Jaime Holmes has been a figure around White Castle High sports for a while. He played ball there, graduated, and went on to college, but never forgot his home. He could be seen often at WCHS games like many other recent and former Bulldog student-athletes while he continued his studies.
Eventually, Holmes graduated and began coaching. He mentored at Port Allen High and North Iberville, and, last school year, got his first opportunity to be a prep boys’ high school head basketball coach.
Although Jaime and his family still live in the Bayou Goula area, Holmes brought his son, Jarion, with him to Family Christian Academy in Baton Rouge where he coached the Flames hoop club.
Despite being only an eighth grader, Jarion was very interested in playing baseball. He went out for the Flames varsity diamond team and became a standout for the Class C prep school.
Jarion played in centerfield for the Flames as well as at third base at times. The versatile youth was so talented he garnered all-district first team honors in the outfield. And, more importantly, he helped led The FCA Flames club to Class C state runner-up honors on the diamond.
EAGLE TRIO HONORED…A trio of St. John High diamond standouts notched honors on the recent Class 3-A-2-A-1A All-Metro Baseball/Softball Teams picked by the sports writing staff at the local daily newspaper.
St. John High sophomore pitching-hitting standout Shea Ourso notched a berth on THE ADVOCATE All-Metro baseball team after hitting .567 in District 7-2A play and over .400 for the season, while complying a 4-1 pitching record on the mound for the league champs. He was named the league’s Most Valuable Player for his performance. Ourso, incidentally, is the grandson of former Plaquemine school system administrator and coach as well as American Legion Post 167 baseball advisor Frank Ferachi. I watched Shea grow up on the sidelines with his grandpa at PHS and SJHS home football games. His uncle is longtime PHS football and basketball manager Lukie Ferachi.
Joining Ourso as SJHS diamond honorees on the All-Metro honors teams are Lady Eagle softball standouts and future returning leaders Lauren Poirrier and Morgan Allain.
Poirrier was SJHS’ leading pitcher as well as one of the team’s sluggers with a .385 batting average and a slugging percentage of .631. She was named the 7-2A MVP after leading the
SJHS girls to the league crown. Lauren’s dad and brother played baseball for St. John.
Allain also was a key slugger in the Lady Eagles’ lineup. She hit .397 with 24 RBI and 9 doubles. She moved from designated hitter to right field over the last two springs and helped the Eagles notch back-to-back league crowns.
