WATSON — Live Oak High School held its annual graduation today at Southeastern University in Hammond, but ten seniors were absent for the once-in-a-lifetime moment.
Those seniors play on the state’s number one-ranked baseball team and have bigger goals — a state championship.
Live Oak squares off against Sam Houston High School tonight at 5:30 p.m. in a best-of-three series.
Early on in the season, the team was told that the school’s graduation date and the first game of the non-select Division I baseball title held in Sulphur fell on the same date, meaning that if the team made it through the playoffs, they would miss their graduation.
Joel Harrison is a teacher at Live Oak and fills in as the school’s multimedia director. He said school faculty put their heads together after the team beat Benton in a best-of-three series on May 3rd to qualify for the state title game and decided to host a graduation for players on the baseball field.
On May 14th, all ten seniors gathered for a special graduation ceremony on the baseball diamond, where many of them have spent the previous four years competing.
“We invited out all their families and friends and spent some time with the players and gave them all their diplomas and announced all the things, just like a regular graduation. It was a little more special for them because it was on their field where they’ve gotten to play all these games and be tested and build these relationships,” Harrison said.
Emily Griffin is a teacher at Live Oak and a graduate of the high school. Her son, Jace, is a senior on the baseball team and will be playing at Baton Rouge Community College next season. She said her family’s ties to the Live Oak baseball program date way back.
Her father, Owen Norgress, was the principal and baseball coach for Live Oak in 1972 when the school made it to its first baseball state title game in history, losing 7-4 against Spearsville.
Her father will be in Sulphur watching his grandson play tonight, hoping to see Live Oak avenge a 50-plus-year sore spot.
“When I graduated, there were 92 kids in my class. When my dad graduated from there, it was even smaller. There are over 300 kids in my son’s class, but to know we still have those small-town touches and traditions that we keep, it’s what makes Live Oak special,” Griffin said.
Robyn Smith’s son, Cooper, plays catcher for Live Oak and will continue playing baseball at Louisiana Tech next season.
She said it meant a lot for her and her family to get to watch Cooper walk with a cap and gown.
“It was extremely special. Live Oak went out of their way to make it a very memorable occasion for the boys, and the boys’ parents would not have wanted it any other way. We were proud and so pleased they were honored in such a way,” Smith said.
She said that after her son and his teammates found out about the scheduling conflict regarding graduation, it almost motivated them more to want to reach the championship series.
“They were willing to sacrifice their true graduation to play in Sulphur. This means so much to them, and it’s something they’ve worked towards for a long time. They’re trying to complete that goal and bring home a state title,” Smith said.
To follow the game tonight and the rest of the three-game series, go to Live Oak Broadcasting on Facebook.
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