THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES: A look back at the moments of ’07

Before ushering in every New Year, it’s only appropriate to reflect on the many accomplishments that occurred throughout the local sports scene.

And for those keeping track, the Tri-parish coverage area had many.

Multiple teams went on to win state and district titles and many student-athletes reaped individual awards and accolades for their prowess on the playing fields. Numerous games also galvanized the surrounding communities, lending credence to the notion that sports really do bring people together.

The following is a cursory look at the eventful year that was.

January

€ Central Lafourche hires Chad Callais to be its head football coach.

Callais came to the Trojans after two seasons as offensive line coach at Nicholls State University. During those seasons, the Colonels led the Southland Conference in rushing.

€ Gary Hill is promoted from defensive coordinator to head football coach at Terrebonne High School.

Hill replaces Joe Clement, who resigned after four seasons.

€ After defeating Philadelphia, the New Orleans Saints falls to the Chicago Bears in the NFC Championship Game. The Bears moved on to lose to Indianapolis in Super Bowl XLI.

€ The Cut Off Youth Center 7- and 8-year-old boys’ all-star team storms to a first-place finish in their host tournament.

€ Jamie Octave, a senior guard on the Nicholls State University women’s basketball team, becomes just the eighth player in school history to surpass the 1,000 point plateau in a 74-72 home defeat against the University of Central Arkansas.

“We are extremely proud of Jamie,” said Lady Colonels coach Mark Cook. “She has always been the leader of this team, and it is a compliment to her that her hard work and dedication are paying off.”

February

€ Speedy South Terrebonne running back Phillip Livas, Patterson defensive back Tarance Calais and H.L. Bourgeois linebacker Kiamni Washington sign letters of intent to play football at Louisiana Tech.

Livas ends his senior season as the Gators all-time leading rusher following a 2006 campaign that saw him amass 1,761 yards.

Other local players that sign with college programs include Thibodaux seniors A.J. Carter (defensive tackle) and Adrian Joseph (safety), South Lafourche’s Phillip Leger (safety) and Patterson’s Marcus Clark (linebacker).

€ The Terrebonne girls’ soccer team ends its season with a 3-0 loss to Lafayette. The E.D. White, Central Lafourche and H.L. Bourgeois boys’ soccer squads also saw their seasons come to an end in postseason play.

€LSU Athletic Director Skip Bertman agrees to a contract extension and announces plans to retire effective June of 2008.

€Vandebilt Catholic becomes the first boys’ soccer team in Louisiana to win three consecutive state titles after defeating East Ascension, 3-0, at the District II State Championship.

March

€ The Ellender girls’ basketball team wins its first state championship since 2003 and its first-ever Class 5A title with a 37-32 victory over two-time defending champion Southwood.

Deanna Allen led the Lady Patriots with 14 points and Brittany Lewis chipped in 11.

€ The Vandebilt girls’ hoops squad, meanwhile, falls to Class 4A defending champion Glen Oaks, 58-31, in the semifinals of the Ladies Top 28 Tournament.

€ The Ellender boys’ basketball team saw its season end in the Class 5A state finals against Westgate in a 75-70 overtime loss.

It was the Patriots first trip to the state championship since 1999, and Scott Gauthreaux’s first trip to the title game in his six years as head coach.

€ The E.D. White Cardinals also lose a heartbreaker in the Class 3A state championship, losing to Karr 54-51.

€ Nicholls States men’s basketball gets edged by McNeese State, 77-76. With the loss go their hopes of qualifying for the Southland Conference Tournament.

€ LSU women’s basketball coach Pokey Chatman resigns following allegations that she had inappropriate relations with a former player. The men’s team fell to Ole Miss, 80-60, in the second round of the SEC Tournament.

€ Bayou Barracudas swimmers Kip Pierce, Nicholas Guidry and Elie McRae earn gold medals at the Short Course State Swimming Championships at LSU.

Pierce particularly shines, bringing home titles in the 100- and 200-yard breaststroke and placing second in the 100- and 200-yard butterfly.

Guidry won gold in the 50-yard breaststroke and 200-yard freestyle, and McRae was tops in both the 50- and 100-yard breaststroke.

€ Ellender Memorial’s Walter Jones represents the East and E.D. White senior Ben Martin the West in the LHSCA Boys’ Basketball All-Star Game. Martin scored 12 points – all coming from 3-point land – but the East fell to the West, 118-111.

Brittany Lewis represented the Lady Patriots in the girls’ game.

€ Matt Flynn completes 11-of-22 passes for 135 yards and a touchdown to lead the Purple squad over the White team, 20-14, in LSU’s annual spring football game.

€ In a special dedication ceremony, the Bayouland YMCA gets renamed the James J. Buquet Jr. Bayouland YMCA. Buquet, one of the local YMCA’s original founders, received the honor for his part in helping the facility grow over the years.

April

€ The LSU women’s basketball team loses to Rutgers, 59-35, in its fourth consecutive trip to the Final Four.

€ The Vandebilt Catholic girls’ softball team loses to St. Thomas More, 5-2, in the semifinals of the Louisiana High School Athletic Association’s Fast Pitch 56 Tournament.

€ The Thibodaux boys’ baseball team wins its second consecutive District 6-5A title with a 2-1 win over Ellender. Travis Scherry blasted a double with the bases loaded to score two runs and secure the victory.

€ The Hornets end their 2006-07 campaign with a 125-118 win over Sacramento, but narrowly miss clinching a berth in the NBA playoffs with a 39-43 record in their second year in Oklahoma City.

May

€ Jacob Bender, left tackle for Nicholls State University, gets drafted by the New York Jets in the sixth round of the NFL Draft (177th overall).

€ E.D. White ends its season with a 3-2 loss to Rayne in a Class 3A regional playoff game. Thibodaux falls to Holy Cross, 5-2, in the Class 5A playoffs.

€ Vandebilt Catholic senior Alex Breaux and South Lafourche senior Brent Adams sign track and field scholarships with the University of Louisiana-Lafayette. Terrebonne High School volleyball teammates Kamyle Lowndes and Nira Stewart ink letters of intent with Southern University.

€ The LSU softball team edges Florida 1-0 to win the SEC Tournament.

They later beat Stanford, 11-5 to advance to the NCAA Super Regionals for the second consecutive season. However, the team’s run eventually came to an end with a 7-4 loss against Arizona State.

The Lady Tigers finish their season at 55-12.

€ GeneralSports Venue installs AstroTurf 3-D at Nicholls State University’s John L. Guidry Stadium.

The state-of-the-art synthetic turf replaces the natural grass surface that has been used by NSU for more than 36 years.

€ E.D. White senior Ben Martin accepted a scholarship to play for the Nicholls State University men’s basketball team.

The 6-foot-3 guard finished his career with more than 1,300 points with the Cardinals and was only the second player in school history to eclipse that 1,000-point plateau.

He averaged 17 points per game during his final season en route to earning First-Team All-State honors and ‘Top 28′ All-Tournament Team recognition.

€ The LSU baseball team sees its season come to an end by getting swept by No. 1-ranked Vanderbilt (4-1, 6-2 and 6-2).

€ Mike V, LSU’s beloved mascot, passes away after his kidneys failed during an unsuccessful surgery to treat idiopathic chylothorax, a condition that caused 10 liters of fluid to permeate the tiger’s lungs.

He had served as LSU’s official mascot since 1990. During his reign, he saw LSU teams capture 37 SEC titles.

€ The NSU baseball team closes out its 2007 campaign with a 7-2 loss to Southeastern Louisiana. The Colonels finish at 6-24 in the Southland Conference and 10-45 overall.

€ NSU pitcher Michael Bartek signs a free agent contract with the Chicago Cubs.

The 6-foot, 185-pound right-hander begins workouts in Arizona and prepares to play with the Cubs short-season Single A affiliate.

June

€ Brian St. Cyr receives a crystal trophy and the coveted Master’s jacket after winning his second “Louisiana State Speckled Trout Master Angler” title by hooking three speckled trout over a three-day period totaling 8.12 pounds.

€ The LSU men’s and women’s track teams finish second at the 2007 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Sacramento, Calif.

The Lady Tigers were paced by Sherry Fletcher, who won a national title in the 100-meter dash in 11.2 seconds. The women’s 1,600-meter relay team also placed first in the country after Nickeisha Wilson, Cynethia Rooks, LaTavia Thomas and Deonna Lawrence teamed up to post a time of 3:28.07.

The LSU men were led by Isa Phillips, who posted the top 400-meter hurdle time in the nation by crossing the finish line in 48.51.

€ Nicholls State University assistant athletic trainer Barbara Naquin becomes the first woman to ever be inducted into the Louisiana Athletic Trainer’s Association Hall of Fame.

€ Thibodaux rower Marion Todd attends a developmental camp run by the United States Rowing Association.

Todd is one of only 16 girls to be invited in the country and becomes the first Louisianan to receive an invitation from any USRA developmental program.

€ Joey and Andrew Herques motor to victory at the World Karting Association’s 2007 Comp Cam Grand Nationals held in Aynor, S.C.

Joey Herques, 12, placed first out of 30 racers to win the Sportsman One division championship. Andrew Herques, 10, took the Sportsman Two title.

€ The New Orleans Saints cut Michael Lewis and Willie Whitehead from the team.

€ Adam Meyer posts a three-day score of 269 to win the Adams Golf Pro Tour Series Capital One Classic, held at the Ellendale Country Club.

€ Glen ‘Big Baby’ Davis gets taken in the second round (35th overall) in the NBA draft.

Davis was the 2006 SEC Player of the Year and was third in the SEC in scoring at 17.6 points per game. He also led the league in rebounding for a second straight season in 2007.

€ The New Orleans Hornets draft Kansas forward Julian Wright in the first round of the NBA Draft.

€ Blyght Wunstell is hired as the new football coach at South Lafourche.

July

€ Eli, Archie and Peyton Manning return to Nicholls State University to help run the Manning Passing Academy, which is conducted on the newly-installed Astroturf 3-D playing surface.

€ Former NSU lineman Jacob Bender signs with the New York Jets.

€ South Terrebonne sweeps Lutcher-based Imperial Sugars to win the 2007 Swampland League best-of-three championship baseball series.

€ Bayou Barracudas swimmers Elie McRae, Kip Pierce and Monique Lefort win gold medals at the Long Course State Swimming Championships, held at the University of LA – Monroe.

The Barracudas and the Vandebilt Catholic swim teams move from Bayou Barracuda swimming pool to the Ellendale Country Club.

€ Byron McPherson is named head coach of the Terrebonne boys’ basketball program.

€New Orleans Hornets owner George Shinn agrees to sell 25 percent of his NBA franchise to a family-owned investor group led by south Louisiana businessman Gary Chouest.

August

€ The Houma 12-year-old All-Stars place second at the Babe Ruth Softball World Series, held in Wilson, N.C. The All-Stars finish the tournament with a 6-3 record.

€ Area high school football teams commence their seasons with jamboree games.

€ The LSU football team opens its season with a 45-0 rout of Southeastern Conference foe Mississippi State.

September

€ The Nicholls State football team opens its 2007 campaign with a dramatic 16-14 victory over Rice. In doing so, it becomes only the second Division I Football Championship Subdivision team to defeat a Division I-Football Bowl Subdivision squad.

€ The New Orleans Saints drop their season opener to Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts, 41-10.

€ The Assumption volleyball team defeats E.D. White to win the Lady Braves Classic, held at H.L. Bourgeois High School.

€ After a weekend of controversy following an unspecified dispute with two players, that led many people to believe he will be fired, H.L. Bourgeois football coach Randy Boquet emerges from a closed door meeting with the school administration and announces a “winning solution” that will keep him with the Braves through the remainder of the season.

€ LSU survives a first-half scare to defeat Tulane, 34-9, at the Superdome.

October

€ The LSU football team, ranked No. 1 in the nation, falls to No. 17 Kentucky 43-37 in triple overtime.

€ The Saints finally win their first game of the season, a 28-17 road decision over Seattle.

€ The Terrebonne girls’ volleyball team defeat rival H.L. Bourgeois 25-18, 25-21, 13-25, 25-22 in a tightly-contested home match before the playoffs begin.

€ The Hornets make the most of their home debut with a 104-90 win over Sacramento on Halloween night.

November

€ Boys’ and girls’ basketball teams from Terrebonne, Ellender, H.L. Bourgeois, South Terrebonne, Central Catholic and Morgan City kick off the season at the Terrebonne Parish High School Jamboree, held at the Houma-Terrebonne Civic Center.

€ The E.D. White girls’ volleyball team finishes as the Louisiana Division III Girls’ Volleyball runner-up for the fifth consecutive year after falling to Notre Dame (25-22, 25-11, 25-19) at the Pontchartrain Center in Kenner.

€ H.L. Bourgeois, Ellender and Thibodaux lose in the bi-district round of the state football playoffs.

€ The E.D. White boys’ cross country team storms to its sixth-consecutive Division III state championship at the LHSAA/State Farm Cross Country Meet, held in Natchitoches.

Jordan Reed led the Cardinals in a time of 16:54 – sixth overall.

The Vandebilt boys’ squad finished third overall behind top performances from Ross Mullooly (ninth – 16:55) and Justin Babin (10th – 16:56).

The Lady Cardinals placed third in the girls’ race behind a strong performance from senior Kelsie Coats, who also placed sixth in a time of 19:25.

€ H.L. Bourgeois football coach Randy Boquet, along with offensive coordinator Davis Arceneaux and defensive coordinator Rodney Boudreaux resign from the Braves football program weeks after guiding the program to its second district championship in three seasons.

“There were some pretty serious philosophical differences between myself and the administration and I felt that it was my time to go,” Boquet said.

The following week, Boquet took over as the boys’ and girls’ soccer coach at South Terrebonne High School.

€The Vandebilt boys’ and girls’ swim teams win state titles at the LHSAA/State Farm Class 4A championships at the SPAR Aquatic Center in Sulphur.

It was the sixth consecutive state title for the boys’ team and the Lady Terriers’ fourth, respectively.

€ The Atchafalaya at Idlewild in St. Mary Parish is recognized by Golfweek Magazine as one of America’s Best New Courses in 2007, earning the 22nd ranking.

€ The LSU football team experiences its second triple-overtime defeat of the season, a 50-48 loss to Arkansas.

€ Benton ends the Vandebilt Catholic football team’s state title aspirations with a 28-17 Class 4A quarterfinal playoff win at Buddy Marcello Stadium.

Westlake, meanwhile, shuts out E.D. White 27-0 in a Class 3A quarterfinal matchup.

€ The Thibodaux boys’ basketball team stages a fourth-quarter rally to beat Terrebonne, 61-52, in the championship of the Thibodaux Thanksgiving Classic.

Trovon Reed and Shavon Coleman pace the Tigers with 14 points apiece.

€ Vandebilt Catholic senior Monique Lefort inks a letter of intent to continue her swimming career at Duquesne University next season.

December

€ The LSU football team defeats Tennessee 21-14 to capture the SEC title.

The following night, they watch the University of Pittsburgh upset No. 2-ranked West Virginia 13-9 and Oklahoma defeat No. 1-ranked Missouri 38-17.

The wins help LSU land a spot in the BCS National Championship against Ohio State on Jan. 7 at the Superdome.

€ The Nicholls State football team drops its season finale to Southeastern Louisiana, 17-13. The Colonels finish their season 3-4 in the Southland Conference and 6-5 overall.

€ Brittany Gravois pours in 12 points to lead the South Lafourche girls’ basketball team to a 64-33 win over H.L. Bourgeois in the championship of the E.D. White Cardinal Classic.

Asia Williams scores 17 points to lead Ellender Memorial to a 46-40 win over New Iberia in the final game of the Westgate Tournament, and Shakira Ross netted 20 points to help push Vandebilt past South Terrebonne 42-31 in the championship of the Terrier Classic.

€ The LSU women’s volleyball team finished its season in the NCAA playoffs by dropping three games against No. 3 Texas.

The Lady Tigers end their season at 25-8 overall.