Kaplan wins 55th annual Snooks Relay

The weather held off and the 55th annual Snooks Relays got off without a hitch.
Over the course of the night two things stood out; the competitions between track teams in Vermilion Parish is going to be a fun one to watch all season long, and Kyle Zenon is throwing at a high level.
The competition through out the parish is going to be fierce all season long.
Six of the top seven teams in the Snooks Relays were from Vermilion Parish.
The Kaplan Pirates won the 55th Annual Snooks Relays with a winning score of 115 points.
They were the only team to cross the 100 point mark.
Kaplan would wind up winning four of the 18 events, and found themselves on the podium 10 times.
The Erath Bobcats finished second with a score of 96 points, and Vermilion Catholic scored 92 points good enough for third place.

Delcambre came in fifth with 63 points, followed by North Vermilion and Abbeville in sixth and seventh with 47 and 42 points respectively.

“We basically just got of basketball mode, and most of the guys have only had a little less than a week of track practice,” Kaplan Head Coach Donald Richard said. “Everyone came out here tonight and worked their butts off. No one complained, and
everyone just stepped up and performed. I’m excited about the season after tonight’s track meet.”

The Erath Bobcats came in second place, despite battling the injury bug early on this season.

“It gives us a chance to see what I have in sophomores and freshmen,” Erath Head Coach Kerry Richard said. “You never know when that adversity happens. The young kids are getting a taste of the meets and that will help us later on in the year.”

Zenon for the second straight week was named the Outstanding Field performer.

He was this award, and scored almost a third of his Vermilion Catholic teams points in only three events.

Zenon won the javelin, shot put and discus throwing events.

“It feels great,” Zenon said. “It lets me know that all of my hard work is paying off. I just have to keep my head on right, and I have to thank coach Veazey, that’s my main man. I also have to thank my family as well.”

Zenon has won four of the five events he has competed in this season, and finished second in the fifth.

According to coach Veazey, Zenon is attempting to win three state championships in the javelin, shot put and discus events.

“Kyle (Zenon) is a great kid,” Veazey said. “He makes me a good coach. His work ethic and drive to be good is what sets him a part.”

Not to be outdone, but Devante Davis from Kaplan was named the Overall Outstanding Performer.

Davis beat out Zenon by half a point.

Davis won the triple jump and 200 meter dash, along with being a member of the winning 4x400 meter relay team.

He also placed second in the high jump competition on his way to being named Overall Outstanding performer of the Snooks Relays.

“It feels good,” Davis said. “This was our first meet, and I didn’t run as well as I would have hoped I would have, but it’s nice to win this. We just have to keep working and make sure we get better each and every week.”

The Wildcat Relays are next up on the schedule for most of these teams.

That will be held at Abbeville, next Friday.

Andy Bullard
Sports Editor