Date with History? Parkview Baptist surges toward another title
by William Weathers // GeauxPreps.com Contributor
Parkview Baptist junior midfielder Ella Kate Johnston is the state’s reigning Gatorade Player of the Year, who’s already committed to LSU.
She scored her team’s first goal in Saturday’s Division III semifinal against Sacred Heart of New Orleans and assisted on another.
The Eagles were in control of the match, leading 2-1, when the Lady Eagles committed a foul in the box in the 60th minute and lost goalie Mia Vicknair to a hand injury.
With the home team’s fans on its feet at Pan American Stadium, sensing a potential breakthrough in the match, Johnston, the team’s backup keeper, stepped in and saved a penalty kick, enabling third-seeded Parkview Baptist to hold on for the one-goal victory and return to the state championship.
“Anywhere on the field that I need her, even on the sideline if I need another coach, we know Ella Kate Johnston can figure things out,” Parkview soccer coach Raphael Nunes said. “She’s going to step up. She’s a leader, a good defender, and she’s very humble.
“She stepped in as the goalkeeper, and she saved the penalty kick, which is unbelievable,” Nunes said. “She saved it with her blast (right) foot. My other goalkeeper was able to return to the game, and we were able to put Ella Kate back on the field.”
Johnston’s heroics – accounting for both of her team’s goals and saving another potential goal – helped Parkview Baptist (16-3-1) back for a fourth straight trip to the state championship, where the reigning three-time defending Division III champions oppose top-seeded Archbishop Hannan (19-1-1) at 5:00 p.m. Thursday at SLU’s Strawberry Stadium.
“In my opinion, they’re the best team in all divisions,” Nunes said of Hannan. “They’ve had impressive results throughout the season. They try to win the midfield and have been doing that very well. It should be a good battle. Our biggest strength is our midfield. Whoever wins that matchup will probably win the battle.”
This marks the third time in four years Parkview Baptist has faced Hannan in the postseason.
The Lady Eagles began their current run of three successive state championships with a 2-1 victory over the Lady Hawks in the 2023 title game. They also survived a penalty-kick shootout in a frigid state semifinal at home the following season.
Parkview Baptist finds itself chasing history and can become the third team in Division III to capture four straight state championships – joining Newman (2003-06) and Sacred Heart (2009-12).
Division II power St. Thomas More owns the state record of seven straight titles (2018-24), followed by Division I Northshore’s mark of five (1986-90).
The 30-minute return trip to Hammond wasn’t something PBS’ players were certain would be a reality, Nunes said.
The Lady Eagles had to replace seven starters from last year’s team and face another loaded schedule with a huge target on their backs.
“When we started the season, and we looked at the team, I asked the girls what they wanted in the season,” Nunes said. “They said that realistically they weren’t the same team, we’re not going to be going to state again. It’s going to be a tough year. We’re going to rebuild our team, and maybe we can look for that in a couple of years and be right back there.”
PBS outscored its first three opponents of the season, 17-0, and slowly the team’s image of itself started to change.
A 3-1 road loss to Division I power Mt. Carmel, a finalist in this year’s state championship against Dominican, was followed by three straight shutout victories, and the Lady Eagles were 6-1 on Dec. 12. The Lady Eagles, minus three starters, led Mt. Carmel 1-0 until the last five minutes of play.
“We started having good results,” Nunes said. “The girls were saying, ‘We might have a chance.’. Little by little, we started finding our rhythm, and by the end of the season, they were like, ‘Maybe we may be able to make a good run. They didn’t know if we’re going to get to Hammond again.”
Because of a handful of players who are part of the school’s successful basketball team and state champion indoor track team, the Lady Eagles didn’t play another soccer match between Dec. 12 and Jan. 6.
The result was a 2-0 loss to Division I Mandeville.
“We felt we were the better team,” Nunes said. “We just didn’t have the rhythm at that time.”
Two days later, a second straight loss occurred – a 3-0 setback to St. Scholastica, a finalist in Friday’s Division II state title match.
It was the first time in three seasons PBS suffered back-to-back losses, allowing three first-half goals – all on set pieces.
“At halftime, I told them we had two options,” Nunes said. “We could just give up, and the other was to use this and completely flip the coin and become a different team, and that’s what the girls did. That was probably our best second half of this season. We had a lot more shots than them.
“That half’s the main reason we’re going to the state championship,” Nunes said. “The girls played lights out, their best half of the season. SSA’s a good team, and we dominated them in the second half. They probably crossed midfield once. The girls changed their mentality, and it was very good.”
That was the last time the Lady Eagles lost a match.
PBS became healthier and developed continuity through its lineup with a regular starting lineup and a rotation off its bench. The Lady Eagles had a stretch of six wins – all by shutout – until a 2-2 deadlock with arch-rival University resulted in a co-championship.
“They started beating teams they weren’t supposed to,” Nunes said. “They started clicking, and in late January, is when I finally had everyone healthy. Having our full 11 changed their mentality. They were not thinking of just being in the semifinals; it was something bigger.
“They started thinking, ‘Why not win it again’” Nunes said. “They started chasing. They were going for it. They wanted to get there again. There were some ups and downs, and then we had something to look for, and if we make it work this year, I think this is going to be the most special year of all. Just because of how things were in the beginning of the season, to where we are now. It’s been a blast.”
A year after posting 38 goals and 24 assists, Johnston’s been even better this season with a team-high 42 goals and 26 assists.
“She’s our team captain,” Nunes said. “She’s probably having her best year in terms of leadership. She’s the player the girls are looking for, and the girls look at her as a leader. At the same time, she’s bringing people with her. Ella Kate doesn’t want to be the star of the team. She wants everyone to shine.”
One of the traits that gives PBS an advantage in the midfield is the on-field relationship between Johnston, Ansley Bernhard, and Rebeca Ortlieb. Not only have they all been on the Lady Eagles’ previous three state championship teams, but they also enjoy an impeccable bond that’s developed after playing for the same club team for the past three years.
Bernhard is the team’s second-leading scorer with 26 goals and nine assists. Olivia Martin follows with 12 goals and five assists, and Molly Cramer with 10 assists to go with one goal.
“Ansley had a small amount of goals last year,” Nunes said. “She’s doing that role again, but is supporting the attack more. Ella Kate’s attacking and creating plays. Ansley is a pit bull who is responsible for getting the ball from the back line and pushing it up with a dribble of pass, and Wesley Porter is the holding mid. They help with the flow.”
Martin, a junior striker, poses a constant challenge to the opposing team’s defenses in their final third, Nunes said.
“She’s become one of the biggest threats we have,” he said. “She’s a nightmare for us in the back. She creates chaos. It’s good to have a player like that on the team.”
PBS’ defense has Georgia Theriot and Ortlieb at center backs – a pair that has two state titles to their credit. They combine with another two-time state champion, left back Kyleigh Shelton, and Lucy Cramer at right back, the last line of defense until Vicknair, a member of the school’s state champion volleyball program that Nunes brought over to the soccer team.
PBS, which also has two state runner-up finishes in 1997 and 2001, rolled through the first three rounds of the playoffs, outscoring its opponents, 25-0. The Lady Eagles took a 7-0 quarterfinal win over Acadiana Renaissance Charter to set up last Saturday’s trip to New Orleans.
A year ago, PBS outlasted Sacred Heart, 2-1, in a tense semifinal at home.
Johnston scored within the first five minutes of this year’s semifinal and sent a free kick toward Bernhard, whose header made it 2-0 in the 23rd minute.
“The girls were on fire for the first 30 minutes and wanted to beat them,” Nunes said. “I hadn’t seen them play the way that they did. They played with a lot of intensity. They came out after them.”
Sacred Heart responded with a goal in stoppage time before halftime.
“We dominated the entire first half until the last two minutes,” Nunes said. “We didn’t clear the ball, and they had a shot from the side, and they found a goal at the end of the half.”
The Lady Eagles maintained their aggressive play, holding an advantage in possession and keeping the ball on Sacred Heart’s half of the field until the home team was able to draw a foul in the penalty box that took Vicknair off the field in favor of Johnston.
Sacred Heart kept up its intensity until the very end. With several opportunities to tie the game, the Lady Eagles dodged three dangerous chances until the ball rolled to Vicknair as the referee blew his whistle.
“The ball was just pinging in the box,” Nunes said. “The ball goes back in there, and they hit the side bar, and it comes to my goalkeeper’s hands, and the referee ends the game. It was very dramatic for the last few minutes.”