Lutcher boys among champs to defend titles

• By RODRICK ANDERSON
• Special to The Advocate
• Published: Nov 22, 2009

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SULPHUR — It was a good day for repeat champions like Lutcher High at the State Farm/Louisiana High School Athletic Association State Swim Meet.

The Bulldogs won the meet’s final event — the 400-yard freestyle relay — to edge Houma’s Vandebilt Catholic by 10 points for the Division II-Class 4A state title Saturday.

It was the fifth straight state title for Lutcher, a Division III champion the past four years.

Vandebilt Catholic (Division II girls), Jesuit of New Orleans (Division I-Class 5A boys) and Northshore of Slidell (Division I girls) were the other repeat champions on the final day of the four-day meet held at the SPAR Aquatic Center.

Catholic High was the runner-up to Jesuit for the fourth straight season in the Division I boys competition.

The Lutcher girls were fourth, while St. Joseph’s Academy placed fifth in the Division I girls competition. St. Michael finished fifth among Division II boys and seventh in the girls competition.

Vandebilt had the top 400 free preliminary and led by as much as two body lengths through the first 75 yards. In the end, Lutcher senior Hunter Louque out-touched the Terriers at the wall for the victory in 3:26.71 to 3:26.78.

“Whoever would have won that race at the end would have been the state champion,” Lutcher coach Lanny Remondet said. “I can’t say enough about the boys.”

Lutcher tallied 364‰ points, compared 354‰ for VCHS. Vandebilt had 366 in the girls division, winning its sixth straight title. St. Louis Catholic (308) was next. Lutcher had 240.

Meanwhile, Jesuit won its fourth straight Division I boys title and 35th overall also with 364‰ points. Catholic had 238. Northshore won its second consecutive Division I girls title with 376 points, ahead of Fontainebleau (211). SJA finished with 163.

Louque also won the 100-yard freestyle for the fourth consecutive year (the first three in Division III) and took second in the 200-yard freestyle to help lead the Lutcher boys. Lutcher also won the 200 freestyle relay. The Bulldogs’ Blake Roussel and Jayce Whitlow took second and third in the 50 freestyle to provide key points.

The Lutcher girls had no individual winners, but took first in the 200 freestyle relay.

Jesuit’s senior trio of Marc Dorsey, Brian Carr and Ramsey Burch combined to win five individual championships, two runners-up and three relays titles in the Division I boys race.