NEW IBERIA — Most championship teams succeed because of a dynamic duo.
Steph Curry and Klay Thompson just led the Warriors to an NBA Title. Then, there is Westgate’s Dedrick Latulas and Amaaz Eugene, a tandem that pushed the Tigers to the Class 4A state Championship.
“We challenge each other,” Latulas said. “I feel like that’s where the greatness comes at. On Friday nights, we pick up the hardware. During practice, those are our hardest days.”
When the two receivers are clicking, it’s known as twin power, that chemistry started years ago when the two met in the eighth grade. After becoming best friends, Eugene and Latulas took their bond to the field.
“When he was on, it would make me want to get on,” Eugene said. “One time he scored, I scored, then he scored, then I scored, then he scored twice, and I said put me back in coach.”
That relationship worked its way to Westgate where the two became the catalyst of the Tigers' offense. Not only does their play bring hardware to the school, but the duo constantly fuels the entire team.
“When we’re clicking, it gets the defense going,” Eugene said. “We have a close bond with Derek (Williams). When we start clicking, he gets hype and makes a big hit. When he does that, then we’re hype on offense. It’s just a revolving cycle.”
In 2021, Eugene had 1,200 all-purpose yards and 13 total scores. Latulas finished with 1,300 yards and 15 total touchdowns.
Those numbers are just a taste of what this pair has on the horizon.
“The goal is 15-0,” Eugene said. “We don’t want to lose any game. We’re trying to go 15-0 and win another state championship.”
“We won it last year at 13-2,” Latulas said. “That’s not good enough. We want to leave by putting Westgate on the map. We’re going to go 15-0. That’s the standard.”
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