Category Archives: Ascension

Central Catholic is heading back to Sulphur for a sixth straight year.

The top-seeded Eagles whipped eighth-seed Ascension Christian 7-1 at Amelia Recreation City in Morgan City Tuesday evening in the Division IV quarterfinals.

Ascension Christian scored a run in the top of the first inning on a sacrifice fly to make it 1-0 but was all the Lions (19-9) would get.

In the bottom of the fourth inning, Samarick Paul doubled to right field, scoring a pair of runs to give Central Catholic (26-6) a lead it would not relinquish. The Eagles added a run and made it 3-1 after four innings. Central Catholic added four more runs in the bottom of the fifth to put it away.

With its 13th straight win, Central Catholic (26-6) clinched a sixth straight trip to Sulphur where the Eagles will face fourth-seed Ascension Catholic.

The Bulldogs earily downed fifth-seed-Catholic of Pointe Coupee 10-1 at Lala Regira Field.

Ascension Catholic (21-12) had lost three straight quarterfinal games entering this years playoffs but that streak is over as they return to the state tournament for the first time since 2009.

Landon Clifton (10-3) picked up the win, allowing just four hits, striking out eight. LSU-Eunice signee Nick Bellina homered while Mason Zerangue doubled in a run to lead the Ascension Catholic attack. Samuel Grezzafi took the loss for the Hornets (16-12).

Also in Division V, tenth-seed Houma Christian shocked second-seed Cedar Creek 3-1 in quarterfinal action

Senior Issac Martines provided the winning margin with a two-run double in the bottom of the first inning. Brock Theriot hurled a complete game, allowing just one run on three hits, striking out six Cougars (26-9).

The win sends the Warriors (18-13) to the state tournament for the first time since 2008 where they will face the winner of Thursdays quarterfinal contest between 11th-seed Ascension Episcopal and third-seed Covenant Christian. The Lions swept Houma Christian 12-1 and 3-2 in district play in the regular season.

In Division V, third-seed Episcopal of Acadiana eliminted sixth-seed Patrick Taylor 10-0 in a game shortened to five innings by the mercy rule.

Today, eighth-seed Crescent City Christian (3-14) travels to Alexandria to take on top-seed Grace Christian (30-4) at 4:30 p.m. in the Division V quarterfinals at 4:30 p.m. at Merrill Blackburn Field.

Prep Baseball Playoff Results from Tuesday, May 2

Class C (1) Elizabeth 9, (9) Evans 1 (2) Simpson 11, (7) Harrisonburg 3

Division IV (1) Central Catholic 7, (8) Ascension Christian 1 (4) Ascension Catholic 10, (5) Catholic (PC) 1 (10) Houma Christian 3, (2) Cedar Creek 1

Division V (5) Family Community 5, (4) Northside Christian 2 (3) Episcopal of Acadiana 10, (6) Patrick Taylor 0 (5 innings) (2) Claiborne Christian 20, (7) Family Christian 1 (5 innings)

Prep Baseball Playoff Schedule for Wednesday, May 3 Division V (8) Crescent City Christian at (1) Grace Christian, 4:30 p.m. at Blackburn Field

Born and raised in the New Orleans area, Ken Trahan has been a sports media fixture in the community for nearly four decades. Having accumulated national awards/recognition (National Football Foundation, College Hall of Fame, Professional Bowlers Tour) and many state and local awards for his work in the field, Ken currently serves as Sports Director of WGSO, 990 AM and hosts award-winning shows, including Ken Trahans Original Prep Football Report and The Three Tailgaters Show with Ed Daniels and Rick Gaille. In 1988, Ken was chosen by the Professional Bowlers Association to receive its annual radio broadcasters national award for

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Baseball Playoff Report: Central Catholic, Ascension Catholic, Houma Christian advance to semifinals - SportsNOLA.com

Dutchtown, East Ascension, St. Amant and Donaldsonville compete in regional track meet

In Class 5A, Region 2 boys field events, Jerome Turner, of St. Amant, took third place in the high jump. In track events, Dutchtown High took third place in the 4x200-meter relay with a time of 1:28.89. In the 800-meter run, Parker McBride, of Dutchtown, took first place with a time of 1:55.68.

In the 4x100 relay, St. Amant ran for a second-place finish with 42.55, and East Ascension took third with 42.57. Bryce Moore, of Dutchtown, took third place in the 400-meter race with a time of 48.88.

In the girls field events, the Dutchtown Griffins most consistent performer, Leah Scott, took a pair of first places with a 19-6 leap in the long jump and a 37-11 in the triple jump. Morgan Tidwell, of St. Amant, was third in the javelin with a toss of 118-08.

In the track events, Tara Stuntz, of the Dutchtown Griffins, placed third in the 1,600-meter race with a time of 5:21.34. The St. Amant Gators took second place in the 4x100 relay with a time of 49.74. In the 300-meter hurdles competition, Regan West, of St. Amant, won first place with a time of 46.87. In the 3,200-meter race, Tara Stuntz, of Dutchtown, was second with a time of 11:36.81.

In Class 3A, Region 3 track action, the Donaldsonville girls finished third in the 4x100 relay with a time of 50.85. In the boys division, Donaldsonville took second place in the 4x100 relay with a time of 43.17. Davon Wright, of Donaldsonville, was second in the shot put with a toss of 51-11.50.

The Lady Gators ended up with a 22-4 season record and a 9-0 district run but fell short in the playoffs with an upset win going to the Live Oak Eagles 6-4 in a quarterfinal match at the Allstate Sugar Bowl/LHSAA softball tournament. The big-hitting St. Amant team had two impressive wins in its playoff run: a 17-0 win over John Ehret and an 8-1 win over Northshore.

The Lady Griffins finished their season with a 20-14 record over and 8-2 in district play. After opening the playoffs with a 9-4 win over Destrehan, the Griffins lost to Alexandria 10-0.

The Lady Bulldogs of Ascension Catholic finished the season with a 16-13 record and an 8-0 district record going into the playoffs. They shutout the St. Edmund Fighting Blue Jays by 10-0, then lost to Vermillion Catholic 10-5 to end their season.

The Lady Lions of Ascension Christian finished the season with a 12-12 record and 4-4 in district play. They lost in the first round of the playoffs against Cedar Creek by 15-0.

The St. Amant Gators baseball team finished the season 17-16 and 7-3 in district play. The Gators began their playoff action with an 8-6 win over Ruston and advanced to regional play to face Sam Houston in a best-of-three competition. The Broncos took the first game 3-0 and the second game 4-3 to end the Gators season.

The Dutchtown Griffins finished their season 21-13 and 7-3 in district play heading to the playoffs. They faced Ouachita Parish in the opener and lost 7-6 in eight innings to end their season.

The East Ascension Spartans finished their season at 17-18 overall and a 5-5 district mark and made it to the playoffs. The Spartans faced New Iberia in the opening round and lost a squeaker 2-1 to end their season.

The Ascension Catholic Bulldogs are 17-11 on the season thus far and have a 9-3 district mark. The Bulldogs defeated St. Marys 7-2 in the regional round playoff action and will have played Catholic Pointe Coupee by press time.

The Ascension Christian Lions are 19-8 and 9-2 in district play. In regionals playoff action, the Lions beat St. Fredricks 10-5. Ascension Christian was set to taken on the No. 1 seed Central Catholic in the quarterfinal round.

Summer camp opportunities are available to learn football the Gator way. St. Amant coach David Oliver and his staff are offering four football camps over the summer.

The noncontact camps for athletes of all skill levels offer opportunities for students in first through eighth grades.

Gator Football Camp I for grades one through five is 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. June 5-8, and Gator Football Camp II for grades six through eight is 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. June 6-9; cost is $90. Campers will learn positions on the offensive and defensive side in addition to kicking game.

The St. Amant Rising Stars Camp is designed for any student, boy or girl, of all skill levels who wants to improve their speed, agility, quickness and strength and is enrolled in grades six through eight. Cost is $75 by June 1 and $100 after. This camp will be held June 6-29 on Tuesdays and Thursdays (no session June 16) from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

St. Amant Gator O-Line Academy is a development academy for offensive linemen. This academy will include fundamentals and techniques for lineman, mental aspects of the game, zone and gap blocking schemes, alignment rules and film evaluation. This academy will be instructed by St. Amant High offensive line coach Hunter Crowder. Camp is for grades three through eight and will be held Mondays and Wednesdays June 6 to July 21 from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. Cost is $100.

St. Amant Elite Tackle Instruction Camp is for youth football players at any level. This camp includes up-to-date tackling techniques taught by trained youth and high school coaches. This camp includes skills and drills that make tackling fun and safe. Required equipment is shorts and cleats. Camp is for grades one through six and runs from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. June 9. Cost is $25.

Call Oliver at (225) 284-3623 or email david.oliver@apsb.org with questions and to obtain registration forms.

St. Amant High School seniors Andres Barletta and Sam Bergeron were the highest-placing Ascension Parish angling team in the 2017 Louisiana High School Bass Tournament. The pair finished in sixth place out of 86 boats in the tournament that was held April 29.

The 86 boats had the choice of fishing either Lake Verret or the Atchafalaya Basin. Barletta and Bergeron opted for the basin side of the levee, even with the high water. That high water actually turned out to be to their advantage as the team worked over the water hyacinths around cypress trees with a spinner bait and a Missle D Bomb to catch most of their fish.

After filling their limit of spillway bass with those two baits, the decision to throw a Senko plastic paid off in spades as a 4.62 lunker made its way to the live well and took third place honors for big bass. The team weighed five bass for 11.72 pounds and a sixth-place finish for the day.

Lyle Johnson, a writer and host of the Ascension Outdoors cable TV show, covers sports and the outdoors for The Ascension Advocate. He can be contacted at reelman@eatel.net or ascension@theadvocate.com.

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Ascension Athletics for May 4, 2017 - The Advocate

DONALDSONVILLE The Ascension Parish School Board, following a consultant's recommendation, has denied the application of a charter school, for the fifth year in a row.

The organizers of the proposed Rayborn Charter School have applied unsuccessfully with the school district every year since the board's first no vote in January 2013.

GONZALES The Ascension Parish School Board on Tuesday rejected the application of a charte

During that time, they've also applied twice to and been twice denied by the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.

But, after the Ascension Parish School Board's denial of the Rayborn school's application Tuesday, organizers said they'll turn again to the state.

"The process for the application needs to be clarified" in the school district, Darryl Hambrick, president of the board of directors for the proposed charter school, said after the School Board meeting.

Consultant Kimberly Williams, owner of New Millennium Education of Baton Rouge, recommended that the board deny the school's application because of problems with the application in four areas: how students would be recruited to the school; how an arts integration model would be incorporated into traditional curriculum; how students' progress would be monitored, and how the school board would budget for educational software and for its special education students.

Ascension Parish currently has no charter schools, which are publicly funded independent schools usually run by private organizations.

Groups can submit their charter school proposal directly to BESE if a local school board fails to approve it.

The proposed Rayborn Charter School would serve low-performing students in grades kindergarten through five through a program of arts integration in the classroom, Jevella Williamson, who would serve as its principal, said before Tuesday's meeting.

"Arts integration has been proven to be effective not only for students from a low socio-economic background but for those from a high socio-economic background as well," Williamson said.

The school would be located in a building available on the campus of the Christian Assembly Full Gospel Church in Gonzales.

"I was born in this parish, a poor, poor, poor child with nothing," Eartha Rayborn, the founder of the proposed school, told School Board members before their vote.

"All 10 of us (children) finished college. Maybe this is the thing that makes me want to help children that are not progressing and need some help," said Rayborn, who was an educator for 35 years in the Ascension Parish school district, 19 of those years as a principal.

School Board member Lorraine Wimberly asked the board if there was a mentor available who could "lead and guide" the organizers of the Rayborn Charter School in its application process.

Superintendent David Alexander said there might possibly be a third-party vendor.

"Should the same person be looking at this again and again?" asked board member Julie Blouin, referring to consultant Kimberly Williams, who has handled the charter school's application since its first try before the School Board in January 2013.

"I'm sure the Rayborn organization has the right intentions and their heart is in the right place," board member Troy Gautreau said.

But, he said, "it's up to the charter applicant to provide all the information required."

The board voted 10-1 to deny the charter school's application, with Blouin voting against the recommendation to deny.

Follow Ellyn Couvillion on Twitter, @EllynCouvillion.

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Ascension School Board denies proposed Rayborn Charter School application for the fifth time - The Advocate

St. Louis-based Ascension, the largest nonprofit health system in the country, is ending its sponsorship of the Catholic Health hospital system in Buffalo.

Officials downplayed the significance of the move, saying that the relationship had run its course, and that it would lead to no changes in the identity, mission or day-to-day operations of the hospital system.

We greatly appreciate the support we have received from Ascension since our system formed nearly 20 years ago, Joe McDonald, president and chief executive officer of Catholic Health, said in a statement.

Catholic Health formed in 1998 to affiliate five hospitals: Mercy; Kenmore Mercy; Sisters of Charity; the former St. Joseph in Cheektowaga, now considered a satellite of Sisters; and Our Lady of Victory in Lackawanna, which closed in 2000. One other hospital, Mount St. Mary's in Lewiston, merged into Catholic Health in 2015.

The different hospitals, as well as nursing homes, brought different religious sponsors to the affiliation, including the Daughters of Charity and Sisters of St. Joseph health systems, which later formed Ascension Health, as well as Trinity Health and the Diocese of Buffalo.

As health care continues to evolve, however, so do the relationships we share with our corporate members and sponsors," he said. "This change will have no effect on our patients, associates or physicians, and will in no way diminish our faith-based mission to serve those in need, which will continue under the sponsorship of the Diocese of Buffalo and Trinity Health.

Officials said there was no financial aspect to the decision. However, the new governing structure will give more authority to the remaining sponsors and may simplify decision-making at the corporate level, officials said. Ascension will no longer be represented on the Catholic Health board of directors that oversees the hospital system.

The change does not prevent Catholic Health from purchasing services from Ascension, and officials said Catholic Health will likely continue certain business contracts in the future.

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Ascension ends sponsorship of Catholic Health - Buffalo News

Eight hundred residents on the British-run Ascension Island will not be able to get a regular flight off the island until at least 2019 because of potholes on the only runway, a travel agency has said.

Ascension becomes the second British South Atlantic outpost unable to provide a regular way on and off the island, after plans to open a newly built 250m runway on St Helena were suspended because of strong winds that make landing planes dangerous.

RAF engineers have visited Ascension to examine what are described as significant problems with the runway there. The issue will also disrupt travel between the UK and the Falkland Islands, as those flights have routinely stopped at Ascension.

The fiasco over the new runway on St Helena has already led to virulent criticism by the public accounts committee in Westminster of bungled decision-making and misuse of taxpayers money.

In a statement on its Facebook site, the Ascension Islands Travel Agency (AITA), the islands only travel agency, said it was unable to say when regular flights to and from Ascension Island might resume, or when any interim arrangement might be put in place.

We do not expect South Atlantic Airbridge flights (operating with the Voyager aircraft) to recommence before 2019/20, it said.

AITA added that flights to the Falklands would be rerouted because the Airbus A330 Voyager used on the route was too heavy for the damaged runway. The decision to reroute means the South Atlantic Airbridge will no longer call at Ascension Island en route to the Falkland Islands for the foreseeable future.

It said the Foreign Office was seeking interim options and that until a proper service could be restored only essential personnel and goods were likely to be allowed to travel.

The RAF South Atlantic bridge is now using Dakar, Senegal, as an intermediate stopover to the Falklands.

The volcanic Ascension Island is part of the St Helena British overseas territory and is situated about 1,000 miles from the coast of Africa and 1,400 miles from the coast of Brazil. It has been used as a base by the US air force and by UK government communications.

The Ascension Island government is planning for the ageing Royal Mail ship the St Helena to be the main means of transport. The same ship is already earmarked as the main interim means of travel in and out of St Helena, pending resolution of the problems with wind shear on its new runway.

But this month the ship was declared out of order, twice ending up in dry dock in Cape Town, most recently due to the left propeller becoming locked in a forward position.

In the short term the St Helena government has chartered a special British Aerospace plane with 60 seats to fly people into and out of St Helena via Namibia. Passengers are required to pay 850.

In a less than comforting message, the St Helena government posted advice on Tuesday stating: Should the flight not be able to land at St Helena airport upon arrival, it will have two hours of fuel available in which to undertake the landing. The flight could also divert to Ascension Island in the event of an emergency. It said the plane was light enough to land on Ascension Island.

A member of the Falklands Islands legislative assembly, Mike Summer, told the assembly last week: For those who heard that the Ascension runway may be patched within a couple of weeks: sorry, not true. We all wish, but it is going to be closed for a considerable period of time.

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Runway potholes halt regular Ascension Island flights - The Guardian

ASCENSION PARISH The Blue Racer snake is common in some parts of Louisiana, however the warm temperature is bringing them out into the open.

The snake is a very aggressive breed.

"They just have a bit of mean streak in them and they are one of few snakes that will chase people," Dr. Mark Mitchell, a veterinarian at LSU, said.

Mitchell says that the snakes are not venomous, however they will attack.

"When they chase you down, they will try to bite, but most avoid them and then they go away," Mitchell said.

Resident Dody Braud says that he often sees them in his neighborhood.

"Blue runners, yea, It's full of them around here. My wife is scared to death of them, but they aren't poisonous. I don't bother them much," Braud said.

Mitchell said that one reason why the snakes are out is due to breeding season and looking for others to mate with.

"This is when people will start to also see them basking just on concrete, asphalt, black tops because that's the way they generate some heat," Mitchell said.

Mitchell suggests removing piles of wood or leaves from your property to help keep the snakes away.

The Blue Racer also shakes its tail like a rattle snake, but they do not have any rattlers.

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Large number of Blue Racer snakes spotted in Ascension Parish - WBRZ

Catholic Health loses Ascension link, one of three corporate sponsors Buffalo Business First ... at 144 Genesee St. (file photo) Enlarge. Catholic Health headquarters at 144 Genesee St. (file photo). Catholic Health officials say the withdrawal of Ascension will not have any significant impact on operations at the $1 billion Buffalo-based ... and more »

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Catholic Health loses Ascension link, one of three corporate sponsors - Buffalo Business First

Its been nearly two weeks since Catholic-Pointe Coupee traveled to Ascension Catholic in a final postseason tuneup.

The Bulldogs, behind ace right-hander Landon Clifton, won 6-2.

One game into the Division IV state playoffs they will meet again where the stakes will be amplified when No. 4 Ascension Catholic (20-12) hosts No. 5 Catholic-Pointe Coupee in quarterfinal action at 6 p.m. Tuesday at La La Regira Field in Donaldsonville.

I dont think either team would like to be playing each other again, Ascension Catholic coach Todd Landry said. Were two evenly matched teams and as a coach you never like to play a team more than once. Im looking forward to it. Its going to be an exciting game.

There will be two other local/area state quarterfinals Tuesday with No. 7 Family Christian Academy (3-16) visiting No. 2 Claiborne Christian (15-14) at 4 p.m. in Division V.

No. 8 Ascension Christian (21-9) travels to No. 1 and reigning Class 1A state champion Central Catholic-Morgan City (25-7) at the Amelia Recreation Center in a Division IV game.

First-year Catholic-PC coach Drew Leonard said his teams regular-season finale against Ascension Catholic will serve his team well with another opportunity to face the Bulldogs on their home field.

Theyre an extremely good club and extremely well- coached, Leonard said. Its a pretty good atmosphere. Its going to be a great place to play again with even more people. I think our guys will be up for it.

Landry agreed his six-member senior class, which is participating in its fourth straight state quarterfinal, has designs on reaching the state tournament for the first time since 2009.

Ascension Catholics riding a four-game win streak, including its four-run win over Catholic-PC and last weeks 6-2 opening-round playoff victory over St. Marys.

We havent been fortunate enough to get over that hump, Landry said. Thats kind of been one of our themes this year. This teams been through so many ups and downs. They know they have to take it one game at a time.

Clifton (9-3), an LSU-Eunice signee, will start again with Ascension Catholic looking for offensive support from shortstop Nick Bellina (also an LSU-Eunice signee), third baseman Ross Ponville, center fielder Mason Zeringue, first baseman Charlie Genaloni and Clifton

Catholic-PC snapped a three-game losing streak in dramatic fashion a 4-3 victory in nine innings over Vermilion Catholic in a regional-round playoff game.

The Hornets tied the game at 3-3 with two outs in the seventh when senior first baseman Walker Castle singled home senior Kyle Ramagos.

Catholic-PC, which loaded the bases in the ninth, scored the game-winner on an error off the bat of Colin Grezaffi.

Leonard said he will start either left-hander Samuel Grezaffi or right-hander Cameron Pearis.

The biggest takeaway was the fight our guys showed, said Leonard, whose team is looking for its first state-tournament trip since 2011. It was exciting, and I was proud to see those seniors step up.

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More than a playoff tuneup now; Ascension Catholic hosts Catholic-Pointe Coupee in Division IV quarterfinal - The Advocate

Brandie Richardson

Alzheimers Services of the Capital Area has opened a second location for their adult day center right in the heart of Ascension Parish, offering numerous services for adults suffering from Alzheimers and Dementia.

The non-profit organization held a ribbon cutting for Charlies Place II last week, which marked the official opening of the location on Purpera Road in The Arc of East Ascensions building in Gonzales.

Ascension Parish has been extremely assertive in asking for a Charlies Place, said Alzheimers Services of the Capital Area Executive Director Barbara Auten. Ascension Parish is probably the second most populous in attending our programs, they really use the services and there tends to be an awful lot of Alzheimers down there.

The new Respite and Activity Center provides caregivers a much needed six hour break and offers numerous activities in a home-like setting such as gardening, interactive games, exercise, arts and crafts and music.

We provide a purposeful day for the Alzheimers affected individual," she added. "We engage them in purposeful activity during the day that uses both cognition and socialization that helps them remain active in their disease. From the time they get there until they time they get picked up they will have social time where they are engaged in something."

Funding for Charlie's Place II was made possible through a $100,000 donation from the Lamar Family Foundation and the Lamar-Dixon Foundation, which covered start up costs and the first year expenses. Both foundations challenged Alzheimers Services of the Capital Area to meet their donation, which was completed in 10 months through various foundations.

Currently the facility is only open on Tuesdays and Thursdays and can accommodate up to 15 people a day. As enrollment increased more days will be added.

For more information about Charlie's Place, visit alzbr.org or call (225) 334-7494.

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Charlie's Place II opens in Ascension Parish - Donaldsonville Chief

A man punched a shark after it attacked his wife while the couple were snorkeling off Ascension Island.

The shark bit the woman on the leg as they were swimming near the British territory off the coast of West Africa, the Times reported.

A witness said: She was bitten on the leg. Her husband had to punch the shark off her. It then went for him.

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The woman has been identified as Frankie Gonsalves, a member of the government in St. Helena. She will now be airlifted back to the U.K. for further treatment. The full extent of her injuries is unclear.

The person concerned was swimming near the shore and her injuries were attended to at the George Town Hospital, said to a statement from the government of St. Helena published on Saturday.

Ascension Island Government has released a warning notice advising people that swimming in the area is to be undertaken at their own risk.

It is unclear what type of shark attacked the woman.

The islands of St. Helena, Ascension and the archipelago of Tristan da Cunha are part of a single British Overseas Territory and lie between Africa and South America.

They are sometimes referred to as St. Helena after its main island, known for being the destination of Napoleon Bonapartes exile after he lost the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.

Shark attacks are common off the coast of South Africa, which is about 1,500 miles from Tristan da Cunha.

Earlier in April, the remains of a 68-year-old Austrian man believed to have been bitten by a shark were recovered in the KwaZulu-Natalm province.

In 2010, a white shark attacked and killed Lloyd Skinner, a 37-year-old Zimbabwean who was swimming 100 metres off Fish Hoek beach, in Cape Town.

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Husband Punches Shark to Save Wife Attacked While Snorkeling near British Ascension Island - Newsweek