Senior Kyle Rose Signs His Letter of Intent with L.S.U. 
Surrounded by his parents and his coaches in St. Ignatius Hall,
senior Kyle Rose signed his letter of intent to attend Louisiana
State University this fall. Kyle, who won the state pole vaulting
title recently, was an outstanding athlete for the Jays
setting many personal, school, and state records.
Blue Jay "Rose" to Capture State Pole Vaulting Title 
Senior Kyle Rose, here pictured at the District 8-5A Track Meet, took
top honors in pole vaulting this weekend at the State Farm/ LHSAA Track
and Field Meet at LSU in Baton Rouge. Rose set a personal-record height
at 15 feet 8 inches. Among metropolitan boys’ schools, the Jesuit track
team performed the best totalling 28 points to finish eighth in Class 5A.
(The following article is courtesy of the Times-Picayune and nola.com) Rose Raises Family Pride Sky High at State Meet
Jesuit vaulter wins Class 5A title, eclipses dad's high school record Sunday, May 06, 2007 By Mike Strom BATON ROUGE -- On a day that featured few superlatives from local Class 5A Metro area competitors, Kyle Rose of Jesuit found a way to soar at the State Farm/Louisiana High School Athletic Association State Track and Field Championships. Rose won the boys pole vault state championship with a personal-record height of 15 feet, 8 inches Saturday at LSU's Bernie Moore Stadium. Rose's winning jump came on his third and final attempt at the height. The 15-8 vault also gave the Blue Jays' senior an additional bonus. Rose joined his father Mark as a Louisiana state outdoor champion and eclipsed the 15-6 mark his dad cleared as an East Jefferson senior in 1979.
The younger Rose, who cleared 15-6 to establish a Division I state record in winning the boys indoor championships in February, missed on three subsequent attempts to add an inch to the Class 5A record of 16-0.
"I thought he did great," said Doug Fraley, Rose's vault coach. "I thought he'd jump between 15-6 and 16-1, and he was just a whisker away (reaching 16-1). The main thing is he won and he got a P.R. (personal record). And he knocked his old man out of the family record."
"I had higher goals," said Rose, whose younger sister Laura, a Mount Carmel sophomore, finished seventh in the Class 5A girls pole vault competition with a jump of 8-0. "But like my coach said, we had three goals here. One was to win the state championship. Two was to P.R. And three was to set a state record. I got two out of three."
Kyle Rose actually started the day in a win-win situation when his parents presented him with an e-mail from LSU Coach Dennis Shaver that arrived Friday, extending a scholarship offer. Mark Rose was a SEC champion vaulter for LSU and ranks No. 7 on the school's all-time list with a height of 17-5.
"(The scholarship offer) was way more than a nice surprise," Rose, who was hampered by knee tendinitis for six weeks of the outdoor season, said. "Words cannot describe how excited I am about competing and jumping at LSU."
About his family record, Rose said with a smile, "This gives me bragging rights until I go to college. But I'm sure that my dad wanted me to break his record. In fact, he told me he wants me to shatter his college record."
Besides Rose's state title, the Metro area produced three other individual state champions but no relay champions in the 36 events of the boys and girls 5A competition.
Jake Hadley of Grace King set a Class 5A record in winning the boys 300 hurdles with a time of 38.51 seconds. Hadley bettered the mark of 39.23 set by Ryan Harts of Barbe in 2005.
Uzunma Udeh of Fontainebleau won the girls triple jump with a leap of 39 feet, 11 inches, defeating Jasmine Manuel of Hammond by just three quarters of an inch. It was the second consecutive state title for Udeh, whose 2006 title came for Ruston.
Kyla Thomas of Hahnville won the 100 hurdles with a time of 15.18 seconds. The top local team finishes belonged to Jesuit's boys and Fontainebleau's girls. The Blue Jays totaled 28 points to finish eighth in the boys competition, won by West Monroe with 84 points. Fontainebleau scored 36 points to finish third among the girls, with Barbe capturing first with 93 points.
Rose scored 10 of Jesuit's 28 points. His attempt to surpass 16 feet set by his future LSU teammate, Josh Dominguez of Ponchatoula, ended with three attempts at 16-1. Rose knocked the bar loose with his feet while ascending on his first attempt. He cleared the height on his second attempt, but rubbed the bar loose with his chest on the way down. Attempt No. 3 attempt ended when his legs brushed against the bar after his body initially cleared the height.
"He's probably a little disappointed that he didn't get the 5A record," said Fraley. "But he won and he p.r.-ed. Two out of three ain't bad."
Rose's defining moment Saturday came on his successful clearance of the pressure-packed third attempt at 15-8.
"I could just see it in his eyes that he wasn't going to let the P.R. get away from him," Fraley said. "That showed the determination that's taken him to where he's at this year. He's been resilient. He understands what it takes to get to where he's at. That's why it's been such a dream working with him this year."
Blue Jay Featured in The Times-Picayune (The following article is courtesy of the Times-Picayune and nola.com) Jesuit's Rose Eager, Ready to Raise Bar
Pole vaulter confident he can set record Friday, May 04, 2007 By Mike Strom Although it might be a stretch to suggest that Kyle Rose was born to be a pole vaulter -- his father Mark was an SEC champion at LSU in 1983 -- there is no questioning the passion he has carried for the sport since he first picked up a pole four years ago. How else to explain a training regimen in which Rose, a senior at Jesuit, begins the day by dropping to the floor the moment he leaves bed for 150 pushups and 450 crunches.
There were countless Mardi Gras parades Rose missed during indoor seasons and the post-senior prom festivities he is bypassing tonight to be rested for an attempt at a second state championship and Class 5A record in the state Track and Field Championships on Saturday at LSU.
"I really do love it," said Rose, a state indoor champion in February with a Division I-record vault of 15 feet, 6 inches. "Because I love it, I'm willing to work my (behind) off for it. I know my friends don't understand. They tell me how it sucks that 'you're not able to come out with us.' But this is what I want to do with my life. This is what I enjoy doing."
As a District 8-5A and Region III champion, Rose enters the state meet as the favorite with the top outdoor vault in 5A at 15-1. That mark is second overall, based on the regional performances of all seven classifications. Chris Roy of Breaux Bridge vaulted 16 feet to win a Class 4A regional last week, leaving Rose and Parkview's Devin Ducote, a Class 3A competitor, tied for second.
Rose defeated Roy in February for the Division I indoor title with his record vault. It was shortly thereafter that Rose began feeling the effects of a strenuous training regimen, falling victim to "jumper's knee" -- tendinitis.
The injury lingered for six weeks and sabotaged Rose's planned assault on the 16-foot barrier. Now healthy, Rose said he thinks 16 feet, the Class 5A record set a year ago by Josh Dominguez of Ponchatoula, is attainable.
Rose couldn't say what height he may have cleared without the injury. "But if I could imagine myself where I am now (physically), that's exciting," he said.
He cleared 15 feet last week to win the Region III championship despite a strong head wind. Although he was unsuccessful at 15-7, he did soar high enough to clear the bar on all three attempts, leaving the Rose camp brimming with optimism.
"The No. 1 goal going into the state meet is to win; that's priority No. 1," said his coach, Doug Fraley, a three-time NCAA champion at Fresno State in the mid-1980s who cleared 19-0.25 as a personal best. "Once you accomplish that, and if everything is going well, then I would expect that Kyle would jump between 15-6 and 16-1. I'm very comfortable in saying that, and that depends on the conditions. But that comes after winning. In any meet, whether it's an NCAA or a high school meet, it doesn't matter how high you jump. All that people remember is who won."
Rose, 6 feet 1, 160 pounds, has been pointing to this moment since taking up jumping as a 5-6, 110-pound freshman. He only took up track after coming to the realization after his eighth-grade year that his athletic future did not lie in baseball.
After a suggestion from his dad, Mark, whose best career vault was 17-9, Kyle gave it a try and was hooked. He only realized his legacy status when his father's friends reminded him about his dad's considerable exploits at East Jefferson High School and LSU.
Blue Jay Track Team Wins Regional Meet The Jesuit varsity track team defeated a field of 17 teams to win the 2007 3-5A Regional Championship track meet Thursday evening, April 26 at Tad Gormley Stadium in City Park.
The following Blue Jays qualified for the state championship track meet in individual events:
Junior Ben Duhe in the long and triple jumps, senior Kyle Rose in the pole vault, junior Kevin Fitzgerald in the 1600 meter run, senior Jeff Giordano in the 400 meter dash, junior Graham Williams in the 3200 meter run and senior Kenny Ehrhardt in the 3200 meter run.
Also qualifying for the state championship track meet were the 800 meter relay team of Jeff Giordano, Chance Van Meter, Manford Laws, and Payten Jason and the 400 meter relay team of Troy Mathews, Chance Van Meter, Manford Laws, and Payten Jason.
Times-Picayune Recognizes Jesuit Track Coach 
Coach Rodney Louque, when he is not training Blue Jay athletes, teaches physical science.
(The following article is courtesy of the Times-Picayune and nola.com) Coach's Family, Athletes Are Best Medicine Thursday, April 26, 2007 Pierce Huff No one at Jesuit would have gotten mad if longtime assistant track coach Rodney Louque had been unable to attend the District 8-5A track meet at Tad Gormley Stadium last Friday. Louque, 63, has been battling a rare form of cancer for the past two years, and had a two-hour round of chemotherapy earlier in the day. Instead, just a few hours after the treatment, Louque was walking up and down the sidelines cheering Jesuit athletes and barking instructions.
Jesuit senior Manford Laws said Louque is an inspiration. "I love coach Louque," he said.
Louque got a chance to see one of those once-in-a-lifetime moments when Jesuit won the meet for its first district championship in track and field since 1969.
And in a lot of ways he enjoyed the title as much as the Blue Jays' athletes.
"It was very, very inspiring to see the kids run and compete the way they did," he said. Cancer has taught Louque the hard way that every day a person is alive is special, and the days when great things happen are heaven-sent.
I learned that lesson the hard way as well in 2004 when doctors discovered a small cancerous tumor on one of my kidneys. My doctors, family, friends and fellow church members were great. I had surgery to remove one of my kidneys. Now I am back to living a normal life, if you can call it that. And I thank God to be alive and cancer-free for three years.
Louque's testimony is similar to mine.
When he was first diagnosed with lung cancer he was given one to one and a half years to live. Two years later, he is still going strong. In addition to the chemotherapy, he talks of alternative treatments, which he said have strengthened his immune system.
But the biggest healers in Louque's life, along with his numerous doctors and the nurses that he sees, have been his family and the Jesuit athletes, who have kept him going.
Louque said his wife of 39 years, Jeanie, has been his rock.
"She has kept me on the straight and narrow," he said. Louque said his daughters, Amy, 37, Laurie, 33, and Lisa, 29, have given him nothing but love and appreciation.
And Louque said the Jesuit track athletes have kept him young and vibrant.
"Track is something that I like, and it's a blessing and a joy to be around those kids," he said.
As bad as cancer is, Louque has learned to turn the disease into a positive.
"I appreciate every day," he said. "At first it was a shock, but after a while I realized that you have to go ahead and live with it, and have a positive attitude."
And that's pretty much the cancer survivor's creed. God never gives you anything more than you can handle. And if you tough things out long enough you may have a chance to see something really special. Louque did that last Friday.
In a sport where champions are sometimes measured in minutes and seconds, here's a special prayer that God has a long extension on the time limit of Jesuit's special assistant track coach.
Jesuit Track and Field Team Crowned District 8-5A Champions 
Junior Kevin Fitzgerald leads the field in the 1600 meter race.
For the first time in 38 years, the Blue Jay track
and field team won the district title.
View the 2007 Track District Meet Photo Gallery. (The following article is courtesy of the Times-Picayune and nola.com) Jesuit Wins 8-5A Title Saturday, April 21, 2007 By Pierce W. Huff, Staff Writer Thirty-eight years -- that's how long it had been since Jesuit won a district title in track, according to long-time assistant coach Rodney Louque. That fact was a source of motivation for Jesuit in the District 8-5A track and field meet Friday at Tad Gormley Stadium. The Blue Jays ended their district-title drought, getting their first crown since 1969. "We've won a lot of state championships through the years, and we haven't won in track in a while, and now we can add track to the championships," said Jesuit senior Manford Laws, who ran on the Blue Jays' second-place 1,600-meter relay team.
Jesuit finished with 133 points, and Brother Martin was second with 106.
Mount Carmel repeated as 8-5A champs in the girls meet with 152 points. Dominican was second with 138.
Jesuit's winners in the field events were Ben Duhe in the long jump (21 feet, 11 ½ inches) and triple jump (44-3 ¾), and Kyle Rose in the pole vault in (14-7).
Rose set a Catholic League record, breaking the mark of 14-6 by Jesuit's Beau Bagley in 1993. After Rose's victory, Jesuit trailed Brother Martin 60-59.
Jesuit junior Kevin Fitzgerald had the team's most dramatic victories. The Blue Jays took a 69-65 lead for first place when Fitzgerald sprinted past Rummel's Alex Lorio and out-leaned him at the finish to win the 1,600. Fitzgerald had a time of 4:24.68. Lorio had a time of 4:24.69. Jesuit's Cullen Doody finished fourth in 4:39.18.
Fitzgerald sprinted past Brother Martin's Kenneth Schiffman and won the 800 with a lean at the finish in 2:00.01. Schiffman had a time of 2:00.22.
"I don't like these kinds of finishes," Fitzgerald said. "They are too scary."
Jesuit also finished first and second in the 300-meter hurdles with Yuki Dunn in 41.31 seconds and Clinton Panchame in 42.54.
Jesuit clinched the title when Kenny Ehrhardt and Graham Williams finished second and third in the 3,200.
Brother Martin's field-events winners were Ryan Roubin (javelin), Kurt Dichiara (shot put) and Andrew Rebennack (discus).
The difference for Mount Carmel was its ability to dominate the field events. The Cubs were in first place with 73 points, followed by Dominican (34), Bonnabel (21) and Chapelle (18), going into the track events.
Amaras Genemaras won the long jump with a distance of 16-1 ¾ and the triple jump at 33-3 ¾.
Candace Burgard won the 100-meter hurdles in 16.69 seconds and finished second in the high jump at 4-10. Burgard won the shot put (38-1) and javelin (117-9) on the first day of the meet Wednesday.
Dominican won the 800- and 1600-meter relays and was second in the 400-meter relay.
Renee Hanemann won the 800 in 2:23.19, the 1,600 in 5:22.79 and the 3,200 in 12:10.61. Ruth Polk won the 100 in 12.51. Shavonne Temple won the 400 in 1:03.09. Myrketa Gibson won the 300-meter hurdles in 49.35.
Jesuit Track Team Takes First Place at the Mandeville Invitational The Jesuit varsity track team finished in first place at the Mandeville Invitational on Friday, April 13. The Blue Jays took first place with 153 points followed by Brother Martin in second with 132 points and Karr in third with 76 points.
Mandeville High School honored sophomore Payten Jason as the Outstanding Track Athlete. Payten won the 100 meter dash and finish second in the 200 meter dash. He also ran the anchor legs of the second place 800 meter relay team and the third place 400 meter relay team.
Junior Kevin Fitzgerald was honored as the Overall MVP of the meet by Mandeville High School. Kevin won both the 800 and 1600 meter runs. He also was a member of the second place 1600 meter relay team.
Other athletes winning events at the track meet Friday were senior Kyle Rose in the Pole Vault and junior Graham Williams in the 3200 meter run.
Blue Jay Athlete Featured in The Clarion Herald 
Senior Kyle Rose clears the pole
at a recent track event.
(Photo Courtesy of Ron Brocato)
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Kyle and his coach/ dad Mark have worked on Kyle's performance.
(Photo Courtesy of Ron Brocato)
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(The following article is reproduced courtesy of The Clarion Herald.) By Ron Brocato
Clarion Herald Sports Editor What makes a youngster want to be a pole vaulter?
I mean there you are, holding a 15-foot pole that is supposed to help you soar up, up and hopefully over a bar 2 1/2 times your height. Then the fun begins. To get to that summit, you first have to place the pole in a V-shaped slot while running as fast as your legs will move you.
If you miss the slot, and believe me, a crosswind will make it difficult to set the pole, your attempt will be recorded as a foul. If you accomplish this task perfectly, then you will rise, heels over head, until gravity says “enough.”
Hopefully the crossbar will be at least waist high at that point. Then, in a fraction of a second, while upside down, you have to snap the pole away, quickly raise your arms and rotate into an upright position on the other side of the crossbar without dislodging it from its support. If you land with all your faculties and bones in place, you’ve successfully accomplished your goal.
“There is a lot of potential fear involved in vaulting, almost to a point when you could become uncoachable,” said a Jesuit senior who has learned a great deal about the track and field event.
Kyle Rose is a pole vaulter – the best in the state indoors and among the best outdoors. He won the 2007 state indoor meet over his No. 1 rival, Chris Roy of Breaux Bridge, when he overcame Roy’s lead by attempting, and clearing, a personal best 15-6. Today he sets his sights on adding the 2007 Class 5A outdoor pole vault title. He finished third in that event last season.
Rose has three things going for him. No. 1 is his desire to win. Second and third are his coaches. Kyle’s father, Mark, was the Southeastern Conference champion in 1983. As a senior at LSU, Mark won that event at 17-5. The former East Jefferson High School champion vaulter has a personal best 17-9.
Kyle’s other coach is his primary teacher, Doug Fraley, the nation’s premier collegiate vaulter from 1985-87 with a best of 19-1 at Fresno State.
“My dad got so fired up when I became a vaulter because he was back into something he really loved,” Kyle said. “I had a vague knowledge of his career. Then later I found out who my father really was and what he had accomplished.”
But following in dad’s footsteps down the runway was not the inspiration that made Rose a vaulter.
“My eighth-grade baseball coach hinted at cutting me because of my lack of size. One day while I was running during tryouts, he told me I looked like I was fast enough to be a vaulter,” Rose said. “I was open to something athletically, but I was running out of options. I really wanted to train to get better, and it wasn’t because some coach told me, but because I wanted to do well.”
Kyle Rose attained instant success. He set a district record for eighth-graders.
As he enters the stretch run toward the May 5 state meet, Rose is trying to increase his height while competing with an injured knee. The district 8-5A championship meet, scheduled for April 20, is the first step, followed by the April 27 regional meet. He is favored to win both.
Rose won the indoor meet while nursing a sore knee. He attempted to reach 15-9, but realized he wasn’t helping himself physically by pushing himself to a new height.
Again, last week he cleared 15-1 to take first place in Brother Martin’s Crusaders Relays, but missed at 15-7.
“It’s called a ‘jumper knee’ and it’s pretty painful,” Rose said of his injury. “It happened during the state indoor meet. I treat it with ice and anti-inflammatory medicine.”
Rose said he doesn’t fear the injury. “There’s no good way to look at the injury except to train around it with non-impact exercises.”
Rose also works quickly on the runway. He doesn’t dwell on each jump. “When I’m in a comfort zone, I say to myself, ‘If I make it, I do; if I don’t, I don’t.’” Rose said. “Otherwise, there is a lot of potential fear in vaulting.”
Jesuit Takes First Place at Crusader Relays The Jesuit varsity track teams won first place at the Crusader Relays on Friday, March 30th. The Jesuit junior high squad finished second in their division.
At the track meet Friday, senior Yuki Dunn won the 300 meter hurdles. Senior Kyle Rose won the pole vault, with an outdoor school record vault of 15 feet 1 inch. The 1600 meter relay team of senior Manford Laws, junior John McCann, junior Kevin Leger, and senior Clinton Panchame clinched the meet with a win in the final race.
Blue Jays Set New School Record at Sugar Bowl Track Meet The Jesuit 3200 meter relay team of Cullen Doody, Peter Flores, Taylor Bacques, and Kevin Fitzgerald set a new school record at the Sugar Bowl Track Meet the weekend of March 23 and 24 at Tad Gormley Stadium. The new school record for the 3200 meter is 8:18.94, bettering the old mark by more than 4 seconds.
Also, junior Graham Williams won the 3200 meter run. Congratulations to all the track and field athletes who participated at the meet.
Blue Jays Run Away With First Place at Eddie Toribio Relays 
Junior Stephen Toups waits for the all-clear sign
before throwing the discus.
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Sophomore Tyler Landrieu focuses on his mark
before throwing the javelin.
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View the Toribio Track Meet Photo Gallery.
The Jesuit varsity and junior high track teams won first place in their divisions at the Eddie Toribio Relays on Friday, March 16th. The Jesuit junior varsity squad finished second in their division.
The following Blue Jays gave outstanding performances:
Sophomore Payten Jason, won both the 100 and 200 meters dashes and was a member of both the winning 800 meters relay team and the second place 400 meters relay team.
Junior Cullen Doody won both the 800 and 1600 meters runs.
Also finishing first at Friday’s meet were the following athletes:
Junior Troy Mathews in the Long Jump
Junior Ben Duhe in the Triple Jump
Senior Kyle Rose in the Pole Vault
Senior Yuki Dunn in the 300 meter Hurdles
Senior Kenny Ehrhardt in the 3200 meters Run
The 800 meters relay team of seniors Manford Laws, Jeff Giordano, junior Troy Mathews and sophomore Payten Jason
Finishing first in the junior varsity events were the following Blue Jays:
Sophomore David Dunn in both the 110 & 300 meters Hurdles
Junior Austin Egan in the 100 meters Dash
Junior John McCann in the 400 meters Dash
Sophomore Taylor Hillburn in the 200 meters Dash
The 800 meter relay team of sophomore Alex Bukaty, junior John McCann, sophomore Taylor Hillburn and junior Diego Rodriguez
The 400 meter relay team of sophomore Tim Lala, juniors Brian Martin, Diego Rodriguez and Austin Egan
The following athletes finished first in the junior high events:
Freshman Phillip Landry in both the 100 & 200 meters dashes
Pre-freshman Jarvis Harris in the Triple Jump
Freshman Fritz Metzinger in both the 800 & 1600 meters runs
Freshman Patrick Schmidt in the 3200 meters run
Freshman Patrick Ordoyne in the 300 meters Hurdles
Freshmen Patrick Fitzsimmons & Chris Gleuck in the Pole Vault
Freshman Jack Zeringue in the Shot Put
The 800 meter relay team of freshmen Phillip Landry, Brian Kampen, pre-freshmanAnthony Militello and freshman Patrick Ordoyne
The 400 meter relay team of freshmen Phillip Landry, Warren Bondi, pre-freshmen Anthony Militello and Ryan Migliore
The 1600 meter relay team of pre-freshman Jarvis Harris, freshmen Brian Kampen, Chris Rowan and Patrick Ordoyne
Jesuit Track Team Performs Well in Pre-District Rummel Meet
The Blue Jays performed well in a warm-up meet at Rummel on Saturday, March 10th. Junior Ben Duhe posted some impressive stats at the meet, finishing first in three events-- the long, the triple, and the high jumps. In the triple and the high jumps, Ben set his personal best records. Ben closed the day with a third place performance in the 400 meter dash. The following Blue Jays finished first in their competitive category:
Junior Kevin Fitzgerald in the 800 & 1600 meters
Junior Mark Schellhaas in the pole vault
Matt Sewell in the shot put
Sophomore Payten Jason in the 200 meter dash
Junior Graham Williams in the 3200 meters
The 1600 meter relay team: senior Manford Laws, junior Diego Rodriguez, senior David Beasley and junior Kevin Leger Finishing first in the junior high events at Saturday’s meet were the following athletes:
Pre-Freshman Jarvis Harris in the long & the triple jumps
Freshman Chris Gleuck in the pole vault
The 800 meter relay team of freshmen Phillip Landry, Brian Kampen, Chris Rowan and Patrick Ordoyne
The varsity track team returns to the field on Friday, March 16th at the Toribio Meet at Tad Gormley.
Blue Jay Establishes LHSAA Division I Indoor Pole Vaulting Record 
Senior Kyle Rose begins his record setting vault at the LHSAA Indoor State Meet, and...
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he clears the bar at 15' 6". With this vault, Kyle established a state and a personal-best record.
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View Kyle Rose breaking state record for indoor meet at a track event held earlier this season.
(The following article is courtesy of The Times-Picayune and NOLA.com.) Gamble pays off for Jays' RosePole vaulter goes for, clears higher mark Sunday, February 18, 2007 By Mike Strom BATON ROUGE -- With a state championship hanging in the balance, Kyle Rose of Jesuit decided to take a calculated gamble. Rose's decision turned into a bonanza as the Jesuit senior cleared a personal-best of 15 feet 6 inches on his first attempt to establish a Division I boys pole vault record Saturday at the LHSAA State Indoor Track and Field Championships at LSU's Carl Maddox Fieldhouse. Rose, the top qualifier at 15-4, trailed Breaux Bridge's Chris Roy before his winning vault. Roy cleared 15-2 on his first attempt after clearing the previous round's standard of 14-10. Realizing that matching Roy's 15-2 vault would still leave him trailing at the 14-10 tie-breaker level, Rose opted to soar toward an unprecedented height. Roy failed in three attempts at 15-6, and Rose tried twice at 15-9 before retiring with his state championship. "It was a gamble," Rose said, "but it was one that I could control. But it definitely was a gamble. I knew that if I made (the height) on my first attempt that I would take the lead. I really had to depend on my execution. Because if you don't have confidence in your own jump, then you don't have anything." Rose said he retired at 15-9 from exhaustion and a sore knee, but not before equaling the personal-best high school vault of his father Mark, a former East Jefferson and LSU vaulter. Rose's winning vault bettered by 2 inches the previous meet record of 15-4 set a year ago by Josh Dominguez of Ponchatoula. "I've got plenty of season left," Rose said, referring to the chase for his family record as his father lugged off his poles. "I'm very excited because I'm coming off being sick all week. I was completely congested from head to toe. I stayed home from Mardi Gras. I stayed home to rest up and get better. I did no pole vaulting. Resting up was a key because I don't have much speed to spare." Baton Rouge-Catholic and Barbe ran away with the Division I boys and girls championships, scoring 78 and 95 points. McDonogh 35 came in second with 34 points in the boys competition. Port Allen and Lake Charles-Boston won the Division II boys and girls titles. Joshua Smith of West Jefferson won the 55-meter dash with a time of 6.42 seconds, 0.03 of a second faster than Byrd's Montrea Hughes. St. Augustine senior Chantz Stevenson, who entered with the fastest qualifying time of 6.40, did not compete in the finals after straining his left hamstring in the preliminaries. McDonogh 35's Lionel Breaux Jr. raced to the 400 meters championship with a time of 50.08, beating Catholic's Jeremy Tinsley by more than a second. Breaux Jr. also anchored McDonogh 35's winning 1,600 relay. Cornell Howard, Robert Hammond and Delvin Breaux ran McDonogh 35's first three legs. Mark Mendrek-Laske of Ben Franklin won the 1,600 meters with a time of 4:26.18 to edge Jeff Sanders of Fontainebleau at 4:28.31. In Division I girls, Hahnville's Ta'Nesha Steib was the lone local state champion, winning the long jump at 18-1.5. In Division II boys, Cornell Jackson, Khymest Williams, Frederick Thomas and Jarron Jackson gave Lutcher the 800-meter relay in 1:32.60. In Division II girls, Helen Kohnke of McGehee won the 1,600 championship at 5:29.39 and Lutcher's Rynique Perkins won the 55-meter dash at 7.39. |
