Ascension Parish’s best teams of 2021-22

The 2021-22 high-school sports season is now complete, and what a tremendous season it was for Ascension Parish athletics.

Many athletes stood out and earned impressive achievements, and many teams won district championships and competed for state titles.

Here are some of the best Ascension teams from this past year:

St. Amant Softball

The Lady Gators had a remarkable season that saw them win 29 straight games to finish out 2022. St. Amant won yet another District 5-5A championship. The Lady Gators then steamrolled their way to their second Class 5A state title in the past four years. St. Amant blanked West Monroe, 10-0, in the state title game. Overall, the Lady Gators outscored their opponents, 53-3, in the playoffs.

Ascension Catholic Boy’s Powerlifting

The Bulldogs took home the Division-V state championship by edging out Sacred Heart-Ville Platte. It was the program’s first state title victory since 1991. Casey Mays and Devin Pedescleaux each won individual state championships. Mays was the Outstanding Lifter on the high platforms.

Dutchtown Boy’s Soccer

The Griffins went undefeated in district play and claimed the league championship. They went on to upset Brother Martin, Jesuit and St. Paul’s in the playoffs, reaching the program’s first-ever state title game. Dutchtown finished as state runner-up after dropping a 1-0 contest to defending champion Catholic.

St. Amant Baseball

The Gators went 28-6 during the regular season. In the playoffs, they upset two-time defending champion Barbe in the quarterfinals. They then upset Sulphur to reach their first state title game since 2004. The Gators finished as state runners-up following a 9-6 loss to second-seeded West Monroe.

Dutchtown Baseball

Dutchtown went 30-3 during the regular season and won the District 5-5A championship. The Griffins went on to reach the state tournament for the first time since 2010. There, they lost a heartbreaker to eventual champion West Monroe in the semifinals.

Donaldsonville Boy’s Basketball

The Tigers went 27-4 during the regular season and won the District 9-3A title. They went on to reach the state semifinals for the first time since 2014. There, they fell to eventual champion, Madison Prep.

Dutchtown Girl’s Soccer

Under first-year head coach Jared Moss, the Lady Griffins went 15-5-1 during the regular season and won a district championship. Dutchtown went on to reach the state semifinals for the first time since 2007, before losing to eventual champion Dominican.

East Ascension Wrestling

The Spartans finished fifth at the state meet, which was the best finish for a public school. They were led by state runner-up Santos Ramos.

Ascension Catholic Football

The Bulldogs finished the regular season with a 7-1 record and won the district championship. They went on to reach the state quarterfinals, before losing to eventual state runner-up Ouachita Christian.

Dutchtown Volleyball

The Lady Griffins finished 30-7 during the regular season and won their first outright district title since 2004. Dutchtown went on to reach its third straight state tournament, before losing to Southside in the quarterfinals.

Ascension Catholic Baseball

The Bulldogs went 23-8 during the regular season and won the District 7-1A championship. They went on to reach the state quarterfinals for the eighth straight postseason. They were just one win away from the semifinals, but they lost to St. Frederick.

Dutchtown Girl’s Outdoor Track

The Lady Griffins finished sixth at the state meet. They were led by state champions Ariane Linton and Rachel Fereday.

Ascension Catholic Boy’s Basketball

The Bulldogs went 17-12 and won the District 7-1A championship. They went on to reach the state quarterfinals, before losing to eventual state runner-up, Calvary Baptist.

Other great parish teams included the Dutchtown girl’s golf team, which finished as the Division-I state runner-up.

The Dutchtown girl’s gymnastics squad was the Division-I state runner-up in overall team scores. The St. Amant girls placed fourth in Division-III team scores (Level 4)

The Dutchtown wrestling team finished eighth at the state meet.

The Dutchtown girl’s bowling team reached the state semifinals. The St. Amant boys and girl’s bowling squads each reached the quarterfinals.