The Barbe High School girls track and field team was a powerhouse in the late 2000s.

They haven’t experienced quite that level of success since, but that could change Saturday at the state championships at LSU.

The Bucs won their first district championship since 2014 more than two weeks ago, and won the Class 5A, Region II title last week. They are one of the contenders and seek their first state title since a 2006-08 three-peat.

“I am excited but so nervous,” Bucs head coach Pricilla Ibarra said. “I don’t think I have been this nervous before, but I think it is the expectations that are high for the girls.

“They are ready. They know what they can do. They are just going to show up and give it their all. I think my nerves are that I just want what is best for them, and I know what they can do.”

Leading the team into Baton Rouge is senior Kennedi Burks. She owns the indoor (55.87 seconds) and outdoor (53.44) 400-meter run composite state records. Her top time this season was 53.5 seconds, which leads the state, and Ibarra said she thinks Burks can go lower. She is the two-time defending 5A 400 champion.

“We know the abilities that she has in the open 400 and the 4×400 is incredibly strong this year,” Ibarra said. “They are going to really fight for that team title.

“All I want for her is to have a really strong 400 race. I said at the beginning of the season she should go low 52 seconds. If she gets into that right mind-set right before the race, she can achieve that easily. We see it every single day at practice.”

The Bucs qualified almost double the athletes they did last season when they finished runner-up to Scotlandville. Seven of them are ranked in the top four in their events.

“They are all top contenders, and I really think that we are definitely going to rack up some points on the field side before the running starts,” Ibarra said. “This is a really big opportunity for them to take that. This is years of hard work that they have been building up.”

Burks, Aniyah Lavan, Reese Trahan and Alexandra Garner will look to repeat in the 4×200 relay as the top seed at 1:40.05.

The Bucs also have the No. 1 4×400 team (3:47.45) in the state in Burks, Trahan, Lavan and Tori Tran.

Trahan is the top contender in the 300 hurdles and has the best time this season in 5A at 42.89 seconds.

Also in 5A, Barbe’s Carter Hooks is the No. 3 seed in the pole vault after clearing 13 feet last week at the regional meet but has twice cleared 15 feet this season, as has Benton’s Miller Malley.

Sulphur senior Kendall Judge has improved by nearly 5 feet this season and enters the girls triple jump as the third seed at 37 feet, 1 inch, after a personal best at the regional meet. She will need to knock off defending champ Marley Richard (37-3) of Detrehan and top-seeded Noelle Williams (38-5¼) of Alexandria.

Class 4A
Leesville senior Keeton Johnson is the three-time defending Class 4A 1,600-meter champion, but will face stiff competition from top qualifier Noah Lange (4:29.37) of Morgan City and Archbishop Hannan’s Tyler Francis (4:30.3). Johnson’s seed time is 4:30. David Thibodeaux’s Jackson Jarrett is also in the field and leads 4A at 4:23.1.

Johnson is the top qualifier in the 800 (1:54.9) and will try to lead the Wampus Cats to gold in the 4×400 and 4×800 relays.

Iowa senior Ashtyn Henry is the top seed in the girls javelin at 117-9 and looks to improve on a sixth-place finish last season.

Washington-Marion’s Taylor Brown looks to carry the momentum from her Class 4A, Region I long jump championship to a state title. She jumped a personal best 19-51/2 inches and leads the field by more than a foot.