Destrehan’s Cara Ursin says, in many ways, she’s living a fantasy.“I always said, even from a young age, I wanted to play college basketball,” she said. “And now, I actually get to do it.”
Ursin and 10 fellow St. Charles Parish athletes made their collegiate destinations official at last week’s spring Signing Day ceremony at the St. Charles Parish Satellite Center.
Ursin is headed to play basketball at Baylor. Hahnville’s Jazmine Young and Destrehan’s Kristian Mosley will compete in track and field at Southern and Louisiana Tech, respectively. Hahnville’s Pryscilla Prince is headed to Southeastern, while Destrehan’s Julie Scheuermann is set for Copiah-Lincoln Community College, both signed for softball.
Hahnville wrestler Trevon Honor signed with Iowa Lakes Community College, while Destrehan’s Jakobe Durant signed with College of the Ozarks for both wrestling and swimming. And, from the baseball diamond, Hahnville’s Austin Perrin and Waylon LeBlanc head to Louisiana-Lafayette and Nicholls State, respectively, while Destrehan’s Evan Keller and Dane Simon are set for LSU-Eunice and Nicholls State.
Ursin, a two-time Miss Basketball and three-time Gatorade Player of the Year, ranks as perhaps the most accomplished basketball player to emerge from the River Region. She led Destrehan to a 35-0 record and the school’s first state basketball championship as a senior and was named Class 5A MVP.
“It’s just been everything I can wish for,” Ursin said. “It doesn’t happen to the everyday person. I’m living it, continuing to shine and making people proud. I talked to very important person yesterday, who told me, ‘Don’t let this be your high point in life. Keep going and get better, each and every day.’ That’s gonna be my motivation, all through college. Don’t let this be my high point. Just keep going.
“It sinks in a little bit more every day. I just want to step on a college court and see how it feels … to be able to play against the best of the best, it’s just something I’ve always wanted to do.”
Perrin leaves Hahnville ranking as one of its most dominant pitchers. The left-hander struck out 277 batters in 212 career innings pitched, a mark HHS baseball coach David Baudry believes stands as a school record. His career ERA of 1.52 and WHIP of 0.91 are also among the best marks the program has seen. As a senior, he made a big leap as a hitter, batting .380 and driving in 31 runs.
“Coach (David) Baudry handed me a paper with those stats, and I’m just like, ‘Wow, I didn’t even know I was close to (those numbers),’” Perrin said. “I’m looking forward to getting (to ULL).
“Coach (Tony) Robichaux said the best people are going to play, whether you’re a freshman or a walk on. I’ve pitched in front of big crowds, but never that big … that’s a big stadium. I’m ready to get up there and start working hard.”
Young is fresh off of a third place finish at the Class 5A state track and field meet in the girls javelin. Her finals mark of 126-2 was not only a personal record, but was also a Hahnville High School record. Unfortunately, Young fell and tweaked her knee during that first throw and was unable to try to top it, but she heads to Southern where she will compete in four events: javelin, discus, shot put and hammer throw. The latter will be a new adventure for her.
“I mean, it’s kinda sad to leave my high school coaches because I’ve been with them since freshman year,” said Young.
“They’ve pushed me so hard … I love them and will miss them … they want me to try the hammer throw (at Southern). I haven’t done it but it looks pretty fun. I’m going to be dedicated to it.”
Mosley battled injuries as a senior, but established a reputation as one of the state’s fastest sprinters. His time of 21.29 in the 200 ranked among the top senior runners nationally. He will compete in the 100, the 200 and likely the 4×100 and 4×200 relays.
“They want to build the program around our freshman class coming in, so that’s good,” Mosley said. “He really needs us up there and I’m ready to step up and do it. (The scholarship) is big for me because I really want to pay my student debt back, whatever I major in, I wanted to pay it back. That’s the biggest part of it.”
The Wildcats’ Jakobe Durant has the unique distinction of heading to the next level to compete in two sports, wrestling and swimming.
“It’ll be kind of a rough freshman year for me, because of the two sports, it’ll be multiple days of nothing but pain. But it’ll be worth it,” he said. “It all started with wrestling, that’s the first and best thing I do. Swimming’s there to keep me in shape, because both sports require you use every single ounce of your body.”
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