One more week.
Hard to believe, but that’s all there is left to go in a 2023-24 sports year that began more than eight months ago.
Before I touch on that topic, I want to address last week’s LHSAA outdoor state track & field meet. It was truly one for the ages and I don’t use those words lightly. There were 23 records set.
Look, I know track is not everyone’s cup of tea. Years ago, I had a co-worker who took a light-hearted jab at my assignment to cover a track meet.
“Hey Robin, there’s only one thing worse than track.” I asked what. And the response was “field.”
However, what happened at LSU’s Bernie Moore Track Stadium was a cut above. The goal of all teams and individuals is to max out on the final day of the season.
Not everyone gets that chance. But plenty of athletes did just that last weekend.
West Feliciana junior Tristen Harris broke a 33-year-old composite/all classes record in the girls long jump with a wind-legal leap of 20 feet, 10¾ inches on Saturday. Hours later, the Scotlandville girls 4x400-meter relay took down a 22-year-old mark.
Freshman Lucy Cramer of Parkview Baptist broke 1,600 and 3,200 meters records in Class 3A that had stood for 40 or more years Friday. At that time, 3A was one of the top classes.
The Eagles’ Aiden Monistere, another junior, broke a 1,600 record set by Baton Rouge High star Pablo Presedo in 1984.
Then on Saturday, Jesuit’s Brady Mullen won the 5A boys 3,200 in 8:48.36, shaving 20 seconds off a record set by Catholic High’s Robby LeBlanc nearly 28 years ago.
Just as good as game-winning touchdowns, 3-pointer or home run in my book.
Batter up and more
The LHSAA state baseball tournament that begins Tuesday in Sulphur is the last championship event. All the elements for a great tourney are in place.
Catholic High enters the tourney as a No. 1-ranked team nationally and is seeded first in Division I select.
The Bears are making a ninth straight tourney appearance. But they are not the area’s No. 1 seed. Lutcher returns to Sulphur as the top seed in Division II nonselect and seeks its second baseball title in three years.
In Division III select, two local teams — No. 2 Parkview Baptist and third-seeded University High — meet in the semifinals.
Fifth-seeded Doyle of Division III nonselect faces South Beauregard, now the top seed, in the semifinals for the second straight year. The Tigers have been in a final game four straight years.
Everybody loves an underdog and French Settlement is that team. The third-seeded Lions are in the tourney for he first time in 17 years.
Now we get to see how it plays out.
All-state nominations
Baton Rouge area nominations for the LSWA’s all-state baseball and softball teams should be submitted to me at rfambrough@theadvocate.com by noon May 14.
Players nominated must be first-team all-district selections. Submit full season statistics.
Softball metro meeting
Coaches will meet to select the All-Metro softball teams for the Baton Rouge area at 6 p.m. Tuesday in the Brusly High media center. Coaches nominating players are encouraged to attend.
Teams for Class 5A-4A and 3A and below will be selected. Late nominations should be sent to Brusly’s Beau Bouvier at Beau.bouvier@wbrschools.net.