In preparation for the start of the Louisiana High School Athletic Association regular season a week away, teams throughout the state competed in jamborees during the weekend.
One of the most intriguing matchups took place in the Ed Reed River Parish Jamboree, where host and two-time Class 5A defending state champion Destrehan faced defending Class 3A champion Lutcher.
If the result actually counted, Destrehan would have had its two-year undefeated streak come to an end. Lutcher, which has moved up to Class 4A, scored a convincing 25-0 victory.
Senior quarterback Gavin Webster completed 10 passes for 162 yards and two touchdowns and scored on a 42-yard run. Wide receiver Jarvis Landry caught four passes for 102 yards, including touchdown receptions of 6 and 10 yards. Dorian Semien added a 4-yard touchdown run with 2:18 to play.
Sophomore wide receiver Trevor Englade set up Landry’s first score with a spectacular 58-yard catch in which Englade took the ball away from a defender.
First-year starting quarterback Taylor Dunn completed three passes with one interception for Destrehan. Marshall Charles carried 10 times for 68 yards.
While Destrehan met a surprising defeat, Hahnville enjoyed a rare victory. In turning back St. James in the opener, 21-6, Hahnville beat St. James in the jamboree for the first time since 2004.
Hahnville senior running back Alfred Blue, who wore jersey No. 4, rushed 17 times for 104 yards and scored on a 3-yard touchdown run at 6:38 of the second half. First-year starting quarterback Brian Ensminger completed 9 of 10 passes for 123 yards and two touchdowns.
Lloyd Richard had a 5-yard touchdown reception and James Butler scored on a 21-yard touchdown catch.
St. James accumulated much of its 164 yards on a late scoring drive that ended with running back Jaleel Steib reaching the end zone with 1:38 left. Steib finished with nine carries for 24 yards.
Smith’s performance gives Bonnabel optimism
Thanks to senior running back Robert Smith, Kenner Bonnabel has good reason to believe that it can improve on last year’s records of 4-6 overall and 1-3 in District 9-5A.
Smith accounted for all three of Bonnabel’s touchdowns in its 21-6 victory over Jefferson Riverdale in the Kiwanis Jamboree at Joe Yenni Stadium in Metairie. Smith finished with 96 yards while scoring on runs of 3 and 54 yards. He also caught a 24-yard touchdown pass. The Bruins finished with 152 yards rushing but committed seven penalties for 100 yards.
Riverdale’s Terrell Gordon scored on a 64-yard run but Smith answered with his lengthy touchdown gallop that came on fourth-and-1.
Walker getting closer to rare win
After having lost 29 consecutive games over three seasons, even a tie is reason for celebration at Walker, which deadlocked St. Amant, 13-13, in the Ascension/Livingston Challenge at Denham Springs.
Tyler Daniel and Ross Tomko paced Walker’s performance. Daniel carried 13 times for 89 yards, and Tomko provided the game-tying touchdown with a 94-yard return of a recovered fumble.
St. Amant quarterback Tyler Guillory completed 3 of 5 passes for 30 yards and added 50 yards on the ground.
Both teams scored on their first possessions, with St. Amant driving 73 yards in five plays. Guillory capped the march with a 19-yard touchdown pass to Breck Schexnayder. Walker retaliated with an 80-yard drive that ended in Jeremy Porter's 1-yard touchdown run. St. Amant's Tre' Vaughn returned the ensuing kickoff for an 87-yard touchdown.
St. Amant was threatening again in the second half and faced first-and-goal at the Walker 4-yard line when Tomko recovered a fumble and returned it for a 94-yard score. Aaron Childers added the game-tying extra point with 5:55 left.
Plaquemine pitches shutout
Plaquemine exhibited some strong defense of its own in blanking New Orleans Cohen, 22-0, in the West Baton Rouge Credit Union Jamboree.
Plaquemine snapped a scoreless tie in the second half with Deandre Jenkins scoring on runs of 3 and 30 yards, Jason Porch adding a 3-yard touchdown run of his own and a mishandled Cohen punt that ended in a safety for the Green Devils.
Jenkins led Plaquemine with 56 yards rushing, while Ivan Williams was Cohen’s top yardage gainer with 6 yards rushing and 10 receiving. Plaquemine apparently had scored on the first play from scrimmage in the second half but a penalty nullified quarterback Ameer Deggs’ 67-yard run. The Green Devils scored two plays later on the first of Jenkins’ touchdown runs.
Volleyball: Two-time defending champion looks strong
After rolling past three opponents in the McKinley Jamboree, Baton Rouge St. Joseph’s Academy has its eyes set on a third consecutive Division I-Class 5A state championship. St. Joseph's enjoyed a combined advantage of 54-23 over its outclassed foes at Louisiana School for the Deaf in Baton Rouge.
The Redstickers overpowered another Division I school in Denham Springs, 18-3, before securing a pair of 18-10 victories over traditional Division IV-Class 2A Baton Rouge powerhouses The Dunham School and University High. Cori Martone looked sharp against U-High with a series of kills and one block. Martone was last year’s All-Metro Most Valuable Player for Divisions I-II.
Scearce’s hardship appeal denied
One of the top players in the state apparently won’t be playing in her senior year.
Brittany Scearce appealed to the LHSAA hardship committee for the right to compete at Mandeville Fontainebleau, but the committee rejected her request. Scearce, an outside hitter, already has committed to continue her career at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette next season.
Scearce led Covington Northlake Christian to two state championships, but a combination of financial and disciplinary reasons prompted her to transfer to Fontainebleau last spring. Northlake and Fontainebleau are in the same attendance zone and under LHSAA rules, transfers must sit out a year before resuming athletic participation. Scearce had attended Northlake since eighth grade.
Five principles from the LHSAA’s executive committee comprised the hardship committee and all voted against Scearce. They offered no comment on their votes. LHSAA President Kenneth Delcambre of South Terrebonne, who had no vote but observed the hearing, said financial difficulty usually isn’t considered grounds for granting an appeal.
Scearce’s younger sister, Victoria, will play as a freshman for Fontainebleau. The Bulldogs return six starters from last year’s Class 5A runner-up team.
