Tarpons juggle preseason adversity, but still like 2015 odds

Ellender hopes ‘3-second rule’ will be followed in 2015 season
August 25, 2015
South Terrebonne starting from scratch in attempt to build on 11-win season
August 25, 2015
Ellender hopes ‘3-second rule’ will be followed in 2015 season
August 25, 2015
South Terrebonne starting from scratch in attempt to build on 11-win season
August 25, 2015

For the second-straight season, the South Lafourche football team lost arguably its best player to a serious injury before ever playing a regular season game.

For the second-straight season, the Tarpons think they have the chemistry to overcome it and make a playoff push.


South Lafourche knows that it will be without star quarterback Harvey Allen for most, if not all of 2015, after Allen sustained bladder and pelvis injuries in a wreck in early August. Also injured in the wreck was senior playmaker Larry Mack, who is expected to miss the first few weeks of the season.

Skains and the Tarpons players admit that losing the duo is a huge blow – they are two of the best players in the Houma-Thibodaux area. The quarterback rushed and passed for more than 700 yards in 2014 as a junior, while being a part of 21 touchdowns. Mack was a two-ways player last season.

But with a large senior class, they think that they have enough left in the tank to be a force in Class 4A – South Lafourche’s new home after redistricting.


“Things are going well. We’re getting better and better each day,” senior kicker/punter Brannon Lee said. “For us, I think the story of this year will be overcoming adversity. Harvey is out, and Larry is, too. Obviously, we didn’t want that to happen, because we love them and they are great players. But in life, sometimes things don’t go your way and the true test of a champion is who can stand tall when things don’t go your way. That’s what we plan to do.”

With Allen out, the next man is up at quarterback for the Tarpons. That would be new starter Jaydon Cheramie.

Coaches and teammates tout that Cheramie has done a great job leading the South Lafourche offense so far in preseason practices – his first workouts since being made the starter.


Receiver Kyle Angeron said the new quarterback doesn’t have the elusiveness that Allen does, but he’s still plenty capable of leading the team.

“Jaydon maybe can’t move around the pocket quite like Harvey could back there, but he’s good enough to get the job done for sure,” Angeron said. “We trust him. He just gets the job done. We believe in him and what he can do.”

What should make Cheramie’s job easier is the experience of the Tarpons’ playmakers. South Lafourche returns almost all of its skill guys from last season – a group consisting of Angeron, receiver Shakerrin Dillon and halfbacks Jacob Jackson and Corbin Allen (Harvey’s little brother).


Senior defensive back Trey Bonin faces those guys every day in practice. He said they’re no easy group to cover.

“We have a lot of guys who can do damage,” Bonin said. “I think we’re going to be able to hurt teams both running and throwing the ball. We have a lot of weapons.”

The Tarpons offensive line is also fairly experienced with Nykalys Pasache, Chad Cheramie, Brandon Whitney, Luke Vizier and Garet Serigny carrying the load in the trenches.


“We were in a brutally tough district last year and that group took some serious lumps,” Skains said. “But it makes me proud to see how far they’ve come and just how much they’ve come along. They’ve been doing a great job in practices.”

Pasache agrees. He thinks this group has a chance to be the best line he’s been a part of in a four-year career at the school.

“We have a lot of unity,” Pasache said. “I think we have a good mix of talent – some seniors and some younger guys, and it’s worked for us so far. I like what we’ve seen. I think it’ll be a great group.”


On defense, the Tarpons need a bit of an overhaul after letting up 30 or more points in four-straight games to end the season – all losses.

On the defensive line, Jackson is the anchor – a 6-foot, 4-inch, 240-pound Nicholls commitment who can beat opponents with both his strength and speed.

Also taking a leadership role in the trenches is senior Dakota Fullilove. Skains said Jackson and Fullilove are two of the emotional leaders of his defense.


“They’re leading that group and making sure that everybody is working hard,” Skains said. “They’re doing a great job with that.”

Also expected to play a big role on the defense are linebackers Henri Terrebonne and Daniel Griffin and defensive backs like Dillon, Bonin and Nikali Lombas.

Skains said the Tarpons’ defense is still not where it needs to be, but it’s getting better every day. The coach said that by the start of the season, he thinks it’ll be an explosive group.


“I think the offense is a little ahead of the defense right now, but that’s making us better,” Skains said. “Up front, we’re fighting. We’re showing up to work each and every day. We’re watching film and learning. I think we’re coming along.

Of course, the 2015 season is also a new era for South Lafourche football – the first year that the Tarpons will play in Class 4A competition.

Angeron said the chance to play new district foes like Vandebilt, South Terrebonne, Morgan City, Assumption and Ellender excites the Tarpons. The receiver said he knows it won’t be easy, but the challenge has been accepted.


“We’re excited about it,” Angeron said. “We’ll be ready. I think it’ll be a great year.” •

South Lafourche footballCASEY GISCLAIR | THE TIMES