Archive for the Sports Category

Photos by Stephen Broussard

St. Louis Catholic senior Alex Yokubaitis has had a stellar wrestling career with the Saints, racking up four state titles under Coach Terry Gage, and he’s added another accolade to his repertoire in May.  Yokubaitis is the only wrestler from Louisiana to earn an All-American Honorable Mention by Wrestling USA.

In addition, in a separate honor, Yokubaitis was nominated for the Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award by the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.  Presented annually to a high school senior, this award is based equally on outstanding wrestling success, scholastic achievement and citizenship or community service. Winners are chosen at the state and regional levels with the national winner traditionally named at the Wrestling Hall of Fame’s Honors Weekend each summer.

Yokubaitis is headed to Oklahoma State University in the fall to major in mechanical engineering and wrestle with arguably the top recruiting class in the country.

Yokubaitis finished 54-1 in his senior season and did not lose to a wrestler from Louisiana on his way to a fourth state individual championship.  The Saints finished third as a team in the Division III state tournament in February.

St. Louis Catholic had one punter, one kicker, two football defenders, two on the diamond, three basketball players, and the Big Schools Girls Basketball Coach of the Decade for a total of 10 honorees in the American Press’ All-Decade teams unveiled in spring 2020.

• Tony Johnson was the Girls Basketball Coach of the Decade after leading the Lady Saints to consecutive appearances in the Division II championship game. Johnson led St. Louis Catholic to a 210-105 record in the decade, reaching the playoffs every season.  The Lady Saints won at least one playoff game in eight of 10 seasons with three quarterfinal finishes and two regional-round finishes. St. Louis Catholic finished the regular season at .500 or better each of the 10 seasons with five seasons of at least 23 wins.
• Alexandria Goodly (Guard, Class of 2019) was a second-team All-Decade selection.  Known affectionately as “Bugg,” Goodly was the Southwest Louisiana MVP, District MVP and first-team all-state in 2019, as well as two-time first-time All-Southwest Louisiana (2017 & 2019).  She was also a three-time first-time all-district (2016-17, 2019) and second-team All-Southwest Louisiana as a freshman in 2016.   Now a freshman at ULL, Goodly averaged 14 ppg in 2016, 19 ppg in 2017 and 21 ppg as a senior in 2019 after returning from injury.

Click to read more about Johnson and Goodly.

• Kris Albarado (Punter, Class of 2011) was a first-team All-Decade selection in football.   He holds the school St. Louis Catholic career records for punts (141) and punting yards (5,732) and earned first-team all-district and All-Southwest Louisiana three times from 2008-10.  Albarado’s season punting averages increased every season, from 40.7 yards in 2008, to 41.6 in 2009 to 45.29 in 2010, before he went on to be a three-year starter at USC.
• Sam Bruchhaus (Defensive Line, Class of 2017) was a first-team All-Decade selection.  Bruchhaus was the District Defensive MVP in 2015, and he earned first-team all-district and All-Southwest Louisiana honors twice (2014-15).  In 2015, he recorded 77 tackles, 19 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks.  Bruchhaus is a redshirt junior linebacker at Tulane.
• Harrison Flynt (Kicker, Class of 2012) was a first-team All-Decade selection.  Flynt holds St. Louis Catholic records for field goals in a season (11) and career (22).  He also kicked two field goals of 50+ yards.  Flynt is a two-time first-team all-district, all-state and all-Southwest Louisiana honoree.
• Mark Johnston (Linebacker, Class of 2017) was a first-team All-Decade selection.  Johnston was a two-two All-Southwest Louisiana and first-team all-district honoree (2015-16).  He increased in tackles every season, recording 62 tackles in 2014, 82 with nine TFL in 2015, and 97 with seven TFL in 2016.

Click to read more about the Saints’ football selections.

• Shelby Borders (Infielder, Class of 2012) was a first-team All-Decade selection in softball.  Borders played at LeTourneau University after graduation.  With the Lady Saints, she was first-team All-State in 2012, two-time All-Southwest Louisiana (2011-12) and three-time first-time All-District (2010-12).  Her season batting averages were .517 in 2010, .476 in 2011 and .526 in 2012.

Read more.

• Collin Todd (Utility, Class of 2011) was a first-team All-Decade selection in baseball.  Todd played at McNeese after graduation.  With the Saints, he was first-team All-State and All-Southwest Louisiana in 2011, two-time first-team All-District (2010-11) and two-time second-team All-District (2008-09).  His season batting averages were .472 in 2010 and .467 in 2011.

Read more.

•  P.J. Hardy (Guard, Class of 2016) was a first-team All-Decade selection in boys basketball.  Hardy was District MVP, Southwest Louisiana MVP and second-team all-state in 2016 for helping lead the Saints to a second straight semifinal appearance with 22.3 ppg.  In 2015 he was second-team All-Southwest Louisiana and averaged 14.6 ppg.  After graduation he went on to play collegiately at ULL.
• Kelvin Henry (Guard, Class of 2016) was a first-team All-Decade selection in boys basketball.  Henry was two-time second-team All-Southwest Louisiana (2015-16) and earned first-team All-Southwest Louisiana and second-team all-state honors in 2014.  His season scoring averages increased every season from 15.7 ppg in 2014 to 15.9 in 2015 to 19.8 in 2016.  He played college basketball at McNeese and LSU-Shreveport after helping lead St. Louis Catholic to consecutive semifinal appearances.

Click to read more about Hardy and Henry.

As St. Louis Catholic seniors prepare to take their next steps into the world, track and field athlete Luke Benoit has signed his letter of intent with the University of Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns.

Benoit said he can’t wait to continue the momentum of this season at St. Louis Catholic, though it was cut short due to COVID-19, in college in Lafayette.  For instance, the Saints’ 4×400 indoor relay team on which Benoit ran was runner-up to Northwest in the LHSAA indoor state finals by a mere 0.11 seconds.

“On the way back to our cars that day, we all said, ‘We’re gonna get ’em in outdoor, and that’s gonna motivate us,’ and then we didn’t even get to do that,” Benoit said.  “But track’s not over – there’s better competition out there that I’m gonna be facing at the next level.  I know I have to get ready and keep it going.”

Benoit said he visited ULL in November, and the school’s location and atmosphere made it appealing to the Grand Lake native.

“I wanted to get away from home, but not too far away,” he said.  “There’s always something about Lafayette; it’s bigger than Lake Charles but not too big.”

Benoit also placed 6th in the long jump (6.30m) at the indoor state finals.  Even though he and the rest of the Saints track & field team didn’t get to achieve their goals in the outdoor season, he has many fond memories of his one year at St. Louis Catholic – especially coach Johnny Giardina.

“I loved being on the 4×400 at St. Louis – I actually liked a relay for once because we had such a good team,” Benoit said.  “It was a big move for me from Grand Lake to here, especially for my senior year.  At St. Louis, people were joining track because they actually wanted to win and try, and it pushed me too.  I would have liked to have seen what we could have done.

“I wish Coach Johnny could come with me to college … There’s just something about him, how he’d chase you around the track and yell at you, it was awesome to be with him.”

St. Louis Catholic senior golfer McKenzie LeDuff had to sign her letter of intent at home this year, but she still made her commitment to Alabama State University official despite the atypical circumstances surrounding COVID-19.

LeDuff won the 2019 Division I individual girls state championship and was hoping for a chance to defend her title before the LHSAA season was suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic.  But LeDuff said Alabama State will be “her dream school” after she got to tour the campus and meet coach Quincy Heard in February.

“One of my main goals was to find a good school that had a good golf team with a good coach,” she said.  “I wanted to go somewhere where it felt like home.  Also, Alabama State was not too far, but it’s far enough to have the experience of being on my own.  It’s not a large school, it’s a smaller school where I can still get the attention my teachers and hopefully know most of the people in my classes.”

LeDuff’s mother and grandmother were with her when she signed her letter of intent at home April 16, and they FaceTimed her grandparents from New Orleans.  So while it wasn’t the usual Saints celebration in the Commons because of the school closure, LeDuff remains grateful for all her St. Louis Catholic memories, especially under the direction of girls golf coach Sid Briscoe.

“I first met Mr. Briscoe the summer of fifth grade when I was really little,”  LeDuff said.  “He took my game from 6th-8th grade – he was my only coach, and in 8th grade I went the entire middle school season undefeated … So in between 6th-8th grade, he’s the one who really got me started and got me serious.”