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Eyes on the prize

Slidell hopes to continue athletic successes

As the COVID-19 pandemic reached the United States, the focus of Slidell ISD was on the boys basketball team.

The defending Class A champion Greyhounds made it all the way back to the state tournament in San Antonio. However, the team’s hopes for a second consecutive state title was bashed, not by a loss on the court, but because of the quick spread of the virus that caused the UIL to postpone and later cancel the tournament.

TITLE RUN STOPPED – The Slidell Greyhounds were unable to defend their 2019 Class A title, as the state basketball tournament was suspended after the team’s semifinal win over Jayton. Messenger Archive Photo

Despite the abrupt ending to the basketball season, as well as the rest of athletic competition for the 2019-20 school year, athletic director Casey Pierce said the school’s programs experienced a high level of success.

“I thought we had an extremely successful year again this year,” Pierce said. “Our teams excelled and made strong pushes, helping them to come out of district and go deep into the postseasons of their respective sports. We had high hopes for a couple of our individual sport athletes in track and tennis, but that didn’t get to happen.”

In describing the quality of athletes playing for Slidell, Pierce said the athletic department is filled with players who play multiple sports, which benefits all programs.

“Off the top of my head, I can’t think of a single athlete we have that just plays one sport,” Pierce said. “I believe their willingness to play multiple sports improves them in all of their sports. A lot of them want to play on the same team as their friends and to keep in shape. With the limited number of sports offered at Slidell, the school pride seems to run a little deeper with our kids, and it’s also evident by the backing from the community. Our kids are constantly benefiting not only themselves, but our community, as well.”

Pierce led the boys basketball team to a 31-9 record and another District 22-A title. The Greyhounds stretched their district winning streak to 42 games before the start of the playoffs.

In its return to the Alamodome, Slidell wound up facing a familiar foe – the Jayton Jaybirds, their opponent from the 2019 state championship game. Slidell claimed last season’s title, the team’s first trophy since back-to-back championships in 1942 and 1943, by defeating Jayton, 49-36.

Defense was the difference-maker in the Greyhounds’ semifinal contest, as Slidell smothered Jayton’s offense en route to a 45-28 victory, sending the team to the state title game against LaRue LaPoynor, and on an upward climb in confidence and swagger.

The climb quickly turned into a freefall just two hours later when the UIL suspended the tournament due to COVID-19 fears and instructed teams and fans to head home.

“I’m proud of our achievement of getting back to the tournament, but there’s definitely a lack of closure there,” Pierce said. “Jayton’s fans were able to celebrate their players, even though they lost the game, but our fans never really got a chance to do that. We had a hard time wrapping our head around everything and it seemed so surreal when we left San Antonio. We tell our kids to worry about what they can control, and in hindsight, I’ve had to take some of my own medicine in that regard. It is what it is, at this point.”

The Slidell girls basketball team proved to be the top dogs in district play, as coach Lance Shelton led the team to the 22-A title and on a playoff trek of their own.

Slidell claimed a first-round bye and defeated Henrietta Midway in the area game. Despite a valiant effort in a back-and-forth regional quarterfinal matchup, the No. 21 Lady Hounds fell short in triple-overtime to Saltillo, 51-43.

Pierce attributed the team’s success to the players’ ability to come together and work toward a common goal.

“There wasn’t a lot of cohesiveness at the beginning of the season,” Pierce said. “I felt like they improved gradually throughout the year. They were attempting to reach the regional tournament for the fourth straight year, which is a tough task. The girls had a great season, but unfortunately ran into a strong Saltillo team.

“There’s a couple of freshmen coming up who will pay large dividends for us next season,” he continued. “I believe they have a legitimate great shot, maybe even more so than the boys team next year, to get out of our region and qualify for the state tournament.”

The school’s cross country programs made their way out of district competition, as the boys team took home the 22-A title and the girls team finished second.

The Lady Hounds finished their season at the Class A Region III race, taking home a sixth place team finish. Jasmine Gonzalez was first to cross the finish line for Slidell’s team in the 3,200-meter contest (35th, 14:11), followed by Kristal Gladden (43rd, 14:24), Destiny Stack (46th, 14:27), Jordan Brown (82nd, 15:25) and Maddie Meyer 105th, 16:01). Sam Rambsel (115th, 16:16) and Leda Bertoni (119th, 16:32) also competed in the meet.

The boys cross country team ran all the way to the Class A state meet and claimed eighth place. Easton Vanover was the fastest Greyhound in the 5K race (49th, 17:52) and was joined on the state course by Hudson Franklin (74th, 18:25), Carlos Gonzalez (75th, 18:26), Jaden Luttrell (90th, 18:48) and Brock Harwell (117th, 19:39). The final two runners representing Slidell were Jerl McCasland (136th, 21:10) and Jayson Ellison (142nd, 21:57).

Due to the closure of schools because of COVID-19, Slidell was unable to get far in its track and field season, as well as allow Jaden Coston to defend her 2019 Class A title in girls singles tennis.

BEST STORY

Although the books were never officially closed on the season, Pierce believes the top achievement made by the Slidell athletic department was the boys basketball team’s run back to the state tournament.

“Win or lose, I think we really would have liked to have had the opportunity to play LaPoynor in the state game,” Pierce said. “However, that game with the players who helped both teams reach the state tournament will never happen. We’ve honored the kids the best way we know how and have at this point put last season to bed. We’re looking forward to the players who will be returning next season and hoping we’ll have the opportunity to make our way back to state.”

Pierce acknowledged he has received state gold medals for players and coaches, a state trophy and state programs from the UIL. However, the state memorabilia does not designate a state championship title. He also said the team’s state banner has been ordered and will join last season’s banner on the wall of the gymnasium soon.

COACHING CHANGES

Despite a year of uncertainty, the coaching roster at Slidell will remain the same, as Pierce and Shelton will return to lead their respective programs, while Tyler Maynard and Ashley Luttrell will return as assistant coaches.

“All of our coaches will be back next season,” Pierce said. “The good news is a lot of our players will also be returning, and we hope they’ll get a shot to chase down more of their dreams, if we get back to playing again.”

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