Going Round Again One More Time Livingston Taylor
Here'southward a look at story numbers 1 through 10 in the Livingston Parish News' Top 10 Stories of 2021 for sports:
Holden softball players race to claim the bays for their 4th-straight land championship during the Class B state championship game on Sat, May 1, 2021.
No. i Holden softball repeats as Class B state champion
SULPHUR -- Holden's softball squad came into the country tournament with a chip on its commonage shoulder.
Partly considering of that, Lady Rockets left Sulphur as Class B state champions again.
The Lady Rockets put together an 8-run third inning to spark an 11-half-dozen win over Anacoco at Frasch Park on Saturday.
"At that place are no words," Holden coach Linzey Bowers said after the Lady Rockets won their fourth directly title after last flavor'south tournament wasn't held because of COVID-nineteen. "These kids were battle-tested, and they showed up and they gave it everything they've got. They deserve every ounce of the champion championship. They're competitors. They're winners, and they're champions."
Anacoco led 3-1 heading into the bottom of the tertiary inning, when Holden broke the game open, getting 8 hits.
Gracie Duffy, who was the Class B title game Outstanding Role player, led off with a double to left, and Kacey Breithaupt singled to third earlier Anna Hutchinson reached on a bunt single that went over the head of Anacoco pitcher Bailey Davis to cut the lead to 3-2.
Olivia Barnes followed with a bunt single to score Breithaupt, knotting the score at three-three.
"It's crazy because if you look at our offense, we don't really bunt," Bowers said after picking up her 100th career win. "I recall the scouting report says that, just we had to modify it up. We had to get some balls in play. We had to create some momentum. Anacoco was in defence force to take away the big hit, and so nosotros adjusted our game plan early, we hung some runs on, and and so we started swinging."
From there, Ava Rousell hit a hard single by first, scoring two runs to put the Lady Rockets ahead 5-3.
Taylor Barfield reached on a fielder's choice bunt, Maddie McDonald reached on an fault, and Kamrynn Ouber walked to load the bases, setting upward Taylor Barfield's sacrifice wing for some other run.
Duffy followed with a two-run single to left field for an eight-3 reward.
"I only had to get a hitting," said Duffy, who went three-for-v with two runs and two RBIs, said of the start to the inning. "Null was going on, and nosotros didn't score that last inning. I had to do my task at that place or that wouldn't have happened, and we wouldn't have scored that many runs. We were only trying to get baserunners to score considering that's what we needed."
Breithaupt'south double by third scored Duffy, pushing the lead to nine-three.
"That was our inning," said Barnes, who went ii-for-4 with a run and an RBI. "You have to have at least ane big inning, or you have to consistently score every inning. We weren't being super consistent every inning, so we had to come up upwardly with a big inning, go ahead and just kill their fire – put it out."
"Information technology means a lot," Barnes said of winning the land title. "Every country championship'southward important, simply senior twelvemonth, it feels the virtually important to you. I'grand really proud of our team."
Anacoco scratched for a run in the fourth Jaiden Craft'southward grounder after Reagan Stanley led off with a double and Brooklyn Bryant walked.
Holden padded the lead on Douglas' solo home run to pb off the bottom of the fifth inning.
"I knew she was coming at me offset-pitch change-upwards because that'due south how she was every concoction, and then I got up the box, and I knew to sit back and when I saw it, turn on it and drive it," Douglas said.
Bryant reached on a one-out walk, and Ava Davis on an error earlier Craft's grounder scored a run. Davis later scored on a wild pitch, making the score 10-6.
"They were fighting every unmarried pitch, and they made some smashing plays and they had some timely hits," Bowers said. "That's what you expect in a title game. That's a title programme. That's a young team, well-coached. They deserve to exist here, and they played like they deserve to be here."
Holden got its concluding run in the bottom of the sixth when Taylor Barfield drew a ane-out walk and scored on Ouber's single to left one out after.
That enabled Douglas to retire the side in the peak of the seventh to seal the Lady Rockets' title.
Anacoco scored first, getting 2 runs as Davis reached on an error and Craft on a fielder'southward selection. Davis' unmarried to left collection in a run, and Anna Vinson had a sacrifice fly to score Arts and crafts.
Holden picked upwardly a run in the bottom of the inning after Douglas walked, Duffy singled to left, and Breithaupt moved the runners on a sacrifice bunt. Hutchinson reached on an error to score courtesy runner Raievah Craddock.
"I don't know what it is about that get-go inning," Bowers said. "We give teams a chance. We're not woken up yet. I think every unmarried playoff game this twelvemonth, nosotros went down in the top of the beginning inning, and these kids have answered in the bottom of the first inning. That'due south what great teams do. They were determined."
Douglas gave upwardly six hits, 6 runs, walked iv and struck out 3 in a consummate-game win.
"We all knew that no 1 wanted us to win today because they thought that nosotros couldn't practice it, so I just knew coming into today, I had to be as focused every bit I could and information technology just be me and (catcher) Kamrynn (Ouber)," Douglas said.
Breithaupt went 2-for-3 with a run and an RBI, while Hutchinson was 2-for-3 with two RBIs.
"Anybody was rooting against us, and we showed them," Duffy said. "We pushed through it all."
Walker High star wide receiver Brian Thomas puts on an LSU hat subsequently signing his letter of the alphabet of intent on Tuesday, February. 9, 2021.
No. ii Walker'southward Brian Thomas signs with LSU
WALKER -- Brian Thomas is staying dwelling.
Walker High's star wide receiver and 1 of the meridian football prospects in the country will head to LSU this fall after signing his letter of the alphabet of intent on Tuesday, February. 9.
With his parents and sister by his side, Thomas officially joined the LSU Class of 2021 and put on a purple "TIGERS" lid as family members, friends, teammates, teachers, and fellow students cheered him on.
The ceremony was held inside Walker Loftier'south gym, where a video montage of Thomas' football and basketball highlights was played before Thomas announced his decision.
"This is such a blessing," Thomas told reporters after the signing. "I've been playing football game since I was 6 years old, and this is what I've been dreaming of."
The four-star recruit had been quiet regarding his college selection in contempo weeks, even pushing his signing date to nearly a week after National Signing Solar day, Thomas had listed three SEC schools — Alabama, LSU and Texas A&Thousand — as his finalists.
In the stop, Thomas opted to bring together a class that 247 Sports ranks tertiary nationally, behind Alabama and Ohio State.
Thomas is Louisiana's No. 4 prospect in the Class of 2021 and is ranked No. 88 nationally overall and No. 13 among wide receivers, according to 247 Sports.
The 6-human foot-four, 190-pound Thomas finished his senior season with 30 receptions for 507 yards and 7 touchdowns, forth with four rushes for 70 yards and two touchdowns this season. That followed an explosive junior flavour, in which Thomas racked up 75 catches for 1,272 yards with 17 touchdowns.
During his career at Walker High, Thomas was a two-time Livingston Parish Offensive MVP in addition to a Commune 4-5A Offensive MVP. He earned All-State honorable mention three years in a row.
Thomas likewise made his marking on the basketball courtroom, helping lead the Wildcats to their first state championship en route to being named Class 5A championship-game MVP as a freshman.
Maurepas' Madelyn Aime, here at the parish track encounter last month, cleared 10 anxiety, seven inches to win the Class B pole vault title at the country meet Thursday.
No. 3 Maurepas' Madelyn Aime sets Course B record while winning land pole vault championship
Don't look now, merely there's another Aime making a mark in the pole vault.
Madelyn Aime, the sister of old Maurepas pole vaulter Kameron Aime, recorded a new Course B tape in the event at the Louisiana High Schoolhouse Athletic Clan's Grade 1A/B/C State See at LSU's Bernie Moore Track Stadium on Th.
Madelyn Aime's vault of 10 anxiety, seven inches, broke the record of x-2 set up past Bong Metropolis's Heidi Zaunbrecher in 2013.
"It was proficient," Aime said of the day. "We had a adept tailwind, which inspired me to jump higher, because the wind always takes me loftier. I honey the contest, and it was just a fun day."
One of the concerns for Aime at Thursday's meet was not recording a top after missing her first two attempts at her starting time height at regionals. Her first effort at the country meet came at ix-6, which she missed on her outset attempt but made on her 2nd.
"I'm terrified of no-heighting," Aime said. "I just accept to tell myself that I'thou going to get over this, and I know I can get over this because I've done information technology multiple times."
"I was just terrified," Aime said of missing her beginning bound. "I just had to continue telling myself that I could do it, and I know I could do it, and I did it."
Castor'southward Katelyn Urquidez was second with a marker of eight anxiety, meaning Aime was the solitary competitor left in the event to set the marking.
Aime besides surpassed her previous personal record of 10-6.
"I my heed, once I've cleared one top and I know that I've got the win, I only accept fun with it," she said. "If I get the record, I get it."
"I was so excited for myself," she said. "I'm actually happy for information technology."
Maurepas' Kyle Camardelle was 6th in the pole vault (eight-5.5), while the Wolves' Joseph Lemoine was seventh in the javelin (107-2).
For Holden, the country meet wasn't nigh squad standings just more most individuals showing improvement.
"We knew kind of going in, we were going to have some over-the-top skilful numbers in order for united states of america to … get on the podium," Holden coach Landon DuBois said. "Nosotros just sent iv kids, and none of those four had ever been to state before in a track outcome. You lot're talking about some green kids who are probably going to exist a fiddling overwhelmed past the moment. I call back track is kind of a special thing in that it's ane of the few events where you almost can't get any coaching done when you lot're at that place considering they're out on the field, and you lot're stuck up the stands. For kids who accept never been there, that's kind of a tough bargain. We were just hoping the kids were going to go out there and compete, have a good time. They went out and gear up personal bests, and we're expecting about of them to be back again side by side year and practice even better."
Shelbi Stafford was seventh in the 100-meter hurdles (20.78), posting her best time of the year, while eighth-grader Alyson Fletcher was sixth in the javelin (102-01), her best throw of the flavor.
"She got seventh," DuBois said of Stafford. "I recollect coming in, she really wasn't fifty-fifty expecting to be a state qualifier. She got out there and kind of shocked us at regionals. She worked hard over the concluding calendar week to meliorate her time past two-tenths of a second. In a calendar week's time, that's putting in some piece of work correct there. Nosotros fully expect to see her back next year."
"She's throwing at almost 100 feet right now," DuBois said of Fletcher. "We're fully expecting her to exist 10 to 20 feet better side by side twelvemonth when she'southward got some more under her belt and fix some of her mechanics a niggling bit."
Gabrielle Precipitous was 8th in the discus (73-04) in her first state meet.
"She tends to throw kind from a standing scoot position," DuBois said of Sharp. "She doesn't really do the spin or anything like that, but she knew going into this that she was going to accept to take a take chances. She was going to have to attempt the spin in society to try to go on the podium. He all-time throws were in the 80s. In order to get on the podium, she was going to have to exist at like 95, and so she kind of went out there, and nosotros're super proud of the fact that she was willing to take a gamble to endeavour to win."
The Rockets' Steve Garcia was ninth in the javelin (103-2).
"His all-time throw of the year was 110," Dubois said of Garcia. "He didn't get that today. He might take been a little overwhelmed past the moment, but he picked upwards a javelin for the first time before we started our district see, so he'due south but been practicing about three weeks. For him to make the state encounter is a big deal. He's motivated to go back again, so he'll be practicing that through basketball season. We're going to get him out in that location, let him throw some while he's working on his jump shot."
No. iv Doyle finishes as state runner-upwardly in three sports
Doyle's Presleigh Scott and Deonna Brister boxing for a ball during Friday's Grade 2A title game.
Three teams from Doyle reached the state title game in 3 different sports in 2021, with the school finishing equally the runner-up in girls basketball, softball and baseball.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
The Lady Tigers went into the flavor intent on defending the state title they won in 2020 and entered the playoffs as the No. one seed in Class 2A with a 17-game win streak.
Doyle carried that momentum into the playoffs, cruising past Oakdale, 82-20 in the starting time round and 76-33 over Avoyelles in the 2nd round. Presleigh Scott scored 43 as Doyle topped No. 9 Rayville 86-71 to return to the state tournament.
In the semifinals at Southeastern'southward University Center, Doyle trailed Avoyelles Public Charter before rallying for a 65-61 win behind 31 points from Elise Jones with Scott in foul trouble.
"Information technology did not come easy," White said. "We did not play our team'southward all-time basketball. We had players step upward and practise a really great job. EJ stepped up and did a really bully chore of leading our team through that, just every bit a whole, it didn't await like the Tigers that we wanted to expect like out in that location. It's a big stage, and while nosotros had been at that place, this was a totally different gym and totally different temper. Give a lot of credit to Avoylles Public Charter … They fabricated us really play and they got after the states. They did a really adept task, and we were just able to kind of dig down, find something and come up back and win it."
In the championship game, Doyle trailed Lake Arthur by 21 points in the third quarter before losing 62-61 when Scott hit a basket at the cablegram.
"That outcome of that game is obviously not what we wanted, merely as a omnibus, I was super proud of the never give up mental attitude that we had out there," White said. "It would take been piece of cake to roll over. It would accept been easy to simply go ahead and accept a 15-bespeak loss and get on with your life, only they didn't practise that. They didn't desire to surrender to anybody no thing how far down we got. They picked up pressure level and hit shots and tried to find a will to win, and I think that's impressive in itself."
Doyle first baseman Kaitlyn Savant (4) watches in a brawl to strength out Many's Makynli Miller (21) during the Course 2A state championship game on Sat, May 1, 2021.
SOFTBALL
The Lady Tigers earned the No. two seed in the Class 2A playoff bracket and started the playoffs with a 20-2 rout of Oakdale in which Doyle scored 7 in the second and 10 in the third to spark the rout.
Marley Olivier threw a three-hitter with 17 strikeouts, helping the Lady Tigers accelerate to the Course 2A quarterfinals with a iv-2 win over S Plaquemines.
Madison Diavile had a 2-run single in the tertiary, and Chloe Welda knocked in a run in the quaternary and scored on an error for a 4-0 lead.
South Plaquemines got its runs in the fourth on two singles and an error.
In the quarterfinals, Doyle scored eight runs over the final two innings, including three home runs, to spark a 9-four win over No. ten Lake Arthur.
Doyle trailed 4-1 going into the bottom of the fifth inning when KK Savant led off the inning by reaching on an error when a wing ball went off the glove of middle fielder Katherine Leonards. Madison Diaville's unmarried collection in Savant, cutting the atomic number 82 to 4-2.
Elise Jones reached on a throwing fault at third when a throw got away later on a grounder to third as Lake Arthur attempted to get Diaville out at second, putting runners at second and third for Marley Olivier's sacrifice wing to centre to cut the atomic number 82 to 4-iii.
Kassidy Rivero followed with a grounder to 3rd, and Jones scored on a play at the plate to necktie the score at four-4.
Kylee Savant reached on another error in centerfield, and Chloe Welda followed with a two-run home run for a six-iv lead.
Doyle padded the pb when Addison Contorno led off the lesser of the sixth with a solo home run to right field for a 7-4 lead.
KK Savant singled to left, and 2 outs later on, Olivier hit a two-run home run to left field.
Olivier retired Lake Arthur in gild in the top of the seventh. She gave up iii hits, 4 runs, one walk and struck out 4 in the win.
In the semifinals, Jones' sacrifice fly to eye field scored Addison Contorno for the game'southward lone run in a 1-0 victory over Rosepine.
Doyle's game-winning rally began when Contorno dropped a fly ball to fly brawl into left field, got to 2nd and motored into third when the throw from the outfield got away.
Rosepine elected to walk KK Savant and Madison Diaville to bring up Jones, who struck out with runners on second and third to end the bottom of the sixth inning after Shelby Taylor and Savant had singles.
Savant had two hits to atomic number 82 Doyle, while Contorno, Marley Olivier and Taylor also had hits for the Lady Tigers.
Jones, who finished 0-for-3, drove a ball to center field, which was defenseless, allowing Contorno to score.
No. 1 Many put together a four-run sixth inning with six straight hits, rallying for a 4-2 win over Doyle in the title game.
Doyle grabbed a ane-0 lead when Jones led off the second inning with a solo home run to left field.
Many stranded a pair of runners in the quaternary subsequently a pair of walks, but Doyle padded the atomic number 82 in the tiptop of the fifth after Chloe Welda led off with a walk, moved to second on Shelby Taylor's sacrifice bunt, third on Contorno's grounder to first and scored on Savant's double to center field, making the score ii-0.
Doyle's Andrew Yuratich throws a pitch to a Rosepine concoction.
Baseball
Doyle's drive to Sulphur was fueled by its loss to Kinder in the championship game in 2019. The squad had the nucleus of that squad returning as seniors this season but hit some bumps early while the school's basketball players were in the playoffs.
The Tigers lost five games in a row, including four-3 to Barbe, which got a 2-run double with ii out in the lesser of the seventh to win the game.
"I kind of wish we could take got to that 30-win season," Doyle coach Tim Beatty said after the Tigers finished 28-nine and he was named the All-Parish co-Coach of the Year, along with Walker's Randy Sandifer. "That would have been actually special for our guys. Not having them (basketball game players) that stretch, nosotros did go through a little lull. The teams nosotros played, they were happy to play us without them."
"You can e'er play the what ifs and go back through the season," Beatty continued, pointing to losses to Pope John Paul Ii and Barbe. "People are going to talk most that Barbe game, especially on our team, are going to talk about that game the rest of their life. We brought the No. 4 team, I think in the country at the fourth dimension, to basically one pitch away from chirapsia them. A lot of our guys' memories was just playing Barbe and that was awesome. It was a highlight and a low spot in our flavour."
Doyle also dealt with key injuries to Peyton Woods, who broke a bone in his hand, and Braden McLin, who injured his hamstring.
"We were banged upwardly, human being. I'one thousand not going to lie," Beatty said. "In ane stretch of the time, nosotros were missing our No. v and six-hole hitters, Braden McLin and Peyton Woods. Peyton Woods never really showed united states what he can do because he was injured. He injured his paw on a home run. He fought back through it and was able to commencement pitching, and he pitched well in a couple of outings that he was able to pitch in. He pitched actually well. In fact, he was going to exist start in if Andrew (Yuratich) got in a little problem in the title game. We didn't get to run across the potential that I know he has at the plate …"
"Abedn Kennedy, the guy that kind of came in in his spot and filled in, man, he kind of got the risk and took reward of it and had a really proficient twelvemonth for us replacing Peyton," Beatty said. "If we had Peyton's stick in the lineup in that championship game, who knows what could have happened considering he's got a lot of potential."
Beatty praised his team for its endeavor during that signal in the flavour.
"We didn't skip a beat out, man," Beatty said. "The guys that filled in for those guys got it washed, human being. We could have (said), poor u.s.a., we're missing ii guys, merely, no. We kept on rolling and got it done. That'southward i thing I liked most our guys. We really had a really skillful team, not merely on the mound. Nosotros were really special on the mound, but other guys that filled in at times got it done too."
Doyle won 13 in a row earlier that loss to Pope John Paul and also lost a one-run game to St. Thomas Aquinas. An 8-0 win over French Settlement started a 50-inning scoreless streak the Tigers carried into the country tournament.
During the scoreless inning streak, the Tigers got a no-hitter from Karson Jones in a win over Northlake Christian, while Yuratich, Logan Turner and McLin combined on a perfect game in an viii-0 win over Oakdale to open the 2A playoffs, which Doyle entered as the No. i seed.
"When it comes downwards to it, information technology's nice to have all these pitchers," Beatty said. "I wish the season never would end considering we could run guys out at that place. Caiden Barcia had a really practiced year for a freshman, and you'd similar to see him get more than innings toward the end of the year, but of course when you brand the playoffs, you kind of narrow it downward to the two or three guys that you're actually counting on, and that's kind of what happened in that location."
Yuratich followed with a perfect game with 17 strikeouts in a six-0 win over Pine. Hunter Bankston, Turner and Caiden Barcia combined to shut out Pine x-0 in the 2d game of the series, and the Tigers swept Kinder 11-0 and five-0.
"That was a lot to talk about, and it was a lot of fun," Beatty said of the scoreless innings streak. "The kids pitched better considering of it. I think it kind of upped their game a little fleck. It kind of upped their focus. They didn't desire to be that person to give up that run, I promise."
Loreauville stopped the streak, getting a run in the first inning in the semifinals against Yuratich, merely Tyson Stewart had four RBIs and Kennedy a 3-run home run, helping the Tigers to an 11-1 win.
In the championship game, Yuratich had a no-hitter going into the fifth inning, and Rosepine got a pair of hits in the sixth, leading to a run in a 1-0 loss.
"You lot talk about a team that gave up two runs, y'all're thinking those guys won the state title, and it but didn't happen for u.s.a.," Beatty said.
Walker'due south Kedric Brown drives against Zachary's Gerren Hayes at Burton Coliseum in Lake Charles, Louisiana on Wed, March 10, 2021. (AP Photo/Lake Charles American Press, Kirk Meche)
No. 5 Walker basketball
The Walker boys basketball game team began the Class 5A playoffs seeded a piffling bit lower than information technology would take liked -- at No. xv -- merely the Wildcats made a return trip to the state tournament anyway.
The Wildcats, who recently won their sixth straight Livingston Parish championship, fabricated it to the semifinals with a few new peices to the puzzle subsequently losing Jalen Melt graduation, LSU and so Tulane, while Brian Thomas Jr. opted not to play basketball his senior season before signing to play football at LSU.
The Wildcats put together a solid run in the third quarter to help spark a 60-45 victory over Ponchatoula to open the playoffs, which was also Schiro's 300th career win.
Walker led 29-26 at halftime earlier the No. xviii Greenish Moving ridge opened the third quarter with a 5-0 burst that was fueled by Walker turnovers.
Walker'due south Matt Ellis hitting a 3-pointer that started an 11-0 run by the Wildcats, who worked the boards equally the Green Wave struggled from the field.
Walker used the same formula to expand its lead in the 4th quarter with Donald Butler scoring eight of his eighteen points in the fourth quarter. His dunk put the Wildcats ahead l-38.
In the regional round, Walker faced No. 31 Thibodaux, which defeated No. 2 West Monroe.
The Wildcats put together a solid third quarter to pull away for a 63-56 road win. Walker led 31-29 at halftime but used a 17-8 run in the 3rd quarter to lead 48-37 going into the 4th.
Thibodaux airtight with a xix-15 run.
The Wildcats snapped a 14-14 necktie at the stop of the starting time quarter as Warren Young Jr. scored eight points and Gavin Harris vii in helping Walker gain the border at halftime.
Young finished with 22 points, including four 3-pointers, while Harris had sixteen. Donald Butler added x with six in the third quarter.
Thibodaux hit half dozen treys as Rashaud Winslow scored 17 points to lead the team.
In the quarterfinals, Warren Young Jr. scored 23 points and Gavin Harris added 21 equally the Wildcats scored a 57-54 win over Alexandria, securing Walker's render trip to the state tournament.
"That'due south where we set the standard for our programme, and that'due south what we're trying to keep it at," Walker passenger vehicle Anthony Schiro said. "I'm proud of my guys for buying in to what we're trying to do and playing the way they play and never giving upwards. We just want to keep it rolling as best we tin can and keep winning."
Alexandria led 28-23 at halftime later on Harris hitting a trey, but Walker went on a 19-10 run in the third quarter to accept the pb. Immature had 12 points in the quarter and 18 in the 2d half.
Walker's wild ride through the playoffs came to an end in the semifinals, a 58-44 loss to District four-5A rival Zachary.
Broncos guard Jordan DeCuir scored 14 of his game-high 20 points in the 2d half. Zachary outscored the Wildcats 37-25 over the final two quarters to accept command of a shut game.
Harris scored 18 points and Young added 17 to lead Walker.
Walker'south Camden Carver reaches on an error at showtime base in the showtime inning of Thursday'southward semifinal game against West Monroe. Carver scored the Wildcats' only run of the game later in the inning.
No. vi Walker baseball
(Editor'southward note: This is a portion of a story that was originally published on June 16, 2021.)
Fast starts to the flavor don't always equate to success to down the line, but that wasn't the case for the Walker baseball game squad last season.
Walker started the flavour nine-0, which motorbus Randy Sandifer said was key in helping gear up the Wildcats up for the postseason, which included a run to the semifinals, as the team stayed in the top 10 of the Class 5A ability rankings.
"We've kind of been preaching as Sulphur being the goal for ii years and trying to attain it and talking near for that to happen that the easiest course is to be really in that top viii, top four preferably, and to do that, you've got to win games early," Sandifer, who was selected All-Parish Jitney of the Year along with Doyle's Tim Beatty, said. "When the rankings begin to take hold really at the end of week 2, you need to exist in a position to practise that and non accept lost two or three games to where you're exterior looking in and you're chasing considering I think by the fourth dimension week four or 5 gets hither, it's difficult to move a lot. You don't actually move up a whole lot with wins and you don't drop a whole lot with losses at that bespeak. We kind of figured out that information technology'due south really those starting time two or three weeks y'all need to rack up as many wins as possible to be upwardly there in a position because I felt similar in the past that by the time y'all get out of the tournaments in calendar week 4, you can already put yourself in the playoffs. If you're in the meridian 16 or so, y'all'd have to really fall off to not make it. You've already accomplished that part of information technology, so so you're just kind of jockeying to discover a spot."
Walker stayed steady all flavour and didn't striking a crash-land until dropping a pair of games to Alive Oak before getting a win over Cosmic of Pointe Coupee and then losing a game to Central.
"Luckily, information technology started raining, and we kind of got a week to regroup," Sanidfer chuckled. "That was really the only stretch that nosotros went through. We weren't making pitches on the mound. Nosotros didn't pitch horrible, simply it wasn't besides equally we'd pitched throughout the yr. We had some plays on defence force that were not up to what we had been making and and so offensively, nosotros couldn't do annihilation. Some of that has to do with the guys we were seeing on the mound for Alive Oak and Cardinal … but we gave upwardly a lot of runs in those iii games and just didn't play very adept defensively."
The calendar week before the last week of the regular season, rainy weather played havoc with the baseball game schedule, but Sandifer said the Wildcats tried to apply that to their advantage in playing six games in six days, winning all of them heading into the playoffs.
"We were simply kind of hoping when we were getting rained out, some other teams were getting rained out as well, and then that everybody was having to play pretty much every day like nosotros were and couldn't save pitching for certain games. We felt pretty confident that we could go three or 4 deep that calendar week and exist able to match people. We would take our chances with both teams' No. 4'southward on the mound … and that's really what happened."
In the playoffs, the Wildcats opened with a 5-0 win over Destrehan and defeated Due west Ouachita and New Iberia in best two of iii series to advance to Sulphur, simply Sandifer said Ouachita Parish'south 7-v upset win over Live Oak in the beginning circular as well helped set upward his squad'south playoff run.
"I think the force per unit area is obviously on the higher seeded team, and I think when we were able to come out with the win (over Destrehan), I retrieve information technology relaxed us," Sandifer said. "Let's be honest, Live Oak losing I think gave us a little more confidence knowing that somewhere in that 2d or 3rd round, you weren't going to face them. Nosotros got fortunate with West Ouachita chirapsia Acadiana, then we were facing the lower seeded teams …" That'due south proficient and bad because and then kind of all the pressure'southward on you and you should win."
In the semifinals, all of the game'due south runs were scored in the outset inning, with Westward Monroe grabbing a iii-ane victory.
"We were right in that location," Sandifer said. "It's kind of bloodshot to think we out hitting them and nosotros probably had more base runners than they had throughout the game, but that's office of baseball. We won some games on the other side of that throughout the flavor where we were outhit and the other team had more opportunities than usa. You lot detest to be at that stage and it happen to you, merely that's how the game is."
"It'due south just a very gratifying experience, non only for myself, but for the assistant coaches, for this group of seniors, the juniors that are coming back, actually for all of our upperclassmen," Sandifer said. "It's simply very gratifying to see the effort and time put into it and be rewarded by getting to that take a chance of being in Sulphur. That's the biggest thing. It's hard to be disappointed or annihilation like that. It's but a very gratifying year. I tell them all the time, the season is not fun. It'southward stressful, a lot of pressure level on you day in and day out, just to get to that point, and now that information technology's been a couple of weeks looking back at it, information technology'due south just been very gratifying. Looking back on it, in that location's not a whole lot of thwarting or the 'what if?' scenarios. At that place's very few of those that happened through the course of the year."
Walker'southward Caleb Webb was the All-Parish Co-MVP along with Alive Oak's Blaise Preister.
French Settlement right fielder Brooke Karpinski (18) follows through on a swing during Class 2A semifinal game on Friday, April 30, 2021.
No. 7 French Settlement softball
(Editor's note: This is a portion of a story that was originally published on June three, 2021.)
The French Settlement softball team parlayed a fast showtime to the season into a run to the state tournament.
The Lady Lions advanced to the Form 2A semifinals, setting the tone for their season with a vii-0 start.
That quick beginning also gave FSHS bus Blake West and his coaching staff and idea the programme could be in for a special flavour.
"We kind of show upward at practise and we run into how well we're clicking," said West, who was selected the All-Parish Coach of the Twelvemonth. "That was the point where we kind of started to believe in ourselves that this season could exist something special."
Things slowed from there, as the Lady Lions went vi-vii with a pair of losses to St. Thomas Aquinas and single losses to Central, Doyle, Holden and Springfield during the stretch, merely that wasn't necessarily a negative for the team.
The other part of the equation for West was having a immature squad that featured but ane senior in outfielder Blair Henderson, but he said the squad'south youth was never an issue this season.
"This team, all season long, they showed a great mentality and a swell team arroyo of just playing the game, just focusing on the game between the lines, only get out there and enjoy yourself and rely on your instincts," West said. "Don't think too much most the X's and O'due south. Don't call back as well much most what needs to be done to execute. Just rely on your instincts and do information technology. Yes, they were immature. Information technology was a group that we preached to them, 'even though you are young, yous play this game. You know how to play this game. Lean on your instincts and let the rest take care of itself.'"
French Settlement finished the regular season on a 5-two run, with a 3-2 loss to Doyle in that stretch. In that game, the Lady Lions had the tying run on first to end the game afterwards trailing three-0 heading into the seventh inning.
"That game was big for us," West said. "It was definitely a playoff-type atmosphere. It was a playoff-type setting. It was a game where a couple weeks before they had beat us pretty good. We felt like nosotros could go in there and compete with them. It was really expert to leave there and testify ourselves that we could go toe-to-toe with the height seed in our state and that we could hang with anybody in our class."
The Lady Lions earned a No. 12 seed in the Form 2A playoffs and opened the postseason with a five-3 win over Delcambre at home.
"That first-round game, it was tough," West said. "(Delcambre) came out, they battled, they got upwardly on us early. We had to kind of claw our way back and fight our fashion dorsum. It was big to be at home and to pull out that win and show ourselves that we're a squad that we can do some damage in the playoffs – that we can rely on what nosotros've learned from our losses, what nosotros've learned from our wins and that nosotros could make a deep run."
FSHS continued its playoff run with a 6-1 road win over No. 5 Lakeside with Emma Petite taking a no-hitter into the seventh inning.
"That was 1 of the most complete games nosotros played all season," W said. "We knew our opponent could swing it well, only Petite matched them with one of her best performances in the circle all season."
The Lady Lions scrapped for a 3-2 road win over No. 4 Winnfield to advance to the country tournament, snapping a 2-2 tie on seventh-grader Stella Allison's two-out RBI double in the sixth to win the game.
"That was game there, it was a battle," West said. "We grinded it out. Information technology was one of those games you lot just dream of being in and playing in both from a coaching standpoint and a player's standpoint. I know they loved it, they enjoyed it. It showed us that we could win a tough game in a very hostile environs. Regardless of how young nosotros were, it but showed united states of america nosotros can go in there and trounce everyone at any time."
In the semifinals, French Settlement faced No. 2 Many, which snapped a 1-ane tie with six runs in the third inning. FSHS got inside vii-5 before Many scored nine unanswered runs to stop the game early.
"Start of all, the feel was awesome, only like you said, you don't know how it is until yous experience it, and for those girls to get that experience this yr, that'due south going to help the states and so much downwards the road. I really feel like nosotros've got a crew coming dorsum that can get there adjacent year and potentially years afterward. You don't know how information technology (the state tournament) is until y'all get in that location and you fully experience it as a team. Information technology was a not bad experience. I wouldn't trade it for the world."
"Don't go me wrong, you desire to win every game you lot play in," Due west connected. "We would have love to have (played) for a land title this year, especially against Doyle. Human being, that would have been crawly, but at the same time, it'south like, 'OK guys, await what we've done this season. Look what you've achieved this season. Don't hang your heads about annihilation. The hereafter'south very, very bright for French Settlement.'"
Denham Springs' Ray McKneely stiff artillery Ouachita Parish's Jaylen Kincaid.
No. 8 Denham Springs High football
(Editor'south note: This is a portion of a story that was originally published on December 22, 2021.)
In his second season at DSHS, Brett Bristles'south team went 6-5 and fabricated the playoffs for the first time since 2018, advancing to the regional round. Because of that, he was selected Double-decker of the Year by his peers, who too chose the All-Livingston Parish Football Team.
Denham Springs weathered its share of adversity off the field over the past two seasons with the expiry of actor Remy Hidalgo in Bristles's first flavor and the death of defensive coordinator Brian Smith during this past season.
The Yellow Jackets opened the season with a 58-0 win over East Iberville later the flavour opener with Mandeville was cancelled in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida.
The following calendar week, Denham Springs traveled to Cecilia and had 11-point pb with seven minutes to play before losing the game 48-44.
The Cecilia game was likewise defensive coordinator Brian Smith'due south terminal with the squad. After coaching the game that Fri, he passed abroad on Monday after battling cancer for several years.
From there, the Yellow Jackets' flavour took another turn when the team lost tight end Andrew Goodwin to a articulatio genus injury and quarterback Reese Mooney to a broken ankle on the aforementioned bulldoze in the post-obit week's game confronting Franklinton, which DSHS won 33-23.
DSHS got a 59-half dozen win over Tara earlier entering District iv-5A play against Cardinal and Zachary with the team managing 99 yards of total offense in each game while taking a pair of losses.
The team also worked with Ryder Wygant, freshman Jerry Horne and running back Ray McKneely at quarterback, with McKneely eventually getting the starting nod equally the coaching staff worked to become Horne upwardly to speed on the varsity level.
Things started to accept shape for the Yellow Jackets in a 28-vii win over Alive Oak but really came together in a 35-28 overtime win at Walker in which DSHS trailed 14-0 and later rallied from a twenty-7 arrears.
Horne came on at quarterback to engineer the tying drive, hitting Cam'Ron Eirick on a nine-1000 touchdown pass on fourth down to knot the score at 28-28.
McKneely, who moved to running back, scored on a x-k run on the Yellowish Jackets' first drive of overtime, and the DSHS defense force stopped Walker's Ja'Cory Thomas on fourth downwards to ice the win.
The Yellow Jackets lost their regular season finale against Scotlandville 35-14, only Beard said
Denham entered the postseason as the No. 27 seed to earn a game at No. 6 Central. Simply things turned out differently in the rematch with McKneely rushing for 241 yards and four touchdowns in a 42-14 victory as the Xanthous Jackets never trailed.
"It wasn't necessarily the big bargain the rivalry with Primal," Beard said. "Yeah, that was a large deal, but the bigger deal was, we felt like they saw us at a fourth dimension that nosotros were different, and you lot could see how we had gotten better. We were nowhere near the aforementioned team they saw, so my big affair was we tin't lose this game because we're the 27 seed and they're the 6. Most may say nosotros don't vest in the playoffs nonetheless, yous're non a perineal playoff team. Yous've weathered all of this. You lot've got yourself in the playoffs. You can't lose. You've taken this step with this program. You've moved united states in that direction, but to go have the claiming of where we were Week 6 to where we are now, that was a big deal to our kids to prove, not to just Central, just prove to themselves, prove to our schoolhouse, our community and their parents that, 'Wait, I know we've been through a lot, and nosotros've had our ups and downs, but I promise you we've done this. We've done something, and we're on to something.' You lot saw what happened that nighttime."
In the second circular of the playoffs, the Yellow Jackets lost to Ouachita Parish, xx-14, losing iii fumbles in the second half.
McKneely was selected the All-Parish Offensive MVP, while Dylan Watson was the Co-MVP on defense.
The Walker girls soccer squad celebrates its win over Acadiana.
No. 9 DSHS, Alive Oak boys soccer; Walker girls soccer make strides
Information technology was a banner twelvemonth for boys soccer programs at Denham Springs High and Live Oak and Walker on the girls side.
The Xanthous Jackets secured a district title with a win over Catholic and earned the No. 5 seed in the Division I playoff subclass.
Live Oak earned the No. 12 seed in the Segmentation II bracket afterward winning a commune championship and hosted No. 21 Sam Houston in just the second home playoff game in the plan'due south history. Information technology was as well the program's highest ranking to end the flavour.
Meanwhile, the Walker girls soccer program experienced unprecedented success after earning a No. 22 seed, advancing to the second round of the playoffs and hosting a playoff game for the start time in plan history.
DENHAM SPRINGS BOYS SOCCER
Axel Agurcia scored four goals, keying a 9-1 win over Due west Monroe to open the playoffs, while DSHS as well got two goals each from Brennan Amato and Jon Baio, and Blaze Restivo added one score.
Yellow Jackets picked upwards a 4-0 win over No. 12 Mandeville in the 2d round, with Luke Turner scoring on a penalty kick to get things going, and Agurcia, Restivo and Baio followed with goals.
No. 4 C.E. Byrd defeated DSHS iii-2 in the quarterfinals in a game that was scoreless at halftime.
Denham got its first goal on a header by Blaze Restivo off a corner kick from Amato, and Byrd went up three-1 on an own goal. Amato afterwards scored on a gratis kick.
"To me, the goal was to win a country championship, and whether we lost in the first round or in the quarterfinals, it didn't alter," DSHS motorbus Miller Hilliard said subsequently the loss. "Nosotros didn't attain our goal, and again, that all falls back on me. I've got to exercise a better job preparing my guys."
LIVE OAK BOYS SOCCER
The Eagles got a shutout and a pair of goals from Jack Earle to key a 3-0 win over Sam Houston to open the Partitioning II playoffs.
Neville notched a 3-0 win over the Eagles in the regional circular, but coach Zack Miller looked back on what the squad accomplished.
"It's nothing but positives to look back on, and all the negatives that come out of it are things that we can build on," he said. "Nosotros've got 15 juniors, and then we should accept a strong senior class. There's enough of things we can still work on. Although they're all seniors, it's a relatively inexperienced grouping of guys as far as soccer IQ. We can get better. That'due south the exciting function about it."
WALKER GIRLS SOCCER
No. 22 Walker got goals from Shelby Wallace and Religion Walton to notch a 2-1 win over No. xi Acadiana in the first round of the Sectionalization I playoffs at St. Thomas More than, securing the get-go playoff win in programme history.
N0. 6 Mandeville picked upwardly a 7-0 win at over the Lady Cats at Mutiny Stadium in the second round in the first home playoff game in program history.
"We nevertheless accomplished more than than this programme has ever accomplished since its conception, and then for that, my team walked off the field this evening heads high," Walker motorcoach Brenna Perez said subsequently the Lady Cats finished the season at ten-10-3. "At that place were a few tears from the seniors simply proud of what nosotros've done. I don't know how you can't be."
The Holden girls powerlifting squad finished third at the Division V state meet in Monroe.
No. 10: Parish powerlifting on solid ground
Livingston Parish's powerlifting programs, particularly Denham Springs High, Holden and Doyle, made strides this flavor.
For DSHS, the highlight of the state meet came from Raygan Bosco, who became the first athlete in school history to brand the podium past winning the 220-pound weight class with 1,015 pounds. Bosco squatted 480 pounds, benched 195 and had a 380-pound deadlift.
Denham's Ryann Roberson was 4th in the 97-pound class with 585 pounds (180-95-225), while Taylor Weatherford was 9th (160-eighty-170-410) and Paige Landry 10th (160-70-180-410) in the 105-pound course.
Taylor Luneau finished 8th in the 114-pound form (210-90-190-490), while Hannah Enamorado was seventh in the 123-pound class, with 570 pounds (220-ninety-260).
Victoria Durost was 6th in the 132-pound course with 645 pounds (210-130-305).
On the boys side, Denham Springs finished 13th equally a team with half dozen points.
Connor Rutland was 5th in the 123-pound form with 835 pounds (315 squat, 205 bench, 315 deadlift), while Ian Guarisco was ninth in the 132-pound course with 855 pounds (335-185-335).
Landon Kent finished fifth in the 181-pound class with 1,180 pounds (410-275-495), while Jack Guidry was sixth in the 220-pound class with 1,300 pounds (475-330-495).
In the 242-pound form, Casen Cox was seventh (525-325-480-1,345) and Dylan Watson eighth (450-300-435-ane,185).
The Yellow Jackets' Nate LaRue was sixth in the 275-pound form with 1,330 pounds (485-350-495), while Christopher Smith was seventh in the super heavyweight class with i,360 pounds (545-340-425).
For Holden, three Lady Rockets won land championships, two more than were runners-up and 2 finished in 3rd identify as Holden finished 3rd every bit a team at the Division 5 run into.
Mary Wood won the 198-pound class with a total of 845 pounds with a 320-pound squat, 195 demote printing and 330-pound deadlift while setting Division V records in the bench press and total lifted in the weight class.
Kayla Davis was the 220-pound champion with 920 pounds (375-175-370) and was the top lifter in the 165 to super heavyweight classes.
Holden's Gabrielle Sharp won the super heavyweight class with 845 pounds (330-195-320). Holden'south Olivia Barnes was the runner-up in the 123-pound course with 735 pounds (300-135-300).
Anna Hutchinson was the runner up in the 181-pound weight class with 660 pounds (260-130- 270), while teammate Sara Torres was quaternary in the aforementioned weight class with 570 pounds (225- 110-235).
Joleigh George was tertiary in the 165-pound class with 685 pounds (265-130-290).
In the 132-pound class, Holden's Jaydynn Sharp was 3rd with 650 pounds (230-130-290), and teammate Haylee Bordelon was fourth with 625 pounds (230-135-260).
The Lady Rockets' Isabella Guidry was 5th in the 198-pound form with 615 pounds (225-125-265), while Holden'south Ava Maynard was sixth in the 114-pound class (135-85-185).
Holden's boys finished 15th with iii points every bit Christopher Oliphant-Bonds was quaternary in the super heavyweight sectionalisation with 1,105 pounds (440-240-425), while Hunter Vancel was 8th in the 123-pound class (185-105-285-575).
The Lady Tigers finished eighth in the team standings at the country meet and the Tigers finished 11th, each scoring eight points in Doyle'due south first year every bit a program.
Doyle's Layna Neesom won the regional title in the 181.8 pound weight form with a full of 660 pounds while qualifying for the state come across with teammates Anna Catherine Cowsar, Catherine Bankston and Alicia Lindsay. Shawn Westward, McLin, Cade Harris and Anderson qualified for state on the boys side.
Doyle'due south try at the country meet included Neesom finishing second in the 181-pound weight class with a total of 660 pounds (265 squat, 115 bench press, 280 deadlift.
Cowsar was sixth in the 148-pound class, while teammate Catherine Bankston was 9th. Cowsar had a total of 680 pounds (240 squat, 160 bench printing, 270 expressionless elevator) while Bankston had 425 (170 squat, fourscore bench press, 175 dead lift).
On the boys side, Anderson was 2d in the super heavyweight division with 1,350 pounds (540-300-510), while W was fourth in the 114-pound class with 495 pounds (155-115-225). McLin was eighth in the 220-pound class (345-230-395-970), and Harris was tenth in the 275-pound class (285-150-315-750).
Doyle's Alicia Lindsay was 5th in the 220-pound course with 590 pounds (215 squat, 135 bench press, 240 expressionless elevator).
Source: https://www.livingstonparishnews.com/breaking_news/top-10-stories-for-2021----sports/article_d214365c-6d08-11ec-859c-13b1dbcda806.html