By DAVID FOLSE II

Sports Editor

RESERVE-For the Reserve Christian Eagles, 2004-05 will be a year to remember when it comes to athletics.

The girl’s basketball team again made it to the state playoffs, the baseball team made it to the playoffs and several track athletes qualified for the state meet in Baton Rouge.

Oh yeah, then there was the boy’s basketball team.

In a shock to pretty much nobody, the Eagles cruised through Class B opponents en route to the state championship.

“Overall, we had a really good year,” Reserve Christian Athletic Director Tim Byrd said. “All schools have a flagship program. Because we don’t have football, our flagship program is our boy’s basketball team. That is the engine that drives everything else.

“We were definitely pleased with the progress that we made in all the other sports. We are refocusing now on our junior high, and we are focusing on all of our athletics at Reserve Christian School. The main thing for us is to try and improve and get better. We are not going to become championship caliber programs overnight, but we are making strides to get better. Hopefully we will get better as opposed to taking a step back.”

Byrd will have to make only one replacement in terms of coaching at Reserve. Mary Ellen Tucker will no longer be in charge of the volleyball program.

A coach has not been hired to date.

“We are looking for someone who can relate to the kids,” Byrd said of his preference. “A coach who can get the most out of a player. We are looking for someone who is passionate about the sport and also exhibits the kind of character that we are looking for in a head coach at Reserve.”

One addition to the athletics program at Reserve Christian will be swimming and diving team, something Byrd is excited about.

“We have several kids in the school that are swimmers,” Byrd said. “The timing was right. We were able to do it because we had someone who was willing to coach it who is very interested and is willing to put the time in to do it right.”

The responsibilities of the new program fall on the shoulders of Lisa Young, someone Byrd said he is ecstatic to have at Reserve.

“She’s very energetic,” Byrd said of Young. “She’s a very positive person. She’s a tireless worker. She is the kind of person who is going to do whatever is necessary for her to build a first-class program.

“She’s a perfect fit. If it wouldn’t have been for Lisa, we would not be having swimming. Because we have the right person for this sport and enough kids who want to participate, it was a very easy decision.”

Based on their enrollment, Reserve will be moving down for the next two years, competing for Class C championships.