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Kicker Gavin Lasseigne booted a career-high four field goals including a 43-yarder as time expired, as the Nicholls State University football team earned its first win of the season with a 19-17 victory at Houston Christian University Saturday night at Husky Stadium.

Earlier in the quarter, Lasseigne drilled a career-long 52-yarder with 10 minutes remaining to give Nicholls (1-5, 1-1 SLC) a 16-14 lead. But HCU, formerly known as Houston Baptist, answered with a field goal with only 43 seconds remaining.

Nicholls took advantage of a pair of Husky penalties to move into field goal range with only 4 seconds to go. Lasseigne split the upright as the buzzer sounded, giving the Colonels the walkoff victory.

Nicholls totaled 409 yards of offense in the win as third-year sophomore Leonard Kelly made the first start of his career at quarterback, filling in for Kohen Granier who was sidelined with an injury. Kelly completed 20 of 31 passes for 217 yards and helped Nicholls sustain drives for nearly a 20-minute advantage in time of possession. But the Colonels could only find the endz one once in five red zone chances.

Lasseigne connected on 27- and 21-yarders before halftime, but misfired on a 30-yard try in the second quarter.

But the defense pitched a shutout in the first half as Nicholls led 6-0 at the break.
The Colonels then found the end zone for the lone time of the night, scoring on the opening drive of the third quarter. Collin

Guggenheim was the workhorse on the drive, carrying the ball six times and capping it with a 2-yard touchdown plunge. His 25-yard rush on a fourth-and-three highlighted the possession. Gugg-eheim rushed for 82 yards on 15 carries while Julien Gums totaled 84 yards on 22 totes.

The shutout bid for the defense ended when HCU scored on a 40-yard catch and run by Karl Reynolds with less than five minutes remaining in the third. Then the momentum completely shifted full swing towards the Huskies as Nicholls lost the ball on back-to-back rushes by Marquese Albert and Collin Guggenheim. The defense was able to force a three-and-out after Albert’s fumble but HCU started at the Colonel 27 following Guggenheim’s, leading to a short touchdown pass by Justin Fomby and a 14-13 HCU advantage.

Early in the fourth, Nicholls was in solid field-goal range before Kelly took one of his three sacks on the night, moving the ball back to the HCU 35. But with a slight breeze to work with, head coach Tim Rebowe sent Lasseigne out for the 52-yard try. It was the first 50-plus yard field goal for the Colonels since Lorran Fonseca hit a school-record 56-yarder on the same Husky Field.

The Colonels then came up with another special teams play as Kylan Dupre’s punt was downed at the 2 by Dominic Brocato with 3:52 remaining. But HCU converted on a pair of third downs before being stopped at the 25 with less than a minute to go. Alberto Arroyo delivered a go-ahead 42-yard field goal with 43 seconds remaining.

Kelly completed three passes to move the Colonels to midfield, then a roughing the passer call moved Nicholls into HCU territory.

But instead of trying a 58-yard field goal, Kelly threw one more time and Neno Lemay drew a pass interference call for an additional 15 yards. The snap, hold and kick were perfect as the Colonels rushed the field following the first win of 2022.

For the defense, Alex Villavaso had two sacks and forced a fumble, while Brandon Lairy intercepted a pass in the second quarter.

The unit held HCU to 3 of 12 on third downs and stopped the Huskies on a fourth-down try on the opening drive of the game.

Leading the receivers was K.J. Franklin with eight receptions for 82 yards.

Lemay totaled four for 53 yards with two coming on third-down conversions to set up Lasseigne’s career-long field goal.

Up next
Nicholls will return home to host UIW for a nonconference game on Saturday, Oct. 15. Kickoff for Homecoming is scheduled for 3 p.m.

Dr. Elizabeth Mortazavi and Dr. Caroline Robichaux have joined the active medical staff at Thibodaux Regional Health System.

Mortazavi is available to care for patients at Thibodaux Regional Pain Clinic at the following locations: 726 North Acadia Road, Suite 2400, Thibodaux, 985-493-4080; 1238 St. Charles Street, 985- 872-5267, Houma; and 4560 Hwy. 1, Raceland, 985-251-4250.

Robichaux is available to care for patients at Thibodaux Regional Multi-Specialty Clinic located at 1238 St. Charles St., Houma, 985-872-5267.

The famous California gold rush in 1849 was caused by dreams of vast fortunes made by just wandering around and picking up nuggets — something like picking up pecans in the fall. Gold fever led thousands of people to the supposed “new El Dorado,” and the malady struck dozens of people from south Louisiana.

The Planter’s Banner, published in Franklin recorded on March 15, 1849, “Quite a number of the citizens of this parish started for California on Tuesday last. … They are a hardy, energetic set of fellows, and will be sure to see the diggings in due time.”

One of them was Robert Wilson, who wrote to the Franklin newspaper several weeks later from Chagres, in what is now Panama, to describe his fellow passengers and the first half of their voyage.

It took 23 days for the schooner W. H. Hazard to sail from New Orleans to Chagres, carrying passengers who, Wilson wrote, “appear to be inspired with a love for adventure, and a noble resolve to take advantage of the favorable opportunity afforded them.”

His fellow fortune hunters, he said, “are all, with very few exceptions, men of respectability, intelligence, and enterprise.” He said the list included “thirteen merchants and traders, nine carpenters, six clerks, five doctors, five farmers, five bakers, three coopers, three bricklayers, two engineers, two steamboat captains, two editors, one cabinet maker, one tinner, one apothecary, one miller, one confectioner, one lawyer, and one tailor,” among others. A group of men from Illinois had pooled their resources, formed a corporation, and agreed to share whatever riches they found.

Shipmates from south Louisiana included Robert S. Wooding, James L. Prouty, John K. Smith, James F. Nash, Dr. Gideon Woodward, John Wilson, Alfred Douglass, and Lewis Davis.

William Rabe sold his drug store and everything else he owned in Franklin and sailed a few months later. He wrote to the newspaper from San Francisco, and apparently had the good sense to open a business supplying the gold hunters, rather than prospecting himself.

He said his business was “a fair average” of others in a town that was “growing with a rapidity unparalleled in the history of the world. … To take in $200 a day is to us a small matter, $500 a day is pretty good, and $1,000 a day is a fine business.

“Our regular expenses are $2,000 per month … [and] there is some left when the cash is balanced, to lay up for old age.”

Not everyone fared so well. Simeon Patout, scion of the wealthy sugar family, traveled on a ship so crowded that “each passenger was allowed only fourteen inches wide by six feet long, and one had to crawl on all fours to reach his bed for there was less than four feet [in height] between decks.”

When he got to San Francisco, he wrote in a letter home, he found that it was very expensive to get to the gold fields and that he was running short of money. He said he had hopes of going to work in a store, but it was still under construction and he would have to wait to see if he would be hired.

It seems that he wasn’t. According to a family account, he had a recurrence of an illness, possibly yellow fever, he’d first experienced aboard his crammed ship, and that was so prevalent among passengers crossing Central American that it became known as Panama Fever.

According to that account, he recovered, at least partially, from the illness and tried to get back to Louisiana in the early fall of 1849, this time traveling overland. The family traced him as far as Amarillo, Texas, but no farther.

He was never heard from again.

You can contact Jim Bradshaw at jimbradshaw4321@gmail.com or P.O. Box 1121, Washington LA 70589.

Gerald John Barbier, 86, a native and resident of Morgan City, LA passed away peacefully surrounded by his loving family on Sunday, October 9, 2022 at Thibodaux Regional Medical Center. Gerald was born January 19, 1936 to the late Kenneth Paul Barbier and Mae Arceneaux Barbier. He married the love of his life, Carolyn Ann LeBlanc on September 25, 1955.

Gerald is survived by his four sons, Gerald S. Barbier and Julie Barbier, Brian Barbier and his wife Doris, Craig Barbier and his wife Carlyn and Reed Barbier and Christine Barbier; grandchildren, Brittany, Neil, Cassie, Candice, Calla, Chad, Courtney, Austin and Kristen; great grandchildren, Ava Grace, Colton, Layla, Trey, Kylen, Kylie, Hudsen, Eli and his sister Marcella German.

He is preceded in death by his wife of 61 years, Carolyn LeBlanc Barbier; parents, Kenneth and Mae Barbier; grandson, Justin Barbier; 2 brothers and 2 sisters.

Gerald loved the outdoors leaving cherished memories of weekends at the hunting camp with his boys. He was a true jack of all trades and craftsman that could figure a way to build just about anything with perfection.

He was a beloved husband, father, grandfather and great grandfather that will be deeply missed by all who knew and loved him.
Pallbearers to serve are Gerald S. Craig, Reed, Neil, Chad and Austin. Honorary Pallbearers will be Brian Barbier and Trey Emminger.

A Time of Remembrance will be observed on Wednesday, October 12, 2022 from 6:00pm-9:00pm at Hargrave Funeral Home and will resume on Thursday, October 13, 2022 from 8:00am-10:30am followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at HOLY CROSS CATHOLIC CHURCH in Morgan City at 11:00am officiated by Father Mike Tran. He will be laid to rest in Morgan City Cemetery mausoleum