By Dave Moormann
MaxPreps.com
A journey that became with Blake Matherne’s Hurricane Katrina displacement ended on a much more joyous note with his selection as the state’s Mr. Football.
After beginning his freshman season at now-defunct Boothville-Venice, Matherne ended his prep career by leading Belle Chasse to its first state Class 4A championship this past year.
Along the way, he accounted for 3,961 yards and 50 touchdowns in helping Belle Chasse to a 12-1 record.
The 5-foot-10, 180-pound Matherne completed 165 of 235 passes for 2,673 yards and 30 touchdowns with seven interceptions. He rushed 180 times for 1,288 yards and 20 touchdowns.
“I tell people this all of the time that Hurricane Katrina actually was the best thing that ever could have happened to me,” Matherne said. “I mean that respectfully. I was forced to move to a bigger school. It gave me more opportunities to compete against better competition. I was able to take advantage of them.”
Matherne was projected to start as a freshman at Boothville-Venice, named for the two communities located near the mouth of the Mississippi River. When Hurricane Katrina destroyed the school, Matherne was forced to move 70 miles northwest to Belle Chasse.
Both parties benefited, with Matherne earning Most Valuable Player honors in the state championship game and Offensive Player of the Year recognition on the Class 4A All-State team.
Mr. Football, as voted upon by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association, encompasses all five classifications.
“It’s exciting,” Matherne said. “You never think that you’re going to win something like the Mr. Football Award. It’s something you only dream about.”
In addition to his offensive prowess, Matherne returned a kickoff for a 95-yard touchdown against E.D. White and an interception 100 yards for a touchdown as a defensive back in the same game.
Last year’s Mr. Football, Randall Mackey, also left Plaquemines Parish after Hurricane Katrina hit. Mackey went from Port Sulphur to Bastrop, which he led to the state championship his senior year.
Belle Chasse stunned Bastrop in the semifinals on the road this past season, 35-34, before beating Marrero Archbishop Saw in the finals, 28-7.
“Blake understands how everything starts through the quarterback,” Belle Chasse coach Bob Becnel said. “He was focused this season. He understood how critical it was for the quarterback to play well in our system. We put that responsibility on his back and he stood up to it. I would say he stood up to it spectacularly.”
Soccer: Walker wins first intra-parish match
The Walker girls soccer team overcame a 3-0 halftime deficit to defeat Denham Springs, 4-3, in the first-ever match between Livingston Parish teams.
“It’s the fastest growing sport in the country, and we’re trying to catch it up,” Walker’s first and only head coach David Curtis said. “We’ve waited eight years for another Livingston Parish team to make that step.”
Denham Springs took its halftime lead on goals by Kelly Chauvin, Maddison Blackwell and Erin Gray before Walker staged its comeback.
The LadyCats’ Hannah Pfannenstiel and Lauren Butler each scored twice in the second half in the league opener for both teams.
Walker goalies Emma Gauthier and Regan Cascio had two saves apiece, while Denham Springs goalie Brandi Saizan recorded seven saves.
Division rankings released
The New Orleans Jesuit boys team tops Division I in the latest LAHSsoccer.com polls, while Mandeville Fontainebleau is first in Division I girls.
Jesuit, at 17-0-1, received 100 points. Next with 87 points is Captain Shreve at 16-2. Third is Shreveport Caddo Magnet with 83 points and a 17-1 record. Jesuit gave Caddo its only loss after having beaten Captain Shreve.
Fontainebleau earned 188 points with a 10-1 record. New Orleans Mt. Carmel is second at with 91 points and a 13-2-4 record. No. 3 Covington St. Scholastica is 7-2 with 77 points.
Houma Vandebilt Catholic is first in Division II boys and girls, with New Orleans Newman No. 1 in Division III boys and girls.
The Vandebilt Catholic boys earned 100 points with a 9-3-1 record. Newman also had 100 points at 13-1.
The Vandebilt Catholic girls’ 12-2-2 record was good enough for 60 points. Newman’s 11-1 record earned it 79 points.
Cross Country: All-State teams announced
Philip Primeaux of Baton Rouge Catholic, and Malia Cali of Hammond St. Thomas Aquinas, lead the Louisiana Track and Field Coaches Association All-State team.
Selection is based on results in the recent LHSAA Championship Meet in Natchitoches.
Primeaux posted a three-mile time of 15 minutes, 25 seconds in winning the boys’ competition. Cali was the girls’ winner in 16:51. Following Primeaux were Walker’s Paul Arthur at 15:35 and Lafayette St. Thomas More’s Alden Heaphy at 15:35.
Benton’s Katlin Flattman was the girls’ ruuner-up in 17:33, with Covington St. Scholastica’s Angela Laborde next at 17:48.
Matt Pieri signs scholarship
New Orleans Brother Martin standout distance runner Matt Pieri has signed a scholarship with Xavier University of New Orleans.
Pieri finished fourth in the Class 5A state meet as a junior and ninth this past season. Brother Martin placed third overall after winning the 2007 team title.
Pieri ran his best time of 15:55 as both a junior and senior. That projects to 26:22 for 8,000 meters, which is the men’s distance in the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference to which Xavier belongs.
That time would be the fastest by a runner at the GCAC championship meet since 1998.
As a junior at the Region III-5A outdoor track and field meet last spring, Pieri finished third in the 3,200-meter run in 9:58.04.
The 5-6, 130-pound Pieri is a member of Brother Martin’s National Honor Society and vice president of the student council.
“I'm interested in academics and athletics, and I want to be a pharmacist,” Pieri said. “That helped in my decision to sign with Xavier.”
Volleyball: Ursuline Academy coach passes away
Marta Bott’s third fight with breast cancer in six years ended in her untimely death.
The head coach and assistant principal at New Orleans Ursuline Academy, Bott was honored with the 2008 Tommy Henry Courage Award.
With Bott was undergoing treatment, her two daughters represented her at halftime ceremonies of a game in the New Orleans Superdome during the Louisiana High School Athletic Association state football championships.