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Berwick High School's Class 3A State Championship run, top photo, headlined The Daily Review's Top 10 Sports Stories of 2018. Other top sports stories from the year were Patterson's 12U Babe Ruth World Series title (second photo), which was the year's No. 2 story; the Morgan City 10-year-old All-Stars' state runner-up finish (third photo), which was No. 5 on the Review's list; and Central Catholic volleyball's state semifinal run (above), which was No. 7 in the rankings. (The Daily Review/File Photo)

The Top 10 sports stories of 2018

No. 1 Berwick High School baseball team wins state
The Berwick High School baseball team entered the 2018 season with a new coach and plenty of holes to fill from its 2017 Class 3A state semifinal run. Despite the challenges that awaited them, the squad was up for the task and not only sur-passed the 2017 squad’s finish but won in May the school’s first baseball state championship since 1978.
Berwick (29-8) entered the postseason after winning the District 8-3A title with a 14-0 record in league play.
In the postseason, No. 4 seed Berwick defeated No. 29 Peabody 12-0 in the first round, topped No. 13 Jen-nings 10-0 and 13-1 in the regional round and defeated No. 5 Eunice 12-2 and 12-3 in the quarterfinal round. In the semifinals, Berwick defeated No. 1 Sterlington 8-6 before topping No. 3 Iota 7-1 in the finals.
Following the season, Ber-wick senior Kyle Pitre was named the District 8-3A Most Valuable Player, while Brandon Bravata was the District 8-3A Coach of the Year.
Bravata also was named Class 3A Co-Coach of the Year on the Louisiana Base-ball Coaches Association All-State baseball team and Coach of the Year on the 3A Louisiana Sports Writers Association All-State team.
Junior pitcher Mitchell Sanford was named a second-team selection on the American Family Insurance ALL-USA Loui-siana Baseball Team.
Sanford, along with Pitre — a utility selection — were named first-team Class 3A Louisiana Sports Writers Association All-State selec-tions. Senior catcher Lucas Hatch, senior outfielder Reid Wiley and junior utility player Zeph Hoffpauir were Louisiana Sports Writers Association Class 3A Honorable Mention All-State selections.
The Panthers’ Sanford, Pitre, Hatch and Wiley were Louisiana Baseball Coaches Association Class 3A All-State team picks, with Wiley and Pitre earning Louisiana Baseball Coaches Association All-State Composite Team honors.
No. 2 Patterson Babe Ruth softball wins World Series
A new year produced the same result for the Patterson Babe Ruth 12U Softball Team as the squad finished the season as Babe Ruth World Series 12U Champions for the second straight year in Jensen Beach, Florida, in August.
Patterson finished its summer with a 19-1 record, including 13-0 in Babe Ruth bracket play. The team won the Louisiana and Southwest Region titles before concluding its season with a World Series crown.
In the World Series final, the local squad clinched the title in dramatic fashion as Amaya Williams drove in Hannah Domingue on a two-out single to right field for a 3-2 victory against Kentucky-based Jeffersontown All-Stars.
With the titles in consecu-tive years, Patterson became just the second team in 12U softball to win back-to-back titles, joining Pitt County, North Carolina, which achieved the feat with five straight titles from 2000-2004 and again from 2006-2007.
Laila Dugar was named Babe Ruth 12U Most Out-standing Player, while Ella Hover, Dugar and Emily Lipari were named to the 12U All-World Series Team. Dugar, Bryleigh DeHart and Rylie Chaisson were named to the 12U World Series All-Defensive Team.
Other team members were: Domingue, Kamille Lightfoot, Charlotte Callais, Kyla Samuels, Layla Richoux, Williams, Maddi St. Blanc, head coach Harris DeHart and assistant coaches Ronald Dugar, Jeremy Callais, Jonathon Lightfoot and Jeff Lipari.
No. 3 Banner game
by Josh Jones
Berwick High School senior running back Josh Jones finished his high school career with an impressive senior season, rushing for 2,153 yards and 27 touchdowns.
But one game sticks out above the others. Jones rushed for 616 yards and nine touchdowns in his final regular-season contest as Berwick defeated North Vermilion. Jones achieved the feat on 27 carries.
He had 332 yards rushing at halftime.
The nine touchdowns by Jones alone covered 468 yards. He had a touchdown run of 59 yards on Berwick’s first play from scrimmage and added touchdown runs of 55, 84 and 92 yards by halftime. In the second half, he added touchdown runs of 73, 13, 32, 16 and 44 yards.
Of the top all-time national single-game rushing totals, the 616 yards would rank No. 6 if included on the National Federation of State High School Association’s list found on its website. It also would be the organization’s highest mark among Louisiana running backs.
His unimaginable perfor-mance topped an impressive performance roughly a month earlier as he had rushed for 417 yards and four touchdowns on 28 carries in a 38-24 upset of Ascension Episcopal.
Following the season, Jones was named Co-Offensive MVP on the All-District 8-3A squad and an Honorable Mention Class 3A All-State selection by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association.
He also participated in the Louisiana Gridiron Football Bowl at Louisiana College last month.
No. 4 Berwick Track and Field success
The Berwick High School boys’ track and field team had the best year in program history in 2018, finishing as state runner-up in both indoor and outdoor competition.
In February, Berwick fin-ished as state runner up in Division II (Classes 3A and below) at the Allstate Sugar Bowl/Louisiana High School Athletic Association Indoor Track and Field State Meet at LSU.
Berwick finished with 50 points, trailing only Class 2A powerhouse Episcopal, who won the event with 86 points.
Berwick was led by senior standout Kenan Jones, who won the long jump, high jump and triple jump titles. Jones had a leap of 22 feet, 4 inches to win the long jump, while he won the high jump with leap of 6 feet, 5 inches. He took the triple jump with a leap of 46 feet, 3 inches.
Berwick’s Josh Carver fin-ished second in the high jump with a leap of 6 feet, 5 inches.
Berwick also reached the podium in the 4x200 meter relay as the team finished third with a time of 1:33.66. The team consisted of Alvin Jones, Barrett Hover, Kenan Jones and Josh Jones.
The indoor success trans-lated to a successful outdoor season as Berwick’s boys’ team won the District 8-3A title for just its second dis-trict crown in school history. Berwick also won its first regional meet in school history, taking the Region 2-3A crown.
At state, Berwick finished as 3A runner-up with 56 points. It was the highest total in points and placement in school history.
Kenan Jones, once again, led Berwick as he won the state title in the long jump and high jump and finished second in the triple jump. He was named the Class 3A boys’ Outstanding Athlete. Jones jumped 23 feet, 7.5 inches in the long jump, 6-feet, 8 inches in the high jump and 47 feet, 2.75 inches in the triple jump.
Carver finished as state runner-up in the high jump with a leap of 6-feet, 8-inches, but Jones won the title because he cleared 6-8 on his second attempt. Carver was successful on his third attempt.
Berwick’s Ian Valdez won the state title in the 3,200-meter run with a time of 10:17, while Berwick also finished as state runner-up in the 4x400-meter relay with a time of 3:28.90. Team members were Alvin Jones, Keyon Singleton, Hover and Josh Jones.
Following the season, Ke-nan Jones and Carver earned Louisiana Sports Writers Association All-State Track and Field team honors.
Jones was recognized in the long jump, triple jump and high jump on the list, which combines marks of all classes, Jones had the top mark in the long jump, third-best mark in the triple jump and tied for first in the high jump. One of those he tied with in the high jump was Carver.
No. 5 MC 10s finish as state runner-up
The Morgan City 10-year-old All-Star baseball team finished its season as Louisi-ana Dixie Youth Minors State Runner-up this season. It was the highest finish for a Morgan City 10-year-old All-Star team since the 2001 season when it also finished as state runner-up.
In July, Morgan City won the District 3 AAA crown in Morgan City with a 3-0 mark and topped powerhouse Ville Platte for the Louisiana Dixie Youth Minors South Regional Title in Vidalia to advance to the best-of-three state cham-pionship series in Alexandria. At regionals, Morgan City finished with a 4-1 mark.
In the state championship series, Morgan City fell to Ruston, the Louisiana Dixie Youth Minors North Region champion, in the first two games by scores of 16-5 and 10-6.
Morgan City finished its season with an 11-4 mark, including a 7-3 record in Dixie Youth Tournaments.
Team members were Franco Saleme, Noah Guarisco, Conner Daigle, Bryan Cordero, Lucas Pickens, Landyn Ramagos, JaKavior Kemp, Chaz’ Pickens, Tate Fontenot, Kollin Nelson, Jade Oliney, Jamyre Bias, head coach Chase Pickens and assistant coaches Bryson Barbier and Mike Nelson.
No. 6 MCHS softball team is state runner up
The Morgan City High School softball team built on its banner 2017 season with Class 4A state runner-up finish in 2018.
The Lady Tigers (25-5), who won the District 7-4A title with a 6-0 record, en-tered the postseason as the No. 1 seed. Morgan City defeated No. 15 Edna Karr 15-0 in the bi-district round, topped No. 16 Franklinton 8-0 in the regional round, eliminated No. 8 Grant 3-1 in the quarterfinals and bested No. 4 West Ouachita 10-1 in the semifinals. In the finals, Morgan City fell to No. 3 DeRidder 5-1.
Following the season, sen-ior pitcher Kennedy Hebert earned second-team Max-Preps Small Schools Softball All-American honors. She also earned All-District 7-4A Offensive and Defensive Most Valuable Player awards, Gatorade Louisiana Softball Player of the Year and was a first-team Louisiana Sports Writers Association Class 4A All-State selection and a Louisiana Softball Coaches Association All-State selec-tion.
Teammate, senior Allie Vincent, was a first-team Louisiana Sports Writers Association Class 4A All-State pick as a utility player and also made the Louisiana Softball Coaches Association All-State team in the same capacity.
Freshman shortstop Haylie Crappell and junior third baseman Gracie Verrett were Louisiana Sports Writers Association Class 4A Honorable Mention All-State selections.
Then-Morgan City High School Coach Tamara Keller was named the District 7-4A Coach of the Year.
No. 7 CCHS volleyball advances to state semis
Central Catholic High School recorded another solid season on the volleyball court with 30-plus wins and a trip to the Pontchartrain Center.
While the squad had a successful season, finishing as a Division V semifinalist with a 36-9 record, it fell short of its goal of a state championship.
Central Catholic, which won District 6-V with a 3-0 mark and entered the post-season as the No. 3 seed, certainly didn’t go down easy in its final game of the season, dropping a marathon match to No. 2 seed Ascension Episcopal in five sets (16-25, 25-14, 23-25, 25-23, 11-15).
The Lady Eagles began their postseason run with a 3-0 (25-6, 25-6, 25-12) win against No. 30 Christ Episcopal School before defeating No. 19 St. Katharine Drexel 3-0 (25-14, 25-19, 25-9) in the second round. In the quarterfinals at the Pontchartrain Center, Central Catholic topped No. 6 Episcopal School of Acadiana 3-0 (25-23, 25-10, 25-22).
Following the season, Central Catholic swept the individual honors on the All-District 6-V Volleyball Team as junior Terre’yann “Yani” Johnson was named the district’s Offensive Most Valuable Player, while senior Brooke Lipari was the district’s Defensive MVP. Central Catholic’s Latashia Wise was the league’s Coach of the Year.
Johnson was named to the Louisiana Volleyball Coaches Association All-State Team in Division V, while Lipari was chosen to play in the Louisiana Volleyball Coaches Asso-ciation East-West All-Star Game as a member of the West team. Wise was the West team’s coordinator.
No. 8 Patterson youth baseball success
It was a fantastic year for youth baseball programs in the Patterson area this year as teams won Cal Ripken state championships in 8U and 12U divisions and clinched a state crown in Babe Ruth in the 13-to-15-year-old age group.
Patterson’s 8U team participated in the Cal Ripken Invitational World Series in Jensen Beach, Florida, in August, too.
Patterson’s 8U All-Stars finished their summer in Cal Ripken play with an 11-9 mark, suffering most of their losses at the World Series.
Patterson started the postseason with a 3-1 finish to win the district title and followed it up with a 4-0 mark at the state tournament to capture the Louisiana crown.
At the Southwest Regional Tournament in Alabama, Patterson finished with a 3-2 mark, while at the World Series, Patterson recorded a 1-6 record.
Team members were Glenn “Trey” Rochel III, Kohen Bonin, Zack Sons, Brody Swisher, Tate Mouton, Jayden Hillebrandt, Kane Chassion, Luke Domingue, Brilyn Johnson, Carlon “Deuce” Butler, Traye Richardson-Dinger, Hayden Walker, head coach Mike Dinger and assistant coaches Locky Bonin, Glenn Rochel and Benji Sons.
In 12U action, Patterson finished undefeated in dis-trict play, won the state title with a 5-0 mark and finished its season with a 1-3 record at the Southwest Regional Tournament in Florence, Alabama.
Team members were: Brylon Jennings, Landon Bernadou, Dylan Verrett, Billy Jack Caldwell, Tre Hebert, Jason Matthews, Braden Mouton, Roy Jones, Austin Perkins, Bryce Solar, Austin Davis, Drew Dinger, head coach Mike Francis and assistant coaches Willis Dore’ and Casey Solar.
In 13-to-15-year-old age group, Patterson won the district and state champion-ships and also participated in the Southwest Regional in Andalusia, Alabama.
Patterson finished its summer with a 7-3 mark, winning district with a 3-0 record, taking the state title with a 3-1 mark and closing its season with a 1-2 perfor-mance at the Babe Ruth Southwest Region Tourna-ment.
Team members were: Grant Hebert, Kaden Samu-els, Blaz Mayon, Hayden Bailey, Dylan Fabre, Drake Dinger, Reid Perkins, Robbie Connor, Johnathan Picou, Don Diaz, Joseph Larson, Trevor Wiggins, Amarea Christopher, head coach Brett Dore’ and assistant coaches Joe Larson and Nate Samuels.
No. 9 MCHS volleyball makes state tournament
Morgan City High School’s volleyball team had a solid season this year as the squad advanced to the state tournament for the first time in 10 years.
Prior to this season, Mor-gan City last played in the state quarterfinals in 2008, falling to Sam Houston.
Since that trip, Morgan City had been plagued by a regional-round road block before breaking through this season.
Morgan City (29-14) fin-ished third in District 8-III action and was the No. 6 seed in this year’s postseason.
In the first round of the playoffs, Morgan City defeat-ed No. 27 Livonia 3-0 (25-8, 25-14, 25-11) before taking down No. 11 Brusly 3-0 (25-21, 25-16, 25-16) in the re-gional round. In the quarterfinals, Morgan City fell to No. 3 E.D. White 3-0 (25-13, 25-17, 25-11). E.D. White finished the season as Division III state runner up.
Following the season, Morgan City senior Sh’Diamond Holly was selected to participate in the Louisiana Volleyball Coaches Association East-West All-Star Volleyball Game. Holly also was select-ed as a Louisiana Volleyball Coaches Association All-State pick in Division III.
No. 10 MCHS boys’
basketball success
Morgan City High School continued its basketball program’s run of success with an outstanding season in which the Tigers defeated some stiff competition.
Morgan City (25-7) had a nondistrict schedule that featured Dunham, Lafayette Christian, Madison Prep and White Castle. Dunham ended the season as the Division III state champs, while Lafayette Christian won the Division IV state title. Madison Prep won the Class 3A state title. Morgan City defeated Dunham, Madison Prep and White Castle and fell to Lafayette Christian.
After winning a share of the District 7-4A title with a 5-1 mark, Morgan City en-tered the postseason as the No. 9 seed.
In the playoffs, Morgan City defeated No. 24 Livonia 59-56 in the first round and fell to No 8 Edna Karr 64-47 in the second round.
Following the season, then-coach Terence McCutcheon was named District 7-4A Coach of the Year, while senior guard Tywaun Walker and senior forward Taaj Daniels were selected as Louisiana Sports Writers Association Class 4A Honorable Mention All-State picks.

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