Experienced Eagles looking to soar

Hilda Voisin Buquet
August 25, 2009
Mary Little McFarland
August 27, 2009
Hilda Voisin Buquet
August 25, 2009
Mary Little McFarland
August 27, 2009

Normally, there would not be much positive to extract from a 2-7 overall record (2-2 in District 7-1).

But for fifth-year Central Catholic Eagles head coach David Fuhrer, at least his 20 returning starters got plenty of playing time last year.


He hopes the Eagles can transform that know-how into significant improvement and head back to the playoffs.


“We had a small (four players) senior class and it hurt us down the stretch,” Fuhrer said. “I think we’re ahead of where we were last year because we are more experienced. We were a very young team in 2008. That experience will help out. I expect that if we can get the right breaks, then we can be very competitive with the lessons learned from last season.”

The Eagles fly high with six seniors on the 2009 squad, of which three are expected to play on both sides of the ball along with two juniors and a sophomore.


First team All-District senior quarterback Andrew Templet will be running Fuhrer’s spread offense for the second consecutive year. Last season was his first time playing organized football, but the head coach has been astonished at the speed with which he is learning the complex scheme.


“He’s a very smart kid. He’s a competitor. He does a good job reading the defenses,” Fuhrer said. “He has picked up our offense fairly quickly and does a good job running.”

“We’re in the shotgun a lot, five to seven yards deep, so he gets rid of the ball fairly quickly,” he added. “He’s a classic drop-back passer, but he does have the athletic ability to scramble if need be.”


Besides Templet, returning on the offensive side of the ball are senior Dane Daigle at running back; freshman Dontrell Brown at wide receiver; sophomore Lloyd Grogan and junior Devante’ Frank at slot end; and seniors Ronald Protti, Ethan LeBlanc and Dan Marino, juniors Hunter Hannegan and Bobby Dufrene on the line.


“Our whole offensive line returns from a year ago. We feel that is a huge plus to have that kind of experience,” Fuhrer said. “We return 10 total starters on offense, so anytime you can do that it’s a huge benefit.”

On defense, the Eagles return 10 starters, but they will have a different look.


Last year, the unit ran a 40 front defense. This year, they changed to a 30 front or 3-5-3 scheme with three down linemen, five linebackers and three defensive backs.

Defenses that are fast but typically smaller than the opposing offense use the 3-5-3 to cause blocking assignment confusion and execute different blitz packages while playing mainly zone coverage.

“We feel that it gives us a better chance to win,” Fuhrer explained. “Last year, I think one of our biggest problems was we weren’t a very good tackling team. We need to bring people down on first contact. We did a good job of getting the ball but then guys would just run out of our tackles and pick up additional yards. You can’t have that on defense.”

The head coach has made it a major point of emphasis to do more tackling drills during practices.

Sophomore Kendall Robinson will be the only new defensive starter at one cornerback spot.

The returning starters are Marino and Hannegan at defensive end, LeBlanc at nose guard, Grogan, Frank, Protti and juniors Austin Smith and Blaze Watson at linebacker, freshman Dontrell Brown at the other cornerback position and Daigle at free safety.

Freshman C.J. Laiche will be the kicker and punter this season.

The Eagles have a daunting pre-district schedule, highlighted by three Class 3A opponents in Franklin, Berwick and Catholic High of New Iberia. They also face traditional Class 1A powers Christian Life, last year’s state runner-up, and Ascension Catholic.

In District 7-1A, defending champions Delcambre is also bringing back most of its players. Hanson is a bitter rival, and Gueydan has All-State running back Darion Gums.

Still, with all the returning starters on his team, Fuhrer is anticipating better than 2008’s third place finish.

“The key for us is to stay healthy, be consistent on offense, and, I know it sounds cliché, but block and tackle,” he insisted. “We have a lot of guys returning so I hope all facets will be working well together. Guys have to step up and work hard because they don’t want a repeat of last season.”

Eagles seniors Dan Marino, Ronald Protti, Ethan LeBlanc, Andrew Templet, Dane Daigle and Cody Mitchell are hoping to improve on the team’s 2-7 mark from last season. * Photo by KYLE CARRIER