Athletic Programs Rebound Post-Storm

June 10 , 2007
by Pierce W. Huff
The Times Picayune

The 2006-2007 school term consisted of good news and bad news for high schools in the city of New Orleans post-Hurricane Katrina.

The bad news was that off the field, all of the city's facilities for high school sports aren't back and running. Some of the schools still are missing athletes who relocated after the storm. Some of the city's high schools that closed after Katrina were opened, but they struggled in their first post-hurricane seasons. And some high schools that were damaged by the hurricane remained closed.

But the good news was that on the field some of the teams with winning traditions were able to continue their winning ways.

All in all, the second school term since Katrina was a promising year of wins, losses and rebuilding for the teams in New Orleans.

Jesuit won state titles in baseball, soccer, cross country and swimming and was state runner-up in tennis and wrestling. The highlight of the year came when the soccer team finished 31-0 and defeated St. Paul's 2-0 to win its second Division I state championship in three years.

"I doubt a team will go 31 games undefeated and only give up five goals," Jesuit soccer coach Hubie Collins said. "I'd be surprised if that stat is ever achieved again."

Sacred Heart and Mount Carmel were the city's dominant girls schools. Sacred Heart won the volleyball and cross country state championships and was a state runner-up in soccer. The Cardinals' volleyball team, led by second-team Volleyball Magazine All-America Suzanne Haydel, won its third consecutive Division III title.

Mount Carmel won the Division I swimming and volleyball state titles. The swimming team won its second state championship in three years. The volleyball team won its sixth state title and its first since 2000.

Brother Martin ended Jesuit's three-year title run by winning the Division I wrestling title. Brother Martin Athletic Director Barry Hebert said the wrestling season was one of the best ever for the Crusaders.

"It was definitely back to business as usual for us," Hebert said. "Our school is in great shape, and our kids were in great shape."

Dominican's soccer team finished second to rival Mount Carmel in the regular season, but it won the Division I state championship with a 1-0 victory against Lafayette.

Karr (33-10) defeated E.D. White 54-51 in the Class 3A boys basketball championship game for its first basketball title in 11 seasons.

Newman won the girls soccer state championship and was a state runner-up in boys tennis. The Greenies' soccer team defeated rival Sacred Heart for the second straight year in the Division III state championship match. Newman is 2-5 against Sacred Heart the past two seasons; both wins have come in the state championship matches.

The championship was special, because the kids worked so hard and put in the time, and the parents contributed," Newman Coach Patrick Summerour said. "It was special beating our rival Sacred Heart, and the championship gave them a chance to see first hand what hard work, perseverance and commitment can do for them."

Collins said there is a ways to go before high school sports in New Orleans is at its pre-Katrina state.

"Are things back to normal, that's a difficult question to know," he said. "Things have improved tremendously since the year before."