Happy New Year Classmates!

Wishing all my classmates a very Happy New Year and a joy-filled and Blessed 2019.  We will be celebrating our "60th" Class Reunion this year and hoping for a great turnout which will be a milestone in our lives!  God Bless Y'all!  Marian A. Love

Parade of The Wooden Soldiers

Do you remember Sister Mary Angela teaching us this song in French in the 4th Grade?  I just found it in English on YouTube.  Thought it would bring back memories for you.

Merry Christmas Classmates!

Wishing all my classmates from SFXA and SAHS a very Merry Christmas!

Officers For Confraternity of Sacred Heart

I came across this old clipping recently and wanted to share with my classmates.  (Sunday, October 6, 1957)

CONFRATERNITY - Officers for the Confraternity of Sacred Heart at St. Aloysius High School were recently elected. Left to right, there are Paul Hosemann, president (Deceased); Michael Hosemann. vice-president; George Evans, secretary, and Eddie Habert, treasurer.

Confraternity of St. Aloysius Elects Officers. Aside from having the same name and being the same spiritual organization, the Confraternity, this year, is improved somewhat from last year. Elections were held in a different manner than in previous years. Voting took place in each of the high school grades, that is, from the ninth to the twelfth grades. In this process, priority was given to the senior members for occupancy of the first two offices, president and vice-president. The junior members were the first choice for the last two offices, secretary and treasurer. One of the unique features of the Confraternity this year is centralization of power in each homeroom, whereby elected class representatives to conduct the meetings of the Confraternity in their own homeroom. These representatives are as follows: Seniors: George Ettinger, William Howell, and Donald Riddle. Juniors: Edward Habert, Harold Logue and Larry Miller. Sophomores: Grove Stewart, William Yerger, and David Ellis. Freshmen: Charles Caldwell, Freddy Hess, and George Bragg. This method does away with general meetings. However, their general meetings will not be entirely done away with. They will be held from time to time in order to acquaint each class with what the other classes have accomplished. The chief projects for this school year include devotion to Mary-Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, attendance at the holy hour, the Family Rosary, a study of the Liturgical movement, devotion to the Sacred Heart, and, in particular, reparation to the Sacred Hear. There are planned projects of a tangible nature for the members that are both corporal and spiritual, for example, aiding home missionaries distribution literature to hospitals, cooperating with parish organization, etc. The Confraternity, as a whole aims, to instruct active members to carry on Catholic Action.

Christmas Music For My Classmates!

Pix After Classics In The Courtyard

Last Friday, November 2nd I went to our former Alma Mater S.F.X.A., now Southern Cultural Heritage Foundation, and enjoyed Classic Pop and County performed by Ralph Miller.  Lunch was offered by The Anthony and was able to sit with Shirley Farrish who graduated a couple of years ahead of us.  This is usually performed the last two Fridays in October and the first two Fridays of November.  It offers a variety of entertainment through different genres of classical music.  Local entertainers and local restaurants provide the music and lunch on Fridays from noon-1:00 p.m. The musical entertainment is sponsored by a generous grant from Entergy Mississippi. The entertainment is provided for free and lunch can be purchased for $10 per person. Tomorrow will be the last day of the Classics in the Courtyard.  It is amazing to see trees growing on the top court with grass where it is held.  

When it was over with I walked around and took a few pictures and thought you would like to see what it looks like now.  

I'm sure I have drunk water from this fountain many times while I played on the front playground in elementary grades.  If it could only talk.  

I remember going up and down these steps and sitting on them.   

To the playground on the left and top ground to the right to the elementary front door.  A tall fence has been torn down that was around the playground.  

Going under the tunnel.

The other side of the tunnel.

Opposite stairs going to elementary grades to the right and to the left stairs to high school.  Also, stairs to the top court.  

I wrote my name on the wall by my classmate, Myrtle Loviza Curro Alvarado.

Tunnel heading out.  To the right is the entrance to the auditorium and steps to the left to the top court where the Classics In The Courtyard was held.  

Getting ready to leave and have walked this many times in my 12 years at our school going to church or heading home from high school.

I took a picture of the front playground as it looks today.  We graduated almost 60 years ago!  So sad to know that all the Sister of Mercy and the Brothers of the Sacred Heart that taught us are no longer with us as well as some of our classmates who have gone to their heavenly reward from S.F.X.A. and S.A.H.S.  I'm looking forward to our 60th Class Reunion in April 2019!  Hope to see you there!

11th Annual "Classics in the Courtyard"

11th Annual “Classics in the Courtyard,” offering a variety of entertainment through different genres of classical music. Local entertainers and local restaurants will provide the music and lunch on Fridays from noon-1:00 p.m.The musical entertainment is sponsored by a generous grant from Entergy Mississippi. The entertainment is provided for free and lunch can be purchased for $10 per person. Reservations are required for lunch and must be made by 5 p.m. on the Thursday before the event.
Friday, October 19 – Classics Blues, Rock, Pop and Originals performed by Patrick Smith; Lunch provided by Billy’s Italian Restaurant. Facebook event page.
Friday, October 26 – Classic Rock and Pop performed by Ben Shaw; Lunch provided by 10 South. Facebook event page.
Friday, November 2 – Classic Pop and Country performed by Ralph Miller; Lunch provided by The Anthony. Facebook event page.
Friday, November 9 – Classic Blues, Rock and Originals performed by Lee H. Abraham & the Boone Brothers; Lunch provided by Goldie’s Express. Facebook event page.
This wonderful program is also supported in part by funding from the Mississippi Arts Commission, a state agency, and in part, from the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency, and the generous support of Southern Cultural Heritage Foundation individual and corporate members, the City of Vicksburg, and various appropriations.
For more information or to make reservations for lunch, please call the SCHF office at 601-631-2997 or email info@southernculture.org.

Spooky Sprint Run/Walk

4th Annual Spooky Sprint 5K Run/Walk and 1-Mile Fun Run

Vicksburg Catholic School

Congratulations St. Aloysius Lady Flashes!

State Champions:  St. Aloysius soccer players celebrate with the trophy and championship banner after beating Bayou Academy 1-0 on Saturday for the MAIS Division III title.  It is St. Al's second state championship in four seasons.  

Sisters of Mercy Convent - MS Paranormal Society

‎Mississippi Paranormal Society‎ to A Haunting at the Southern Cultural Heritage Center
September 25, 2018

Sisters of Mercy
Yesterday, I gave the background of the Cobb House. Today, I am going to tell you about the Sisters of Mercy in Vicksburg, MS. I do want to make a quick note: the convent wasn't built until 1868.

In 1863, the school was shuttered as Sisters and families fled into the hills to avoid the cannon fire of the Civil War. After about a month, the Sisters returned to find their former school filled with sick and injured soldiers. U.S. President Abraham Lincoln even called the nuns “Angels of Mercy.” The 3rd floor and the front porch of the Cobb House had been blown off by canon fire. The nuns immediately began providing nursing care which took them out of Vicksburg for several months. During the heaviest battles, the injured were removed to areas of safety and the Sisters accompanied them to continue their care.

A few years later, Vicksburg was in need of a Catholic School because of the large number of Catholics living there. Bishop William H. Elder wrote to Mother Catherine Wynne (who was the 3rd appointed Sister of Mercy after the group was brought from Ireland to the United States). He had known of the work she and her nuns had done, and was impressed enough to ask them to send some of the Sisters of Mercy nuns to Vicksburg, MS and open a school. She agreed, and in 1860, six Sisters of Mercy, led by Sister Mary DeSales Browne, traveled half-way across the country from Baltimore to Vicksburg. The Sisters opened the first school in Vicksburg a few days later. The sisters lived and taught children in the Cobb House and in a stick framed building that sat on the land. 

In 1863, the school was shuttered as Sisters and families fled into the hills to avoid the cannon fire of the Civil War. After about a month, the Sisters returned to find their former school filled with sick and injured soldiers. U.S. President Abraham Lincoln even called the nuns “Angels of Mercy.” The 3rd floor and the front porch of the Cobb House had been blown off by canon fire. The nuns immediately began providing nursing care which took them out of Vicksburg for several months. During the heaviest battles, the injured were removed to areas of safety and the Sisters accompanied them to continue their care.

In 1864, Mother Mary DeSales Browne returned to Vicksburg and reopened the school with 200 students and only four Sisters. What they saw and dealt with then was astonishing and sickening. The city was now under charge of United States General Henry Warner Slocum. He refused to let the sisters back into the Cobb House which housed United States Occupation Soldiers. The sisters begged and pleaded with Slocum to let them take charge of their home, but he refused. They were able to smuggle word out about this, and through contacts and channels, Lincoln's Secretary of War, Edwin Stanton, released the home back to the Sisters of Mercy despite Slocum.

2018 Alumni Fall Fest & Charitable Trust

2018 Alumni Fall Fest and 

St. Aloysius/St. Francis 

Charitable Trust
(Click and register above)

Our first-ever Alumni Fall Fest will be an exciting event to celebrate Homecoming Week at Vicksburg Catholic School! On Saturday, October 13, join us for a fish fry, friends, and football on the grounds of St. Aloysius High School. We'll have campus tours at 11:00 a.m. At noon, we'll eat, drink, and catch up with our classmates!

Register for the Alumni Fall Fest and/or order an Alumni Fall Fest Logo T-Shirt (color Ivory by Comfort Colors) by October 1. You may also consider contributing to the Charitable Trust! The Charitable Trust was established in 1983 by the St. Aloysius/St. Francis Alumni Association to benefit the operations of Vicksburg Catholic School. As always, thank you for your generosity. We'll see you soon!

Best Songs From 1958 (Part 1)

Prayer For Our Class of 1959

My Dear Classmates,

Thinking of you and wanted to send out a prayer for our Class of 1959.

Father, we thank you for the wonderful times we have had at our reunions and looking forward to our 60th next year. Thank you for our friendships that have lasted forever. We seldom get to see each other but when we get together it’s like we were never apart. We feel just as close and connected now than as we did when we were teenagers. We truly love and care for each other and it is so great. We realize all of this comes from you. So, thank you, God.

Thank you for taking care of us. Thank you for blessing our families, our children, grandchildren and our great-grandchildren. We realize that everything good comes from you and we thank you, Lord.

Our classmates are gifted, talented and now retired. We are spread out from Mississippi to Louisiana, Missouri, Texas, California, Washington and from Virginia to Florida. Thank you for blessing our classmates with all these abilities and the contributions we have made. We know all these good things come from you. Thank you, Lord!

We are saddened because some of our classmates have passed away. Please bless and comfort their families. Thank you for the time we had with them. Also, for the classmates who are now having health issues, please bless them and keep us and our families healthy and safe.

Cover us with your protection. Send strong angels to guard our families. Help us to trust Jesus Christ, your Son, and bless us with faith to believe you, hope for the future, and love. Help us to love you and to love others as you love us. Bless us spiritually so that we are close to you. Bless us in every way and we will give you all the glory and thanks.

Lord, in less than a year, bring us all back together again for another reunion. The older we get the more important it becomes. Until then, we remember our 50th Year Class Reunion. We remember the smiles, the laughter, the hugs, the music, the stories – we remember it all and give you thanks for allowing us to grow up together and to be friends. So, bring us all back together next year. And then one day, take us all home to be with you. Please forgive all our sins and take every one of us to the big reunion you have planned for us in heaven.

 In Jesus Name, Amen!

Brother Julian Died on June 20, 2018

Julian Louis Gibbens, 105, of Edwards, went to be with the Lord on Wednesday, June 20, 2018.

Brother Julian was born May 17, 1913, in Hope Villa Sugar Cane Plantation, east of Baton Rouge, La., to William Benton Gibbens and Marie Moore Gibbens and was one of 10 children.

He served as a member of the Brothers of the Sacred Heart until 1967, teaching in many Catholic schools across America. Julian was renowned for believing in his students and pushing them hard to succeed. Throughout the years, former students traveled to visit Brother Julian and thank him for helping shape them into the men they are today. He remained a teacher until the very end, teaching his beloved grandchildren in the woods and swamps of Edwards.

Julian was an avid fisherman, master gardener, and chief storyteller. He held a deep love for his wife, Jerry Montgomery Gibbens that was evident to all who knew him.

Julian is preceded in death by his parents; his wife; eight brothers; two sisters; stepson, Lewis Montgomery; and grandson, Scott Mellon.

He is survived by his stepdaughter, Barbara Mellon; grandchildren, Allison Mellon, Lisa Maddox, Drew (Ally) Mellon, Angie (C.J.) Zadrozny, and Victor (Leigh) Montgomery; great-grandchildren include, Payton Maddox, Taylor and Whit Zadrozny, Molly, Mary Lewis, and Hattie Montgomery, and Bella, Anna Claire, Nash and Nadia Mellon.

Visitation was Saturday, June 23, 2018, from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. at Glenwood Funeral Home in Vicksburg, with services in Glenwood Funeral Home Chapel at 11 a.m. with Father Tom Lalor officiating. Burial was in Edwards Cemetery.

Honorary pallbearers were Jerry Gibbens, Mitt Gibbens, Cole Gibbens, Tom Gibbens, Victor Montgomery, Drew Mellon and C.J. Zadrozny.

Celebrating 57 Years Of Marriage Yesterday!

Saint Aloysius High School (Class of 1959) Louis "Sonny" Logue and his beautiful wife Wanda celebrating their 57th Wedding Anniversary yesterday.  Louis said it's been a blessed 57 years with 3 great children and 6 wonderful grandchildren.  Congratulations and Happy Anniversary you two!

Saint Francis Xavier Convent, ca 1868

Janie Fortenberry

Home of Sisters of Mercy, Vicksburg

The Sisters of Mercy contributed to the health, education, and spiritual well-being of the residents of Vicksburg since the arrival of six nuns in 1860.

The Cobb House (c. 1830) became their first home and a school for 70 students. During the Civil War, the Sisters closed the school to travel throughout Mississippi nursing both Union and Confederate soldiers.

After the war, the Sisters reopened the school and continued their ministry of nursing in the decades following, nursing the city's residents through several yellow fever epidemics. Their nursing contributions expanded over the years to include a nursing school and to culminate in the modern Mercy Hospital.

The Sisters continued to expand their spiritual mission by building a convent in 1868 to house their ever-growing number of nuns, a building that is one of the best examples of Gothic Revival architecture in Mississippi.

The "Sisters’ School" also continued to expand with the construction of an auditorium in 1885 and an academy building in 1937.

The Sisters of Mercy have left a lasting legacy in Vicksburg.

[As it was in September 2015]

2018 St. Aloysius/St Francis Alumni Banquet

Our 2018 St. Aloysius and St. Francis Alumni Banquet was held this past Saturday, April 28, 2018.  The social was at 6:30 p.m. and dinner at 7:00 p.m. at Farrell Hall.  (Click on pictures to enlarge)

Myrtle Loviza (Class of 1959) and husband, Bobby Alvarado.

Michael Hosemann (Class of 1958) and myself, Marian Ann Love (Class of  1959)  I was so happy to see Michael after 10 long years.  He was my very first boyfriend in high school and we have remained friends all through the years. 

 Michael and I back in the 50's!

(Class of 1957) Wayne McMasters with his wife, Mary Nell, Mary Pat Booth Fulton, Linda Jones Styron and her husband, Rad and Shirley Farish.  

Beautifully decorated table and delicious food.  

Program

St. Aloysius Hign School and Saint Francis Academy shields.

The Class of 2018 roll call.

Myrtle Loviza Alvarado, Billie Price Clarke and myself, Marian Ann Love.

Jeanette Jones Ring (Class of 1969) and husband, Charlie Ring (Class of 1968)

Class of 1958 classmates.

Class of 1958 with their spouses.

I took this picture Saturday night after our 2018 St. Aloysius/St. Francis Alumni Banquet of the Statue of Hebe, the Greek Goddess of Eternal Youth, holding a cup that drips water into the Bloom Fountain in the Vicksburg Memorial Rose Garden. The fountain was bequeathed in 1926 by Louis Bloom, a prominent Vicksburg businessman at a cost of $6,500 by Albert Weibian Granite Company of New Orleans. The Old Court House Museum can be seen in the distant which was a landmark during the Siege of Vicksburg in 1863. It was built in 1858.

St. Aloysius/St. Francis Alumni Banquet & 59 Years

Our St. Aloysius/St. Francis Annual Alumni Banquet will be held this coming Saturday, April 28, 2018.  Mass will be at St. Paul Catholic Church at 5:30 pm and 6:30 pm Social/7:00 pm Alumni Banquet at Farrell Hall. 

I'm looking forward to seeing my classmates and it will be 59 years since we graduated in the Class of 1959.  In the last 9 years, we have lost three of our classmates at St. Francis Xavier Academy;  Katherine Meyer Turcotte, Marie Braun Yowan, and Vera Marshall Brown.  We have lost four classmates from St. Aloysius; Roy "Skeeter" Turcotte, Larry Miller, Walter Little and Phillip Doiron.  May they all Rest In Peace.  

Next year we will celebrate our 60th Class Reunion.  I hope we will have a good turnout for both. 

Here is a video to cheer us up and I know we can't boogie like this anymore but we can enjoy watching others have a good time.   



Contact Kristi Smith, Director of Development & Alumni Affairs, at (601) 630-9762 or kristi.amith@vicksburgcatholic.org  Pay dues online at www.vicksburgcatholic.org then click "Giving"

Prayers For Sister Mary Patricia Parker

Sister Mary Patricia Parker fell recently and broke her leg/hip.  Dr. Porter is her physician and she is at Heritage House Nursing Home at 3103 Wisconsin Avenue, Vicksburg, MS, for rehab for several weeks.  The break was bad and she needs a lot of nursing care.  The Sisters of Mercy want to move her to St. Louis as soon as she is able to make the trip.  Please keep her in your prayers at this time.  

We, therefore, pray that God will bless her with his loving care, renew her strength, and heal her.  Amen

Prayers For Classmate Ina Lott Whittington

Please keep our Classmate Ina Lott Whittington in your prayers tomorrow.  She will be having hip surgery at 9:00 at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, MS by a specialist.  This will be the third attempt to fix her hip and hopefully without complications so she can walk again.  I will be keeping you posted on her progress here.  May the healing power of Christ be with you, Ina! 

4-11-2018 - Update: Ina Whittington's surgery went well but there was a lot of infection and she will need another surgery later according to her daughter, Rhonda. Please continue to keep Ina in your prayers as she recovers from this surgery. I know the family thanks you for all your prayers today.

4-12-2018 - ANOTHER Update: Ina is stable now after being put in ICU last night when her BP dropped in recovery. Hopefully, she will be moved to a regular room soon. Please keep the prayers coming!

4-12-2018 - Update (5:15pm):  Update: Ina is out of ICU and in a room now. Please keep the prayers coming while she recovers from surgery. Thank you and thank The Good Lord!

4-13-2018 - I spoke with Ina today and she told me that she had 2-1/2 pts. of blood surgery day, yesterday 2 pts. and more blood today.  She is still in pain.  Please continue prayers for our classmate, Ina.  

4-19-2018 - Update: Our Classmate, Ina was transferred to Vicksburg Convalescent Home yesterday afternoon for rehab. Please continue to keep her in your prayers as she recovers. She will need another hip surgery at a later date. 

4-24-2018 - Ina will be transported tomorrow to UMMC in Jackson, MS for a follow-up with her Doctor.  Her address to send a greeting is 109 Colonial Drive, Vicksburg, MS  39180. I know it will cheer her up.  Please continue to pray for Ina that she will get a good report from her Doctor and recover so she can have one more surgery to be able to walk again.

4-30-2018 - Update:  Ina was not transported to UMMC as scheduled for a follow-up.  The intent was that the transporter was to come back and pick Ina up but the person that was taken ahead of her was put in the hospital and there was not enough time to make another trip back to Jackson.  So she has been re-scheduled this Thursday, May 3rd.  Please keep Ina in your prayers and hopefully, things will work out in her favor to see the UMMC Doctor for a follow-up this week. 

5-17-2018 - Update:  Ina had an appointment at UMMC yesterday and they did a lot of tests and changed her medication.  She goes back next week to see the surgeon and if the tests went well they may have the next surgery in two weeks but will not know until the next week's appointment.  Please continue to keep our classmate in your prayers that all the tests come back normal to get the go-ahead for surgery so she can start rehab and walk again.  

5-30-2018 - Update:  Ina's hip was not completely healed and the surgeon wants her to start rehab by putting her foot on the floor for another month.  She will go home at the end of June and will have further tests done and if all goes well he will schedule her final hip surgery in July.  Please continue your prayers. 

6-23-2018 - Update:  Ina is still in the Vicksburg Convalescent Home on Cherry Street and getting rehab for her hip/leg.  She has had a couple of infections of C-Diff during her stay and if all goes well she will go back for more tests to see the Doctor soon.  If her hip is healing well then the surgeon will schedule her final surgery hopefully, next month.  Please continue to keep the prayers coming for her recovery. 

7-09-2018 - Update:  Ina is still recovering in the Vicksburg Convalescent Home on Cherry Streat and getting rehab for her hip/leg.  The C-Diff infection has cleared up.  Thursday morning there will be a staff meeting with the family to see if she will be staying another month or go home for 60 more days with home health.  She will also be going to UMMC for tests Thursday afternoon to see if her hip is healing so the surgeon can proceed in getting her hip fixed.  She has been getting out of bed and walking with her walker a few steps so she is slowing making improvements.  Please continue the prayers coming for Ina.  Looks like it will be a long road to recovery for her. 

7-15-2018 - Update:  Ina will be spending 6 more weeks at the Vicksburg Convalescent Home for more nursing/rehab.  It was decided by Doctor/Nurses that she is not able to return home.  Her appointment was canceled last Thursday afternoon and re-scheduled for July 31st for x-rays on her hip to see if it is healing before the has one more surgery for hip replacement.  Please continue prayers for Ina as she slowly recovers. 

8-04-2018 - Update:  Ina went to her appointment on Tuesday, July 31 and the x-rays showed she was healing.  The  Doctor advised her not to have another surgery in October and to just live with using a walker/cane because she lost a lot of blood and almost lost her.  Will leave the decision to the family.  She is still in the Vicksburg Convalescent Home getting rehab and able to walk in the hallway on a walker and slowly improving.  Please continue to say prayers for Ina's recovery.  

8-31-2018 - Update:  Ina came home today from the nursing home.  She is so excited and said, No Place Like Home!  She will still have to use a wheelchair and a walker but at least she is home for now.  Please keep Ina in your thoughts and prayers as she continues her recovery.  

Classmate's Brother Dies

Russel Curtis Baker, Jr.

JANUARY 1, 1932 ~ MARCH 10, 2018 (AGE 86)

Russell C. “Rip” Baker, Jr., age 86, of Montgomery, Alabama passed away Saturday, March 10, 2018, in Jackson, Mississippi.

Rip was born in Vicksburg, Mississippi on January 1, 1932. He was a graduate of St. Aloysius High School and received his Bachelor’s Degree from Auburn University where he was a member of the wrestling team. He earned a Master’s degree from the University of Mississippi. He served in the United States Air Force as a navigator and instructor navigator. He retired as a Major from the USAF with 20 years of active and reserve service.

Rip was a lifelong educator. He taught at the college level and worked as a consultant in the areas of education and development. He retired from the Alabama Indian Affairs Commission in Montgomery, Alabama in 1994.

In his retirement, Rip enjoyed outdoor activities and traveling the world. He loved sharing his travel adventures with his family. He adored his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He was a lifelong Auburn fan.

He was preceded in death by his mother Susan H. Baker and his father Russell C. Baker Sr.

Rip is survived by his wife of 64 years Mary Frances Baker, sons Stephen Baker (Shelley), Timothy Baker (Wilda), Michael Baker (Arlene), and daughter Suzanne Starnes; grandchildren Ashley McCain (Jonathan), Benjamin Baker (Lauren), Emaline Brady (Beau), Caroline Baker, Evan Baker, William Baker and Molly Starnes; great-grandchildren Gavin Burton and Fisher McCain; and brothers James “Tommy” Baker, John “Jack” Baker (Judy), and David Baker (Carolyn).

Inurnment will be at the Biloxi National Cemetery on Monday, March 19, 2018, at 10:00 a.m.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Sierra Club.

On Top Of The World - St. Al Wins 3-0

On Top Of The World:  St. Aloysius soccer players celebrate after beating Starkville Academy 3-0 on Saturday to win the MAIS Class AAA championship.

STARKVILLE — When the first goal went into the net, the St. Aloysius Flashes felt pretty good. The second one made them breathe a little easier, and by the third one, they were on top of the world.

Ryan Theriot scored twice and set up Jack Dowe for a third goal as the Flashes routed Starkville Academy 3-0 Saturday night in the MAIS Class AAA boys’ soccer championship game.

It’s the first boys’ soccer state title in St. Al history and the end of a long chase that spanned not only this season but decades of frustration. The Flashes finished this season with a 14-5 record that included a semifinal victory over four-time defending state champion Central Hinds.

This was also the first time the program had ever reached a state championship game.

“We worked hard all season and this is fitting. Central Hinds has won five years in a row or something like that and now we’re getting our chance. We showed everyone tonight,” Theriot said.

Saturday’s game started slow. Neither team had a shot on goal in the first 20 minutes, and it wasn’t until the late stages of the first half that St. Al started to generate some scoring chances.

In the 38th minute, it finally cashed in.

A foul at the top of the goal box set up a free kick for the Flashes. Theriot teed the ball up at the 18-yard and sent a low grounder through the defense and past keeper Zak Kelly for the icebreaker.

“Once we got that, we broke through,” Dowe said.

The goal gave the Flashes a boost of confidence that they carried over into the second half. After Starkville Academy (9-8) put some pressure on St. Al keeper Chuck Beamish, Dowe cleared the ball with a long broomball pass ahead to Theriot.

Theriot deked Kelly at the 18-yard line and shot into the open net for a 2-0 lead and a huge cushion with 31 minutes to go.

“The first half, I saw how this team was playing and how that team was playing, and I told them to just take it over,” St. Al coach Scott Mathis said. “That’s all they did.”

While the Flashes’ offensive stars were shining, the less-heralded members of the defense were doing their job to maintain the lead. Three times in the second half, defenders cleared loose balls off the goal line when Beamish was caught out of position.

In three playoff games, the Flashes only allowed three goals — one of which deflected off their own player.

“They missed a couple of balls while they were getting the jitters out, but after that, it was lights out,” Mathis said. “That’s how they’ve been playing these last five or six games. Everybody, collectively, has done a great job. I’m proud of them all.”

Dowe scored off an assist from Theriot in the 63rd minute to push St. Al’s lead to 3-0, and the countdown was on to a championship. The final minutes ticked away without a serious charge from Starkville and, when the final whistle blew, the Flashes stormed the field in celebration.

They hoisted the championship trophy high and celebrated with raucous students who made the three-hour trip for the game, hugged each other and wore smiles filled with awe at what they’d just accomplished.

Held High:  St. Aloysius' Jack Dowe holds up the state championship trophy after the Flashes beat Starkville Academy 3-0 Saturday in the MAIS Class AAA title game.

“It was dominating, too. They had a couple of shots that almost went in, but 3-0 … the scoreboard doesn’t lie,” said Dowe, the team’s only senior. “My first year was Coach Scott’s first year. We’ve been through it all together. This means so much to me.”

By Ernest Bowker ~ The Vicksburg Post