Central High 2008 Graduate Dr. Justin Creel Walked Down Memory Lane at Rip’s Studio

Dr. Justin Creel pulled the door open to Rip’s Photography Studio in Zachary owned by Rip Rittell and was immediately hit with a wave of nostalgia.

Everything seemed so very familiar. Had it really been 13 years?

On this day, Creel had an appointment for a promotional photo as part of the beginning of his medical career. 

Creel will be joining Dr. Laurie Harrington at Advanced Dermatology/Renaissance Medical Spa in Zachary this summer after completing his dermatology residency at LSU School of Medicine. But he could not help but think about his last visit to the studio.

He surveyed the room as he walked in and saw it — that picture from 13 years ago — displayed prominently on the wall. The young high school senior in the picture, in his Central Wildcat baseball uniform, was swinging a bat, making contact, and through the miracles of technology the ball was bursting into flames. 

For a high school senior, the “cool” factor was off the charts. “I could not believe that picture was still hanging on the wall,” Creel said. “My ‘baseball flame’ masterpiece. Rip and I both got a kick out of the reunion and even took a new picture to commemorate. Although Rip doesn’t seem to have aged a day, it does remind me of just how long I’ve been away and how great it feels to have made my way back home.”

Creel is a Central native, born and raised, and his wife Samantha is from Zachary, a graduate of the rival Zachary High School. 

At the time of the original photo, Creel was a decorated infielder on his way to making All-District, All-Metro and All-State in his senior year. Baseball would take him on an extended adventure to Northeast Texas Community College and then to Coastal Carolina University where he was a two-year starter on a team that was laying the foundation for a national championship. Several of his teammates were on the 2016 NCAA National Championship team when Coastal Carolina won it all. By that time Creel was immersed in his studies at LSU Medical School in Shreveport, but he certainly felt a great deal of pride as his former teammates celebrated.

Creel managed to carry a 4.0 through his entire academic career, graduating summa cum laude while juggling a Division  baseball schedule and a major in biology.

“I think about those days and how fortunate I was to have been able to play college baseball at that level. It was a special time in my life and I played with and against a lot of guys who made it to the majors. But my end goal was always to go to medical school and become a doctor. It really is a dream come true for me to be home and practicing dermatology in the place where my roots run deep,” Creel said.

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