MICHAEL KIRAL / L’Observateur / August 22, 2000

LAPLACE – As the 2000-01 school year gets under way, the River Parishes welcomes some old and new faces to its coaching ranks.

The biggest changes come on the diamond where four teams will have new baseball coaches and one a new softball coach.

One of those teams with a new baseball coach is East St. John. Randy Kaelcomes over from St. Bernard High School to coach the Wildcats. He will alsocoach the offensive line in football. Paul Dupey is the new cross countrycoach.

Other new assistants for the football team include Michael Wibet, who will coach the linebackers. Clifton White, who led Hahnville to the statechampionship in the early 1990s and played at LSU, will coach the defensive backs. Brian Cox will coach the defensive line while Carl Freeman will coachthe offensive line.

Riverside will also have a new baseball coach but he is a familiar name to Rebels fans. Davey Clement, who was an assistant on the 1995 statechampionship team, comes over from St. James. Bridget Sinibaldi and ToniMiano will coach the volleyball team.

St. Charles Catholic has three new coaches and all three have previouslybeen with the school.

Don Fernandez, who had been the athletic director with the Comets before leaving to become the head basketball coach at Lutcher, returns. Fernandezwill assist head basketball coach Philip Cavell with the boys’ basketball team and work with the school’s athletic association while teaching religion.

Fernandez has also coached at Riverside.

Gary Zeringue will coach the golf team and assist with football while teaching math. Zeringue has previously coached with the Comets and ReserveChristian and taught at Destrehan.

Earl Gervais returns to be the head soccer coach and assist with football while teaching english. Gervais was at St. Charles Catholic in the 1980sbefore going to Jesuit and Chapelle.

The Comets also have an assistant coach move up as Paul Waguespack takes over the baseball team from Frank Monica.

West St. John’s staff, one of the most stable around, adds one in 2000-01with the hiring of Ira Jackson as an assistant football coach. Jackson playedfor West St. John in the early 1990s and was a student assistant withNicholls State last year.

Destrehan has new coaches in football, boys’ basketball and softball. StephenRobicheaux, an assistant coach for nine years, moves up to head football coach this year, replacing Scott Martin who went to Neville.

Joe Schick replaces Mike McNamara as the boys’ basketball coach. He mostrecently coached in Lakeland, Fla., and has also coached at McMain, Hannanand John Ehret. Jamie Cologne, who played at Hahnville and Nicholls State,takes over the softball team.

New football coaches are Greg Boyne and Stephen Weber who will coach the freshmen team. Weber coached the Wildcats baseball team in the mid 1990s.And Lance Ledet comes from East St. John to serve as an assistant.Hahnville also welcomes a number of new coaches on the football team. DanErwin also comes over from East St. John to coach the offensive line.Boomer Danforth will be the tight ends coach and Frank Harding will coach the defensive backs. Mark Sims will again coach the baseball team and willalso coach the special teams in football. Kent Finey will be the linebackercoach and Charlie Deville the defensive line.

Lutcher hired McNamara to replace Fernandez as head boys’ basketball coach. McNamara comes to Lutcher from Destrehan where he coached thelast three years. Greg Winnon will assist McNamara and also coach freshmenfootball. Chris Nelson will also coach the freshman team and assist headcoach Helen Funk with softball.

Also assisting Funk will be Philip Creel, who was already at Lutcher and who will also assist with football. Ricky Leblanc will work with Funk with thevolleyball team and also coach golf.

St. James’ new baseball coach is Marty Luquet, who formerly coached atWalker High School. Cary Cullen will assist with the girls’ basketball team andwill coach the running backs in football. Shane Trosclair will coach track andthe junior varsity football team.

Reserve Christian’s staff remains the same as last year’s.

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