SAMUEL HODSON COMES ACROSS THE THE LINE IN THE LHSAA CLASS 5A 400m
The long-awaited MileSplit LA Boys' Athlete of the Year poll is upon us! These young men won Athlete of the Month to earn a spot on this ballot. Now, their friends, family, and fans have an opportunity to get them to the finish the line. Congratulations to all of these deserving young men, and--as always--thank you for voting!
MARQUEZ STEVENSON (CAPTAIN SHREVE) - One of two seniors on this poll, Stevenson has graduated from Captain Shreve and has moved on to Lubbock, TX where he begins the next chapter of his career as a member of the Texas Tech football and track and field program. "Macho," was the MileSplit LA Boys' Athlete of the Month for January after an impressive showing duirng the indoor season which saw his win the LSU HS Qualifier in the 60m (6.85). Stevenson went on to defend his LHSAA Divison 1 state indoor 400m title with a 48.80--his third consecutive title in the event. Injuries plagued his outdoor campaign, but he was able to return for the District 1-5A Meet where the reigning LHSAA Class 5A state outdoor champion ran a 48.36. Stevenson decided to hang up the spikes after the District 1-5A Meet to prepare for Texas Tech.
DEDRICK LATULAS (WESTGATE) - Latulas, senior, was MileSplit LA Boys' Athlete of the Month for February. In early March, Latulas travelled to Boston where he competed at the New Balance Indoor Nationals finishing No.11 in the triple jump with a personal record 45-2.25. He used that momentum to have a great outdoor season, which saw him win state championships in both the LHSAA Class 4A triple jump (45-4) and long jump (22-6). Latulas also finished third in the 110m hurdles (15.26) to help Westgate claim their third consecutive state championship.
SAMUEL HODSON (CENTRAL LAFOURCHE)- Hodson was the MileSplit LA Boys' Athlete of the Month for March. The junior caught our eye early during the 2023 outdoor season when pulled off an unusal double--winning both the 1600m (4:36.72) and 200m (22.39) at the Cardinal Relays. At the time, the 200m performance was one of the top 25 in the state. Hodson is the only runner in Louisiana ranked in both the Top 100 in both events, but he did not compete in either event at the LHSAA State Outdoor Meet. He finished fourth (48.49) in a loaded Class 5A 400m field at Bernie Moore Stadium, in the shadows of Tiger Stadium where his uncle-- legendary LSU quarterback Tommy Hodson--led the Tigers during some magical years in the mid-1980s.
PAUL CATALANATTO (CATHOLIC) - Catalanatto, who won the LHSAA Class 5A javelin with a personal record of 201-9.25, was the MileSplit LA Boys' Athlete of the Month for April. The throw at state was good enough for a No. 1 ranking in Louisiana. It also ranks No.14 in the nation. Look for Catalanatto to move up in the national rankings when the junior closes out his high school career in 2024.
SEAN LEDESMA (LEESVILLE TRACK CLUB) - The sophomore, who competes for DeRidder during the regular is 2-0 in the last two weeks of MileSplit polls. First, he was the MileSplit LA Boys' Performer of the Week after a podium finish in the 1500m (4:44.48) at the Louisiana Games in Monroe. Then, last week he won the MileSplit LA Boys' Athlete of the Month for May. Will he be able to make three in a row? His supporters certainly know how to get the job done. Ledesma was the District 3-4A champion in the 3200m (11:09.12). Despite running a personal record of 10:54.87 at the Region 1-4A Meet, Ledesma finished fourth, just missing out on a trip to the state meet.