THE ST. TAMMANY SEPTEMBER 30, 2020 prepprepFARMER footballfootball 20202020 IN-DEPTH INTERVIEWS DISTRICT PREDICTIONS TEAM SCHEDULES MAGIC Fontainebleau running back Iverson Celestine MAN a special talent • ALBANY 2 F F Wednesday, September 30, 2020 St. Tammany Famer l l l F F l l l St. Tammany Farmer Wednesday, September 30, 2020 3 Another form of normalcy returns Friday night with prep football kickoff Time is a funny, fickle thing. Normally, the old adage of the older we get, the faster time moves is true. That can- not be said for 2020. It seems as if the past six months have gone by as slow as they might for a 10th grad- er staring at a clock a few minutes into the start of JIM chemistry class. DERRY At times, days have seemed like weeks and weeks like months. It’s no different for this half-century-old sportswriter. To go with it, my internal clock is broken. Most of my Julys the past 30 years, I am working on the annual foot- ball preview section. The first or second week of August, FILE PHOTO it’s basically wrapped up. By OK, so the stands won’t look like this Friday night because of social distancing, but hey, football is here and there will be fans present. the middle of the month, I am And we can all be thankful for that! going to scrimmages and then it’s jamboree week. should be doing today. lowing those seniors who Maybe, just maybe, one or dium. (Well, maybe that is a The first Friday night in “What week of the season have worked their tails off two of our schools will — for bit of an exaggeration.) September, I get to the stadi- would this have been?” to get that chance to finish the first time — be preparing Point is, when Friday night um around 5:15 and soak it all “How many yards would their prep careers. We offer Christmas week for a visit to is over and we go back to our in, watching parents and fans Iverson Celestine have by thanks for the perseverance the Mercedes-Benz Super- seemingly never-ending con- fill up the place as teenagers now?” of coaches and adminis- dome and a state champion- cerns over the coronavirus, with smiles from ear to ear “Would Lakeshore’s reg- trators who made sure this ship game. when we can visit our elderly in pads and uniforms break ular-season winning streak could happen. We offer I have never before looked family members in nursing through their respective ban- have been extended to 34 thanks to the Louisiana High as forward to sitting in an homes, how our kids are do- ners and play a real football with victories over rival Fon- School Athletic Association uncomfortable chair for four ing in school, the upcoming game for the first time in al- tainebleau and South Plaque- for being patient and being so or five hours in a press box election and so on, all will most nine or 10 months. mines? Oh yeah, we lost the thorough in figuring out pro- with my knees locked up seem right with the world for But in one of the cruelest Lakeshore-Fontainebleau tocols and procedures to keep against a wall. I can’t wait at least a little while. and most unusual years of game.” everyone safe. to go through all the stories Yes, my friends, football is any of our lifetimes, every- On Friday, some normalcy And we offer thanks that and scores until 3 a.m. the here. Even if our biological thing is off. The only thing returns, and the only thing this Thanksgiving, most following Saturday morning. clocks say it should have a local prep football fan has we can do is clasp our hands of our St. Tammany Parish I am even excited about the started weeks ago. been able to do thus far when together, look to the skies and football teams will still be prospect of again climbing looking at a calendar is to say, “Thank you.” practicing and gearing up for the seemingly endless steps Contact Jim Derry at jderry@ stare and think about what we We offer thanks for al- a first-round playoff game. to the top of Jack Salter Sta- sttammanyfarmer.net. INSIDE Cover story ...........................3 Covington .............................6 Northshore ........................12 Schedule ...........................35 Fontainebleau ......................8 Pearl River .........................24 6-5A predictions ...............16 Hannan .............................28 Pope John Paul II ...............36 9-4A predictions ...............16 Lakeshore .........................22 Salmen .............................26 8-3A predictions ...............17 Mandeville ........................10 Slidell ................................14 9-2A predictions ...............17 Northlake Christian............30 St. Paul’s ...........................18 F F 4 Wednesday, September 30, 2020 St. Tammany Famer l l l THE ST. TAMMANY FARMER www.sttammanyfarmer.net [email protected] Editor: Andrew Canulette, [email protected] Magic Sports editor: Jim Derry, [email protected] Advertising: Brenda Willis, [email protected] Subscriptions: [email protected] Man The St. Tammany Farmer is published weekly by: Fontainebleau’s The St. Tammany Farmer, Inc. 321 North New Hampshire Street Iverson Celestine special Covington, LA 70433 Phone: (985) 892-2323 on the field and off BY JIM DERRY five children. Instead, his best friend Jumal Fax: (985) 892-2325 Staff writer suggested, “Why don’t you name him Iverson Jumal?” Right there, “on the spot,” it was de- On the cover: Photo by Scott Threlkheld, Third down and 29 yards to go from the cided. Fontainebleau 22. Trailing Mandeville 9-7 There’s just something about the baby, Fontainebleau’s Iverson Celestine early in the second half, Bulldogs coach Chris especially in a large family. And while Ivan Blocker decides to play it safe by handing off Celestine tries not to admit it, he hints Iverson to All-Metro junior running back Iverson Ce- might have received a little more attention lestine to put his defense in the best position than his three older boys and two daughters. possible for the ensuing Skippers possession. That also means the youngest would have to Queue the “Magic Man.” grow up a little tougher. It didn’t take long to Celestine takes about five steps to his left, see that wouldn’t be a problem. and with four blue jerseys surrounding him, “It is funny now, but it wasn’t funny then. he quickly reverses field and tries to run He was riding someone else’s bike, and the around them. Now 12 yards behind the line of chain was messed up; it was slipping,” Ivan scrimmage, No. 8 turns around once again and said. “Man, some kind of way he goes over heads toward his own goal line. the handlebars, and busts his face all the way With eight defenders in the backfield closing up. I’m talking about he chipped his tooth and in, disaster seems inevitable. everything. He escapes one tackle and when he finally “We take him to the dentist and get the tooth available for any school is facing forward, his body now at the 1-yard fixed, and the very next week he is out in the line, Celestine puts the ball in his left hand. yard catching a football. He catches the ball About to be blasted by two Skippers for what and runs dead into a mailbox and chips the would be a 21-yard loss and a fourth-and-50 other tooth. Now he was very young and his scenario and with his left foot 6 inches in front feet weren’t as spectacular as they are now, of the goal line, he heaves a Hail Mary toward but he didn’t care. If the ball is in the air, he’s the middle of the field. trying to catch it. With nearly all the Skippers in the backfield “I was so mad at that boy. He chipped the chasing Celestine, there’s Kobe Barnes stand- same tooth later on playing a rec basketball ing nearly all alone. He snags it and strolls game. But I always have to give him credit, past his opponent’s goal line. Seventy-eight when he plays for you, he is going to give you yards. Touchdown. 14-9, Fontainebleau. everything he’s got.” In the matter of 3 seconds, Blocker ex- claims, “What in the world are we doing here? A Wave of dreams No!” And then, “Oh! Oh, yeah!” A year from now, it will be Tulane who gets everything Iverson Celestine has. He commit- ‘A.I.’ didn’t fit. Neither did ‘Magic.’ ted to Coach Willie Fritz and the Green Wave Ivan Celestine has been asked “at least a mil- in the summer, choosing the top academic lion times” if his sixth child was named after school from his many offers to prepare him- basketball great Allen Iverson. self for the future. “I love A.I., but no,” he said. “My favorite However, he hopes his preparations are for players were Magic (Johnson) and Kobe (Bry- his time after a stint in the NFL. ant).” “I do want to play football beyond college, 842 N. Collins Blvd., Covington, La. It would have made for a great fit on the but I also know I can use football for a free 985.892.2317 aforementioned play had “Magic” made the education to set myself up for the future,” Ce- ���������������������� ���������������������������� miracle toss to Kobe, but the initials didn’t fit lestine said. “Football is not going to be there the “IJC,” as it did for Ivan and his previous forever. The average career for a running F F l l l St. Tammany Farmer Wednesday, September 30, 2020 5 FILE PHOTO Fontainebleau’s Iverson Celestine has nearly 4,000 rushing yards in three seasons.