Let the district games begin: Local coaches say league games are tough, hard-fought

Pitch with the pros at Kemper Williams Park in Patterson
October 21, 2015
52nd State Representative District to choose between 2
October 21, 2015
Pitch with the pros at Kemper Williams Park in Patterson
October 21, 2015
52nd State Representative District to choose between 2
October 21, 2015

Non-district play is over for all of our area’s prep football teams.

For fans, that’s great, as practically all of the remaining games will pit two local teams against one another in high-stakes action.

For coaches, the end of the season marks a time of immense focus because it means there are officially no more “easy games” for the rest of the season.


Local football coaches applauded opposing prep football teams around the Houma-Thibodaux area this week, touting that there is more parity in the 2015 season than there’s ever been.

Coaches throughout both the local Class 5A and 4A districts agreed this week that every, single Friday night presents a challenge and that anyone can be beaten on a given week if they don’t play their absolute best.

“There are no nights off in District 7-4A,” Vandebilt Catholic football coach Jeremy Atwell said. “If you look at our district, the records don’t matter. If a team is 1-3 going up against a 3-1 opponent, you can’t favor anyone until the teams take the field. There’s so much pride involved and so much talent. Throw the records out. They don’t matter. Every game is a different game.”


“We like to think of our district almost like the SEC West,” Thibodaux coach Chris Dugas, a coach in the area’s 5A district. “Every night, it feels like you’re on the field going through a war. And what’s funny is that a lot of nights, you’re facing players who are committed to programs in the SEC West, so I guess it’s fitting.”

In Class 4A, it appears as though two horses have shot to the head of the pack, though the others aren’t lagging too far behind.

Newcomer South Lafourche and upstart Assumption look to be, at least on paper, the favorites based on non-district action and the results in early-district play.


The 2015 season is the first for the Tarpons in the district after decades of playing in 5A. South Lafourche started the season slow, posting just a 2-3 record in non-district play – a mark that was in part due to a stiff schedule, but also is because of a rash of injuries that the team has endured throughout the season.

South Lafourche lost All-District quarterback Harvey Allen before the season to a freak automobile accident. The team has also been without about a half-dozen other starters at various points in the year.

But in recent weeks, that injury bug has subsided and the team is getting healthier. The Tarpons showed their teeth in the district opener, walloping Morgan City 34-2 to improve to 3-3 on the season. The Tigers entered that game with a 4-1 record. They then went to 2-0 in district in a thrilling win over Vandebilt on Friday night.


“South Lafourche is a very, very good football team,” Morgan City coach Scott Tregle said after the game. “They’re big and physical up front, and they have a good combination of skill players at all of the important positions. They’re one of the favorites, for sure. It’s going to take a heck of an effort to beat those guys.”

Another team who won’t go down easily is Assumption, who rolled to a 4-1 start to the year and is now 5-1. The Mustangs possess a powerful, downhill running game that keeps opposing defenses in check.

The Mustangs beat Terrebonne in non-district play and own victories over two clubs with winning records in 2015, including a 24-23 triumph over 6-1 Lakeshore.


But the Tarpons and Mustangs are no lock to win every game they play.

For example, Ellender started the season just 1-5, but they nearly beat Assumption in the district opener, falling 28-26 in a thriller.

Likewise, coaches believe that Vandebilt also has the talent to challenge anyone on a given night, as well.


Morgan City and South Terrebonne are likely in the bottom of the pack, but each can scare anyone, as well.

“There’s a lot of parity,” South Lafourche coach Dennis Skains said. “Every team has a few players who you watch on tape and they put a scare into you. Every game presents its own challenges.”

In Class 5A, Destrehan is the top dog – a 7-0 wrecking ball that might be one of the best teams in the state of Louisiana.


The Wildcats are loaded to the core. They are so good that they couldn’t fill their Week 10 open date, because no one wanted to play them.

“They’re so talented,” Central Lafourche coach Keith Menard said. “It’s nothing but college-bound players up and down their depth chart. They’re not unbeatable. No one is. But they’re pretty dog-gone good.”

But while Destrehan is the unquestioned leader in the local Class 5A clubhouse, the rest of the teams competing are worthy opposition, as well.


Thibodaux is loaded again, and has won five-straight games after an 0-2 start to the season.

The Tigers possess halfback Donnell Adair, a bruising, physical playmaker who is arguably the best player in the Houma-Thibodaux area.

“He is our Leonard Fournette,” Dugas said.


Also much improved are foes like Central Lafourche and H.L. Bourgeois – teams who were near the bottom of the pack for the past several seasons.

The teams combined for six wins in all of 2014. They already have combined for nine this season, and each would be in the playoffs if the season ended today.

Near the bottom of the heap are Terrebonne and East St. John – foes that have struggled to net wins in 2015, but have elite-level talent.


The Tigers played close to both Thibodaux and Assumption this season.

East St. John is loaded with talent, and will likely improve from their 0-6 start to the season.

“They’re going to get some wins,” Braves coach Carey Melvin said of the Wildcats. “They have a talented team.”


It’s never easy on Friday nights around the Houma-Thibodaux area. Every game is a challenge.

Whether in 4A of 5A, the challenge each week is to just survive – even if it means scoring just one point more than your foe.

“Every win matters,” Dugas said. “There are no easy games and every game is a big-time challenge.”•


South Lafourche coach Dennis Skains talks to his team during a practice this season. Skains and the Tarpons are 2-0 and are one of the favorites in our area’s Class 4A district. But no district game is easy, coaches say. 

 

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