"After the Storm; Turbulence on the Field"

"After the Storm" is a true story based on incidents that took place after the devastating storm Katrina, which hit Louisiana, August 29, 2005. This horrendous storm brought destruction this country had never witnessed before. Many residents from southern Louisiana poured into north Louisiana seeking shelter. North Louisiana residents welcomed these evacuees with open arms, sympathetic and understanding to their dilemma.

Five young aspiring highschool football players from south Louisiana found themselves homeless and sheltered in a different town. These young men were from Port Sulphur, La..

One of the young men contacted his former high school coach who was residing in Bastrop, Louisiana. The young men and their families went to Bastrop to settle and homestead there. They enrolled at Bastrop High School and signed up to play football, which was a passion of theirs.

These notable players lead Bastrop High School Football Team to a 14-0 record and also a 4AA state championship title, going undefeated the whole season. This was the first championship title for Bastrop since 1927.

The report of these Katrina victims’ involvement in the football program became wide spread and soon the Louisiana High School Athletic Association (LHSAA) began an investigation. The LHSAA commissioner, Tommy Henry, began his investigation and found Bastrop High School Football to be in violation of the LHSAA rules. He immediately stripped the championship title from the school, and barred the players from playing football in Bastrop or any other LHSAA school. These five young students were once again uprooted and devastated. This action by Mr. Henry also threatened their potential college football careers.  These players are outstanding and have major potential for college and NFL players.

Local political leaders and members of the community joined together and held town meetings to discuss what actions could be taken to possibly reverse the LHSAA rulings. After all, Bastrop High School was one of approximately twenty schools who recruited evacuees.

The complaint against Bastrop High School Football was said to have come from a rival school. Bastrop had previously played this rival and beaten them. This led to a major confrontation between these two schools.

"After the Storm" tells how the impact of the LHSAA ruling left neighboring communities divided. "After the Storm" also tells how an entire community united together to protest an LHSAA ruling.

The team went on to win their second 4AA Championship Title the next year.  One of these players is in his senior year playing as quarterback for Bastrop High School and is promising to be a top draft pick. One player received a football scholarship to play for ULM, two have received scholarships and signed to play with Grambling University.