Three St. Mary’s football standouts earned honorable mention Class A All-State recognition today from the Louisiana Sports Writers Association.
Senior receiver/defensive back Graeme Fidelak, senior lineman Gavin LaGrange and sophomore punter/kicker/defensive back Payne Williams represented the Tigers on the All-State roster.
The LSWA’s All-State squads are comprised of top performers from all teams around the state, by classification. Media members on the LSWA’s All-State committee make the selections and have since 1958.
Calvary Baptist quarterback Landry Lyddy was the outstanding offensive player. Linebacker Shane Forman of Southern Lab took the outstanding defensive player honor and Homer’s Richie Casey was the coach of the year.
The LSWA picked 28 players for the first-team All-State list, including two from St. Mary’s district rivals, Logansport.
Fidelak, LaGrange and Williams were among 57 honorable mention selections.
They were first-team All-District 3-1A choices by the district coaches.
The versatile Fidelak earned first-team offensive honors at “athlete” since he pinch-hit at quarterback along with being a primary target at receiver, where he was a second-team all-district selection. Fidelak caught 30 passes for 277 yards, scoring twice, and ran for three TDs. At defensive back, he nabbed three interceptions, caused and recovered a fumble, broke up a pass and was third on the squad with 49.5 tackles.
Williams earned first-team honors as a defensive back, punter and kicker. In the secondary, he broke up an impressive nine passes, intercepted two, and recorded 22.5 tackles. As a kicker, he made 50 extra points, banged through four field goals and consistently boomed kickoffs to the goalline or beyond. His powerful left leg made him a weapon in the punting game with a 39-yard average, helping the Tigers consistently win the field position battle.
LaGrange was the top blocker up front as St. Mary’s averaged 31.3 points with a balanced attack that posted 1,355 rushing yards and 1,642 in the air.
St. Mary’s finished 8-3 and was the district runner-up. The Tigers won their last four non-district games against opponents in larger classifications, losing only to the No. 3-seeded team in Class 3A, Abbeville. Their only district defeat came at Logansport, who reached the state finals.
