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The Mangham High baseball team and Catholic-Pointe Coupee softball team claimed the Louisiana High School Athletic Association’s 1A state titles. The two champions parlayed their success into prominent placement on the 2013 Louisiana Sports Writers Association’s Class 1A All-State squads. Pitcher Ryann Bizette, an eighth grader (15-1, 1.02 ERA, 124 strikeouts), freshman Katelynn Bellelo (.443, … Continue reading →
The story starts with a summer baseball team that uses a talented pitching staff to place second in a national tournament as 9-year-olds. The players then go their separate ways only to be reunited nine years later. What sounds like a great script for a movie is set to become a reality this weekend at the Louisiana … Continue reading →
Baseball Pos Player School Cl Stats P Ridge Heisler Mangham So. 15-1 P Braden Bristo Ouachita Christian Sr. 10-2 P Stewart Campbell St. Martin’s Sr. 6-3 P Bryson Barbier Central Catholic Jr. 11-2 C Jonathan Washam Ouachita Christian Sr. .517 Continue reading →
Former East Ascension High boys basketball coach Butch Smart died Tuesday morning in Ruston following a lengthy battle with cancer. He was 69. “His teams always ran the motion offense very well, and that was during a time when not a lot of people were doing that,” St. Amant coach Gary Duhe said. “Butch could be a … Continue reading →
Ask a coach what makes an athlete great, and chances are you’ll get multiple answers. Ultimately, it was a multitude of talent that helped set St. Amant High’s Toni Rodriguez and Port Allen High’s Darian Claiborne apart. Rodriguez and Claiborne claimed the Athlete of the Year honors at The Advocate’s 28th annual Athlete of the Year/Star … Continue reading →
Marqus Mitchell has been an assistant boys basketball coach at three of the Baton Rouge area’s prominent high school boys basketball programs. The one thing the 31-year-old coach has not done is work as a head coach. Until now. Tara announced it has hired Mitchell to replace longtime coach Larry Grantham, who announced his retirement … Continue reading →
The six finalists for tonight's Advocate Star of Stars banquet sare Morgan Miller of St. Joseph's, Toni Rodriguez of St. Amant, Amber Smith of Plaquemine, Brennan Bozeman of Parkview Baptist, Darian Claiborne of Port Allen and Marquise Ricard of Southern Lab. Continue reading →
The 28th Athlete of the Year/Star of Stars banquet is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at The Advocate’s administrative offices located at 7290 Bluebonnet Blvd. Twenty-four athletes in 15 high school sports from the Baton Rouge area will be honored during the annual event along with the Athlete of Year winners. The Advocate announced the Athlete … Continue reading →
New state champions were crowned in Class B in 2013 as Florien claimed the softball title, while Forest returned to the top of the baseball heap after a one-year hiatus. The two teams were honored with multiple selections to the Class B All-State teams, as voted on by a panel from the Louisiana Sports Writers Association. Continue reading →
Six high school athletes who excelled in a broad range of sports will be the headliners for the 28th Athlete of the Year/Star of Stars banquet Tuesday at The Advocate’s editorial offices at 7290 Bluebonnet Blvd. Many of the Baton Rouge area’s top high school athletes will be honored, starting at 6:30 p.m. The list includes the six Athlete … Continue reading →
PINEVILLE — The second game of the Louisiana High School Coaches Association’s All-Star weekend featured some big plays. But there was no winner. The East and West squads played to a 3-3 tie on Saturday at Louisiana College because the rules for the games make no provision for extra innings. The West won the … Continue reading →
Family Christian Academy and Hackberry won the Class C state titles in baseball and softball, respectively, for the second straight year. The fact the two powerhouses would dominate the Louisiana Sports Writers Association’s Class C all-state teams is no surprise. Hackberry’s Sydney Broussard and Family Christian’s Ben Chauvin claimed the Outstanding Player awards. Not … Continue reading →
The health-related news for Parkview Baptist football coach Kenny Guillot and East Ascension boys basketball coach Kenny Almond is good. Guillot, who was diagnosed with a form of lymphoma days before the Eagles won the Classs 3A title, was declared cancer free just more than a week ago. “At my last chemo, they did … Continue reading →
Baseball Ben Chauvin Family Christian Sr. .494 M.J. Frazier Family Christian Sr. 10-0 Tyler Randall Family Christian Sr. .481 Richard Hopkins Family Christian Sr. 32 RBIs Mason Diaz Family Christian So. .480 Continue reading →
It was a different kind of year for former St. Amant High baseball coach Bob Lemons. Instead of being a head coach, Lemons was an assistant baseball coach at another Ascension Parish school, East Ascension. The chance to serve as the head coach of the East squad for this weekend’s Louisiana High School Coaches Association’s All-Star … Continue reading →
Mandeville — Come November, when the Mandeville High School basketball team takes the court for its opening game, a familiar face will be missing. John Priola, who has coached the Skippers for the past 17 years and also served as the school’s athletic director, is becoming a full-time administrator at Mandeville. At Thursday’s monthly St. … Continue reading →
PINEVILLE — The Louisiana High School Coaches Association All-Star softball game was anything but a Friday night pitcher’s duel. The East pounded out 10 hits, the West 14 hits, and the West team’s Hali Williams of Comeaux High hit a home run to left field on her first swing in the first inning, which … Continue reading →
First, it was the regular season, and then it was the postseason. The 2013 season for Louisiana High School Athletic Association softball players concludes this weekend with the Louisiana High School Coaches Association All-Star games at Louisiana College in Pineville. Players for the East and West squads report between 10 and 11 a.m. Friday for the … Continue reading →
Some players quit playing a sport because of an injury or because they no longer like it. For Live Oak High’s Brooke Morris, it was a practical decision. “I played a lot of basketball when I was younger,” Morris said. “But when I was in junior high and I was 5-foot-2, I figured out it might not … Continue reading →
NEW ORLEANS — It was fitting that Clay Moffitt ended the Class 5A state baseball title game at the bottom of Catholic’s scrum, yelling and hugging teammates as they crowded Sunday’s unlikely hero on the mound. Moffitt’s efforts during a 3-2 upset of Zachary in an all-Baton Rouge final served as a microcosm of … Continue reading →
Former Christian Life Academy standout Frank Bartley has signed to play basketball at Brigham Young University. The 6-foot-4, 205-pound Bartley helped lead CLA to the Class 1A state title in 2011-2012. He spent the 2012-13 school year at a prep school, Future College Prep, located in Carson, Calif. “The coach from BYU was recruiting one … Continue reading →
NEW ORLEANS — It was fitting that Clay Moffitt ended the Class 5A state baseball title game at the bottom of Catholic’s scrum, yelling and hugging teammates as they crowded Sunday’s unlikely hero on the mound. Moffitt’s efforts during a 3-2 upset of Zachary in an all-Baton Rouge final served as a microcosm of the … Continue reading →
NEW ORLEANS — The Catholic Bears are one win away from ending the season as the state’s best in Class 5A. Thanks to opportunistic base runners, a sharp sophomore on the mound and, a defense that has peaked in the postseason, 21st-seeded Catholic defeated ninth-seeded West Monroe 3-1 Saturday afternoon in a … Continue reading →
NEW ORLEANS — Sam Houston baseball coach Brad Book told his team exactly what the Class 5A Louisiana High School Athletic Association’s State Tournament was going to be like. He told him it was going to rain, that they would have to sit through hours of delays, that they would be told to go back … Continue reading →
SULPHUR — Family Christian definitely had that feeling of déjà vu. And the Flames can’t complain about the championship view. Ben Chauvin tossed a four-hitter and claimed Outstanding Player honors for the second straight season as Family Christian notched its second consecutive Class C crown with a 7-2 victory over Claiborne Christian at McMurry Park. Continue reading →
SULPHUR — After teammate and Tulane signee Corey Merrill pitched a two-hitter in Friday’s semifinal, LSU signee Jared Poche knew what he had to do Saturday. And Poche did it with dominance, tossing a one-hitter and striking out 11, leading Lutcher High to a 4-0 victory over St. Thomas More in the Class 4A title … Continue reading →
MONROE — For the second day in a row, Mangham allowed its opponent an early lead with two runs. And for the second day in a row, the No. 2 seed came storming back. On Saturday, the Dragons took home their first Class 1A state baseball title — and the first for a Class 1A … Continue reading →
SULPHUR — The groundskeepers at McMurry Park are going to have to check the outfield walls for dents. Parkview Baptist banged the walls with a barrage of extra-base hits to return to the top of Class 3A baseball. The fifth-seeded Eagles beat second-seeded E.D. White 9-5 Saturday to win the Class 3A state baseball … Continue reading →
St. Joseph’s Academy cross country coach Sam Young has announced his retirement, at least for now, after spending 20 years coaching girls teams at two Baton Rouge schools. Mark LaHaye,will take over as head coach in the fall with Redstickers track coach Charlie Daigle serving as an assistant, the school announced. “I’ve … Continue reading →
MONROE — The rain affected every LHSAA state baseball tournament except the one for Classes 1A and 2A at the University of Louisiana at Monroe’s Warhawk Field. All games were on time, but the wet outfield played a huge part in the Class 2A title game Saturday afternoon between University High and Evangel Christian. Continue reading →
NEW ORLEANS — The Masters of Small Ball are headed for the Class 5A state championship game. Zachary used two well-timed, well-placed bunts, plus a heads-up base running play to fashion all the runs they needed in the sixth inning of a 4-1 victory against Sam Houston in their semifinal game Saturday at Tulane’s … Continue reading →
Pairings and scores for the Louisiana High School Athletic Association’s state baseball tournaments. Class 5A At Tulane’s Turchin Stadium Quarterfinals Friday n Catholic 4, Sulphur … Continue reading →
NEW ORLEANS — For a closer, Zachary pitcher Travis Cliburn had a pretty good start. In his first appearance as a starter this season, the senior right-hander flirted with a no-hitter and kept St. Amant’s hitters off balance to help his team take a 7-2 victory in the quarterfinals of the Class 5A baseball tournament … Continue reading →
MONROE — University High pitcher Manny Miles said his father, LSU football coach Les Miles, only saw three of his games before Friday’s Class 2A semifinal against top-seeded Calvary Baptist. With spring football over, the LSU coach made the trip to Monroe, along with his wife, Kathy, and daughter, Macy, and Manny made sure to … Continue reading →
SULPHUR — After years of knocking at the door, E.D. White is back in the state championship game. The second-seeded Cardinals beat 11th-seeded Brusly 4-0 Friday night in the semifinals of the Class 3A state baseball playoffs. “We’re not accepting anything less than being here,” E.D. White coach Shane Trosclair said. “We’re here and … Continue reading →
NEW ORLEANS — Rain, rain go away. Come back after Sunday. It’s a theme dozens of high school baseball players shared Friday afternoon as area showers transformed the LHSAA Class 5A baseball tournament at Tulane’s Turchin Stadium into a soggy situation. If the remaining teams are lucky, the nursery rhyme might allow the … Continue reading →
NEW ORLEANS — Let’s play two. Heck, let’s play three. That’s the way it’s going to be next spring when the second and third rounds of the Class 5A baseball tournament become two-out-of-three affairs rather than single elimination as has been the case in all other classes and, for that matter, most other LHSAA … Continue reading →
SULPHUR — Top-seeded Family Christian set the tone early and never wavered despite a five-hour rain delay. The Flames notched a 10-0 five-inning victory over District 6C rival Maurepas in Friday’s Class C semifinal action at the Louisiana High School Athletic Association’s State Baseball Tournament at McMurry Park. M.J. Frazier tossed a one-hitter … Continue reading →
SULPHUR — The slogan on the back of Parkview Baptist’s T-shirts said it all: “Our goal is ending yours.” Fifth-seeded PBS made those words a reality again Friday at McMurry Park. The Eagles pounded 15 hits and got one-hit pitching from starter Gage Pickett in an 11-0 victory over top-seeded North DeSoto in a … Continue reading →
MONROE — St. John-Plaquemine scored the first run of its Class 1A semifinal contest against No. 2 Mangham. The Eagles also scored their second run in the second inning, but it would be the last time the No. 6 seed capitalized with runners in scoring position, helping Mangham to post a 4-2 victory at the … Continue reading →
NEW ORLEANS — Two months ago, Catholic High had an 8-8 record, showcasing little resemblance to a high school baseball team two victories from a Class 5A state title. Those early wins and just as many losses, though, helped teammates get to know each other and later, learn to depend on each other. It showed during Friday … Continue reading →
SULPHUR — A solo home run by Tioga’s Dylan Roy ended Corey Merrill’s bid for a no-hitter in the top of the seventh inning. But Merrill and Lutcher both got what they ultimately wanted — a berth in the Class 4A title game. Merrill, a Tulane signee, tossed a two-hitter and struck out nine … Continue reading →
Test your knowledge with this multiple choice question about Baton Rouge’s two Class 3A baseball semifinalists, Brusly High and Parkview Baptist. Which of the following statements is true? A. Brusly was the last school to beat Parkview to win a district baseball title. B. PBS designated hitter Chris Dupont is the nephew of BHS … Continue reading →
University High’s baseball team has assembled a glittering résumé with a District 7-2A championship and a school record for number of wins. In order to truly leave a legacy as the school’s most accomplished team, however, the Cubs must go where no other team in school history has gone before and that’s to win a Class 2A … Continue reading →
As the 2012 Class 5A State Baseball Tournament gets underway Friday at Tulane’s Turchin Stadium, the state’s coaches are working on their strategies. Some are hoping to figure out a way to beat the rain that is predicted to drench some of the action. And they’re all trying to figure out how to beat Barbe. Continue reading →