On the soccer field and baseball diamond alike at Destrehan, Karsen Carrigee helped set a culture and foundation that saw both programs take a significant leap this school year.
The Wildcats had their best soccer season since 2020, finishing with a 12-7-5 record and a return to the playoffs, a year that included a 10-match unbeaten streak from mid-December to mid-January. It was the biggest step in what’s been a dramatic turnaround for the program – one year before Carrigee’s freshman class arrived at Destrehan, DHS won just one game.
Then, Destrehan baseball took off. The Wildcats had a breakthrough season, reaching the state semifinals for the first time since 2005, going 29-14 overall and sweeping consecutive playoff opponents on road trips to West Monroe and Benton.
The soccer season began in November and the baseball season ended in May, and then came graduation for Carrigee.
So, how does he feel now?
“A lot of free time,” Carrigee said. “A lot of weight off my shoulders, and a feeling that all of the hard work paid off. It feels really good.”
Carrigee is a three-time second team All-District selection in soccer. He said the team grew each year, winning six games in his freshman year and increasing that number from there.
“Lots of practices, a lot of late practices,” Carrigee said. “A lot more of our guys started playing club soccer. That’s something Coach (Jhovanny Santamaria) really stressed for us. We were a really close-knit group.”
Then came a whirlwind of a season for the Wildcats baseball team, an experienced, battle-tested group that entered the playoffs on a mission. After losing its playoff opener in a best-of-three series, Destrehan scored victories in each of its next six games to storm into the semifinals.
“This whole season meant so much to us,” said Carrigee. “Nine of us were seniors and we’ve all been in the program for so long. We knew who we were – we were the underdogs. Really close relationships among the players. The coaches loved us and we loved them back. Just really, really good vibes the entire season.”
Those vibes led to confidence, in themselves and in one another.
“We always believed in ourselves. Everyone trusted each other,” Carrigee said. “We grew up together. A lot of guys played together on travel ball teams. We’re all going to the summer camps. We had this weird kind of connectedness in a way, but it was great, amazing to be a part of.”
Beyond athletics, Carrigee was a leader on campus. He was a member of the Principal’s Advisory Committee and a founding member of the Student Athlete Advisory Council. He was
among the students helping to launch the first-ever St. Charles Parish Public Schools Athletic Awards Ceremony.
The Principal’s Advisory Committee helped run a Special Olympics event held at Destrehan – something that meant a lot to Carrigee on a few levels.
“My mom is an adaptive P.E. teacher in our parish,” said Carrigee. “It was great seeing those kids thrive in such an awesome environment, and to be able to help out with that was great as well.”
He will soon head to Louisiana Tech, where he plans to study electrical engineering. Carrigee earned the university’s Presidential Scholarship.
“I love math and science, so that definitely influenced me,” he said.
He hopes to one day become an Imagineer at Walt Disney World.
“That’s always been a dream of mine,” Carrigee said.
