MICHAEL KIRAL / L’Observateur / February 24, 2000

BATON ROUGE – At the Louisiana State High School Indoor Track and Field Championships Saturday at LSU’s Carl Maddox Field House, the Lutcher Bulldogs wore T-shirts with the slogan “Back on Track.”The Bulldogs were indeed back, using a state championship by their 4×200 relay team to take sixth place in the meet with 25 points.

Bossier, led by Tomario Thomas in the 800 meters and Duriel Laird in the 55, edged out St. Augustine for the state title. Bossier finished with 43 pointsand St. Augustine with 40. Baton Rouge High and Episcopal of Baton Rougetied for third with 29 points while St. Paul’s was fifth with 25.Lutcher’s 4×200 team of Kenneth Johnson, Lance Allen, David Pittman and Jerron Wishom won the third heat with a time of one minute, 30.45 seconds.That time stood up over the final four heats with St. Augustine finishing in atime of 1:31.94. East St. John placed 27th with a time of 1:36.60.Lutcher head coach Chris Barrient had originally wanted his team in the last and fastest heat but the Bulldogs were placed in the third heat because of their time at the LSU Invitational last month. He said it ended up being forthe best because the Bulldogs were able to have a clean run.

“I told them whether we are first or third, to run as fast as they could because they were running for times,” Barrient said. “It ended up workingout for the best.”Johnson finished his preliminary run in the 55 meters with a time of 6.28seconds. That time was the fastest in the nation this year and just missedthe state meet record of 6.27 set by Zachary’s Leonard Scott in 1998.Johnson went on to finish second in the finals with a time of 6.38. Bossier’sLaird edged him out with a time of 6.37.”It feels good,” Johnson said. “Not as good as if I had won but it feels good. Ididn’t realize I had the best time until coach told me. I didn’t let it go to myhead. I just wanted to win in the finals. I’m not the fastest because I didn’twin in the finals.”Johnson, along with the 4×200 relay team, has been invited to participate in the Nike Indoor Classic March 11-12 in Bloomington, Ind.

Pittman came on strong toward the end to win his heat and finish third in the 400 meters with a time of 50.50 seconds. Christian Life’s Ahmad Jasminewon in a time of 49.52, followed by Brett Bolden of Episcopal in 49.83.Ricardo Williams placed sixth in the 55 meter hurdles with a time of 7.78seconds. Baton Rouge’s Fred Townsend took the state title in 7.57, winning aphoto finish over Welsh’s Achan Byron. Williams qualified for the finals with atime of 7.81 in the preliminaries. Wishom placed 13th in the preliminarieswith a time of 8.0. Williams also placed 24th in the long jump with a jump of19 feet, 11 inches.

“I was really proud of the kids,” Barrient said. “They ran hard, they reallydid.

“I was doing jumper jacks in the stands (during Johnson’s run). He surprisedhimself and me with that time. Number one in the nation is something to beproud of.”West St. John’s Arlanda Comminie also qualified for the finals in the 55-meter hurdles, blowing away the field in his preliminary heat with a time of 7.84 seconds. Comminie went on to place seventh in the finals with a time of7.8 seconds.Teammate Oneka Lewis finished 25th in the girls’ shot put with a throw of 24 feet, 7.25 inches. East St. John’s Lakia Williams was ninth with a throw of32-05.75. That was the best throw of her heat. LaGrange’s StephanieHarmon won the title with a throw of 40-09.50.Baton Rouge High, which swept the relays, won the girls’ state title with 62 points. Sacred Heart-Grand Coteau, behind four state titles by ShamekaLouis, was second with 50 points.

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