MICHAEL KIRAL / L’Observateur / December 9, 2000

NEW ORLEANS – Riverside senior running back Brandon Delaneuville walked out of the Superdome with a trophy Friday night.

It just wasn’t the one he wanted.

Delaneuville was named the Outstanding Player of the Game for Riverside in the Class 2A state championship game against Ouachita Christian.

But the award he really wanted was the Class 2A state championship trophy.

The Eagles received that one after defeating the Rebels, 28-14, ending Riverside’s hopes for a perfect season.

“It’s great and everything,” Delaneuville said of winning the Outstanding Player award. “But it doesn’t mean anything if we didn’t win the statechampionship. That was what I wanted.”Delaneuville certainly did what he could to get the Rebels to that goal. On thefirst play from scrimmage, he carried for a 19-yard gain to the Riverside 45, just missing going all the way as the Eagles’ Andy Bryant made an open-field tackle. He later added runs of 17 and seven yards in the second quarter.Delaneuville’s 12-yard run on the Rebels first possession of the second half gave the Rebels a first down at the Ouachita Christian eight-yard line. Twoplays later, Delaneuville swept right, then cut in from seven yards out for the score, giving Riverside a 14-13 lead with 6:58 left in the third quarter.

Delaneuville finished with a team-high 66 yards on seven carries. He alsocaught a 10-yard pass.

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