Gators want to reverse recent history in 2018

Over the past 25-30 years, the South Terrebonne football program has as much success as anyone locally, winning countless district championships, while enjoying several deep playoff runs.

But in the past year or two, the magic has been gone in Gatorland, though players and coaches believe that it will make its return in 2018.

Expectations remain high at South Terrebonne even after a couple years outside of postseason play.

Longtime head coach Richard Curlin said youth was a big part of the team’s struggles in years past.

This year, the Gators are older, stronger, more experienced and better equipped to handle the challenges they’ll see throughout the course of the year.

“We’ve started a lot of sophomores here,” Curlin said in the offseason. “More in the past few years than we ever have in my career and in a lot of other years combined. We’ve been young and we’ve made mistakes. That’s part of it. But the thing about youth is that if it stays together, it becomes experience. And we’re hopeful that we can get another one of those big, experienced senior groups here that can turn this thing around.”

This year may be that year.

The Gators have a wealth of experienced ball handlers in their Wing-T offense.

Senior Donald Dardar is back at fullback and he is a three-year starter for the Gators — a guy who is a load between the tackles in short-yardage situations.

Also returning are home run hitters like Terrance Sims and Johnathan Smith, who are capable of working the edges and turning short gains into big ones.

If the Gators are stuck behind the chains, they also have quarterback Trey Gautreaux back and a big offensive line. Smith and Sims are capable of stretching the field, but savvy senior Nicholas Brunet is also a reliable option on the outside.

“We have an offense that really likes to run the football. Everyone knows that,” South Terrebonne offensive line coach and Athletic Director Francis Labat said. “But we really are just going to take what our personnel’s strengths are and what the defense gives us. If it’s more advantageous for us to throw the ball, we’re going to do that. But with what we have, we also know that we can be successful playing strong at the line of scrimmage and trying to control the game that way. We aren’t college coaches. We can’t go recruit what we need. We have to take what we have and use it to the best of our abilities.”

Defensively, South Terrebonne will use a lot of the same players as it does offensively.

Where Dardar is a monstrous runner in short yardage and goal line sets, he’s also a tough, hard-nosed defensive lineman — one of the top defensive returnees in the area.

Labat also sung the praises of Colby Chelette, who is another dual-threat option who can serve as an inside runner on offense or as a defensive lineman or outside linebacker on defense.

In the secondary, Peyton Parr, Smith and Sims will all be counted on to contribute. Sims had a big start to camp, recording an interception in the team’s scrimmage with Thibodaux High.

“Defensively, I think we have good energy,” Labat said. “We are sort of in that same phase as everyone right now. We want to play against someone else and see where we stand. I think we have more experience than we’ve had, but we do still have some younger players out there, as well. We just hope that we can our upperclassmen and our senior leadership can show through some of that.”

The Gators have a challenging ride.

South Terrebonne opens at Tom B. Smith Stadium two weeks in a row with road games at H.L. Bourgeois and Terrebonne.

From there, the Gators also play both Berwick and Belle Chasse in non-district play.

In league play, the usual grind is present — annual dates with Assumption, Vandebilt, E.D. White, South Lafourche and, of course, the rivalry game with Ellender.

Labat said the Gators would love to get early wins to build momentum before the teeth of the schedule.

South Terrebonne

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