Thibodaux lifer ready to make head coaching debut

Chris Dugas was a member of Thibodaux High School’s last state title winning team when he attended the school close to 20 years ago.

Now back at home, he’s trying to win another ring, this time as a coach.

The Dugas era will begin this fall in Thibodaux after the longtime assistant was hired to be the Tigers’ head man.

With a few weeks to go before his official head-coaching debut, Dugas said he’s happy to be home and excited to get started.

“I’m happy. I love it back here,” Dugas said. “This is my heart. This is my blood. I bleed purple and gold. This is me. This is where I always wanted to be all along. I’m just glad to be back here.”

The team Dugas inherits is one that was difficult to figure out in 2010. Despite having one of the more talented rosters in the Tri-parishes, Thibodaux struggled to just a 4-6 record.

Players say injuries had a hand in the team’s struggles. The team was without its quarterback, halfback and several members of the offensive line for most of the season.

“You can say injuries were a big factor,” senior Joel Fussell said. “But that’s no excuse. At the end of the day, you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do. Other teams just outperformed us and did better than us.”

Aside from nicks and bruises, Dugas admitted the team’s problems ran deeper than a depleted depth chart.

“I think they had a few disciplinary issues that kind of hampered their success a little bit,” Dugas said. “My goal as a coach is to not let that happen again.”

Beyond the off-the-field adjustments, Thibodaux will revamp its offense under its first-year coach.

Under former coach Dennis Lorio, the Tigers ran a multiple-set, run-oriented offense. The team will now shift to Dugas’ specialty, the spread attack.

That same offensive philosophy won Dugas the Bayou District last year as Terrebonne’s offensive coordinator.

“I’ve been in the shotgun since I’ve been coordinating from Thibodaux, all the way through Terrebonne,” Dugas said. “So that’s what we’re going to do here. We’re going to spread it out. We’re going to get the ball to our guys in space to where they’ll be able to make plays.”

Anchoring that offense will be quarterback Aaron Thomas, who saw some time under center last year after the team’s senior signal caller Trent Granier broke his collarbone.

“He was able to get his feet wet after the injury,” Dugas said. “And honestly, he played pretty well.”

Joining Thomas in the offensive mix will be halfback Nigel Robertson, who served as a cornerback last season.

“When I was here the first time, I can remember watching Nigel in middle school and he was a running back,” Dugas said with a laugh. “So I’m kind of excited to move him back to what we feel is his natural position.”

Paving the way for the Thibodaux athletes will be an experienced offensive line.

The Tigers return Fussell and three other starters along the offensive front. Dugas said he expects that group to be the strength of the team.

“The offensive line experience is big,” Dugas said. “I always say when you’re good up front, it always makes it easier for the skill players. … I’m excited about our offensive line. We’re not huge kids, but we’re very athletic. We have a lot of guys there we think we can count on to make an impact.”

“We’ve got a good group this year,” Fussell said. “We’re ready to just line ’em up and just go to work.”

Defensively, Thibodaux also has several returnees, most notably senior linebacker and LSU commitment Trey Granier.

Granier has recorded two-straight 100-tackle seasons for the Tigers.

In his final prep season, he hopes to continue his solid play, but also serve as the leader of the team’s defense, Granier Said.

“I’m just trying to keep myself consistent,” Granier said. “I’m definitely trying to bring that steady effort every day to show some of the younger guys, but also because that’s the only way a team can expect to have success.”

Joining Granier on the Thibodaux defense will be defensive lineman Eric Trench, cornerback Trehan Matthews and the player Dugas calls a hidden gem, linebacker Chris Price.

“He’s probably our most consistent and most improved player so far,” Dugas said, “We’re very happy with his progress.”

The head coach debuts at home against Higgins.

From there, Thibodaux will make a road trip to New Iberia in week four and will host Terrebonne in week seven.

The Tigers will close the season with consecutive road tilts with parish rivals Central Lafourche and South Lafourche.

No matter who’s on the schedule, everyone in Tiger town is just ready to get started.

After a rocky 2010 season, a fresh start is exactly what the team needs.

“When the time comes to strap it up and get it on, Thibodaux’s going to be ready,” Granier said. “This year, I promise you, we’ll be ready.”

“I think right now, we’re ready to compete with everybody on our schedule,” Dugas said. “This is a special time. Friday nights still live on for me, which is great. I still get those butterflies every Friday night when the band starts to play. … I’m a lucky guy.”

Thibodaux High Tigers

District 7-5A

Sept. 2 vs. Higgins

Sept. 9 at Zachary

Sept. 16 vs. Assumption

Sept. 23 at New Iberia*

Sept. 30 vs. H.L. Bourgeois*

Oct. 7 vs. Rummel

Oct. 14 vs. Terrebonne*

Oct. 21 vs. Westgate*

Oct. 28 at Central Lafourche*

Nov. 4 at South Lafourche*

* Denotes district game

Coach: Chris Dugas

Assistant Coaches: Luis Alcazar, Arthur Bernard, Gary Coates, Gerald Huber, Blake Trosclair, Michael Young

Record Last Season: 4-6

Returning Starters: 12-13

Players to Watch: Trey Granier, Joel Fussell and Aaron Thomas

Primary Strength: Experience in offensive line, linebacker corps

Fun FACTS

2: The number of overtime games Thibodaux played last season, defeating both McDonogh 35 and losing to South Terrebonne

100+: The number of tackles Tigers’ linebacker Trey Granier has recorded for the past two seasons

35.6: The number of points per game Terrebonne scored in district with new Thibodaux coach Chris Dugas as their offensive coordinator

Thibodaux halfback Nigel Robertson struggles for yardage at a recent practice. Robertson will play offense this year after serving as a cornerback last year. That is one of the many moves first-year coach Chris Dugas believes will have his team on the right track. CASEY GISCLAIR