"Requiem for All Saints and All Souls" (Houma)
November 2, 2010
Karl Frazier
November 4, 2010
The score was 28-27 in overtime, and Thibodaux was going for a 2-point conversion and the victory.
Tigers’ halfback Raheem Richard made a quick move toward the goal line, then stretched out the football as he felt his body being pulled to the ground.
The football ended up about six inches short of the end zone.
The South Terrebonne Gators rushed onto the field to celebrate their win, as the Tigers suffered another loss (their fourth-straight) and moved to 1-4 on the season – a far cry from the lofty expectations many had for the team in the preseason.
Thibodaux coaches and players say the Tigers were faced with an ultimatum on that night – either come together and turn the season around, or pull apart and go 1-9.
So far, it’s easy to see the road Thibodaux has taken, as they have won three of their past four games and are back in the middle of the playoff hunt.
“We’re like a family,” senior linebacker Dillon Landry said. “We’re always together every, single day of the week, so that’s what made us pull through it – just staying together.”
The reason why the Tigers struggled at the beginning of the season is multi-pronged.
Thibodaux has suffered from several off-the-field incidents that started to wear the Tigers’ depth chart thin.
Beyond that, injuries ripped the team even closer to the seams, forcing Thibodaux to sometimes start freshmen in varsity action – just because they didn’t have anyone else to play.
“We’ve had more disciplinary actions this year than all the other years combined that I’ve been at Thibodaux High,” Tigers coach Dennis Lorio said. “And on top of that, there’s no defense for injuries, and we’ve probably had more games missed due to injuries this year than any of my other seven years here combined. It’s really significantly challenged our depth, but you know what? Everyone in our district has to deal with that … That’s when you find out a lot about your kids.”
Lorio said there was no way to accurately name all of the Tigers who have been injured off the top of his head.
The coach did list a few – or closer to a dozen, rather – who have missed time or been less than 100 percent during the season.
The Tigers lost their starting quarterback Trent Granier to a season-ending shoulder injury. Lorio also said the Tigers were without All-American lineman Greg Robinson for an early season game, as well.
But Thibodaux has ultimately lost starters at some point or another at close to every position.
“There have been too many to say off the top of my head,” Lorio said when listing his injured players. “These are just the first 10 or so that come to mind.”
And initially, the off-the-field issues were a strain on Thibodaux, players admit.
But a time eventually came (after the South Terrebonne game) where the Tigers realized they needed to keep fighting, no matter who was on the field.
“We got that first win against Central Lafourche, and we just started building from there,” junior offensive lineman Joel Fussell said. “No one pressed the panic button. We’ve just had guys step up.”
Junior linebacker Trey Granier took it a step further and said part of why Thibodaux has been able to turn their season around is because of the renewed love they have for the game after seeing football taken away from the Tigers’ injured and dismissed players.
“We’ve just seen how football can affect everybody and how some of those guys that lost out and don’t have a chance to play anymore, we see how bad they want it,” Granier said. “Everybody has looked at that and said that they don’t want to be one of those people who wishes they could play football when they had the chances and the opportunities right in front of them. … It makes you love and appreciate the game and your teammates more.”
But despite the turnaround, work still remains for Thibodaux to make the playoffs – especially after a tough loss Friday night to South Lafourche at home on Senior Night.
Heading into their matchup with South Lafourche this past Friday, Thibodaux was No. 34 in the LHSAA’s latest power rankings.
After the loss, the team moved down one spot to No. 35 in the rankings in advance of their Thursday night road game against St. Augustine, who is currently one of the top teams in the entire state.
Only 32 teams make the playoffs – which makes that game an absolute must-win. And even then, they’d still need some help, too.
“If we lose, we all understand that that’s it,” Trey Granier said. “The playoffs have started for us a long time ago.”
Just making the playoffs is good enough for the Tigers, though, as they proved last year that they are dangerous.
Thibodaux made the playoffs as the No. 23 seed last season and ended up being among the final 8 teams standing.
That’s the blueprint again this year, according to the players and Lorio who hope the Tigers have a similar run in them, despite the injuries and the tough season his team has had.
Because those things are just part of what he believes is the greatest game in the world.
“Injuries are always tough,” Lorio said. “But if we didn’t play football, and put all of these kids on all of these teams in cars on Friday nights driving around, it’s possible that some other things would happen. It’s been tough, but at least when they’re playing football for their schools, they’re under the lights and people can see what they’re doing and medical help is immediately available if a kid gets injured. … We’ve had some major league tough luck, but we’ve fought back and we’re blessed to have kids strong enough to rebound the way that they have. From here on out, we’ll see what happens.”
Thibodaux quarterback Aaron Thomas prepares for a snap during Friday’s game against South Lafourche. Thomas is one of several Tigers thrust into the lineup due to injury, as he’s replacing the team’s usual starter Trent Granier, who is out for the season. CASEY GISCLAIR I TRI-PARISH TIMES
