’06: A Look Back

Before looking forward to the New Year, it is appropriate to look to the past. And for Tri-Parish area athletes, 2006 was a year of achievement. Some athletes won state championships for their schools, while others simply went out and competed the best they knew how.

Vandebilt Catholic led the way with team championships in boy’s soccer, softball and boy’s and girl’s swimming. Meanwhile, Vandebilt cross-country runner Alex Breaux brought an individual title to the school, while Paul Watson and Rachel Laurent scored individual track and field championships.

E.D. White’s boy’s cross country team won the team championship at the state meet, while it’s girl’s squad placed third.

Other state championships for the area included South Lafourche’s Colby Comeaux (track and field) and H.L. Bourgeois’ Christian Williams (track and field).

January

• Success on the hardwood. With the New Year came success for Tri-Parish basketball teams. Throughout the month of January, five area teams had spots in the Top 10 polls. On the boy’s side were Ellender and E.D. White. On the girl’s side were Ellender, Vandebilt and Thibodaux. Area teams receiving votes were (Boys) Terrebonne and Thibodaux and (Girls) H.L. Bourgeois.

• Colonels start hot, end cold. Nicholls State’s men’s basketball got off to its best Southland Conference start since the 2000-2001 season. The Colonels started conference play 3-1, but cooled off, losing their final four games of the month to finish January at 3-5 in SLC play.

• Setting records. As an individual accomplishment, the Terrebonne Lady Tigers Kandice Champagne scored her 100th goal of her career … in just her junior season.

February

• More hardwood. In February, Morgan City’s boy’s basketball team entered the Class 4A top 10 with a 24-7 start. The Ellender Patriots, who failed to make the playoffs the prior year, reestablished themselves as one of the state’s elite teams—however, they finished second in District 6-5A with losses to Terrebonne and South Lafourche.

• Nicholls football prepares for future. The Colonels football team completed its recruiting for the year, adding five area players to the roster. Thibodaux’s Zach Chauvin, Demetrius McCoy and Jaime Granier became Colonels, while E.D. White’s Nolan Dumas and Central Lafourche’s Justin Arbuckle also committed to Nicholls.

• Soccer teams reach playoffs. Four teams advanced past the first round on the boy’s side—Terrebonne, Central Lafourche, E.D. White and Vandebilt Catholic. All but Vandy bowed out in the second round. In the girl’s bracket, Terrebonne, Vandebilt and E.D. White reached the quarterfinals with Terrebonne and E.D. White losing.

March

• Vandebilt soccer dynasty? The Vandebilt boy’s soccer team won its fourth state championship in five years. The Terriers clinched the title with an 8-0 win over East Ascension. In the Terriers’ playoff run, they outscored opponents 28-0. The Lady Terriers finished as state-runner up after a 3-1 loss to St. Thomas More.

• Basketball playoffs. No area basketball team made it past the second round. Terrebonne’s boys entered as the fourth-ranked team in the state, but were defeated in the second round by eventual state champion John Ehret. Ellender and H.L. Bourgeois also lost in the second round, while E.D. White lost in the opening round. In the girl’s bracket, Ellender and H.L. Bourgeois each lost in the second round.

• Nicholls baseball upsets Tulane. On a normal day, the Colonels were not supposed to defeat Tulane. So after head coach Chip Durham suspended 16 players for academic violations, nobody expected a Nicholls roster of 18 players to beat the Green Wave. In an otherwise forgetful season, the Colonels beat Tulane 7-4 for the signature win of the season.

• Bayou Barracuda’s finish 8th. As a team, the Bayou Barracuda’s finished 8th at the state swim meet. Individually, Monique Lefort and Ned Briglio set three team records and earned 5 gold medals.

April

• Colonels receive rings. Capping off spring practice, the Nicholls State football team had its annual Red and Gray scrimmage. At the end of the scrimmage, the Colonels received their 2005 Southland Conference Championship rings in a ceremony that honored the 2005 team.

• Softball playoffs under way. Area softball teams competed for a trip to Sulphur, for the State Softball Tournament, but only one prevailed. Morgan City, Central Lafourche, South Terrebonne, H.L. Bourgeois and Thibodaux were all defeated, but Vandebilt reached Sulphur via wins over Morgan City and Beau Chene

May

• Vandy wins softball title. “The third time is a charm” did not ring true for the Lady Terriers in 2005, but in 2006, Vandebilt took its fourth consecutive trip to the championship game. This time, the Lady Terriers came out on top with a 1-0 win over Archbishop Blenk.

• Thibodaux surprises. On the baseball diamond, most area teams bowed out of the playoffs early (Ellender, H.L. Bourgeois and Terrebonne). E.D. White and Central Lafourche reached the second round but suffered losses to De La Salle and Hahnville. Thibodaux reached the State Tournament in Lafayette and nearly beat top-ranked Rummel. The Tigers entered the 7th inning with a 3-2 lead, but gave up two runs, losing the game 4-3.

• Lady Colonels softball exits SLC Tourney. The Lady Colonels reached the Southland Conference Tournament on the last day of its regular season, but exited the tourney after three games. The Lady Colonels split games on the tournament’s opening day, but lost 9-2 to Texas State on the second day.

June/July/August

• Swampland Baseball League. The E.D. White-based Capital One Cardinals accomplished the feat of repeating as Swampland champions, defeating South Terrebonne 15-5 in the championship game. The Cardinals finished the regular season with a league-best 12-3 record, and went on to beat Vandebilt-based Coastal Commerce 11-8 in the first game of the playoffs.

• Area hall-of-famers. Two area athletes were officially inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in July. Ronnie Estay and Frank Wilson, both former football players, received the honor.

• Manning Passing Academy returns to Thibodaux. For the second summer in a row, thousands of campers from across the country came to Thibodaux for a three-day weekend of learning skills from Peyton and Eli Manning. Other quarterbacks serving as counselors were LSU’s JaMarcus Russell, Florida’s Chris Leak and Michigan State’s Drew Stanton.

• Bayou Barracuda medal winners. At the state meet, three Bayou Barracuda swimmers won gold medals. Anee Briglio won two gold medals, while Monique Lefort and Kip Pierce each won one. The Barracudas won a total of 15 medals.

• Colonels picked near top of conference. At the Southland Conference media day, Nicholls’ football team was picked to finish near the top of the conference. Southland Conference coaches picked the Colonels to finish third, while sports information directors picked Nicholls to finish second.

September

• Friday nights under the lights. High school football’s regular season started on the first Friday of September, and saw a number of key wins. On opening night, Thibodaux beat No. 9 West Jefferson, 28-26, and Vandebilt beat rival E.D. White 16-8. Later in the month, South Terrebonne got a leg up in the Bayou District with a 36-14 win over Thibodaux. Most impressive, though, was the Ellender Patriots, who started 3-0 for the first time since 1994.

• Nicholls struggles against top teams. The Colonels started the season as defending Southland Conference champions, but in four non-conference games, Nicholls went 1-3. The four-game September included games against Division I-A competition Nebraska and Louisiana Tech.

October

• South Terrebonne, E.D. White earn key wins. On their way to district championship seasons, the Gators and Cardinals each recorded key wins during the month of October. South Terrebonne beat district rival H.L. Bourgeois 28-21, on the legs of senior running back Philip Livas who ran for 305 yards on 35 carries. The Gators improved to 6-0 on the season, and handed H.L. Bourgeois its only district loss. Meanwhile, E.D. White beat district rival Patterson, 21-20.

• Volleyball heats up. District races in volleyball heated up, as the top rivalry in the area got underway. The Terrebonne Lady Tigers set themselves up for an eventual district title with a 3-0 sweep of H.L. Bourgeois.

• Colonels split games. Nicholls split four games in the month of October, going 2-2, including two conference losses. The Colonels started the month by beating Southeastern Louisiana 14-10, but dropped their next two games by a combined 46-7.

November

• Football playoffs begin, end. Six Tri-Parish teams qualified for the state football playoffs. Of them, three lost in the first round—South Terrebonne, H.L. Bourgeois and Thibodaux. It was South Terrebonne’s only loss of the season. Patterson, E.D. White and Vandebilt were defeated in the second round.

• Two volleyball teams finish as runner up. E.D. White and Morgan City each reached the championship game of the State Volleyball Tournament at the Pontchartrain Center. Both teams capped off their successful seasons as the second best team in their division.

• Colonels continue struggles. The Colonels football team continued its struggles, going 1-2 in the season’s final month. The team finished their season 4-7 overall and 2-4 in the Southland Conference.

December

• Back to the hardwood. The Ellender Patriots have gotten off to the best start possible, as they are undefeated headed into the New Year. Meanwhile, Morgan City enters the New Year at 17-1, with its lone loss coming to Ellender.

• Bayou All Stars. In the first annual Bayou vs. River Region All-Star Game, the Bayou surprised the River Region with a convincing 36-20 win. Keying the win was co-MVP Philip Livas, who ran for 199 yards and a touchdown.

Photo by Doug Keese /NSU * Nicholls State quarterback Vince Montgomery hands off to a running back during the Colonels spring game. The game culminated in a ring ceremony for the 2005 Southland Conference champion Colonels football team.