Houma area top 10 high school sports stories released for 2021

2021-12-24 03:06:57 By : Ms. vivian Yang

From state championship teams to recovering from Hurricane Ida, it was a memorable sports year in the Houma and Thibodaux areas.

Here's a look back at the top 10 high school sports stories from 2021:

Hurricane Ida left a trail of destruction when it made landfall as a Category 4 storm near Fourchon on Aug. 31.

Ida caused damage to homes, businesses, schools and local athletic facilities. The damage and power issues forced area high schools to cancel games for weeks after the storm. There were many athletes and coaches who evacuated for the storm and didn’t return due to damage to their homes.

Football teams at South Lafourche, South Terrebonne and Ellender played their home games at other stadiums in the area. Volleyball, cross country and swimming teams moved events to other venues due to damage at their  schools.

Kenneth Dixon, a coach who led Ellender to five state basketball championships in girls basketball, died on March 1. He was 70.  Dixon had an aneurysm before a playoff game on Feb. 18.

Dixon led Ellender to five state championships (1999, 2000, 2003, 2007 and 2017), two state runner-up titles (2001 and 2008) and 11 state tournament appearances. He had a 724-258 career record, which included 29 seasons at Ellender and 16 years as a coach in Texas. 

E.D. White Catholic’s football team gave its fans a season to remember by advancing to the Division II state championship game.

It was E.D. White’s first championship game appearance since 1981. The Cardinals hopes of their first state championship win since 1969 were derailed in a 14-7 loss to University Lab at Cajun Field in Lafayette on Dec. 10. E.D. White finished the season 10-1.

St. James four-star Class of 2022 receiver Shazz Preston grabbed national attention when he signed with Alabama during the early signing day period on Dec. 15.

Preston picked Alabama over LSU, Texas and Georgia. The 6-foot, 190-pound receiver caught 65 passes for 750 yards and 10 touchdowns in his senior season.

H.L. Bourgeois volleyball coach Peter Verret announced his retirement after 29 seasons as the Lady Braves coach.

Verret, who has also been the tennis coach for 34 years, had a 781-305 record as the volleyball coach. His teams have qualified for the state playoffs every season, won 19 district championships and advanced to state semifinals three times. He has won over 800 games as tennis coach to go with two team state runner-ups.

IDA COVERAGE:How Hurricane Ida brought rivals E.D. White, Vandebilt closer together and led to winning seasons

HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL:'We've lost a legendary coach': Ellender community reflects on death of Kenneth Dixon

HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL:Why E.D. White Catholic football attributes its success to Layne Gravois’ memory

HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS:How Hurricane Ida left a path of destruction to Louisiana high school athletics

Vandebilt Catholic assistant football coach Charlie Cryer died from a heart attack on Sept. 28. He was 59.

Cryer was in his first season as a defensive coordinator with the Terriers. He had been a coach at many programs across the state of Louisiana in a career that spanned more than 30 seasons, including stops at St. Mary’s of Natchitoches, Vermilion Catholic, St. Louis Catholic and Pope John Paul II. 

South Lafourche took a hard hit when Hurricane Ida made landfall 27 miles south of the school’s campus in Galliano. 

Ida caused minor damage to South Lafourche Memorial Stadium, including the press box, scoreboard, athletic field house and locker rooms. It forced the Tarpons to play all seven of their regular season games on the road. They got to host their first home game of the season in the first-round of the LHSAA Class 4A playoffs against Opelousas. Opelousas won 57-42.

Vandebilt Catholic girls track and field won the LHSAA Class 4A state championship for the first time in school history in May.

Emery Prentice and Ella Chestnut, who are both LSU signees, helped lead the way. Prentice won the pole vault at 13 feet, 6.25 inches and triple jump at 37-01.25. Chestnut won the 1600-meter run (5 minutes, 18.41 seconds) and 3,200 (11:24.78).

E.D. White continued its dominance in swimming and cross country.

In swimming, it was E.D. White’s fifth consecutive state boys championship and seventh in school history. The girls swimming team won their ninth title and have won three in a row. In cross country, E.D. White girls won its sixth state championship and second in a row. 

Vandebilt Catholic won the Class 4A state girls championship in Natchitoches on Nov. 16. They have won five overall with their first in 2016.

Brynn Kelso won the Class 4A race with a time of 19 minutes, 30.5 seconds. Logan Hamilton placed third at 19:36.5.

Reach Chris Singleton at 985-857-2213 or chris.singleton@houmatoday.com and on Twitter @courierchris.