Rebels baseball champs complete busy season

By JOHNNY PEPPO

Sports Editor

The high school sports seasons this year brought a lot of accolades and trophies home to the banks of the River Parishes.

&#8220There’s just a ton of talent out here,” said ESJ athletic directory Larry Dautrieve. &#8220And it’s everywhere. You can’t get away from it. Every time any of these teams meet, you can be sure it’ll be fun to watch.”

The Rebels capture of the 2A baseball championship this Spring marked the fifth state title for the tri-parish area to join Reserve Christian basketball and individual title holders Danielle Douglas and Levi Gruwell of HHS and Vincent Stewart of ESJ. Five more championships were on the verge of being pocketed by our local teams with three state runner-up titles taken by St. Charles and two more by Hahnville.

Some say it’s the culture and the coaches that produce such consistent talent. While it’s true that the fan support here is conducive to a high level of competition, and the coaches are some of the most respected in southeast Louisiana, the talent level cannot be overlooked.

&#8220You just got to give it to all of these kids out here,” said SCC football coach Frank Monica at a baseball game earlier this season. &#8220It’s all on them. They come out here and bust their butts. We just put them in the right direction.”

Comets on the horizon

St. Charles was among the most prolific schools in the entire state when it comes to athletic teams, with showings in five different state finals tournaments including football, volleyball, swimming, baseball and track and field. Their football team got things off on the right foot with a streak through the playoffs to meet John Curtis in the championship game where they fell 31-6 to take home the title of runner-up. Next up for the team sports came volleyball where the Lady Comets advanced to the quarterfinals before being bounced by the state runner-up St. Martin’s. The first individuals to bring home state trophies were Lauren Broussard and Allie Gonzales. Broussard got two, one in the 200 IM and one in the 100-yard Butterfly while Gonzales got hers in the 500-yard freestyle. Another first place trophy was awarded to the 400-yard Freestyle Relay team composed of Broussard, Gonzales, Laura Bailey and Jennifer Broussard. Runners-up awards went to Bailey (in the 500-yard Freestyle), Camille Poche (for the 50-yard Freestyle and the 100-yard Freestyle), Kaila Klibert (in the 100-yard Backstroke). Also with a second place finish was the 200-yard Freestyle Relay team of Poche, Klibert, Christie Brady and Emily St. Martin. That team also paired up in the 200-yard Medley Relay for a third place finish, which Bailey also received for the 200-yard Freestyle.

Their basketball team was staffed by seniors Michael Troglen, who earned All-District Honorable Mention, and Andrew Coleman, who made the SCC 1,000 point club. That team made it to the playoffs with a wildcard and was forced out after a triple overtime 103-98 loss to district foe Donaldsonville. In another triple overtime post-season heartbreaker, the prolific St. Charles Comet baseball squad fell to the defending champion Ouachita Christian Eagles. The Comets were one of the favorites to contend for a state title in 2A, but couldn’t get their offensive game to produce in the semi-finals game for a 4-3 loss.

SCC soccer saw both squads make the playoffs, with the boys advancing to the second round. And in track and field, St. Charles had Reyna Lubin bring home a third place for the 400-meters in the state meet in Baton Rouge.

HHS squads earn their stripes

Hahnville is proving to be an athletic powerhouse in 5A these days as they fielded district champs in basketball, baseball, softball, golf, track and field and volleyball, not to mention their football and tennis teams and the individual performers in wrestling.

It started in football with an all out brawl in 5-5A. With Hahnville, East St. John and Destrehan all fielding teams that could easily qualify as state champs, the Tigers came out on top. They ousted ESJ in the quarter-finals before they fell to Acadiana in the semis.

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The story was much the same in basketball for both the boys and the girls. The Tigers bounced ESJ in the quarter-finals and were eliminated by Woodlawn while the Lady Tigers fell to Destrehan after three rounds of the post-season. As for wrestling, Levi Gruwell brought home a state title for the 181-lb. weight class and Brice Jacobs nabbed runner-up. HHS’s second state title was brought home by Danielle Douglas in track and field for the 400 meters.

In golf, Hahnville drove to a state runner-up title with Andrew Noto and Seth Dufrene on the greens. In soccer, the HHS squads both qualified for the playoffs, but came up short after the bi-district round. And in volleyball, the Lady Tigers went all the way to the quarter-finals where they fell to the Rummel Transition team composed from students displaced from the New Orleans area.

Hahnville runners burned up the track with in the state meet in Baton Rouge with Danielle Douglas taking first in the girl’s 200-meters and helping the 4 X 400-meter relay team to a second place finish. Shaine Boyle earned a third in the 200-meters

Rebels storm through post-season

Riverside was a force to be reckoned with when it came to field sports this season with a state championship in baseball and deep runs in the football and softball post-seasons. With Lee Haydel on the baseball and football teams that found so much success, he found some more on his own on the track with a third place finish in the 200-meters in state. Just as impressive was Jesse LeBlanc, who placed sixth in the cross-country state race, and qualified in the state javelin throw, the state 1,600-meters the 3,200-meters. More impressive: LeBlanc is a sophomore.

Also standing out for Riverside,

A league of their own

Speaking of individual highlights in the past year, Demond &#8220Tweety” Carter went through his senior season with as much excitement as ever. Considering that he helped his team to a third state championship in four years, helped himself to the national three-point record and a had a double helping himself when he scored 74 points in a single game. Teammate Justin Bernard was also a part of the cross-country team where he placed sixth for Reserve Christian in the state meet.

Another local standout who gained individual accolades this season was ESJ’s Vincent Stewart. As a member of the Wildcats basketball team, Stewart helped the squad advance to the second round of the playoffs before falling to HHS. Stewart kept his legs working overtime after the basketball season, successfully defending his high jump title at the state meet in Baton Rouge last month with a leap of 6-09. Fellow Wildcat Ashlee Cooper was a spark plug for East St. John as a pivotal member of the volleyball team that made it all the way to the quarter-finals. She also was a qualifier in the track and field post-season for the three different field tossing events of the javelin, shot-put and discus.