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Following consultation with Morgan City Open Fishing Rodeo board members and local authorities, it was decided that the current threat of flood waters will cause postponement of the Morgan City Open Fishing Rodeo until a later date or as scheduled for next year, which will be held June 13, 2020, at the Morgan City Municipal Auditorium.
The event’s golf tournament still is scheduled to continue. It will be held at The Atchafalaya at Idlewild June 7.
Berwick High alum and Louisiana College senior softball player Shelby Bergeron has concluded her softball career with academic and athletic All-American honors.
Bergeron was one of 20 members of the Louisiana College softball team to earn National Fastpitch Coaches Association Academic All-American honors.
To be eligible for the academic All-American award, players must maintain at least a 3.5 grade point average during the entire academic year in which they compete.
Bergeron also was named just the fifth National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-American in Louisiana College softball history. She was selected to the NFCA All-American Second Team, joining Louisiana College pitching legend Rene Schwartzenberg as the only other player to garner a spot on the national second team.
Bergeron was the first player in program history to receive a National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-West First Team spot this season. Her first team All-West selection gave her the chance to become the first softball All-American since the Wildcats had three in 2010.
“I’m extremely thankful for my time at Louisiana College,” Bergeron said in a news release. “I have been very blessed in my four years at LC. This program has gone through many trials, and this team has consistently remained motivated.
“Growing up, I always considered myself just a softball player; however, it was not until my time at Louisiana College that I was taught my identity lies in Jesus Christ, alone,” she added. “Above all, I hope my teammates learned the importance of being good people and consistently improve themselves on and off the field, whether that be softball, school or life in general.
“Lastly, these four years wouldn’t have been possible without the support of my family, team and coaches,” Bergeron said. “I’m extremely thankful for the endless support I have received throughout this journey.”
Bergeron set the new single-season record for batting average, finishing at .462 this year, with a team-high 55 hits and 36 runs scored. During the year, she broke the school record for career stolen bases and became the first player to reach 100 steals in their career. She recorded her third straight season with 30 or more steals, swiping 34 bags on 39 attempts, the most on the team this year.
Bergeron finished her career ranked in the top-10 all-time in five different offensive categories. She was fifth in runs scored (102), seventh in hits (150), fourth in career batting average (.361), fifth in triples (six), and first in steals (102).
“This is what Shelby is. She is an all-American,” Louisiana College Head Coach Barry Roberts said in a news release. “This is another example of a student-athlete paying attention to the small details. Without the small things, the big things like this don’t happen.
“Shelby is so deserving of this honor,” Roberts added. “But I know she would be the first to put credit where it needs to be: God, then her teammates, then all of her coaches along the way. The lesson learned here for young players is do everything in life to the very best of your ability. This is how you win prestigious awards like this. When one of us looks good, we all look good!”
Bergeron’s accomplishments off the field this season were just as impressive. She was named the Louisiana College Scholar-Athlete Medal of Honor winner, earned her third straight Academic All-Conference honor and the LC softball nominee for the American Southwest Conference Distinguished Scholar-Athlete Award.
“Shelby epitomizes what a student athlete should be,” Athletic Director Reni Mason said in a news release. “She has been a winner on and off the field, but mostly importantly, she’s been a servant of God. I look forward to her being a game changer in life in leading people to Christ through her profession of choice.”
Kenan Jones, Rayvon Grey, JuVaughn Harrison and Mondo Duplantis all secured their spots at the 2019 NCAA Outdoor Championships on day one of the NCAA East Preliminaries Thursday at Hodges Stadium.
The trio of Jones, Grey and Harrison punched their ticket to the NCAA Championships in the long jump and Duplantis did so in the pole vault.
Harrison registered the farthest leap of the long jump competition with his third and final attempt of the day. The sophomore from Birmingham, Alabama, registered a leap of 26 feet, 1.75 inches to clinch his spot.
Grey recorded the third-best jump of the event with a bound of 25 feet, 7.25 inches on his second attempt to head back to the NCAA Championships. Grey is the 2019 NCAA indoor long jump champion, and he placed fourth at the 2018 NCAA Outdoor Championships a year ago.
Last but not least was two-sport athlete Kenan Jones. The Berwick native registered a personal best of 25 feet, 2.75 inches to clinch his first-career berth at the NCAA Championships as he finished sixth in the event of 48 long jumpers.
Duplantis, the collegiate record holder, only had to clear bars of 17 feet, 1 inch and 17 feet, 5 inches to advance to Austin, Texas, for the NCAA Championships that will take place June 5-8. Duplantis owns both the indoor and outdoor collegiate records and won the NCAA indoor title earlier this season in March.
The rest of the day saw Tigers on the track attempting to advance to the quarterfinal rounds of their races. In the women’s 400 meter hurdles and men’s 100 meter dash, LSU moved three athletes apiece onto the round of 24 at the NCAA East prelims. The hurdling trio of Milan Young (57.39, personal record), Jurnee Woodward (58.68) and Brittley Humphrey (59.05) were the women’s advancers to the quarterfinals, and the men’s sprinter triumvirate of Jaron Flournoy (10.29), Kary Vincent Jr. (10.38), and Akanni Hislop (10.40) all moved on too.
Friday’s races will feature 24 athletes, and the top three from each heat plus the next three fastest times will move on to the NCAA Championships.
Other advancers to the round of 24 at the NCAA East prelims were Kiya Oviosun (400m dash/53.06), Rachel Misher (400m dash/53.14), Tyler Terry (400m dash/45.87), Raymond Kibet (400m dash/46.49), Ersula Farrow (800m run/2:05.09), Katy-Ann McDonald (800m run/2:06.43), Sha'Carri Richardson (100m dash/11.34) and Kortnei Johnson (100m dash/11.43).
Julia Palin did not advance to the NCAA Championships in the national semifinal of the 10,000 meter run, but she clocked a personal best and improved her second-best time in school history by four seconds to finish 18th with a readout of 34:34.20.
International Alignment Specialist made a donation to Berwick High School's boys' and girls' hoops programs. From left are Berwick High School boys basketball coach Toney Linn, Shane Chauvin, Dwayne Dupuy and Berwick High School Athletic Director Mike Walker.
Berwick High School's Mitchell Sanford, left, was named Most Valuable Player for the West Team May 17 in the first of two games last weekend as part of the Louisiana High School Coaches Association's East-West All-Star game at Louisiana College in Pineville. The East swept the two games, winning 7-1 Friday and 9-6 Saturday. With Sanford is Friday's East MVP, Jacob Bernard of Lakeshore.
PLEASE LOG IN FOR PREMIUM CONTENT. Our website requires visitors to log in to view the best local news from St. Mary Now. Not yet a subscriber? Subscribe today!
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Central Catholic recently held its prom, “Garden of Glamor.” Named prom court royalty are second duke Dustin Hebert, second maid Sydney Williams, Queen Bailey Lipari, King Cade Pichoff, first maid Kerrilyn Luc and first duke Gavin Wisdom.
Louisianans are fortunate to live in a state that supports blueberry growth. Blueberries are easy to grow and one of the most nutritionally dense foods on Earth. They are a significant source of vitamins and secondary metabolites that are widely studied for health benefits.
Blueberries are one of the richest sources of ascorbic acid and is an excellent source of antioxidants. Blueberries contain natural compounds called anthocyanins, procyanidins, chlorogenic acid and flavonoid compounds. Anthocyanin is the main antioxidant found in blueberries.
Antioxidants provide cancer-fighting power, help with cataracts and macular degeneration, have anti-diabetic properties and have been shown to decrease both blood pressure and cholesterol, thereby reducing the incidence of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease risk.
Hippocrates, the ancient Greek physician and “Father of Medicine” said, “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.”
Find local growers in Louisiana at the website www.pickyourown.org/LA.htm. And consider growing your own at home.
Rabbiteye blueberry is a deciduous shrub native to the southeastern United States. It has been named a Louisiana Super Plant because of its reliability as an excellent performer in gardens and landscapes, and it also does great in containers.
Fruit ripens over a 4- to 6-week period so harvest can occur for several weeks. Well-maintained, mature rabbiteye blueberry bushes can be expected to yield more than 10 pounds per bush, and sometimes up to 30 pounds per bush.
Rabbiteye blueberries grow in USDA hardiness zones 8 to 10 and require acidic soils with a pH of 4.2 to 5.5. For the best fruit, a minimum of six to eight hours of full sun are required, and bushes will have the best production in full sun all day. The shrubs grow 8 feet tall and 6 feet wide and should be planted while they are dormant during fall or winter with a 4-to-6-foot spacing between plants.
Rabbiteye blueberries produce best through cross pollination, and at least two to three varieties should be planted together to provide adequate pollination.
Ensure proper moisture, especially during drought periods or in sandy soils. Apply 3 to 4 inches of mulch around bushes. Fertilizer should be divided into multiple applications each year and applied at low rates.
Heavy pruning is not necessary; however, some pruning may be desirable to keep the fruit within easy reach and to encourage new growth.
Choose a variety that has a chilling requirement compatible with your location. The southernmost areas of Louisiana may not get enough chill hours for consistent fruit production in all varieties. Traditional varieties like Premier, Climax, Brightwell, Tifblue and Powderblue remain well-suited to most areas of Louisiana.
Franklin Banner-Tribune
P.O. Box 566, Franklin, LA 70538
Phone: 337-828-3706
Fax: 337-828-2874
Morgan City Review
1014 Front Street, Morgan City, LA 70380
Phone: 985-384-8370
Fax: 985-384-4255