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Lamirand finishes career with third gold medal




JENTRY LAMIRAND MESSENGER ARCHIVES

JENTRY LAMIRAND MESSENGER ARCHIVES

With an impressive resume in her first three years, Jentry Lamirand assumed the role of de facto leader for the Decatur Lady Eagles’ volleyball program last season.

Choosing to focus solely on volleyball, the senior middle blocker worked on making another title run.

“We knew we had the talent to get back to state, but it’s harder to be the defending champion because everyone is coming after you,” Lamirand said. “We emphasized early on that we actually had to outwork everyone else. There was a lot more pressure on us this year, and we had a target on our backs.”

After a disappointing start to the season, Lamirand and the Lady Eagles rallied. Decatur made an unblemished run to a District 7-4A title en route to earning the program’s fifth state championship.

Earning her third state volleyball title in four tries, including back-to-back titles in 2020 and 2021, Lamirand is the Messenger’s 2022 Female Athlete of the Year.

MESSENGER ARCHIVES

MESSENGER ARCHIVES

“It means a ton to be the top female athlete in Wise County,” she said. “Knowing all of the people that have helped to get here — especially the coaches from freshman year and middle school — it’s really all a product of their work. They’ve all put me in the best position to succeed. I’ve been so fortunate to have such amazing people in my life that have helped me along the way.”

Decatur coach Catherine Foerster praised Lamirand’s tenacity and drive.

“Jentry is a hard worker and a go-getter. She’s thrived on competition and competing,” Foerster said. “Those are the kind of kids you really want. That’s what makes her so successful and a great athlete. She wants to work. She’s going to be the last one to leave the gym… [All of] the things that other kids don’t always do.

“She just brings in a lot of energy, speed and knowledge to the game. That’s what makes her such a strong player. That girl just works at it constantly. There’s no one in the gym that can say she doesn’t work hard.”

After defeating Wimberley in the 4A state final last season, Lamirand described the Lady Eagles’ 2021 season-opener as a wake-up call. Decatur fell to 5A Wichita Falls Rider, 25-23, 25-20, 25-6.

“Our first game was definitely not our best, but I think we needed that,” she said. “We came out thinking we were unbeatable. After that, we didn’t take a win for granted. We made sure we went out and earned each win because we didn’t want another game to end up like that.”

Decatur’s run through the district schedule was another grueling task for the young team. But with Lamirand leading the way, the Lady Eagles battled their way through, earning big wins along the way.

“There’s some strong programs in our district,” Lamirand said. “Teams like Argyle, Krum and Bridgeport have been really tough in the past couple of years. Playing that level of competition in district helps us to be battle-tested when it comes time for the playoffs. Whoever comes out of this district definitely has a chance to go to state.

“Coming into my freshman year, I was prepared, but I wasn’t at the level I needed to be in order to compete with the older girls in the district. It really was a struggle for me at the beginning, but it definitely helped me to grow into the player I am today. We got to be the team that played together for our careers.”

After a pair of playoff wins, the Lady Eagles pushed past Krum, Hereford and Argyle to punch their ticket back to the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland.

With a sweep against Bellville in the 4A state semifinals, Decatur (38- 8) rallied back from a first-set deficit to sweep Celina, 25-23, 25-10, 25-10, earning the program’s fifth title in as many tries.

“It’s nerve-wrecking to be in front of your whole home town playing in the biggest game of the year,” Lamirand said. “There was a lot of pressure. Instead of letting the pressure fuel us, we were basically playing not to lose. In that timeout, Kota [Hartman] told us, ‘We got this,’ and it was like a switch flipped.”

In her finale, Lamirand earned her second 4A MVP, burying a match-high 18 kills and hitting .516. She added eight digs and two blocks. She also was named All-Wise MVP and TGCA all-state, and the TSWA 4A Player of the Year.

“The whole playoff run this year was just amazing,” she said. “There were games where we had other girls step up and lead us to wins. Kota, Bailey [Miller], Kaylee [Peterson], Morgan [Hammer] and Gracie [Trulson] played out of their minds. It definitely was a team effort this season. We couldn’t have gone as far as we did without each other. It was great so see the spotlight shine on some of the other girls who deserved it, as well.”

The gold medal was Lamirand’s third. She was a freshman when the Lady Eagles defeated Needville for the 2018 4A title.

“There’s really no words to describe the experience of playing volleyball at Decatur,” Lamirand said. “You see the trophies and medals, but you never see the all of the hard work that goes into great seasons like we’ve had. Without the people I’ve played this sport with, I wouldn’t love it as much. It’s been a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Capping it off the way we did was the perfect ending to this fairy tale story.”

Lamirand’s volleyball honors were not her only hardware. While helping the Lady Eagles on the volleyball court, she also guided Decatur’s girls cross country programs to three state meet appearances.

In her sophomore and junior campaigns, Lamirand earned individual state medals, finishing sixth and seventh on top of several district and regional medals.

She also excelled for Decatur in basketball as part of two Lady Eagle playoff teams.

Lamirand is already onto the next step in her volleyball career. Switching to outside hitter and libero, she has taken her talents to the Hilltop to play at SMU.

“I’m super excited to be playing for SMU,” she said. “I know it’s going to be one of the greatest experiences ever. I feel really confident going into this next chapter of my career because of what I’ve learned here at Decatur.”

Wise County Female Athlete of the Year Recipents

2010: Haley Meekins, Bridgeport
2011: Jordan Ward, Alvord
2012: Jordan Ward, Alvord
2013: Ariel Rogers, Alvord
2014: Makayla Mayfield, Decatur
2015: Makayla Mayfield, Decatur
2016: Taylor Richards, Paradise
2017: Lindsey Thorpe, Boyd
2018: Maddie Mitschke, Paradise
2019: Bailey Meyer, Slidell
2020: Jentry Lamirand, Decatur
2021: Zoe Hall, Bridgeport
2022: Jentry Lamirand, Decatur

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