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TOP 10 FOOTBALL TEAMS
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Sunday, July 20, 2003
The Times-Picayune
1Jesuit, 1933
Coach: Gernon Brown
Record: 13-0
Highlights: In Brown's first season as football coach, Jesuit claimed its first state football title. The Blue Jays shut out 12 of 13 opponents and captured the championship with a victory against Byrd. The game ended in a scoreless tie, but Jesuit prevailed on penetrations 2-0. Fortier, which shut out every opponent that season except Jesuit, scored the lone touchdown against the Blue Jays in a 7-6 loss.
Top players: Jesuit's star that season was running back Eddie Toribio, who scored 10 touchdowns and finished with 61 points. Running back Clay Calhoun also scored 10 touchdowns. Toribio, end Dave Loker and tackle John Egan were All-State players.
2Jesuit, 1940
Record: 11-0
Coach: Gernon Brown
Highlights: Of Brown's five state football titlists, the Blue Jays coaching legend called this team his "best." Brown's Jays pummeled all 11 opponents, outscoring them 318-31. The Jesuit victory total included a 74-0 rout against Behrman and a 60-6 romp against Warren Easton. In the playoffs, Jesuit downed Istrouma 13-6 and Lake Charles 26-6 in the title game.
Top players: Running back O.J. Key rushed for 839 yards on 103 carries and scored 96 points, and fullback Tony DiBartolo scored 90 points. Top linemen were center Cy Kirsch and end Paul Limont, who went to Notre Dame. Key, DiBartolo and Limont were selected to an All-State team that included a quarterback from Lake Charles named Alvin Dark.
3Warren Easton, 1942
Record: 11-0
Coach: Johnny Brechtel
Highlights: The Eagles shut out seven of 11 opponents and even beat a college freshman team from Southwestern Louisiana 13-6. Brechtel adorned the Eagles' uniforms with stars and stripes as the country found itself in the grips of World War II. Easton downed Jennings 6-0 for the state title.
Top players: Junior running back Eddie Price scored 60 points -- 33 more than 11 Easton opponents did. The All-State team included running back Ray Prats, guard Norman Hendrick and quarterback Gerald Comeaux.
4Jesuit, 1946
Record: 13-0
Coach: Gernon Brown
Highlights: Brown's final state football title featured a squad that allowed 65 points in 13 games. The Blue Jays thumped Jennings 48-14 in the title game and then downed Gonzaga of Washington, D.C., 19-0 in the CYO Classic.
Top players: Jesuit's 16-year-old junior running back John Petitbon, a marvelous talent, led the city in rushing and scoring and was second in passing. End Hugh Oser, who scored 56 points, was joined on the All-State team by Petitbon, the state MVP, guards Donald Ford and Al Tauzier. Petitbon, with 84 points, and Joe Shirer, with 62 points, each outscored the point total of 13 opponents.
5Holy Cross, 1963
Record: 12-0-1
Coach: John Kalbacher
Highlights: The Tigers defeated Jesuit 14-6 in the state championship game at Tulane Stadium, one that matched coaching brothers-in-law Kalbacher and Jesuit's Ken Tarzetti. Holy Cross' lone blemish was a 7-7 tie against East Jefferson, which had an offensive lineman named J.T. Curtis. The Tigers' defense held 11 of 13 opponents to seven points or less, including five shutouts.
Top players: Guard Vic Eumont, now the head coach at Jesuit, and center Barry Wilson, now the head coach at Holy Cross, were All-State selections, as was end Bob Borison. Quarterback Ray Culotta was joined in the wing-T backfield by Glenn Smith, who went to LSU, and Alan Rappold, who went to Mississippi State. Eumont attended Tulane, and Wilson picked LSU.
6St. Augustine, 1975
Record: 15-0
Coach: Otis Washington
Highlights: The first of St. Augustine's three state championship teams was bolstered by a formidable defense that shut out seven of 10 regular-season opponents, including the final four. In the regular season, St. Augustine's offense averaged 30 points; in 15 games, the Purple Knights outscored the opposition 409-64. In the semifinals, St. Augustine trailed Sulphur 10-0 in the fourth quarter at Tad Gormley Stadium but rallied for a touchdown, a two-point conversion and a field goal for an 11-10 victory. Covington fell 35-13 the next week at Strawberry Stadium in Hammond.
Top players: The defensive anchor was nose guard Percy Gibson, an All-City and All-State selection. Offensive tackle Byron Honore was also All-State. The Knights used the quarterback tandem of Raymond Gray and Louis Holmes. The top running back was Burnell Quinn, who ran behind the blocking of Honore and Louis Holmes.
7John Curtis, 1980
Record: 15-0
Coach: J.T. Curtis
Highlights: The Patriots' defense had six shutouts in 15 games and allowed seven points or less in 12 of 15 outings. The offense averaged 37.3 points and never scored fewer than 21. This was Curtis' fourth state title in Class 2A, but its first undefeated team.
Top players: This squad featured three of the school's all-time greats, including All-State running back Gregg Dubroc. Standout Reggie Dupard was a junior, and Steve Rehage, who later transferred to Bonnabel and played at LSU, was also on the team. The quarterback was Lance McHan, who was joined by tackle Mike Michel, Dubroc and linebacker Brian Bagley on the All-State team. Dupard attended SMU, and Dubroc signed with LSU.
8Ehret, 1981
Record: 14-1
Coach: Jessie Daigle
Highlights: Ehret reached the playoffs with a classic 46-45 victory against West Jefferson in the season finale before 10,000 fans at Hoss Memtsas Stadium. Featuring a lethal passing combination of quarterback Tyrone Mitchell to wide receiver Tyrone Vaughans, Ehret withstood a 260-yard rushing performance by West Jefferson's Garry James to prevail in what many considered the finest game ever played in the New Orleans area. Ehret opened the playoffs with a 59-41 victory against Holy Cross and closed the postseason with a 32-13 victory against Covington for a title claimed in the school's fifth year of existence.
Top players: A two-time All-State player, Vaughans, a Tulane signee, finished his three-year stint at Ehret with 177 receptions for 3,533 yards and 60 touchdowns, the second-highest touchdown reception total in prep football history. (Evangel's Abram Booty caught 83). The offense also featured tight end Dino Encalade and running back Chad Encalade, along with defensive back Norman Jefferson, who signed with LSU. Ehret's loss was to Slidell 27-26 in district play.
9John Curtis, 1984
Record: 15-0
Coach: J.T. Curtis
Highlights: In 10 regular-season games, Curtis never scored fewer than 21 points and its defense pitched seven shutouts, allowing just 23 total points. Curtis finished with a scoring advantage of 552-37 through 15 games, including three shutouts in the postseason. Only Notre Dame, which fell 13-7 in the semifinals, came close against the Patriots' seventh of 18 state title teams. Curtis was 14-0 in 1983 and 13-0 in 1985.
Top players: Junior linebackers Mike Stonebreaker and Kirk Russell still rate among the Patriots' finest. Defensive end Mike Murla was the Class 2A All-State MVP. Offensive tackle Pat Cummings, a Tulane signee, was an All-State selection and quarterback Rick Spooner ran a veer offense that averaged 36.8 points per game. Tight end Steve Clark started at Texas. Russell signed with Houston, and Stonebreaker became a standout at Notre Dame.
10Salmen, 1995
Record: 14-0
Coach: Bill Stubbs
Highlights: Salmen rallied from a two-touchdown deficit in the fourth quarter against Curtis to eliminate the Patriots 20-19 before a capacity crowd of 8,000 fans at Joe Yenni Stadium. Curtis was 11-0 before that defeat. Salmen's defense faced Leesville and running back Cecil Collins in the Class 4A state title game, but the Wampus Cats were no match; they fell 39-7. Collins gained less than 100 yards rushing.
Top players: Standout junior running back Dewayne Woods rushed for 1,831 yards on 210 carries and scored 24 touchdowns in the nine-game regular season. An All-State player, he signed with Southern Mississippi one year later. Brandon Dale, who played at LSU, posed a double threat at quarterback. All-State defensive back Keith Porter returned 12 kicks and punts for touchdowns. Salmen finished with a No. 12 national ranking by USA Today.
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