When Nancy Walsh discovered she had Stage 3 breast cancer in mid-August, she treated it as you would expect of a veteran coach. She formed a spiritual team to pull her through the difficult weeks that await during her forthcoming 10th basketball season on the Crescents’ bench. “God is the head coach. Mother Cabrini is the associate head coach. “My management team consists of my guardian angel and the doctors who’ll will treat me. My co-captains are Mary Cordero and Janelle Bozant. I consider myself the point guard, and my teammates are the players, family, friends and fans in the stand.” That sounds like a championship team to me. “The players have been amazing since I told them about (the cancer),” Walsh said. “They’re like my teammates because they’re getting me through this. That’s the reason I get up for 5:45 practice every morning. If the kids are going to be here, then I want to be with them.” Walsh came to Cabrini from the tough south side of Chicago via the University of New Orleans where she was an assistant women’s basketball coach under Joey Favaloro.

Archbishop Rummel quarterback Chandler Fields (18) fends off Brother Martin defender Michael Faust during a Catholic League game at Tad Gormley Stadium on Oct. 20. Rummel used a well-balanced offense and solid defensive effort to prevail, 17-0, for the Raiders’ sixth consecutive victory and seventh in eight games.

Hannah Volpi (1) of Archbishop Chapelle eyes a shot of the volleyball over the heads of Dominican duo Zoe Smith, left, and Olivia Peyton during one of several “Pink Games” local Catholic schools stage during Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The visiting Chipmunks, ranked No. 3 in Division I , overcame a close match with their host, in five games on Oct. 16.

If you are an LSU football fan, the 2018 edition should be one of your all-time-favorite teams. Think about it. When’s the last time you can say an LSU football team overachieved? That certainly wasn’t true in the Les Miles era. As much success as Miles had (two BCS title games, two SEC titles, one national title), there was always that queasy feeling inside that this litany of Top 5 recruiting classes should have accomplished more. The overachievers, this season, are many. Tailback Nick Brossette, banished to the bench after last year’s fumble on the opening play in an upset loss to Troy, led the SEC in rushing touchdowns with 10. Running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire, allegedly too tiny to be an effective back in best league in the land, is averaging 4.96 yards a carry. He has five rushing touchdowns.

Hope you enjoyed the bye week, because when your Saints get back to work this Sunday, they will enter the most important three-game stretch in the 2018 season. At the bye, New Orleans looked like the second-best team in the NFC. Quarterback Drew Brees, who broke the NFL record for passing yards in a career, was off to a very fast start.  Brees had thrown 11 touchdown passes and zero interceptions. He led the NFL in both completion percentage (77.9) and quarterback rating (122.3). Saints running back Alvin Kamara had five rushing touchdowns, and running back Mark Ingram scored on two runs in his return in a Monday night victory over Washington. The Saints defense improved significantly after a season-opening loss to Tampa Bay. That loss looks more like an outlier with each passing week. And, head coach Sean Payton is beginning to get contributions from the top of his 2018 draft class. Defensive end Marcus Davenport has two sacks and a forced fumble, and wide receiver Tre’Quan Smith has two touchdown receptions. So, the black-and-gold arrow is pointed up.

Freddie Washington of Jesuit flips Archbishop Rummel’s Coy Moore (2) during an Oct. 13 Catholic League game at Joe Yenni Stadium. Moore later caught an 11-yard touchdown pass as the Raiders enjoyed a 20-7 homecoming victory, which improved their record to 6-1.

Inducted in the Archbishop Rummel Sports Hall of Fame on Oct. 13 were, from left, Phil Greco, recently retired athletic director since 1994; Pat Richie (1988), 103- and 119-pound state wrestling champion; Dr. Earl Kilbride (1988), three-sport letterman and the school’s all-time interception leader; and Fred Kinsley (1978) a starter on the Raiders’ 1977-78 state champion basketball team and three-sport letterman.

Five of the school’s finest male and female athletes, who made their marks in the  record books, recently took their place in the De La Salle High School Sports Hall of Fame.  Raisha Bullock (2006) was a four-year basketball letter winner who earned All-State accolades as a junior. She was also the first female Cavalier to post a win in the state 100-meter dash (12.05). Nicole Hardesty (2005) was a two-year All-State swimmer and a 100-meter freestyle winner. John Morreale III (1988) was an infielder on the state baseball championship team as a senior. He also earned  three varsity basketball letters. Hosea Stevens (1986) still holds the school’s 800-meter run record of 1:56.03 and 400-meter  top mark of :50.2.  He also lettered in football. Don Williams (1992) earned three football letters and was co-captain of the 1991 team. He also won three basketball letters and two in track and field.

First things first. Several local prep football enthusiasts have been asking me if the 345 yards De La Salle’s Montrell Johnson rushed for in his school’s 45-28 win over Riverside Academy two weeks ago was a single-game rushing record. It is a record for De La Salle, but not for the three-parish area. Nevertheless, it was a stellar performance for the 6-foot-1, 180-pounder to rewrite the school’s record book by erasing the 327 yards set by Therral Hatfield in 2001 against New Iberia. The city mark is a fairly recent 365 yards set in 2015 by Brother Martin’s Bruce Jordan-Swilling in a 68-21 Crusader victory over St. Stanislaus. In that game, Jordan-Swilling scored seven touchdowns.  But those seven TDs are not a local record, either. 

Oct. 2 was a special day at the Academy of the Sacred Heart. The 151-year-old school inducted its Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2018 on that day, and made the occasion doubly enjoyable when its volleyball team defeated St. Scholastica in three games. Receiving their silver plaques as individual inductees were Nina Wessel English, gymnastics, Class of 1992; Renée De La Houssaye Fleishman, volleyball, Class of 1989; Christy Carr Gernard, four sports, Class of 1997; Lindsay Ruckert Mutimer, volleyball and gymnastics, Class of 1998, and coach Charles “Ray” Grenier, mentor to the Cardinals’ volleyball, basketball and track and field teams, 1964-74.

As long as there’s a CYO (basketball) tournament, I will have a team in it.” Those were the promising words of Archbishop Rummel’s head basketball coach Scott Thompson as he made his way into the Joe Yenni Stadium stands to watch his school’s football team face his own alma mater, Jesuit, last Saturday. When the tournament tips off on Nov. 27, two longtime mainstays will be playing elsewhere. As we know, Brother Martin opted out after volunteering its own gymnasium as one of four tournament sites in past years. Instead, the Crusaders will be at West Jefferson on that date. Where St. Augustine, which abandoned the CYO tournament two years ago, will be is anybody’s guess. The LHSAA has not yet posted its full schedule. Coaches at other Catholic schools, however, share Thompson’s sentiment. They are not willing to give up on the 68-year-old tournament even though participating  may mean an extra game against one another in the Select division playoffs.

That Joe Chango is the head football coach at Country Day is a very good thing for the school. Give the credit to director of athletics Mike McGuire. And since McGuire is also the boys’ basketball coach, give the assist to science teacher Don Hattier, who worked at St. Charles Catholic with Chango in the late ’90s. So, when Country Day was searching for a football coach after the 2014 season, McGuire said Hattier recommended Chango. McGuire said Chango, then an assistant coach at Jesuit, made a huge impression in his job interview. “Joe played at a small school,” said McGuire. “He understands that you have to play both ways.” On a Friday night at Newman, Chango said the Cajuns dressed out 32 players against the Greenies. The Cajuns were on the cusp of their first loss of the season. They trailed 28-7 in the third quarter, and 31-14 in the fourth. 

Personnel moves can either sink or elevate an NFL franchise. In 2003, the Saints spent two first-round picks on defensive tackle Johnathan Sullivan. In 36 career games, Sullivan produced 1.5 quarterbacks sacks.

As a football player at Jesuit and Southern Miss under coaches Jay Pittman and Jeff Bower, respectively, Mark Bonis was well prepared to some day lead his own team into battle from the sideline.

No other district rivalries pique the interest of prep football fans as do three games matching  traditional Catholic League foes. Jesuit and Holy Cross have played each other for 96 years, twice needing two games to decide which was the better.

The call happened on a Monday afternoon after a Saints’ win over the Cleveland Browns. “Drew Brees almost cost us the game,” said the caller, who professes to be a football expert. “I am not sure he has it anymore.”

The names are a resounding echo throughout Louisiana high school volleyball: Mount Carmel, St. Joseph’s Academy, Pope John Paul II, Teurlings Catholic, Notre Dame, St. Thomas More, Archbishop Hannan, Country Day, Cabrini, Ursuline, McGehee, Ascension Episcopal.

Kayla Black recently tied a Xavier University record to lead the Gold Nuggets to a 25-19, 25-18, 25-20 volleyball victory against city rival Loyola at the Convocation Center.

Archbishop Hannan quarterback Taylor Brantley (4) looks to the sideline as he crosses the goal while Warren Campagna of Pope John Paul II looks for defensive help during the Hawks’ 59-0 win over their non-district rival on Sept. 14.

If any coach in college football understands the value of talent procurement, it is LSU’s Ed Orgeron. On a Saturday in Auburn, Alabama, Orgeron’s career record climbed above .500 (34-33) with a 22-21 win over the nation’s then seventh-ranked team.