I-formation capitalizes on strength of Thibodaux’s backs

In an effort to win in 2008, the Thibodaux High School Tigers went back to the past.

Two decades to be exact.

The Tiger’s last state championship ¬- in 1991 – was also their last playoff win. So the school rehired the man who got them there, Dennis Lorio.

With Lorio at the helm, the Tigers hope to progress beyond the first round of the playoffs. That’s something the team has failed to do in each of its last four seasons. Last year, Thibodaux finished 5-6 overall and 5-1 in District 5A – earning the Tigers second place. A 34-14 loss to Rummel in the first round of the playoffs provided a heartbreaking end to the season.

But Lorio’s been in this position before.

“When I came here in 1987, it took us three years to get going in the right direction. The first year, the effort, talent and team concept wasn’t there,” he said. “The second year, we were close. We went 4-6 and lost several close games. That third year, we got on a roll and the kids believed they could compete with anybody.”

The coach is predicting this Tiger team will make a deep run in the playoffs sooner rather than later. But it won’t be cakewalk.

The Tigers have a tough non-district schedule, which includes games against 5-A powerhouse West Monroe, Vandebilt Catholic, former 3-A state champion Lutcher and in-city rival E.D. White.

To stay competitive, Lorio is relying on his 19 senior starters to keep the newcomers motivated.

“We want to put all of our effort out there on the field and see if we can stay on the field with West Monroe,” he explained. “One of the mottos we’re trying to borrow from the NFL commercials is “Take Care of Now.’ Don’t worry about this game or that game; worry about getting today’s practice in to help you get better for the first game that counts in power points.”

To realize that goal, Lorio is switching from last year’s option offense to the I-formation, which should capitalize on the Tigers’ passing and running game.

“Offensively, I’ve always believed that you have to have a strong running game,” Lorio said. “We are going to use a lot of two-back sets to our advantage. In the games where we may not have the advantage up-front, we’ll be more likely to spread things out and do more one-back operations. I believe anyone has to have a strong running game if they plan on going deep in the playoffs.”

Thibodaux juniors Donnie Morgan and Trovon Reed are swapping positions from last year; Morgan will move to running back and Reed, an All-District receiver last season, will take the snaps as quarterback. And returning junior Brandon Duncan, who compiled 462 rushing yards at fullback in 2007, senior Jasmine Williams (also a running back) are expected to be major contributors, according to the coach.

The offensive line features five seniors, three returning starters. Tackles Matt Pellegrin and Brett Babin and center Peyton Martinez return for their final season. Joining them are first-time starters Brett Larose and Dustin Simons (guards), who are looking to fill the void left by All-District 2007 graduate Jansen Faucheaux.

Seniors Cody Dufrene and Ethan Lagarde are expected to see time at tight end while Brandon Thompson (senior) and Carmichael Green (junior) are going to play receiver.

Even though the Tigers are going to try to establish the running game, Lorio said they would not be afraid to “throw the ball anytime, anywhere down the field.”

The Tigers return four senior starters to the defensive line: Kevin Becnel, Tim Coler, Carlos Coler and Trey Clement. Senior Anthony Dunn and junior Ronald Alex should also see playing time as linemen.

Leading the defense is senior Blake Poincon, whose 100 tackles helped earn him All-District and Second Team All-State nods.

“I want to be the leader on this defense,” Poincon said. “We are focusing on the day at hand; we’re not worried about tomorrow. Everything is looking good, I can’t wait to get the season started.”

Seniors Aaron Richard and Christian Knight and sophomore Trent Granier complete the linebacking corps.

The Tigers’ defensive secondary was essentially gutted after 2007 graduation. The biggest hit was the loss of Second Team All-State, First Team All-Region and First Team All-District pick Javon Harvey. He signed with East Central Community College (Miss.) following last season.

Three new starters – juniors Chad Fletcher, Robert Green and Tyler Jenkins – will try to fill Harvey’s void.

Drew Williamson will handle punting and kicking duties for Thibodaux. Lorio predicted the junior could see plenty of field goal attempts in close games.

“What I see right now is that we’re way along,” he said. “They went 5-1 in district last year and won some close games. We’d like to maintain our competitiveness in the district, but we’ve got to find a way to have some success in non-district games. We were 0-4 last year. We’ve got to find a way to win several of those non-district games. We’re definitely capable of doing that.”