by Jerit Roser // Capital Area High School Correspondent

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A memorable season — and coaching tenure — ended this weekend just shy of their goal.

Parkview Baptist couldn’t hang on to an early two-run lead Saturday in the Division II baseball state championship game.

Instead, an ever-resilient St. Louis Catholic capped a rollercoaster year of COVID-19 concerns, fall hurricanes and winter storms with five straight scoring innings to win, 6-3.

The top-seeded Eagles had been Louisiana’s lone team to complete an undefeated regular season and were the Baton Rouge area’s last representative standing entering the morning.

But the impressive ride for the team, including a deep and talented senior class — as well as coach Emrick Jagneaux’s tenure at the helm — ended in runner-up fashion.

The fourth coach in the program’s history informed his players Monday evening of his retirement.

Parkview Baptist won three district championships under Jagneaux — the only exception being the COVID-cancelled 2020 season — and reached the state semifinals on each occasion.

The longtime Texas high school coach and former Louisiana (Lafayette) assistant led the Eagles to a 100-15 record overall.

The championship game appearance marked the school’s first since 2015.

He exits with an impressive 14-player senior class, including LSU signee Brennan Holt, LSU-Eunice signee Hunter Ponson and Louisiana Tech baseball signee Ryan Harland.

Sulphur unkind to Baton Rouge baseball teams in 2021

A pair of nearby schools in Class 3A Lutcher and Class 2A Doyle joined Parkview Baptist as the only other schools in the 225 area code to advance to their respective state championship games.

Top-seeded Doyle, in Livingston Parish, fell short in a Class 2A heartbreaker in which No. 2 Rosepine claimed the 1-0 victory to capture its first title.

No. 3 Lutcher beat No. 6 Brusly in Wednesday’s semifinal action, but couldn’t keep up with No. 1 Sterlington, 10-4, in Friday’s final contest.

No. 6 Walker lost to No. 2 West Monroe in the Class 5A semifinals, and No. 4 Catholic (Baton Rouge) fell to top-seeded C.E. Byrd in Division I.

No. 5 Catholic (Pointe Coupee) stumbled against top-seeded eventual champion Ouachita Christian, 3-0, in the Division IV semifinals.

And No. 12 Slaughter Community Charter couldn’t slow down No. 1 Oak Grove’s steam-roll to enough Class 1A title.

The teams’ 16-1 semifinal was the Tigers’ closest competition to that point in the bracket, which they ran through with a combined 61-2 margin in four contests.

Another Catholic High coach heads to the next level

Just a few months after football coach Gabriel Fertitta’s move to Louisville, another Catholic (Baton Rouge) coach will head to the college ranks.

Basketball coach Mark Cascio accepted a position on Appalachian State’s women’s program’s staff last week, the schools announced.

Cascio led his Bears to a 174-77 record, including five District 5-5A titles and two Division I semifinal appearances, since returning to his alma mater following a state championship tenure at nearby Christian Life. 

St. John announces new basketball coach

St. John, of Plaquemine, named a new boys basketball coach this weekend.

New football coach and athletic director Coby Minton announced Friday the hire of Jereal Scott.

Minton, the son of longtime Louisiana high school coach Tony Minton, expressed excitement about the experience Scott brings from his own playing career at Stephen F. Austin and professionally overseas.

Scott served most recently as an assistant at West Feliciana and will additionally join Minton’s football staff for the Eagles.