Woodlawn Athletics Weekly Wrap: September 12 – September 18, 2022

Woodlawn Athletics Weekly Wrap: September 12 – September 18, 2022

Sep 18, 2022

Panther athletics continued their busy fall seasons this week. While our swim team had a bye week, our Lady Panther volleyball team had a busy week, with six games, and our Panther football team hosted the first true home game of the season. Tickets for all home events can be purchased online.

Cross Country

Our Panther cross country team competed in their second meet of the season Saturday. Woodlawn traveled across the Mississippi River to compete in the Brusly Invitational Cross Country Meet on Saturday, September 17th.

Senior Hunter Kullman paced the Panthers, finishing 15th overall with a time of 14:30.21 in the two-mile run. Kullman was followed by Jaden Sylvester (25th, 15:07.48), David Ferguson (36th, 16:33.13), and Liam Dowdy (37th, 16:35.19). All four Panthers set personal record times.

“Only our boys raced today,” said Coach Tim Spruill. “We felt like we had a good meet. We set four PR’s, which is solid considering it is only our second race of the season. We are seeing our off-season conditioning pay off.”

Next up for Cross Country: Saturday, September 24 – Brusly Cinclaire Run on the Levee

Football

The freshman and JV football teams started the week on the correct foot, with each team taking the win at Dutchtown High on Wednesday, September 14th. The 9th grade Panthers moved to 2-0 on the year with their 14-0 win, pitching their second shutout of the season. The JV team played their first game of the season, defeating the Griffins 20-14.

Following the two wins by the sub-varsity teams, our Panther varsity program came away with a victory over Carver. Woodlawn (1-2) led the Rams by the score of 21-14 at the half, before scoring 19 unanswered points in the second half for the final tally of 40-14.

Woodlawn was led by LSU commit Rickie Collins. Collins threw four touchdowns passes and rushed for another.

With the score tied at 14, Collins found senior receiver Clayton Adams for a 21 yard touchdown reception to give the Panthers a 21-14 lead going into the half. The score gave Woodlawn the lead that they would not relinquish.

The Panther defense was stellar as well, holding Carver to 15 rushing yards on 28 carries. University of Tennessee commit Jordan Matthews and Adams each had an interception.

Next up for Football: Tuesday, September 20 – Freshman and JV versus Denham Springs; Friday, September 23 – Varsity versus ED White

Swim

The Woodlawn Swim Team had a bye week.

Next up for Swim: Saturday, September 24 – Capital City Swim League at Crawfish Aquatics

Volleyball

Our Lady Panther volleyball team had a busy week, fitting six games into six days this week. Coming into the week riding a four-game win streak, the Lady Panthers traveled to Capitol on Monday, September 12th. Woodlawn (8-6) continued their hot play, defeating the Lions in straight sets, 25-6, 25-10, 25-2.

Next up for the Lady Panther was McKinley on Wednesday, September 14th. The Lady Panthers dominated again in straight sets, 25-1, 25-4, 25-6, for their sixth win in a row.

Woodlawn finished their busy week by participating in the Brusly Lady Panther Invitational on Friday and Saturday. Friday night proved tough on our Lady Panthers, as they fell to Terrebonne and host Brusly, before bouncing back with wins over Port Allen and Livonia on Saturday morning.

Woodlawn will host thirteen teams for the second tournament at home this season in next weekend’s Rumble in the Jungle Tournament, which will be held Friday, September 23rd and Saturday, September 24th.

Next up for Volleyball: Tuesday, September 20 – Freshmen/JV/Varsity at West Feliciana; Wednesday, September 21 – Freshmen/JV/Varsity at Liberty; Friday, September 23 and Saturday, September 24 – Rumble in the Jungle Tournament

Off-Season Tryouts/Practices Continue

The Lady Panthers Softball Team will hold tryouts for the 2023 season on September 20th and 22nd. Any interested student must have a valid physical and proof of insurance in order to tryout. Coach Bryant can be reached by email at [email protected] for additional information.

The Lady Panther Soccer Team has begun practicing once per week. Thursday practices are being held from 2:45 – 4:45 pm.

The Panther Tennis Team will begin practice on Monday, September 26th. Practice will be held at Southern Oaks Athletic Club for the fourth year in a row. Practices will be held on Mondays and Wednesdays from 3:00 – 4:00 pm.

Woodlawn Athletics Weekly Wrap: September 5 – September 11, 2022

Woodlawn Athletics Weekly Wrap: September 5 – September 11, 2022

Sep 12, 2022

Athletics at Woodlawn High School are in full swing, as the fall sports have all begun their 2022 seasons. Each week, there will be a review of what happened in the world of Woodlawn athletics.

Cross Country

Varsity Cross Country Runners pose with Coach Spruill at the Episcopal Round Table Run on September 10, 2022.

Our Panther cross country team opened their season at the Episcopal Round Table Run held at Highland Road Park on Saturday, September 10th. The competition, which featured schools from around the state, had 55 boys teams. Four runners competed in the varsity race for our boys team, with first-time runner AJ Warner completing the fastest time for the Panther squad. Veteran runners Jaden Sylvester, Hunter Kullman, and Dylan Aucoin also turned in solid times.

“The veterans went for a morning jog and still only missed their personal records by a small amount of time,” said Head Coach Tim Spruill. “This really opened their eyes to how much fitter and faster they were than last year, and gave them their confidence back. Conditioning all summer had made a difference. Now that the first meet jitters have all been worked out, the entire team is looking forward to pushing their limits at the meet in Brusly next week.”

Next up for Cross Country: Saturday, September 17 – Brusly Invitational Cross Country Meet

Football

Our Panther football team could not overcome a slow start at Lafayette Christian Friday night. The Knights scored on their first three possessions, and the 20-0 lead that they built was too much for the Panthers. Woodlawn showed improvements on both sides of the ball as the game progressed, playing Lafayette Christian to a 12-12 tie after the first quarter.

Offensively, Louisiana commit Jay’veon Haynes was the first Panther to reach the end zone this season. Rickie Collins, who is committed to LSU, found senior wide receiver Clayton Adams for the second Woodlawn score of the night. Defensively, junior Chris Cooper forced a fumble that was recovered by Dezaray Delmore, who has pledged to play college football at Southeast Missouri.

“We came out slow. They came out, and they were hitting the gas early on us,” Head Coach Marcus Randall noted. “It looked like it took our guys a quarter and a half to get going, and by that time it was 20-0.”

Next up for Football: Wednesday, September 14 – Freshman and JV at Dutchtown; Friday, September 16 – Varsity versus Carver

Swim

The Woodlawn Swim Team opened the season at the Capital City Swim League Meet held Saturday, September 10th at Crawfish Aquatics. The day was highlighted by a tenth place finish by the 200 Yard Freestyle Relay team of Zack Lemoine, John Cador, Trey Holiday, and AJ Collins. Senior Peyton Rodgers led the Panthers in the individual races, with a 13th place finish in the 200 Yard Freestyle. His time shaved seven seconds from his previous PR.

“We had a mixture of veterans and newcomers who  did an amazing job for us today,” said Head Coach Ashley Heyer. “Peyton (Rodgers) and Kelis (Kent) each had PRs, dropping 7 and 8 seconds off of their previous best times. We are excited about our next meet!”

Next up for Swim: Saturday, September 24 – Capital City Swim League at Crawfish Aquatics

Volleyball

Woodlawn High’s Volleyball Team continued their hot play this week. After finishing the South Louisiana Invitational with two wins last Saturday, our Lady Panthers were 2-0 this week.

Our Lady Panthers picked up where they left off with a victory over Springfield Tuesday. Woodlawn won the first set by the score of 25-15 and the second set by the score of 25-9 before dropping the third set. Our Lady Panthers bounced back strong during the fourth set, coming away with the 25-13 win to secure the match three sets to one. Seniors Reagan McDowell and Marie Sierra led Woodlawn to the victory.

On Thursday, September 8th, Woodlawn hosted St. John of Plaquemine. The Lady Panthers came away with a 3-0 victory over the Eagles. The Lady Panthers started the match quickly, winning the first set by the score of 25-6. While the second (25-11) and third (25-14) sets were not as dominating, our Lady Panthers kept focused and completed the straight-set victory. Woodlawn was led by senior Karma Kasubaski and junior Kelis Conley.

Next up for Volleyball: Monday, September 12 – JV/Varsity at Capitol; Wednesday, September 14 – Freshman versus Parkview Baptist, JV/Varsity versus McKinley; Friday, September 16 and Saturday, September 17 – Varsity at Brusly Tournament

Off-Season Tryouts/Practices Continue

With new LHSAA rules allowing year-round practice, several sports are taking advantage of the additional time. Coach Alicia Dedeaux and her Lady Panther basketball team are currently practicing multiple times a week in preparation for the upcoming season.

Newly-named Head Coach Stefson Arnold held tryouts for the boys’ basketball team this past week, as he looks to begin preparing for the 2022-2023 season as well. Coach Arnold was pleased with the number of student-athletes who participated in tryouts.

The Lady Panthers Softball Team will hold tryouts for the 2023 season on September 20th and 22nd. Any interested student must have a valid physical and proof of insurance in order to tryout. Coach Bryant can be reached by email at [email protected] for additional information.

Woodlawn opens cross country season eager to grow individuals, program

Woodlawn opens cross country season eager to grow individuals, program

Sep 9, 2022

Woodlawn High opens cross country season eager to take next steps both on the tracks and as a program.

The Panthers open their 2022 schedule at 8 a.m. Saturday at Highland Road Park for the Episcopal Round Table Run with improvement on personal times and expansion of the roster both top of mind.

“I’m just looking forward to running,” senior Jaden Sylvester said. “As a team we’re just looking forward to pushing forward and, just, finishing. Like the new incoming freshmen that we’re getting, we’re looking for them to finish. And the veterans, we’re looking for better placement out of them from last year, better times and those things.”

Sylvester, who joined the team last year from football, is among a core senior group that also includes Dylan Aucoin and Hunter Kullman on the boys side and Andrea Rodriguez on the girls side.

Sophomore Kennedi Kullman is another key returner on the varsity squad.

And new athletes with high expectations include A.J. Warner, whom coach Tim Spruill said has the drive and leadership of a veteran, and Winston Dunn, who will join the team when possible around his football duties.

“Our No. 1 goal is always to have fun and turn these kids into life-long runners,” Spruill said. “But, beyond that, we really want more top-10 individual finishes and at least one top-three finish as a team for both boys and girls.”

The Panthers accomplished that goal last season with a deep roster on the girls side and just a few boys on the team.

Those numbers have flipped this fall with more boys on the roster to enter the season, but more athletes are welcomed to join the program at any time.

“We are always looking for new athletes,” Spruill said. “We train all year, and you can join at any time. It is difficult for seniors to join midseason, but ninth, 10th and 11th graders can join any time during the season or offseason.

“It takes a lot of work and a long time to get fit to compete in this sport. When you join as a freshman, you are really training for your sophomore year. If you stick with it long enough, you can break school records by your junior or senior year.”

Any students interested in joining should email [email protected], visit coach Spruill in room 559 or join the remind @woodlawncc and send a message.

Following this Saturday’s event, Woodlawn will attend meets at Brusly High each of the remaining two Saturdays in September.

Cross Country Continues to Grow

Cross Country Continues to Grow

Aug 16, 2021

Cross Country Head Coach Tim Spruill is beginning his second year in the program. After a first season in which his program saw continual improvement, he is looking for bigger and better things this year.

“Our number one goal this season is to increase the size of the teams to allow for a better breakdown by ability within the teams,” said Coach Spruill. “Athletes need comparable athletes to train with in order to grow. Right now we have too much diversity and too few athletes to allow diversification.”

While the size of the team is important, Coach Spruill did not forget to stress that he looks for his team to get better.

“The number two goal is to see someone break the boys and girls school records for our sport,” added Spruill.

Carolina Alvarado is the returning captain for the Lady Panthers, and seems to be the most likely candidate to achieve the second goal. Alvarado was consistently the Lady Panthers’ highest finisher last season.

Joining her this season are two newcomers that Coach Spruill has been impressed with in the early part of the season. Jaden Sylvester is joining us from football and baseball.

“Jaden brings a can-do attitude, a smile, and a ton of grit. He will be a great addition to the team,” said Spruill.

Kennedi Kullman is a freshman that Coach Spruill pointed to as a possible contributor as well.

The Panthers are excited about traveling to diverse meets this season. The unpredictable courses are fun and vary from their home course.

Over the past two years, the Cross Country program has worked a lot on consistent training and positive attitudes. This season looks to be the best yet in both regards, and fast times are expected for this group.

Panthers Prove Running Does Not Have to be Hard

Panthers Prove Running Does Not Have to be Hard

Dec 14, 2020

Coach Tim Spruill is an optimistic guy. He likes to see the bright side of things, his glass is always half full, and good things happen to him because of his positivity.

However, going into his second year as the Head Coach of the Panther Cross Country team, he knew that the year would be difficult. That did not mean that he didn’t find positives to take away from the season.

Junior Carson Sprunk consistently led the Panthers in times this season.

“Because of restrictions due to COVID-19, we were forced to go to a bunch of meets we normally would not have considered. Instead of being a negative, it was a total win for the team. We got to compete against different schools than normal and got to see a lot of different courses instead of the same course over and over again. Next year, even if all the restrictions are lifted, we will probably do most of these meets again. If nothing else, they were fun and we were competitive. That is what it is all about!”

Spruill considered this season a complete success, despite missing the State Meet.

“We had a full schedule and despite losing members due to 2020 being weird, we competed just as hard and performed and placed consistently higher than the year before. Growth under such circumstances makes me wonder how much we could have achieved in a more normal year. This counts as a win for us!”

The Panthers were led by two student-athletes who will return in 2021. Junior Carson Sprunk was consistently the fastest boy runner for the Panthers. When Carson wasn’t busy hitting the running trails, he was busy maintaining his 4.1 GPA.

The Lady Panthers were paced by Junior Carolina Alvarado. Not to be outdone by Carson, Carolina carries a 4.4 GPA and is a returning All-District player for the Lady Panther Soccer team.

“Carson and Carolina are the epitome of student-athletes. They come to compete day in and day out, and do not let their grades fall at all in the process,” said Spruill. “Both of them will be in contention to break the school records next year, as they were within a minute this year.”

Coach Spruill and the Panthers are already looking forward to next season.

“We have already started conditioning for next season. Many of our veteran athletes are doing other sports at the moment, but at the same time we have a number of rookies who are getting their feet muddy for the first time. Despite the pandemic, we are looking to increase the size and speed of the team for next year. The team is preparing to break school and personal records in the first meet of the next season.”

“Our main goal for the coming season and all future seasons is to get back to the state meet. Class 4A does not require you to qualify for the state meet, however Class 5A requires qualification. We have not been to state since the school reclassified to 5A. But our growth and conditioning plan moves us closer to making it every week.”

As would be expected, Coach Spruill puts his positive spin on even the most grueling of sports.

“Cross country runners are a strange group of people. They consistently come out and dedicate themselves to the most miserable, painful, terrible sport our school has to offer. When they get good at it, somehow they enjoy it. Their strength of character sets a standard we should all strive for. Three miles at a time, they show us how to be the best we can be. I am proud to coach this team and hope I get the privilege to continue coaching them for many years to come.”