By RYAN ARENA
L’Observateur

EDGARD — On a typical Friday night in Edgard, it’s not all that uncommon to see former West St. John football coach Laury Dupont roaming the sidelines, watching his former team earn victories just as it did so many times under his watch.

Many noticed, in fact, just how often he guided those Rams to success, and he’s being recognized in a major way for it.

Dupont has been selected for enshrinement into the Louisiana High School Sports Hall of Fame, where he and seven other new members will be officially inducted in January.

He coached the Rams from 1990 through 2007, winning a trio of Class 2A state championships in 1998, 2003 and 2004. The Rams also finished as state runner-up three times. Dupont was also named LSWA Coach of the Year three times.

“I just sit here and think of all the other great coaches in our state who could be in this spot instead of me, and it’s so humbling,” Dupont said. “This is really a team honor, and I mean beyond just our team. My players, our administration, the people of the community, my family … Thank God I was blessed with a family that loved athletics, because there was a lot of sacrifice on their part.”

Dupont said being the football coach at West St. John is a special experience because of how beloved the onfield competition is in the school’s tiny community.

“That’s what there is in Edgard,” Dupont said. “When you talk to people around the state, when they think about West St. John, they think about Friday night football, they think about fried chicken and jambalaya and winning games. It started with coach (Rudolph) Dinvaut. He, Terry Robiskie, they set the tone in the early days.

“When people would drive down (Hwy.) 3127, they’d say they didn’t see any houses, yet there we were in our stadium, full of fans.”

He also cherished the competition between the local head football coaches in the River Region, noting “the River Region always had great coaches” in place.

One of those coaches, former Riverside coach Mickey Roussel, is someone Dupont counts as a close friend to this day. Despite that friendship, the two were great rivals, each commanding powerhouse teams in the late 90s and early 2000s who were often district rivals.

In 1998, the two teams met in the Superdome to decide the Class 2A state championship, both coaches hunting their first state title. Riverside was undefeated and defeated the Rams in district play during the regular season. But in the title game, Dupont and the Rams earned the 28-23 victory.

Another fond memory of Dupont’s was the 2003 season, where West St. John, Hahnville and Lutcher each secured state championship victories.

“We were leaving the Superdome and (Lutcher coach) Tim Detillier and the Bulldogs were taking the field,” Dupont said. “You’ve never seen so many high-fives. It was the most awesome feeling ever.

“There was a lot of great competition, and a lot of great friends.”

He said he’s enjoyed watching West St. John’s postseason run this season. West St. John is 9-3 and was set for a semifinal game at Haynesville, Friday night, after presstime.

“Coach (Robert) Valdez has done a fantastic job there,” Dupont said of his successor, who stepped in for him in 2008.

“I feel blessed to be part of a community with such great people.”