By Tom Dodge
Sports Editor
The Eunice Bobcats set a school record with 29 wins and advanced to the Class 3-A state quarterfinals.
The Bobcats were rewarded for its success with nine players earning All-District 5-3A honors.
The Iota Bulldogs were even more impressive, winning the district title and advancing to the Class 3-A championship game against Berwick.
The Bulldogs also set a program record with 32 wins and sweep the district top honors.
Iota senior Will Doughty (..545 district batting average, 32 RBI, 14 steals) earned MVP honors and was selected first team short stop.
Bulldog head coach Leonard Cloud was named district coach of the year.
Eunice senior Ian George (3-1 in district, 31 strikeouts, .388 ERA) was named first team pitcher.
Iota junior pitcher senHunter Wriborg (4-0, 50 K, 3.88 ERA), senior Tristan Miller (4-0, 64 K, 1.11 ERA) and senior Brett Spell (3-0, 34 K, .972 ERA) also earned first team honors.
Eunice senior Joshua Youngblood (.435 BA, 37 RBI, 9 steals) was named first team catcher, while Bobcat junior Tyler Darbonne (.457 BA, 47 RBI, 9 steals) was selected as first team first baseman.
Iota senior Jon Deven Mouton (.395 BA, 25 RBI. 12 steals) was named first team second baseman.
Pine Prairie junior Joel Franks (.370 BA, 22 RBI, 5 steals) was selected first team third baseman.
Eunice senior Jayden Brasseaux (.4537BA, 33 RBI, 18 steals) was named first team outfielder along with Iota sophomore Andrew Ashby (.500 BA, 39 RBI, 145 steals) and Mamou sophomore Daylon Ardoin (.366 BA, 22 RBI, 3 steals).
Eunice junior Austin Phillips (.333 BA, 16 RBI, 13 steals) was selected as first team utility player along with Church Point senior Austin Manuel (.341 BA, 26 RBI, four steals) and Bear senior Matt Kidder (.375 BA, 23 RBI).
Pine Prairie juniors Jordan Ardoin .500, 38 RBI, 13 steals) and Kyler Carson (.426 BA, 15 RBI, four steals) also earned first team utility player honors.
Church Point pitchers Zach Ray ad Ronnie Meche were selected as second team pitchers along with Crowley’s Sean Vincent, Tanner Atchinson from Mamou and Port Barre’s Ethan Hadalgo.
Iota’s Mitchell Lege was named second team catcher, while Bulldog Kameron Aucoin earned seccond team first baseman honors.
Mamou’s Kayden Serie was named second team second baseman.
Grant Fontenot from Eunice was selected as second team third baseman, while Crowley’s Christian Stafford was named second team shortstop.
Pine Prairie’s J.J. Sims and Nick Ortego was named to the second team outfield along with Iota’s Trae Rambin.
Eunice’s Seth Venable and Luke Andrepont were selected to the second team utility player along with Iota’s Dakota Breaux, Blake Boome from Mamou, Crowley’s Desmond Harmon and Pine Prairie’s Gage Strother.
Eunice’s John Christian Lejeune was named as an honorable mention selection.
No. 3 Iota (32-5, 14-0) opened the playoffs with a 10-0 win over No. 30 Abbeville before earning a 2-1 series over No. 14 Loranger (1-4, 4-2, 10-0).
The Bulldogs then grabbed a 2-1 quarterfinal series win over No. 6 South Beauregard (4-5, 6-0, 8-2).
Iota earned a 3-0 win over No. 2 Brusly in the semifinals before falling 7-1 to No. 4 Berwick in the title game.
No. 5 Eunice (29-10, 12-2) finished as district runners-up and opened the playoffs with a 15-5 win over No. 28 Avoyelles before falling 12-2, 6-2 to No. 12 North Vermilion in the regional series.
No. 16 Pine Prairie (19-13, 8-6) opened the playoffs with a 7-6 win over No 17 Westlake before falling 3-0. 6-0 to No. 1 Sterlington in the regional round series.
No. 18 Church Point (15-17, 9-5) lost 6-2 to No. 15 Caldwell Parish in the opening round.
No. 23 Mamou (13-21, 5-9) dropped a 9-1 loss to No. 10 Iowa in the bi-district opener.
No 27 Port Barre (10-22, 5-9) was pushed out of the playoffs in the first round in a 12-0 loss to No. 6 South Beauregard.
No. 31 Crowley (5-27, 3-11) lost 12-0 to No 2 Brusly in the first round, while Northwest (4-22, 0-14) did not make the playoffs.