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TOP STORY
Falcons mercy rule Blue Devils 11-0!
Gangi collects seven strikeouts.
GONZALES, LA—The Saint Thomas Aquinas baseball team opened their season by honoring the members and their families of the 2016 LHSAA 2A State Championship and followed up the ceremony with a 11-0 mercy rule win over the Plaquemine Blue Devils. The Falcons racked up nine hits while junior Cameron Gangi and senior Gavin Ladut combined to no hit the Blue Devils. Gangi started going two and two-thirds collecting seven strikeouts and Ladut finished up the five inning affair with three strikeouts. Jackson Jeansonne took the loss for the Blue Devils working three innings, giving up eight hits, four walks and fanning five.
The Falcons shook things up early plating four runs on a single by Jeremiah Bess and an inside the park home run by Gangi. The fourth innings saw the Falcons break the contest open for good scoring five runs as Gavin Brown singled scoring a run, followed by a run on an error, and a single by Ladut that plated three more runs. Colton Boudreaux, Brown, and Bess all had two hits while Brown and Gangi collected three RBIs.
The Falcons will take their show on the road to start a two-game home and home series with Archbishop Hannan on February 12th and 13th.
Falcons roll past Ascension Christian 9-2!
Saint Thomas win Jamboree game as Brown delivers a three run bomb.
GONZALES, LA—The Saint Thomas Aquinas Falcons made the most of a Jamboree contest with Ascension Christian as they rallied from down two to collect a 9-2 victory in action Friday. The Falcons collected seven hits including a three-run dinger by junior Gavin Brown. Junior Cameron Gangi collected two hits and junior Gabriel Musso added two RBIs on one hit and scored twice.
Musso, Colton Boudreaux, and Landyn Caves each worked a pair of innings on the mound with Caves getting three strikeouts while walking just on
Ascension Christian got on the board first in the bottom of the first inning plating two runs cashing in a wild pitch as Brax Jackson and Luke Brignac scored. The Falcons took charge in the top of the third on the Brown dinger and never looked back adding two in the fourth and three more in the fifth.
The Falcons played error-free ball while the Lions had four errors. Both teams will open the season at home as the Lions will host Family Christian and the Falcons will entertain Plaquemine. The Falcons will welcome back the 2016 State Championship team in ceremonies before their game.
Falcons make it three in a row!
Saint Thomas cruises past Mt. Herman.
By Jim Henderson
HAMMOND, LA—The Saint Thomas Aquinas Falcon Basketball team went above the .500 mark for the first time this season after claiming a 82-28 victory over the Mt. Herman Yellow Jackets in a non-district contest played at the STA gym. The win improved the Falcons to 10-9 on the season while Mt. Hermon fell to 1-16 overall.
Saint Thomas used its relentless pressing defense forcing Mt. Hermon into double digit turnovers. The Yellow Jackets struggled throughout the game trying to break the Falcon press. “We came out and put a lot of pressure on them and got a lead early.” said Falcon coach Raymone Andrews. “We got a lot of young guys into the game. It was good to get them some playing time. We did a good job in coming out to play basketball. They (Mt. Hermon) didn’t have a lot of players so we’re able to work on our pressure defense and wore them down.
The Saint Thomas schedule has the Falcons seeing Pope John Paul and French Settlement on the road to begin District 7-2A play and then face a tough Independence team. “We just got to come out and be ready to play against those opponents,” Andrews said.
Against Mt. Hermon, the Falcons led from start to finish and outscored Mt. Hermon in every quarter to seal the win. Kegan Lyons and Cooper Duhon nailed a pair 3-point goals to give STA a 8-2 lead. STA went on a 18-6 run to take a 26-8 advantage at the end of the first period. Kaiden Dennis spearheaded the scoring surge scoring layups off steals and Jack Beard delivered on a pair of put-back baskets.
Grant Forrest began the second period with a pair of jump shots. Later Chase Oalman scored on a 3-pointer and Dennis added another layup off a stolen pass. Saint Thomas outgunned the Yellow Jackets 29-9 in the quarter to take a commanding 55-17 at the half.
In the third quarter, Andrews cleared his bench and Zach Oglesbee had three put-back baskets and hit a mid-range jump shot as the Falcons maintained its lead outscoring Mt. Hermon 12-5 in the period to take a 67-22 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Talon Thibodeaux highlighted the fourth period with two 3-point goals and a baseline jump shot. Tate Soileau had a mid-range jump shot to make it 76-25. STA outscored Mt. Hermon 15-6 in the period to make the final score 82-28.
Oglesbee led the Falcons with 14 points, followed by Kaiden Dennis and Forrest with 12 apiece and Duhon and Thibodeaux each added eight points apiece. Beard netted six points and Lyons and Soileau each had five points. Oalman and Broxton McCory each had three points apiece for Saint Thomas.
“It was kind of heartbreaking for us,” said first-year coach Maurice Black of Mt. Hermon. “We’re pretty young. We didn’t play well on defense. Offensively, We just didn’t make shots.”
Falcons look to continue progress.
Baseball Preview 2026 ... Falcons boast 14 upperclassmen.
HAMMOND, LA—The Boys of Spring are back and for Saint Thomas Aquinas baseball fans they hope that it means more than just that high school baseball season has started. From 2013 to 2023, the Falcons made ten playoff appearances collecting a championship, two state runner-up finishes, two semi-finals, and one quarterfinal appearance along with some first and second round finishes. In 2024, Saint Thomas did not earn a playoff bid, but last season Falcons fans saw their team finish 16-16 and advance to the second round. The program was back in the playoff mix and expectations for better days ahead seemed possible. With four seniors and ten juniors on the 2026 roster the hopes for a winning season are back for Falcon Nation.
“We are never going to talk about how good we could be,” said head coach Boomer Nunez. “We are just keeping our heads down and working hard to get better. We are junior heavy this season. Our junior class has been playing and starting since their freshman year. That will make us a more experienced team and help us late in the season. We do not have a lot of seniors number-wise but we have some good players in that group.”
With fourteen players on the roster between the senior and junior classes coach Nunez says it makes his job really hard since only nine can play at time and the competition to get on the field is at a high level. “I have been telling the boys that they are making it very hard on us coaches to pick starters because of the depth we have. We will have some guys sitting on the bench that are just as good as the players playing.”
Defense has been a mainstay for Saint Thomas through the years and this season’s team is taking shape. “We are trying to build back to old school Saint Thomas baseball playing solid defense along with some good guys on the mound,” said Nunez. “With the depth we have, we can be good this year at all the positions on the field. We are going to have a couple of swing guys that can play more than one position and of course depending on who is pitching the lineup changes.”
At catcher the Falcons have three guys competing for playing time. “Luke Pegler who played outfield for us last year is working some behind the plate this season,” said Nunez. “He will be competing with another junior Joel Dupuy along with sophomore Abram Hall. They all bring something different to the table. We just need to see which one catches a certain pitcher better and who we are playing against on a given day.”
Saint Thomas will go eight deep this season on the mound according Nunez. “The thing I like about this group is that they all throw about the same, but you are going to see bulldogs on the mound that will compete their tails off, throw strikes, and let their defense work behind them,” explained Nunez. “You have to have that mentality to be able to put whatever happens negative behind you and keep competing.”
Competition for positions in the outfield continues for the Falcons. “The outfield is wide open right now and we are still looking for guys who will fill those positions,” continued Nunez. “We have good options just need to see who will step up and be able to handle the pressure in game situations.”
At first base, seniors Cameron Gangi and Gavin Ladut will handle the duties when they are not pitching. Juniors Gavin Brown and Graham Gares will handle the work at short stop. “It is great to have competition among the guys as it only makes everyone better and gives us coaches options in making a lineup with guys being flexible enough to play at different spots,” said Nunez
At the plate, Nunez likes to play some small ball, but with progress in the weight room this season, he expects the hits will come. “I tell my guys that home runs are accidents,” said Nunez. “I would rather have the ball hit the wall. I feel like we will hit for average this year but with a little more pop on the ball than we did last year.”
“I cannot say enough complimenting the administration for going out and getting a full-time strength and conditioning coach to work with all sports,” said Nunez. “It has made a huge difference for all the sports. Coach Kelly does an awesome job.”
With the small ball game comes putting pressure with the run game. “We are definitely going to put pressure on with base-running,” said Nunez. “We have guys that can run and the more we can execute the run game, the more pressure we can apply and get opponents thinking about that. Getting a kid in high school to make a good throw under pressure is not easy so more times than not we can be successful. If they execute and throw us out trying to steal then we tip our cap to them for a good play.”
In District competition, Pope John Paul II has prevailed the past four years so the rest of the league would certainly like to change that. “I knew when Coach Brian Babin came into our district as the coach of Pope that he is one of the best coaches in the area and he makes it tough to win the league,” explained Nunez. “But I would rather the competition be tough than a team just stepping on the field and running away with. It helps all of us prepare for the playoffs when the District competition is strong. You have to throw your best guys and compete to have a chance to win.”
For the second year in a row, the league will have a double elimination tournament to determine the champion. All the teams will play everyone once to determine seeding. The higher seed will be the home team. “I think this is good thing,” said Nunez. “It creates a playoff atmosphere in a win or go home format.”
As far as the culture of this year’s team, Nunez sees this as a work in progress as far as the mental toughness. “The talent is there but mental toughness is a work in progress and when that changes more for the better you will start to see Saint Thomas baseball do so really good things,” added Nunez
With Saint Thomas adding an eighth grade, Falcon baseball will have three schedules and a lot of games to coach. Nunez expects to be around not just for varsity and JV but overseeing the eighth and ninth grade games. “I want my assistants to be able to coach the younger players and have that responsibility but I want all our kids to know that I am watching and concerned about their progress and development,” said Nunez.
Observing the future and what is coming Nunez sees some good things developing in the eighth and ninth graders. “I compare our eight graders to a lot like our juniors as a group of kids that have already been playing together for a while and with the right coaching and development can be as good as or better than our current juniors.”
Games are not won on paper. They are won on the field of play, but the 2026 Falcons have a little more pep in their step and positive expectations that they can reach their goals with daily preparation as being prepared removes fear. “I tell our kids that every day is an interview for them,” said Nunez. “So we try to get them to practice hard and show up every day prepared to win the job just like in the classroom if you are prepared then taking a test is easy,” concluded Nunez.
Baseball is BACK!
Falcons host Pine Thursday in a scrimmage.
HAMMOND, LA—We interrupt basketball season to talk about baseball. The Saint Thomas Aquinas Falcons will host the Pine Raiders in a scrimmage this Thursday at 5:00 p.m. The Falcons finished 16-16 last season and advanced to the second round of the Division III playoffs while the Raiders came up short of getting a playoff bid finishing 7-16. Saint Thomas enters the season under new head coach Boomer Nunez who worked as an assistant last season and was the football head coach this past fall.
“We will play a regular seven inning game with no controlled situations,” said Nunez. “I want to see our guys play aggressive and fast and even see them fail some. How you respond to a mistake says a lot about your mental toughness and this is something we have emphasized. It should be some good work for both schools. Pine will be in our district next year.”
Both teams expect to rotate guys in to give live reps to as many as possible. “We have some depth on the roster this year and the competition among the guys certainly makes it hard on us coaches to pick starters. We will have some players that may sit at times but are just as good as the ones on the diamond,” added Nunez.
Pine is not far removed from success in the playoffs. In 2024, they advanced to the second round losing the eventual state runner-up Sterlington. Both teams will open the season on the road. Pine will open the regular season against Archbishop Hannan while the Falcons travel to play Ascension Christian.
Lady Falcons outlast Saint Helena!
Silewicz drops three treys.
By Jim Henderson
HAMMOND, LA——The Saint Thomas Aquinas Lady Falcon Basketball team began District 7-2A play on a successful note after coming away with a 34-31 victory over the St. Helena College and Career Academy Lady Hawks. The win improved Saint Thomas to 1-0 in league play and 4-8 overall. Saint Helena fell to 0-1 in district and 5-6 overall.
The Lady Falcons dominated play to open the game jumping out to a 13-0 first quarter lead but the Lady Hawks kept battling and actually tied the game but would never take the lead.
“The girls did a good job coming away with a win in district,” said STA coach Raymone Andrews. “We started the game off right leading 13-0 but then we got relaxed and did things that we weren’t supposed to do. But we continued to fight. Payten Silewicz made some big three’s for us and Kendriyan Simms made a crucial layup late in the game. We had some seniors make some big plays for us down the stretch. Our defense did a good job preventing them from getting any inside shots. We did a good job rebounding in the second half.”
It took a quarter and a half for the Lady Hawks to get dialed in after trailing 13-0 at the end of the first quarter. Leading the Lady Falcon scoring surge were led by senior Carlea Gill and draining a pair of 3-point goals and Silewicz added another. The Lady Hawks outgunned Saint Thomas 10-4 in the second period to cut the deficit to 17-10 at halftime.
St. Helena went to a 1-3-1 zone defense to prevent STA from getting inside shots. The Lady Hawks delivered on a 3-point goal and scored a layup off a steal to tie the game at 18-18 with 3:39 left to play in the third quarter. Silewicz nailed a 3-pointer Simms scored on a put-back basket to make it 23-18 heading into the fourth period
Silewicz scored a 3-pointer to start the fourth quarter to stretch the Lady Falcon lead to 26-21. St. Helena answered with a 3-point goal to cut the lead to 30-28 with 2:02 remaining in the game.
Free throw shooting by Gill and Simms kept the Lady Falcons with the lead at 34-28 before St. Helena made a another 3-pointer to trail 34-31 with :44 seconds left. The Lady Falcon defense prevented the Lady Hawks from scoring again.
“This was a tough game,” said St. Helena coach Antroy Gavin. “We didn’t make free throws when we needed them. We got into foul trouble and had to play without two of our top scorers in the second half. St. Thomas is a well coached team. We will learn from this loss and make better decisions in our future games.”
Silewicz and Gill each led Saint Thomas with 11 points, followed by Simms with seven and Makynile Stewart and Shanlya Labee each had two points apiece. T. Hookfin led all scorers for St. Helena with 16 points, followed by N. Johnson with seven and L. Wicker added three points.
Falcons roll past parisg rival Amite 65-37!
Three Falcons in double figures.
By jim Henderson
HAMMOND, LA——The Saint Thomas Aquinas Falcon basketball team captured its seventh win of the season after defeating the Amite Warriors 65-37 in a non-district contest played at the STA gym.
The Falcons improved to 7-6 on the season while Amite fell to 5-13 on the year.
The Falcons used a stingy defense that forced Amite into double-digit turnovers in the first half. Saint Thomas built a double-digit lead scoring off transition and maintained that advantage throughout the second half.
“We played hard throughout the game and I’m proud of the way we defended,” said STA coach Raymone Andrews. “We wanted to set the tone with our defensive pressure. We forced them into turnovers and scored off transition. I feel that we are starting to put things together and both offense and defense and this should help us get ready for district play that starts next week.”
St. Thomas jumped out to a 9-2 first quarter lead forcing Amite to call timeout with 3:02 left to play in the period. Junior Grant Forrest scored on a pair of mid-range jumpers and Kadien Dennis and Cooper Duhon each had layups to lead the Falcon surge. Saint Thomas went on a 8-2 run to increase its lead to 18-4 forcing another Warrior timeout with 4:07 left to play in the first half. Dennis scored on a layup off a steal and Forrest added a layup after breaking the Warriors press.
Amite cut the deficit to 20-12 with less than a minute remaining in the half. But STA responded with baskets by Dennis and free throw shots by Keegan Lyons to make it 24-12 at halftime. The Falcons outgunned Amite by a 15-10 margin in the second quarter.
The Falcons went on a 12-7 run to increase its lead to 34-19 after baskets by Forrest, Duhon and Chase Oalman to start the third quarter. Dennis scored on a pair of layups at the end of the period to make it 44-23 heading into the fourth period. Saint Thomas outgunned Amite 20-11 in the quarter.
Duhon and Dennis each nailed a 3-point goal to start the fourth period to make it 53-23 prompting another Amite time out with 5:25 left to play in the game. A put-back basket by Zach Oglesbee gave the Falcons a 63-33 lead as Andrews cleared his bench. Saint Thomas outscored the Warriors 21-14 in the fourth quarter to make the final score 65-37.
Dennis led Saint Thomas with 19 points, followed by Forrest and Cooper with 14 each. Lyons and Jack Beard each added five points apiece. Oglesbee scored four points and Oalman finished with two points for the Falcons.
Amarie Moore led the Warriors with nine points, followed by Jesse Walker with eight. Jaden Moore and Drew Palmer each had five points apiece and Bralyn Dunlap netted four points. Cheese Cyprian, Ulyess Powell and Caiden Thomas each had two points apiece for Amite.
Falcons rally for double digit win over Pearl River!!
Pearl River 51, Falcons 64
By jim Henderson
HAMMOND, LA—— The Saint Thomas Aquinas Falcon Basketball team registered its first victory of the season after four games in defeating the visiting Pearl River Rebels 64-51 in a non-district contest played at the STA gym.
The Falcons got off to a slow start but stepped up its defense beginning with the second quarter. Saint Thomas trailed after the first period and at halftime. But the Falcons outscored Pearl River in the second, third and fourth quarters to secure its win improving to 1-4 on the season. The loss left the Rebels with a 2-4 mark.
“A great win for us. We finally got one.” said STA coach Raymone Andrews. “We’ve been right there in four of our last five games so I’m happy with our effort. Our defense did a great job. We couldn’t buy a basket in the first half, but the second half we were able to score off our defensive pressure.”
Pearl River jumped out to a 8-2 first quarter lead. The Falcons cut into the deficit with a 3-pointer by senior Chase Oalman on the baseline and then senior Kaiden Dennis nailed a jumper in the lane to trail 8-7. However, Pearl River answered by going on a 12-2 run to take a 20-9 advantage heading into the second period.
Saint Thomas responded forcing five consecutive Pearl River turnovers that led to baskets with a pair of 3-point goals by Dennis and Oalman. A put-back basket by senior Cooper Duhon and a layup shot off a steal by junior Grant Forrest gave the Falcons their first lead of the game at 21-20 with 4:53 left in the half.
Each team traded baskets until Pearl River scored on a put-back basket to make it 28-23. Following a STA time out, the Falcons scored on a three-point play by Oalman to cut the Reble lead to 28-26 with 1:56 remaining. A layup off a stolen pass by Duhon cut the Pearl River lead to 29-28. The Rebels scored on a pair of freethrow attempts to make it 31-28 at the half.
Pearl River went on a 5-0 run to stretch its lead to 36-31 with 6:18 left in the third quarter. Saint Thomas’s relent pressure defense for the Rebels into turnover and the Falcons scored off transition 9-2 scoring surge to retake the lead at 42-40. A layup by sophomore Billy Espadron gave STA the lead at the end of the period.
Saint Thomas moved ahead for good when Duhon connected on a 3-point bucket to make it 45-42. Another layup off a steal by Duhon and then another 3-pointer by Duhon stretched the Falcon lead to 54-45 with 3:25 left to play in the game. A pair of layup baskets by Grant gave STA its largest lead at 62-48 with :55 seconds left to play. The Rebels could get no closer than eight points the rest of the way. Saint Thomas outgunned Pearl River 22-9 in the fourth quarter to seal the win,
“Saint Thomas did a better job in executing in the second half.” said Pearl River coach Aaron Dunklin. “I thought we played hard. They are a very well coached team. They did a really good job in pressuring us into hurried shots and easy transition baskets on layups off our turnovers. We got a lot to work on.”
Dennis led STA with 16 points, including three 3-point goals. Duhon followed with 15 and Oalman added 14 points. Forest netted 10 points and Jack Beard finished with nine.
Falcons fall short in overtime.
Walker 64, Falcons 56
By jim Henderson
HAMMOND, LA—— The Saint Thomas Aquinas Falcon Basketball team remained winless after suffering a 64-56 loss to the Walker Wildcats in a non-district contest played at the STA gym.
The contest ended in regulation play tied at 54-54, but the visiting Wildcats (1-2) outgunned the Falcons in the extra session by a 10-2 margin to clinch its first victory of the season.
“Just like our first three games we just can’t find a way to finish,” said STA coach Raymone Andrews. “I just gotta do a better job to get these guys tough enough where we can finish ball games at the end of games. We got to make plays. We’re just not doing the right things right now so it’s going to take time. We like to play the toughest schedule that we can so when we face these higher classification teams that’s get us prepared for when we start competing in our division.”
The Wildcats led 8-1 in the early moments of the first quarter. Saint Thomas cut into the deficit outscoring Walker with a 8-4 run as senior Kaiden Dennis made a layup off a steal and then scored on a pair of jump shots in the lane to trail 12-9 at the end of the period.
The Falcons trailed by one at 19-18 with 3:41 left in the first half. Senior Chase Oalman led the surge with a pair of free throw shots along with a pair of jump shots by Dennis. However, scored a on pair of 3-point goals to break away to make it 30-20 with 1:22 remaining. Junior Kegan Lyons of the Falcons nailed a 3-pointer to make it 30-25 at the half.
In the third quarter, the Falcons continued to cut into the deficit. A pair of putback baskets by junior Grant Forrest and Dennis made it 43-38 with :45 seconds left in the quarter. A layup by Forrest just before the horn sounded cut the Walker lead to 43-40 heading into the fourth period.
Saint Thomas rallied to take a 48-47 advantage when Dennis nailed a base line jumper with 3:44 left to play in the game. A 3-pointer by Dennis made it 54-51 with :22 seconds left. Walker answered with a 3-point basket to tie it at 54-54. Saint Thomas called time out to set up a last second shot attempt. The Falcons missed a base line jumper by sophomore Billy Espadron to force a overtime session. The contest was tied for the last time at 56-56 when senior Jack Beard scored on a layup shot for Saint Thomas with 2:02 left in overtime. Walker then went on a 8-0 scoring surge to seal the win.
Kaiden Dennis led the Falcons with 21 points, followed by Chase Oalman with 13 and jack Beard added eight points. Grant Forrest netted seven and Cooper Duhon and four points and Kegan Lyons finished with three points for the Falcons. Jordan Scott led Walker with 25 points, including five 3-point goals.
“It’s a big win for us,” said Walker coach Anthony Schiro. “The gym here is nice and tight and the fans are great. It’s a great atmosphere to play in. We got a lead in the third quarter, but St. Thomas did a good job coming back and picking up the intensity. That’s a good team over there and they’re going to win a lot of games.”
Saint Thomas, now 0-4 on the season, will host Pearl River on Wednesday, Dec. 10 in another non-district encounter.
Falcons finish on a high note ...
Saint Thomas scores double-digit win over Christ Episcopal to end regular season.
COVINGTON, LA——The Saint Thomas Aquinas Falcon Basketball team ended regular play on a high note with a convincing 67-45 victory over the Christ Episcopal Wildcats in a non-district contest.
The win improved Saint Thomas to 10-11 on the season. The Falcons were ranked No. 18 in the latest power ranking. The top 24 teams qualify for the state playoffs that begin on Feb. 28. The LHSAA will announce the playoff pairings for all divisions on Tuesday.
Against Christ Episcopal, the Falcons led from start to finish and outscored the homestanding Wildcats in the first three quarters to secure the win.
“It was good for my seniors (Ross Perilloux and Andrew Parkinson) to play in their last regular season game,” said STA coach Ramone Andrews. “It was good to see them get good shots off and play well.”
The Falcons took control of the game early using their pressing man-to-man defense that forced turnovers giving STA transition layup shots.
Saint Thomas scored three layup shots off steals that led to baskets by Cooper Duhon, Kaiden Dennis and Braden Spatafora giving the Falcons a 8-2 lead. Later Duhon nailed a 3-pointer and Grant Forrest added a pair of layup shots off steals to make it 24-10 with 2:24 left in the first quarter. Josh Carballo and Dennis each made jump shots in the lane to end the period with Saint Thomas holding on to a 29-10 advantage.
“We knew we could pressure them to get turnovers,” said Andrews. “We did a good job being active defensively scoring off transition baskets and getting everyone in the game.”
Saint Thomas maintained its double-digit lead in the second quarter. Carballo scored on a pair of layup shots and then Billy Espadron scored on a put-back basket. Duhon and Dennis each scored baskets as the Falcons went on a 11-4 run to make it 33-14 with 3:34 left to play in the first half.
Jack Beard ended the first half with a layup shot off a steal. The Falcons outgunned Christ Episcopal 16-6 in the second quarter to take a 45-16 lead at the half.
In the third quarter, the Falcons nailed a 3-pointer by Perrilloux and later Espadron added a layup shot to make it 50-21 with 3:33 left in the period. Both teams scored 16 points apiece with Saint Thomas building its lead to 61-32 heading into the fourth period.
Christ Episcopal cut into the deficit in the fourth quarter by a 13-6 margin to make the final score 67-45.
Ross Perrilloux led Saint Thomas with 11 points, followed by Billy Espadron and Kaiden Dennis with 10 apiece and Cooper Duhon and Josh Carballo each added seven points apiece.
Andrew Parkinson netted six and Gran Forrest scored five points. Jack Beard ended with four points and Zach Oglesbee finished with three points. Matthew Keegan Lyons and Chase Oalman each had two points apiece for the Falcons.
Saint Thomas is projected to play on the road for its first playoff contest.
PLAYOFFS! Lady Falcons advance with win over the Lady Jags!
Saint Thomas wins first round playoff game 42-7 over Pope John Paul II.
HAMMOND, LA——The Saint Thomas Aquinas Lady Falcon Basketball team advanced to the Division III select playoff regional round after taking a convincing 42-7 victory over the Pope John Paul II Lady Jaguars.
The No. 12 seeded Lady Falcons led from start to finish and outscored the No. 21 Lady Jaguars in every quarter, including shutting out the visitors the entire second half.
The win improves Saint Thomas to 12-19 on the season and will travel to New Orleans to face No. 5 De La Salle in a regional playoff slated for Monday, Feb. 24. De LaSalle (14-9) had a first-round bye.
“Anytime we get a playoff win you know it's great,” said STA coach Amber Hall. “This was a team win for us top to bottom. I feel like our players displayed a lot of energy from the beginning so I’m a happy coach. Pope was playing a zone so lucky we were able to hit key baskets when we got the open shot.”
Defensively, the Lady Falcons utilized its pressing man-to-man defense forcing turnovers and that turned into transition baskets.
Kaitlynn Barton led the STA offense in scoring in the opening quarter. The junior forward scored on a pair of layup shots off steals and then scored on a put-back basket. Senior Catherine Lamonte delivered on a baseline jump shot and then added a layup off a steal that gave the Lady Falcons a 13-5 advantage heading into the second period.
Saint Thomas held Pope John Paul to just one basket in the second period. Saint Thomas extended its lead in the quarter when Lamonte and senior Betsy Geisler each nailed a 3-point goal.
The Lady Falcons outgunned Pope John Paul 10-2 in the second quarter to take a 23-7 lead at halftime.
In the third quarter, the Lady Falcons got baskets from Lamonte, Geisler and senior Lauren Coates to make it 29-7 at the end of the period.
The defense kept Pope John Paul from scoring a basket the rest of the game while the offense added 13 points to make the final 42-7. Lamonte and Barton highlighted the fourth quarter. Lamonte scored on a 3-point play and then delivered on a base line jump shot. Barton scored a pair of free throws and had a layup shot made off a stolen pass.
“So, it's still a work in progress with our press,” said Hall. “But it forced them (PJP) into turnovers and we scored off transition. It makes it a fun team to watch.”
Lamonte led all scorers with 17 points, including two 3-point goals. Barton followed with 10 and Geisler and junior Celia Gill each added five points apiece.
Coates netted two points and senior MacKenzie Hall had one point.
The Lady Falcons will play at De LaSalle with the winner advancing to the Division III select quarterfinals. “I haven't seen anything about them yet,” Hall said. “I’ve not seen them on film but starting tonight we will start game planning and hopefully next Monday we will be ready to rock.”
Lady Falcons remain perfect in league play!
Saint Thomas celebrates Senior Night with win over Independence.
HAMMOND, LA——The Saint Thomas Lady Falcon Basketball team celebrated Senior Night with a convincing 64-26 victory over the Independence Lady Tigers in a District 9-2A battle.
The victory improved the Lady Falcons to a perfect 4-0 in league play tied with French Settlement. Both STA and French Settlement will clash on Friday, Feb. 14 at the STA gym to decide the District title. Independence fell to 1-3 in district and 3-9 overall.
The Lady Falcons took command early jumping out to a 30-7 first quarter lead. Seniors Lauren Coates and Catherine Lamonte began the scoring surge with a pair of layup shots to take a 4-0 lead. Junior Payten Silewicz nailed a 3-point goal and junior Kendriyan Simms delivered on a base-line jumper and a put-back shot to give STA a 11-4 advantage.
Later Coates scored on another put-back bucket to give the Lady Falcons a 21-6 lead as Saint Thomas went on a 12-2 run. The Lady Falcons ended the period on a 9-1 run when Lamonte scored on a mid-range jump shot.
Saint Thomas increased its lead in the second quarter. The Lady Falcon defense forced Independence into 22 first half turnovers that fueled the STA offense.
The Lady Falcons scored off transition baskets outscoring Indy 15-5 in the period to take a 45-12 lead at the half. Geisler scored on a jump shot in the lane in the final seconds just before halftime
The Lady Falcons maintained its lead in the third quarter outgunning Independence 11-5 in the period as Lamonte scored a three-point goal and then added a pair of layups off steals. Junior Kaitlyn Barton ended the quarter with a reverse layup shot to make it 58-16.
Independence outscored St. Thomas 9-6 in the fourth quarter. B. Mitchell of the Lady Tigers highlighted the period with three 3-point goals. Senior Quintavia Stewart of St. Thomas scored the last basket in the final minute to make it 64-26.
“It feels good getting a win on Senior Night,” said STA coach Amber Donnes. “This team has a lot of fun playing together. They bring the energy. They love each a lot and that makes us really special.”
Lamonte led St. Thomas with 21 points, followed by Geisler with 11 and Simms added 10 points. Barton netted six and Mackenzie Hall scored five points. Coates finished with four and Silewicz had three points. Makynie Stewart had two points for the Lady Falcons.
The Lady Falcons (11-18) will host French Settlement (21-9) in a contest that decides the District 9-2A championship on Friday, Feb. 14. Tipoff is slated for 6 p.m.
“They are a really well-rounded team (French Settlement),” Donnes said. “They have role players that make big plays so we’re going to have to come up big defensively and be ready to play.”
Falcons dominate Jaguars!
Saint Thomas scores double-digit win over PJP II.
HAMMOND, LA——The Saint Thomas Aquinas Falcon Basketball team captured its second District 7-2A win of the season after defeating the Pope John Paul Jaguars by a 65-40 score played at the STA gym. The Falcons led from start to finish and outscored the visiting Jaguars in every quarter to seal the win. The victory improved STA to 2-1 in league play while the Jaguars remained winless at 0-3 in district.
“We did a real good job with our transition game and got easy layups,” said STA coach Ramone Andrews. “Our kids played hard the entire game. We just got to continue to play the right way and if we can win out the rest of the way we can clinch a home playoff game.”
The Falcon wasted no time in getting out to a big lead. Junior guard Josh Carballo nailed a 3-pointer to start the game and then junior Chase Oalman followed with a put-back basket to make it 5-0. Moments later junior Kaiden Dennis and Oalman had layup shots off steals to give STA a 13-4 lead. Saint Thomas finished the first quarter with a 17-13 lead and then outscored the Jaguars 17-6 in the second period to take a 34-19 advantage at the half.
Saint Thomas maintained its lead in the third quarter outgunning Pope John Paul 18-6 in the period to take a commanding 52-25 lead heading into the final quarter. Highlighting the period was a pair of 3-point goals by Carballo and junior Cooper Duhon. Carballo finished the game with five 3-point goals.
Pope John Paul outscored STA 15-13 in the fourth quarter, but the Falcons had too much of a lead for the Jaguars to overcome. “We had a really specific game plan for this, but our execution just wasn’t good enough for what (St. Thomas) likes to do,” said Jaguar coach Jay Carlin. “And they’re so difficult when they get a lead on you because they can spread you out and really attack you one-on-one.” The Falcons, now 7-8 for the season, will host Pine on Thursday, Feb. 6 and then entertain Independence on Friday, Feb. 7 in a key District battle.
Falcons hold off late rally by the Wolves!
Saint Thomas hangs on for a 51-42 win over Loranger.
by Jim Henderson
HAMMOND, LA—The Saint Thomas Aquinas Falcon Basketball team held off a stubborn Loranger Wolves team in capturing a 51-42 victory in a non-district battle played at the STA gym.
The win improved the Falcons to 3-3 on the season while the Wolves fell to 4-7.
“It’s good for us to win but we didn't play the right way,” said STA coach Ramone Andrews. “I didn’t like the way we played at all tonight because of all of the mental mistakes. Our guys not knowing time and score. We got to play better. We’re not happy with our play at all.”
The Falcons set the tone of the game by jumping out to an 8-2 first quarter lead as junior Jack Beard scored the first two buckets on a pair of layup shots. Later junior Chase Oalman scored on a mid-range jump shot and he added a layup off a stolen pass.
Junior Dawson Jones of the Wolves scored on a wing jump shot and then had a put-back basket to end the first quarter with the Falcons taking a 14-8 advantage.
Jones delivered a 3-point basket to cut the Falcon lead to 18-13 at the end of the period. The Falcons maintained their lead outscoring Loranger 17-14 in the second quarter. Junior Kaiden Dennis and Cooper Duhon each had a pair of fast-break baskets off of steals and Beard added a pair of mid-range jump shots.
Jones kept the Wolves close with a 3-point bucket and the scored on a three-point play the old fashion play with a bucket and foul shot but Loranger trailed 32-21 at halftime.
In the third quarter, Oalman scored on a three-point play and then Duhon scored on a layup to give STA its biggest lead at 36-22 with 5:36 remaining in the period.
St. Thomas went on a 11-4 run as Oalman scored on a put-back basket to make it 44-30 heading into the fourth quarter as the Falcons outgunned Loranger by a 13-6 margin in the period.
Saint Thomas built the lead to 48-34 before the Wolves hit a 3-pointer by senior Kyron Perkins with 1:50 left to play in the game. Loranger cut the deficit under double-digits as Jones and Perkins hit jump shots down the stretch to make it 50-42. The Wolves would get no closer the rest of the way.
Kaiden Dennis led the Falcons with 17 points, including two 3-point goals. Jack Beard followed with 10 and Chase Oalman added eight points. Cooper Duhon netted seven points.
Dawson Jones and Kyron Perkins each led Loranger with 14 points apiece. Jones had two 3-point goals. Preston Rogers had six and Tucker Duhe ended with four points for the Wolves.
“We didn't come out with enough energy in the third quarter,” said first-year coach Calvin Jackson of Loranger. “In the first half we battled hard and we were right with them at the end of the first half. We got into foul trouble and had to sit our best player. We will need to work on our press and cut down on turnovers. We just want to get better and try to keep competing.”
Falcons bring out the brooms and sweep Sumner.
JV Boys and Girls and Boys varsity win ... Falcon soccer wins.
HAMMOND, LA—Falcon Nation enjoyed another successful Friday night as the JV, girls and boys basketball team swept Sumner and the boys’ soccer team dominated Saint Michaels to earn a 4-1 win.
The JV Falcons started the hoops night with 40-13 win followed by the Lady Falcons who traded leads with the Sumner Cowgirls before pulling away in the final three minutes to get a 45-35 victory. In the boy’s contest junior Cooper Duhon tossed in a game high 32 points and dished out six assists while Kaiden Dennis and Jack Beard added 11 and 10 points repsctively as the Falcons rolled past the Cowboys 74-4.
Four different players scored goals in the Falcons win over Saint Michaels as Christian Rousse, Chad and Dean Cusimano, and JD Guerin kicked in goals.
Good night for Falcon Nation ...
8th Grade Hoops gets a sweep of Nesom and Falcon Soccer defeats Livonia.
HAMMOND, LA—Saint Thomas Aquinas sports had a good night Monday as the 8th Grade Hoops teams swept Nesom with the girls winning 32-8 and the boys getting a 52-26 victory.
This was followed up on the soccer field as the Falcons shutout Livonia 5-0 in the varsity game and the JV Falcons rallied to earn a 2-2 tie in their match.
Slidell too much for Lady Falcons.
Lady Falcons fall to Slidell 56-34.
by Jim Henderson
HAMMOND, LA—The Saint Thomas Aquinas Lady Falcon Basketball team started regular season play on a sour note after the visiting Slidell Lady Tigers registered a 56-34 victory.
The Lady Falcons struggled with turnovers committing nine miscues in the first quarter as the Lady Tigers took advantage with transition baskets building a 16-6 lead.
Saint Thomas was unable to cut into the deficit in the second period. STA had seven turnovers in the quarter which led to more transition buckets for Slidell. The Lady Tigers outgunned Saint Thomas 15-5 in the second period taking a 31-11 advantage at halftime.
The Lady Falcons fared better scoring wise in the second half. Slidell maintained its lead outscoring Saint Thomas 17-10 in the third quarter to make it 48-21 heading into the fourth period.
STA cut into the deficit outgunning the Lady Tigers 13-8 in the final quarter. Senior Quintavia Stewart led a Lady Falcon scoring surge with back-to-back layup baskets. Senior Mackenzie Hall scored on a put-back basket and junior Kaitlynn Barton added a layup shot.
Barton led STA in scoring with eight points, Kendriyan Simms followed with five and Catherine Lamonte added four points. Hall, Lauren Coates and Betsy Geisler each scored two points apiece.
“I totally expected this,” said second-year head coach Amber Donnes of the Lady Falcons. “We got a lot of growing pains. We do have nine returning players but all of us getting on the same page is going to take some time. What I really want is for us to lock in more defensively and buy in what we need to be doing. It’s a process. Playing against tough teams is going to make us better. It’s how we bounce back is what I'I’m worried about.”
Soccer girls on a roll!
Lady Falcons defeat AJ Ellander 8-0!
HAMMOND, LA—The Saint Thomas Aquinas Lady Falcons continued their winnings ways taking down AJ Ellander 8-0. The STA Ladies have scored 21 goals over the past three matches.
Soccer girls and boys earn sweep of the South Terrebonne Gators!
The the girls and boys soccer teams win..
HAMMOND, LA—The Saint Thomas Aquinas girls and boys soccer team delivered a sweep of the South Terrebonne Gators Tuesday as the girls won 5-1 and the boys 2-1. The victory kept the Lady Falcons undefeated at 3-0 while the Falcons improved to 2-1.
Junior Sophie LaCroix paced the scoring for the ladies with three goals while fellow junior Bronwyn Doan and senior Kelsey Messina each had a goal. Christian Rousse kicked in both goals for the boys with one being a PK for the win. The loss was the first for the Gators who dropped to 2-1.
Soccer season kicks off.
The the girls and boys soccer teams will begin regular season action this week.
HAMMOND, LA—Saint Thomas Aquinas soccer season kicks off this week with both the girls and boys hosting matches. The boys will host long-time rival Archbishop Hannan Tuesday with
the varsity contest to start at 5:30 p.m. with JV mtahc to follow. The Lady Falcons will host 5A Walker on Thursday with the varsity match set for 5:30 p.m. with the JV match to follow.
Hammond sweeps Lady Falcons.
The Lady Tors after getting swept earlier in the season by Saint Thomas returned the favor.
by Jim Henderson
HAMMOND, LA—The Saint Thomas Acquinas Lady Falcon Volleyball team suffered a 21-25, 16-25, 11-25 match to the Hammond Lady Tors in a non-district contest played at the Tornado gym
It was Hammond's "Pink Out" game against the cross-town rival Lady Falcons supporting Breast Cancer Awareness. This year's season series ended at 1-1 as each team won on their home court. STA swept the Lady Tors (3-0) on Sept. 17.
In the first game, the Lady Falcons built a 9-5 lead as junior Kaley Thompson with a spike and block. Junior Chloe Willie added a service ace and sophomore Aubrey Speights fired a spike deep to the back boundary line.
Saint Thomas continued its advantage feeding off Hammond passing and spiking errors making the score 15-9. Hammond went on an 8-2 run to rally back to within 17-15. The Lady Tors eventually tied it at 19-19 and then moved ahead on a pair of STA passing errors to make it 21-19. The Lady Falcons closed the gap to 23-21, but a spike and a Lady Falcon passing error gave Hammond the win at 25-21.
In the second game, the Lady Falcons jumped out to a 7-4 lead as Willie delivered a service ace and Speights fired a kill at the net. Willie contributed a block and junior Miley Smith scored a point off a service ace.
Hammond answered by going on a 13-2 run to take a 20-8 lead and the Lady Tors closed it out with a service ace to make the final 25-16.
In the third game, both teams were tied at 6-6 and 8-8 before the Lady Tors went on a 7-2 run to take a 15-9 lead. Saint Thomas never got the deficit under double-digits the rest of the way as Hammond went on a 10-2 scoring surge to clinch the 25-11 victory.
“It was definitely a tough loss knowing we’re fully capable of winning,” said STA interim coach Zhaniece Parker. Unfortunately, many of our starters are battling the stomach bug. We tried to do our best with filling in with our freshmen, but we needed more experience on the floor. It just didn’t work out in our favor today.”
The loss left the Lady Falcons with a 10-6 overall record but more importantly they are 7-1 in District 8-IV play and will play league leader on Thursday, Oct. 17 Doyle (8-0) on Thursday, Oct. 17. A win over the Lady Tigers would give both teams a share of the District championship. “I know out the gate they (Doyle) are going to scrappy,” Parker said. “They are going to be really fast to react. We just got to play smart and keep them off their toes and keep them guessing.”
The win for Hammond improved the Lady Tors to 12-12 on the year. “We made the decision to play competitively and consistently and stuck with it,” said Lady Tor coach Amber Babin. “We needed the win so we fought hard. Our kids did a great job tonight.”
Lady Falcons improve to 5-1 in District with win over Indy!
Saint Thomas Aquinas sweeps Lady Tigers 3-0 in league match.
by Jim Henderson
HAMMOND, LA—The Saint Thomas Aquinas Lady Falcon Volleyball team saw its new interim coach Zhaniece Parker capture her first victory after sweeping the Independence Lady Tigers by set scores of 25-13, 25-6, 25-11. The Saint Thomas Ladies improved to to 5-1 in District 6-IV play.
“I feel our athletes came in level headed,” said Parker. “I definitely see their skills sharpening and growing together as a team. We served tough and we were able stop their long service runs. We kept applying pressure with our spikes at the net and withstood any rally threats.”
The Lady Falcons jumped out to a 5-1 lead in the first game as junior Miley Smith led the way with a pair of service aces. Independence cut the deficit to 8-6 before STA went on a 6-1 run to make it 13-7. Junior Carly Berner of Saint Thomas led the surge with a pair of kills at the net. Later junior Nora Faulk and sophomore Aubrey Speights each added kills to extend the Lady Falcon lead to 16-11. Smith recorded another service ace to give Saint Thomas a 17-11 advantage. Independence could not get any closer than eight points the rest of the way. Sophomore Aubrey Wilson scored the winning point with a kill at the net to make the final 25-13.
In the second game, Saint Thomas broke a three-three tie by going on a 6-0 run when senior Rilee Hall had two service aces and sophomore Aubrey Alston and Aubrey Speights each a pair of kills. Speights served four consecutive aces to make it 18-4 and then Berner delivered a pair kills to give STA a commanding 22-5 lead. A service ace by Faulk sealed the 25-6 win.
In the third game, STA led 5-1 after the Lady Tigers committed serving and passing errors. The Lady Falcons went on a 7-3 run as sophomore Brianna Bernos fired a pair of service aces. Berner scored on a spike and senior Abby Foster fired a service ace to make it 15-8. Independence failed to cut the deficit under double-digits the rest of the way. Wilson scored the game winning point on a spike at the net to make the final 25-11
“I felt this game match was a really good practicing moment,” said second-year Indy coach Alexis Genora. “We were able to teach our kids a high level of volleyball when you play teams like Saint Thomas and how it should be played. It’s still a learning moment for our kids.”
Saint Thomas, now 8-8 overall, will play two important district games on the road at Amite on Thursday and then at Springfield next Tuesday. A rematch against cross-town rival Hammond on October 16 and a home rematch against league leader Doyle on October 17 looms ahead.
Lady Falcons bring out the brooms against the Lady Bulldogs!
Saint Thomas Aquinas earn 3-0 sweep of Springfield.
by Jim Henderson
HAMMOND, LA—The Saint Thomas Aquinas Lady Falcon Volleyball team remained unbeaten in District 6-IV play after defeating Springfield by set scores of 25-22, 25-20, 25-21.
Both teams played it close in each set with several ties and neither team taking a double-digit lead throughout the match.
The Lady Falcons improved to a perfect 3-0 in league play while Springfield fell to 0-2 in district.
“It was an amazing win,” said STA coach Courtney Roblez. “We had a little bit of a slow start, but at the end of the day we kept fighting and got the win. We have the skill, we have the talent, we just need to be able to maintain consistency.”
In the first game there were 10 ties with the last being at 21-21. Saint Thomas moved ahead 22-21 on a spike by junior Kayley Thompson. Springfield cut the deficit to 23-22, but back-to-back passing errors by the Lady Bulldogs sealed the 25-22 win.
In the second game, Saint Thomas led 3-2 after a spike by junior Chloe Willie. Later sophomore Aubrey Speights fired a spike and sophomore Aubrey Alston had a serving ace to make it 11-5. Springfield kept pecking away the lead and rallied to trail 16-15 after a spike by Mary White.
However, the Lady Falcons took advantage of Lady Bulldog errors at the net. A service ace by Speights gave Saint Thomas a 22-16 advantage. Springfield could get no closer than five points the rest of the way.
n the third game, the Lady Falcons jumped out to a 8-4 lead after a service ace by junior Nora Faulk. Springfield responded and took a lead at 15-14 on another spike by White. Kacie Riddle of the Lady Bulldogs increased the lead to 19-15 on a service ace. But Saint Thomas answered by going on a 4-2 run and took the lead for good at 20-19 off a spiking error by the Lady Bulldogs.
Alston hammered another spike at the net and then Speights followed with a spike and a service ace to clinch the 25-21 win.
ubrey Speights led STA with 10 kills, one assist and three digs. Teammate Abby Foster delivered nine assists, two aces and two digs. Chloe Willie finished with one ace, four kills, one dig, three blocks and two assists and Kayley Thompson contributed two blocks and three kills.
Springfield coach Lisa Blanchard commented about missed opportunities. “We played hard but couldn’t finish. We keep telling the girls everyday that were almost there. We’re competing and that is all you can ask for. We gave them a good fight.”
Saint Thomas, now 5-4 on the season, will host Christ Episcopal on Monday before a showdown with Doyle for first place in the District race.
Lady Falcons sweep Hammond 3-0!
Saint Thomas Aquinas Volleyball.
by Jim Henderson
HAMMOND, LA—Cross-town rivals the Saint Thomas Aquinas Lady Falcons and the Hammond High Tornadoes Lady Tors Volleyball teams renewed aquintances Tuesday playing a hard fought match
with the Lady Falcons earning the sweep by set scores of 28-26, 25-22, 25-18.
The victory improved Saint Thomas to a perfect 3-0 record.
“It’s just amazing to make it for my fifth season where I have been able to build the program here at Saint Thomas Aquinas,” said Volleyball Coach Courtney Roblez. “The girls on this year’s team understand the offensive scheme, they are mentally strong, physically strong and I couldn’t ask any more from my kids in their effort to get this win.”
In the first game, each team shared no more than a two-point lead and the contest was tied 10 times. The final two ties came at 24-24 and the Lady Falcons moved ahead with a service ace to take a 25-24 lead. Hammond answered when the Lady Falcons had a passing error to tie it again at 25-25. Later Saint Thomas moved ahead again on a block to make it 27-26 and then Hammond committed a spiking error at the net sealing the 28-26 victory.
In the second game, the Lady Falcons jumped out to a 8-1 advantage as Miley Smith fired three aces and Aubrey Speights scored two points off a pair of blocks to spearhead the Saint Thomas attack.
The Lady Tors kept pecking away the Saint Thomas lead closing the gap to 21-18. However, Saint Thomas maintained a three point advantage when Hammond committed a passing error to make it 24-21. A service ace by Sadie Wetzel of the Lady Tors cut the lead to 24-22 before a Hammond service error clinched the 25-22 victory for Saint Thomas.
In the third game, each team battled back-and-fourth with the contest tied at 13-13. Saint Thomas went ahead for good on a spike by Speights and an service ace by Nora Faulk to make it 16-13.
Hammond could get no closer than five points the rest of the way. The loss dropped Hammond to 6-5 on the season
“We just need to be more disciplined,” said Lady Tor coach Amber Babin. “We had some good runs, but we had too many runs off errors.
We got to make things happen when we can make them happen.”
Saint Thomas will begin District 6-IV play on Thursday at Independence and then host Amite Sept. 24 in a pair of league encounters. “I feel confident about getting into district play as long as we play on our side of the net well, we will be fine,” said Roblez.
Loranger dominates Falcons.
Wolves defeat Saint Thomas 56-7.
by Jim Henderson
HAMMOND, LA—The Saint Thomas Aquinas Falcons and the Loranger Wolves played in a matinee non-district football contest played at Pete Valenti Field. At the end of the game, it would be all Loranger coming away with a 56-7 victory. The Wolves jumped out to a 21-0 first quarter lead and then added three more scores in the second period building a 42-0 advantage at the half. Loranger would score twice more in the second half. Saint Thomas avoided a shutout with a fourth period touchdown. The win improves the Wolves to 2-0 on the season while the Falcons remained winless at 0-2
Loranger began their scoring barrage on their opening possession following a STA punt. The Wolves marched 62-yards in five plays scoring on a 6-yard touchdown run by Roman James. Cooper Flanagan kicked the PAT to give Loranger a 7-0 lead with 8:04 left to play in the quarter.
Highlighting the drive was a13-yard run by Colton Morris and runs of 26 yards and 12 yards by Rylan James that moved the football down to the Falcon six.
Saint Thomas turned the ball over on downs on their next series when a punt attempt was blocked by Loranger’s Asher Hatfield. The Wolves could not take advantage of a short field as the STA defense held Loranger on downs after failing to pickup first down yardage. Ryan Jackson of the Falcons made the key stop on Loranger running back Anthony Davis on fourth down run.
Saint Thomas went three-and-out on its next series and were forced to punt. Loranger’s DJ Dupard returned the punt 26-yards to put the ball at the Falcon 15. On the very next play, Morris went around the left end scoring on a 15-yard touchdown run. Flanagan added the PAT to make it 14-0 with 3:49 left in the period.
Saint Thomas was forced to punt after five-play drive and the Wolves took over at their own 41. On the very next play Morris connected with Anthony Davis on a 59-yard touchdown pass play. Flanagan kicked the PAT to give Loranger a 21-0 lead heading into the second quarter.
Following a short STA punt, the Wolves took possession at the Falcon 37. Loranger scored three plays later on a 24-yard touchdown run by Rylan James. Flannagan booted the PAT to make it 28-0 with 9;39 left to play in the first half.
Saint Thomas was forced to punt on its next possession. DJ Dupard returned the punt for Loranger 28 yards putting the ball at the Falcon 30. Two plays later, Rylan James scored his third touchdown of the game on 30-yard run down the sideline. Flannagan added the PAT to give Loranger a 35-0 lead with 6:46 remaining in the half.
The Falcons were forced to punt after a five-play drive. Loranger's DJ Dupard returned the ball 47-yards down to the Falcon three-yard line. Morris rifled a three-yard touchdown pass to Landon Chavers. Flanagan kicked the PAT to give the Wolves a commanding 42-0 lead at halftime.
The second half of play was under a running time clock by LHSAA rule.
Loranger took the second half kickoff and went 53-yards in five plays for its next score. The drive ended with Morris scoring on a six-yard touchdown run. Flanagan added the PAT to make it 49-0 with 7:06 left to play in the third quarter. Spearheading the scoring drive was a 42-yard run by Anthony Davis and then a 19-yard gain by Landon Chavers.
Loranger increased its lead on its next series by scoring on a one-play drive that ended with a 47-yard touchdown run by Davis. Flanagan kicked the PAT to give the Wolves a 56-0 advantage heading into the fourth quarter.
Saint Thomas got on the scoreboard on its next possession. The Falcons scored on a 63-yard touchdown run by Parker Robique. Daniel Wittie kicked the PAT and the Falcons trailed 56-7 with 8:10 remaining to play in the game. Neither team would threaten the rest of the way.
“I thought we did the things we needed to do," said Loranger coach Sammy Messina. “We we're efficient, we protected the football. We had one little mistake and had the turnover on downs, but for the most part we executed on both sides of the ball really well.”
The Wolves were able to clear their bench and put in the backups. “We got to play a good many people. It was good for our kids. We're just moving forward and next week is a big one and hopefully this will help put us in the right direction to get ready for it.”
Meanwhile Falcon head coach Tino Fletcher continues seeing the growing pains from his young squad. “Very tough, very tough. Honestly, I don't know what to say.” said Fletcher. “We got a lot of work to do. We have to keep the effort up and we just got to practice better. I always go back to the way we practice. Right now, we are not practicing very well at all. So we got to practice better Monday through Thursday.”
Loranger will play host Jewell Sumner (2-0) with winning streaks on the line. “Sumner is Athletic, physical, hard nose football team and well coached. It’s going to be a good game,” said Messina.
Pine spoils Fletcher debut.
by Jim Henderson
HAMMOND, LA—The Saint Thomas Aquinas Falcons suffered their first loss of the season after the Pine Raiders registered a 47-0 victory at Pete Valenti Field. The loss spoiled the debut of new Falcon head coach Tino Fletcher.
The Raiders scored on four of their first five possessions in the first half in a contest that was played on a soggy field. The Falcon offense struggled much of the way failing to pickup a first down in the entire first half and finished the game with just four first downs. Saint Thomas’s deepest penetration into Pine territory came on their final drive of the game in the fourth period.
“This was a tough one,” said STA coach Tino Fletcher. “Once again we made too many mistakes and that kind of hurt us. On the first play of the game offensively we jumped offsides and too many missed tackles. We’re just killing ourselves and until we start playing mistake free football, I don’t know what we are going to be able to do. It’s back to the drawing board to get things going so we can get ready for next week.”
The Raider scoring barrage began in the first quarter on their opening possession. Pine marched 59-yards in seven plays for its first touchdown. The drive ended when running back Thomas Benard scored on 28-yard touchdown run. CJ Cobon kicked the PAT to make it 7-0 with 6:51 left in the first period. The drive was highlighted by a 13-yard run by Trey Knight and eight-yard gain by Chris Williams.
Following a Falcon punt, the Raiders scored again capping a four-play, 57-yard drive that ended with a 32-yard touchdown pass play from quarterback Trey Knight to DJ Garrett. The extra point was missed leaving the score 13-0 with 3:14 remaining in the first quarter.
Highlighting the drive was a 10-yard run by Von Johnson and 12-yard gain by Williams of the Raiders.
Saint Thomas committed a turnover on its next series when quarterback Chase Oalman threw a pass interception at mid-field.
Pine capitalized on the miscue marching 50-yards in nine plays culminating with a 25-yard touchdown by running back Johnson. Cobon booted the PAT to make it 20-0 with 9:38 left to play in the first half. The Raiders had to overcome two holding penalties during the scoring drive. A 16-yard pass play from Knight to Garrett that moved the football to the Falcon 37 and then a 26-yard pass by Knight to Benard put the ball at the Saint Thomas 15 that spearheaded the drive.
Each team exchanged punts on their next two possessions. Pine was able to score a touchdown just before the end of the half when the Raiders received a short punt at their own 47 and needed seven plays to score a touchdown on a seven-yard run by Johnson Cobon added the PAT to make it 27-0 at the half.
The third quarter began with the Raiders putting together a six-play, 90-yard drive that ended with a 23-yard touchdown run by Williams. Cobon kicked the PAT to give Pine a 34-0 advantage with 9:45 left to play in the period. Williams spearheaded the drive with runs of 10, 43 and 23 yards with the latter being the touchdown run.
Following the kickoff, the Falcons put together its best offensive drive of the game. STA picked up a pair of first downs both by way of Raider penalties that moved the ball into Raider territory for the first time. But the Pine defense stiffened and Saint Thomas turned the football over on downs when quarterback Chase Oalman threw incomplete to Chad Cusimano on fourth down. The Raider offense took over at the Falcon 30 and mounted a seven-play, 70-yard drive that was capped by a three-yard touchdown run by xxxxxxx to give Pine a 40-0 lead with 11:54 left to play in the game.
he Falcons had to punt out of their own end zone on the ensuing possession giving Pine field position at the STA 45. Two plays later, the Raiders scored their final touchdown on a three-yard run by Knight. Cobon kicked PAT to make the final 47-0 with 6:13 left to play.
“It was a good first week and always good to be 1-0,” said Pine coach Bradley Seals. “We had some penalties in the first half that we got to clean those up. We we’re only to jump out early to set the tempo. So I was proud of our overall effort.”
The Falcons, now 0-1 on the season, will entertain Loranger (1-0) on Thursday with the contest being played at Strawberry Stadium on the SLU campus. “Loranger has a good experienced team,” said Fletcher. There quarterback is very good so we’ll have to go to the drawing board look at the film and come up with the best game plan that we can.”
Sumner dominates Falcons
Jamboree 2024
HAMMOND, LA—The High School Football season got underway in the three-game Jamboree played at Loranger High School. The Saint Thomas Aquinas and the Jewell Sumner Cowboys played in the first game that featured two 12-minute halves. Sumner used a blistering running attack and took advantage of field position in capturing a 39-0 victory over the Falcons. Saint Thomas struggled execute on offense and failed to cross-mid-field during the contest
Sumner's first scoring drive was setup by a blocked punt by Jeremiah Brooks giving the Cowboys possession at the STA 23-yard line. Three plays later, Sumner capitalized on the turnover with a six-yard touchdown run by Jamohn Dyson. The PAT by Elijah Neyland was missed leaving the score 6-0 with 9:01 left in the first half.
Saint Thomas was forced to punt on its next series and the Cowboys took over at the Falcon 28 after a 32-yard return by Sumner's Dyson. Three plays later, Sumner scored again on an 18-yard run straight up the middle for a touchdown. Neyand booted the PAT to make it 13-0 with 5;57 remaining in the half.
The Falcons went three-and-out on its next series. A poor punt gave Sumner possession at the STA 38. The Cowboys needed two plays to score when quarterback Ke'Maury Warren connected with wide receiver Jayden Perry on a 37-yard scoring strike. Neyand added the PAT and Sumner increased its lead to 19-0 with 2:55 left in the half.
Saint Thomas fumbled the football on its next possession and Kendell Brown recovered the ball for Sumner at the Falcon 35. Sumner scored just before the half three plays later on a 19-yard touchdown run by Dyson. Neyland added the PAT to make it 26-0 at halftime.
Sumner took the second half kickoff and was forced to punt for the first time. STA began its next series at their own 46 but would fumble three plays later as Sumner's Lloyd King recovered it at their own 39. On the very next play, the Cowboys added to their lead when Brooks went off-tackle and scampered 62-yards for a touchdown. Neyland kicked the PAT to give Sumner a 33-0 lead with 8:34 left to play in the game.
STA was forced to punt on its next series and Sumner's Dyson returned the ball 65-yards for a score. But an illegal block penalty nullified the play. Sumner took possession at its own 35 and marched 65-yards in 10-plays for its final touchdown. The drive was highlighted a by a 16-yard gain and then a 41-yard scoring run by Makialley Robbins that made the final score 39-0.
“We got a lot of work to do, obviously,” said STA coach Tino Fletcher. I think we may a lot of mistakes and I would like to get to the point where are mistakes aren't so glaring. We have to tackle a lot better and our consistency has to improve. So, we just have to go back and look at the film and correct our mistakes and get ready for Pine.”
The Falcons played with more intensity and better execution in the second half. “We had one drive going and then had a turnover. So, when you have stuff like that happens it demoralizes the team. We just got to keep working,” Added Fletcher. Sumner coach Ross Currier was pleased with his team's performance.
“I thought we played pretty good,” said Cowboy coach Ross Currier. “I was excited about our special teams play. We looked physical on offense but like I told the kids every week from here on out its going get tougher and tougher because we play Saint Helena which is a good ball club and then we got Kentwood right after that. So, we have to continue to get better every day.”
Falcons down the Sharks 64-50 to advance to the LHSAA Division III Quarterfinals!
By Jim Henderson
HAMMOND, LA—The Saint Thomas Aquinas Falcon Basketball team played their first playoff game after drawing a opening round bye in the Select Division III bracket. The Falcons enter the postseason as a No. 5 seed and defeated No. 12 the Mentorship Academy Sharks 64-50 in a regional playoff contest played at a jammed packed STA gym.
The Falcons were led by the one-two punch of seniors Dylan McAlister and Kohen Rowbatham as each poured in 21 points apiece to lead STA offense.
“This was a real good win for us,” said Saint Thomas coach Ramone Andrews. “They (Mentorship) got a decent record and can compete, but we showed up and played. Not happy how we finished, but did a good job in the first three quarters to get the win. We got a lot of good guards that can push the ball and that’s our game. We want to play fast because this leads to layups and open threes.”
Saint Thomas began the game using its transition offense to score points. Rowbatham delivered on a pair of fast break layup shots to jump out to a 6-2 lead. McAlister added a jump shot and then Rowbatham delivered the first of his 3-point goals to give the Falcons a 11-3 advantage with 4:53 left to play in the first quarter.
The visiting Sharks cut the deficit to 17-9 at the end of the first quarter.
Saint Thomas began the second period maintained its lead outscoring Mentorship 11-4 in the quarter. Mentorship tried to slow down the pace by playing a zone defense against the Falcons. However, Rowbatham scored on a back-door layup and then later hit his second 3-point goal to begin a scoring surge. McAlister made another layup off a stolen pass and then Brady Mendez and Cace Reed each scored on mid-range jump shots that gave STA a 28-13 lead at halftime.
Saint Thomas extended its lead in the third quarter. The Falcons went on a 8-1 run to make it 38-14 as McAlister made a three-point play the old fashion way, Rowbatham scored on a put-back basket and Kendrell Perry delivered on a pair of back-to-back 3-point goals.
Saint Thomas ended the period outgunning Mentorship by a 22-18 margin to make it 50-31 heading into the fourth quarter.
The Sharks were able to trade baskets with STA in the fourth period. But the Falcons kept its double-digit lead as McAlister scored nine of his 21 points in the fourth quarter. Mentorship scored a trio of baskets with 2:29 remaining to play to cut the STA lead to 64-50. The Sharks ended the game outscoring Saint Thomas 19-16 in the fourth quarter.
Perry added nine points on two 3-point goals. Cace Reed netted five and Brady Mendez scored four points. Kaiden Dennis and Cooper Duhon each had two points apiece for the Falcons.
“This was a tough one,” said Mentorship coach Jordan Plain. “We fought hard, but we just have to execute better. Defensively, we went with a 2-3 zone to try to slow down the pace, but we we're not able to matchup to stop them. On offense we just got to execute better.”
Next up for Saint Thomas will be another home date in a quarterfinal playoff against No. 13 Episcopal, who upset No. 4 Calvary Baptist. Tipoff is slated for Friday at 6:30 p.m. A win over the Knights will propel the Falcons to the Marsh Madness Final Four State Tournament to be held at Burton Coliseum on the campus of McNeese State University in Lake Charles, LA.
“We played Episcopal once already and they are a good team,” Andrews said. “They got to be a good team to knock off the No. 4 seed and so we got to come to play. So, we’ll see them on Friday."
Lady Falcons impress but come up just short in LHSAA Division III Semi-finals.
By Jim Henderson
HAMMOND, LA—The Saint Thomas Aquinas Lady Falcon Basketball team reached a pinnacle where nobody expected them to be after qualifying a birth into the LHSAA Marsh Madness Girls State Tournament at the University Center on the campus on Southeastern Louisiana University. Saint Thomas battled the University High Lady Cubs of Baton Rouge in a semifinal matchup in the Select Division III playoff bracket. The No. 9 seeded Lady Falcons gave U-High all it could handle for much of the game, but the No. 4 seeded Lady Cubs (24-11) pulled out the win late in the fourth quarter securing a 50-42 win and will advance to the Division III Championship game against No. 2 Parkview Baptist.
Saint Thomas broke away to begin the game from a 4-4 tie to go on a 9-0 scoring surge that was spearhead by sophomore forward Payton Rowbatham, who scored on three jump shots in transition. Senior guard Sydney Gill added a three-point goal and junior Betsy Geisler finished the period with a basket as the first quarter buzzer sounded giving the Lady Falcons a 16-5 lead.
However, the Lady Cubs regrouped at the beginning of the second period going on a 7-0 run to cut the deficit to 16-12 with 7:12 left to play in the first half.
Following a Saint Thomas time out, the Lady Falcons maintained its lead getting buckets from junior Catherine Lamonte on a base line jumper and a layup off a stolen pass by Rowbatham to make it 20-14.
U-High countered with its full-court pressure defense forcing the Lady Falcons into turnovers that turned into transition baskets. The Lady Cubs went on a 8-2 run tying the contest at 22-22. Saint Thomas answered with a 3-pointer by Rowbatham and another buzzer beater on a running jump shot by Lamonte gave STA a 27-24 advantage at halftime despite being outscored 19-11 in the second quarter.
The Lady Cubs came out hot to begin the third quarter delivering on three straight jump shots. U-High went on a 8-1 run to make it 33-27 forcing the Lady Falcons to call a time out with 2:31 left to play in the period.
The Lady Cubs built their lead to 39-30 and finished the quarter outgunning STA by a 15-3 margin heading into the final period.
The Lady Falcons began chipping away the deficit in the opening moments of the fourth quarter. Baskets by sophomore Kaitlynn Barton and Rowbatham spearheaded a 10-3 run by Saint Thomas. The Lady Falcons would tie it at 42-42 with 2:36 remaining to play after a fast break basket by Rowbatham.
Saint Thomas had two possessions where they could of taken the lead, but the shots would not fall. U-High closed out the game scoring the next eight points to seal the 50-42 win.
“I am extremely proud of this group of players,” said Saint Thomas coach Amber Donnes. “We’ve battled through alot of adversity through the course of the season. I was blessed with three great seniors who were willing to do what was needed.”
Saint Thomas began the state playoffs defeating Saint Charles Catholic in the first round and then knocked off a tough Isidore Newman team on the road in a regional playoff. The Lady Falcons then upset the No. 1 seed the Dunham School in Baton Rouge in a quarterfinal playoff to reach the semifinals. “Throughout this playoff run, the only word that comes to my mind is just being proud of the accomplishment of reaching the State Tournament.” Donnes said. “We hate the outcome of this semifinal loss. We had a dry spell in the third quarter and we’re not able to recover. We did not box out and could only get one shot at the basket. They created momentum off of their press and that led to them being more aggressive. That kind of crumbled us.”
Rowbatham led Saint Thomas with 17 points, seven rebounds and two steals. Gill finished with seven points and two assists and Lamonte scored six. Barton netted four points and led the team with 14 rebounds. Geisler ended with five and Luciana Martello had three points for the Lady Falcons.
Saint Thomas saw its season end with a 14-14 record.
Lady Falcons roll past the Saint Charles Lady Comets 62-26 to advance to the second round of the Division III LHSAA State Playoffs.
By Jim Henderson
HAMMOND, LA—The Saint Thomas Aquinas Lady Falcon Basketball team began the postseason on a winning note after capturing a convincing 62-26 victory over the St. Charles-Catholic Lady Comets in a Division III Select bi-district contest played at the STA gym.
Saint Thomas, who was seeded No. 9 in the Division III playoff bracket, will advance to play at No. 8 Isidore Newman School in New Orleans (10-12) on Monday, Feb. 19.
The Lady Falcons started slow to open the game in the first quarter trailing 7-3 in the early moments, but rallied late in the period and outscored the Lady Comets by double-digits in the next three quarters to seal the win. “A win at home in the first-round of the playoffs——I’m very pleased on how this team showed up and ended up with a win so I’m a happy coach tonight,” said Saint Thomas coach Amber Donnes. “We stepped up and executed even though we did not have our starting point guard. Across the board, Lamonte, Rowbatham and Geisler each stepped up for us both on offense and defense.”
Saint Charles-Catholic jumped out to a 7-3 first quarter lead. However, Catherine Lamonte of the Lady Falcons scored on a layup shot and then nailed a 3-point goal to give Saint Thomas its first lead of the game at 10-7 with 4:02 left to play in the period. A free throw by Mary Bujol ended the first period with the Lady Falcons leading 14-10.
The second quarter saw Payton Rowbatham of Saint Thomas score a pair of 3-point goals that started a 10-0 run. A put-back basket by Kaitlynn Barton made it 20-10 with 5:56 left to play in the first half. A fast-break layup by Kendriyan Simms gave Saint Thomas made it 26-10. Barton and Luciana Martello each added baskets from mid-range to give Saint Thomas a 33-14 advantage. The Lady Falcons outgunned Saint Charles-Catholic 19-4 in the second quarter.
Saint Thomas began the third period on a 9-0 run as to make it 44-14 before the Lady Comets scored on a 3-point goal with 3:15 left to play in the quarter. Lamonte spearheaded the scoring surge getting baskets on a pair of layup shots and a three point play the old fashion way. The game officials let the clock run the rest of the way after Rowbatham scored on a layup shot off a steal to make it 56-17. The Lady falcons outscored Saint Charles-Catholic 23-6 in the third period.
Both teams scored six points apiece in the fourth quarter to make the final score 62-26.
The Lady Falcons had a balanced attack with four players scoring in double figures. Simms led STA with 16 points, followed by Rowbatham with 15, including three 3-point goals. Catherine Lamonte added 14 and Kaitlynn Barton added 10 points. Luciana Martello netted three and Mary Bujol and Betsy Geisler each had two points apiece.
“I'm happy that we were able to get a home game,” added Donnes. “So, playing tonight we were able to get into a flow and not sit around on drawing a bye because the more we sit the worst off we are. All I know about Newman is that their athletic and tall. But all I am focused on us. We are going to get back to practice and hope for the best on the road.”
“It was a long season,” said Saint Charles-Catholic coach Jeff Vitrano. “We played really hard here in the first quarter and held a small lead, but we kind of ran out of gas and our inexperience kind of turned the game around for them (Saint Thomas) and it was too much of a hole to dig out from.” The Lady Comets, who were the No. 24 seed, ended its season with a 6-22 record. “We had a team full of sophomores,” Vitrano said. “We need help on the rebounding front, but we are going to learn from all of our experiences this season. We’ll look forward to next year and keep pushing.”
Lady Falcons dominate Northlake!
HAMMOND, LA—The Saint Thomas Aquinas Lady Falcon Basketball team captured a key 52-43 District 7-2A victory over the Northlake Christian Lady Wolverines on Senior Night. The win improves the Lady Falcons to 3-2 in league play and dropped Northlake to 2-3. Saint Thomas moves into third place in the District 7-2A standings and a win over St. Helena on Thursday clinches the third place. spot. French Settlement and Springfield will battle to determine the league championship on Friday.
Saint Thomas can clinch its chances of hosting a home playoff game next week with a win over St. Helena in the regular season finale. Playoff pairings for Non-select teams in all divisions will be announced by the LHSAA on Monday, Feb. 12.
Against Northlake, the Lady Falcons used its pressing defense that forced the Lady Wolverines into numerous turnovers. STA outgunned the Lady Wolverines by double-digits in the first half. The Lady Wolverines battled back and got to within nine points in the fourth quarter, but the Lady Falcons had too much of a lead for Northlake to overcome.
“We did a good job moving and executing our offense,” said STA coach Amber Donnes. “Our team is preparing for the state playoffs. I am happy for our seniors with the win especially on Senior Night.”
aint Thomas moved out toa 9-3 first quarter lead after senior Sydney Gill nailed a 3-point goal with 2:15 left to play in the period. The Lady Falcons ended the first quarter on a 7-3 run after buckets were made by Kendriyan Simms and Kaitlynn Barton on a pair of layup shots. Gill made 3-point play the old fashion way with a layup and foul shot that made it 16-5 heading into the second period.
Saint Thomas went on a 11-4 run to begin the second quarter. Payton Rowbatham began the scoring surge with a layup shot off a stolen pass. Catherine Lamonte added another layup off a steal. A 3-point shot by Kaitlynn Barton made it 30-9 at the half. Saint Thomas outgunned the Lady Wolverines 16-4 in the second quarter.
Rowbatham began the third quarter with a 3-point goal and senior Mary Bujol scored on a put-back basket to begin the third quarter. Gill scored her third 3-point goal of the game with 2:08 left in the period to make it 42-16 heading into the final quarter.
Coach Donnes began substituting her starters in the fourth period. Northlake went on a 9-2 run to cut into the deficit. The Lady Wolverines ended up outscoring STA 24-10 to get to within nine points with less than a minute remaining. However, the Lady Falcons maintained its advantage the rest of the way as Mackenzie Hall and Bailey Jackson each scored on put-back baskets.
“First of all I commend Saint Thomas. They came out and were ready to play,“ said Northlake coach Clarence Holloway. “We came out a little flat and could not get enough scoring. But we kept battling so I‘m proud of them at the very end. We may have another chance in the playoffs to play them again in the way our power points are working out.”
Saint Thomas was led by Gill with 13 points, including three 3-point goals. Rowbatham followed with seven and Lamonte, Simms, Barton and Luciana Martello with five points apiece. Bailey Jackson and Mary Bujol each netted four points and Betsy Geisler finished with two points.
Falcons roll Indy as girls and boys notch wins!
INDEPENDENCE, LA—The Saint Thomas Aquinas Falcon boys and girls basketball teams each came out victorious after defeating the Independence Tigers in a District 7-2A encounter.
The Lady Falcons registered a 62-17 win, while the boys defeated the Tigers 70-34.
Saint Thomas took command early by jumping out to a 27-5 first quarter lead and then outscored the Lady Tigers 11-6 in the second period to take a 38-11 advantage at the half.
Saint Thomas maintained its lead throughout the second half outgunning Indy 12-4 in the third quarter and 12-2 in the fourth period to make the final score 62-17.
Kaitlynn Barton and Kendriyan Simms each led Saint Thomas pouring 12 points apiece. Payton Rowbatham followed with 10 and Sydney Gill added seven points. Carlea Gill netted six and Betsy Geisler, Payten Silewicz and Bailey Jackson each score three points apiece. Mackenzie Hall, Mary Bujol and Luciana Martello each had two points apiece.
“Honestly, like whenever we get a team win like that, sharing the ball and being selfness that’s all I can ask from them,” said STA coach Amber Donnes. “I was really pleased with the effort of our second group. I tried not to play our starters too much because we have big game Friday. We moved the ball around on offense and played well.”
The Lady Falcons improved to 2-1 in league play. Saint Thomas will play at French Settlement on Friday in a key District contest. “I see a good solid team in French Settlement,” said Donnes, “We’re going to play them at their place so you got to expect a good crowd. We just got to get back in the gym and have two days of good practices and focus on French Settlement. We are going to be battle tested so I'm excited about it.”
The Falcons moved out to a 36-12 first quarter lead and then outscored the Tigers 21-12 in the second period to take a 57-24 lead at halftime crusing the rest of the way for their third
league win.
Kendrell Perry led STA with 23 points, including three 3-point goals. Cohen Rowbatham followed with nne and Cace Reed added eight points. Dylan McAlister netted seven and Cooper Dyhon has six points, including two 3-point goals. Grant Forrest, Gavin Oalman and Brady Mendez each had five points apiece. Luke Lambert had four points. Hunter Bambel and Josh Carballo each had two points apiece for Saint Thomas.
“We came off a tough stretch against Liberty and Zachary,” said STA coach Ramone Andrews. “So, tonight it was not as tough game for us, but we needed to get our rhythm back to get ready for French Settlement. They got a good team and can shoot the ball well. It is good that we got our young guys to play tonight because they don’t get a lot of varsity minutes because we go about eight deep. This will be good test for us playing against French settlement and it should help us to get ready for the state playoffs.”
Lady Falcons even their district mark to 1-1 with 56-21 win over Pope John Paul II.
SLIDELL, LA—The St. Thomas Aquinas Lady Falcon Basketball team picked up their first District 7-2A victory of the season after defeating the Pope John Paul Lady Jaguars 56-21 in Slidell.
The win evened the Lady Falcons league record to 1-1 in district and 8-12 overall while Pope John Paul dropped to 0-1 in league play and 6-9 overall.
Saint Thomas saw the Lady Jaguars jump out to a 9-0 first quarter lead. But the Lady Falcons rallied as Payton Rowbatham nailed a pair of 3-point goals and Kendriyan Simms delivered on a pair of baskets in the paint. Saint Thomas went on a 11-0 scoring run to take a 11-9 lead heading into the second quarter.
“We’re struggling right now starting off the first quarter,” said STA coach Amber Donnes. “I don’t know if it has to do with an experience things or lack of focus, but we turned it on when we needed to. It might be a coaching thing on what starting five we going to have to come out and be ready, but we just can't have that lack of focus to begin any game.”
he Lady Falcons turned up the notch to begin the second period by going on a 11-4 run. Rowbatham led the surge delivering a pair of three-point goals. Sydney Gill added another 3-pointer and Simms nine of her 17 points in the quarter. Saint Thomas outgunned Pope John Paul 24-7 in the quarter to take a commanding 35-16 advantage at halftime.
In the third quarter, Simms scored on pair of put-back baskets to build the STA lead to 39-20 prompting a Lady Jaguar timeout with 4:14 left to play in the period. Gill scored a 3-pointer from the wing following the timeout and then Rowbatham scored on a layup off a stolen pass to give the Lady Falcons a 44-20 edge heading into the fourth quarter. Saint Thomas outscored the Lady Jaguars by a 9-3 margin in the period to margin.
In the fourth quarter, Simms went coast-to-coast off a steal to score on a break-away layup shot. Later Rowbatham nailed her fifth 3-pointer of the game to give the Lady Falcons a 49-20 lead with 6:02 remaining to play in the game.
The Saint Thomas defense kept Pope from penetrating to the basket knocking the ball away. Gill and Simms scored fast-break baskets off Pope John Paul turnovers. Payten Silewicz ended the Lady Falcons scoring with a 3-pointer from the wing to make the final score 56-21. STA outscored the Lady Jaguars 12-1 in the fourth perio
Rowbatham led the Lady Falcons with 21 points, followed by Simms with 17 and Gill added 10 points. Luciana Martello netted five and Silewicz finished with three points.
“Any win right now is a great win,” added Donnes. “We brought the energy and I thought the girls were excited about this one and now we have to flip the switch and be ready for Breaux Bridge on Thursday.”
Second half surge lifts Falcons over the Wolves!
LORANGER, LA—The Loranger Wolves tested the Falcons early in the contest taking a pair of leads but a big second half surge lifted Saint Thomas to a solid 67-50 win.
The Falcons were led by Kohen Rowbatham, who poured in a season-high 36 points, including three 3-point goals.
Rowbatham put Saint Thomas up 6-0 to begin the game nailing a 3-point goals and scoring in the paint on a layup shot. The Wolves battled back and went ahead for the first time at 8-7 when senior forward Joc Bonds scored on a layup and a put-back basket with 1:09 left to play in the first period. Later Bonds delivered on a mid-range bucket and Za'Coryn Bryant scored on a jump shot in the lane to give Loranger a 15-11 edge at the end of the period.
Saint Thomas answered to start the second period with Rowbatham driving into the lane for a layup basket and then another layup on a back-door cut to the hoop to make it 15-15.
Senior Dylan McAllister scored on a fast break layup off a steal by Cace Reed to tie the game at 19-19. Senior Kendrell Perry gave the Falcons back the lead on a wing 3-pointer to make it 22-19 prompting a Loranger time out. Reed made another steal and then made a pass to a streaking Rowbatham for a layup to extend the Falcon lead to 26-19. The Wolves cut into the deficit with baskets by Preston Rogers and Tucker Duhe to end the half trailing 28-23. Saint Thomas outscored Loranger 17-8 in the second quarter.
Rowbatham began the third quarter scoring a mid-range shot and a 3-point bucket to give the Falcons a 3023 lead. Rowbatham scored on an old fashion three-point play nailing a mid-range basket and free throw to give STA its largest lead at 42-30 with 2:17 left to play in the period.
The Wolves cut the deficit to 44-39 after a 3-pointer by Jaylon Matthews and a mid-range jump shot from Scott Covert. However, the Falcons outgunned Loranger 19-16 in the quarter to maintain a 47-29 advantage heading into the fourth period.
Rowbatham began the fourth quarter with his third 3-point goal to make it 50-39. Saint Thomas went on a 11-4 run to make it 60-43 after a layup shot by Kaiden Davis with 3:21 left to play.
Rowbatham made another 3-point play which was followed by a basket on the left wing that gave STA a 65-47 lead before Falcon coach Raymone Andrews pulled his starters off the floor with 1:30 left to play in the game.
The Falcons finished the fourth period outscoring Loranger 20-11 to improve to 11-7 on the season.
“We're just kind of building for the state playoffs,” said STA coach Ramone Andrews. “I loved the environment that we played in here at Loranger. It’s something we need to get used too especially with their pep band that kind of gave us some motivation. We are going to get battle tested with games against Denham Springs, Zachary coming up.”
Rowbatham carried the scoring load with 36 points. Kendrell Perry followed with 11 and Kaiden Dennis added 10 points. McCalister netted four and Reed ended with three points. Hunter Gambel scored two points for the Falcons.
Loranger was led by Joc Bonds with 15, followed by Preston Rogers with 10 and Ashton Brunise added eight points. Scott Covert and Za'Coryn Bryant each had six points apiece and Jaylon Matthew ended with five points for the Wolves who dropped to 4-9 on the season.
“Saint Thomas is a rival game for us. Our boys get fired up and so do our fans,” said Loranger coach Dustin Easley. “I can’t say win or lose. It is how you lose. For three quarters we played pretty good basketball. However, our turnovers we committed gave them momentum. Our comprehension of the game and understanding the game has been pretty difficult for us.”
“This was probably one of the best games we have played,” Easley added. “We have played a tough schedule so far and this type of game is something we can build on. I’m proud of the way we hustled and competed. Saint Thomas could of easily beat us by 30-plus points. I’m more proud of this loss than actually some of our wins this season.”
January busiest time of the year ...
HAMMOND, LA—Fasten your seat belts life will move fast in January on the sports calendar. Soccer, basketball, power-lifting, and the start softball and baseball practice and early scrimmages are all
packed into the month of January. The new year is loaded and for Falcon Nation there are plenty of home games especially in the sport of soccer. The ladies with host six matches and the boys three as soccer season heats
up moving into district play. Hoops will serve up six home games with the boys and girls each with three on the slate. The bats and gloves will come out at the end of the month as softball and baseball prepare for scrimmages and Jamborees in the first week of February ... and by the way this year February has 29 days so another day for sports.
Lady Falcons outlast Loranger!
Saint Thomas and Loranger trade blows for four periods as the Lady Falcons get a 40-32 win.
by Jim Henderson
HAMMOND, LA—In a contest that saw mutiple lead changes the Saint Thomas Aquinas Lady Falcon Basketball team captured its third victory of the season after defeating the Loranger Lady Wolves 40-32 in a non-district battle played at the STA gym.
The Lady Falcons jumped out to a double-digit lead in the first period only to see Loranger rally back in the second quarter to take a four-point halftime lead. STA outgunned the Lady Wolves in both the third and fourth quarters to secure the eight-point victory. The win improved Saint Thomas to 3-10 on the season while Loranger fell to 3-8.
“I thought we have been pushed with a lot of adversity with all of our injuries to key players,” said STA first-year coach Amber Donnes. “The girls haven't responded well in the past, but I’m really proud of this bunch. They worked through, pulled through, fought through to get this win tonight. So, I am a happy coach today.”
Saint Thomas kept Loranger off the scoreboard in the early moments of the first quarter. The Lady Falcons were sparked by the outside shooting of sophomore guard Payton Rowbatham, who nailed two three-point goals to put STA up at 6-0. Later she scored on a mid-range jump shot and hit another three-point bucket to make it 11-0. A layup shot by Sydney Gill gave the Lady Falcons a 13-0 edge before Loranger got on the scoreboard. Kenli Reid of the Lady Wolves scored on a layup shot that cut the deficit to 13-2. Sassy Pope scored on a pair of freethrows to end the first period with Loranger trailing 13-4.
The Lady Wolves went on a 7-0 run to begin the second quarter. Pope hit a mid-range jump shot from the win and then Skylar Ford delivered a layup shot. A three-point basket by Pope and another layup by Ford tied the contest at 13-13 with 5:59 left to play in the first half.
The Lady Wolves took their first lead when Pope scored on a put-back basket and Isabel Miller sank a 3-pointer from the corner to give Loranger a 20-16 lead at the half.
St. Thomas answered by going on a 9-0 scoring surge to begin the third quarter. Highlighting the scoring run was Gill scoring on a fast-break layup and then Kaitlynn Barton added a pair of layup shots to give STA a 25-21 advantage with 3:44 remaining in the period.
A three-point goal by Gill and a layup shot off a fast break by Gill have the Lady Falcons a 30-26 lead heading into the final quarter. St. Thomas outscored the Lady Wolves 14-6 in the period. The Lady Wolves got to within 32-30 after a layup shot by Paityn Ackerman, but the Lady Falcons maintained the lead outscoring Loranger 10-6 in the fourth quarter to secure the win.
“We want to have a high-intense offense and work the ball inside and that’s what we established tonight,” Donnes said. “We started attacking and pushed the ball up the floor and played tough defense. We got a lot of things to cleanup, but overall I’m pleased with the win and how our girls played.”
Rowbatham led the Lady Falcons with 17 points, including four 3-point goals. Gill followed with 13 and Barton added four points. Luciana Martello, Kendriyan Simms and Betsy Geisler each netted two points apiece for St. Thomas.
The Lady Wolves were led by Sassy Pope with 10, followed by Paityn Ackerman and Skylar Ford with six apiece and Kenli Reid and Isabel Miller each added five points apiece.
Loranger won the JV contest by a 35-26 score.
The Lady Falcons will participate in the Saint Joseph's Tournament in Baton Rouge on Dec. 28-29. Meanwhile the Lady Wolves will play in the ANHH Tournament Dec. 21-23.
Bickford boots Falcons into LHSAA Regional Playoff Round!!!
Saint Thomas rallies to defeats league rival Northlake 36-35.
by Jim Henderson
COVINGTON, LA—The Saint Thomas Aquinas Football team advanced into the regional round of the select Division III state playoffs after defeating District 7-2A rival Northlake Christian Wolverines for the second time this season by a 36-35 score. The win was sealed on the foot of senior Jonathan Bickford who with quick thinking salvaged a mishandled snap kicking the ball as it lay flat on the ground through the uprights.
“Jonathan Bickford is the best kicker in the state of Louisiana,” Mulhern said. “He is a young man who has the talent and ability to be able to come through for you. That’s not the first time he has come through for us.”
The win puts the No. 19 seeded Falcons (6-5) against the No. 3 Isidore Newman Greenies (8-1) in a regional playoff on Friday in New Orleans. The winner advances to the quarterfinal round and will play the winner between No. 11 Episcopal and No. 6 Bunkie on November 24. The 14-seeded Wolverines ended its season with a 7-3 mark.
The contest was played with a light drizzle that limited the passing game. So running the football was the featured highlight for both sides. Saint Thomas only attempted two passes throughout the game and never did punt the football.
“They (players)see what happened tonight but it's really months and months of a story that creates the ability to do that,” said Falcon coach Shane Mulhern in referring to its come-from-behind win. “I am so proud of these kids. It is the way they bought into what were trying to accomplish. We just did our job and executed. We played with a lot of passion and heart. That was a team win.”
Northlake jumped out to a 16-15 first quarter lead, but the Falcons outscored the Wolverines 14-6 in the second period to take a 29-22 advantage at halftime. Northlake rallied in the third quarter to tie the contest at 29-29 in the fourth period. Northlake moved ahead with a touchdown score to make it 35-29. However, the Falcons scored in the final minutes of the game to tie it at 35-35. Bickford added his heroics to make it 36-35 with just 38 seconds left to play. With no timeouts remaining, Northlake reached the STA 35-yard line before time expired sealing the victory.
Northlake Christian got on the scoreboard first in the opening quarter. The Wolverines mounted a seven-play, 68-yard drive that ended with running back Kameron Casnave scoring the first of his five touchdowns on a 11-yard run. The two-point conversion score was successful giving Northlake a 8-0 lead with 8:26 left to play in the period.
After the ensuing kickoff, the Falcons answered with a three-play, 68-yard drive that was capped by a 25-yard touchdown run by Cace Reed. Bickford kicked the PAT and STA trailed 8-7 with 7:26 remaining in the quarter.
Northlake responded quickly scoring on the first play of their next possession on a 45-yard touchdown run by Casnave. The two-point conversion was successful making ti 16-7 with under seven minutes left to play in the period.
Saint Thomas closed cut the deficit again with a 10-play, 75-yard drive that was culminated by a one-yard touchdown run by quarterback Justin Domiano. Kendrell Perry of the Falcons ran in for the two-point conversion score and STA trailed 16-15 heading into the second quarter.
Northlake coughed up the football on its next series and Braeden Bovie recovered the ball for the Falcons at the Wolverine 37. Four plays later, Perry scored on a 38-yard touchdown run going untouched into the end zone. Reed ran in for the two-point conversion score that put Saint Thomas ahead for the first time at 21-16 with 11:47 left to play in the first half.
he Wolverines gave the ball up on downs on its next possession and STA took over at the Falcon 47. St. Thomas marched 53 yards on five plays for its next score when Domiano went in on a six-yard touchdown run. Bickford's PAT attempt was blocked, but STA put 22 unanswered points on the scoreboard to make it 29-16.
Northlake managed to score just before halftime on an eight-play, 66-yard drive with Casnave ending the drive with a 13-yard touchdown run. The two-conversion failed leaving the score 29-22 at halftime.
Saint Thomas fumbled the second half kickoff and Northlake recovered the ball at the Falcon 30. Two plays later, the Wolverines scored on a 15-yard touchdown run by Casnave. The PAT attempt was successful and the contest was tied at 29-29 with 11:11 left to play in the third quarter.
Saint Thomas tried to respond with a 10-play drive reaching the Northlake 19. But instead of kicking a field goal, the Falcons went for it on fourth-and-4 but failed to convert giving the football up on downs. Northlake.
Saint Thomas threatened again on its next series reaching the Wolverine 38. The drive stalled and Bickford was call on for a 48-yard field goal attempt. The snap from center was mishandled and the attempt was was blocked. Northlake took possession on downs and scored on a 59-yard drive that ended with a Casnave three-yard touchdown run to give the Wolverines a 35-29 edge with 3:09 remaining to play in the game.
Following the kickoff, the Falcons engineered an eight-play drive that was capped by a three-yard touchdown run by Perry. Bickford's heroics on the PAT was successful giving STA a narrow 36-35 lead with 38 seconds left to play.
Saint Thomas amassed 407 yards of total offense. The Falcons had 395 yards rushing and 12 yards passing. Perry led the way with 184 yards on 15 carries. Cace Reed added 121 yards on 12 attempts. Northlake racked up 338 yards of total offense. The Wolverines had 304 yards rushing and 34 passing yards. Casnave gained 222 yards on 25 attempts.
Saint Thomas will travel to New Orleans and play host Newman on Friday, Nov. 17. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
Falcons dominate Springfield!
Saint Thomas defeats district rival Springfield 51-8.
by Jim Henderson
HAMMOND, LA—The Saint Thomas Aquinas Falcon Football team captured a 51-8 victory over the Springfield Bulldogs in a District 7-2A contest played at Pete Valenti Field. It was the regular season finale for both teams.
The win improved Saint Thomas to 5-5 overall and 3-2 in District play finishing in a three-way tie for second in the league standings. The Falcons were ranked 19th in the latest Class 2A power ratings entering the game. St. Thomas won their final three games of the regular season and won five of their last seven games.
“It was a great team win,” said STA coach Shane Mulhern. “The execution the kids displayed is what were looking for at this time of the year. I’m proud of our seniors tonight. They really played well against a hard working Springfield football team.”
The Falcons waisted no time getting on the scoreboard. After Case Reed returned the opening kickoff to midfield. Running back Kohen Rowbatham went around the right end and scampered 48 yards for a touchdown. Jonathan Bickford kicked the PAT to give Saint Thomas a 7-0 lead with 11:04 left to play in the first quarter.
Springfield tried to answer on its first possession marching down to the Falcon 15-yard line. But the Saint Thomas defense stiffened and the Bulldogs turned the ball over on downs after an incomplete pass on fourth-and -10 situation.
On the very next play, Rowbatham broke loose and rambled 48 yards to the Bulldog 39-yard line. Two plays later, the Falcons added another score. Bickford added the PAT to make it 14-0 with 3:36 left in the period. The scoring drive covered 85-yards in five plays.
Springfield went three-and-out on its next series. The Falcons mounted a six-play, 64-yard drive that was capped by a 52-yard touchdown run by Case Reed. Bickford booted the PAT to give Saint Thomas a 21-0 lead with 11:51 left to play in the first half.
Springfield responded with a drive that covered 48-yards in two plays ending with a 36-yard touchdown pass play. The two-point conversion was successful and the Bulldogs cut the deficit to 21-8 with 11:07 left in the half.
After the ensuing kickoff, the Falcons engineered a 11-play drive reaching the Springfield 10-yard line. But a holding penalty backed up the Falcons forcing a field goal attempt by Bickford from 30-yards out that was wide to the right of the upright leaving the score 21-8 with 5:29 left in the half.
The Bulldogs took over on downs and mounted 13-play drive reaching the Falcon 10. But the Falcon defense came up with a big play when cornerback Jermaine Spencer intercepted a Springfield pass attempt in the end zone for a touchback ending the scoring threat and the first half of play.
In the third quarter, the Bulldogs threw another pass interception when safety Justin Domiano picked off the pass attempt and returned it 18-yards to the Springfield 41. On the very next play, running back Kendrell Perry went off-tackle and scored on a 41-yard touchdown run. Bickford missed the PAT leaving the score 27-8 with 10:54 left to play in the period.
Domiano intercepted another Springfield pass attempt at the 25 and returned the ball to the Falcon 35. A late hit penalty on the Bulldogs moved the ball to the Springfield 49 giving the Falcons field position.
Saint Thomas needed just five plays to score as Perry broke two tackles at the line of scrimmage and scored on a 27-yard touchdown run. Bickford kicked the PAT to make it 34-6 with 6:09 remaining in the quarter.
The Bulldogs went three-and-out on its next possession forcing a punt. The Falcons took possession at the Bulldog 35 after a shanked punt. The Falcons added to their lead four plays later when Bickford nailed a 44-yard field goal to increase the Saint Thomas lead to 37-8 with 3:30 left in the period.
The Falcon defense held Springfield on downs taking over possession at the Bulldog 34. On the very next play, Reed went around the left end for a 34-yard touchdown run. Bickford added the PAT to give STA a 44-8 lead with 10:48 left to play in the game.
Saint Thomas would add one more score in the time remaining. The Falcons intercepted a Springfield pass when Perry picked off the ball and returned it to the Bulldog 30. On the very next play, running back Kaiden Dennis went up the middle and bounced outside for a 23-yard touchdown run. Case Reed kicked the PAT to make the final score 51-8.
Saint Thomas defense caused havoc against the Springfield offense intercepting their quarterback four times. “Our defense is playing harder than ever,” added Mulhern. “I’m proud of how our defense is evolving as we get ready for playoffs. We’'ll see what happens Sunday. The team is eager to see where we will be seeded.”
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