Warriors want to re-gain postseason form
September 6, 2018
Gators want to reverse recent history in 2018
September 6, 2018
New H.L. Bourgeois head coach Ryan Fournier looks to move the football program in a positive direction over in Gray.
After a disappointing season last year for the Braves, with a 1-9 overall record and going winless in their district (7-5A), Fournier and his staff became determined to not only fix the X’s and O’s but also the facilities. They painted, got brand new lockers and upgraded the coaches’ offices and trainer’s facility.
“I wanted everybody to kind of have a fresh start and to feel good about where they come to work every day. I felt like if I could get the guys to start taking some pride in the little things within our building, and having pride in walking into our locker room and being proud of what they come to every day…that it would translate onto the field,” Fournier said.
Next, the first-year head coach worked on improving strengths of the team’s offense and defense, while also fixing their weaknesses.
For the offense, which averaged 11.8 points per game last season, the Braves are looking for more consistency with the Wing T offense than previous year’s spread offense. This offense will rely more heavily on running the ball compared to the spread offense, which had a tendency to stretch the field vertically.
“…Last year, it’s a fault of my own because I was the offensive coordinator, but we made a lot of mistakes, and I think the reason for that was because we were running a system that we didn’t fit in terms of our personnel. So we’re back to our Wing T, and we know it will take some time and we know that the more you run it, the better you get at it,” Fournier said. “And we also know that those really good H.L. Bourgeois teams in the mid-2000s ran this offense, so it fits the style of kids that we have here.”
Critical to successfully running the Wing T offense is starting quarterback Connor Verdin, whose injury last year sparked a decline of the team’s offensive productivity.
“Offensively, the brains of the operation is no doubt the quarterback, Connor Verdin, who’s one of our team captains. We need Connor to stay healthy this year and stay on the field. When we lost him last year, it definitely took a toll on us and shrunk the playbook a bit,” said Fournier on his senior quarterback. “Connor does such a great job of leading and has such great knowledge of the game. I mean he’s like a coach out on the field, so we have to keep him out there and keep him healthy. He certainly is the strength of our offense.”
On defense, Fournier and his coaching staff are hoping to improve the reactions of their players by simplifying their defensive schemes.
“I felt like we were way too complicated last year on defense, and too many times, our players are looking to the sidelines for a signal and the other team is running a play,” Fournier said. “So we wanted to simplify. We didn’t want our guys looking around; we want them reacting on defense.”
Fournier credits his front seven, which consists of defensive linemen and linebackers, on being the strength of the defense. The defensive line is led by 2017 First Team All-District defensive lineman Lekelan Bougere. The senior was a standout not only in the district last year, but also in the entire state as he has already received college offers.
The linebacking corps is led by senior Trevonte Walker, who Fournier calls the “heart and soul” of the group.
“He brings so much energy and excitement day in and day out. It’s almost hard for us to contain him sometimes. He’s the guy that just loves playing football and makes it fun to be around,” Fournier said.
Returning senior cornerbacks D’nd Wright and Koby Starks bring their experience and competitiveness to the secondary. Fournier said the pair will be “tough to deal with” for any wide receivers they are facing.
The defense and offense for the Braves will have to progress this season to win against teams in their competitive district that has tough matchups with teams such as Terrebonne, Destrehan, Hahnville and others.
“I just want to see us compete day in and day out. We’re going to take it one period of practice at a time, one practice at a time, one game at a time…We’re not ever going to be a team that looks ahead. It’s like I tell the guys all the time, ‘We play each other every week.’” Fournier said. “I just feel like if we focus on ourselves, day in and day out, and try to be the best H.L. Bourgeois we can be, that stuff will take care of itself on a Friday night.”
