My athletic predictions for the new high school year

Laf. detention center could be refurbished
August 9, 2011
New Orleans Museum of Art (New Orleans)
August 15, 2011
Laf. detention center could be refurbished
August 9, 2011
New Orleans Museum of Art (New Orleans)
August 15, 2011

It’s the time of the year virtually all teenagers hate – the first few days of school.

You know, those Mondays and Tuesdays where you remember just how badly it stinks to wake up at 5:30 a.m.


I’m talking about those days where you’re home at 3:30 p.m., you’re ready for a nap, but now have four hours worth of homework to complete.


Oh yeah, and when you finally do get done dotting i’s and crossing t’s, guess what? You have to immediately go to your room to relax because you have to repeat the process again tomorrow.

Sure sounds like a real blast, eh?


Trust me, I know your plight. I went through those same battles myself – even though they were longer ago than I’d like them to have been.


But rub that sleep out of your eyes and wake up, because I’m here to tell you that this is an exciting time of the year – at least for a sportswriter like me, anyway.

The new school year means sports … lots and lots of sports.


Do you hear that sound? It sure sounds like ca-ching to me, doesn’t it?


So with that sweet sound in my ears and a new academic year underway, I decided to look into the ‘ol crystal ball and make a few predictions for what I expect to see in the new school year.

OK, OK, I admit it. I don’t actually have a crystal ball – I’m not nearly cool enough for that.


But hey, at least I don’t have to wake up at 6 a.m. anymore, so who is the joke really on, anyway?

Double ca-ching.

The official Casey’s Corner athletic predictions for the 2011-12 academic school year:

H.L. Bourgeois will wow with new talent – For the first time since I, myself, was in junior high school, I attended a junior high football game last fall. What I saw threw me back onto my heels – Evergreen’s talent was amazing. Guess what? Evergreen’s kids filter to H.L. Bourgeois. With an already stacked basketball team and a rebuilding football program, I expect people to see huge things out of Gray this year in both of those sports. That’s not even mentioning volleyball, where the Lady Braves figure to be a state contender again this year.

Patterson football will be better in ’11 – It’s hard to bank on improvement when you lose arguably the best player in the history of the state in Kenny Hilliard. But I think the Jacks will be better in 2011 and here’s why: depth and progression. Outside of Hilliard’s departure, the Lumberjacks return close to a half-dozen players who will be heavily recruited by Division I colleges. Trust me, the Jacks will be back. And this year, they just might win it all.

Killer Ds will dominate in girls’ basketball – If there’s one thing certain in any given school year, it’s that Vandebilt Catholic will have a strong girl’s basketball team. This particular year, look out for the Lady Terriers’ newest 6-footer, D’Arcy Draper who I believe will build on her strong sophomore season and will really emerge as an elite prospect in her junior season. Less than a mile down the road, Terrebonne’s Darian Dees will also continue to blossom in her junior season and will begin to turn heads. Heck, she averaged a double-double a year ago on a district championship team … as a sophomore. What’s not to love?

South Terrebonne baseball to re-establish winning ways – Winning the Swampland title is always an omen for future success. Guess who won it this summer? That’s right – the Gators. With this prestigious honor on their resume, South Terrebonne will take the diamond this coming spring with a vastly talented roster. But more important than that, the Gators have a renewed attitude. South Terrebonne believes it can win again after two-straight mediocre seasons. That, in most cases, is more than half the battle won.

Like Mike: Justin Williams to have monster athletic year – Already committed to LSU for baseball, Justin Williams will continue his diamond dominance as a junior this year. But don’t forget the prospect’s talents in football, where he figures to have a huge hand in Terrebonne’s success as a receiver. He just may become one of the team’s emotional leaders, just as his brother Mike did a year ago. From one Williams to another, I guess we can call it.

Reversal of fortune for Nicholls State athletics – Heck, let’s talk some Nicholls while we’re discussing student athletes. This will be a huge year for the Colonels athletically. I expect to see the football, baseball, women’s basketball, volleyball and tennis teams to all make improvements in the new year. What do all of those programs have in common? They have relatively new coaches leading the way, each of whom were great hires. A good thing is in the making in Thibodaux if they can keep everything intact.

‘Tarpon Thunder’ ready to return to Galliano – After a year out of the spotlight, the South Lafourche football team just might be a force to be reckoned with in 2011. With the lion’s share of the team returning and a new defensive coordinator with college experience in town, Tarpon Thunder could be returning in this year in a big, big way. I’m sure that will please the masses south of the Intracoastal Waterway in Lafourche Parish, who are starved for some South Lafourche football – they always are.

Vandebilt soccer, softball will compete, if not win, state titles – The Vandebilt softball and soccer teams battled inexperience and fell short of their state championship ambitions last year. With sophomores having become juniors and juniors having become seniors, look for Vandebilt to be ready to pounce. When it’s all said and done, they may win rings in each of the three sports.

Terrebonne/H.L. Bourgeois rivalry will be renewed – With H.L. Bourgeois down last year in football and Terrebonne rebuilding in volleyball, this rivalry took a bit of a hit in 2010-11. This year, it will be back and better than ever. Terrebonne returns virtually its entire volleyball squad to rival the Lady Braves who will be a power. In hoops, the Tigers and Braves have been arguably the two most impressive teams this summer and expect to clash for a district title. And on the gridiron, the Braves figure to be improved. When Tigers and Braves meet, it’s always special. When the games come down to the wire, as they figure to this year, it’s even better.