Ascension Catholic powerlifters look to make coach Joe Ryan’s final trip a two-title ride – The Advocate

Ascension Catholic powerlifting coach Joe Ryan calls it one last journey.

A key question going into the Allstate Sugar Bowl/LHSAA Powerlifting Championships is this will it be one or two championships for the road for Ryan?

Getting the chance to coach these kids one last time means so much, Ryan said. It is an honor really. These seniors started with me as freshmen my first year, and theyve grown so much, along with the program. Theyve competed well all year, and theyre ready.

Ryan has done more than his share of roadwork to continue working with the Bulldogs. He lives in Donaldsonville, but left ACHS at midterm to teach/coach at his alma mater, Denham Springs, where he is set to start a powerlifting program next year.

Ryan got the blessing of both schools to continue working with the Ascension Catholic boys and girls powerlifters. So each morning he drives to Denham Springs to teach classes and returns to Donaldsonville each afternoon to coach the Bulldogs.

The formula has worked well. ACHS seeks its third straight Division V girls title at the LHSAA meet that begins at 9 a.m. Friday at Louisiana-Monroes Fant-Ewing Coliseum. Competition for girls in Divisions III, IV and V opens the competition. The boys session follows at 3 p.m. The two-day meet concludes Saturday with the Division I and II girls in the morning and boys in the afternoon.

The girls are solid, just like the last couple of years, Ryan said. Weve got some new faces, along with five or six girls who have been with us for a while. This is definitely the strongest boys team weve had since Ive been here.

Seeing those guys have a chance to win a title is special. None of these kids were even born the last time Ascension Catholic won a boys powerlifting title. It was in 1991 and I was a year old, so its been a while.

The ACHS girls have lifters in all but two weight classes and are projected to take first and second at 114 pounds, 123 and 148. Seniors Michalyn Daigle at 123 pounds and Elizabeth Latino at 165 are defending champions. Daigle has the top total lift entry of 665 pounds. Latino has a total lift of 625.

Northwood-Lena and Delhi are two of the teams who are also contenders for the girls, Ryan said. We need to improve on what we did at the regional meet. For the boys, itll be Delhi and Delhi Charter.

Ashton Bourgeois, who won an individual title last year at 198 pounds, is seeded second at 220. The ACHS boys are scheduled to have competitors in all but one weight class.

Bourgeois is second to Catholic-Pointe Coupees Mason Riche in his weight class. Riches total lift is 1,365 pounds, 100 pounds more than Bourgeois' total. The Bulldogs Nick Milano set regional records at 132 pounds and is a top entrant with a total lift of 895 pounds.

Its been a great ride, Ryan said. I cant wait to see how we do.

Follow Robin Fambrough on Twitter, @FambroughAdv

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Ascension Catholic powerlifters look to make coach Joe Ryan's final trip a two-title ride - The Advocate