Poullard helps lead Gents to Pirate Relays title

KAPLAN – A week off is apparently exactly just what the doctor ordered for Crowley High’s Kirk Poullard.
One week after falling ill and missing practices and not being well enough to participate in the Welsh Grey Hound Relays, Poullard was back to his old self last Friday and showed no ill effects of the layoff.
In fact, he was back in stride – literally.
The junior sprinter, nephew of former CHS track great Torres Poullard, racked up 23 points in four events in helping lead the Gents to the Pirate Relays title at Kaplan High School.
“He has a lot of talent,” said CHS coach Jeptha Wall of Poullard. “He could run on the 4x100 if we wanted. He has a lot of great qualities, but I don’t think we’ve seen what he can really do yet because he really hasn’t been pushed yet.”
Poullard won the 800-meter run in a time of 2:03.98, bettering his season-best time of 2:05.42. He also placed second in the 400-meter run behind teammate Thomas Cavell with a time of 51.15. Cavell won the event with a time of 51.01.
But what were most impressive were his legs on the 4x200 and 4x400 relays.
Poullard ran the opening leg on the winning 4x200 team that posted a time of 1:30.82 and he was the anchor leg on the winning 4x400 team that logged a time of 3:27.73. Both times were season bests this year.
“What you really don’t see is how good of a leg he runs on the 4x200,” said Wall. “He is the one that kind of gives us a chance. He runs as fast an opening leg as the other ones run the rest of the way around and he’s running from a dead stop while the others all have a running start.”
Poullard teamed with Jacq’co Price, Tyler Castille and Bryston Domino in the 4x200 and was joined by Cavell, Price and Terrell Thomas in the 4x400.
Thomas turned in a winning time of 41.22 in the 300 hurdles and a second-place time of 16.59 in the 110 hurdles to add 18 points to the Gents’ total.
Other exceptional performances were turned in by Damon Guidry with a first-place jump of 6-8 1/4 in the high jump, a new personal best, and John Marceaux went 20-8 1/2 in the long jump to place second. Price took third in the triple jump (41-5 1/2).
“Overall, we had a really good night,” said Wall. “I was impressed because we pretty much improved our times all the way across the board. I thought we might be a little down because I ran them really hard during the week. We have a lot of guys that are giving us points here and there and that makes us better as a team.
Church Point, which placed ninth in the field of 15 teams with 33 points, scored two top finishes. Brett Richard won the 100-meter dash (10.89) and then teamed with James Bellard, Travette Meche and Justin Roscoe to win the 4x100 (43.76). Bellard, Roscoe, Meche and Fred Williams took home runners-up honors in the 4x400 (3:30.17).
Notre Dame followed in 10th place with 33.43 points behind Hunter Stelly’s 18-point effort. Stelly won the javelin (191-1 1/2) and was second in the shot put (50-3). Tre Milstead added a third-place finish in the high jump (5-8).
In girls’ competition, Notre Dame finished seventh with 39 points while Crowley was ninth with 26. Church Point scored 15 points to finish 12th.
Aline Gossen led the Lady Pios with a winning time of 12:48.38 in the 3200 and she was fourth in the 1600 (6:03.01). Erin Trahan added a first-place finish in the 1600 (5:50.10) and Grace Morgan was fourth in the high jump (4-10).
Crowley’s Bailee Villejoin also jumped 4-10 in the high jump and took second with less misses while Jalasia Hebert was third in the 100 hurdles (16.98). Brooklyn Johnson took fourth in the pole vault, breaking her own school record with a jump of 8-6.