It’s time to catch up on some of the news that’s happened around Ascension Parish in the past few weeks.
Coaches on the move
Two coaches with state championships in their portfolios are moving along, and another will get a shot on the high school varsity level as a head coach.
Boys basketball coach Kenny Almond and baseball coach Mike Toups are leaving East Ascension. And Justin Morgan is departing as Dutchtown’s pitching coach to take the top spot at University High.
Almond heads to Zachary on the next stop of his long and successful head coaching career. Almond spent 10 seasons at EA after winning three state championships at Woodlawn.
Toups resigned from his spot as Spartans baseball coach last week. Toups, who was the first baseball coach at Dutchtown, won a state title with the Griffins in 2004.
Morgan moves to the top spot at U-High after a stint at Dutchtown and as the coach of the successful Gauthier & Amedee American Legion squad. Morgan led G&A to the American Legion World Series in 2013.
Dutchtown’s Hughes named best track athlete in state
Dutchtown’s Tyler Hughes was recently selected as the Outstanding Track Performer on the 2014 Louisiana Sportswriters All-State Track and Field team.
Among Hughes’ efforts was his state-best time of 13.83 seconds in the 110-meter hurdles.
Other athletes gaining notice included St. Amant’s Steven Pirvu, 400 meters; Ascension Catholic’s Zach Capello, 1,600 and 3,200; Dutchtown’s Justin Reid, 110 hurdles; and Dutchtown’s boys and girls 100 and 200 relay teams.
Gators’ Gremillion named All-Metro softball MVP
Given that Kara Gremillion was named The Advocate’s 2013-14 Girls Athlete of the Year, it should be no shock that she was named Most Valuable Player on the paper’s All-Metro Softball Team for classes 5A and 4A.
Gremillion was a major offensive force in leading the Gators to the No. 1 overall seed in the Class 5A playoffs. She hit .548, stole 29 bases and had a .942 slugging percentage.
The rest of the 5A-4A All-Metro team also was chock full of Ascension Parish players. Gremillion’s teammates Skylar Cook, pitcher; Madison Edmonston, outfield; Jordan Hartman, utility; and Ali Delany, utility, also were named to the squad.
Carmisha Payton, infielder; Jessie Watts, pitcher; and Claire Weinberger, infielder, represented EA. Jessica Crum, catcher; and Hope Vezinat, utility, were Dutchtown’s All-Metro players.
Second-teamers included Dutchtown’s Ali McCoy, pitcher; Royelle Cobb, outfielder; Bria White, outfielder; and Bailey Gilleon, utility; and St. Amant’s Carlie Whittington, catcher; Jaci Lavigne, infielder; Kayla Braud, outfielder; and Rachel Gautreaux, utility.
Ascension Catholic’s Julia Beck and Raeshaun Malancon, both listed as utility players, were selected to the All-Metro squad for classes 3A and below.
Bain, 2 Gators recognized on All-Metro baseball team
Dutchtown’s Austin Bain, the District 5-5A most valuable player, and two St. Amant players were included on the recent release of The Advocate’s All-Metro 5A-4A team.
Bain was recognized as a utility player who hit .374 and also had a 2.85 earned run average as a pitcher.
Skylar Enlow (4-1, 1.16 ERA, 80 strikeouts) and utility player Blaine Schexnayder (.360 average) represented the Gators on the first team.
Dutchtown’s Dillon Abbess and Evan Richardson and St. Amant’s Brennan Grant were named honorable mention.
On the All-Metro team for classes 3A and below, Ascension Catholic’s Grant Montero and Jacob Caballero were named honorable mention.
This is Rich Loup’s last column for The Ascension Advocate. Please send your sports news to email@example.com.