BY GEORGE MAHL

The year 2002 has come and gone and it left lasting memories with local coaches, players and parents. L’Observateur looks back at the year that was.

Riverside Academy

RESERVE – Things went very well for Riverside Academy’s sports teams in 2002.

The girls basketball team went 10-2 in district and finished 17-12 overall. In addition, junior Crystal Rome averaged 26.7 points per game and went above the 2,000 point mark for her career. She was also named 9-2A Most Valuable Player.

The boys team finished with a disappointing 11-21 record and a 3-8 district record for first-year head coach Tommy Monier. Probably the most difficult loss for the Rebels was a 71-38 loss to Redeemer-Seton High School on Feb. 8. Josh Labiche, a part-time starter, was perhaps the Rebels top performer last season.

Things picked up in the spring for RA athletics. The softball team had a productive year by winning the District 9-2A championship and the state championship by defeating Port Barre High School 1-0 in May.

Lady Rebels ace softball pitcher Summer Delaneuville was rewarded with a scholarship to Mississippi State University for her hard work on and off the field. The baseball team experienced the same success the softball team did during the year. Head coach Davey Clement’s squad finished with an impressive 22-7 record and a perfect 12-0 district record. However, the Reserve school fell short of their ultimate goal of winning the state championship by falling to Kinder High School 4-1 in the regional round of the state playoffs.

Next, the fall sports season rolled around and both the volleyball team and football team picked up where the spring sports teams left off. Things did not get off, however, to a blazing start for the football program. Head coach Mickey Roussel experienced a difficult early season schedule resulting in a 1-4 start.

Riverside rebounded though with three-straight victories over Buras High School, St. Martin’s High School, and Grace King High School near the end of the season. In fact, the Rebels made it all the way to the state semi-finals before bowing out to eventual state champion Port Barre. A large reason for the success of the Rebels this year was their running game. Riverside rushed for more than 3,600 yards.

Finally, the volleyball team had a productive season as well. The Lady Rebels finished with a winning record, but the squad was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. Chelsea Albares and Mindy Richard led the RA attack during the year.

East St. John High School

RESERVE – The East St. John High School Wildcats excelled in several sports this year under first-year athletic director, former Ouachita High School head football coach Larry Dauterive.

“I am a man with zero hobbies. I go from home to school. That is what Larry Dauterive is all about,” is what Dauterive said after he was hired.

Under head coach Troy Giordano, the girls basketball team performed well, as is usually the case. The girls continued their amazing win streak of 67 consecutive home games to close out the regular season. In addition, the girls claimed their sixth district title in the process. They did, however, come up short of their ultimate goal: winning the state 5A championship. The Lady Wildcats lost in the quarterfinals to Dominican High School. The sensational play of Kovanna Reese resulted in her signing a scholarship with Southern University of New Orleans.

Fall sports featured a tremendous turnaround for the football team. The Wildcats went from 3-7 in 2001 to a respectable 8-3 record in 2002. East St. John did, however, fall in the opening round of the playoffs to Acadiana High School. The ground attack of ESJ was one of the main reasons for a successful 2002 campaign. The Wildcats rushed for 1,770 yards and scored 33 touchdowns during the season. In addition, highly recruited defensive ends Kirston Pittman and Vegas Franklin combined for 89 tackles and six blocked punts this year.

The volleyball team did not experience the same success the football team did this year. The Lady Wildcats had several problems throughout the year leading to a dismal record. A bright spot was the play of senior Artrina Radcliffe. She was the top player for coach Sandi Stein.

St. Charles Catholic High School

LAPLACE – St. Charles Catholic was one of the schools that had respectable performances in winter, spring and fall sports.

In the winter, the boys basketball team finished with a 4-4 record in district play and a 13-17 record overall. The most thrilling win of the season for head coach Phillip Cavell was a 74-71 double overtime victory over Lutcher. Three players making valuable contributions to the season were Daress Nicholas, Michael Bonura, and Aaron Johnson. Each averaged in double figures for the season.

The girls, meanwhile, finished with a disappointing 10-19 record under head coach Erin Bacas. However, will all five returning starters back for this season, there is a great deal of optimism for the Lady Comets.

Spring sports saw success with both the girls and boys teams. The baseball team won the District 10-3A but fell short against Parkview Baptist High School, losing 6-2 in the quarterfinals. Despite falling short, SCC starting pitcher Jason Waguespack pitched a complete game and struck out seven in the process.

Meanwhile, the Lady Comets softball team went 17-12 during the regular season.

In the fall, the Comets football team did better than some expected by finishing third in its district. Head coach Frank Monica got his team off to a 4-0 start.

The Comets then struggled against E.D White High School and St. James before closing out the season with a victory against Lutcher. However, the team’s playoff run ended abruptly when they were knocked out by Franklinton High School in the first round.

Finally, the girls volleyball team showed promise throughout the season. Two crucial victories over Lutcher High School enabled the Lady Comets to place second in the district behind E.D. White. Like the football team, the volleyball team exited the playoffs early by falling to Notre Dame High School in the bi-district round.

West St. John High School

EDGARD – Good chemistry for West St. John was the main reason why the Rams won the District 2A boys basketball championship last year. Their season ended with a 72-61 loss to Jackson High School in the playoffs. On the other hand, the girls team did not fare as well. The Lady Rams struggled under coach Lester Smith and finished 4-8 in district and 12-16 overall.

The football team experienced perhaps the best success of any sport. Under head coach Laury Dupont, the Rams marched to the District 9-2A championship with a 9-1 regular season record. In addition, they had a nine-game winning streak during the season in which they destroyed opponents. The first two rounds of the playoffs saw the Rams defeat their opponents by a combined score of 88-14. Their domination ended Nov. 29 when they were defeated by Iota High School. Earlier in the year, running back Devin Herbert, who rushed for more than 1,600 yards and 31 touchdowns in his senior season, signed a scholarship with Southern University.

Reserve Christian School

RESERVE – Reserve Christian School is known for having excellent boys basketball teams. In the 2001-02 season, the Eagles proved why they are considered one of the top teams in the River Parishes.

With another district title under their belt, RCS went on to defeat French Settlement School 70-55 and Doyline School, one week later, to advance to the championship game against nine-time champion Zwolle High School. The Eagles played well in claiming another state championship with a 70-57 victory over the Hawks in Lafayette.

Demond “Tweety” Carter, an eighth-grader, averaged 22.7 points per game and was instrumental in helping the Eagles claim the championship. The girls team had similar success in winning the 12-B championship under coaches Kevin Branch and Ronnie Byrd.

The track team members also had good reason to smile in 2002. They finished in fourth place at the state championship held in Baton Rouge. Jalessa Smith, Mary Venus and Sarah Dicharry earned individual honors. Smith was given the most valuable track athlete all-around, while Venus was named most valuable track athlete and Dicharry was chosen as the most improved athlete.

Senior Marshall Williams became the first RCS student-athlete to win the 100-meter relay with a time of 11.04 seconds. Lastly, the school also received 60 points in the Louisiana High School Athletic Association standings in Class B. Each school is awarded points for their accomplishments in LHSAA-sponsored sports.

Destrehan High School

DESTREHAN – During the cool winter months of 2002, Destrehan High School sports were hot.

The girls basketball team had a satisfying season for head coach Ulysses Frontha. The Lady Wildcats finished with an impressive 12-2 record in district play and a 23-9 mark overall. Top player Ashley Sentimore recently signed a scholarship to play at Mississippi State University.

On the boys side, second-year head coach Joe Schick’s squad also had an excellent 2002. The Fighting Wildcats claimed their second District 6-5A championship with a 94-56 blasting of South Lafourche High School. One week later, DHS destroyed Brother Martin High School 71-52, but had their season come to an end with a 55-47 defeat at the hands of Higgins High School. Destrehan closed out the 2001-02 season with a 21-8 record and a trip to the playoffs.

In the spring, the baseball team had one of its best seasons ever.

“An overall record of 24-7, undefeated district record of 14-0, and an 18-game winning streak that took us into the third round of the playoffs. I am proud,” head coach Marty Luquet said.

To his credit, Luquet was also chosen All-Metro coach of the year. The defending district champs got things off to a fast start by winning their first four district games, including a 4-3 victory over Hahnville.

The softball team, however, did not perform as well as the baseball team did last season. The Lady Wildcats finished with only four district wins. Despite going through a difficult season, Megan Stock managed to hit around .400 for the year.

Fall sports saw both the football and volleyball teams go farther than most people expected. With their high-powered offense and speed on defense, the Wildcats made it to the state quarterfinals before losing a close game against eventual state 5A champ Evangel Christian Academy.

Under the direction of head coach Calvin Ike, the Lady Wildcats volleyball team won more than 30 games this year and the district crown. Their season ended in the second round of the playoffs when they were beaten by Broadmoor High School. Atina Porter, Destrehan’s top player, recently committed to play for Nicholls State University.

Hahnville High School

BOUTTE – All year long, Hahnville High School experienced success in each of the seasonal sports.

The girls basketball team had a banner 2002. After finishing third in a difficult district, HHS made the playoffs, but lost to Dominican High School 60-36 to conclude the season at 21-12. Likewise the boys team had a good season as they also had a 20-win plus year. Unfortunately for HHS, the team was knocked out of the playoffs in February.

The softball team had perhaps its best season ever. The Lady Tigers claimed their third-straight District 6-5A crown and posted and impressive 20-5 overall record (12-1 district).

“We had a great season, I’ve never had a season like this before. This is an excellent group of girls,” HHS coach Angela Beck said.

The baseball team also had a winning record. However, the biggest story was not what happened on the field, but off the field. Pitcher Jarrod Farrell became the first HHS baseball player to be drafted by a Major League Baseball team. The former HHS player thought about attending the University of New Orleans, but elected to begin his baseball career in the Appalachian League as part of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays’ organization.

Even with a young team, head football coach Lou Valdin managed to earn a district title and garner a trip to the playoffs. After defeating St. Augustine High School and Airline High School, the Tigers fell to Acadiana High School and All-State running back Alley Broussard.

Finally, the volleyball team, led by Flora Brown, finished with more than 20 wins and earned a trip to the playoffs. The season ended with a devastating defeat against Dominican in the quarterfinals.

St. James High School

VACHERIE – St. James High School had an excellent year in several sports.

Spring sports teams, baseball and softball, had better years than expected. The baseball team made the playoffs for the first time, while the softball team, only in its second year, made great strides.

“We played competitively in both sports. For being as young as we are in those sports and doing well is an accomplishment in itself,” athletic director Rick Gaille said.

As for fall and winter sports, Gaille, who is also the school’s head football coach, said the success of the football team hopefully will carry over to the volleyball team.

Volleyball head coach Joe Gauthreaux finished with a disappointing season due to a young team not coming together as the season progressed.

The football team had tremendous success by advancing to the state playoff semifinals. The Wildcats finished with an impressive 11-3 record only to see their season end when they were knocked out by Redemptorist High School.

Lutcher High School

LUTCHER – The Lutcher High School athletic program experienced highs and lows throughout the year.

The boys basketball team finished with a disappointing record. At one point, the Bulldogs were a dismal 0-7 in district and sported a 5-25 overall record. Ashlon Albert was a bright spot and averaged more than 13 points per game.

The girls basketball team, like the boys squad, struggled during the season. The Lady Bulldogs finished in third place in District 10-3A and sported a 6-4 district record. Overall, they finished 14-16. The top performer was junior Brandi Derbigny, who averaged nine points and four rebounds per game.

Things did get better though for the Bulldogs during the spring. In baseball, LHS showed signs of good things to come in the early part of the season. They sported a 6-3 record and had a four-game winning streak at the start of the campaign, including a 16-6 victory over Ponchatoula and a 9-1 trouncing of Broadmoor. The Bulldogs came up short, however, of claiming the District 10-3A championship. On April 18, Lutcher lost a tough 4-2 game to St. Charles Catholic, thus allowing the Comets to claim the district championship.

The Bulldogs took home second place in the district with a 9-3 district record. Like the baseball team, the Lady Bulldogs softball squad had a successful year. The LHS softball team had more than 20 wins during the season and was undefeated in district play through April 11.

The fall sports teams improved, especially the football team. Predicated to finish in last place in District 10-3A, the Bulldogs had a 4-2 record before district play began. Head coach Tim Detillier said of his young team, “We are greener than grass right now.”

A difficult stretch of losses against E.D. White and St. James made for tough days for the Bulldogs coaches and players. LHS, led by QB Bryce Matherne, ended up playing well but losing against St. Charles Catholic in the final regular season game.

Sporting a 5-5 record, the Bulldogs were able to host a first-round playoff game against Belle Chasse. The Bulldogs made the best of it and defeated the Cardinals 28-6.

“That was the most complete game we played all season,” Detillier said.

The post season, however, ended the next week with a 27-6 thumping at the hands of rival St. James in Vacherie.

The Lady Bulldogs volleyball team had a successful season by placing third in the district. Two crushing defeats happened against St. Charles Catholic near the end of the season.

Leading 14-6 in game three of the first match, the SCC Lady Comets rallied for a thrilling 16-14 defeat of Lutcher. Round two against SCC saw the Lady Bulldogs play hard but fall short against St. Charles Catholic.

The loss eliminated any post season hopes the Lutcher team members may have had.

One of the bright spots for the squad this year was the play of Lyndi Martin.

The Nicholls State University commitment made second team All-District and led her club in assists and serve percentage.