THE 1999 LHSPLA STATE MEET WAS HOSTED FOR THE SECOND YEAR IN A ROW BY ALEXANDRIA SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL. THE 1999 MEET WAS HELD ON MARCH 5TH AND 6TH. THE LHSPLA GIRLS STATE MEET WAS HELD THAT FRIDAY MORNING, WITH THE DIVISION II BOYS FOLLOWING THE GIRLS MEET ON FRIDAY. LIFTING FOR THE DIVISION I BOYS WAS HELD ON SATURDAY.
THE ST. AMANT LADY GATORS WON THEIR 3RD STRAIGHT 5-A TITLE IN 1999. THE LADY GATORS SCORED 41 POINTS TO OUTSCORE STATE RUNNER-UP WEST MONROE WITH 26 POINTS. SLIDELL HIGH SCHOOL WOULD FINISH 3RD WITH 9 POINTS. INDIVIDUAL WEIGHT CLASS CHAMPIONS BETH COUVILLION, STACI DENCAUSSE AND ANDI LeBOURGEOIS LED ST. AMANT. ST. AMANT ALSO GOT VALUABLE TEAM POINTS FROM THE FOLLOWING: STACY BLAND, JENNIFER GREGOIRE, LEANNE BAILEY AND JENNIFER BROWN. LEADING LIFTERS FOR THE REBELS WERE LINDSAY THOMPSON, KATY SANDERSON, AMY SMITH, JENNIFER STEVENSON, TAMEIKI HARGROVE AND ERIN NORRIS. ONE HUNDRED AND FIVE LB. WEIGHT CLASS CHAMPION AMBER SWISSHELM WAS THE TOP POINT CONTRIBUTOR FOR THE LADY TIGERS FROM SLIDELL.
THE 1999 4-A COMPETITION WAS ONCE AGAIN A BATTLE FOR SECOND PLACE. ALEXANDRIA SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL CONTINUED THEIR DOMINANCE BY WINNING THEIR 8TH STRAIGHT 4-A TITLE. WITH THIS TITLE THE LADIES FROM ASH HAD THE DISTINCTION OF BEING THE MOST DECORATED TEAM IN THE HISTORY OF THE LHSPLA. ASH SCORED 60 POINTS TO WIN THEIR 8TH CHAMPIONSHIP, RUNNER-UP BOLTON HIGH SCHOOL, TIOGA AND LEESVILLE SCHOOL ALL SCORED 8 POINTS. BOLTON WAS AWARDED THE RUNNER-UP SPOT USING THE LHSPLA TIEBREAKER SYSTEM. PLACING 3RD WOULD BE THE LADY INDIANS FROM TIOGA. LEADING THE WAY FOR ASH WERE WEIGHT CLASS CHAMPIONS JILLIAN LONG, KRISTIN SMITH, LEAH GOODEN AND NYLA GIBSON. OTHER ASH LIFTERS CONTRIBUTING TO THE STATE CHAMPIONSHIP EFFORT WERE ASHLEY MOTT, MONICA ARMAND, KIM SWEAZIE, JESSICA HAYNES AND JESSICA GOODEN. BOLTON’S RUNNER-UP EFFORTS WERE LED BY 220 LB. WEIGHT CLASS CHAMPION AMANDA SIMMONS. AMANDA NEAL AND MALAINA HERRINGTON LED THE WAY FOR TIOGA.
IN THE 3-A GIRLS COMPETITION BRUSLY HIGH SCHOOL FINISHED ON TOP FOR THE THIRD STRAIGHT YEAR. REPEATING THEIR STATE CHAMPIONSHIP PERFORMANCES FROM 1997 AND 1998. FARMERVILLE FINISHED AS STATE RUNNER-UP FOR THE 3RD YEAR IN A ROW. LEADING BRUSLY TO THEIR 3RD STRAIGHT TITLE WERE JENNIFER PREJEAN AND ELISE WILLIAMS.
THE GIRLS CLASS 2-A COMPETITION WOULD ALSO SEE A THREE PEAT. BUCKEYE HIGH SCHOOL WON THEIR 3RD STRAIGHT CLASS CHAMPIONSHIP. BUCKEYE SCORED 31 TEAM POINTS. STATE RUNNER-UP ROSEPINE SCORED 24 POINTS AND 3RD PLACE LAKE ARTHUR SCORED 22 POINTS. THE LIFTING EFFORTS OF SARAH NEWMAN LED THE WAY FOR THE 2-A CHAMPIONS. ROSEPINE HIGH SCHOOL RECEIVED STRONG PERFORMANCES FROM SHANNA SIMMONS AND DESI LEE. THE LEADING LIFTERS FOR LAKE ARTHUR WERE KATIE HORNSBY AND SARA BROUSSARD.
THERE WAS A REAL SHOOT OUT IN THE GIRLS 1-A AND BELOW COMPETITION. LOUISIANA SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF WOULD EASE BY LaSALLE HIGH SCHOOL TO WIN ITS 4TH STRAIGHT STATE TITLE. LSD SCORED 27 POINTS; LaSALLE WAS THE STATE RUNNER-UP SCORING 25 POINTS AND ROUNDING OUT THE TOP 3 WAS CATHOLIC OF POINTE COUPEE WHO SCORED 7 POINTS. LSD LIFTERS WHO CONTRIBUTED TO THE VICTORY WERE LATASHA BOURGEOIS, SHIMEKA DUCRE, MARDY HARRIS, TANESHA PETE AND BETH McKINNEY ALL HAD STRONG PERFORMANCES IN THEIR RESPECTIVE WEIGHT CLASSES. LEADING THE WAY FOR LaSALLE WERE LIFTERS AMANDA HEBERT, KRYSTAL BORDELON, AND VANESSA DURASTANTI. TARA ST. ROMAIN PLACED 2ND IN THE 123 LB. WEIGHT CLASS TO LEAD CATHOLIC OF POINT COUPEE TO ITS THIRD PLACE FINISH.
THE OUTSTANDING LIFTER AWARDS WENT TO THE FOLLOWING LIFTERS.
BETH COUVILLION, ST. AMANT HIGH SCHOOL IN THE 97 - 132 LB. WEIGHT CLASSES, KIM
SWEAZIE, ALEXANDRIA SENIOR HIGH 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 1999 WERE AS FOLLOWS:
5-A: 1ST PLACE, ST. AMANT HIGH SCHOOL (3RD CONSECUTIVE STATE TITLE), 2ND PLACE,
WEST MONROE HIGH SCHOOL, 3RD PLACE, SLIDELL HIGH SCHOOL.
4-A: 1ST PLACE, ALEXANDRIA SENIOR HIGH (8TH CONSECUTIVE TITLE), 2ND PLACE, BOLTON
HIGH SCHOOL, 3RD PLACE, TIOGA HIGH SCHOOL.
3-A: 1ST PLACE, BRUSLY HIGH SCHOOL (2ND CONSECUTIVE STATE TITLE), 2ND PLACE,
FARMERVILLE HIGH SCHOOL.
2-A: 1ST PLACE, BUCKEYE HIGH SCHOOL (3RD CONSECUTIVE STATE CHAMPIONSHIP), 2ND
PLACE, ROSEPINE HIGH SCHOOL, 3RD PLACE, LAKE ARTHUR HIGH SCHOOL.
1-A AND BELOW: 1ST PLACE, LOUISIANA SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF (4TH STRAIGHT TITLE),
2ND PLACE, LaSALLE HIGH SCHOOL, 3RD PLACE, CATHOLIC OF POINTE COUPEE.
IN THE 1999 DIVISION I BOYS COMPETITION WEST MONROE WOULD REPEAT THEIR 1998
PERFORMANCE AND WIN ANOTHER STATE TITLE IN 5-A. THIS MARKED THE 10TH CLASSIFICATION
CHAMPIONSHIP FOR THE REBELS FROM WEST MONROE. THE REBELS WON STATE TITLES IN
1983, 1984, 1985, 1992,1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998 AND 1999.
ALSO LISTED ON THE IMPRESSIVE RECORD OF WEST MONROE HIGH SCHOOL ARE THEIR 4
COMPOSITE STATE TITLES. WEST MONROE SCORED 77 POINTS TO WIN THEIR 10TH TITLE.
NATCHITOCHES CENTRAL FINISHED AS STATE RUNNER-UP WITH 54 POINTS AND ROUNDING
OUT THE TOP 3 WAS ST. AMANT HIGH SCHOOL WHO SCORED 44 TEAM POINTS. INDIVIDUAL
CLASS CHAMPIONS JOSH PATE WAS SUPPORTED BY THE EFFORTS OF HIS TEAMMATES JAY
JOHNSON, KENNY RONBINSON, BEN SOIGNER, TERRENCE TARVER, CHAD GRUBBS AND ANDREW
WHITWORTH. NATCHITOCHES IMPROVED ON THEIR 3RD PLACE FINISH FROM 1998 THROUGH
THE EFFORTS OF 242 LB. STATE CHAMPION RODNEY ROBINSON. OTHER NCHS LIFTERS WHO
CONTRIBUTED TO THE SECOND PLACE EFFORT WERE TRAVIS SMITH AND CHRIS BROWN. ST.
AMANT WAS LED BY 114 LB. STATE CHAMPION SHAUN MELANCON.
IN THE 4-A COMPETITION ALEXANDRIA SENIOR WOULD CONTINUE THEIR DOMINANCE OF THAT CLASSIFICATION BY SCORING 87 TEAM POINTS. THE 1999 TITLE WOULD BE THE 8TH TITLE FOR THE BOYS TEAM FROM ASH. ALEXANDRIA’S STRING OF CHAMPIONSHIPS INCLUDES ON COMPOSITE CHAMPIONSHIP IN 1992, WHICH WAS THE LAST COMPOSITE CHAMPIONSHIP AWARDED BY THE LHSPLA. ASH WAS LED BY 165 LB. STATE CHAMPION JASON SUTER. OTHER ASH LIFTERS WHO CONTRIBUTED TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP WERE CHAD HOLMES, MARCUS SMITH, DAVID BREWER, JUSTIN SWANSON AND JOSH MARIEN. TIOGA HIGH SCHOOL WAS STATE RUNNER-UP FOLLOWED BY THIRD PLACE FINISHER, ST. PAUL’S OF COVINGTON. LEADING THE WAY FOR TIOGA WAS 132 LB. STATE CHAMPION DOUG PHILLIPS. HELPING ST. PAUL TO ITS FIRST APPEARANCE IN THE TOP 3 WAS JOHNATHAN DAVIS.
FARMERVILLE HIGH SCHOOL WON ITS SECOND STRAIGHT 3-A TITLE IN 1999 BY SCORING 40 POINTS. PORT ALLEN WOULD CLAIM ITS 5TH STRAIGHT STATE RUNNER-UP TROPHY. CALDWELL HIGH SCHOOL WOULD FINISH THIRD BEHIND PORT ALLEN. THIS WAS CALDWELL HIGH SCHOOLS FIRST APPEARANCE IN THE TOP THREE SINCE WINNING THE STATE CHAMPIONSHIP IN 1993. WEIGHT CLASS CHAMPION ROBERT RAMSEY LED FARMERVILLE. ALSO CONTRIBUTING TO THE WINNING EFFORTS FOR FARMERVILLE WAS NUTE BERNARD. JEFF LEBLANC HAD A TOP THREE FINISH IN THE 114 LB. CLASS TO LEAD THE PELICANS TO THEIR RUNNER-UP SPOT. PAVING THE WAY FOR CALDWELL'S RETURN TO THE TOP THREE WAS REGGIE ROQUENORE.
IN THE DIVISION II BOYS COMPETITION IN 1999 IT WAS BUSINESS AS USUAL IN THE
2-A COMPETITION, AND A NEW STATE CHAMPION WAS CROWNED IN 1-A AND BELOW. IN DOUBLE-A,
McCALL HIGH SCHOOL WON ITS FOURTH STRAIGHT TITLE, WITH 5 OVERALL AA TITLES TO
THE SCHOOL’S CREDIT. LORANGER WOULD FINISH AS STATE RUNNER-UP, WITH PICKERING
FINISHING IN 3RD PLACE. LEADING THE WAY FOR McCALL WERE DIVISION II WEIGHT CLASS
CHAMPIONS JAY GALVIN, JAVON BUNCH AND STEVE HENDERSON. ALSO SCORING VALUABLE
TEAM POINTS FOR McCALL WERE DONELL WALKER AND BRYANT MAYS. THE STRONG EFFORTS
OR CARNELL CYPRIAN, CAREY ADDISON AND JOEY ZITO LED LORANGER. PAUL JORDAN’S
FINISH IN THE SHW CLASS HELPED TO SOLIDIFY PICKERING’S 3RD PLACE FINISH.
IN 1-A AND BELOW TEAM COMPETITION, FALSE RIVER BROKE INTO THE TOP 3 FOR THE FIRST TIME AND UNSEATED DEFENDING STATE CHAMPION ST. EDMUND’S OF EUNICE. ST. EDMUND’S PLACE THIRD BEHIND PERENNIAL 1-A POWERHOUSE LOUISIANA SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF. FALSE RIVER WAS LED BY THE DIVISION II WEIGHT CLASS CHAMPIONS CHASE MELANCON AND JACOB DEDON. TRAVIS ST. ROMAIN AND SEAN ATKINSON ADDED TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP POINT TOTAL WITH THEIR FINISHED IN THEIR RESPECTIVE WEIGHT CLASSES. 114 LB. CLASS CHAMPION JEREMIE GRANGER LED THE WAY FOR STATE RUNNER-UP LSD. TRAVIS SOILEAU WAS THE TOP LIFTER FOR THE THIRD PLACE FINISHERS FROM ST. ED’S.
OUTSTANDING LIFTERS IN THE DIVISION I MEET IN 1999 WERE:
DOUG PHILLIPS - TIOGA HIGH SCHOOL - 114 - 165 LB. WEIGHT CLASSES
PERCY CRAWFORD - SALMEN HIGH SCHOOL - 181 LB. TO SHW WEIGHT CLASSES
OUTSTANDING LIFTERS IN THE DIVISION II MEET WERE:
JAY GALVIN - McCALL HIGH SCHOOL - 114 - 165 LB. WEIGHT CLASSES
JAVON BUNCH - McCALL HIGH 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 - REED BEUCHE, FALSE RIVER ACADEMY
CLASSIFICATION COMPETITION FINISHES FOR THE BOYS STATE MEET IN 1999 WERE AS FOLLOWS:
5-A: 1ST PLACE, WEST MONROE HIGH SCHOOL, 2ND PLACE, NATCHITOCHES CENTRAL HIGH
SCHOOL, 3RD PLACE, ST. AMANT HIGH SCHOOL.
4-A: 1ST PLACE, ALEXANDRIA SENIOR HIGH (8TH CONSECUTIVE TITLE), 2ND PLACE, TIOGA
HIGH SCHOOL, 3RD PLACE, ST. PAUL’S HIGH SCHOOL.
3-A: 1ST PLACE, FARMERVILLE HIGH SCHOOL (2ND STRAIGHT 3-A TITLE), 2ND PLACE,
PORT ALLEN HIGH SCHOOL (5TH STRAIGHT RUNNER-UP), 3RD PLACE, CALDWELL HIGH SCHOOL.
2-A: 1ST PLACE, McCALL HIGH SCHOOL (4TH STRAIGHT 2-A TITLE), 2ND PLACE, LORANGER
HIGH SCHOOL, 3RD PLACE, PICKERING HIGH SCHOOL.
1-A AND BELOW: 1ST PLACE, FALSE RIVER ACADEMY (1ST STATE TITLE), 2ND PLACE,
LOUISIANA SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF, 3RD PLACE, ST. EDMUND’S OF EUNICE.