This Weekend At Cajun Country Lounge
March 13, 2012
NSU women make history
March 14, 2012
It didn’t take long for the Tri-parish track scene to get the message: South Lafourche’s junior standout Treavon Evans means business.
In just the first meet of the 2012 track season, Evans won both the long and triple jump events, posting impressive numbers in both events.
With the full season to ‘get in a groove,’ Evans and his coach believe much of the same should be expected from the Tarpons’ junior athlete as the sport progresses toward the district, regional and state meets.
“He’s fired up,” South Lafourche coach Joey Guidroz said. “Treavon is really enjoying track right now. He wants to really, really do well and it’s showing. He’s really working hard and it’s showing up on the field. We expect big things out of Trey this year.”
Evans winning first prize in the long and triple jump events isn’t necessarily a surprise – he held his own in both events last season a sophomore.
It’s how Evans is achieving the success that is coming as a bit of a surprise.
The Tarpon is still kicking off rust in the sand pits after having standout seasons on both the football gridiron and the basketball hardwood for South Lafourche.
In football, the Larose native started in South Lafourche’s defensive backfield.
On the hardwood and in his second season as the team’s starting point guard, Evans led the Tarpons to the playoffs.
Because of the team’s postseason run, Evans had just one week to prepare for track season, which started last week at the Thibodaux High Invitational.
It was at that meet where the junior started to get an inkling this may be his year.
Jumping against both his own inexperience and also a stiff breeze at his face, the Tarpons’ junior won the long jump with a 21-foot, 6-inch mark.
In the triple jump, things got even better, as Evans outlasted the competition by nearly an entire foot thanks to a mammoth 46-foot, 10-inch leap.
“For long, they didn’t really feel that good,” Evans said following the meet. “But for triple, I could just tell in the air, ‘Yeah, these are some good jumps.’ … Did I know that I could do this? Yeah. I knew I could get that far out there. But did I think I could do it in the first meet of the season? No, probably not.”
Any chance Evans’ opening meet success was a fluke ended this past week in the second meet of the season when the Tarpon repeated as triple jump champion, while placing second in the long jump, improving his jump to 22-feet in the process.
“I’m excited about this season,” Evans said. “I really believe that I’ve gotten a lot better. And my jumps are proving it. I think this could be a great year for me.”
The most likely reason Evans is gliding deeper into the sand this year is simple – health.
Guidroz said Evans was never 100 percent as a sophomore, adding that performing in pain often frustrated the jumper and caused him to perform out of rhythm.
“Last year, he was banged up,” Guidroz said. “This year, he’s healthy. And if he stays healthy throughout the duration of the season, look out.
“He just feels different out there. Last year, he didn’t have the confidence that he does now. And it’s showing. If he keeps it up and continues to have everything clicking at the same time, there’s no telling what he’s going to do.”
The truth is that Evans’ ascent to the top actually begun when the Tarpon was a ninth grader. During that season, South Lafourche standout Rusty Borne won the state championship in both the long and triple jump events.
Still a rookie to the track scene, Evans watched and learned from afar, but always kept in his mind that he wanted the same success Borne was having when it was his time to shine.
“My freshman year, I just watched and soaked it all in,” Evans said. “I didn’t even learn how to do the triple jump at all until the middle of track season. Here I am, this young guy watching someone else on my team have all of this success, winning all of these gold medals and even winning the state championship. Of course that fired me up. Of course, I put in the back of my mind that was something I wanted to do – somebody I wanted to be. That’s been my goal ever since then.”
“It helped him a lot,” Guidroz said. “A lot of times success carries success. Trey was a part of that team, obviously and he saw what Rusty was able to do and it’s pretty obvious it’s affected what he believes in his mind that he can do. There’s no doubt that it helped him.”
In addition to being a state champion, Borne also regularly set records in both the long and triple jump – rewriting the local record books in both events.
Could Evans do the same?
He thinks so.
“If I don’t get it this year, I’m going to push even harder to do it my senior year, because I want the state title and to snatch his records, too,” Evans said. “I want to break his marks – even in the triple jump. I know I can get there if I keep practicing and keep getting better. I’m not too far off now.”
Guidroz agrees.
“Yes,” he says with a pause when asked if Evans can beat Borne’s records. “Yes. He can. He has the tools to do it. There’s no doubt in my mind. And you know what? Those are good goals to go ahead and shoot for.
“I think he’ll do it.”
South Lafourche track athlete Treavon Evans splashes the sand during a meet this season. Evans has become a force in the long and triple jumps.
