THE 1996 LSHPLA GIRLS STATE CHAMPIONSHIP MEET THAT WAS HELD AT THE ALEXANDRIA SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL GYM PROVED TO BE THE DAY OF THE LADY TROJANS. ALEXANDRIA’S GIRLS TEAM SCORED AN UNPRECEDENTED 60 POINTS TO DOMINATE THE DAYS LIFTING. THE 1996 GIRLS COMPETITION ENDED THE EXACT WAY THAT IT DID IN 1995. WEST MONROE’S LADY REBELS CLAIMED A RECORD 5TH STRAIGHT 5-A CROWN. JUST AS IN 1995, THE BRIDESMAID WAS THE ST. AMANT LADY GATORS. NATCHITOCHES CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL ROUNDED OUT THE TOP THREE IN THE GIRLS 5-A COMPETITION PLACING THIRD. WEST MONROE’S TEAM WAS PACED BY WEIGHT CLASS CHAMPIONS SUCH AS NICOLE BROWN (97 LB. CLASS), TONYA WHITE (198 LB. CLASS). TONYA WHITE SET A NEW STATE RECORD WITH A 400 LB. SQUAT AND A 910 LB. TOTAL. THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME A FEMALE LIFTER HAD EVER POSTED A 400 LB. OR BETTER SQUAT IN STATE COMPETITION. SUPERHEAVYWEIGHT BRIDGETTE DAVIS LED ST. AMANT TO THERE RUNNER-UP FINISH IN 1996. HER 890 LB. TOTAL WAS JUST ENOUGH TO SECURE HER WEIGHT CLASS CHAMPIONSHIP. DAVIS WHO POSTED A 400 LB. SQUAT AT THE EAST REGIONAL, WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE FEAT AT THE STATE MEET.
IN THE 4-A GIRLS COMPETITION, ALEXANDRIA SENIOR HIGH DOMINATED THE DAY. SETTING AN LHSPLA RECORD BY HAVING SIX (6) LIFTERS FINISH AS INDIVIDUAL WEIGHT CLASS CHAMPIONS. THE LADY TROJANS RAN AWAY WITH THE MEET SCORING 60 POINTS. THIS WAS ALSO A DIVISION I RECORD. ALL TEN ASH LIFTERS FINISHED IN THE TOP THREE OF THEIR RESPECTIVE WEIGHT CLASSES, NINE OF THE FINISHING EITHER AS STATE CHAMPION OR STATE RUNNER-UP. NO OTHER TEAM, MALE OR FEMALE, HAS DONE THIS IN THE HISTORY OF THE LHSPLA AT A STATE COMPETITION. FIRST PLACE FINISHERS FOR ASH INCLUDED OLIVIA SMITH (114 LB.), COURTNEY GAMBURG (123 LB.), TRINA MURPHY (132 LB.), RUTHANNE BUCK (148 LB.), JESSICA MILAZZO (165 LB.), KATE GUINN (181 LB.). THIS ASH TEAM IS CONSIDERED ONE OF THE BEST EVER IN THE HISTORY OF THE LHSPLA. PLACING 2ND IN THE 4-A COMPETITION WAS ZACHARY. THIS WAS ZACHARY’S 4TH CONSECUTIVE TOP THREE FINISH AND SECOND AS THE STATE RUNNER-UP IN THE 4-A CLASSIFICATION. TIOGA HIGH SCHOOL PLACED THIRD ON THE EFFORTS OF ASHLEY THOMPSON. THOMPSON PLACED FIRST IN THE 105 LB. WEIGHT CLASS.
THE GIRLS 3-A TEAM CHAMPION IN 1996 WAS DECIDED BY A TIEBREAKER FORMULA. THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME IN FEMALE COMPETITION AND ONLY THE SECOND TIME IN LHSPLA HISTORY THAT A CHAMPIONSHIP WAS DETERMINED IN THIS MANNER. BRUSLY HIGH SCHOOL WON THEIR FIRST STATE CHAMPIONSHIP ON THE EFFORTS OF SHW LIFTER JOETTA JONES. BOTH BRUSLY AND McCALL FINISHED WITH 7 POINTS, BUT BRUSLY HAD THE HIGHER PLACE FINISHER. THEY HAD A 2ND PLACE FINISHER IN A WEIGHT CLASS, THE BEST McCALL HAD WAS A 3RD PLACE FINISH IN THE 198 LB. WEIGHT CLASS. FARMERVILLE ENDED UP IN 3RD PLACE DURING THE 1996 3-A COMPETITION. THIS WAS ONE OF THE CLOSEST COMPETITIONS EVER IN LHSPLA HISTORY. A TOTAL OF 2 POINTS SEPARATED 1ST - 3RD PLACES.
IN 2-A, ROSEPINE HIGH SCHOOL DEFENDED THEIR 1995 STATE CHAMPIONSHIP. THE LADIES FROM ROSEPINE SCORED 35 POINTS TO OUTSCORE STATE RUNNER-UP FROM BUCKEYE HIGH SCHOOL. ROUNDING OUT THE TOP THREE IN 2-A WAS EPISCOPAL HIGH SCHOOL. THE WAS THE LADY KNIGHTS FIRST YEAR COMPETING IN THE FEMALE CATEGORY. TEAM MEMBERS MINDY ALLEN, LEANN LUCAS AND JACINTHA GARESS LED ROSEPINE. BUKEYE’S POINT TOTAL WAS HEADED BY THE EFFORTS OF SARAH NEWMAN AND AMANDA CARPENTER. EPISCOPAL’S THIRD PLACE FINISH WAS LED BY THE PERFORMANCES OF ASHLEY ATKINSON AND ELLEN YOUNG.
THE 1-A AND BELOW: COMPETITION SAW THE RETURN TO THE TOP OF PERENNIAL
1-A POWERHOUSE LOUISIANA SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF. THE LADIES FROM LSD HAVE LAID
CLAIM TO TWO OF THE LAST THREE STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS, ONLY LOSING TO OBERLIN AT
THE 1995 STATE MEET. LSD’S 32 POINTS WERE MORE THAN ENOUGH TO OUTDISTANCE STATE
RUNNER-UP CATHOLIC OF POINTE COUPEE. THIRD PLACE IN THE GIRLS COMPETITION IN
1-1-A AND BELOW: WENT TO NEWCOMER FALSE RIVER ACADEMY. LEADING THE WAY FOR LSD
WERE LIFTERS REGINA DANIELS AND NICOLE O’BRIEN. CATHOLIC OF POINTE COUPEE WAS
LED BY THE EFFORTS OF ALLISON FREEMAN AND RENEE DIBETAZ. JAMIE WILLIAMS LED
THE WAY FOR FALSE RIVER ACADEMY.
CLASSIFICATION COMPETITION FINISHES FOR THE GIRLS STATE MEET IN 1996 WERE AS FOLLOWS:
5-A: 1ST PLACE, WEST MONROE HIGH SCHOOL (5TH STRAIGHT TITLE), 2ND PLACE, ST.
AMANT HIGH SCHOOL, 3RD PLACE, NATCHITOCHES CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL.
4-A: 1ST PLACE, ALEXANDRIA SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL, 2ND PLACE, ZACHARY HIGH SCHOOL,
3RD PLACE, TIOGA HIGH SCHOOL.
3-A: 1ST PLACE, BRUSLY HIGH SCHOOL, 2ND PLACE, McCALL HIGH SCHOOL, 3RD PLACE,
FARMERVILLE HIGH SCHOOL
2-A: 1ST PLACE, ROSEPINE HIGH SCHOOL (2ND CONSECUTIVE STATE CHAMPIONSHIP), 2ND
PLACE, BUCKEYE HIGH SCHOOL, 3RD PLACE, EPISCOPAL HIGH SCHOOL.
1-A AND BELOW: 1ST PLACE, LOUISIANA SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF, 2ND PLACE, CATHOLIC
OF POINTE COUPEE, 3RD PLACE, FALSE RIVER ACADEMY.
IN THE 1996 5-A BOYS COMPETITION THE TOP TEAMS FINISHED IN THE EXACT ORDER THAT THEY FINISHED IN THE 1995 COMPETITION. WEST MONROE’S FIRST PLACE FINISH GAVE THE REBELS A RECORD 5TH STRAIGHT STATE CHAMPIONSHIP, AND 8 OUT OF A POSSIBLE 13 SINCE THE INCEPTION OF THE LHSPLA. NEW IBERIA WAS THE STATE RUNNER-UP, MAKING THEIR SECOND STRAIGHT APPEARANCE IN THE TOP THREE. COACH TED FOWLER’S NATCHITOCHES CENTRAL TEAM ROUNDED OUT THE TOP THREE FINISHERS IN 5-A. WEST MONROE WAS LED BY OF AUSTIN BROWN (123 LB. CLASS), BEN DANIELS (242 LB. CLASS) AND CHARLIE HODGE (SHW CLASS). HODGE’S 1610 TOTAL INCLUDED A STATE RECORD BENCH OF 425 LBS. AND A MASSIVE 600 LB. SQUAT. MARCUS CLAVELLE LED SECOND PLACE NEW IBERIA. CLAVELLE ALSO TOTALED 1610 LBS. IN THE SUPERHEAVYWEIGHT CLASS BUT WAS SECOND BASED ON BODYWEIGHT. NATCHITOCHES CENTRAL’S FRED JACKSON (148 LB. WEIGHT CLASS) PACED HIS TEAMS 3RD PLACE FINISH WITH 520 LB. SQUAT, A 290 LB. BENCH AND A COLOSSAL FOUR TIMES HIS BODYWEIGHT 605 LB. DEADLIFT. ST. AMANT’S BRENT MONTELIUS IN THE 275 LB. WEIGHT CLASS SET ANOTHER STATE RECORD. HE SQUATTED 640 LBS. TO SET THE NEW STATE RECORD.
IN THE 4-A COMPETITION ALEXANDRIA SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL RETAINED THEIR STATE TITLE FOR A FIFTH CONSECUTIVE AND THEIR SIXTH OVERALL. LEESVILLE HIGH SCHOOL WAS THE STATE RUNNER-UP IN 4-A, WITH TIOGA HIGH SCHOOL ROUNDING OUT THE TOP THREE. ALEXANDRIA WAS LED BY A GROUP OF LIFTERS WHO PLACED SECOND IN THEIR WEIGHT CLASSES. DENNIS CHEN (123 LB.), CHRISTIAN LONG (132 LB.), AARON GOTT (148 LB.), ERIC LABORDE (165 LB.) AND DARRELL BASSETT (242 LB.). TWO STATE CHAMPIONS COLLECTED MOST OF LEESVILLE 18 POINTS. CLARENCE JONES IN THE 165 LB. WEIGHT CLASS AND TEAMMATE SEDRIC CLEMMONS. THIRD PLACE TIOGA WAS LED BY THE LIFTING OF 114 LB. WEIGHT CLASS CHAMPION DOUG PHILLIPS.
THE 1996 3-A COMPETITION SAW THE CROWNING OF McCALL HIGH SCHOOL AS THE BOYS CHAMPION. IN THE PAST, MOST OF McCALL’S SUCCESS AT THE STATE MEET WAS LIMITED TO THEIR GIRLS TEAM WHO HAD WON THE STATE CHAMPIONSHIP IN 1994 AND 1995. TOP FINISHERS FOR McCALL WERE RODERICK HICKS, MIKE HOLLIS AND MARCUS PHILLIPS. PORT ALLEN PLACED SECOND BUT DID NOT SCORE ANY POINTS. IT BEAT OUT THIRD PLACE RAYNE BY HAVING LIFTERS THAT FINISHED HIGHER BUT OUT OF THE SCORING IN SEVERAL WEIGHT CLASSES.
IN THE 1996 STATE 2-A COMPETITION THERE WAS A THREE-PEAT. PICKERING HIGH SCHOOL SCORED 31 POINTS TO OUTDISTANCE 2ND PLACE LAKE ARTHUR HIGH SCHOOL, WHICH SCORED 26 POINTS. EPISCOPAL ROUNDED OUT THE TOP 3 BY SCORING 17 POINTS. THIS WAS THE THIRD CONSECUTIVE YEAR ALL OF THESE TEAMS FINISHED IN THE TOP 3 OF THE 2-A COMPETITION. SCOTTY LAWRENCE, MICHAEL HOLMES AND TAB POWER LED PICKERING TO THERE 3RD CONSECUTIVE STATE CHAMPIONSHIP. LAKE ARTHUR PLACED SECOND ON THE EFFORTS OF LIFTERS FROM THE LIGHTER WEIGHT CLASSES. BRIAN SCHLESINGER, JAMES McCOMB AND RONNIE SUIRE WERE THE TOP LIFTERS FOR LAKE ARTHUR AT THE 1996 STATE MEET. EPISCOPAL WAS LED BY THE OUTSTANDING LIFTER OF TRAVIS BALL, CHRIS BROWN AND BRIAN CARTER.
THE 1-A AND BELOW: COMPETITION SAW THE RETURN OF OUACHITA CHRISTIAN TO THEIR STATE CHAMPION STATUS. THEY SCORED 29 POINTS TO DEFEAT DEFENDING STATE CHAMPION LOUISIANA SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF AND FALSE RIVER ACADEMY, WHO BOTH SCORED 20 POINTS. THE RUNNER-UP POSITION WENT TO LSD ON THE TIEBREAKER FORMULA. THIS WAS OUACHITA CHRISTIANS 4TH STATE CHAMPIONSHIP IN 1-A LIFTING. THEY HAD ALSO WON A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP IN 2-A IN 1992. LSD’S SECOND PLACE FINISH MARKED THE NINTH TIME THAT THE SCHOOL HAD FINISHED IN THE TOP THREE IN THE 1-1-A AND BELOW: COMPETITION. FALSE RIVER ACADEMY BROKE INTO THE TOP THREE IN THEIR FIRST YEAR OF COMPETITION. JAMES LACOMBE, WILLIS BRITTON AND LARRY DOYLE LED OUACHITA CHRISTIAN TO THE 1-A TITLE. LSD WAS LED BY THE GALLANT EFFORTS OF KEN AULDS AND JEREMY GRANGER. RANDY POURCIAU AND SEAN ATKINSON WERE THE POINT LEADERS FOR FALSE RIVER ACADEMY.
CLASSIFICATION COMPETITION FINISHES FOR THE BOYS STATE MEET IN 1996 WERE AS FOLLOWS:
5-A: 1ST PLACE, WEST MONROE HIGH SCHOOL (5TH STRAIGHT STATE CHAMPIONSHIP),
2ND PLACE, NEW IBERIA HIGH SCHOOL, 3RD PLACE, NATCHITOCHES CENTRAL.
4-A: 1ST PLACE, ALEXANDRIA SENIOR HIGH (5TH CONSECUTIVE TITLE), 2ND PLACE, LEESVILLE
HIGH SCHOOL, 3RD PLACE, TIOGA HIGH SCHOOL.
3-A: 1ST PLACE, McCALL HIGH SCHOOL, 2ND PLACE, PORT ALLEN HIGH SCHOOL, 3RD PLACE,
RAYNE HIGH SCHOOL.
2-A: 1ST PLACE, PICKERING HIGH SCHOOL (3RD CONSECUTIVE CHAMPIONSHIP), 2ND PLACE,
LAKE ARTHUR HIGH SCHOOL, 3RD PLACE, EPISCOPAL HIGH SCHOOL
1-A AND BELOW: 1ST PLACE, OUACHITA CHRISTIAN HIGH SCHOOL (4TH 1-A TITLE, 5TH
OVERALL), 2ND PLACE, LOUISIANA SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF (9TH TIME THAT THE SCHOOL
HAS FINISHED IN THE TOP 3), 3RD PLACE, FALSE RIVER ACADEMY.