By RYAN ARENA

L’Observateur

Eleven local athletes made things official on Wednesday’s National Signing Day, inking letters of intent to play at the next level.

East St. John’s Kalen Henderson and Reynaldo Young, West St. John’s Dray Joseph, Lutcher’s Todd Washington and Rico Albert, Hahnville’s Alfred Blue, James Butler and Brion James and Destrehan’s Ashton Duhe, Calvin Ursin and Warren Lennix all signed on Wednesday, making their next stop official.

Henderson and Young signed with Tulsa and McNeese St. respectively during a gathering of classmates, friends and family at the East St. John library Wednesday morning.

Henderson is ticketed for Tulsa after starting for East St. John at quarterback for the past three years, his senior season representing his peak production wise.

“I’m just excited,” said Henderson. “Relieved to finally get it over with, honestly.”

Henderson says that having friends from the area already playing at Tulsa, like 2009 signees in Destrehan’s DeMaris Johnson and Lutcher’s Dexter McCoil, makes the transition very appealing.

“I also like the coaches and the system. I think I’ve got an early shot at playing. I’m looking forward to it,” Henderson said.

ESJ coach Larry Dauterive says Henderson “took a beating” after being pressed into duty as a sophomore, but went on to earn the respect of everyone involved with the program.

“He made himself, went off to camps to improve,” said Dauterive. “He followed Ryan Perrilloux and Johnnie Theil, a tough spot for anyone to come in on, and did it on arguably average teams. He had a tremendous career here.”

Young similarly enjoyed a career season as the team’s featured running back.

“I just can’t wait for the whole experience,” said Young. “You always hear about the college experience, and here I’ve made it to that point.”

Says Dauterive: “Just super fast, and so unselfish. He started at wide receiver as a sophomore, we needed him to move onto the defensive side as a junior. And who wants to do that when you’re getting all the press with the offense? But we did all we asked. This year we moved him to running back … you just can’t coach what he has, and that’s fantastic game speed.

“Both of these guys were three year starters, and not many players at 5A schools can say that.”

Young had offers from Austin Peay and Arkansas St. but said McNeese was the place for him.

“I really liked it up there during my visit. And I love that we play LSU,” said Young. “If you’re not going to play for them, you want to play against them.”

Joseph signed with Southern on Wednesday where he will compete to play quarterback, the position he’s started for four years at West St. John.

“It’s a big stress reliever for me and my family (to sign),” said Joseph.

“I wasn’t completely sure of where I was going until my father and I had a talk on Tuesday night.”

Joseph said that his career aspirations played a big role, as he seeks to be an electrical engineer and cited Southern’s strong reputation as an engineering school as motivation.

As far as on the field, Joseph says he looks forward to adjusting to the speed of the college game.

WSJ coach Robert Valdez said it’s a reward for a player and student who does things the right way.

“He goes to school, pays attention, works hard at everything he does,” said Valdez. “They’re bringing him in as a quarterback, and with a new staff in place, it’s a good spot to be in.

“You aren’t dealing with incumbents now, really.”

Hahnville and Destrehan held a joint signing ceremony and sent six combined players to the college game.

Hahnville rusher Alfred Blue heads the list as the blue chipper signed with LSU. Blue ran for 1,607 yards and 29 touchdowns this past season, while hauling in three touchdown receptions.

Butler broke out as a senior and the 6-2 wide receiver will be playing at Louisiana-Lafayette. Defensive back Brion James will be joining Henderson at Tulsa after a strong career with the Tigers.

Duhe anchored Destrehan’s offensive line and is headed for SMU. Two teammates join him in defensive tackle Calvin Ursin (Central Arkansas) and linebacker Warren Lennix. Each will leave Destrehan with two state championship rings.

Lutcher had two signees in its defensive backfield this past season in Washington (Memphis) and Albert (Northwestern St.). Each earned rings as juniors and will represent the Bulldogs in the collegiate game.