Last week, four of Hahnville’s brightest student-athletes put pen to paper to officially sign their college letters of intent at a special signing day ceremony at the HHS gym.
Family, friends, coaches and teammates filled the gym as Calvin Smith (Southeastern), Amberly Dempster (LSU-Eunice), Tatum Roppolo (Bishop State) and Hailey Clifton (Louisiana-Monroe) made their college destinations official.
Smith rushed for more than 1,400 yards and scored more than 20 touchdowns during the regular season for Hahnville, helping to lead the Tigers to a Top 8 seed and District 8-5A championship. A complete running back who excelled as a pass blocker and receiver in addition to his dominant rushing efforts, Smith was at the center of the Hahnville offense this season and was more than ready to carry the load.
“It’s a blessing, a real blessing,” said Smith, the Offensive MVP of District 8-5A. “A ton of hours, hard work and dedication. Now it’s time to take the next step and start my next chapter.”
Smith said the SLU coaching staff liked the prototypical size he brought to the running back position, at 5’11 and 208 pounds.
“They really liked my size,” said Smith. “That a running back my size can be able to make moves, be versatile and catch the ball like I can … my mentality (for his senior year) was to prove to people I could be one of the best players, and as a team our goal was to bring back the standard of what Hahnville is, with the great tradition here.”
Clifton has been a key part of a Hahnville competitive cheerleading squad that won both Louisiana and Magnolia regionals in her junior year and that has qualified for nationals multiple times and in multiple categories – including two bids this season.
“I’m nervous but ready to start a new chapter,” said Clifton. “I went to their cheer clinics and their coach was so amazing – the way she talked to and directed everyone, it just made me want to be a part of it.”
Until this year, Clifton hadn’t thought too much about cheering collegiately, but once that door opened she was eager for the chance.
“I’m really looking forward to the football games, competing with them at nationals – just being part of it all,” Clifton said.
Dempster and Roppolo have helped drive Hahnville to multiple winning seasons, district championships and postseason appearances on the softball diamond, and will look to help spur Hahnville to success again this spring.
Dempster, a returning All-District outfielder who batted nearly .600 in district play last season, said playing collegiately has been a dream of hers for a long time.
“It feels great to know I’m going to get to play at the next level,” Dempster said. “I’ve been to a lot of softball camps there. I like the coaches, I like the environment there, and I just knew it’s where I wanted to be.”
Roppolo, a strong defensive catcher who was second-team All-District as a junior, said Bishop State quickly felt like the place for her.
“It felt like home,” said Roppolo. “As soon as I got there, I knew that’s where I wanted to be … since I was a freshman, I kind of knew I wanted to keep playing (beyond high school) and it’s exciting to have that chance. I’m looking forward to meeting new people and having new opportunities in a new environment.”
