(BATON ROUGE, LA) – In one of his final acts as Commissioner of the Louisiana High School Athletic Association, Tommy Henry signed a three-year contract extension with longtime corporate partner State Farm Insurance.

The current contract runs through the end of this school year, and has now been extended through the 2010-2011 school year.

State Farm Insurance and its Louisiana Agents, already the largest corporate contributor to the LHSAA, have increased their investment in the new contract. In addition to all of the state championship events already title-sponsored by State Farm, they will now add the State Swim Meet and the Class 5A State Baseball Tournament.

State Farm will also increase its scholarship commitment beginning with the 2008-2009 school year.  State Farm will sponsor ten $1,000 scholarships to be awarded to five female and five male student-athletes as selected by the LHSAA Executive Committee.

"We count it a privilege to be able to help Louisiana's schools and our young people build character and a sense of sportsmanship through the LHSAA," said Rob Stewart, State Farm's Vice President of Agency - Louisiana. "State Farm agents have contributed their support to the LHSAA for many years, and we are glad to help Louisiana's future leaders toward their academic and athletic achievements."

State Farm will be the title sponsor for ten of the LHSAA’s state championship events this year. The LHSAA requests that all media refer to these state events by their official name.  Any other wording will be considered a misrepresentation. A list of official state event names follows.

Official Names of 2007-2008 Championship Events Title-Sponsored by State Farm

1. LHSAA/State Farm State Volleyball Tournament
2. LHSAA/State Farm State Cross Country Meet
3. LHSAA/State Farm State Swim Meet
4. LHSAA/State Farm Prep Classic (Football)
5. LHSAA/State Farm State Wrestling Tournament
6. LHSAA/State Farm Ladies’ Top 28 (Girls’ Basketball)
7. LHSAA/State Farm Boys’ Top 28 (Boys’ Basketball)
8. LHSAA/State Farm State Softball Tournament
9. LHSAA/State Farm State Track & Field Meet (Outdoor)
10. LHSAA/State Farm Class 5A State Baseball Tournament

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