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NSU alumni to Jindal: Help us help ourselves
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The year 2010 was a busy one in the world of sports.
Good stories, bad stories, triumphant stories and tragic n all were represented in the past 12 months.
In the Tri-parish area the same can be said as this was a headline-choked year for sports.
Narrowing the list down to 10 wasn’t easy, but here’s the Top 10 sports stories locally throughout the past calendar year.
No. 10 n Chip Durham resigns, Seth Thibodeaux hired in place n After pushing the Colonels to the Southland Conference Tournament for the first time in more than a decade, Nicholls baseball coach Chip Durham resigned from his post to pursue a job in the private sector. In his tenure, the coach cleaned up Nicholls’ academic issues and the 2011 season will be the Colonels’ first where they will be above the Academic Progress Rate’s mandated threshold. To replace Durham, the Colonels didn’t have to look far, hiring former assistant coach Seth Thibodeaux.
No. 9 n Theresa Plaisance makes Team USA squad, McDonalds All-America team and signs with LSU n 2010 was a pretty good year for Vandebilt Catholic’s 6-foot-5-inch basketball standout Theresa Plaisance. In the spring, she committed to LSU, became a McDonald’s All-American and won a state championship. Then during the summer, Plaisance kept moving forward, winning a gold medal with Team USA at the 2010 FIBA Americas U18 Championship for Women. She currently is at LSU serving as a reserve forward for the 9-4 Lady Tigers.
No. 8 n Several locals bring home the top prize at the Track and Field State Championship Meet n With the state championship hanging in the balance, four local athletes shined bright and took home gold at the LHSAA Track and Field State Championship Meet in Baton Rouge. South Lafourche’s Rusty Borne won the state championship in both the long jump and the triple jump, completing his undefeated season in both events. In the field events, Thibodaux’s Gregory Robinson took home the top prize in the shot put, while Terrebonne’s Sierra Lyons did the same, surging past the competition on the final throw of the event. In the pole vault, Vandebilt Catholic’s Chris Watson won the gold with a 15-foot-3-inch vault.
No. 7 n Nicholls State hires Charlie Stubbs n After a national search that yielded a few dozen candidates, Nicholls State Athletics Director Rob Bernardi hired longtime offensive coordinator Charlie Stubbs to be the team’s new coach, replacing former coach Jay Thomas. In Stubbs’ first season as Nicholls’ head man, the Colonels finished just 4-7, but the team won the final two games of the season to take momentum into the new season.
No. 6 n LSU football rebounds with 10-win season, including win against Alabama n After winning just 15 games from 2008-09, the LSU football team fired back in 2010 with a 10-win season that saw the Tigers defeat four ranked opponents (North Carolina, West Virginia, Florida, Alabama). Despite shaky quarterback play throughout the season, LSU lived on the edge and won six games by 10 points or less. For their efforts, the Tigers earned a spot in the Cotton Bowl on Jan. 7 in Arlington, Texas against longtime rival Texas A&M.
No. 5 n Vandebilt Catholic wins girls’ basketball state title n After several years of near-misses, Vandebilt Catholic coach Kathy Luke and the Lady Terriers took home their coveted gold ball. Vandebilt advanced to the state finals with a 63-50 win against Bastrop. The team took that momentum into the finals, scoring an easy 70-51 win against Jennings. Plaisance dominated early and often in the state finals, scoring 24 points and grabbing 11 rebounds to put Vandebilt over the top for the first time in school history.
No. 4 n Oil spill pulls plug on local rodeos n The BP oil spill wreaked havoc all across Louisiana in the 2010 calendar year. Sports were one of the spill’s casualties, as several rodeos across the area were halted due to a lack of open fishing waters in the state. Arguably the biggest casualty was the Grand Isle International Tarpon Rodeo, which annually attracts thousands of people through the Tri-parish area each year. A memorial concert was held in the rodeo’s place this year.
No. 3 n Patterson advances to the State Finals n The Patterson football team had one goal all season n to win the state championship. The Lumberjacks fell short of their goal, but not by much, advancing to the state finals, where they lost a close and hard fought 24-20 battle with Parkview Baptist. Despite the loss, the Lumberjacks finished the season with a 12-3 record and took the entire community by storm, as fans turned out in droves to cheer on Patterson every turn they made. 2011 might also be a fruitful year for the Lumberjacks who do return plenty of prominent players, but the team will also say goodbye to All-American halfback Kenny Hilliard, who became Louisiana’s all-time leading rusher this season.
No. 2. n Vandebilt students killed in automobile accident n In late September, the Vandebilt Catholic High School community was dealt with a tragic blow as four students were killed in an automobile accident. Terriers senior starting quarterback T.J. Cantrelle, sophomore safety Ian Haydel and seniors Megan Hitt and Gabrielle Hebert were killed when Cantrelle’s pickup truck ran off the road and landed upside down in Bayou Blue. Vandebilt canceled its football game scheduled against Hahnville that Friday, but eventually returned to the field and had a strong season n rallying around their four fallen classmates. The Vandebilt community touts they will never forget late September’s tragedy but have vowed to come together to honor the teenagers who were taken from earth too soon.
No. 1 n New Orleans Saints win the Super Bowl n After more than 40 years of patient waiting and sometimes humbling defeat, the New Orleans Saints won their first-ever Super Bowl championship, scoring a 31-17 victory over New Orleans-born Peyton Manning’s Indianapolis Colts. The Black and Gold held a seven-point lead deep into the game with the Colts driving. But Manning’s last-ditch comeback effort fell short when he was intercepted by Tracy Porter, who took the pick 74-yards into the end zone to seal the win. With each step the cornerback took, a small piece of the team’s bad history melted away under the realization that the Saints were finally world champions. Locally, fans turned out in droves to several local stores the next day to get the latest in Super Bowl merchandise. 2010 was a year of Saints fever n and with the team currently looking at another playoff run n it’s safe to say the area is still burning up.
After more than 40 years of patient waiting and sometimes humbling defeat, the New Orleans Saints won their first-ever Super Bowl championship.
