Irby Bergeron Sr.
December 27, 2018
TIME TO BRAG
December 27, 2018
I can’t believe that this is our last issue of the 2018 calendar year.
Where in the heck has all of this year gone?
Ready or not, 2019 is here next week with the New Year holiday, which sends us head-first into the meat and potatoes of the winter sports seasons and then the spring sports seasons — all leading up to the fall when we do it all over again.
The past year was epic and amazing. We will recap the top moments next week in our Top 10 issue. But for now, let me look forward to the future and tell you 5 things I’d love to see in the world of local athletics.
Heck, I won’t be greedy. I’d be willing to take even just 3-4 of the 5, if I’d have to.
No. 1 – I want to see my friend Kathy Luke win a State Championship — again
Coach Kathy Luke got a raw deal at Vandebilt Catholic. We won’t rehash all of those details again. We’ve done it too many times now and everyone who wants to have an opinion about the situation has already formed it. But I’ll say this — the Lady Terriers have not been the same since Luke left and all of the programs that she’s been to saw immediate progress once she took the reigns. I admit my bias toward this topic. Coach Luke is a good friend of mine. Professionally, I can’t let those biases creep into my work. But in my column, I am free to state my opinion and I’m not ashamed to say that I hope Houma Christian wins the State Championship this spring.
Those kids came up just a little short last season, but I believe their hard work, determination and elite-level coaching will help them get back to that level and exceed their runner-up finish.
No. 2 – The ENTIRE area gets field turf for football
I have been the biggest advocate for field turf within the local sports media in this area. I have shouted for it from the top of my lungs for what feels like my entire career here — so much so that coaches in both Lafourche and Terrebonne have thanked me for helping champion the cause in our pages. Lafourche Parish has its fields. Terrebonne’s fields are on the way. Now, I’d like to see it go all the way with Vandebilt Catholic and Houma Christian making moves to secure the surface.
No. 3 – LHSAA either expands its split or does away with it completely
I am a strong advocate for the split that we have in Louisiana high school athletics. Others disagree with that opinion and that’s OK. But I think there is some common ground here and folks can agree with this. If we are to have a split, it should be for ALL sports and not just some sports. If not, I think the entire concept is unfair See 2 more bonus wishes at HoumaTimes.com.
