Feb 3, 2017
The Woodlawn boys’ soccer team claimed the District Championship for the second straight year. The team finished the regular season with a record of 3-0-1 in district and an overall record of 11-3-4.
During the season, the Panthers defeated some of the top teams in the state, including St. Amant, East Ascension and Episcopal. The team has been ranked as high as first in the coaches poll. State playoffs begin this week.
The Panthers earned a first round bye with their number 5 ranking in the Division II playoff bracket. Woodlawn will host the winner of the Beau Chene/West Jefferson game, which is being played tonight.
The Panthers were led in the regular season in scoring by Eduin Delcid and in assists by Jacob Barnes. Defensively, the Panthers are led by Roger Laguna and J-myri George.
Jan 27, 2017
Destiny Brooks, ’18
Students experiment with with different chemical reactions in Gifted Chemistry I.
Mrs. Bateast’s 5A Gifted Chemistry I class recently performed an experiment about different types of chemical reactions.
The first thing they did was gather all of their materials they are going to use: weight boats, goggles, an electric scale, micro burner, test tube holder, ring clamps, sugar, candles, and a spatula.
Before they started on their experiment, they were told to make a hypothesis about the expected outcome of the chemical reaction. After the students created their hypothesis, they began the experiment.
The first step was to pour the liquid on a spatula.
The second step was to pour the liquid into the test tube and lock it. They were told to turn on the micro burner and bring the liquid in the tube to a boil. When the liquid began to boil, the students turned the micro burner off and added sugar inside the tube.
As soon as the sugar was added, the concoction burst into flames, causing the students to jump back!
When they were done with this part of the experiment, the students recorded their results and determined whether or not their hypothesis was correct. The class was very engaged throughout the class period and said they had lots of fun with the experiment.
Jan 27, 2017
Edward Ducre, ’17
Lillian Khemmanymong lifts at the St. Michael Invitational on January 14, 2017.
Saturday, January the 14th, St. Michael the Archangel High School held their annual powerlifting meet. Although it is a small meet composed of about 100 lifters from different schools, Woodlawn had 14 lifters in the meet.
This meet was mainly used to gain experience for the young Panther powerlifting team. The team only had three returning lifters from last year (Bubba Ducre, Carlynn Montgomery, and Presley White), so the team needed as much experience as possible before Regionals.
The Panthers had a very productive day, as Coach Baronich and Coach Evers, along with the more experienced lifters, taught a lot to the newcomers, including when to warm up, what to wear and especially when and when not to eat. Along with this being a great learning day for the Panthers, their performance was also very impressive. Many of the Panther lifters won Gold, Silver and Bronze medals.
Coach Baronich seemed very proud of how the lifters did Saturday, yet said the team needed to work on their self- confidence and act like each lifter knows they are going to win a medal every meet.
Jan 20, 2017
The Woodlawn High Track & Field team will see their first action of the season on Saturday, January 21st at LSU’s Carl Maddox field house.
The 2017 Indoor track team is poised to establish Woodlawn as a force in 4A and the pack leader in District 6. This year’s squad has a great mix of veteran leadership, talented underclassmen and a desire by all to set the track on fire on the way to being state qualifiers
Sprinters
Sophmore Bryson Reaser working on sprints at a track practice.
Junior Shaun McCray and sophomore Bryson Reaser will compete in the 60 meter dash. It will be the first time either athlete has competed on an indoor track. The two competitors have been tenacious in their workouts and are excited to put on the purple and white and gain experience as they represent Panther Nation Saturday.
Middle Distance
The strength of this year’s indoor team is the middle distance events. Coming of very strong cross country seasons, seniors Brandon Williams and Khidhr Al-Mustafa are settling for nothing less than qualifying for the state indoor meet on February 18, 2017. Williams will be competing in the 400 meter dash, where he is the defending district 6-4A outdoor champion. He will be accompanied on the track by sophomore Nicholas Bradley who, in his freshman season, showed great progress in the event and helped to add speed and stability to Woodlawn’s 4×400 relay team.
The 800 meter duties will be held by Khidhr Al-Mustafa, who has his sights set on sub 2:00 times this season. During his junior season and cross country season Al-Mustafa focused on building both speed and endurance, essential ingredients for the race that is by some considered a distance event, but by those who know track, is truly a half-mile sprint.
Distance
Junior Saulomon John and sophomore Coby Sanchez will be competing in the 1600m (1 mile) and 3200m (2mile) races on Saturday. Both athletes had a great cross country season where the built up their endurance and helped lead the team to a top 13 finish at the state meet. This will be the first indoor meet for both athletes. Since the end of cross country, both athletes have been focusing on increasing their speed for the shorter track races.
Junior Melissa Grant will be one of two girls competing for Woodlawn on Saturday. She will run the 1600m and 3200m. Grant was a new edition to the cross country team but made an immediate impact with her natural athleticism and strong work ethic.
Alexis Martin, Woodlawn’s record holder in the 3 mile cross country race and defending District 6-4A 3200m champion, will compete in the girls 3200m race. Alexis ran well at the indoor meets during her sophomore year and plans to use that experience to move up the field this season as she presses towards qualifying for the state meet.
Relays
Woodlawn will compete in two relay events on Saturday.
The 4x200m relay is the first track event of the day and will be run by McCray, Williams, Reaser, and sophomore Demetri Harris. Harris has emerged as a team leader both on and off the track and looks to push this group of talented athletes this season. The 4x200m team will set the pace for the panthers Saturday.
Coach Wallace seems excited about their chances as he explained, “This is an excellent group of athletes, gotta give credit to Coach Rogers for the sprint and relay programs that she has created and implemented and to coach Baronich who has really helped to increase the speed and power of all of Woodlawn’s athletes.”
The 4x400m meter relay team returns 3 of last season’s four runners. Harris is the new kid on the block and will use excellent starting ability in the lead off leg to set up 4×400 veterans Bradley, Al-Mustafa and Williams who, along with Woodlawn graduate Jordan Donald, were the 2016 6-4A Outdoor champions.
Throwers
Woodlawn will bring two throwers, senior Aaron White and junior Kenneth Washington to compete in the shot put. Both athletes threw over 40 feet in 2016 and represented Woodlawn at the district and regional levels. Coach Samantha Fetter has been working diligently with the throwers, cleaning up their technique and creating the explosive power needed to set new personal bests en route to qualifying for the State meet. Both athletes are the backbone of a talented group of young throwers that look to make a name for themselves and for the school during Woodlawn’s 2017 campaign.
Events begin at 11AM at LSU’s Carl Maddox Field House.
Along with many food and games available, golfers will also have the opportunity to win multiple prizes through raffles and drawings. One of the headliners of this year’s prize package will be donated by City Pork. The restaurant is offering a Cochon De Lait for 25 people, available for pickup or delivery.
