05/22/2009J.T. Curtis still worried after all these years and titles While hope spring eternal at schools around the state every May, you might think it's different at Curtis, what with 23 state titles. But even J.T. Curtis worries in the spring.
05/20/2009Legendary prep volleyball coach returns to New Orleans The name Jay Jay Juan could strike fear in the minds of high school volleyball coaches throughout the state of Louisiana. And now he's back, taking over at Ursulines Academy.
05/13/2009West Jeff field house built, move in still delayed The $2.2 million field house at Hoss Memtsas Stadium is still sitting vacant, the shine and new building luster still there as the West Jefferson High athletic department waits to move in.
Spring football dates, times set for local schools Spring football is nearing its end for high schools around the state. Schools are allowed 15 practice dates with one of those days allowed to be an intersquad contest, better known as spring games.
04/02/2009Terrebonne's Jackson has been dominant on the track There's been a recent trend taking place during the girls distance races at local high school track and field meets this season. The trend has been Terrebonne High runner Skyla Jackson finishing in first place. And then everybody else following behind.
03/08/2009Chapelle takes girls 5A basketball title MONROE, La. -- A balanced scoring attack that saw five players score eight points or more led Archbishop Chapelle to a 47-25 win over Lafayette for the girls Class 5A state basketball title on Saturday.
03/04/2009School of Hard Knocks: Lusher takes its lumps in first season of varsity hoops Hunter Higgins sits in a classroom desk angled to point at the wall where a dry-erase board mimics a projector screen. Rewind. Play. Write down a note or two on a piece of paper. Rewind. Play. Write down another note or two on the same piece of paper.
03/03/2009Vandebilt looks to win first state basketball title When talking about the Ladies’ Top 28 basketball tournament, the saying “been there, done that” applies for Vandebilt Catholic coach Kathy Luke.
Since she became Vandebilt’s coach in 1987, Luke has coached in two state tournaments with the Lady Terriers.
02/26/2009Small school star ready to shine for LSU Eddie Ludwig and his family walked into the Pete Maravich Assembly Center at LSU on Jan. 24 and his heart skipped a beat. Late though they were, the Ludwig’s were about to get a lesson in what the next few years will be like for their 18-year-old son.
02/14/2009Jesuit, Holy Cross wrestle their way to state titles A year ago, Jesuit coughed up the Division I state title on the final day of competition. This time, the Blue Jays didn't let that happen, securing the title early. Holy Cross, on the other hand, used a bad break for Shaw to take the Division II title.
02/10/2009O.P. Walker making a charge for 4A state title To know O. Perry Walker basketball, one must look back to March 7, 2008. That’s when Westbank rival Helen Cox outlasted the Chargers in the Class 4A finals in Lafayette, sending Walker back to Gen. Meyer Avenue with a 75-51 defeat.
02/04/2009Area athletes sign National Letters of Intent for football Twenty-five Orleans Parish prep football players sat in the main meeting room at the Saints' facility, listening intently to what two current NFL players had to say.
But that wasn’t the most special moment of the day. The moment pen hit paper Wednesday morning, all 25 officially had signed a National Letters of Intent to play college football this coming fall.
01/27/2009Ellender boys winning in a different way Painted in the center circle of the new Ellender High School gym floor is a red, white and blue basketball. The ball, comprised of Ellender’s school colors, resembles one from the old American Basketball Association.
01/16/2009LSU has chance to grab state's No. 1 recruit Reuben Randle Bastrop's Reuben Randle is widely considered one of the nation's top recruits. Of the many major Football Bowl Subdivision schools after him, it appears it will come down to LSU and Alabama. Does PelicanPreps.com think he'll end up at LSU or at Alabama?
Add trash collector to the many things Mullins is good at. Against Brother Martin, he proved he can play a little soccer, too.
Chapelle relying on seniors for continuing success One of the oldest clichés coaches speak year in and year out – senior leadership is vital to playing well – is one Chapelle head coach Christy Thieler will never disagree with.
Especially in 2009.
Her five seniors have led the Chipmunks nearly to the apex of girls basketball in Louisiana, losing to Southwood 43-40 in the Class 5A state title game, setting the tone for future generations while still setting the tone on the court.
01/09/2009Shaw's Boyd has all the tools to succeed at next level Shaw’s Chad Boyd has the heart and experience to make an impact in the college game. But will coaches take a chance on a player who is listed at 5-foot-10, 195 pounds and plays a position – safety – that some say size matters? Boyd led Shaw to the state championship game this year and has three solid years of high school football under his belt. Tulane, Louisiana Tech, Tulsa and Ole Miss all are recruiting Boyd, as are Nicholls State and Northern Illinois.
But the presence of the Georgetown freshman, as well as former teammates Calvin Thompson and Justin Fairman, is most certainly still being felt by those who continue to wear the Cox red.
01/07/2009Jesuit soccer rebounds from sudden end to 2008 When the final horn sounded on Jesuit’s 2007-08 soccer campaign with a devastating last-minute loss to Woodlawn in the semifinals, attention turned immediately to the 2008-09 season.
Nearly a year later, the fruits of that heartbreaking day on the pitch are coming to bear.
01/06/2009Pittman resigns from Brother Martin Jay Pittman stepped down Tuesday as head coach of Brother Martin’s football team, a sudden and unexpected move following the Crusaders’ most successful season in years. The school also named offensive coordinator Mark Bonis head coach.
Matherne's season turns up heat in recruiting process Coaches and recruiters knew of Blake Matherne heading into 2008. By the end of the season, the Belle Chasse quarterback gave them even more reason to know him.
He finished the year by leading the Cardinals to a 4A state championship, earned championship game MVP honors and is Louisiana's Mr. Football.
In a way, the Wildcats had West Monroe right where they wanted – ahead going into the second half.
12/18/2008Belle Chasse proves it belongs on state's biggest stage Belle Chasse returned a slew of offensive talent to begin the 2008 season. Still, Head Coach Bob Becnel wasn't certain his team had what it took to win a state championship. Now he knows. It did.
12/17/2008Defense delivers for Lutcher in championship season Days after Tim Detillier’s Lutcher Bulldogs won their second state championship in three years with a 17-0 win over No. 1 Notre Dame, the head coach still was still stunned at his defense’s performance.
Lutcher (12-2) gave up 75 total yards, the fewest allowed ever in a 3A title game, besting the 115 yards Redemptorist allowed in its 13-6 championship game win over Notre Dame in the 2005 championship game.
Now, so too, does Notre Dame, Class 3A’s top seed and the latest Bulldogs’ victim.
Lutcher shut down the Pioneers, coming through with a record-setting performance on defense that allowed the Bulldogs to cruise to a 17-0 win, its second in the past three years and third since 2003.
He doesn’t necessarily recognize either team from that game nearly two months ago.
But he really doesn’t see the same Cardinals that will go for his first state Class 4A championship Saturday at 4 p.m. in the Superdome.
12/10/2008Curtis' defense looks for 1 last stand RIVER RIDGE ― In the rich history of John Curtis Christian football, one common theme generally dominates conversation – the Patriots’ veer-option offense and how it’s nearly impossible to stop.
But what gets left out of the dialogue is Curtis’ defense.
12/05/2008Luck aids Shaw in 14-10 defeat of Salmen SLIDELL ― Shaw took advantage of a controversial penalty on Salmen with no time left on the clock during Friday night’s Class 4A semifinal, holding off the Spartans on an untimed down to move into the championship game with a 14-10 win.
12/04/2008South Plaquemines stumping opponents' offenses PORT SULPHUR ― South Plaquemines’ defense walked off the field in the first quarter Friday night, sulking and steaming and upset and any other number of synonyms for those words.
For the first time in more than two months, the Hurricanes allowed an opponent into the Promised Land. Worse, Block even made the extra point.
11/28/2008Wild 4th quarter propels Destrehan over Higgins MARRERO ― Kyron King had only one vision Friday night as the football floated through the air midway through fourth quarter of Destrehan’s Class 5A quarterfinal against Higgins.
“A big ol’ picture of the Dome,” King said. “Just us in the Dome.”
11/27/2008Belle Chasse focusing on task at hand BELLE CHASSE ― Bob Becnel stood behind his Belle Chasse team, watching as the hands team set up to field an onside kick.
Suddenly, he sprung to life, barking at a player, imploring him to realize that practicing even the mundane plays that might not happen in a game is just as important as anything else.
A play later, that same player moved at full speed.
Instead, players filing out of the Higgins High field house Wednesday afternoon had the opening query.
“Are you here to finally give us credit instead of Ehret?”
10/29/2008WWL-TV 5A Players of the Week Hahnville’s Alfred Blue leads the Week 8 list of Class 5A Prep Players of the Week.
10/28/2008Higgins enters 5A poll; Curtis remains No. 1 in 2A The top four in each classification stayed the same in the latest Louisiana Sports Writers Association polls, meaning Destrehan didn't gain on West Monroe for No. 1 in Class 5A, while South Plaquemines, Curtis, Parkview Baptis and Eunice each held onto the top spots this week.
