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Shay LaPorte (45) is glad to be back in the lineup.

VC 's linebacker grateful to be playing in big game

Shay LaPorte has battled injury and illness this year

A torn medial collateral ligament and a battle with mononucleosis nearly ended Vermilion Catholic linebacker Shay LaPorte’s season, but the senior returned to the field for the Eagles’ semifinal victory and will play Saturday in the Superdome.
LaPorte, the son of Christine and Sammy LaPorte, started his varsity career as a freshman on the offensive line, starting at left guard. As a sophomore he moved to linebacker and quickly became the quarterback of the defense. He is responsible for relaying the defensive calls and getting everyone lined up properly.
He’s pulled double-duty as a senior, playing defense as well as manning the H-back position on offense. That position is a combination of fullback and tight end. LaPorte blocks primarily, but also runs passing routes and even carries the football. He scored twice this season on the ground, including a touchdown last week in the semifinals versus Cedar Creek.
In week three against in-parish rival Erath, LaPorte tore the MCL in his knee and missed the next three weeks. He returned in week seven, but then started feeling ill leading up to Eagles hard-fought victory over 4A Eunice in week eight.
LaPorte scored the first touchdown of his career in week nine against Hanson, before he started feeling really bad and ended up at the doctor. That’s when he found out he’d been having mono for three weeks. Rest and plenty of fluids are the keys to recovery from the “kissing disease.”
“I missed four days of school,” said LaPorte. “I slept a lot and punished our satsuma tree. Vitamin C and a lot of prayers got me better.”
After playing three years virtually injury free, LaPorte admitted suffering back-to-back injuries his senior season took a toll on his psyche. Missing playoff games didn’t help either because each week could have marked the end of his high school career.
“After all the hard work I put in, I had to ask why,” he explained. “I took it very hard. It was scary each week of the playoffs knowing if we lost, it was over and there was nothing I could do. I’m not ashamed to admit, I cried.”
LaPorte turned to his brother, Dustin Bertrand and his religion teacher Reba Broussard for guidance and support. They reminded him that football isn’t everything and what God wants will happen. It took him a while, but eventually he dealt with it.
“God had a plan,” he continued. “I believe God was saving me for this moment. Had I been on the field, I could’ve got hurt much worse in a game in a game we won without me. He protected me so that I would have a chance to play in the Dome.”
LaPorte is very aware and appreciative of the tremendous support he and his teammates have received from the VC community. He is thankful for everything they do and is excited to be part of the 2013 VC sports year, in which the school also won the Class 1A girls’ basketball state championship.
“It’s awesome to be able to give a trip to the Dome back to the community,” he said. After all the support they’ve shown us over the years, winning two state championships in 2013 would be a great way to repay them.”
In the classroom LaPorte carries a 4.0 grade point average and scored a 28 on the ACT. He plans on going to UL-Lafayette to be a physician’s assistant. He will also try to walk on to the Cajuns’ football team. He also plays basketball, baseball and will run track for the first time this year, which doesn’t leave him with much idle time.
“To become a physician’s assistant, it’s a six-year process,” he said. “Once you get your undergraduate degree, you enroll in a two-year program. It’s like medical school, but nowhere near as intense. It’s not about money. I want to be happy and help people. I want to be the best person I can be. That’s what drives me.”
“All I do right now is workout, homework, eat and sleep,” he continued. “There is no hobby that I do religiously, except my religion. Besides sports, my faith is the biggest part of my life.”
LaPorte pointed to his older brother Dustin Bertrand and coaches, both past and present, as people who have influenced his life and made him a better person.
“My brother always said be phenomenal or be forgotten,” he said. “Coach Trev Faulk, who coached us until my sophomore year, taught us about football and life. He lives to help young people. He’d go out of his way every day to pick me up for school when my mom and I lived in an apartment in Lafayette. It was tough for everyone when he left.”
Coach (Russell) Kuhns is very similar to Trev,” he continued. “He uses football to teach us life. He’s really like a father to us. My linebackers coach, Eric LeBlanc always asks us how we want to be remembered. What kind of legacy do we want to leave behind? We want to be remembered as one of the football teams in VC history. We want 2013 to be remembered as the best year in VC sports history.”

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