7 storylines to follow this prep football season

Prep football stopped by the past two weeks for a brief visit.

It came bearing lots of souvenirs for its willing hosts. These gifts were neatly wrapped packages of juicy tidbits that the public can use to forecast the future coming this fall.

All of our local teams have been busy going through spring practices in the two past weeks.

While the practices and subsequent spring games were merely a dress rehearsal for what we’ll see in the fall, they still provided those interested with valuable information that can be useful to gauge what we can expect in the 2013 season.

The upcoming campaign appears to be filled with lots of storylines and scenarios that will need to play out before we can crown district and state champions.

Here are a couple of things worth thinking about as we head into the summer months and patiently await prep football’s return trip in August.

Top 7 questions that need to be answered in 2013 season:

Will public/private split work?

The only thing I know about the public/private playoff split coming to Louisiana in 2013 is that almost none of our local coaches are in favor of the change. For those not privy to the details, here are the Cliff Notes. This offseason, Louisiana’s principals voted to split football’s playoffs up into separate brackets for public and private schools. What that means is that our teams will play the regular season and then public schools will face only other public schools in five playoff brackets – 1A through 5A. Private schools will compete amongst one another in three other brackets. The precise details are still unknown – even as we head into the summer. How the split pans out will be a major talking point throughout the entire season.

Who’s going to coach H.L. Bourgeois?

It’s mid-May and the Braves don’t have a football coach. Obviously, this is not by design, nor is it an ideal situation. They had a coach just a few weeks ago, but chose to let go of him before he ever coached a single game with the school. That’s a major problem – especially for H.L. Bourgeois. The Braves were not very good last year and have not been relevant on the gridiron in several seasons. To make matters worse, this is going to be the first season that the school welcomes ninth graders into its program – a time the school could have used a coach capable of developing the young players and acclimating them into the system. Instead, the school pushed beyond spring drills without an idea of what the future will hold. They were led by assistant coaches that may or may not be a part of the new coach’s staff. That’s a shame. It’ll be interesting to see how their kids hold up in the face of what’s become a chaotic situation.

What can Covenant Christian do against ‘real’ competition?

For years, Covenant Christian Academy has been lambasted by naysayers around the area who have spat on the team’s Christian League Championships, because of the “inferior” competition the team faced in Louisiana’s Christian League. This year, we will finally find out exactly where CCA stands against the rest of Class 1A. After playing a trial run in 2012, the Lions will play a full-time LHSAA schedule this season. The Lions will be eligible for postseason play and district championships. CCA is young and is replacing a lot of its key players from years past. But they are still loaded with talent and will shock everyone who believes that they play a phony brand of football.

Can anyone in Lafourche dethrone the Tarpons?

South Lafourche was the best team in Lafourche Parish last year. It really wasn’t that close, either. With its high-tempo offense and turnover-hungry defense, the Tarpons rolled through the regular season unbeaten – scoring blowout wins against all of its rival challengers. But with a new year, everyone is again equal. With a new coach roaming in Mathews, and an incredibly talented team parading through Thibodaux, it’s not a given that South Lafourche will keep its spot as the area’s lead dog in Class 5A. There are several worthy challengers nipping at the Tarpons’ heels in the new season.

Will Ellender grow or struggle with expectations?

For the first time in a very long time, the Ellender football team will enter a new season with a bit of a bulls-eye on its chest. After several consecutive winless seasons, the Patriots broke the ice in 2012 and found the win column four times. To top it all off, the team returns the majority of its powerful offense, including dynamic quarterback Dustin Creppel. If you’ve never seen Creppel, he is highly recommended by this sportswriter. Creppel possesses an elite arm and plus-grade feet. He can get into and out of trouble in the pocket with ease. The team also returns most of the quarterback’s top weapons from the magical season. Last year, the Patriots were a cozy surprise story. But this time around, everyone knows the team is serious about its turnaround efforts. It will be interesting to see if the team can handle expectations and continue its miraculous turnaround.

Can Patterson rebound?

No one around St. Mary Parish is used to a prep football season that doesn’t see Patterson reach the Class 3A Playoffs. But that’s exactly what happened last year, as the Lumberjacks were victimized by a weak schedule that didn’t allow them to earn enough power points to reach the 32-team field. With just a few key losses from last year’s team, Patterson is widely expected to rebound in a big way and make a significant push.

Can Vandebilt replace McGuire?

Last season, Elijah McGuire was the unquestioned MVP of the Tri-parish area. He provided yardage, big-play ability, leadership and so much more to the Terriers’ offense. But McGuire’s talent is no longer at Vandebilt’s disposal, as the elite standout has graduated and taken his talents to the collegiate level. Can the Terriers replace McGuire’s offense and have another team capable of making a playoff push? On the surface, it seems like a lot to ask. But history has shown that Vandebilt is a resilient school. If anyone can rebound and rebuild, it’ll be them.