Rayne dominates All-Acadia Parish track team

CROWLEY – Rayne’s Wolves had an outstanding track and field season in 2008, earning runnersup honors at the District 5-AAA meet in both the boys’ and girls’ divisions.

The Wolves lost out on the league title by two points while the Lady Wolves came up just one point shy of the team championship at the meet.

For those accomplishments, Rayne nabbed three of the top four spots on this year’s All-Acadia Parish Track and Field team in sprinters Broc Menard and Krystal Chevis and field specialist Annie Simoneaux. Rayne’s Chester Randell also earned the Coach of the Year honor.

Menard earned the boys’ Outstanding Track Performer award after winning the 200- and 400-meter dashes, placing second in the 100-meter dash and running the anchor leg on the winning 4x200-meter relay team at the league meet. He was named the meet’s Outstanding Performer for those feats.

Menard also has the parish’s best times in the 200 (23.18) and the 400 (52.62) and the second-best time in the 100 (11.41) and the 4x200 relay (1:32.16).

Also on the boys’ side, Church Point’s Jonathon Walker earned the Outstanding Field Performer award with the top marks in the triple and long jump. His leap of 22-7 in the long jump was a foot better than the second-place finisher and his leap of 45-6 was two feet better than fellow teammate Nathaniel Johnson.

Among the girls, Chevis earned the Outstanding Track Performer honor after sweeping the dash events at the league meet. She won the 100-, 200- and 400-meter dashes en route to earning the league meet’s Outstanding Track award.

Chevis also has the parish’s top times in each event, clocking a 12.73 in the 100, a 22.76 in the 200 and a 59.20 in the 400.

Simoneaux was tabbed the Outstanding Field Performer after winning the discus and the javelin at the league meet. Overall, she had the best throw in the discus (124-9), the second-best throw in the javelin (131-10) and the third-best toss in the shot put (33-1.5).

Rayne’s Ricky Judice also made the boys’ team in the 110-hurdles with a time of 15.70.

Crowley’s Brandon Harmon earned a spot with an 11.33 in the 100-meter dash and Stephen Boulet was tops in the 300-hurdles with a time of 40.25.

Midland’s Colby Gantt shared the best time in the 400-meter dash with Menard (52.62); Notre Dame’s Ted Gall made the squad in the 800 (2:09.93) and the 1600-meter run (4:57.27) and Midland eighth grader Michael Primeaux earned a spot with a 10:43 clocking in the 3200-meter run.

Crowley High swept the relay events, clocking the best time in all three races. Troy Wilridge, Brandon Harmon, Kyron Benoit and Keith Pierson ran a season best 43.95 in the 4x100 while Harmon, Boulet, Benoit and Pierson clocked a 1:31.76 in the 4x200. Boulet, Carey, Benoit and Pierson also teamed for a 3:31.33 in the 4x400.

Walker is joined in the field events by Notre Dame’s Michael Casanova (51-2, shot put), Philip LeBlanc (162-2, javelin), Crowley’s Malcolm Richard (161-2, discus) and Tory Carey (6-6, high jump) and Church Point’s Caleb Standford (14-0, pole vault).

On the girls’ side, Chevis is joined on the track by teammate’s Deja King (2:35.74, 800-meter run) and Shamone Washington (19.42, 100-hurdles).

Notre Dame’s Hayley Gossen earned the top spot in the distance races, logging a 5:52.23 in the 1600-meter run and a 12:41.91 in the 3200. Teammate Alex Boulet also has the best time in the 300-meter hurdles at 51.15.

In the relays, Crowley High’s Lavetta Chaisson, Keianna Wilridge, Phayla Joseph and Amber Stewart owned the best time in the 4x200 (1:48.45) and the 4x400 (4:24.20) while Church Point’s team of Shirley Alexander, Deniseo Citizen, Maci Richard and Kellie Lewis posted the best time in the 4x100 (52.17).

Simoneaux is joined in the field events by Church Point’s Erizona Caffey (38-0.5, shot put), Kellie Lewis (16-10, long jump), Shalen Handy (35-7, triple jump) and Maci Richard (8-7, pole vault).

Also making the team in the field are Iota’s Kirsten Meche (135-8, javelin) and Notre Dame’s Kylie Pannell and Ann Catherine Venable (5-2, high jump).