Where’s the Beef at Terrebonne? With young linemen, Tigers relying on skill guys
August 26, 2014
New coach, same mindset at VCHS
August 26, 2014
After making the playoffs a year ago for the first time since 2009, Thibodaux head coach Chris Dugas says the 2014 campaign is all about keeping the momentum going.
And he thinks his squad can do so behind the arm of senior signal caller and 2013 second-team all-district selection Peyton Bonvillain. He began last season splitting reps, but it didn’t take long for him to show that the position belonged to him.
“By about week three or four Peyton kinda just owned the position, did a great job, threw for right around 1,200 yards last season, 17 touchdowns to just one interception,” Dugas said. “So he had a really good year, and we’re looking for him to pick up where he left off.”
He’ll have a new cast of characters around him at the skill positions though.
Gone are standouts including running back Donta Johnson, wide receiver Jason Richard and tight end Devon Brown.
“We were able to have a couple guys who got a little bit of experience last year who are coming in now and I think are filling those roles pretty well,” the headman said.
Converted safety senior Elray Duncan joins junior Ronald Lemon, senior Oliver Holmes and senior Keyton Morvant as guys who can help from a pass-catching standpoint, and Dugas looks to three backs to replace Johnson.
“[Senior] Jaquan Chenier is back who is a guy who has played for us for three years. He’s always been right behind Donta, and he played some integral roles for us last year. He’s that big, pounding guy, and then we have Donnel Adair who’s a junior. He’s one of those big backs also but the ability to run away is with him cause he’s got some pretty good speed, and then Amik Robertson, who is gonna be a sophomore. He’s a corner/running back who whenever he touches the ball in space he’ll be pretty special.”
And with four returning starters on the offensive line, those athletes should have plenty of space with which to work.
Seniors Josh Matherne, Brennon Burrell, Hunter Melancon and Brandon Barbier come back up front to form an experienced and veteran offensive line. Despite Barbier returning as last year’s first-team all-district center, Dugas has moved Barbier to right guard and will start junior Dakota Price in the middle.
“We like to put our five best up there, and [Price] is our next best lineman, so we asked Brandon to move over to right guard, and he’s good with the move. Wherever he’s at he’s going to be a good football player for us,” Dugas said.
Defensively, 2013 first-team all-district cornerback senior Chris Bryant – or C.J. at Corner as he’s appropriately called – is expected to be the leader of the defense. He’ll also get some touches on offense. Thibodaux’s other starting corner junior Trymaine Samanie is recovering from a foot injury suffered this spring, but Dugas expects him to be ready Week 1. Dugas called Samanie – a five-sport-athlete – probably the best athlete in the school.
At safety, junior Blair Brooks returns after missing all of 2013 with a broken leg.
“We’re excited about the way he’s looking with a 6-2, 190 frame at safety. That’s a big guy to have back there that can cover a lot of ground,” the coach said.
Junior Dane Benoit returns to man the other safety position. In fact, there isn’t room for Benoit’s 2013 safety mate in this year’s back-2, so senior Andy Brown will slide down to Sam linebacker.
“He’s been doing a great job with the transition,” Dugas said.
On the defensive line, second-team all-district selection senior Marquis Garman anchors the middle, and senior Henry Mathews and junior Micah Phoenix will get lots of action at defensive tackle too.
“With that 6-1 280 frame, [Garman] is a big guy. He’s gonna be tough for a lot of people to block and deceptively fast for someone his size,” Dugas explained. “Then we got Henry Mathews, who’s kinda worked his way up through the ranks, got a little bit of playing time here and there and finally he’s going to break out and be a starter for us at the other defensive tackle along with a swing guy by the name of Micah Phoenix. Micah is 6-2, 270, so that’s gonna give us a lot of size with those three guys on the inside.”
Senior Jude Theriot and junior Devin Hebert project to start at defensive end.
Special teams and specifically placekicking has been a point of emphasis this offseason after it was a thorn in Thibodaux’s side a year ago.
Four of the Tigers’ five losses came by a score or less – including a three-point playoff loss to Zachary – and shoddy field goal and extra point kicking contributed greatly to some of those defeats.
That’s why Dugas is looking at Tigers of a different feather to handle placekicking duties in 2014.
“We got some soccer guys out that are doing some of the kicking duties for us now, so we’re hoping a couple of those guys, one or two, may emerge as decent kickers there. It’s looking pretty favorable right now,” said the headman. “They enjoy being out here, so maybe that can translate to the season and we can get ourselves a good kicker and stop leaving those points on the field that we should have had last season.”
Thibodaux kicks off the 2014 campaign vs. Archbishop Shaw at Hoss Memtsas Stadium in Harvey.
The Tigers beat the Eagles 27-14 to get the 2013 season going.
They hope to have a repeat performance this time around so that they can show once again that they are a force to be reckoned with in the Bayou District, which is loaded with top-flight talent like Hahnville, Destrehan and East St. John, among the solid local teams.
“I think we can compete with anybody we get on the field with, and that’s the important thing when you feel you can compete with anybody on the field it gives you a shot night in and night out. Your kids always think they have a shot to win. I think our kids over here, we’re not gonna back down from anybody, and we’re gonna play everybody pretty tough,” said Thibodaux’s head coach.
The Thibodaux High School defensive line works through the crippling heat to prepare for the 2014 prep football season. The Tigers are eager to build on last season’s 6-4 regular season – a campaign that ended with a tough, hard-fought defeat in the first round of the Class 5A State Playoffs.
