No Creppel? Patriots say it’s OK: Ellender shifts to run-first offense in ’14
August 26, 2014
Same face … New places? Houma Christian hopes continuity breeds 2014 wins
August 26, 2014
H.L. Bourgeois head football coach Daron Franklin said things will be a whole lot different this year.
On the surface, it’s easy to suffice that Franklin meant improving last season’s winless record the young team suffered through.
And of course that’s the desired end result.
But it takes building blocks to get there, and Franklin feels the team bonding his squad has done over the course of the offseason should bring forth a strong chance for improvement.
H.L. players participated in team camps at Southeastern Louisiana University and Tulane University this offseason.
“The goal there was to just get some exposure and some more team bonding and to also improve our fundamentals, and we did accomplish those goals,” said the second-year coach who was unable to implement as much offseason structure before his first campaign. “I did share with them that just because you went to camp doesn’t mean you’ll win every game. We still need to be able to work hard. The young men are looking out for each other.”
Franklin said he challenged his players to take responsibility of their teammates.
“We’re seeing some of the benefits so far… But the team bonding is just about when times are tough during the season, we’ll be able to come together and motivate one another to continue to push through,” said Franklin.
The squad scrimmaged against Assumption this spring, where once again Franklin saw progress – something he hopes will correlate to success under the Friday night lights this fall.
“This year we basically have three goals that we want to achieve. Our first goal is our first win. Then we want to achieve our first district win. Then we want to go beyond and achieve our first playoff win. We feel like if we can achieve the first two then we’ll get the ball rolling and put ourselves in position to get some more wins and qualify for the tournament and work toward our first playoff win,” Franklin said.
Much of the Braves’ ability to reach those goals lies on the arm and legs of duel-threat senior quarterback Todd Adkins, who will operate a spread offense.
“He’s a playmaker. He’ll be able to do some things with his feet and his arm,” Franklin said.
Adkins ought to have a lot to work with too. Blazing senior wide receiver Ritney Coleman returns, and Franklin expects a lot from basketball player turner receiver junior Desean Walker as well as new starting running back junior Blaise Lacompte.
“Ritney Coleman is a God sent. He’s a one-hitter type guy. He can turn a five-yard gain into an 80-yard gain easily. We’re looking for Blaise Lecompte to be able to do some things at running back and also we have a basketball kid that came in Desean Walker. We’re excited about him. He’s shown some things in camp, so offensively, those guys will be able to do some things for us.”
Up front, the Braves return four of five offensive linemen including three-year starting left tackle senior Caleb Dupre plus tight end junior Nicholas Langford.
With multiple O-line contributors last year who were thrown into the fire as freshmen, Franklin said the overall strength of his offensive line is better entering this season.
“Our strength up front to be able to play in the district that we play in, teams on the river, teams on the bayou, there’s some storied, established programs. Our strength should allow us to play with those guys in our district,” said the coach.
Defensively, the Braves return all five starting defensive backs as well as two linemen and one linebacker to their 4-2-5 scheme.
“On the defensive line, [junior] Tre’von Nolan, we’ll be expecting a lot from. We want him to be the guy to anchor the defense. We also have a kid that came in from Oklahoma, [senior] Kellen Ruffin at defensive end. He’s a big time player for us. He’s a football player. We’re looking for [sophomore] Curtis Verdin to hold down the middle at middle linebacker,” Franklin explained. “[In the defensive backfield] We look for [junior] Tevyn Johnson to be a standout. A name that you’ll want to remember is [junior] Xavier Walker. He’ll be a returning cornerback – a guy with some good ball skills and athletic talent.”
On special teams, Franklin said he is blessed to have new kicker junior Nicholas Montana who has traded booting around a round ball for an oblong one.
“He’s a soccer kid. We’ve been working with him. He went through the winter workouts. He went through the spring workouts. He went through the summer workouts so he’s bonding with those guys. He’s not off to the side by himself,” Franklin said. “In fact, every day I have to hold him back from playing another position, because he’s athletic. He’s aggressive. He’s really getting a kick out of playing football and being able to use his soccer skills and transfer them to the football field.”
The 2014 Braves expect to be better, and they’ve brought back that buzz to the school and the football program.
“The community is thirsty for a winner, and I just hope I can give these kids a chance to be successful,” Franklin said. “I want them to be able to have a taste of some success so that they can revive the football community here at H.L. Bourgeois. We’re just trying to do some things to make sure that those kids have a good experience in high school.”
Senior DB Damaris Holmes works on his ballskills during an H.L. Bourgeois practice. The Braves hope to rebound from last season’s 0-10 mark and make a push in the always-tough Class 5A.
