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May 13, 2010
With just one throw remaining in the Class 5A Shot Put event, Terrebonne’s Sierra Lyons was fighting to stay near the top of the pack.
But on Mother’s Day weekend, it was some advice from Mom that led the Tigers’ standout all the way to the state title.
“My mom called me over and told me, ‘Sierra, please grunt on this last one. Please grunt for me. It’s your last throw in high school. It’s your last throw ever.’ So I went up there on that last one and I let it go and I let out a big grunt. It just happened. It wasn’t because my mom told me, but it definitely flew.”
The final throw sailed 39-feet-1-inch and thrust Lyons past the previous leader, Brianna Golden of St. Joseph’s previous 38-foot-1-inch mark, catapulting her to her first state title.
“It feels great,” she said. “I never got here until last year. So it was my first state last year and my first state title this year. It was a great way to end my high school career.”
Lyons, who also finished second in the javelin and sixth in the discus, was one of four Tri-parish athletes to take home the top prize at the state meet.
South Lafourche’s Rusty Borne took home the 5A long jump and triple jump titles and staked his claim as one of the best jumpers in America.
Borne’s winning long jump was 24-feet, 8 and one-half inches, marking the second-best long jump in the country this year among high school athletes.
His winning long jump was 48-feet-8 and one-half inches and most importantly a foot beyond the second place leap.
“It feels great to know I’m one of the best in the country,” Borne said. “And to win state, that’s even better. That’s a feeling I’ve never felt before.”
Saturday’s state meet also coincided with South Lafourche’s prom that evening. With the triple jump event just getting underway at 6 p.m., Borne had to break out the tuxedo in Baton Rouge following his final jump and make an hour trek to New Orleans to meet his date.
“Man, I hope she doesn’t get too mad at me,” he said while laughing. “I’m probably going to be a little bit late. I’m just taking care of some business first.”
Vandebilt Catholic pole vaulter Chris Watson also took care of business and won his second-consecutive state championship in his event with a 15-foot-3-inch vault.
Watson won the state title last year with a vault that was three inches higher than his winning jump this year.
“It’s not quite the height that I wanted,” he said. “But you can never complain about winning.”
Following high school, Watson said he plans to walk-on to the LSU track team where he believes the Tigers will be getting a diamond in the rough.
“My personal best is 16-foot-1,” he said. “I know I can get there and I’m shooting to get to that level consistently when I get [to LSU] in the fall. I just have to do some tinkering here and there.”
While Saturday’s meet was the end of Lyons, Borne and Watson’s storied high school careers, it was just the beginning of the winning for Thibodaux’s Gregory Robinson, who won the state title in the 5A Boys’ Shot Put event.
Robinson had the title in hand with one throw left in the event.
So with nothing to lose, he unleashed all of his strength into his final throw and improved his best throw to his state-winning, 56-foot, one-quarter inch mark.
“I started off kind of bad, but the announcer announced me in the ring, so with the pressure on, I knew I had to let it loose,” Robinson said. “I already had it won, so if I faulted, then oh well. But I knew if I stayed in, it’d be a great throw.”
With one year left of eligibility, Robinson said he hasn’t reached his potential and is eyeballing the 60-foot mark next year.
“I’m happy with the state championship, but I still want my last year to be my best year,” Robinson said. “I’m shooting for 63. I can get there.”
Robinson’s 10-point contribution played a hand in the Tigers’ boys placing No. 6 in the state. They were one of three local teams to finish in the Top 10.
Terrebonne’s girls finished No. 8 and Vandebilt’s boys finished in a tie for No. 10.
AREA’S TOP 6 FINALISTS
5A Girls Shot Put:
No. 1 Sierra Lyons, Terrebonne, 39-feet-1-inch
5A Girls Javelin:
No. 2 Sierra Lyons, Terrebonne, 128-feet-8-inches
No. 5 Elizabeth Thomassie, South Lafourche, 114-feet-5-inches
5A Girls Discus:
No. 6 Sierra Lyons, Terrebonne, 105-feet-1-inch
100M Girls Hurdles:
No. 5 Rahshika Thomas, Thibodaux, 16.17 seconds
5A Boys Shot Put:
No. 1 Gregory Robinson, Thibodaux, 56-feet, one-quarter inch
5A Boys High Jump:
No. 3 Shavon Coleman, Thibodaux, 6-feet-4-inches
5A Boys Javelin:
No. 4 Tyler Doiron, H.L. Bourgeois, 175-feet-10-inches
5A Boys Long Jump:
No. 1 Rusty Borne, South Lafourche, 24-feet-8-and-one-half-inches
5A Boys Pole Vault:
No. 4 Drew Loupe, Thibodaux, 14-feet
5A Boys 800M Run:
No. 3 Jarrell Gray, Thibodaux, 1:58.59
5A Boys 4X100M Relay:
No. 4 Terrebonne relay team 42.78 seconds
4A Girls High Jump:
No. 4 (tie) Lindsey Lerille, Vandebilt, 4-feet-8-inches
4A Girls Discus:
No. 4 Taylor Crosby, Vandebilt, 101-feet-7-inches
No. 5 Sybil Washington, Vandebilt, 101-feet-1-inch
4A Girls Pole Vault:
No. 3 Katie Watson, Vandebilt, 10-feet
No. 5 Abby Buquet, Vandebilt, 9-feet-6-inches
4A Girls 1,600M run:
No. 5 Hali Yarmush, Ellender, 5:30.90
No. 6 Emily Carrere, Vandebilt, 5:58.83
4A Boys Pole Vault:
No. 1 Chris Watson, Vandebilt, 15-feet-3-inches
No. 4 Nick Laurent, Vandebilt, 12-feet-6-inches
4A Boys 1,600M Run:
No. 5 Alex Hebert, Vandebilt, 4:43.18
4A Boys 400M Dash:
No. 4 Vernon Norwood, Morgan City, 48.84 seconds
3A Girls 1,600M Run:
No. 3 Lindsay Constant, E.D. White, 5:41.04
3A Girls 3,200M Run:
No. 4 Kaitlyn Kuylen, E.D. White, 12:39.58
3A Boys Javelin:
No. 6 Lorenzo Phillips, Patterson, 169-feet-3-inches
3A Boys 800M Run:
No. 2 Alan Angerson, Patterson, 2:03.03
No. 3 Joe Lasseigne, Berwick, 2:03.18
3A Boys 4X100M Relay:
No. 2 Patterson, 42.85 seconds
3,200M Run:
No. 5 David Melancon, E.D. White, 10:28.28
South Lafourche senior Rusty Borne attempts a long jump. The senior took home first prize at the state track and field competition on Saturday at LSU. * Photo by CASEY GISCLAIR
