Please take part in our Reader Survey!
Play Makers: Northshore Prep Sports
by Deke Bellavia
photography by Abby Sands Miller
Some of the best high school athletes in Louisiana reside on the northshore. With the recent boom in population because of hurricane Katrina, that trend of having top-flight players in various sports will continue in the area.
This past fall, many a night was spent focused on teams such as the Jaguars, Lions, Wolves, Panthers, Tigers, Wolverines, Skippers, Spartans, Rebels and Bulldogs—and the football and volleyball stars who stepped to the forefront to lead their teams to victory! With five districts across the region, it was not difficult to find some big time playmakers.
Andrew Guillot, Pope John Paul
One of those playmakers is a young Jaguar from Pope John Paul High School in Slidell. Junior football standout Andrew “Mr. Can Do Everything” Guillot is arguably one of the most versatile players in recent years. In the Jaguars football program, Guillot is listed as a running back. But ask any of his coaches and they will quickly tell you that Andrew is the ultimate team player. “He is a tremendous athlete who can do many things that you just don’t coach,” says PJP head football coach Darryl Lachney.
Andrew had a breakout year for the Jaguars, and his numbers were quite impressive. He rushed the ball 94 times for 1,508 yards and 16 touchdowns. (That’s an average of 16 yards per rush.) He also chipped in 487 yards receiving with another eight scores and two more scores by way of special teams play—giving him a total of 26 touchdowns scored this past season, ranking among the best in the state.
Those who stood in Andrew’s path found out first hand how tough he is to stop. That fact was evidenced in a game against the St. Thomas Aquinas Falcons. On a nice fall evening back in October, the Falcons came to Slidell to battle the Jaguars in a huge District 9-2A showdown. STA did a nice job of limiting Andrew as far as rushing the ball, and they found the score tied early in the fourth quarter. But in the end, Andrew found a way to make the big play to help lead his team to victory. Andrew returned a kickoff for a touchdown and the Jaguars went on to win the game 27-21.
“He is a great player, and great players make plays when they have to. That is what he did against us,” says Falcons Coach John White. But what truly makes Andrew special is his ability to carry out his duties in the classroom and on campus just as he does on the football field. “He is such a great student; he would make any parent proud. He is everything that you want in a kid, and we are glad to have him on our side,” says Lachney.
Hailey Miranda,
Northlake Christian
In life, there is an old saying that being a leader is not getting people to follow, but showing them how to lead themselves. That is what Hailey Miranda of Northlake Christian School has done in her four years of high school. Northlake is a small 1A school that is starting to get the same attention and recognition that other northshore area schools have been enjoying for years. The Wolverines are rising in sports basketball and football. But when all is said and done, fans will credit the sport of volleyball as the sport that helped put this young school on the athletic map.
Hailey has come to be one of the top volleyball players in the state by working on and off the court. “I have always tried to lead by example, and it has been a great ride here at Northlake,” she says.
The senior setter from California led her team to the Class 1A state semi-finals this season, but fell one game short of playing for the state title. “Of course, we did not want it to end that way,” she admits. “But when I look back on the season, I know that this team played as hard as we could, and that is what we set out to do each time we stepped on the court.”
Hailey had the pleasure of playing alongside her younger sister this season, while her father served as an assistant coach for the team. But this year’s District 7-1A MVP has been making a name for herself and putting the school on the map for nearly five years now. “Hailey started as an eighth-grader and has gotten better each season,” says Northlake coach Michelle Anderson. Hailey was invited to play in the state volleyball all-star game and is an all-state player, as well. Coach Anderson says that she does not relish the thought of not having Hailey on campus following her walk down the graduation aisle in May. “I just don’t know how to replace her, and I don’t know if you can. Hailey is such a leader. She will be sorely missed.”
Cedric Cooper,
Slidell High School
The dean of football coaches on the northshore is Slidell’s Wayne Grubb. He’s been a staple in the area’s athletics for a very long time. For the last few years, he has had the pleasure of coaching a player he thinks is one of the best players ever to play for the Tigers at Slidell High School. “Without question, Cedric Cooper is one of the most talented and natural athletes to ever play for me,” Grubb says.
The Cooper name has been synonymous with Slidell High football for over twenty-years now, as Cedric is the nephew of former Tiger great Reggie Cooper. His primary position for the Tigers is linebacker, but because he is so gifted, Grubb used him at many positions on the field. “He is our best linebacker and one of the best players in the district. If I had the luxury of playing him at running back all the time, he would easily be a 1,000-yard rusher.”
The senior 6-foot-2-inch, 235-pound “Man Child” was named the District 4-5A Defensive MVP for the 2006 season. As if that weren’t impressive enough, Cedric also makes his presence known in basketball and track and field. He was a pre-season all-metro basketball player for the Tigers and is one of the area’s top track and field performers in the high jump and triple jump.
Fontainebleau head football coach Larry Farve is one guy that will be more than happy to see Cooper graduate in May. “He is a physical player who has multiple skills and can take over a game at anytime. He truly is the total package,” Farve says. “As the school year moves on, I’m sure that the name Cedric Cooper will be seen and heard among area media outlets that cover prep sports.
Robert Williams, Mandeville
Mandeville High’s first-year head football coach Guy LeCompte brought in new ideas and an enthusiastic approach to helping resurrect the Skippers’ football program. One player who helped LeCompte move the program in the right direction was running back Robert Williams. The 6-foot, 180-pound senior made his share of plays in the 2006 season, despite being injured for most of the year. “He went down in week one of the season, and we kind of all held our breath,” says LeCompte. “But Robert worked hard to get back on the field and came back to make a nice run.”
In only a handful of games this season, Robert rushed for nearly 1,000 yards and averaged 7.6 yards per carry. (Ask any coach on any level and they will gladly tell you that Robert’s average is pretty salty!) This gifted athlete is also one of the best track and field stars in the area, winning last year’s 200-meter dash. Local coaches all agree than Robert Williams is a solid football player. “When we played them, his confidence grew stronger as the game wore on,” remarks Fontainebleau’s Farve. “He is one of those impact players who can turn a busted play into a touchdown. And he did against us.” Robert had a dazzling touchdown run against the Bulldogs. He almost fell to the ground before spinning off several defenders and taking it to the house for a score in a game many St. Tammany prep football followers call the greatest game they have ever seen. In the end, FHS edged MHS 35 to 31 in that October game.
Robert is being recruited by Texas Tech, SLU, Nicholls State and UL Lafayette. He is a well-liked kid on campus and should be able to excel on the college level starting next year.
Chad Keys, St. Paul
This past year was called the best in St. Paul’s School football history. Not since the early 1990s, when they were led by standout player Nilo Silvan, had the Wolves been this good on the field. They finished the regular season with a 9-1 record and advanced to the state quarter-finals for the first time in school history. Coach Ken Sears and his team quietly put to sleep all those non-believers out there each week and just took care of business on the field. Sears had many solid players that upped their play each week but, without question, when the game was on the line, the Wolves used the ability of “Mr. Keys.”
Being the go-to man led Chad to have one of the best football seasons in SPS history. At 6 feet, 1 inch and 180 pounds, he put up numbers that would impress even players like Jerry Rice and Steve Largent. A playmaker in every sense of the word, the wide receiver was the most dangerous player in District 4-5A this season. After a breakout year in 2005 when Keys was selected as the District’s Offensive MVP, coaches of opposing teams tried their best to game-plan around him—but very few had success in slowing him down. “He was so hard to defend because he has such great speed and good hands as well,” says Slidell’s Coach Grubb.
The senior from Covington hauled in 61 receptions for 1,311 yards and 14 touchdowns. Keys’ ability to make things happen after he caught the ball was undoubtedly the aspect of his game that evoked fear in every district coach. “Chad averaged over 21 yards per catch this season and 101 yards per game. Those numbers speak for themselves,” says Wolves coach Ken Sears.
Keys is being heavily recruited by many schools including the University of Central Florida, Southern Mississippi, UL Lafayette, Tulane, Wisconsin and Washington State. But Chad is still a humble young man who leads by example. “Chad would come to me sometimes during games and tell me that he wanted the ball in his hands and I respected that,” notes Sears. “He worked hard and had proven that he could make plays and he deserved that right.”
Chad is ready to take that next step and play collegiate football, as he is academically qualified and ready for the next challenge in his life. He says that he has gotten this far by having had a lot of great people around him, including his sister Stephanie. “She has always been there for me through the good times and the bad, and I am very blessed to have her in my life,” he says.
As he looks back on his career, Chad says that one play he will always remember took place in the 2006 playoffs against Higgins. The Wolves were down late in the game and needed a score to come from behind and beat the Hurricanes. As time began to be a factor, Coach Sears called a play that was designed to get Keys in a one-on-one situation against a Higgins defender. The rest, they say, is history. Keys got open down the sideline and hauled in the game-winning touchdown to lead his team into the quarter-final round of the 5A playoffs. “Yeah—that is one I will always think about,” Chad remarks. “I’m just glad I caught the ball!”
Trevor Rizzuto, Fontainebleau
In sports there is a thin line between pain and glory, and Fontainebleau running back Trevor Rizzuto experienced both this season. Trevor led the Bulldogs to a share of the District 4-5A title, rushing for 1,298 yards, and was named the District 4-5A Offensive MVP for the 2006 season.
But not once did Trevor think that his season would end the way it did on November 3 in the Bulldogs’ 28-20 win over rival St. Paul. “I heard a pop, and I knew that it was bad,” he remembers. Trevor had torn his ACL in the fourth quarter of the game—leaving him only able to support his team from the sidelines for the rest of the season. “Man, that was hard,” he says. “I can’t even explain how difficult it was to watch my team and not be able to help them.”
Bulldogs coach Larry Farve says that trying to replace Trevor was something he and his staff just could not do. “A large part of the offense went through Trevor and his ‘down hill’ running. He never went down after the first hit, and he always went forward. You just can’t replace that type of player.” Former Bulldogs coach and current Fontainebleau athletic director Dan Conlin calls Trevor the best back to play at FHS.
Trevor says that he has many memories of his career, but beating St. Paul’s will go down as one of the best. “We had to win that game to get a share of the district title and earn the number two seed in the playoffs. I will obviously remember it for a couple of reasons, but scoring four touchdowns in a game like that is something special.”
Lauren Broom and Crissy Graff, Mandeville
Two keys to the success of any team in any sport are chemistry and trust. Mandeville Lady Skippers Lauren Broom and Crissy Graff developed both of those components while playing alongside each other on the volleyball court, and the two round out my list of fall standouts on the field and court.
“I am a middle blocker, and she is the setter,” explains Broom. “She always knew where I was going to be on the court and that trust and comfort allowed our team to be very successful.”
Broom and Graff helped lead their team to the state volleyball finals this season, falling just one game short of repeating as state champions. “We had a great run,” says Crissy, who was named this year’s District 4-5A MVP. “No one expected us to get this far, as we had a lot of key players to replace. But I think this team knows that we accomplished a lot this season.”
Lauren had been around the MHS campus quite some time, but Crissy transferred from Salmen High School during her junior year. “I decided to come over after talking with my family and friends. The experience here at Mandeville has been great,” she says. The senior setter is currently keeping her options open as to where she wants to play volleyball in college. Schools interested in landing Crissy are UNO, UL Lafayette, Millsaps College and West Alabama, among others.
After enjoying the talents of Lauren and Crissy, Skippers coach Jody Walker does not like the idea of having to replace two of his best players. “They were the ultimate team leaders. They and several others took this young team under their wings and really guided them all season long. We didn’t win it all, but could not be more proud of them even if we had won.”
The girls say that they had known each other’s names before even meeting, as they were both regarded as promising, up-and-coming volleyball players. “I knew that she was good, and I think that we both had a respect for each other before we met,” says Lauren. “We built a relationship from that respect and have been great friends ever since.”
The players have carried a torch by keeping the MHS volleyball program at a highly competitive level. Now they say they must pass the torch down in hopes of keeping the tradition alive. “We would like to think that we made all those who came before us proud of what we were able to do,” says Crissy. “And I know that the rest of the team is looking to continue the great volleyball tradition at Mandeville.”
