QB Blaine Gautier passes for 250 to lead Lutcher to ‘06 state championship

By JOHNNY PEPPO

Sports Editor

NEW ORLEANS — When all wa said and done last Friday in the Superdome, Lutcher coach Tim Detillier could just smile.

His Bulldog football team had just knocked off the unbeaten Independance Tigers to win the 3A state championship by a score of 27-7 for Lutcher’s second title in four years dating back to 2003 when defensive lineman Rolando Melancon led LHS to the title as a freshman.

Melancon was again a driving force for the Bulldog in his senior year, spending much of the night in Independance’s backfield as well as doubling up to play on the LHS offensive line. On that side of the ball, Lutcher was just as dominant over the Tigers as quarterback Blaine Gautier led the Bulldogs on four scoring drives, accumulating 250 yards passing for two touchdowns and running for 41 yards and another score.

&#8220These guys have been big players for us all year long,” said Detillier in post-game comments. &#8220And they played their biggest tonight. It says so much about this whole team and it means so much to our school, fans and community. I told them that us taking the field would be the greatest comeback in Lutcher history because of everything we’d been through. And they all responded.”

It took a little while for the Bulldogs to get warmed up though.

Independance opened scoring for the game in the first quarter with a 65-yard drive that culminated in a Derrick Dupard two-yard touchdown run. But that’s all the Tigers would manage on offense as Melancon and the Lutcher defense locked up the Independance running attack and pressured quarterback Chris Banks relentlessly. Banks was sacked three times while completing 7-of-17 passes for 83 yards and two interceptions. Independance running backs Jay Owens and Dupard got 36 yards apiece to lead the Tigers on the ground rushing.

Gautier, meanwhile, seemed to figure out the Independance defense in the third quarter. With the game tied at 7-7, following Khymest Williams second quarter TD run of six yards, Gautier drove the Bulldogs from mid-field to set up a TD reception of 36- yards to Davonne Lumar.

The Bulldogs third scoring drive also began in the third quarter, as Lutcher started a marched downfield and finished with a one-yard run by Rashad Webster for a 21-7 lead.