Collins, Matthews Help Lead Panthers

Collins, Matthews Help Lead Panthers

Mar 4, 2021

The Panther football program surprised some in the state of Louisiana during the COVID-shortened 2020 football season. The Panthers, led by second year Head Coach Marcus Randall, finished the season by hosting a first round playoff game. Although Woodlawn High fell short in that game, they far exceeded most expectations by ranking in the top 16 of the LHSAA Class 5A Power Rankings.

Cornerback Jordan Matthews has received scholarship offers from Mississippi State, Virginia, and FAU.

Members of the Class 2023 helped supply the Panthers with lots of offensive firepower and many defensive stops. Quarterback Rickie Collins and cornerback Jordan Matthews were two student-athletes that excelled on the field in the fall. At the conclusion of the season, the pair was named to the 2020 District 5-5A All-District team. However, the recognition that the two received did not stop in the fall.

Both Matthews and Collins have since received several scholarship offers from colleges around the country. Matthews was the first to receive an offer, from SEC West member-school Mississippi State. That offer came in early January, and was quickly followed by and offer from the University of Virginia only three days later. Florida Atlantic University was the third school to offer Matthews.

“I knew that I would eventually get offers, but I had no idea that they would come this early,” said Matthews. “I also realized that getting the offer was not the ultimate goal, so I have to continue to outwork others to continue to succeed.”

Not to be outdone, Collins was the next out of the pair to receive an offer. He didn’t just receive one or two offers, Collins received three offers in a two and a half week period. The University of Memphis offered, followed by the University of Arkansas. Virginia Tech offered Collins a scholarship two days after Arkansas.

Rickie Collins had received scholarship offers from Arkansas, Virginia Tech, and Memphis.

“The Class of 2023 is full of really good quarterbacks in the state,” said Collins. “I knew that some of them had already received some scholarship offers, but I knew that my offers would eventually come. Most athletes don’t get any offers until their junior or senior year, so I knew that mine would come when it was my time.”

Collins and Matthews both acknowledge their excitement at receiving interest from major college programs. They were both able to point out what led to this interest.

“First, our intelligence is high. Both on the field, and in the classroom,” explained Matthews. “We have high field IQ, and we also have high GPAs.”

Matthews, who is a student in the Great Scholars Academy, carries a 4.6 GPA. Collins, who takes traditional classes, carries a 3.5 GPA.

“I want to piggy-back off of what Jordan said, and add that we also have a lot of people in our corner,” said Collins. “Our coaches and family have always had our back, and always helped promote us.”

As the discussion with Collins and Matthews continued, the two student-athletes continually brought up their teammates.

“Football is a team sport, and the two of us aren’t the only reason that we have a chance to be a good team,” said Matthews. “We need everyone to contribute to the success of the team. We have a lot of talented players on both sides of the ball in our class.”

Offensively, offensive lineman Roy Brackins and wide receivers Clayton Adams and Tramon Douglas were mentioned multiple times. Defensive linemen Devyn Jones and Devin Boyd, along with defensive backs DJ Delmore and Dawaun Harris, are defensive players from the class of 2023 that Collins and Matthews talked about.

“Roy is going to be next. His size, smarts, and athletic ability on the offensive line are getting him attention already,” said Collins. “Clayton and Devin and Devyn will get some (scholarship offers) as well. Hopefully schools coming to see us will notice all of the other talented players that are on the field.”

The attention that Collins and Matthews bring to Woodlawn High will, undoubtedly, bring higher expectations. The two understand that, and are ready for it.

“Our expectations are to win championships. Anything less than that is a failure, in my eyes,” said Collins. “We have all the tools; players, coaches, and support. I realize that I have to be the leader, I have to work harder than everyone else, and that will lead my teammates to work harder.”

Esports Team Wins First Contest

Esports Team Wins First Contest

Mar 4, 2021

A historical first has occurred in the annals of Woodlawn High School Athletics. Our very own Panther Esports Team has brought home our first match win in a Super Smash Tournament. Panther Esports Sub team, The Generation of Mind War, made up of Jason Delcid, Brizzio Dore, and Jesus Jimenez, came away with the best of three victory in their first ever Panther Esports match.

Esports is a lively, growing activity at high schools and colleges all over the country. It is a form of sport competition using video games. It often takes the form of organized, multiplayer video game competitions, usually individually or as teams. Esports is projected to top $1 billion in revenue this year alone and double to $2 billion next year.

Panther Esports at Woodlawn High School is led by team captain Delcid. The team, which is in it’s inaugural season, currently has 16 players. Panther Esports is a member of the PlayVS league. PlayVS operates state leagues in partnership with 23 state associations and regional leagues nationwide and helps to bring Esports to all 50 states. PlayVS is sanctioned by the Louisiana High School Athletic Association, which means that Panther Esports team members can earn varsity letters for participating in Esports for Woodlawn High. Players can also earn college scholarships and acceptance to their college Esports teams.

All video game matches are played online from the players’ personal devices and in the comfort of their own home. Panther Esports currently participates in two different video game title competitions. Super Smash Brothers is a one-on-one fighting game that is the most popular game for the Woodlawn High Esports team. Super Smash Brothers features many popular characters from video games across all platforms. The game allows players to use their favorite character to fight in one-on-one matches. Esports members have three one-on-one matches, with the victorious team winning at least two matches. The Panthers also have a Rocket League Team. Rocket League is a soccer game that is played with vehicles that have special features.

Although the spring 2021 league championship has already begun, Panther Esports can accept new team members who would like to play Rocket League or Super Smash Brothers. Any prospective Panther Esports team members should see Mr. Frazier in room 720 for information on how to join.

Lanard Harris Leads Panther Indoor Track

Lanard Harris Leads Panther Indoor Track

Feb 25, 2021

Senior hurdler Lanard Harris became a two-time State Champion at the 2021 LHSAA Indoor Track and Field State Meet. Lanard Harris recorded the fastest time in the 60 Meter Hurdles to become the Division I State Champion. He was also the 2019 Class 4A State Champion in the 300 Meter Hurdles.

Lanard Harris led a group of young sprinters who qualified for this year’s Indoor Track State Meet. Sophomores Tramon Douglas, Dawaun Harris, Jay’veon Haynes, and J’marcus Sewell rounded out the Panthers who qualified for the meet. The sophomores made up three-quarters of the Panther 4×200 Meter Relay team which qualified for the state meet.

Entering the meet, which was held at the Carl Maddox Fieldhouse on LSU’s campus, the Woodlawn 4×200 Meter Relay team had the 10th fastest qualifying time, narrowly making the cut for qualification. The Panthers turned heads by finishing third in the state with a time of 1:32.89, shaving nearly two seconds off of their qualifying time. The relay team consisted of Sewell, Lanard Harris, Dawaun Harris, and anchor Haynes.

Lanard Harris, by all accounts, was the favorite entering the 60 Meter Hurdles. His qualifying time of 8.13 was the fastest going into the State Meet. He matched that time to win the State Championship. He looks to carry that momentum into the outdoor track season, where he will attempt to repeat at the 300 Meter Hurdles champion.

The Panthers have begun practicing for the Outdoor Track and Field season. They will host St. Michael in a closed scrimmage on Thursday, February 25. Their first official meet will be on Wednesday, March 3rd at the Brusly Invitational.

JROTC Cadet Wins Second Place in District Competition

JROTC Cadet Wins Second Place in District Competition

Feb 23, 2021

Kaitlyn Arceneaux is in her second year of the Woodlawn High School JROTC program. During her first year in the program, as Private First Class, Kaitlyn found that she truly enjoyed the JROTC program. She stood out in her LET group, and was promoted at the beginning of her sophomore year to Cadet Sergeant.

Later during her sophomore year, Cadet Sergeant Kaitlyn was chosen to represent the Woodlawn High School JROTC Department for the East Baton Rouge Parish District LET II competition.

“I was very excited when I found out that JROTC staff selected me as the LET II representative for Woodlawn High,” said Arceneaux. “There were several other qualified cadets that they could have selected, so I was surprised and honored to be selected.”

On February 11, 2021, Cadet Sergeant Kaitlyn Arceneaux competed with other cadets in the Baton Rouge District. She did an outstanding job and placed second in the competition.

“Kaitlyn represented Woodlawn High School very well and the JROTC staff is extremely proud of her,” commented Sergeant First Class (R) Jill Pearl. Kaitlyn has worked very hard and been a dedicated cadet in our program for the past two years. The staff looks forward to watching her grow as a leader and see what she accomplishes in the next two years.”

Outside of the JROTC program, Arceneaux has maintained a 4.5 GPA at Woodlawn High School. She is a two-year varsity letterman for the Lady Panther soccer team, and has recently joined the Lady Panther softball team. She plans to attend LSU after her time as a Panther, and hopes to one day become a veterinarian.

Panthers Prepare for District 5-5A Opponent

Panthers Prepare for District 5-5A Opponent

Feb 23, 2021

The Woodlawn Panther Basketball program was notified of its playoff seeding Monday, February 23rd, and the opponent is extremely familiar.

The Panthers will travel to face fellow District 5-5A member East Ascension. The Spartans received the #13 seed in the LHSAA Class 5A Playoff Bracket, meaning Woodlawn is the #20 seed. This is the third year that the Panthers have travelled in the first round of the playoffs. The 2018-2019 team was the 25th seed, and the 2019-2020 team was the 21st seed.

Given the obstacles that the season presented, Coach Voight and the Panthers are excited about the opportunity.

“Considering that seven or eight months ago, we were not sure if we would even have a season, we are extremely excited about the playoffs,” said Coach Voight. “We were unable to have summer league, our preseason workouts were pushed back, and we had to deal with quarantines. We are just grateful that we are in the position we are in.”

Despite being the higher ranked team, East Ascension comes into the contest with an 11-12 record. Coach Voight has already warned his team not to underestimate the Spartans based on this.

“Our players have already been cautioned about EA. They have some quality losses. Their losses have come to teams in the top-five, and top-ten, of their classifications. They have also beaten some quality teams, notably White Castle and Alexandria, who are both top ten teams.”

The Panthers and Spartans will be facing each other for the first time this season. The teams were scheduled to play on January 28th, but a Covid-19 quarantine postponed that game. The two coaching staffs discussed a makeup date, but weather and ice cancelled the last week of the season for both teams. This adds adversity for both programs, as each team will have been off for at least 13 days.

Coach Voight points to making shots and valuing possessions as keys to the game.

“I look for this game to be a grind, and we will need to hit some shots,” said Coach Voight. “We haven’t been able to do that during district. We have to keep them out of transition as much as possible, so we must limit turnovers.”

The Panthers and Spartans will tip-off on Friday, February 26th, 7 pm on the East Ascension campus. Tickets must be purchased on-line using a link that will be provided by East Ascension on Friday morning.