Bayou Catholic | August 2012 | Football Edition

Bayou

Catholic

LISA NEAL/for NSU Sports Information

2012 Football

Contents Nicholls State University Colonels

44 E.D. White Catholic High School Cardinals

50 H.L. Bourgeois High School Braves

Central Catholic High School Eagles

47 South Lafourche High School Tarpons

52 Morgan City High School Tigers

Vandebilt Catholic High School Terriers

48 Thibodaux High School Tigers

54 South Terrebonne High School Gators

40

56 Terrebonne High School Tigers

62 Louisiana State University Tigers

68 Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA • August 2012

60

58 Ellender Memorial High School Patriots

64 Tulane University Green Wave

72

Central Lafourche High School Trojans

66 New Orleans Saints

75

Football

2012 Louisiana College Team Schedules Louisiana Tech Bulldogs Thurs. Aug. 30 ..................................................... Texas A&M Sat. Sept. 8 ............................................................... Houston Sat. Sept. 15 .................................................................. RICE Sat. Sept. 22 ................................................................Illinois Sat. Sept. 29 ..............................................................Virginia Sat. Oct. 6 .....................................................................UNLV Sat. Oct. 20 ...............................................................IDAHO* Sat. Oct. 27 ............................................. New Mexico State* Sat. Nov. 3 ..................................................................... UTSA Sat. Nov. 10 .......................................................... Texas State Sat. Nov. 17 ....................................................UTAH STATE* Sat. Nov. 24 ...................................................San Jose State*

42

HOME GAMES IN CAPS *Denotes Western Athletic Conference games

UL Lafayette Rajun Cajuns Sat. Sept. 1 ................................................................LAMAR Sat. Sept. 8 .................................................................... Troy* Sat. Sept. 15 ................................................ Oklahoma State Sat. Sept. 29 ..........................FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL Sat. Oct. 6 ............................................................... TULANE Tues. Oct. 16 ..................................................... North Texas* Tues. Oct. 23 ..........................................ARKANSAS STATE Sat. Nov. 3 ............................................... Louisiana-Monroe* Sat. Nov. 10 ................................................................. Florida Sat. Nov. 17 .................................. WESTERN KENTUCKY* Sat. Nov. 24 .............................................SOUTH ALABAMA Sat. Dec. 1 ................................................... Florida Atlantic*

McNeese Cowboys Thurs. Aug. 30 .................................Middle Tennessee State Sat. Sept. 8 .......................................................... McMURRY Sat. Sept. 15 .......................................................Weber State Sat. Sept. 22 ................................... Southeastern Louisiana Sat. Sept. 29 ............................ NORTHWESTERN STATE* Sat. Oct. 13 .................................... CENTRAL ARKANSAS* Sat. Oct. 20 .............................................Sam Houston State Sat. Oct. 27 ......................................STEPHEN F. AUSTIN* Sat. Nov. 3 ...................................................... Nicholls State* Sat. Nov. 10 ................... University of Texas at San Antonio Sat. Nov. 17 ..............................................................LAMAR* HOME GAMES IN CAPS *Denotes Southland Conference games

Southern Jaguars Sat. Sept. 1 ......................................................... New Mexico Thurs. Sept. 13 ..................MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE* Sat. Sept. 22 .................................................. Jackson State* Sat. Sept. 29 ..................................................Florida A&M** Sat. Oct. 6 .........................................................Alcorn State* Sat. Oct. 13 .........................................TEXAS SOUTHERN* Sat. Oct. 20 ...............................ARKANSAS-PINE BLUFF* Sat. Oct. 27 ........................................ Prairie View A&M* ** Sat. Nov. 3 .....................................................Alabama A&M* Sat. Nov. 10 ............................................ ALABAMA STATE* Sat. Nov. 24 .......................................... Grambling State* ** HOME GAMES IN CAPS *Denotes Southwestern Athletic Conference games **Denotes games played at a neutral location

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HOME GAMES IN CAPS *Denotes Sun Belt Conference games

Grambling Tigers Sat. Sept. 1 .....................................................Alcorn State** Sat. Sept. 8 ................................ Texas Christian University Sat. Sept. 15 .......................................... ALABAMA STATE* Sat. Sept. 29 .................................................Alabama A&M* Sat. Oct. 6 .......................................... Prairie View A&M* ** Sat. Oct. 13 ....................................Mississippi Valley State* Sat. Oct. 20 ..................................................... LYNCHBURG Sat. Oct. 27 ..................................................Texas Southern* Sat. Nov. 3 ...............................................JACKSON STATE* Sat. Nov. 10 ...............................ARKANSAS-PINE BLUFF* Sat. Nov. 24 .....................................Southern University* ** HOME GAMES IN CAPS *Denotes Southwestern Athletic Conference games **Denotes games played at a neutral location Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA • August 2012

Craig Hebert, PT • Craig Pate, PT 104 East Bayou Rd. (Hwy 308) ~ Thibodaux, LA 70301 ~ (985) 446-3736 www.thibodauxpt.com

About our sports writers Ed Daniels has been sports director at WGNO Channel 26 in New Orleans since 1993. A native of New Orleans, Daniels graduated from Archbishop Rummel High School in Metairie and later received a degree from Loyola University in New Orleans. Daniels started in television in 1977 as first sports intern at WVUE Channel 8 in New Orleans. In 2001, Daniels created “Friday Night Football,” the first high school football show in New Orleans. He was named Louisiana Sportscaster of the Year by the National Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association in 1997.

Greg LaRose, a Bayou Catholic contributor since 1991, is editor of New Orleans City Business, a weekly business journal covering the greater metropolitan area.

He is a graduate of E.D. White Catholic High School and Louisiana State University.

Jeremy Becker, a native of Thibodaux and resident of Schriever, graduated from Nicholls State University in 1995 with a degree in marketing and in 1997 with a master’s of business administration. While working on his master’s, he was a graduate assistant with the Nicholls Colonel Club and is currently president of the Colonel Athletic Association. Becker is director of the Office of Stewardship and Development for the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux.

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Steve Caldarera, a native of Vacherie, has been the Bayou Catholic’s Tulane columnist for many years. He graduated from Nicholls State University with a degree in communications. Caldarera has experience in announcing sports for radio and doing play-by-play for Nicholls State University. He was the first advertising manager for the Bayou Catholic and currently works in insurance and investments with the Steve Caldarera Group.

126 Corporate Drive Houma, LA Wil Touchet, a native and resident of Houma, graduated from Nicholls State University in 2001 with a bachelor of arts in mass communication and a minor in marketing.

Over the last few years, he has worked as a sports correspondent for the Courier and Daily Comet. Touchet graduated from Vandebilt Catholic High School in 1997.

He is currently a teacher and head football/basketball coach at West Thibodaux Middle School.

985.851.2211

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Saturday by appointment www.fvchouma.com

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Football

Nicholls State University Colonels Sat. Sept. 1 .............................................................................Oregon State Sat. Sept. 8 ......................................................................... South Alabama Sat. Sept. 15 ........................................................................................Tulsa Sat. Sept. 22 ...............................................................................EVANGEL Sat. Oct. 6 ..................................................................... Central Arkansas* Sat. Oct. 13 ........................................................SAM HOUSTON STATE* Sat. Oct. 20 ................................................................... Stephen F. Austin* Sat. Oct. 27 ................................................................Northwestern State* Sat. Nov. 3 .................................................................... McNEESE STATE* Sat. Nov. 10 ......................................................................................Lamar* Thurs. Nov. 15 ...................................... SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA* Coach Charlie Stubbs

HOME GAMES IN CAPS *Denotes Southland Conference games

Nicholls football taking steps toward success

E 44

By JEREMY BECKER ven though the 2011 football season did not go the way that the Nicholls State University football team would have envisioned, there is plenty of optimism and excitement surrounding the 2012 Colonels as the beginning of the season nears.

Why the excitement? Because the 52 returning lettermen combined with a nice group of talented newcomers feel that the Colonels will not suffer the misfortune of the high amount of injuries of last season and will be more experienced in game situations.

The 2011 season started off with a nice win over Evangel College, but the Colonels lost their remaining games as injuries mounted and many inexperienced players were forced to see game action before they were completely ready. To change that trend from last year, the Colonels will have to do their best to get through what is probably the most difficult nonconference schedule in the history of Nicholls football as injury free as possible before starting conference play.

The Colonels will open the season at PAC 12 school Oregon State, which will be the first time that Nicholls ever plays a PAC 12 school in football. Following the trip west, Nicholls will travel to new Sunbelt Conference member South Alabama and then will remain on the road for their third FBS team in a row as they face Tulsa. After

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA • August 2012

being the only team in the FCS level to face three FBS teams, Nicholls will finally play at home on Sept. 22 as they host Evangel College.

Following an open week, the Colonels will then begin Southland Conference play as they travel to Central Arkansas before hosting Sam Houston State, FCS National Runner Up last season, for Homecoming on Oct.13. Nicholls will then be on the road with trips to Stephen F. Austin and Northwestern State with McNeese State coming to Guidry Stadium for Family Day. Finally, Nicholls will close out the regular season with a tilt at Lamar and then hosting Southeastern Louisiana on Thursday, Nov.15.

Third year head coach Charlie Stubbs knows the schedule is one that will not be easy, but one that he believes his team will be able to compete. Part of the reason for such confidence is that while this was Stubbs’ third spring practice with the Colonels, it was perhaps his teams’ most complete spring season.

One of the brightest outcomes from spring practice was the lack of major injuries, which occurred the previous year. Additionally, the influx of so many young players that have been recruited over the past few years who will fit into the schemes are now able to better learn their positions allowing for more complete practices.

One example of players who are becoming a better fit at a certain

position will be at quarterback, as three year starter LaQuintin Caston has been moved to the wide receiver position for his senior season and junior Landry Klann and sophomore Beaux Hebert will both likely see playing time.

Currently, Klann, who started two games last season, will be the starter as he took nearly all snaps in spring practice as Hebert was nursing a shoulder injury.

Joining Caston, who actually led Nicholls in rushing last season, at wide receiver will be an emerging talent in sophomore Demon Bolt, a Thibodaux High product, along with quite a bit of experience from seniors Andrew Wynn and Aldaro Russell, juniors Jordan Arcement, from E.D. White, and Brad Nelson along with sophomores Josh Hanberry and Terry Lucas Jr. An additional target for receiving will be sophomore tight end Nick Scelfo, who was named a preseason 1st Team All-SLC pick and was named to the preseason College Football Performance Awards Tight End watch list.

When not putting the ball in the air, the Colonels will have a very good tandem in Jesse Turner and Marcus Washington at running back as they are both 2nd Team All-SLC picks. Turner, a senior from Ellender, and Washington, a junior, form a type of thunder and lightning combination with the speedy Turner being the lightning and the powerful Washington being the thunder. Adding to

a

LISA NEAL/for NSU Sports Information

Running back Dalton Hilliard Jr.

this combination is very good depth with junior Dalton Hillard Jr. and sophomore Joshua Johnson, a Thibodaux High product.

Anchoring the offensive line, which was besieged by injuries last year, will be senior Gerald Gruening and sophomores Rafe Plaisance, from South Lafourche, and Ryan Zeller.

The Colonel defense will return quite a bit of experience while remaining in the 3-4 scheme. On the defensive line will be seniors Fernandez Garner and Darrell Brown on the outside with Edet Udoh at nose tackle. Similarly, Nicholls will be senior laden with Jordan Piper on the inside, and Rashar Knight and Kerry Guidry, from H. L. Bourgeois, as the outside backers. Transfers Chris Bermond, junior from Pearl River CC, and Dwayne Mitchell, sophomore from Minnesota, will compete for the other inside position.

The two safety positions will see three very experienced players rotating in the positions in juniors Jordan Hanberry, T. J. Lumar and Siegan Vergenal. On the other hand, the corner back position will

see two new starters with junior Brian Lewis likely to have one position and junior college transfer Anthony McLean to have the other.

Nicholls’ special teams should be just that – special. Senior punter Cory Kemps, preseason 1st Team All-ALC, is coming off of last season that saw him lead the SLC and was 8th nationally in punting average.

Additionally, junior kicker Andrew Dolan is returning from his AllSLC season where he kicked a career long 49 yarder. Senior Ben Landry, from South Terrebonne, will back up both positions.

The 2012 version of the Nicholls State University Colonels will definitely be a better version than their 2011 season; however, it might be difficult for the win/ loss record to show it due to such a daunting opening three games.

If the Colonels can make it past those games relatively injury free and with some confidence, they do have the players and the coaching staff that can get some wins in conference play and continue to take steps to becoming a winning program once again.

Leslie Daigle, PT • Eddie Himel, PT, DSc., OCS, Cert. MDT • John Daigle, PT, OCS, COMT Tracy Peltier, PT, CMT • Steven Landry, OT, CHT • Sawyer Triche, PT, DPT

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Football

LISA NEAL/Photos for NSU Sports Information

Beaux Hebert

46

Jesse Turner Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA • August 2012

Kerry Guidry

Central Catholic Eagles Fri. Aug. 31 ....................................................................... LOREAUVILLE Fri. Sept. 7 .............................................................................. White Castle Fri. Sept. 14 .................................................................................... Berwick Fri. Sept. 21 ................................................... NORTHLAKE CHRISTIAN Thurs. Sept. 27 ............................................................. Ascension Catholic Fri. Oct. 5 ....................................................................................... FISHER Fri. Oct. 12 ................................................................ Ascension Episcopal* Thurs. Oct. 18 ..........................................................................GUEYDAN* Fri. Oct. 26 ........................................................... HANSON MEMORIAL* Fri. Nov. 2 ....................................................................Vermilion Catholic* Coach David Fuhrer

HOME GAMES IN CAPS *Denotes District 8-1A games

Eagles preparing for run at state championship

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By WIL TOUCHET he Central Catholic Eagles made a postseason run toward the Class 1A state title last season, but fell short of achieving their goal of a championship after falling in the quarterfinal round.

The Eagles finished with an overall record of 8-2 and a 3-1 mark in District 8-1A. They received a No. 9 seed in the playoffs and defeated both Varnado (49-7) and Elton (41-7) in the first two rounds.

The Eagles lost to No. 1 seed and eventual state champion Ouachita Christian (41-6) in the quarterfinals.

Despite falling short in the quarterfinals for a second year in a row, Central Catholic coach David Fuhrer said the goal remains the same.

“The ultimate goal is to get to the state championship, to play it and win it,” Fuhrer said. “We want to win our district and non-district games and our playoff games to take us to the state championship.

Every year that’s our goals, and we strive for that. Some years you may think that’s unrealistic. But we tell our guys you don’t know what’s

going to happen. Our goal is to take one game at a time and focus on each game. We have to take care of our business and do our thing.

We prepare each week to win each game and let the rest take care of itself.”

Central Catholic will have around 40 players on its roster, including 12 seniors after losing eight seniors last year.

Fuhrer feels experience and staying healthy will be keys to successful season.

“Our main strength is our experience,” said Fuhrer. “We have a number of returning starters, especially on offense. We also have returning starters in the secondary with some guys who have some experience. We’re going to have to stay healthy. We have a lot of guys going both ways, especially on the offensive and defensive lines, so we’re going to have to be in good shape. We’ve got some guys that won’t be getting off the field very much.”

Seniors Joshua Singleton (quarterback and defensive back) and Dontrell Brown (wide receiver and defensive back) are among the guys that will be playing on both

sides of the ball for the Eagles.

47 Junior wide receiver Tyler Hoffpauir as well as senior offensive lineman Zachary Aucoin and Joe Michel (junior) will also lead the way offensively.

Defensively, senior defensive back Luke Landry, junior defensive lineman Collin Conner and senior linebacker Justin Arceneaux will be key contributors.

The Eagles play in a District 8-1A with Ascension Episcopal, Gueydan, Hanson Memorial and Vermilion Catholic.

“For the most part, we really have a tough district,” Fuhrer said.

“Vermilion Catholic is returning as district champ with a new coach coming in with a lot of returning starters. I believe they’re keeping the same system they had last year so those are the guys we have to be focused on. We play them in Week 10 so we do have to focus on everything else first before we have to worry about them. I think Hanson will be much improved as well as Ascension Episcopal, and Gueydan always has some hardnosed kids as well.” www.htdiocese.org

Football

Vandebilt Catholic Terriers Fri. Aug. 31 ............................................................................. E.D. WHITE Fri. Sept. 7 ................................................................................. St. Charles Fri. Sept. 14 ........................................................................PLAQUEMINE Fri. Sept. 21 ................................................................................. St. James Fri. Sept. 28 .....................................................................BELLE CHASSE Fri. Oct. 5 ...........................................................SOUTH TERREBONNE* Fri. Oct. 12 ...........................................................................H.L. Bourgeois Fri. Oct. 19 ..............................................................................Assumption* Fri. Oct. 26 .......................................................................MORGAN CITY* Fri. Nov. 2 .............................................................................A.J. Ellender* HOME GAMES IN CAPS *Denotes District 8-4A games

Coach Brad Villavaso

Villavaso back as coach of Terriers

B 48

By WIL TOUCHET rad Villavaso has spent more than half of his life around football teams, and he has never liked what he has seen more from a summer training program than what he has been around lately at Vandebilt Catholic.

Villavaso, who returns to lead the Terriers program after a short stint as an assistant at Ole Miss and with the Terriers, and who takes over for Laury Dupont, who guided Vandebilt for three years, said he has been extremely impressed with his team’s offseason workout program.

“I have been around this for 25 years, and this is the best offseason I have ever been associated with,” Villavaso said. “Our kids are motivated. There is no complaining.

They are encouraging each other, and the camaraderie is as good as I have seen in years. Our goal is to be in better shape and stronger than we have ever been. We feel like

games are won in the weight room in the summertime.”

Villavaso was Vandebilt’s head coach for 10 seasons (1996-2005) before leaving to take an assistant job at Ole Miss in 2006-2007. He returned to Vandebilt as a defensive assistant coach in 2009.

“My first 10 years here were really good, and now I have come full circle,” Villavaso said. “I had a great experience at Ole Miss and in coming back to Vandebilt. I have to thank Vandebilt president David Keife and principal James Reiss for having me back.”

The Terriers are coming off a season in which they went 5-6 overall (2-2 in District 8-4A) and lost in the first round of the Class 4A playoffs (46-0 at Breaux Bridge).

Vandebilt will dress 86 players including freshmen this season, and Villavaso said the team’s defense returns a lot of experienced players.

“We have a lot of guys coming back

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on defense, including our whole secondary,” Villavaso said. “We have four defensive linemen coming back. We have to replace three linebackers, but I think our defense, and our defensive line in particular will be a strength because so many guys have experience.”

Defensive ends Kevin Gordon (senior) and Chase Hawthorne (junior), linebackers Dylan Ward (sophomore) and Colby Guillory (senior), and safety Jordan Bergeron (junior) will be some of the key players on the Terriers defense.

On offense, former Terrebonne High head coach Pat Kee is back to call the Vandebilt offense and joins fellow offensive assistants Calvin Buxton, Tommy Boudreaux and Jerwaski Coleman.

“We will have a new offensive philosophy,” Villavaso said. “It will be a pistol-style/wildcat-based offense, even though we will do some traditional things as well. There

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will be a lot of motion and misdirection. We need to fix some things with ball security, and we are working on that.”

Senior Elijah McGuire will run the offense at quarterback and running back Aaron Smith (senior) and Hawthrone at tight end will be some top offensive players for Vandebilt.

“We are looking for some consistency on offense and the ability to move the football,” Villavaso said. “Elijah is arguably one of the best athletes in our area. He’s healthy now, and Chase Hawthorne will play tight end and defensive end and probably be our only two-way guy.

He is a great route runner and has great hands. Aaron Smith, we are looking for good things from him. Our offensive line is a little bit of a question mark because of their inexperience, but our offensive will hopefully be explosive. Elijah can make anything happen at any time.”

Villavaso said he is excited about having senior kicker/ punter Grant Rodriguez this season.

“He was hurt last year, but he will be a weapon for us,” Villavaso said. “He has a great leg. He can flip the field for us as punter and put the ball into the end zone on kickoffs. Our special teams will be much improved with him.”

Vandebilt returns to District 8-4A with Assumption, Ellender, Morgan City and South Terrebonne.

“Hopefully we can transfer all the good things we have done over the summer onto the football field, but you have to stay healthy,” Villavaso said. “We aren’t too deep.

We will be solid on defense and special teams. If we can get into a rhythm on offense and take care of the ball we will be OK. I think the season will be in the hands of the offense because of the new guys we have, but I think we will be successful.”

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Football

E. D. White Cardinals Fri. Aug. 31 ..................................................................................Vandebilt Thurs. Sept. 6 ..................................................................... ASSUMPTION Fri. Sept. 14 ....................................................................... TERREBONNE Fri. Sept. 21 .................................................................... South Terrebonne Fri. Sept. 28 ................................................................... Central Lafourche Fri. Oct. 5 .....................................................................................BRUSLY* Fri. Oct. 12 ......................................................................... Donaldsonville* Fri. Oct. 19 ...............................................................................ST. JAMES* Fri. Oct. 26 ................................................................................. Port Allen* Fri. Nov. 2 .......................................................................... ST. CHARLES* Coach Kyle Lasseigne

HOME GAMES IN CAPS *Denotes District 7-3A games

Cardinals look to close gap in 2012

F

By Wil Touchet our of the E.D. White Catholic football team’s seven losses last season came by an average of 5.6 points per game.

In 2012, the Cardinals and coach Kyle Lasseigne are looking to turn those close losses into victories.

“We had some games last year that went down to the wire and it seemed like we just didn’t come out

on the positive end,” Lasseigne said.

“We put ourselves into position to win games. We just didn’t.”

E.D. White, which has 100 players out and 18 seniors, finished 4-7 overall, 1-4 in District 7-3A

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Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA • August 2012

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and fell to Bossier 27-24 in the first round of the Class 3A playoffs.

Lasseigne said how quickly some of his team’s less experienced players adjust to the varsity level could determine how well the Cardinals fare this season.

“Those young guys who don’t have a lot of experience are going to have to be ready to play,” Lasseigne said.

“I think we have enough experience coming back where we will play well, but we have to count on some of the kids who haven’t been on the field on Friday nights. If those kids step up, I think we’ll be fine.”

The Cardinals appear to be strong on defense heading into the season.

“Defensively, we have most of our squad back from last year. We have taken some kids and changed their positions on defense, but for the most part, we have eight or nine kids returning who have experience on defense,” Lasseigne said. “That’s probably the strength of our team.”

Senior linebackers Stephen LeBouef and Geoffrey Hebert, along with senior safety Levi Boudreaux, are the top defensive players for the Cardinals.

“Those guys all have a lot of experience,” Lasseigne said. “They are the vocal leaders of our team.”

The Cardinals look to be deep at their skill positions on offense and will be led by receiver Colby Masse.

“We bring back a couple of quarterbacks with some experience,” Lasseigne said. “We also have a couple of split ends and running backs, but we have to replace five offensive linemen so that’s probably the part of the team that most needs to be developed. I really like our skill guys. We probably have more skill guys offensively than we have had in a long, long time.”

The Cardinals play in a District 7-3A with Brusly, Donaldsonville, Port Allen, St. Charles Catholic and St. James.

Each of those teams, with the exception of St. James, made the playoffs last season, and St. Charles won the Class 3A title.

“St. Charles is a state champion, and they are just a consistent football program every year. They are going to be competitive again,” Lasseigne said. “We just need to close that gap with them. They physically dominated us last year. We need to get better and compete better. Port Allen has a lot back. Brusly is talented as well so there is never an easy week in our district. Donaldsonville has great athletes so you have to play your best football every week. We found that out last year.”

Lasseigne said making plays will be key.

“The level of our competition will be the same so the goal is to be in each game and have the chance to win it,” Lasseigne said. “Somebody is going to have to step up and make a play if we are going to improve on 4-6.

If not, that schedule is that tough that you could be 4-6 again, be worse than that or if we make plays, we could have a very good season.”

DIOCESE OF HOUMA-THIBODAUX

Office of

Youth Ministry www.htdiocese.org/ym Advocacy for Adults Retreat Gatherings that: • Assess parish youth ministry efforts • Teach Keys to successful youth programs • Explore, highlight and affirm programs • Recognize your gifts in ministry • Seek God in your life experiences • Enhance methods for teaching • Minister spiritually to young people • Offer relational ministry to young people • Have opportunities in certification programs

Advocacy for Young People Part of the mission of our office is to successfully guide young people to make Christian choices over their lifetime by instilling in them the values and vision of the Catholic Church. We do this through the following youth programs: • Christian Leadership Institute • Teens Encounter Christ • Monthly aNew Experiences • Youth Rally • Junior High Faith Experience • Social justice opportunities • Trips to national conferences • Support Steubenville on the Bayou

Contact Us: Michael DiSalvo - 850-3156 Rachel LeBouef - 850-3152 Angelle Babin - 850-3151 www.htdiocese.org

51

Football

South Lafourche Tarpons Fri. Aug. 31 ...........................................................................DESTREHAN Fri. Sept. 7 ................................................................................Plaquemine Thurs. Sept. 13 ..........................................................................John Ehret Fri. Sept. 21 ........................................................................... HELEN COX Fri. Sept. 28 ..................................................................... TERREBONNE* Fri. Oct. 5 ...............................................................................WESTGATE* Fri. Oct. 12 ............................................................................... New Iberia* Fri. Oct. 19 ................................................................... Central Lafourche* Fri. Oct. 26 ...................................................................H.L. BOURGEOIS* Fri. Nov. 2 ................................................................................. Thibodaux* Coach Dennis Skains

HOME GAMES IN CAPS *Denotes District 7-5A games

Skains takes over at South Lafourche 52

I

By WIL TOUCHET f new South Lafourche head coach Dennis Skains could use one word to describe his team it would be hungry.

Skains, a former assistant coach at Belle Chasse High, takes over at South Lafourche for former coach Terry Farmer, who in his third and last season with the Tarpons last year led the team to a 5-5 overall mark which included a 4-2 District 7-5A record.

“They are a very hungry group.

It’s a group that is ready to win, wants to win and is hungry to win,” Skains, who is entering his first season as a head coach, said. “They understand what it takes as far as the amount of hard work they are going to have to put in. They have really bought into what it takes to break through the potential. South Lafourche always has the talent to win.”

The Tarpons are expected to have 75 players this season, including 22 seniors.

Senior quarterback Colby Callais and senior center Jimmy Ledet are two players the Tarpons are relying on offensively.

“We will run the same offense, but we are adding some wrinkles,” Skains said. “We will have the

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA • August 2012

same terminology. There are a couple of new concepts that we are adding, but the guys are learning exactly what we expect and are starting to understand the speed and pace. They know we will hold them accountable.”

Seniors Chris Berry (defensive lineman), Braxton Acosta (linebacker), Norry Galjour (defensive back), Treavon Evans (defensive back) and Devin Blackwell (defensive back) will be some of the defensive leaders for the Tarpons.

“We are installing a new defense so we are going to have some growing pains having to learn a new scheme and understanding exactly what we are looking for,” Skains said. “That is something we need to brush up on a little bit.”

Skains said putting aside outside distractions will be key for the Tarpons in having success this season.

“With this group, if they continue to stay focused on what we are talking about in house, the kids are really starting to buy into the belief they can do things they have been told they can’t,” Skains said.

“I love being the underdog. It is always more fun than being the favorite. In a small town, with kids

who have not had a lot of success in high school, the key is for the team to stay focused on what our goals are and what we need to do and not listen to people outside of the program. If we can do that, I think we have the talent to win football games. We definitely have the character and the want to. These kids are exactly what you want as a first-year head coach. They are hungry, and they want to win, and I think this is the group that can do it.”

The Tarpons join Central Lafourche, H.L. Bourgeois, New Iberia, Terrebonne, Thibodaux and Westgate in District 7-5A. “It is very competitive, and I think that is something to get excited about,” Skains said. “As a coach or a player, you never want to play all teams you know you are going to beat. Competition is what makes football and athletes. That is what kids need. I know historically, Westgate and New Iberia have had a ton of success, and there is a ton of talent from this district.

Everybody’s got players. That is something the kids know, and I think they are excited about the challenge and the opportunity to go up against good football teams.”

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53

Football

Thibodaux Tigers Fri. Aug. 31 ......................................................................... L.W. HIGGINS Fri. Sept. 7 ..................................................................................ZACHARY Fri. Sept. 14 .............................................................................Assumption Fri. Sept. 21 ........................................................................ NEW IBERIA* Fri. Sept. 28 ....................................................................... H.L. Bourgeois* Sat. Oct. 6 ...................................................................Archbishop Rummel Fri. Oct. 12 ............................................................................... Terrebonne* Fri. Oct. 19 ...................................................................................Westgate* Fri. Oct. 26 .......................................................CENTRAL LAFOURCHE* Fri. Nov. 2 .............................................................SOUTH LAFOURCHE* Coach Chris Dugas

HOME GAMES IN CAPS *Denotes District 7-5A games

Tigers hope for health, postseason bid in 2012

A

By WIL TOUCHET rash of injuries hurt the 54 Thibodaux Tigers last season, and they finished 2-8 overall and 2-4 in District 7-5A. Thibodaux was also kept out of the postseason for the second straight year.

Second-year Tigers coach Chris Dugas said staying healthy and making it back to the playoffs will be two main points of emphasis for this season’s team.

“Our biggest goal is to make a return trip to the playoffs,” Dugas said. “We had a two-year hiatus. We are looking to get back to the status of being a playoff team year in and year out. The district championship is a big goal but we are going to put that on the backburner for a while.

A trip to the playoffs would be a big step for us right now. We just want to get into that Round of 32 and from there anything can happen.

We want to be in that Round of 32 when the playoffs are announced in November.”

With 85-90 players expected to be on the roster, 17 which are seniors, Dugas stressed the importance of keeping key players on the field.

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA • August 2012

“The biggest key for us is staying healthy,” Dugas said. “Last year we had some problems with that. We also need to limit our turnovers on offense. We want to be exciting and explosive, but we need to protect the ball. We also must get better in special teams. After that, I think the rest will take care of itself.”

Dugas said junior running back/ return specialist Donte Johnson, junior receiver Jason Richard and senior offensive lineman Ben Johnson will be some of the leaders on offense.

“We have a lot of experience coming back at our offensive skill positions. A lot of those guys played as sophomores,” Dugas said. “We do have some new guys along the offensive line.”

On defense, Dugas said senior defensive lineman Kantrell Duncan, junior linebacker/ safety Corey Bailey and junior linebacker Brent Sauce will be key contributors.

“The defense as a whole is an area we need to improve on from last year,” Dugas said. “We had a great spring and guys are making strides in that area. They are flying to the ball and becoming more

fundamentally sound. We have some guys back from our front seven, but our secondary is new so we have some work left to do there.”

Dugas also said improving on special teams will be key.

“That’s an area we felt like we struggled in last year,” Dugas said.

“It probably cost us a few games.

We will have a kicking game this year. We need to do the little things on special teams. If you lose that special teams portion of the game it can cause some problems, and you can lose games because of it.

I believe it was a big weakness for us last year, and we are looking to improve there.”

Thibodaux is back with Central Lafourche, H.L. Bourgeois, New Iberia, Terrebonne, South Lafourche and Westgate in District 7-5A. “You have to look out West in Westgate and New Iberia first.

They are going to be tough every year,” Dugas said. “But I have been hearing good things about South Lafourche. Terrebonne will be big up front on both sides of the ball, and H.L. Bourgeois and Central Lafourche will be much improved.

It will be a pretty tough district.”

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Football

H.L. Bourgeois Braves Thurs. Aug. 30 ......................................................................... J.S. CLARK Fri. Sept. 7 ..............................................................................A.J. Ellender Fri. Sept. 14 .........................................................SOUTH TERREBONNE Fri. Sept. 21 .....................................................CENTRAL LAFOURCHE* Fri. Sept. 28 .........................................................................THIBODAUX* Fri. Oct. 5 ................................................................................. New Iberia* Fri. Oct. 12 ..............................................................................VANDEBILT Fri. Oct. 19 .......................................................................... TERREBONE* Fri. Oct. 26 ...................................................................... South Lafourche* Fri. Nov. 2 ....................................................................................Westgate* HOME GAMES IN CAPS *Denotes District 7-5A games

Coach Ben Powell

Braves set goal of playoffs in 2012

T

56 By WIL TOUCHET he H.L. Bourgeois Braves have one destination in mind for the 2012 season – the playoffs.

After a 2-8 overall record last year, which included an 0-6 mark in District 7-5A and eight straight losses to end the season, secondyear Braves coach Ben Powell said making the postseason this year is the goal.

“We preach getting better and competing each week, but if we don’t reach the playoffs this season we’d all be very disappointed,” Powell said. “That is what we have our eyes on. We haven’t attached a number to how many wins, but we just want to be back in the playoffs.”

The Braves have 75 players, which includes 26 seniors after losing 15 seniors last season.

Powell said the fact that numerous young players saw lots of varsity playing time last season will be beneficial this season.

“Last year we played so many young kids that this upcoming junior class gained a lot of experience,” Powell said. “They have all grown up. We had a really Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA • August 2012

strong offseason this year, probably one of the better ones I have ever been associated with.”

Powell pointed to his team’s defensive secondary, led by senior Rindel Charles and junior Tyree Andrews, as the strong point of the Braves.

“When you are talking about position strength, the best unit on our team is our secondary,” Powell said. “A couple of those guys are working on being three-year starters and a couple started for us last year.”

Powell said senior offensive linemen Kyle Barrios and Jordyn Humphries will lead the team’s offensive line, and that junior receiver Chris Harris is expected to be one of the team’s top playmakers.

“Even though we have some experience and some guys who are pretty good on our offensive line, we are looking for some continuity,” Powell said. “We struggled with that last year. We have four starters back so we expect them to bring some continuity and success on offense.”

Powell said sophomore Todd Adkins and senior Spencer Folse

are the top two candidates for the starting quarterback spot.

“We will probably have a quarterback battle until the first game of the year,” Powell said. “We have a couple of guys in the mix so we will see how it all plays out, but the biggest keys for us will be to be fundamentally sound on defense and getting 11 guys to the football.

We also have to keep everyone healthy. On offense, we have to be consistent. We need to find out what we are good at and have the kids do it play by play and down by down throughout the season. The coaches and kids are excited and ready for football on Friday nights.”

The Braves are back in District 7-5A this season with Central Lafourche, New Iberia, South Lafourche, Terrebonne, Thibodaux and Westgate.

“It looks like the Bayou teams are going to be chasing the New Iberia teams again,” Powell said.

“They are really good and have a lot of experience. They have a lot of guys coming back, but the Bayou grouping will be very competitive.

It will be wide open. It will be very interesting.”

57

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Football

Morgan City Tigers Fri. Aug. 31 ................................................................................... Comeaux Fri. Sept. 7 ..................................................................................BERWICK Fri. Sept. 14 ......................................................................... SARAH REED Fri. Sept. 21 ................................................................................Jeanerette Fri. Sept. 28 ........................................................................ PEARL RIVER Fri. Oct. 5 .......................................................................................Franklin Fri. Oct. 12 ............................................................................ A.J. Ellender* Fri. Oct. 19 .........................................................SOUTH TERREBONNE* Fri. Oct. 26 ..................................................................................Vandebilt* Fri. Nov. 2 ......................................................................... ASSUMPTION* Coach Brandon Nowlin

HOME GAMES IN CAPS *Denotes District 8-4A games

Tigers looking to be playoff bound in 2012 58

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By WIL TOUCHET he Morgan City Tigers have not made a football postseason since 1998.

The Tigers narrowly missed the playoffs last season, finishing 5-5 overall and 1-3 in district 8-4A. Morgan City coach Brandon Nowlin, who is in his third season, feels this is the year his team can make a postseason run.

“Our expectations over the last two seasons haven’t changed, but this season should be a little bit easier to achieve some of them,” Nowlin said. “We want to compete for a district championship and make the playoffs. We told our guys that last year, and I think we finished pretty much a win away.

We were right there but we let one or two ball games get away from us.

We definitely had a chance to do it last season, but when you play with a young group of kids and guys who haven’t been around a whole bunch of winning, you might have to be just a little bit better to get over that hump.”

The Tigers have around 60 players on their roster, including 14 seniors after losing 10 seniors last season.

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA • August 2012

Nowlin said experience and hard work will be keys to the team’s potential success this season.

“This year we have a lot of starters returning, I think about 15-16 returning off of last year’s team. A lot of those kids are actually twoyear starters,” Nowlin said. “They want to do it, and they have been working hard. This has been the best spring all around that we’ve had since I’ve been here.”

Senior quarterback Hoang Nguyen will lead the offense for the Tigers.

“Our quarterback will be a big strength for us on the offensive side of the ball. We are going to go as he goes,” Nowlin said. “He can do some things throwing the ball and with his feet. He played extremely well as a junior last season. He got hurt in week eight last year, and we finished 0-3 to end the year. So that tells you how valuable he is to our football team.”

Erik Walker, who also starts at running back, was an all-district at safety in 2011 and will lead the Tigers again defensively in 2012.

Nowlin is looking for the defense to be an improved unit.

“I think our defense will be a much better group than they have

been in the last couple of years,” Nowlin said. “We made a lot of mistakes because we were young over the past couple of years.

Tackling has been an issue. We’ve got a lot of guys coming back who have taken a lot of snaps for us on the defensive side of the ball, and those guys have played together.

They’ve worked really hard in the offseason to get bigger, faster and stronger. They want to have a good senior year and we’re going to need them to in order for us to have a successful season.”

Morgan City returns to District 8-4A with Assumption, Ellender, South Terrebonne and Vandebilt.

“These guys for the first time really believe that we can win any ball game we play this season on our schedule,” Nowlin said.

“They’re expecting to have a good season. We as a coaching staff are expecting to have a good season.

So, if we don’t, it will be quite disappointing. We want to better than a .500 football team and extend our season into the playoffs.

There is no reason why this football team can’t do that.”

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Football

South Terrebonne Gators Fri. Aug. 31 ..................................................MILLER-McCOY ACADEMY Fri. Sept. 7 .................................................................................Terrebonne Fri. Sept. 14 .........................................................................H.L. Bourgeois Fri. Sept. 21 ............................................................................ E.D. WHITE Fri. Sept. 28 ................................................................ EAST JEFFERSON Fri. Oct. 5 ....................................................................................Vandebilt* Fri. Oct. 12 ........................................................................ ASSUMPTION* Fri. Oct. 19 .............................................................................Morgan City* Fri. Oct. 26 ..................................................................... A.J. ELLENDER* Fri. Nov. 2 ...............................................................................ABBEVILLE Coach Richard Curlin

HOME GAMES IN CAPS *Denotes District 8-4A games

Gators looking to keep competitive edge 60

N

By WIL TOUCHET ot only did the South Terrebonne football team lose 19 seniors from last year’s 9-3 team that went to the second round of the Class 4A playoffs, it lost some players who held a pretty serious competitive edge.

The Gators were 3-1 in District 8-4A and lost in the second round of the Class 4A playoffs by eventual state runner-up Karr, 21-7.

“We lost some very good seniors, some seniors who were just very competitive, good in other sports and loved to compete,” Gators coach Richard Curlin said. “That will be a big factor for us, whether these kids coming up will have that same competiveness. I think they will, but we just have to go out there and see if we can mesh together.”

Curlin said offensive linemen Adam Ziepke (senior), Cade Hebert (senior), Brandon Boquet (senior), quarterback James LeBlanc (senior), tight end Chandler Arceneaux (junior), fullback Channing Champagne (senior) running back Justin Johnson (junior), and running back/wide Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA • August 2012

receiver Jerion Sauceberry will be key players on offense.

“We have moved some kids around on the offensive side of the ball that I think will be able to make some plays for us,” Curlin said. “In the little bit of spring that we had, it looks like we have some good fits, but how well the offensive line plays is always a big factor in how well you do.”

On defense, Curlin said linebacker David McCormick (junior), defensive back Kurt Arceneaux (senior), linebacker Cullen Bergeron (senior), defensive back Jerion Sauceberry and defensive linemen Sam White (senior), Robert Conklin (junior), and Richard Argo (senior) will lead the way.

“We lost some good linebackers, and we were a little concerned about our secondary,” Curlin said.

“That was probably our biggest question mark going into the spring and the summer, but they played well in 7-on-7. Hopefully they can continue doing that, but 7-on-7 really isn’t football. It was good to see they could go out there and compete. I think we have some kids who can step up and play on

the defensive line, but if we don’t, we are going to struggle stopping the ball.”

Curlin said making an even deeper run into the playoffs will be the goal for this year’s team.

“Obviously you want to get to the playoffs. District championships aren’t as important as they used to be in the playoff scheme of things, but you always have that goal set for yourself,” Curlin said. “Being in Class 4A we hope to make it back to the playoffs and get further than we did last year when we got knocked out by Karr in the second round. Hopefully we can go a little further.”

South Terrebonne plays in District 8-4A with Assumption, Ellender, Morgan City and Vandebilt Catholic.

“Assumption lost some players, but they are always deep in talent.

You don’t know how having a new coach will affect them,” Curlin said. “Vandebilt is always going to be there if they can keep their quarterback healthy, and Ellender and Morgan City are always scrappy. It will be interesting to see how much better those teams are this year.”

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Football

Terrebonne Tigers Fri. Aug. 31 ...................................................................... A.J. ELLENDER Fri. Sept. 7 ...........................................................SOUTH TERREBONNE Fri. Sept. 14 ............................................................................... E.D. White Fri. Sept. 21 .................................................................................Westgate* Fri. Sept. 28 .................................................................... South Lafourche* Fri. Oct. 5 ........................................................CENTRAL LAFOURCHE* Fri. Oct. 12 ...........................................................................THIBODAUX* Fri. Oct. 19 ......................................................................... H.L. Bourgeois* Fri. Oct. 26 .......................................................................... NEW IBERIA* Fri. Nov. 2 ..................................................................................... Istrouma Coach Gary Hill

HOME GAMES IN CAPS *Denotes District 7-5A games

Tigers look to bounce back with physicality in 2012

A

By WIL TOUCHET fter a stretch of three straight playoff 62 appearances from 2008-2010, the Terrebonne High football team finished 5-5 overall last season and did not qualify for the Class 5A postseason.

Tigers coach Gary Hill said his team will try to play more of a physical style this season, similar to the one that led them to the playoffs in previous years.

“We want to be much more physical this year,” Hill said. “We also want to get better fundamentally.”

Hill said he expects the Tigers to dress out 65 players, but only nine will be seniors.

Terrebonne lost 15 seniors from last year’s team, and how quickly some of the younger players mature will be a major factor in the team’s success this season,

a

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Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA • August 2012

the coach said.

“For us to be successful our younger kids are going to have to mature fast and get used to playing varsity football at a (Class) 5A pace,” Hill said. “That’s hard for sophomores to do but they are going to have to do it. We are going to have to play harder and faster than we did last year.” Hill pointed to his offensive and defensive lines as potential strengths of the team.

Jacob Fournier (senior), Alex Bonvillain (junior), Zack Chapman (junior) and Gabe Aucoin (sophomore) anchor the offensive line and junior Colby Stewart will be the new starting quarterback for the Tigers.

On the Terrebonne defensive line, seniors William Moses and Jeremiah Thomas lead the way with junior Storm Chauvin being the team’s top returning linebacker.

“Our offensive and defensive lines are pretty much all returning starters so they should be seasoned,” Hill said. “Our goal is to play as hard as we can every single game and get used to performing our roles and not try and do too much.”

Terrebonne (3-3 in district last season) again joins Central Lafourche, H.L. Bourgeois, New Iberia, Thibodaux, South Lafourche and Westgate in District 7-5A this season.

“I think all the Bayou teams will be better than they were last season,” Hill said. “I think the Bayou kind of had an off year. I think it will be one of those seasons where whoever catches that momentum will finish first or second and everyone else will be in a dogfight for third.”

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Football

Ellender Memorial Patriots Fri. Aug. 31 ................................................................................Terrebonne Fri. Sept. 7 .................................................................... H.L. BOURGEOIS Fri. Sept. 14 .....................................................................WEST ST. MARY Thurs. Sept. 20 ............................................................................. ALBANY Fri. Sept. 28 ................................................................Northlake Christian Fri. Oct. 5 ................................................................................Assumption* Fri. Oct. 12 .......................................................................MORGAN CITY* Fri. Oct. 19 .................................................................. EAST JEFFERSON Fri. Oct. 26 .................................................................... South Terrebonne* Fri. Nov. 2 ............................................................................. VANDEBILT* Coach Terry Washington

HOME GAMES IN CAPS *Denotes District 8-4A games

Ellender determined to snap losing streak

S

By WIL TOUCHET econd-year Ellender High football coach Terry Washington is anxious to see the hard work of his players finally pay off in victory.

The Patriots (0-10, 0-4 in District

8-4A last season) have dropped 32 games in a row, but Washington said this could easily be the year Ellender snaps the losing streak.

“I am excited for these young men because I have seen the work they have put in running and working

out over the summer,” Washington said. “I think we should be able to compete play by play and minute by minute on Friday nights. We should be OK.” Ellender came close to winning a couple of its games last season,

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and this year returns with around 70 players on its roster, including just seven seniors.

The Patriots used numerous young players last season and many of them are returning.

“I think our strength should be experience,” Washington said. “We return nine starters on offense and eight guys on defense. I think our experience will be a key for us.”

Washington said stopping opposing offensives has been a point of emphasis this offseason.

“Our main emphasis has been on the defensive side of the football with our front four,” Washington said. “We are paying a lot of attention to our defensive line. It’s important those guys keep players off our linebackers and defensive backs.”

Washington said senior defensive lineman Justin James, senior linebacker Wilshawn Jones and junior defensive lineman Deric Hebert will be key players on the Patriots defense.

Ellender also returns junior quarterback Dustin Creppel, who threw for over 1,300 yards last season despite missing time with

an injury, and senior running back, wide receiver, defensive back and return specialist Ralph Singleton (senior) along with a number of other skill players.

Washington said a win or two, especially early in the season, could mean a lot for the Patriots.

“We want to get a win under our belts so we can experience what winning is like, and winning becomes contagious,” Washington said. “We were in some games last season, and we competed and had chances but that inexperience and not knowing how to win caught up to us. I think if we experience a win that it will have a trickle-down effect.”

Ellender plays in District 8-4A with Assumption, Morgan City, South Terrebonne and Vandebilt Catholic.

“It’s a tough district, and it will be competitive,” Washington said.

“It will be wide open. We just have to avoid injuries because we don’t have a lot of depth. Injuries hurt us last year, but if we can get a couple of wins early in the season and avoid injuries, I think the sky is the limit.”

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Football

Central Lafourche Trojans Fri. Aug. 31 .............................................................................. Ponchatoula Fri. Sept. 7 ............................................................................. PATTERSON Fri. Sept. 14 ...............................................................BROTHER MARTIN Fri. Sept. 21 ....................................................................... H.L. Bourgeois* Fri. Sept. 28 ............................................................................ E.D. WHITE Fri. Oct. 5 ................................................................................. Terrebonne* Fri. Oct. 12 .............................................................................WESTGATE* Fri. Oct. 19 ............................................................SOUTH LAFOURCHE* Fri. Oct. 26 ................................................................................ Thibodaux* Fri. Nov. 2 ........................................................................... NEW IBERIA* HOME GAMES IN CAPS *Denotes District 7-5A games

Coach John Callahan

Callahan takes over Trojans in 2012

C 66

By WIL TOUCHET entral Lafourche High School looked north in its search for a new head football coach.

John Callahan, a Connecticut native, takes over for former

Trojans coach Travis Douglas, who was named athletic director at Central Lafourche after coaching the football team for one year last season.

Callahan has 35 years of coaching experience, including 29 as a head

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staff in 1977 and finished school at LSU in 1978.

He stayed in Louisiana to coach at the high school level for 13 years before returning to the New England area, but is now back in the Bayou State and closer to much of his family, which lives in the South.

He has hopes of turning around the Trojans program after a 1-9 season last year, which included a 1-5 mark in District 7-5A. “We just want to be able to grasp things that are new,” Callahan said.

“We want to have the confidence that we can win which is tough when they haven’t been successful.

We want to instill confidence and get some leadership out of our older guys. These are areas that aren’t X’s and O’s related. It’s about having and developing a winning attitude. These are areas that have to be developed in order to move forward.”

The Trojans will have close to 90 players, including 20 seniors.

“I think some of our skill players will be our strength, and I think we have a pretty good offensive

backfield and some pretty good offensive linemen,” Callahan said. “On defense we have several players that have done pretty well, but there are still a lot of question marks. I don’t think I will have a full grasp until we scrimmage another team and get a better look at our players, but I think there is some potential to have a better season than last year.”

Callahan said the Trojans will look to improve early along their defensive front seven.

“The defensive front and maybe at linebacker may be a question mark in talking to some of my defensive coaches,” Callahan said.

“Those are areas I think we need to be better at than before. I think both offensive and defensive lines are areas that are going to have to develop in order for us to be successful.”

Callahan said junior quarterback Luke Falgout and senior offensive lineman Brody Hill will be two of the leaders on offense and senior cornerback John Paul Williams and junior nose guard Garland Sylvester will be two of the leaders on defense.

Callahan said he has helped turnaround struggling programs in the past.

“I have coached a number of teams where I came in to some unsuccessful programs and was able to turn them around,” Callahan said. “I have only been able to work with these kids for two weeks in spring so I am still learning about what makes them tick. We want to develop confidence, a good work ethic and do all the necessary things winning teams do. We want to have confidence, discipline, work ethic and be consistent.”

The Trojans are back with H.L. Bourgeois, New Iberia, South Lafourche, Terrebonne, Thibodaux and Westgate in District 7-5A. “It’s going to be challenging for us this year. We just want to establish ourselves as being mentally ready to step in and play and not back down. When things go bad, we can’t panic,” Callahan said. “There are some new coaches (in the district) and a number of them are in their first or second year. That may help us. We are not the only team in the district with a new coach.”

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67

Football

LSU Tigers

Coach Les Miles

Sat. Sept. 1 ........................................................................NORTH TEXAS Sat. Sept. 8 ........................................................................ WASHINGTON Sat. Sept. 15 .................................................................................... IDAHO Sat. Sept. 22 .................................................................................. Auburn* Sat. Sept. 29 ................................................................................TOWSON Sat. Oct. 6 .......................................................................................Florida* Sat. Oct. 13 ................................................................ SOUTH CAROLINA Sat. Oct. 20 ............................................................................... Texas A&M Sat. Nov. 3 ................................................................................ ALABAMA* Sat. Nov. 10 .............................................................MISSISSIPPI STATE* Sat. Nov. 17 ...............................................................................OLE MISS* Fri. Nov. 23 ................................................................................. Arkansas* HOME GAMES IN CAPS *Denotes Southeastern Conference games

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LAWRENCE CHATAGNIER/BAYOU CATHOLIC

E.D. White great on Mackey Watch List Senior tight end Chase Clement, a 2008 graduate of E.D. White Catholic High School in Thibodaux, has been named to the “Mackey Watch List.” This means that Clement is a candidate for the John Mackey Award, which is given to the top tight end in college football. He is one of 33 players named to the list. “I was pumped up when I heard the news that I was on the list. It is good to be noticed on more of a passing than blocking account. I know I can block and I have been working hard on being prepared when the ball is thrown to me,” says Clement. He says that the summer camp is all about getting better. “I am using this camp to become a better player and help my team make it to the championship,” says the tight end.

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA • August 2012

Tigers look to repeat last season’s success

T

By GREG LAROSE ake out the BCS Championship Game and it could be argued that the 2011 LSU football season was one of the most impressive campaigns in the annals of the college sport.

The Tigers scored resounding wins on the road against Oregon and West Virginia and emerged the victor in an epic overtime showdown at Alabama, proceeding to steamroll through the rest of the season toward a rematch with the Crimson Tide in New Orleans.

But the history books aren’t susceptible to amnesia, and the memory remains of LSU’s embarrassing 21-0 loss to Nick Saban’s squad. The national title game provided a cruel reminder of a vulnerability that haunted the team throughout the year – the lack of a reliable quarterback.

LSU fans have their hopes pinned on Zach Mettenberger helping them exorcise their lingering thoughts about how last season ended. Coach Les Miles gives the junior college transfer his enthusiastic endorsement, something he couldn’t do last year when Jordan Jefferson and Jarrett Lee were engaged in a battle of mediocre proportions. But in naming Mettenberger his clear starter, Miles is careful not to put the burden of the BCS debacle on his shoulders.

“The key to him is: Take it a day at a time, not put the cart in front of the horse,” Miles told reporters in July at the Southeastern Conference’s Media Days in Hoover, AL. Mettenberger will have plenty of help pulling the cart, with a host of game-tested running backs and a variety of receivers at his disposal. If the offensive line can coalesce as an effective pass blocking unit, LSU has the chance to field a dangerous offense.

On defense, it’s another star-studded lineup for LSU, and every specialist returns on the kicking games. With a far friendlier schedule this year, there’s every reason to believe the Tigers have a good chance to defend their SEC crown.

The biggest question about the team is what will be its offensive identity: Are the running backs going to set the tone like last year, or can Mettenberger dominate a game with his arm?

Miles has hinted toward wanting two running backs to emerge, but it will be difficult for the Tigers to divert from the tactics that worked so well last year. It seemed that no matter the situation, there was a back ready to take control of the game. The fight for playing time resumes among Spencer Ware, Michael Ford, Alfred Blue and Kenny Hilliard, with freshman Jeremy Hill hoping to get his chance.

Russell Shepard had a brief flirtation with beginning his pro career early but decided to return for his senior season and improve his draft stock. But it’s sophomore Odell Beckham Jr. who has emerged as the most reliable pass catcher. Jarvis Landry,

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Zach Mettenberger

Sam Montgomery

Kadron Boone and James Wright should see a number of snaps, as Mettenberger’s ability in the passing game will allow the Tigers to use multiple receiver sets.

Chase Clement is solid at tight end and could turn in his best season yet if the LSU offense emphasizes the pass as much as most expect it will.

On the offensive line, LSU’s strength probably lies at the tackle positions where Chris Faulk and Alex Hurst will be tasked withkeeping Mettenberger safe in the pocket. Josh Dworaczyk gained a sixth year of eligibility after missing 2011 with a knee injury, and his strong return could bolster the guard slot where La’el Collins and Josh Williford are the most game-tested players. P.J. Lonergan at center has an unheralded role in aiding in Mettenberger’s assimilation with the Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA • August 2012

game plan.

It’s almost unfair how deep LSU is stockpiled on defense, specifically on the defensive line where no fewer than seven players could start on any team in the SEC. Edge players Sam Montgomery, Barkevious Mingo, Jermauria Rasco, Lavar Edwards and Chancey Aghayere will be in regular rotation to keep the pressure fresh on opposing QBs. On the inside, Anthony Johnson is poised to become a star with Bennie Logan, Ego Ferguson and Josh Downs in the mix as well.

Kevin Minter returns at middle linebacker, and the depth and talent on the line will allow Tahj Jones to find a groove at strong-side linebacker. Luke Muncie has a hold on the weak-side position.

In the secondary, the spotlight will be in playmaker Tyrann Mathieu, who will be hard-pressed to match last year’s Heisman-caliber effort. It will be important for him not to force the issue and allow plays to come to him. It helps that he’s part of a defensive backfield that’s turning into an NFL farm club. Tharold Simon has big-play potential at the corner opposite Mathieu, and safeties Eric Reid and Craig Loston have impressive resumes as juniors.

Reid says it’s critical that the Tigers not get caught up in the way last season finished.

“If anything, we’ll use that as motivation for this year,” he said. “We had an amazing year. It didn’t end the way I wanted it to, but we’re looking forward to putting it behind us and strapping it on and playing football.”

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Football

Tulane Green Wave

Coach Curtis Johnson

Sat. Sept. 1 ..................................................................................... Rutgers Sat. Sept. 8 ........................................................................................Tulsa* Sat. Sept. 22 .............................................................................. OLE MISS Sat. Sept. 29 ........................................................................................ULM Sat. Oct. 6 ................................................................... Louisiana-Lafayette Sat. Oct. 13 ........................................................................................ SMU* Sat. Oct. 20 ................................................ University of Texas at El Paso Sat. Oct. 27 ...........................................................................................UAB Sat. Nov. 3 ..........................................................................................RICE* Sat. Nov. 10 ................................................................................... Memphis Sat. Nov. 17 .................................................................... EAST CAROLINA Sat. Nov. 24 ...................................................................................Houston* HOME GAMES IN CAPS *Denotes Conference USA games

Attitudes are changing; 0-0 never felt so good

0

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By STEVE CALDARERA -0 has never felt so good.

Here we are in the most miserable part of a college football fan’s year, the waning summer days leading to that glorious first weekend of

action. Frankly, for the past 10 years or so, it has not been nearly as enticing nor encouraging as it is now for the Tulane faithful.

Things were getting pretty desperate as the Green Wave suffered its 9th straight losing

Good Luck To All Teams On A Winning Season!!!

season in 2011. Bob Toledo, the coach behind the last four-plus down years, exited early as did the light sampling of fans who took the time to watch Tulane football at the Superdome. The diehards’ complaints were heard

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Trent Mackey

throughout the cavernous dome and rang loudly on internet forums. The losing has become age-old.

Since the 2002 Hawaii Bowl team, fans have become increasingly disgruntled with the Tulane University hierarchy, particularly school president Scott Cowen and, to a different degree, Athletic Director Rick Dickson for stifling progress. Cowen and Dickson countered with the now popular hiring of Saints receivers coach Curtis Johnson and the unveiling of a planned new on-campus stadium.

Curtis Johnson became the 39th head coach of the Green Wave on Dec. 5, 2011. It was eventful, as expected, given his resume’ that includes an NCAA national championship while an assistant at Miami of Florida and, of course, the 2009 Super Bowl ring he earned while working with the Saints. Despite his critics’ citing his inexperience as a head coach on the college level, much of that has been silenced by his tireless work ethic in spring and preseason practices and the impressive list of new recruits and commitments from high school seniors to be for Season 2013.

Johnson signed Tulane’s first four-star recruit in 10 years in cornerback Darion Monroe from East St. John.

The new coach calls his incoming freshmen ‘’first-round draft picks.” First-rounders, given great efforts and development in practices, will earn immediate playing time. Tulane needs help at a number of positions, so there is no automatic redshirt in Johnson’s inaugural season. An example is Jordan Batiste, a Lutcher High freshman who entered school in January, winning the left cornerback starting position in the spring.

While incoming freshmen will have an impact, Tulane will be counting on a number of holdovers including three-year starting quarterback Ryan Griffin. Griffin’s completion percentage took a hit in 2011, but he seems more comfortable in Coach Johnson’s pro-style offense.

The Wave will hope to have a healthier Orleans Darkwa at running back. Darkwa played with a torn ligament in his toe all of last season, but was spelled nicely by Robert Kelley, who will be sophomore. An injury to Tulane’s best receiver put Ryan Grant on ice last year. He appears to be at full strength going into fall practice. The offensive line lost a few, but seniors Eric Jones (tackle) and Zach Morgan (center) have the experience to give Griffin protection. The Green Wave is counting on soph tight end Matt Marfisi to have a break out year.

On defense, Tulane will be best served at linebacker.

In the middle is Trent Mackey, who will go

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Football down as one of the Green Wave’s best and, more than likely, a Conference USA first-teamer. He is flanked by senior Darryl Farley, who had seven tackles for losses in 2011 and Matthew Bailey, who, while undersized, really impressed in his freshman year. DE Austen Jacks (3.5 sacks) leads a four-man defensive line that is talented, but could use a little depth. Cornerback Ryan Travis had four interceptions last year and seems heading in for a solid senior campaign. The secondary will play true freshmen and could emerge as Tulane’s strongest suit.

Cairo Santos returns as the placekicker (11-18 FG’s, 33-34 PAT’s) and he will spell Jonathan Ginsburgh (41.7 avg.), if needed, who will be punting for the third consecutive season.

Spring practice was fiery and energetic, something you might expect from a new group of coaches. Johnson put together a solid coaching staff. Former Memphis and UTEP offensive coordinator Eric Price directs the attack. A youthful Jon Sumrall and 74 experienced Lionel Washington serve as the co-defensive coordinators. Washington is the former Tulane standout and longtime NFL player who coached defensive backs at Oakland and Green Bay. David Johnson, who served three successful years as the St. Aug High School head coach, has been very effective with New Orleans area recruiting, and coaches tight ends and running backs. Thirty-three-year coaching veteran Barry Lamb tutors the linebackers and special teams.

John McDonell, 28 years in coaching including stops at Notre Dame, Purdue and Stanford, will direct the offensive line. Former New Orleans Voodoo head coach Mike Neu is the quarterback coach.

Jason Rollins, a holdover from Bob Toledo’s staff and the Green Wave’s top recruiter, coaches the secondary. Keith Williams is the receivers coach.

Coach Johnson aims to instill toughness in his program. He was not particularly pleased with the team’s overall strength coming in.

He has emphasized his recruiting efforts on speed. Incoming freshmen will possess better overall speed than the upperclassmen. Johnson’s Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA • August 2012

offense will be patterned after what he has come to know very well, the Saints’ offensive attack. A Darren Sproles-type back will be part of the scheme. Special teams play has been overhauled and is expected to be marginally better than the deplorable effort displayed over the past few seasons.

Tulane will play before a television audience seven times this season, beginning with the September opener at home with Rutgers, the only night game scheduled in the Superdome and a game that Tulane athletics hopes will bring fans back to witness a winning new-look program. Ole Miss will visit on Sept. 22. UL-Monroe and C-USA foes SMU, UAB, Rice and East Carolina round out the other home tilts. The Green Wave will resume playing UL-Lafayette when it travels for a 4 p.m. contest on the first Saturday in October. All of the other away games are versus conference opponents, including Tulsa, UTEP, Memphis and Houston. With the home schedule being most attractive early on, it is critical that Tulane plays extremely well to keep attracting folks to the Dome.

A word on the newly proposed Tulane Community Stadium— it’s a bit small with 25,000 to 30,000 seats projected to be in its initial capacity. There will be room for some expansion. While construction prospects have cleared some political hurdles, donations to get the project off the ground have admittedly been subpar. Fans have mixed emotions about the new oncampus facility, but the students might just find time to attend a football game for a change if the game is within walking distance.

You have to like the current atmosphere surrounding Tulane football. The celebrity of Coach Curtis Johnson, a ‘79 graduate of Laplace’s St. Charles Catholic High School, certainly helps.

The recruiting of local athletes is instrumental in building the program the right way. Half of the 18 incoming freshman and 12 of the first 17 commitments for 2013 are from the New Orleans and River Parish regions.

Attitudes are changing. 0-0 never felt so good. Reality settles in on Sept. 1.

Ryan Griffin

Orleans Darkwa

New Orleans Saints

Coach Sean Payton

Sun Sept. 9 ....................................................WASHINGTON REDSKINS Sun. Sept. 16 ................................................................. Carolina Panthers Sun. Sept. 23 .......................................................KANSAS CITY CHIEFS Sun. Sept. 30 ................................................................Green Bay Packers Sun. Oct. 7 ........................................................ SAN DIEGO CHARGERS Sun. Oct. 21 .............................................................Tamp Bay Buccaneers Sun. Oct. 28 ....................................................................... Denver Broncos Mon. Nov. 5 ..................................................... PHILADELPHIA EAGLES Sun. Nov. 11 ..............................................................ATLANTA FALCONS Sun. Nov. 18 ..................................................................... Oakland Raiders Sun. Nov. 25 ...................................................... SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS Thurs. Nov. 29 ................................................................... Atlanta Falcons Sun. Dec. 9 ....................................................................... New York Giants Sun. Dec. 16 ................................................. TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS Sun. Dec. 23 ....................................................................... Dallas Cowboys Sun. Dec. 30 ........................................................ CAROLINA PANTHERS HOME GAMES IN CAPS

Healthy Brees = Magical season

I

By ED DANIELS n 2006, the New Orleans Saints were the biggest story in sports.

The Saints led this city’s comeback, post Katrina.

But, a bigger story can be written by the Saints in 2012. Can a team without its head coach, suspended for a season, be the first team to play the Super Bowl on its home field?

The Saints will miss Sean Payton. He is one of the top five head coaches in the NFL. Payton is a risk taker. His call for an onside kick to start the second half of the Super Bowl win over the Colts turned the game. If the Saints, trailing 10-6 at half, don’t recover, Peyton Manning and the Colts have a real shot at a two score lead.

Last October, Payton’s leadership skills were on display in an October game at Tampa Bay. Payton called plays sitting on the bench after he was injured in a sideline collision.

A broken tibia and a torn MCL could not force the head coach off the sideline.

Payton was also a freak about preparation. He never missed a thing.

In January of 2007, on the Thursday before the Saints playoff game against the Eagles, Payton

Michael C. Hebert/New Orleans Saints

Drew Brees

asked me to speak with him after practice.

He then asked me not to do a story on his record (a very good one) against the Eagles and defensive coordinator Jim Johnson.

He did not want Johnson or anyone associated with the Eagles, to flip on a TV and see such a story on our newscast.

I thought it a pretty strange 75 request. However, it only confirmed what we in the media knew: that Sean Payton paid attention to everything.

Before Payton was suspended for the season by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, he made a very big offseason move. He was able to land former Rams head coach Steve Spagnuolo as his coordinator to replace the departed Gregg Williams.

Despite the enormous fallout from the Saints bounty probe, the team had a sterling offseason.

The Saints lost guard Carl Nicks to free agency, but replaced him with another Pro Bowler, Ben Grubbs from Baltimore.

The Saints lost middle linebacker Jonathan Vilma to a season long suspension, but replaced him with Falcons middle linebacker Curtis Lofton. Lofton is a tackling machine. He’s had 398 stops the last three seasons.

The Saints also added a potential playmaker at the linebacker spot. David Hawthorne has seven interceptions the past three seasons, and has forced five fumbles.

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Football The Saints don’t have to improve dramatically on defense to make a Super Bowl run. The AFC champion Patriots and Super Bowl champion Giants both allowed more yards per game than the Saints.

Turnover margin will as always be crucial. In 2011, the 49ers were plus 1.7 turnovers per game, tops in the league. The 49ers rode football’s biggest stat to a berth in the NFC championship game.

This season, the NFC title game is slated for Sunday Jan. 20, 2013.

Wouldn’t it be totally bizarre if the Saints final two games of the post season were played on their home field?

The NFC has quite a few quality teams. The Packers, Giants and Saints are outstanding. Detroit looks like a club on the cusp.

And, the NFC South features quarterbacks Cam Newton in Carolina and Matt Ryan in Atlanta.

But, if the Saints can keep Drew Brees healthy again, they can play deep into January.

And, keep hopes alive for composing the best sports story of the year.

Michael C. Hebert/New Orleans Saints

Jimmy Graham

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This unique church steeple with a clock on all four sides is located somewhere in the Diocese of HoumaThibodaux. Do you know where it can be found? If so you can win a gift card in the amount of $50 to redeem at God’s Precious Word and Gifts. Send your guess entitled “Where Am I?” by email to: bayoucatholic@ htdiocese.org, by fax to: (985) 850-3232, or to Bayou Catholic, P.O. Box 505, Schriever, LA 70395. Deadline to enter is Aug. 31. In the event of a tie, the winner will be randomly selected from all of the correct entries.

Winner will be announced in the October issue of Bayou Catholic. Diocesan employees of the Pastoral Center and its satellite offices are not eligible to participate.

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