By RYAN ARENA

Sports Editor

After 208 victories, three state titles and seven state championship game appearances, it’s fitting that Laury Dupont retires after a season in which he did arguably his best coaching job.

And for the job he did in 2007, Dupont has been selected by the L’Observateur as the St. John Parish Coach of the Year.

As he embarked on his 35th and final year of coaching, Dupont entered the season sitting on 199 career victories. The wait for number 200 took longer than anyone anticipated. Shorthanded due to injury for much of the season’s beginning, West St. John lost its opener at home to St. James. Following that loss came four others, and West St. John’s season hinged solely on district play.

But Dupont finally notched his 200th victory on Oct. 12, 24-19 at White Castle in a district game. It kick-started a nine game winning streak, a run to the Class 1A championship game at the Superdome that no West St. John observer would soon forget.

“We knew pre-district play would be tough, but we hung together,” said Dupont. “I think the turning point came at the St. Charles game (on Sept. 28). We left some kids home for disciplinary reasons. I think everyone realized at that point that this was about a team, not individuals.

“From then on, we never missed a beat.”

Dupont isn’t kidding. After the five point win against White Castle, the Rams took no prisoners, winning the remainder of its regular season games by 25 or more points. The Ram defense would allow over 14 points only once during the winning streak, in the state semifinals against Ouachita Christian, a 32-20 win over a team that had bested them in previous seasons.

“I never dreamt about making it to the title game with this team,” Dupont said. “This isn’t a team with any one superstar. It’s really rewarding for any coach to get there with a true team, one that’s not carried by any one guy.”

Dupont and his Rams may not have achieved the ultimate goal of a state title – South Plaquemines defeated the Rams 48-8 in the 1A title game – but nobody could take anything away about the remarkable run that West St. John went on.

“We accomplished a lot of our goals this year,” said Dupont. “Maybe we didn’t take the ultimate prize at the end, but there are 55 others who didn’t either. Our confidence level and team unity stayed constant, and as we got healthier, we were winning more and more.”

The matchup with the Hurricanes was Dupont’s seventh state championship game appearance with West St. John. The Rams went in 1992-94 and all resulted in losses. The tide turned in 1998, however, as the Rams delivered Dupont his first state title. West St. John would add two more, winning back-to-back crowns in 2003 and 2004.

Dupont’s coaching stops before West St. John included two years as an assistant at E.D. White and one at Terrebonne, then five years as an assistant and five as head coach at Thibodeaux.

But nobody could have foretold what his run at West St. John would entail.

“Nobody thought that in 21 years we’d be here, but it’s a combination of everything,” Dupont said. “The community accepted me, as well as the faculty, the staff, the administration. It was a no-brainer for me.”

Dupont said that he’s had opportunities to go elsewhere, but that West St. John was always the place for him.

“This has always been a great place for Laury Dupont and his family,” Dupont said. “And it will be great for whoever takes over this job.”

Dupont leaves with a career record of 208-87.

“It’s been a great ride,” Dupont said. “I’ve had a great support group of not only great coaches, but great friends. This has never just been about Laury Dupont.”