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People SearchFind an individual who either played a sport or was a member of a support group. Search by last name by clicking on the first letter of the person's last name.
Mr. Lewis "Louie" Cook, Jr.
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Home Phone: 337-334-3223 Assistant Football Coach during the 1984-1986 seasons on the Robertson staff and the 1992-1995 on the Stokley staff. * * * * * * * * * * While Notre Dame may have won its fifth state championship thanks to a monumental game long effort from its defense, it was 20 seconds of offensive brilliance that changed the game for the Pios. After being shut down for the entire first half, the Pios’ offense erupted in the final two minutes of the first half and Notre Dame went on to beat Riverside 13-3 in the LHSAA Division III state championship game Friday afternoon. “To get the points right before the half, we had one spurt in the game and got ahead,†said Notre Dame coach Lewis Cook. “It’s a credit to the heart, desire and will of these guys cause there was nothing going our way offensively.†The points came after Notre Dame took over inside its own territory with less than two minutes remaining in the first half and converting a fourth and short with the oldest trick in the book. The Pios lined up in their typical short-yardage package with senior Hayden Bourgeois lined up in the backfield and induced a Rebel defender to jump offside with a hard count and get the first down. Cook said there was no play called. If the Rebels hadn’t of jumped offside the Pios would have happily punted and tried to get to halftime only down by three points after several mishaps, two blocked punts and a fumble, had given the Rebels several opportunities to blow the game open. But the first down gave the Rebels confidence and on the ensuing play, Cook went for the jugular. The Pios ran a reverse to senior Adam Berken, but in the backfield Berken pulled up and lofted a pass down field to fellow senior receiver Boedy Borill for a 55-yard gain down inside the red zone. “Berken was a quarterback for two years and then we moved him out to wide receiver,†Cook said. “And we kind of felt bad because we didn’t throw the ball a lot throughout the season and I know it’s kind of tough on receivers to block every play. “I told Adam one day, I said, ‘I’m telling you, at some point during this season you’ll make a big play for us, just keep hanging in there.’†Cook said the reverse pass is something the Pios had worked on throughout the season and used before to get big plays. With all the momentum against them and against one of the best defenses they’ve seen all season, Cook said they needed a spark so they turned to the play. “I felt we would have to do something against these guys, because they were pretty dang good,†Cook said. “Sometimes you run those things and it doesn’t go your way and it looks pretty bad, so I’m happy that it didn’t.†Senior quarterback Joe Faulk capped the drive off with a 3-yard toss to Ethan Smith to give the Pios a 6-0 lead after a missed extra point, with what looked like the last action before halftime. The Pios would have been happy heading into halftime at that point, but forced a fumble on the kickoff return and took over at Riverside’s 28-yard line with less than 30 seconds remaining before halftime. “The last 30 seconds of the first half (I can’t explain it), I thought going in if we could get to 21 points that we’d have a good chance,†We didn’t get 21, but I didn’t expect to hold them out of the end zone either.†With only a limited amount of time, Cook said he knew the Pios would have to take a shot deep and hope they could either score a touchdown or spike it at the goal line to run another play and get points. That’s when Faulk and Borill stepped up for the biggest play of the game. After struggling for most of the half, Faulk had only 11 yards passing and an interception up to that point, he lofted a beautifully thrown pass to the Borill at the goal line and the receiver dotted his right foot in the end zone to complete the 28-yard touchdown pass and give the Pios a 13-3 lead. “You just have to not let anything phase you and look forward to the next play,†Faulk said. “You just try not to think about the past at all and that’s what I tried to do.†“It’s overwhelming. It’s the best feeling I’ve ever had in my entire life. It’s what you dream of as kid and it’s what we’ve worked for our entire time at Notre Dame.†Borill said when he came down he wasn’t sure if it was a touchdown or not, but when he looked at the ref he knew. “I just looked up and saw it was a touchdown,†Borill said. “I didn’t really know where my feet were at the time, but I was happy. “We always have confidence in Joe and know he’s going to put the ball where it needs to go. We never doubt him.†Cook said no matter the outcome of the game, he wouldn’t be disappointed in a group that had worked so hard to get to this point in the season. If anything, he just wanted the season to keep going. “My first thought is what I told the guys this morning after breakfast,†Cook said. “The only disappointment I was going to feel after this game, win or lose, was not being on the practice field with these guys next week. “I could tell from day one with the look in their eyes. This was their mission. We started the journey and I’m just very thankful and very happy for them that they completed their mission.†Athletic Network Footnote by Ed Dugas: * * * * * December 9, 2004 LAFAYETTE – In the past five years, 75 weeks of high school football have been played. Notre Dame coach Lewis Cook has been on the sideline for 73 of those weeks. When you stop and think about that accomplishment, the fact that the Pioneers have been to at least the semifinals five straight years and to the finals three of those five years, that’s when you appreciate the work that Cook and his staff have done. “That’s incredible,” East St. John coach Larry Dauterive said. “And the thing is, he doesn’t always have the most talented team, but he gets the most out of it. I think he’s the best in the business.” Cook’s Pios will make their third appearance in the Nokia Sugar Bowl Prep Classic and Cook’s sixth overall appearance Friday night when they take on the Amite Warriors at 8 p.m. in the Superdome. “It’s always special, no matter how many times you’ve been,” Cook said. “We realized after we had gone the first time how hard it was to get there. And every year is different; different kids, different situations.” “The thing that’s different this time is it’s back-to-back. For these kids to bounce back from all the kids that graduated and get back here is a testament to the program and the offseason program.” Cook got into coaching 31 years ago, but his start in the business can be traced back a few years prior to that. As a student at then-USL, Cook latched on to Dauterive, who was coaching at Lafayette High. “I was speaking to a class at USL and I told the students anytime they wanted to come talk football, they were welcome,” Dauterive said. “The next day, Lewis Cook and Kirk Crochet, showed up. We became fast friends.” “Lewis is a student of the game. Faize Mahfouz gave me my start and I’m grateful to him. We all need mentors. If I’ve had a part in his life, I’m proud of that.” Cook has been learning ever since. After a coaching stint at Rayne, Cook went back to UL to serve as an assistant. He spent four years at UL before leaving to take over the Crowley High program. Cook guided the Gents to a state title in 1989 and a state runnerup in 1991, then went back to UL to serve as offensive coordinator under Nelson Stokley. Cook’s offenses, featuring current NFL standouts Jake Delhomme and Brandon Stokley, set records that still stand. After four years with the Cajuns, Cook went back to the high school ranks and back to Crowley High. Within a year, Cook and the Gents were back in the Superdome Classic. Cook remained at Crowley for a few more years before leaving to coach at Notre Dame. Cook led the Pios to the 2000 state title. For Cook, his years at UL were special, but didn’t match the 2000 season, a season in which Cook was able to enjoy with his three sons. “That’s the one year I think about,” Cook said. “Jeff was on the team that year, Lew was on the sidelines charting plays and Stew was running the balls in from the sideline.” “The reason I went back into high school was to spend more time with my boys. That year was a special one.” But even as popular as Cook is among his peers, he and Notre Dame still has their critics. People say Notre Dame uses their ability to draw from a wide geographic region to stack their football team with stars. But those critics can’t answer one question – why has Notre Dame produced only three college athletes in the last five years. “He plays with what he has and he wins with what he has,” Dauterive said. “The true mark of a good coach is consistency. He’ll have a couple of good players here and there, but most of his kids are just hard-working, average kids.” Cook certainly doesn’t have to defend himself, but he says people have a hard time giving Notre Dame credit simply because of the private school perception. “We don’t have superstars, we just have kids that believe you have to work hard to get what you want,” Cook said. “When you watch us get off the bus, you’re not going to be very impressed. In the past five years, we’ve had only three kids get athletic scholarships. We have 15 seniors on this year’s team and other than them getting to play in an All-Star game, this will be it for them.” Cook has accumulated a 192-62 record as a high school coach and isn’t planning on calling it quits just yet. His youngest son, Stewart, is in middle school. “I’d like to be able to coach Stew,” Cook said. “He’s in sixth grade. I guess I can hold up six more years. Even though it’s one year at a time, if I can last that long, I’d probably go ahead and try to coach him through. But I’m not taking that to the bank right now, because you never know.” The Lafayette Daily Advertiser
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