Tigers are young, but talented in 2018
September 6, 2018
Patriots want to finish in 2018
September 6, 2018
E.D. White’s debut season in Class 4A couldn’t have gone any better.
The Cardinals rolled through District 7-4A competition without blemish, soaring to a 6-0 mark and the league’s championship.
Now, in year two, the team wants to find that magic touch again — and maybe even a little more.
Expectations remain high at E.D. White after last year’s 9-1 season. Coach Chris Bergeron said the team lost a quality senior class, but added that the new faces in the lineup have the same goals: win every, single time they step onto the field.
“We want to do what we did last year again this year,” Bergeron said. “That’s our goal. That’s what we’re trying to do. We have new starters and everything, but so does everyone else. Our kids have put in the time and we think we can have a similar level of success for ourselves.”
The Cardinals have a luxury that not many have.
They may have the best senior in the entire Houma-Thibodaux area in their huddle.
Senior quarterback and UL-Lafayette commitment Brandon Legendre is back after electrifying the area last year as a junior.
Legendre has world-class speed, owning a clocked 4.43-second time in the 40-yard dash. But more important than the raw speed is the fact that this kid is just a flat-out football player.
Legendre scored more than 30 touchdowns last year and was an unquestioned leader for E.D. White.
This year, Bergeron said Legendre’s role will remain the same, adding that he will impact games in all phases.
“We will use him pretty much the same way,” Bergeron said. “He will be our quarterback, of course, so he will make plays with his arm and with his legs. But we will also put him out there for punts and kickoffs and he will be a big weapon in special teams. He’s dynamic. We all know that he’s a weapon. We’re blessed to have him for another year.”
A lot of E.D. White’s offense around Legendre is different in 2018, but the team does have one primary returnee from last year in halfback Michael Clement.
A tough-nosed, powerful runner, Clement will be a big-time weapon for E.D. White this season in their Wing-T offensive system. His yardage between the tackles will heavily compliment Legendre and the other team’s playmakers.
“Michael will have a big role in our offense,” Bergeron said. “He was very good for us last year and we know that he will be a big piece of it again this year.”
At the line of scrimmage, Aaron Benfield and Ethan Howell will be among the group the Cardinals will utilize to open holes for the skill players.
Defensively, E.D. White lost several starters and that new group will likely have to quickly get up to speed for the team to enjoy the same successes as it did last year.
Last year, the Cardinals held opponents to 20 or fewer points 5 times, including a pivotal 28-12 win over South Lafourche, which all-but clinched them the district crown.
Bergeron said this year’s defense is young, but hungry.
They showed their teeth in the preseason scrimmage last week, limiting Terrebonne’s high-powered offense without a point in the live portion of the teams’ scrimmage.
“We have confidence in those guys and we think we have good size and good speed and the kids are aggressive,” Bergeron said. “They’re going to be able to handle some of the athletes that we’re going to see on our schedule.”
E.D. White will be tested early and often.
They open at Central Lafourche and also play St. James and Assumption — just in the first four weeks of the year.
After the brutally tough start, E.D. White’s grind doesn’t get easier.
In the back-end of the schedule, they face South Terrebonne, South Lafourche, Ellender and rival Vandebilt.
“It won’t be easy, but we like our group,” Bergeron said. “The kids saw it last year and they’re hungry to go and try and do it again. We want to make it to the playoffs and have a chance to be a contender once we’re there.”
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