The last time DeRidder won a Hooper Trophy game, Bill Clinton was into his second term as President, the Florida Marlins were about to win the World Series, India mourned the death of Mother Theresa and IBM's Deep Blue computer defeated Garry Kasparov in chess.
Since that 1997 win for the Dragons, the Leesville Wampus Cats have won 10 straight with one year (1995) skipped due to Hurricane Rita.
The Wampus Cats hoisted the Hooper Trophy following an impressive 68-29 pasting of the Dragons at Cecil Doyle Memorial Stadium here Friday night.
The win also gives Leesville four victories in the Hooper Trophy VI series and they need only two more to permanently claim the series trophy.
The 68 points scored by Leesville marked the most points scored by either team in the series. DeRidder had scored 61 in 1945 and Leesville scored 46 in 2004. The Wampus Cats have scored 40 or more points against DeRidder in three of the last four meetings.
A packed visitors' bleachers witnessed the Wampus Cats improve their season record to 4-1 by scoring 41 first-half points and surviving a furious rally by the Dragons in the second quarter.
Senior Michael Ford rushed for 274 yards and 3 touchdowns on the night, while fellow senior Travante Stallworth added 228 total yards and accounted for 5 touchdowns.
Read more about this game in today's Sports Section beginning on Page 1B.