South Terrebonne baseball reflects on Hurricane Ida, wants to win LHSAA state title for community
Brock Cangelosi took a moment to reflect on how his life has changed since Hurricane Ida devastated the Houma area on Aug. 29, 2021.
The South Terrebonne junior baseball player and his family lost their home in Bourg and everything in it. They’ve lived in a camper for the past eight months while waiting to move into their new house this summer.
“It’s been really tough, but we’re definitely thankful for what we have,” Cangelosi said. “Everything can be gone in a snap of a finger. I really cherish everything that I have and everything I want to gain from now on. I’ll have different view on life."
South Terrebonne coach Mike Barba said every player on his team had to deal with damage to their homes after the hurricane.
The Category 4 storm destroyed their school campus and baseball field in Bourg, forcing them to play their 2022 baseball season on the road. They hosted home games at Terrebonne High School in Houma. They attend school at H.L. Bourgeois in Gray while repairs are being made to their South Terrebonne campus in Bourg.
South Terrebonne (19-15) managed to overcome all of the distractions and advance to the LHSAA Class 4A state tournament for the second straight season. They’ll play Lakeshore (25-9) in the semifinals at 2 p.m. Thursday at McMurry Park in Sulphur.
Barba said it has been an incredible journey to this point, especially after dealing with a hurricane and knocking off two higher seeds in No. 2 Neville and No. 7 South Lafourche to advance to the state tournament.
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“For these kids to do this with everything they’ve been through is amazing,” Barba said. “It’s all about them and their heart. They were able to pull together and make it happen. I’m so happy for them.”
Junior pitcher Isaiah Black said he remembers seeing his house destroyed after the storm. They were forced to live with his grandparents until moving into a new house.
“It was heartbreaking,” Black said. “It was just devastating. I didn’t know where we would live or go to school at."
Black said being around his South Terrebonne teammates have helped him cope with life after the hurricane.
“Baseball helps me get away from all that stuff,” Black said. “I can get out here with my friends and play baseball and take my mind off everything else. It’s my life now. I love doing this. It makes me happy.”
Bryce LaJaunie, a senior pitcher, said his family rented a house in Dulac after losing their home. It forces him to drive 45 minutes every day to attend class at H.L. Bourgeois. He often gets home after 11 p.m. following games or practices.
“I make it work with no excuses. I have to handle business," LaJaunie said. "I have to work through it all and keep my mind on it. We’ve faced so much. We just stood up and dealt with it. We kept moving forward. With everything we’ve been through, we’ve fought through it. We keep pushing and give it everything we’ve got.”
Now the Gators want to win their first LHSAA state title in baseball and celebrate it with their fans.
“We’re definitely playing for the community and playing for people who have lost things," Cangelosi said. "We want to bring joy back to the community and let people take their minds off the different things they lost from Hurricane Ida.”
Reach Chris Singleton at 985-857-2213 or chris.singleton@houmatoday.com and on Twitter @courierchris.
This article originally appeared on The Courier: LHSAA baseball: South Terrebonne reflects on Hurricane Ida damage
