contact sales manager Tracy Stopani at tstopani@mrobertsmedia.com.