By RYAN ARENA

L’Observateur

LAPLACE — For the rest of the Class 2A softball community in Louisiana, it’s almost fitting that L’Observateur’s All-St. John Parish team comes out the weekend of Friday the 13th.

Five representatives from Riverside’s 30-3 state semifinalist — including the parish’s Most Valuable Player and Coach of the Year — adorn the squad. But truly frightening for the competition is the fact that three of the Rebel players are just sophomores, making this a contender put together for the long haul.

One of those sophomores, Rebels pitcher Destin Vicknair, leads the 10-player roster as the MVP along with three teammates (Shea LaFountain, Taylor Terrio and Katie Bailey) and coach Kristy Hebert, who is this season’s St. John Softball Coach of the Year.

Four players for the St. Charles Comets state quarterfinalist (Megan Louque, Jaymie Remondet, Kati Duhe and Emily Triche) also make the squad. West St. John and East St. John are represented by Tahj Howard and Jasmine Brown respectively.

The word dominating comes to mind when describing Vicknair’s season on the mound, where she went 25-3, struck out 162 batters and boasted a tiny 0.64 ERA. Vicknair’s bat became just as feared as the season went on. Hitting in the three-hole for Riverside, she hit .544 with five home runs and 42 RBIs.

“Destin was consistent throughout the season for us,” said Hebert. “She came up big with the strikeouts and with her own bat. Just as important was the defense behind her … you don’t put up that kind of an ERA if people aren’t making plays. But she just keeps improving and you could see her progress as a hitter as the year went on. She became more patient when she realized teams were pitching away from her, trying to walk her … she did just a great job for us in all areas.”

Hebert earns L’Observateur’s selection as Coach of the Year after guiding Riverside to a 30-3 record, the top seed in the Class 2A playoffs and the District 9-2A championship — the latter honor coming against a loaded field boasting the No. 2 (John Curtis) and No. 7 (St. Charles) seeds in the playoffs. Riverside reached the state semifinals after a season in which the Rebels swept rival St. Charles, split with Curtis and defeated 2010 Class 4A champion Vandebilt Catholic (and fellow 2011 state semifinalist) three times.

Vicknair is joined on the team by senior Shea LaFountain and sophomores Katie Bailey and Taylor Terrio. LaFountain was a consistent bat and glove for the Rebels this season, splitting time between leadoff and the two-hole and playing second base, finishing her career at RA with a strong all-around performance. Bailey and Terrio were equally adept as two-way threats, with Bailey providing power at the plate and a lethal arm at catcher (threw out 12 of 17 baserunners) and Terrio offering great speed on the bases and in the outfield (.964 fielding percentage in centerfield, 23 stolen bases).

St. Charles made its way to Sulphur for the seventh straight season despite losing the majority of the starting lineup from its 2010 state runner-up squad.

Seniors Megan Louque and Jaymie Remondet made it four for four in trips to the state tournament after standout final campaigns.

Louque followed up her strong 2010 state tourney performance with a 2011 campaign that saw her win 22 games on the mound and set a new single-season home run record at the plate (six home runs). Remondet also contributed to what was a new single-season home run record for the program itself with two of her own, including a memorable blast against Curtis in district play.

Junior Kati Duhe and freshman Emily Triche round out the SCC reps. Both had standout seasons at the plate, but also anchored a Comet defense from the centerfield and shortstop positions respectively. They’ll lead the Comets in 2012.

West St. John’s Tahj Howard put up some eye popping offensive numbers as a sophomore, hitting .636 with 20 RBIs and 15 steals in 19 games. Coach Brandon Dumas deems her a special player who he also called his best defensive player.

East St. John’s Jasmine Brown rounds out the team. The senior completes a decorated career at the school with a season in which she hit .360, most of that coming against what was likely the toughest softball district in the state, District 6-5A.