The Casey’s: 4th-Annual Casey Awards tap 2013 prep football greats

The prep football season is on its last breath, as all of our area’s best have wrapped up postseason play and the elites are chasing state championships.

Now it’s time for the fun part – giving our standouts credit where it’s due – credit in the name of a slender golden trophy clad with the beautiful, picturesque face of your favorite sportswriter.

OK, OK, he may not be your favorite sportswriter, but wherever he ranks, the Casey Awards are here once more to award the best and brightest of the 2013 football season.

This year has been a very good year for prep football in our area and narrowing down our winners has proven to be more difficult than in years past.

So let’s get to the moment the fans have been waiting for since preseason and list this year’s winners.

OK, OK, we stretched the truth again – you all probably haven’t been waiting as intently as we stated above.

Either way, here’s the newest batch of award winners.

Please, we beg – hold your applause until all the winners have been announced.

2013 Saturday Afternoon Superstar Award –

(Given to the Tri-parish prep standout most likely to make a collegiate impact)

Winner: South Lafourche offensive lineman Bailey Granier

South Lafourche offensive lineman Bailey Granier often dwarfs his competition on the playing field. Standing 6-feet, 7-inches and weighing a massive 330-pounds, Granier has wowed opposing players and coaches with his ability to generate a push along the Tarpons’ offensive line. Luckily for Granier, colleges have also taken note of his successes. The massive offensive tackle was recruited by a who’s who of universities around the country – a list that included Alabama, Mississippi State, Florida State, Arizona and Kentucky. But when it was all said and done, Granier decided to make a verbal pledge to continue his career at Vanderbilt – arguably the hottest uprising team in the entire SEC. Granier is big and strong, but he does need quite a bit of polish if he wants to dominate at the next level. But he has size – the one thing a coach cannot teach. We fully expect the Commodores’ coaches to turn the offensive tackle into a power.

2013 Lightening in a Bottle Award –

(Given to the Tri-parish parish area’s most explosive football player)

Winner: Covenant Christian Academy halfbacks Jordan McKay and Lenard Calloway

Last year, Elijah McGuire took home this coveted trophy in a landslide vote. There was such a gap between first and second place that we considered naming this award after McGuire in this season’s Casey Awards. But this year’s competition was much, much closer with several talented athletes all deserving consideration. But when it was all said and done, we decided to give the award to McKay and Calloway – a one-two punch that took opponents by storm in Class 1A competition. These cats were a threat to take the ball to the house on any given play for CCA this year – a nightmare to prepare for on any given Friday. They were arguably the biggest cogs in the team’s playoff run. The Lions reached the second round of the Division IV State Playoffs in just their first-ever season eligible for postseason competition. The CCA one-two punch outlasted a ton of worthy candidates this year – all of whom could have easily earned the honor on a given year.

The Stretch Armstrong Super-Slash Award –

(Given to the Tri-parish parish area’s most versatile football player)

Winner: Terrebonne QB Colby Stewart

When the final seconds ticked off the clock of South Lafourche’s 42-16 win against Terrebonne on Oct. 7, Tarpons’ coach Dennis Skains opened his post-game comments in an unusual way.

“He’s amazing, isn’t he?” Skains said before being asked a question. “I’m a huge fan of that kid.”

The player Skains was talking about was Stewart, who had a solid night for the Tigers in defeat. His efforts were not an oddity – they happened seemingly every night Terrebonne took the field. Able to make plays with both his arm and his feet, Stewart is going to take home this year’s Super-Slash Award. The Tigers’ quarterback completed 52-of-106 passes for 810 yards and eight touchdowns on the season. He also rushed for 1,304 yards with 15 touchdowns – production that powered the Tigers into the playoffs. It is not yet known if Stewart will have the opportunity to play at the collegiate level. If he does, he won’t be a quarterback – he’s not a traditional passer at the position. But we certainly endorse Stewart for any team looking for a high-character athlete with quality leadership skills. This guy can ball. He’s the kind of player that always seems to find a way to make his squad better.

The John Chavis Award –

(Given to the Tri-parish parish area’s top assistant coach football coach for the 2013 season)

Winner: Vandebilt coach Ashton Cagnolatti

The 2013 football season was quite difficult for the Vandebilt Catholic football team. Going into the year, the Terriers had a natural adjustment period, as they were forced to learn how to survive without all-everything quarterback Elijah McGuire, who left the program for UL-Lafayette. But on the field, Vandebilt fared quite well for itself in the early portion of the season, winning three-straight games to begin the season. But as the year progressed, off-field turmoil plagued the team when coach Brad Villavaso resigned after a conflict with school administration stemming from his decision to dismiss a player from the team. With Villavaso gone, someone needed to take charge. Instead of naming an interim coach, the Terriers opted to run the program via committee with all of the team’s assistant coaches taking an added role. But by most accounts, Cagnolatti did a great job keeping the team afloat in the final weeks of the season with Villavaso gone. For that ability to thrive under the worst of circumstances, he takes home this year’s honor.

The Les Miles Eat Grass and Take Names Award –

(Given to the Tri-parish parish area’s Coach of the Year for the 2013 season)

Winner: Patterson coach Tommy Minton

This was a tough award to hand out. Without a truly dominant local team, we had to truly look at the team that made the most improvement and progression from the beginning of the year to the end. With that in mind, this year’s honor goes to Minton, who powered the Lumberjacks from an 0-2 start to a eight-straight regular season wins and eventually a spot in the Class 3A State Quarterfinals. The final games of that winning streak were most impressive, as the Jacks won without starting quarterback Spencer Landry, who got hurt in the back-half of the season with a broken collarbone. The Jacks are always a local powerhouse, but this year’s successes were very impressive. Minton deserves this year’s honor, slightly edging out Thibodaux’s Chris Dugas and Ellender’s Terry Washington – two coaches that guided their teams into the playoffs after missing the field in 2012. With another talented group of players coming back, it’s not too far-fetched to think that Minton may repeat. We all know that great players make almost any coach better.

The Wild, Wild West Award –

(Given to the Tri-parish parish area’s top passing quarterback)

Winner: Patterson QB Spencer Landry

Patterson’s offense is a joy to watch. They score points at will and roll up yardage totals that one usually only sees within the context of a video game. But the cog that makes it all work is Landry – a big, athletic pocket passing quarterback that possesses plus-level accuracy and a booming arm. In arguably the quarterback’s best performance of the season, Landry sliced and diced Vandebilt Catholic’s secondary to the tune of six total touchdowns (four passing, two rushing). With Landry at the helm, the Lumberjacks looked like a sure-fire threat to compete for the Class 3A State Championship. But those plans changed when the quarterback suffered a broken collarbone late in the season. Even with less time on the field than his local competitors, Landry takes home this year’s title over Ellender signal caller Dustin Creppel, who was a close second. Creppel won’t be too disappointed. He won this award last year. Terrebonne’s Colby Stewart also deserves a ton of credit for a terrific year guiding Terrebonne’s offense.

The Tri-parish Walking Brick Wall Award–

(Given to the Tri-parish parish area’s best overall defensive player)

Winner: South Lafourche linebacker Peyton Guidry

Peyton Guidry is a tough dude – that’s putting it mildly. The South Lafourche middle linebacker was always one of the first players on defense to attack the football within the Tarpons’ aggressive defense. Guidry recorded countless tackles in several of the Tarpons’ games this past season. But Guidry is also a bright guy and excellent student. His intelligence level is so high that Tarpons’ coach Dennis Skains said there are times when the senior standout corrects a call made from the sidelines. A dominant All-District performer, the Tarpon is going to play on Saturday next fall. He has already committed to continue his playing career at Northwestern State University in Natchitoches.

The Rookie of the Year Award–

(Given to the Tri-parish parish area’s best first-year starter)

Winner: Houma Christian QB Drake Battaglia

Replacing a player like Nate Frye is never easy – the dude is one of the best pure athletes to ever come out of Houma. But young quarterback Drake Battaglia surely did quite a nice job filling in for the graduated standout. In his first season as the Warriors’ full-time starter, Battaglia was one of the main cogs in the Warriors’ offensive attack. Under the quarterback’s watch, Houma Christian won a school-record five games and advanced to the Division IV State Playoffs. With more eligibility to go, Battaglia is only going to get better. That’s good news for Houma Christian as they look to continue to mold their program into a contender within the private school ranks. Battaglia is already a polished playmaker that can extend plays with his scrambling ability. With a more refined passing attack, he should have a quality season next year.

The Most Valuable Player Award–

(Given to the Tri-parish area’s MVP for the 2013 prep football season)

Winner: Thibodaux halfback Donta Johnson

There were a lot of wonderful football players in the Tri-parish area this year. But no one was quite like Johnson. Beating opponents as both a runner and passer, the Tigers’ tailback was a serious problem for opponents in 2013. His dominance was a big reason why Thibodaux took the next step forward in the new season, advancing to the Class 5A State Playoffs. The Tigers’ running back has not made a collegiate decision yet. But he is going to be a force at the next level. Johnson is just a tough, hard-nosed runner.ate Playoffs. When not making plays in the backfield, Johnson was also a bruising linebacker for Thibodaux. No matter how it’s sliced, this kid was a big-time playmaker for the Tigers’ team. He will unquestionably be missed next season.

Casey Awards