The Iron Man is back: Verdin to make return to boxing
October 22, 2019
Personal Safety presentation tonight at Saint Matthew’s
October 22, 2019
By the end of Friday night’s game, Thibodaux High School football coach Chris Dugas was a mess.
His play sheet hung off his waist, while the tension slowly drained off his tense, tired body.
Thibodaux had just won an explosive, hard-fought 42-35 win over Breaux Bridge in overtime — the sixth-straight game Thibodaux played a game decided by 10 points or less.
And like being a head football coach isn’t stressful enough, Dugas called every, single offensive and defensive play for the team in the win — an unusual workload that’s working for the Tigers’ coach right now, but is also exhausting.
“Two Ibuprofen, a couple hours of sleep, then it’s back to work to do it all over again,” Dugas said with a laugh when asked how he felt after the Breaux Bridge game. “This year has been challenging. It’s just exhausting. It takes so much of a toll on you physically and mentally and I’m not sure I even know what my family looks like right now. But to be sitting where we are right now, it’s fulfilling. I’m so proud of the kids. They’ve worked so hard.”
Dugas is an offensive guy by trade, so calling plays isn’t new.
He was an offensive coordinator at Terrebonne High School for years before earning the head coaching job at Thibodaux — a position he’s held now for several seasons.
Thibodaux’s offense this year is explosive and dynamic — one of the most high-powered groups in the area.
The Tigers can run it or throw it. They can score quick, or they can methodically march.
Spearheading the offense is junior quarterback Luke Alleman — a guy Dugas gave high praise to.
“He just might be the most talented offensive player in our district,” Dugas said, a bold statement considering the amazing talent in the area in Class 5A. “He isn’t a big guy. He doesn’t have overwhelming size. But he has a good arm, he’s accurate and he’s just a relentless competitor. He wants to do well. He loves the game. He watches a ton of film. You need that perfectionist type at that position and Luke is that for us.”
But what is new for Dugas is calling defense. That’s something he’d never done in his time as a head coach.
The Tigers lost their defensive coordinator after last season, which left a void on the coaching staff. Dugas said he initially looked to fill the vacancy, but nothing ever materialized, so he ended up deciding to do it himself for the first time in his career.
After the first game of the season — a win against Riverside — Dugas offered a little insight into how the process was going.
“It’s a lot going on at one time,” Dugas said. “I called a play, and one of my assistants said, ‘Coach, turn your play sheet around. I was calling a defensive play when we had the ball on offense. I don’t know whether I’m coming or going sometimes, but the kids have been great, and the staff has always been there to help us make it work as best as possible, as well.”
It’s chaos, it’s fast-paced, it’s all of that and more.
But it’s working.
Thibodaux is 6-1 on the season after Friday night’s win. If the playoffs started today, the Tiger would be one of the top teams in the state in the Class 5A State Playoffs.
How far the Tigers can take it, that remains to be seen.
But after going 3-7 last fall and suffering numerous injuries, Dugas said to be in the hunt is fulfilling and thrilling for both he and the kids.
Of course, he wants to take this team all the way to the Dome and win the State Championship — like anyone else.
But no matter how it ends up, Dugas said he will be proud of the team for building off last year’s struggles and coming back strong.
He shied away from giving himself credit, but deep down, Dugas is also proud of the job he’s done this year with added responsibility and enhanced success.
“I feel like I’ve aged 30 years in the past 7 weeks,” Dugas said with a laugh. “My body is exhausted. But we’re going to keep pushing. We have a lot of things left to accomplish and all of our goals in front of us.”
