THE 1998 LHSPLA STATE CHAMPIONSHIP MEET MOVED BACKED TO ALEXANDRIA SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL. IN THE GIRLS COMPETITION, EIGHT STATE RECORDS WERE BROKEN AND ONE NEW STATE CHAMPION WAS CROWNED, WHILE FOUR TEAMS CONTINUED THEIR STATE CHAMPIONSHIP DOMINANCE.
IN THE 5-A GIRLS COMPETITION, THE LADY GATORS FROM ST. AMANT HIGH SCHOOL MADE IT 2 STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS IN A ROW. THE LADY GATORS SCORED 25 POINTS, WEST MONROE HIGH SCHOOL SCORED 20 POINTS AND ROUNDING OUT THE TOP THREE TEAMS IN 5-A GIRLS COMPETITION, ZACHARY HIGH SCHOOL WHICH SCORED 9 POINTS. LEADING THE LADY GATORS TO THEIR 2ND STRAIGHT TITLE WERE BETH COUVILLION, AMANDA PHILLIPS, MANDI WAGUESPACK, ANDI LEBOURGEOIS, LEANNE BAILEY AND JENNIFER BROWN. CRYSTAL CRAWFORD, SUMMER GABB AND MISTY HAYNES LED WEST MONROE TO THEIR 2ND PLACE FINISH. HELPING LEAD ZACHARY HIGH SCHOOL TO THEIR TOP 3 FINISH WERE RENEE’ KLEINPETER AND TASHA BARRETT.
ALEXANDRIA SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL CONTINUED THEIR DOMINANCE IN THE 4-A COMPETITION BY WINNING ITS 7TH STATE CHAMPIONSHIP. THE ASH LIFTERS SCORED A RESOUNDING 66 TEAM POINTS. BOLTON AND TIOGA HIGH SCHOOL BOTH SCORED 16 POINTS IN THE COMPETITION. BOLTON WAS AWARDED THE 2ND PLACE FINISH BY WAY OF THE TIEBREAKER FORMULA. ASH HAD 7 INDIVIDUAL WEIGHT CLASS CHAMPIONS: STEFANIE McMILLIAN, LINZI GOTT, KIM GOFF, ASHLEY WILLIS, KIMMY BARBERA, SHERYL NEWMAN AND LEAH GOODEN. OTHER TOP LIFTERS FOR ASH WERE JILLIAN LONG, COURTNEY GAMBURG AND KRISTIN SMITH. TWO STATE CHAMPIONS, ANNIE SIMMONS AND AMANDA SIMMONS LED BOTON TO THEIR SECOND PLACE FINISH. TIOGA HIGH SCHOOL WAS LED BY ONE WEIGHT CLASS CHAMPION, LEIGH ANN FOSS AND 3RD PLACE FINISHER IN THE 165 LB. CLASS, LINDSEY WRIGHT.
IN THE 3-A COMPETITION, BRUSLY HIGH SCHOOL WON THEIR 1ST EVER STATE CHAMPIONSHIP. THE GIRLS FROM BRUSLY SCORED 10 POINTS. STATE RUNNER-UP, FARMERVILLE SCORED 1 POINT IN THE TRIPLE-A COMPETITION. COURTNEY TOBIAS, WHO PLACED 2ND IN THE 123 LB. WEIGHT CLASS, LED BRUSLY.
IN CLASS 2-A, BUCKEYE HIGH SCHOOL WON ITS SECOND STRAIGHT 2-A TITLE. BUCKEYE SCORED 36 TEAM POINTS, OUACHITA CHRISTIAN FINISHED SECOND WITH 26 POINTS AND PICKERING HIGH SCHOOL ROUNDED OUT THE TOP THREE SCORING 18 TEAM POINTS. SARAH NEWMAN, AMANDA CARPENTER AND KRISTEN CORSARO LEAD BUCKEYE TO THEIR VICTORY. THE LEADING LIFTERS FOR OCS WERE MANDY HAYES, HEATHER HODGE AND STACI BOYTE. PICKERING HIGH SCHOOL GOT POINTS FROM THE EFFORTS OF ANN MITCHELL, ANNE GUILLORY, MIESHA DARROUGH AND AIMEE LOPER.
LOUISIANA SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF WOULD COMPLETE A 3-PEAT IN THE 1-A AND BELOW
GIRLS COMPETITION. THE LSD GIRLS SCORED 26 POINTS TO OUTLAST THE 1998 STATE
RUNNER-UP LaSALLE HIGH SCHOOL WITH 19 POINTS. CATHOLIC OF POINTE COUPEE FINISHED
3RD IN 1-A AND BELOW SCORING 7 TEAM POINTS. THE LEADING LIFTERS FOR LSD WERE
JENNY LEE, MARDY HARRIS, BETH McKINNEY AND DEBBIE TEMPLE.
TOP POINT SCORER FOR LaSALLE WAS SHELLY HARRIS. THE EFFORTS OF TARA ST. ROMAIN
LED CATHOLIC OF POINTE COUPEE TO ITS THIRD PLACE FINISH.
THE OUTSTANDING LIFTER AWARDS WENT TO TWO LIFTERS FROM ALEXANDRIA SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL, STEFANIE McMILLIAN IN THE 97 - 132 LB. WEIGHT CLASSES AND TO KIMMY BARBERA IN THE 148 LB. - SHW WEIGHT CLASSES.
COACHES OF THE YEAR AWARDS WERE PRESENTED TO:
5-A - PAUL FLETCHER, ST. AMANT HIGH SCHOOL
4-A - DUANE URBINA, ALEXANDRIA SENIOR HIGH
3-A - SHANE ANDRE’, BRUSLY HIGH SCHOOL
2-A - ED NEWMAN, BUCKEYE HIGH SCHOOL
1-A AND BELOW - RUTH KRISOFF, LOUISIANA SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF
CLASSIFICATION COMPETITION FINISHES FOR THE GIRLS STATE MEET IN 1998 WERE AS FOLLOWS:
5-A: 1ST PLACE, ST. AMANT HIGH SCHOOL (2ND CONSECUTIVE STATE TITLE), 2ND PLACE,
WEST MONROE HIGH SCHOOL, 3RD PLACE, ZACHARY HIGH SCHOOL.
4-A: 1ST PLACE, ALEXANDRIA SENIOR HIGH (7TH CONSECUTIVE TITLE), 2ND PLACE, BOLTON
HIGH SCHOOL, 3RD PLACE, TIOGA HIGH SCHOOL.
3-A: 1ST PLACE, BRUSLY HIGH SCHOOL (2ND STATE TITLE), 2ND PLACE, FARMERVILLE
HIGH SCHOOL.
2-A: 1ST PLACE, BUCKEYE HIGH SCHOOL (2ND CONSECUTIVE STATE CHAMPIONSHIP), 2ND
PLACE, OUACHITA CHRISTIAN HIGH SCHOOL, 3RD PLACE, PICKERING HIGH SCHOOL.
1-A AND BELOW: 1ST PLACE, LOUISIANA SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF (3RD STRAIGHT TITLE),
2ND PLACE, LaSALLE HIGH SCHOOL, 3RD PLACE, CATHOLIC OF POINTE COUPEE.
IN THE BOYS 5-A COMPETITION WEST MONROE WOULD RECLAIM ITS HOLD ON THE 5-A TITLE. THE REBELS FROM WEST MONROE OUTSCORED ST. AMANT 35 POINTS TO 29 POINTS TO WIN BACK THE 5-A TITLE. NATCHITOCHES CENTRAL SCORED 18 TEAM POINTS TO CLAIM 3RD PLACE. MARCUS TURNER AND WILLIS BRITTON LED THE WAY FOR THE REBELS WINNING THEIR RESPECTIVE WEIGHT CLASSES. OTHER TOP REBEL LIFTERS WERE JARRELL JOHNSON, MICHAEL LENARD, JOSH PATE AND BRAD SMALLING. WEIGHT CLASS CHAMPIONS BEAU SCHEXNAYDER, ERIK BONNEVAL AND DAVID DAVIS LED THE GATORS. ANOTHER LIFTER SCORING POINTS FOR THE GATORS WAS SPENCER BOUDREAUX. LEADING THE 3RD PLACE EFFORT OF THE CHIEFS WERE DEREK TORO, NICK REMO, TONEY JERNIGAN AND RODNEY ROBINSON.
ASH MADE IT 7 IN A ROW IN BOYS 4-A BY WINNING ANOTHER TITLE IN 1998. ASH SCORED 45 POINTS TO TOP TIOGA HIGH SCHOOL WHO PLACED SECOND AND THIRD PLACE FINISHERS ST. THOMAS MORE. WEIGHT CLASS CHAMPIONS COLBY OURSO, DENNIS CHEN, DARRELL BASSET AND JOSH MARIEN LED ASH. OTHER TOP FINISHERS FOR ASH WERE CHRIS SMITH, JASON JAMES, JEFF LABORDE, JUSTIN SWANSON, AND BOBBY BEALL. STATE CHAMPION JOE BURLEW LED THE WAY FOR TIOGA’S LIFTERS ALONG WITH THE EFFORTS OF DOUG PHILLIPS. ST. THOMAS MORE GOT TOP 3 FINISH FROM RICKEY SASSAU TO LEAD THEIR EFFORTS.
ROUNDING OUT THE DIVISION I COMPETITION WERE THE EFFORTS OF THE LIFTERS FROM FARMERVILLE HIGH SCHOOL WHO FINISHED AS 3-A CHAMPIONS IN 1998. PORT ALLEN HIGH SCHOOL PLACED SECOND IN 3-A FOLLOWED BY THIRD PLACE RAYNE HIGH SCHOOL. LEADING LIFTER FOR FARMERVILLE WAS BERNARD NUTE. PORT ALLEN WAS LED BY LIFTERS BRUCE HARRISON AND JOSH LaLONDE. LARRY BROUSSARD’S EFFORTS HELPED RAYNE TO ITS 3RD PLACE FINISH.
IN DIVISION II BOYS COMPETITION, McCALL HIGH SCHOOL WON THE 2-A TITLE WITH 31 TEAM POINTS, FOLLOWED BY STATE RUNNER-UP BUCKEYE HIGH SCHOOL WITH 14 POINTS AND 3RD PLACE LAKE ARTHUR WITH 11 POINTS. LEADING THE WAY FOR McCALL WERE DIVISION II STATE CHAMPIONS JESSIE GALVIN, JAVON BUNCH AND BILLY COBBS. OTHER TOP THREE LIFTERS FOR McCALL WERE BRYANT MAYS AND DeMARCO THORTON. BUCKEYE’S 2ND PLACE FINISH WAS LED BY THE LIFTING OF RAVON FLOYD, STATE CHAMPION T. J. BURLEW. LAKE ARTHUR’S GAINED 3RD PLACE BEHIND THE EFFORTS OF CLEVE HOFFPAIR AND BRYAN McCOY.
IN 1-A AND BELOW A FIRST TIME STATE CHAMPION WAS CROWNED. ST. EDMUND’S OF EUNICE SCORED 25 POINTS TO SQUEAK BY THE LOUISIANA SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF WITH 23 POINTS. PLACING 3RD WAS ST. MARY’S OF NATCHITOCHES WITH 9 POINTS. LEADING THE WAY FOR THE BLUE JAYS WERE TRAVIS SOILEAU, 275 LB. CHAMPION, JOEY MILLER AND JASON DAIRE. STATE CHAMPION JEREMIE GRANGER, RANDY RILEY, CHAZ ANDRUS AND BRANNON BROWN LED LSD.
OUTSTANDING LIFTERS IN THE DIVISION I MEET WERE:
DOUG PHILLIPS - TIOGA HIGH SCHOOL - 114 - 165 LB. WEIGHT CLASSES
BEAU SCHEXNAYDER - ST. AMANT HIGH SCHOOL - 181 LB. TO SHW WEIGHT CLASSES
OUTSTANDING LIFTERS IN THE DIVISION II MEET WERE:
JESSIE GALVIN - McCALL HIGH SCHOOL - 114 - 165 LB. WEIGHT CLASSES
TREVOR KITCHINGHAM - OUACHITA CHRISTIAN SCHOOL - 181 LB. TO SHW WEIGHT CLASSES.
COACHES OF THE YEAR AWARDS WERE PRESENTED TO:
5-A - CASEY SANDERS, WEST MONROE HIGH SCHOOL
4-A - DUANE URBINA, ALEXANDRIA SENIOR HIGH
3-A - JERRY GINN, FARMERVILLE HIGH SCHOOL
2-A - WALTER DAILEY, McCALL HIGH SCHOOL
1-A AND BELOW - PETER MILLER, ST. EDMUND’S HIGH SCHOOL
CLASSIFICATION COMPETITION FINISHES FOR THE BOYS STATE MEET IN 1998 WERE AS FOLLOWS:
5-A: 1ST PLACE, WEST MONROE HIGH SCHOOL, 2ND PLACE, ST. AMANT HIGH SCHOOL,
3RD PLACE, NATCHITOCHES CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL.
4-A: 1ST PLACE, ALEXANDRIA SENIOR HIGH (7TH CONSECUTIVE TITLE), 2ND PLACE, TIOGA
HIGH SCHOOL, 3RD PLACE, ST. THOMAS MORE HIGH SCHOOL.
3-A: 1ST PLACE, FARMERVILLE HIGH SCHOOL, 2ND PLACE, PORT ALLEN HIGH SCHOOL,
3RD PLACE, RAYNE HIGH SCHOOL.
2-A: 1ST PLACE, McCALL HIGH SCHOOL, 2ND PLACE, BUCKEYE HIGH SCHOOL, 3RD PLACE,
LAKE ARTHUR HIGH SCHOOL.
1-A AND BELOW: 1ST PLACE, ST. EDMUND’S (FIRST STATE TITLE), 2ND PLACE, LOUISIANA
SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF, 3RD PLACE, ST. MARY’S OF NATCHITOCHES.