10 years of fun!

This past week was a special one for me.

On Jan. 30, it marked the 10-year anniversary of covering high school athletics in Louisiana – dating back to my time doing some part-time work when I was at LSU.

I’ve seen some good ones, some bad ones and a lot of friendly faces who are somewhere in between.

The entire process has been nothing short of amazing.

I don’t like to stop and smell the roses often, but this week I did, looking back at some of the more memorable moments of my career to this point. I decided to make a list of several memories that stand out to me as my best so far.

No. 10 – Meeting the greats at the Manning Passing Academy – Every Manning Passing Academy is an honor to cover. Between getting to meet Archie, Eli, Cooper and Peyton Manning and also the college counselors that come annually, I can say that I’ve spoken to some of the best quarterbacks in the world – a list that includes Andrew Luck, Jared Goff and many, many others. Heck, I even got to meet Johnny Manziel. The event is amazing and it’s been my absolute pleasure to be part of it.

No. 9 – LSU’s golden era – With the LSU student newspaper, I was part of a golden era in Tiger athletics. In my time as a student, LSU won a football national title, a College World Series and the men’s and women’s basketball teams both made the Final Four. Along the way, I was blessed to cover guys like Glenn Dorsey, Glen Davis, Sylvia Fowles and so many other historic names in school history. I also got to meet Nick Saban, Geno Auriemma and even the late Pat Summitt. My favorite LSU memory was the night the Tigers beat Duke in the NCAA Tournament – the year they went to the Final Four.

No. 8 – Covering Justin Williams – No athlete I’ve ever covered is more dominant at his/her respective sport than Justin Williams was at high school baseball. Williams played multiple positions and did a little bit of everything for Terrebonne. His hitting stroke was so pure that he was widely heralded as a sure-fire pro – so much so that he hit with a wooden bat his senior season to get ready for the next level. Today, Williams is on the 40-man roster with the Tampa Bay Rays and I think there’s more than a good chance that he ends up in the MLB before 2020 – if not sooner.

No. 7 – The Southland Conference Tournament – I was blessed to cover the Southland Conference Tournament in 2011 and it was one of my best memories as a journalist. The Colonels’ girls’ team entered the field as underdogs, but they shocked the entire conference, crushing No. 1 Central Arkansas 79-59 in an early-tournament blowout. I still say to this day that Nicholls would have won the entire tournament if not for a knee injury, which slowed guard Sumar Leslie. She played the next day against Stephen F. Austin, but wasn’t the same. The Colonels lost a close one.

No. 6 – Seeing the Biddy kids grow old – Right now, I get nostalgic every Tuesday and Friday night. When I was first moving back home out of college, I was blessed with the honor of watching the South Lafourche Biddy Basketball team win the International Championship. The team was led by Traya Bruce and Victorianna Nelson and they were unbelievable, featuring several young ladies who are high school standouts today. Now, many years later, Bruce and Nelson have helped South Lafourche emerge as an annual state powerhouse – a team with a chance to win the Class 4A State Championship. Seeing that group grow up and seeing other young groups emerge to middle school or even now high school, is just incredible to me. It makes me feel awfully old.

No. 5 – Every dog has his day – OK, so now, a time to brag. I am not a good athlete. I never have been blessed with a lick of athleticism in my body, which is why I write about sports, instead of competing in them. But twice, I’ve beaten state champions in competition while on the job. When Vandebilt graduate and current WNBA standout Theresa Plaisance was a senior, I can proudly say I beat her in a game of HORSE. Sure, she had just gotten back from the McDonald’s All-American Game. Sure, she was dog tired. But I beat her. I also can say that I beat Vandebilt State Champion bowler Colleen Cheramie in a game on the lanes, as well. Sure, she was breaking in a new ball. Sure, I could never bowl a 231 again. But I did it on that day. I can only mention these feats because both Plaisance and Cheramie are now friends. I know they accept my bragging in style.

No. 4 – Rusty Borne outjumps a legend – On the LSU track, I saw a Bayou Boy outjump a legend. South Lafourche standout Rusty Borne was maybe the best pure athlete I’ve ever seen. On the football field, he was electric – one of the best to ever play at the school. But in track, he was amazing, as well. In Borne’s senior season, he competed against St. Augustine standout Tyrann Mathieu. He wasn’t well-known at the time, but he later became an LSU football superstar and an NFL Pro Bowler with the Arizona Cardinals. Borne and Mathieu went toe-to-toe like titans. At the end of the day, Borne outjumped him by a nose, securing the title. What a fun day.

No. 3 – VCHS tragedy – My heart hurt for months after four Vandebilt students – T.J. Cantrelle, Megan Hitt, Gabrielle Hebert and Ian Haydel – were tragically killed after a car crash in 2010 while on the way back home from an LSU football game. After the incident, I had to spend days and weeks talking to students, family and friends of all four to develop my stories about the incident. It became clear right away – heaven gained four angels, because all four students were amazing people with bright futures. They were taken from us too soon.

No. 2 – Ellender and Washington Marion put on a show – Last year, the Burton Coliseum was so loud that I could hardly hear myself think – which makes it difficult to do a radio broadcast of a game, of course. Ellender and Washington Marion’s Class 4A State Championship Game was an instant classic – a back and forth battle that I will remember for the rest of my life. After Marquie Mosely made a deep 3-pointer late, I thought for sure that Ellender had the game won. But Washington Marion controlled the final seconds, making deep shots and free throws to secure the win. That one was as wild of a game as I’ve ever seen – both in terms of drama, but also circumstances. Washington Marion is in Lake Charles, which is also where the Burton Coliseum is located. Their fans loaded the building, as did the Ellender faithful, which made for a standing room only crowd and a truly wild venue.

No. 1 – Patterson wins a miracle game – Without a doubt, my most memorable moment as a reporter came in 2010. My dad and I made the trip to Patterson to watch them host a home Class 3A State Semifinal Game. At the time, we were the Tri-Parish Times and St. Mary Parish was within our reach. My dad tagged along because he wanted to see Patterson halfback Kenny Hilliard (who later went on to star at both LSU and in the NFL). The Lumberjacks trailed by 7 with less than two minutes left and were sure to lose a heartbreaker. On the home sideline, my dad and I watched as Hilliard pleaded with his coach to go into the game on defense – something he didn’t often do. He did and he forced a fumble, getting the ball back to his team. After a quick touchdown, Hilliard then drug half the opposing defense into the end zone on the 2-point conversion play, sending the crowd into a complete frenzy. That environment and drama was absolutely unbelievable.

South Lafourche senior Rusty Borne attempts a long jump. The senior took home first prize at the state track and field competition on Saturday at LSU. * Photo by CASEY GISCLAIR

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