Area Catholic schools have another stellar sports year

State and division championships were plentiful for New Orleans-area Catholic schools during the 2024-25 sports seasons as history tended to repeat itself.

Historically among the finest athletic programs among members of the Louisiana High School Athletic Association, area Catholic schools combined for 17 state or division championships and  14  runners-up trophies against the state’s best competition in men’s and women’s sports.

And the awards were well-distributed among 14 different schools.

The first title came in December when Archbishop Shaw won its first football championship since 1987 with a 28-25 victory over E.D. White in the Caesars Superdome.

Other titles followed in the sports of men’s cross country,  men’s and women’s swimming, wrestling, men’s and women’s soccer, men’s basketball, men’s and women’s bowling,  men’s tennis and women’s golf.

CROSS COUNTRY – Jesuit won its fourth straight Division I title. Led by senior Brady Mullen’s state record performance, Jesuit had three of the top five finishers.

SWIMMING – Local Catholic schools swept three of the four divisions among men’s and women’s teams.

Placing three swimmers in the finals of three events, Dominican easily outdistanced runner-up St. Joseph’s by 57 points to take the Division I title.

St. Scholastica continued its dominance, capturing its 14th consecutive Division II title by a 91-point margin over second-place Ruston.

Among Division II men’s events, Holy Cross extended its state title streak to seven, outpointing runner-up Ruston by 98 points.

And Pope John Paul II’s Eric Ring and Mady Hill, who won outstanding swimmer recognition by winning two events, added more medals in two relays and led the Jaguars to the Division IV men’s and women’s titles. It was the men’s fifth straight team title.

WRESTLING – Jesuit won its third straight Division I title  behind 12 wrestlers who earned spots on the podium.

Senior Bodi Harris enjoyed a personal milestone by winning the 126-pound finals enroute to becoming a three-time champion. 

The Blue Jays’ depth was a key factor as its premier program claimed its 27th state championship in that sport’s history.

MEN’S SOCCER – St. Paul’s has excelled in this sport, having won 12 Division I  titles. The most recent was a 2-1 victory over Catholic-Baton Rouge in February.

Holy Cross  defeated previously unbeaten Teurlings Catholic, 3-2, to gain  its sixth state title in the last eight years, and second in a row.

Teurlings had anticipated winning its first state championship in 16 years,but Erik Santamaria of the second-seeded Tigers scored two goals to preserve the victory.

WOMEN’S SOCCER – Mount Carmel culminated an impressive playoff run by defeating the top two seeds in its Division I championship run. The No. 4 seeded Cubs ended their quest with a 2-0 victory over Byrd High.

The Cubs scored 22 minutes into the match when  versatile senior Stella Junius scored the goal that put her team ahead. Junius, who also starred in distance running events on the track and field team, was named the Division I Outstanding Player.

In the women’s Division II championship match, St. Scholastica, the No. 2 seed, defeated the defending champion, No. 1 St. Thomas More, by breaking a scoreless tie in extra time, 4-1.

MEN’S BASKETBALL – Under first-year head coach Wade Mason, No. 4 seed St. Augustine won its first Division I title in this sport since 2021 by defeating No. 3 St. Thomas More, 45-35.

Jakobe Shepeard of the Purple Knights was named the game’s Outstanding Player.

Archbishop Hannan continued to be among the state’s elite teams under coach Errol Gauff by gaining the Division II select championship with a 59-55 win over No. 1 seed Archbishop Shaw.

Senior Drew Timmons capped off his season by being named the game’s Outstanding Player, then Louisiana’s Gator­ade Player of the Year.

BOWLING – Brother Martin won its eighth Division I team championship, and Shaw its second straight Division II title.

But more impressive was Archbishop Chapelle’s record season in Division I.

The Chipmunks culminated a 16-0 season by scoring a record 3,444 team series in the finals to capture their second state title in their history in this sport.

Brother Martin defeated Slidell, 14-13, behind senior Sam Vollenweider’s performance that earned him MVP honors. 

Shaw defeated archrival Belle Chasse, 18-9, in the Division II finals as Jonathan Arena won MVP accolades.

MEN’S TENNIS – Scoring 15  points, Jesuit edged Brother Martin by one point to win its 24th state tennis title and first since 2016.

WOMEN’S GOLF – Academy of the Sacred Heart won the Division II title with an eight-stroke victory over Episcopal, as freshman Jade Neves won her second individual title by shooting a 74.

Sacred Heart was also a runner-up in three sports.