Thibodaux clinches title; ends long dry streak

Following Thibodaux High School’s 62-33 victory Friday over the Terrebonne Tigers, “District Champs” and “We’re number one” chants could be heard from the fan base, as Thibodaux’s band played renditions of the school’s fight song.

Along the sideline, Thibodaux players huddled around coaches, faculty and Principal Kevin George in a moment of unity. Defensive Coordinator Kerry Melvin repeatedly asked, “Do you still believe?” to which the Tigers responded with a resounding, “Yes sir.”

Then they bowed their heads as senior running back Donnie Morgan led the team in prayer.

When they finished praying, the chants turned to “Lor-i-o” in honor of head coach Dennis Lorio, who in his first season back at the helm has taken the team to where they could only dream.

It’s been a long time coming for Thibodaux. Despite a two-week game loss because of the storms, the Tigers can call themselves district champions for the first time since 1992.

Friday’s flawless offensive performance and stout defense was enough to propel the Tigers to an undefeated 8-0 season heading into Friday’s 5-A state playoffs against Covington.

“I was hoping we could do something,” an emotional Lorio said. “Maybe win several games and get a playoff win, but look where we are. Our motto is ‘Take Care of Now’. I told them to ‘Put all effort in today’s school and today’s practice and do it.’ And they did it. This is a great group of seniors, they earned it and I’m proud of them.”

Now that they’ve taken care of their first goal and have won the district championship, the Tigers look to win a playoff game.

Despite making the playoffs the last four years, the Tigers have not gotten out of the first round of the playoffs since Lorio’s 1991 championship team.

Trovon Reed, who passed for 179 yards and three touchdowns, said winning district is the goal the team set when they entered the off-season.

“We’ve been waiting for this all season,” the junior said. “We feel like we earned it and we deserve it.”

If there is anyone savoring one final shot to win a playoff game, it’s senior Donnie Morgan.

After injuring his ankle in the second quarter against E.D. White earlier in the season, Morgan missed the final two games of his final season for the Tigers.

While he wasn’t able to be on the field to lead his team to victory in the last two weeks, he was the biggest cheerleader on the sidelines. He expects to be back on the field Friday night as the Tigers look to make history against the Lions.

“This is what we’ve played for since I first came here,” he said. “Winning district is something that I’ve always wanted to do. We want to go deep in the playoffs, but we’re taking it one game at a time.”

If the Tigers look to stay competitive with the Lions (4-5, 3-4 district 6-5A), they’ll need their offense to continue to produce. Over their final two games, the Tigers have compiled nearly 700 total yards and have outscored their opponents 132-47.

With a defense that has allowed only 66 points all season long, Lorio feels this team is capable because they believe in themselves.

“When I first came here, I said these kids are comparable to the ones that we won the state championship with,” he said. “To have a championship team sometimes the defense leads the team and sometimes the offense, now we have both components.”

He added, “What we think is important, but what the kids believe deep down inside is the multiplier force. We don’t think we’re better than anybody else, but we believe in ourselves and what we’re doing, and now we’re district champs. We’re not done yet.”