CCA hopes to build on historic season
August 24, 2016
Sorry kids, the beach is closed: Elmer’s Island closure threatens Grand Isle
August 24, 2016
The Houma Christian football team was super young in 2015, and it showed on Friday nights.
The Warriors started the season 1-4, and were never a playoff threat in the highly competitive Division IV bracket.
But with a lot of players back on both sides of the football, Houma Christian thinks 2016 will be better – a year where the Warriors may again compete for a spot in postseason competition.
Houma Christian has renewed optimism this fall after finishing 4-6 last season – the program’s first losing campaign since 2011.
Warriors coach Chuck Battaglia said he likes what he’s seeing in practice, and is hopeful that the season will be bright for the small, Houma-based private school.
“It’s going good,” Battaglia said. “Like everyone else, we’re struggling to get outdoors. But after the first two days of practice, we knew right away we were improved and better. We see huge improvement from where we are now compared to where we were in week one of practice last year. Now, the challenge is to build on that. But there’s no question – our returning kids are making a heck of a difference.”
For Houma Christian, the ability to pound the football and control the line of scrimmage will be key offensively.
Having a more experienced quarterback will be a big factor, too.
The Warriors return nine starters offensively, including quarterback Damien Pennison, halfback T.J. Moore and their entire offensive line – a unit led by center Luke Chamberlain and which also features Jacobe White and Justin Bonvillain.
Pennison said the returnees will also make him more comfortable under center in 2016 than he was a year ago.
The quarterback admitted he had butterflies at times last season – especially early. Those jitters, he said, are now gone.
“It’s definitely a lot easier now to be our quarterback,” Pennison said. “There’s not as many butterflies. My confidence level is higher right now than it was last year.”
“He’s gotten a lot better,” Battaglia said. “We’ve seen a lot of progression. We’re confident in him and what he can do.”
But if things go as planned, Pennison also won’t be the only Warrior asked to make plays in the team’s spread offense.
Because Houma Christian has so many returnees on the offensive line, Battaglia said the team will likely run the ball more than it has in years past.
That means the team will heavily feature Moore, who rushed for 900 yards last season.
Also expected to be key weapons for Houma Christian’s offense are receiver JaCorey Ward, who was injured last season and fullback Gage Dupre.
“We’re a spread team,” Battaglia said. “In years past, we’ve liked to throw the ball around a lot. But we’ve never had an offensive line group like this with this much size and this much experience. I think we will throw the ball still – no doubt. But we will also slow the game down and try and control the clock and the trenches. This is as big as we’ve ever been here in school history, and we want to take advantage of that.”
Perhaps the reason why the Warriors have a desire to control the clock is to protect a defense which struggled mightily in 2015.
Houma Christian allowed 290 points last season, including four games where the team’s defense surrendered more than 40 points.
Battaglia said that’s not good enough, and the Warriors know they have to improve if they want any hope at reaching the playoffs.
Houma Christian returns six starters on that side of the football, including nose tackle Kyle Roberts and linebacker Zac Trujillo, who Battaglia said will lead the unit in 2016.
“Kyle is improved,” Battaglia said. “He’s bigger and stronger and he’s going to have a big year. With Zac, he’s our leading tackler from last year. He’s a beast. He flies all over the field. We need those two to really have a big push for us defensively.”
The players practicing against them every day think it’s going to happen.
Dupre said this year’s defense is better than last year’s, and it’s really not that close.
He thinks the Warriors will be able to get stops in key situations in 2016 – something that eluded the team all of last year.
“They’re looking good,” Dupre said. “They have more confidence in themselves and they’re getting better every day. We like what we’re seeing.”
“We’ll be improved there,” Battaglia added. “There’s no doubt.”
If they do improve, it’s very likely that Houma Christian will again be in the playoff chase in Division IV – a program which will compete for the district championship.
That’s the goal, according to Pennison, who said that last year’s 4-6 season stung and left players hungry for better results.
“For us, the 2015 season left a very sour taste in our mouths all year,” Pennison said. “This year, we have lots of different mindsets all over the field and everyone is excited and ready to work toward our goals. We’re very hopeful it’s going to be a very, very successful season. We’re motivated and we’re expecting big things.” •
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