Apr 29, 2021
Freshman John Cador represented Woodlawn High School at the 2021 LHSAA Bowling State Championship Tournament on Tuesday, April 27th. Cador was the Panthers’ leading bowler this season with an average of 191.
Cador represented Woodlawn High with class. He averaged 192 at the State Tournament, which was held at All Star Lanes.
Cador was also named to the First Team All-District team. Junior Chaz Degree and sophomore Brendan Parenti were each named to the 2021 Second Team All-District team. Degree finished the season with a 136 average. Parenti finished the season with a 111 average. The Panthers finished the season with a 7-5 overall record.
Apr 22, 2021
Like in all sports, experience in tennis is often the difference between a win and a loss. The mental aspect of the game of tennis is often overlooked as most players do not think much about what they are doing on the court. In big matches, nerves often creep in and overshadow any strategy that players worked on before the match.
Halle Medine experienced these nerves at this week’s Division II, Region 3 Tournament. Luckily, she leaned on her twin sister, Leah, for support when the stakes got high.
Leah has felt Regional pressure before. She was the Division II, Region 3 Girls Singles Runner-Up her freshman year and won the title of Regional Champion her sophomore year. Both years, Leah finished as a State Quarterfinalist.
“Leah has more experience in big matches than Halle,” said Head Coach Brent Broussard. “Halle had some nerves early in a few of the matches, but she was able to settle down as the matches went on. Leah having that experience certainly helped settle Halle.”
The Medines were given the number one seed by the coaches at the tournament seeding meeting which was held before the tournament. This ensured that they would not have to face another seeded team on the first day of the tournament and also gave them a first round bye.
After a slow start in their first match, the twins finished strong, moving to the quarterfinals of the tournament with a 6-2, 6-0 victory. The victory also booked their ticket to the State Tournament. Their second match of the day ended with the exact same score to send them to the Semifinals.
Day two of the tournament started with Halle and Leah facing the fourth seeded team in the tournament. The girls moved onto the finals with a 6-1, 6-1 victory.
In the finals, nerves slowed the path to victory, but could not stop it. After a shaky start, the Medines were down 3-2 in the first set. Halle and Leah won ten of the next eleven games to claim the championship with a 6-3, 6-1 victory.
Sophomores Dylan Aucoin and Brady Bertrand qualified for the 2021 Divison II State Tennis Tournament.
In the boys doubles draw, the second court team consisting of Dylan Aucoin and Brady Bertrand qualified for the State Tournament by advancing to the Quarterfinals of Regionals with two wins. The boys rolled through their first round match with a 6-0, 6-0.
The second round match, with a trip to the State Tournament on the line, was much more difficult. The Panthers dropped the first set 4-6, before storming back to win the second set 6-1. The third set tiebreaker came down to the wire, with Dylan and Brady coming away with the 10-8 win.
Other top performers from Woodlawn’s Tennis program were Christian Jones and Miriam Lindsay, who finished the tournament with a 1-1 record and fell just short of qualifying for the State Tournament, and Maxwell Bayles, who played an exciting two hour match before bowing out by the score 7-6 (4), 7-5.
Mar 26, 2021
In his two seasons as the Head Coach at Woodlawn High, Brad Voight has focused on building the foundation of the program. Coach Voight has stressed to his players that this includes excelling both on and off the court.
“We believe we are starting to set a very solid and sustainable foundation both on the court and in the classroom,” said Voight. “We will return three players who were recognized with All-District Honors. Our returning student-athletes have also done a great job in the classroom and are right at the 3.0 team GPA that was set as a goal before the season!”
Rickie Collins and Kyle Jones were each named to the District 5-5A All-District First Team for the 2020-2021 season. Collins, who was also named to the 2019-2020 team, looks to be in the mix for the District MVP next season. Collins averaged 17 points and 9 rebounds per game, and his shot blocking ability around the basket paid huge dividends for the Panthers this season.
Clayton Adams and Bryan Sledge were named to the District 5-5A Honorable Mention team. Sledge, who is a senior, average 11 points and 7 rebounds per game. His play on both ends of the court will be missed.
“Kyle Jones and Clayton Adams both return with Rickie, and both should have much improved seasons next year,” added Voight. “We will look to Clayton and Kyle to score more next year to make up for the loss of our seniors.”
The 2020-2021 season was marked by quarantines and streaks for the Panthers. After they opened their season with a win over St. Thomas Aquinas, Woodlawn was quickly placed on quarantine due to contact tracing and missed their next four games.
The Panthers returned to action to win their next five games, before suffering their first defeat of the season. Another five game win streak in early January, marked by a big win over Jehovah-Jireh, had Woodlawn poised to make a run at the district championship.
However, Covid-19 forced the Panthers to sit through another quarantine. When they were finally able to return to the court in early February, the team went 1-2 before being shut down again for two weeks leading into the playoffs.
Despite the roller coaster season, Woodlawn finished the season with a 17-7 record and were named the #20 seed in the LHSAA Class 5A State Tournament. The Panthers traveled to Gonzales to face the #13 seeded East Ascension Spartans, and fell in a close contest. Despite the season ending before the team wished, there were many bright spots to the season.
“We fill that we have that foundation built now,” concluded Voight. “We have kids working hard in the classroom and on the court. We have kids who expect to make the playoffs each year. We have kids that are looking forward to summer league. It’s an exciting time to be a Panther.”
Teams interested in joining the Woodlawn High Summer League should email Coach Voight at [email protected].
Mar 5, 2021
Andrew Barnes, who was the Head Soccer Coach for both the boys and girls programs at Woodlawn High, was recently inducted into the LHSSCA Hall of Fame. Barnes was the head of the boys program from 2001 through 2019, and led the girls program from 2011 through 2016.
During Barnes’ 18 year career, he has coached over 500 games and won numerous District Championships. Coach Barnes guided the Panthers to 11 playoff appearances, which included four Bi-District finishes, one Regional finish, two Quarterfinal finishes, three Semi-Final finishes, and one Finals appearance.
“When I walked into Mr. McCann’s office, at the old school, I never would have dreamed that I would coach at Woodlawn that long,” remembered Barnes. “I loved my time at Woodlawn. The administration always completely supported me. I was never told ‘no’ by any of the four principals that were there during my time.”
It was during the 2007-2008 season that Coach Barnes led the Woodlawn boys on an historic run to the finals. In the state semi-finals that season, Woodlawn, who was one of the lowest seeds in the playoffs, upset the favorites, Jesuit. This led to a state championship game versus Caddo Magnet.
Although the Panthers fell short and finished runner-up, their run to the finals that year is one of the most well remembered playoff runs of all time.
Coach Barnes has been selected District Coach of the Year seven times, as well as Baton Rouge All Metro Coach of the Year twice. He was also selected to be a coach in the LHSSCA All-Star game three times, twice as an Assistant Coach, and once as Head Coach.
“The soccer program at Woodlawn during my time there was a family,” explained Barnes. “It was a small group of very committed, dedicated people. In my 18 years, I only had four assistant coaches and only four concession workers. They stayed with me for the long haul.”
“I still keep in touch with many of my former players. I still love the phone calls, and even the impromptu visits to my home that last a little too long!”
Coach Barnes is married to Gretchen Barnes. Together they have three children, Jonathan, Emilie, and Jacob. All three of the Barnes children attended Woodlawn High, and of course, played soccer for Coach Barnes.
Current Woodlawn Principal Scott Stevens praised Coach Barnes’ as a coach and member of the Woodlawn family.
“Andrew was exactly what every Athletic Department looks for in a coach. He had the ability to connect with his student-athletes in a way that not many coaches can connect. His players wanted to win for him as much as they wanted to win for themselves. He deserves this recognition as much as anyone that has ever coached at Woodlawn High.”
