by Malcolm Butler
Jerry Vascocu and Ashley Aldredge Brooks will join an elite club Friday night when the duo are inducted into the Cedar Creek School Athletics Hall of Fame.
The induction will take place at The Brickhouse in between the varsity girls and boys basketball games against Jonesboro-Hodge.
Aldredge Brooks graduated from Cedar Creek in 2010 before attending Northwestern State where she was an honors graduated in 2016, earning her master’s degree in sports administration.
“I am extremely humbled and honored to be recognized as a Cedar Creek Hall of Fame inductee,” said Aldredge Brooks. “Cedar Creek shaped me into the person I am today – both on and off the field; and the school will always hold a special place in my heart. I am thankful for the coaches, teammates, and family members who provided so much support and guidance to me along my journey.
“I will be forever grateful for the recognition and for Cedar Creek School. These were some of the best years of my life. I hope this inspires my greatest blessings (my three young boys) and all the other young student-athletes I encounter with that with dedication, passion and perseverance, the sky is the limit to what they can achieve.”
During her time as a Lady Cougars, she was a standout in track and field while also playing basketball and softball. She competed on the USA World Team at the IAAF World Youth Championships in Bressanone, Italy, and was a two-time LHSAA All-American honoree.
Her track and field accomplishments started at an early age at Creek as she was the LHSAA state runner-up in the javelin in her 7th grade year and was the state champion in the event each of the next five years. She was a USATF Junior Olympic National Champion and was also featured in Sports Illustrated – Faces in the Crowd in 2008.
“My family moved to Ruston when I was young, and I immediately felt at home,” said Aldredge Brooks. “I was blessed to have my dad as my track coach and spent a lot of time in the field house and on the track. I was also so fortunate to have the best coaches in the other sports I participated in.
“Coach Katie Eagles and Coach Joey Adams both pushed me to the limits – even if it meant playing in a basketball game with a broken nose or a softball game with a broken finger -I was in. I was all around blessed with the coaches, teachers, and faculty I had in my corner; whether they coached me personally or was just there to encourage and support me throughout this journey.”
During her time at Northwestern State, she was a member of the collegiate track and field team where she earned All-American honors both academically and athletically. She was the Southland Conference javelin champion three times. In 2012, she was named the All-Louisiana Co-Freshman of the Year and received first team All-Louisiana Collegiate Track and Field honors.
“I would also like to thank my mom,” said Aldredge Brooks. “She tends to go unrecognized a lot of times, but without her behind the scenes, I would not have been as successful on or off the field without her. She is the true definition of unconditional love and support.
“She pushed me to my highest potential, always honest; especially if it was something I did not want to hear, and never accepted anything but my best effort in anything I was doing.”
Aldredge Brooks was selected as an inductee to the 2025 LHSAA Hall of Fame as a competitor, joining her father/coach Corwyn Aldredge.
Ashley currently serves as the girl’s strength and conditioning coach and assistant track coach at Ouachita Christian School. Before assuming her position with OCS, she worked as an Assistant Athletic Director at Louisiana Tech and as the ULM Ticket and Event Director.
Vascocu graduated from Creek in 1991, serving as the salutatorian before signing a football scholarship to play at Vanderbilt University.
“I am so very thankful for the relationships that I have been blessed with that originated at Cedar Creek,” said Vascocu. “My closest friendships to this day were formed in that elementary school building and that playground at Cedar Creek in the early 1980s. Those same friendships were fortified on the football field, basketball court, track, locker rooms during our high school years. I would not trade anything for those days as those same relationships have become even more important to me today.”
Vascocu served as class president for three years and was a member of the National Honor Society. He also earned many other honors, such as The American Legion Award, The Masonic Honesty & Integrity Award, and was a National Football Foundation Award winner.
“The fact that Cedar Creek held up athletics and academics in such balance is part of the secret sauce,” said Vascocu. “That balance is still in place today… so the secret sauce remains intact. I love the commitment of all the families that surrounded us in our days. And I know that same commitment remains their today. Being a part of Cedar Creek was and is a family affair for sure.”
A multi-sport star at Cedar Creek, he excelled on the football field, earning first team all-state honors and a spot on the all-Northeast Louisiana team at linebacker as a junior and senior. He was named on of Louisiana’s “Top 20 Football Recruits” by the Shreveport Times in 1990 and was recognized in USA Today as an All-American linebacker honorable mention.
He was a recipient of the Monroe News-Star’s “Buddy Blair Award” for football and academics. Aside from football, Jerry was also a two-year starting center for the Cougar Basketball team, as well as qualified for the state track meet in shot-put in 1991.
However, his top memory came on the hardwood.
“Beating Grambling Lab in basketball in their gym in 1988,” said Vascocu. “That was one of the most amazing things I have ever gotten to experience. Also, beating Grambling Lab in the last seconds in football in 1990 was another incredible memory.
“I have great memories of playing with the guys a little older than me too. We joined LHSAA when I was a 9th grader and the experience was really special. I so admired those upper classmen and loved playing along side them when I had the chance.. I can call everyone of them by name and number, and I will always remember every teammate I ever had at Cedar Creek.”
During his time at Vanderbilt, he was a football letterman, the chaplain for the Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity, and loved volunteering at the Nashville boys and girls club while in college. He graduated from Vanderbilt in 1995, earning his bachelor’s degree in economics.
“Everyone associated with Cedar Creek encouraged me in everything I did from the day I arrived as a third grade kid,” said Vascocu. “The teachers cared for us deeply and we, in turn, really cared about them. That encouragement has been with me ever since those great days at the Creek.”
Vascocu is a very successful businessman who has been in the banking industry for over 29 years. He currently serves as the President of B1 Bank and resides in Baton Rouge. He is a past chairman of “One Acadiana,” as well as a previous board member for the Ascension Episcopal School in Lafayette. He is a current board member for the Oschner Lafayette general hospital and its foundation.
This is the sixth induction since the Cedar Creek Athletics Hall of Fame was formed and Aldredge Brooks and Vascocu will make the total inductees 16.
Class of 2019
Doug Bagwell
Donnie Barmore
Frankie Garcia
Steve Johnston
Jane Ellen Cook Kuenzle
Wallace Martin
Class of 2020
Tommy Joe Eagles
Ann Pendergrass Harris
Sammi Riser Massey
Kelly McHale
Class of 2021
Dickie Crawford
Nicole Burn West
Class of 2023
Gloria Riser
Class of 2024
Carla Colvin
Class of 2025
Jerry Vascocu
Ashley Aldredge Brooks
