By RYAN ARENA
L’Observateur

It may have been a tad bit confusing to those who haven’t been around the Lutcher football team this summer when they’d break team huddles not with “one-two-three-win!” or “one-two-three-team!”, but instead simply “one-two-three-four!”

But rest assured, the 2008 Class 3A state titlists aren’t firing themselves up by simply counting to four.

“Every year, we have a motto or a word that we come up with in the preseason,” said Lutcher coach Tim Detillier. “This year, it’s ‘four’.”

That’s four as in Class 4A, which Lutcher will be competing within for the first time in school history.

More importantly, it’s also four as in four state championships this decade, a distinction Lutcher will hold if it can take down the 4A crown in 2009.

That would make Lutcher a back-to-back champion for the first time in school history.

“The expectations are high, and I’m fine with that,” said Detillier. “Our kids seem to expect (excellence) of themselves, and people tend to do as they’re expected to. A lot has to go our way to win it, but I feel good about how they’ve set high personal expectations.”

While Lutcher has lost only 17 seniors from last year’s championship team, many of those came from a defense that set a Class 3A record for yardage allowed in the state championship game. Gone are players like Dexter McCoil, Blake Rome, Rashod Albert and Fred Thomas.

But Lutcher brings back an experienced secondary led by Todd Washington, Austin Roussel and Rico Albert. That unit should lead a “Dingos” defense that has a lot to live up to.

“We have very talented players coming back. Maybe even bigger, faster, stronger ones in many cases,” said Detillier. “But we lost a lot of great leadership and character.”

Offensively, senior Gavin Webster returns at quarterback. After taking over for Blaine Gauthier last season, Webster and the Bulldogs got off to something of a slow offensive start. It was soon forgotten about — Lutcher would score 68, 67, 40 and 58 points in games down the stretch, the last score coming in a 58-26 trouncing of Cecilia in the state semifinals.

Webster was a one-man wrecking crew as a passer and a rusher. And his growth not only continued on the football field, but on the baseball diamond throughout the spring, when he hit over .500 at the plate.

“A lot was expected of Gavin last year, but what people don’t realize is he expected more of himself than anybody,” Detillier said. “He just had to relax. Once he did, not only did he show himself to be the kind of player we all knew he would be, but I think he even exceeded expectations.”

Daniel Taylor enters his third year as a starter at tailback, despite being only a sophomore. Standout wide receiver Jarvis Landry returns for his junior campaign. All five offensive linemen are seniors, including returning starters Ridge Bourgeois, Jared Trosclair and Gary Disotell.

That experience will serve the offense well against a tough slate of games, including two matchups with defending 5A champ Destrehan (one in a jamboree), a tilt with Hahnville, and two immediate district matchups against 4A contenders Helen Cox and Belle Chasse — both on the road.

“Goodness, who made this schedule?” Detillier asked rhetorically with a laugh.

But if Lutcher survives that slate, “four” will be in reach — even if the Bulldogs already have changed the countdown up.

“It’s ‘three-two-one-four!’ now,” Detillier said. “So maybe that’ll avoid some of the confusion.”