Hilda Voisin Buquet
August 25, 2009
Mary Little McFarland
August 27, 2009
The Central Lafourche High Trojans believe they turned the corner in 2008. After all, they secured their first winning record (5-3 overall, 3-3 in District 8-5A) in nearly 10 years and remained in the district race until the bitter end.
But they aren’t patting themselves on the back just yet. While district counterparts Thibodaux and Terrebonne high schools played in the postseason, the Trojans were left home for a seventh straight year wondering what could have been.
Entering 2009, the feel around this Trojan team is a bit different, mainly because of experience.
The expectations are higher in Mathews than they have been in quite some time as Central Lafourche looks to finally end their playoff drought and play football well into November for the first time since 2001.
In his third year at the helm of the Trojans, head coach Chad Callais believes he has the team that will finally get over the hump.
“It’s great to have more wins than losses but we haven’t won in the playoffs and we haven’t won the district,” the coach said. “We have guys who are hungry, guys who have been with me since their sophomore season.
“They’ve been through the process,” he added. “They have the excitement going and now they are ready to win a district championship.”
When building a winning season, it helps to have eight of your 10 games at home. The Trojans will only travel this season to district foes South Terrebonne High on Sept. 25 and Thibodaux High on Oct. 9.
“The community will get to see us play a lot, which is a good thing,” Callais explained. “We’re excited about having that many home games. It’s been a while since we had that.”
This season, Central Lafourche is looking to build upon the experience of the guys who have been around with Callais since he first arrived from Nicholls three years ago.
Altogether, the Trojans have 15 seniors – 13 of whom are returning from last season – who will see a lot of playing time this year.
“We are very excited about this year, we had some great practices,” the coach said. “We had a scrimmage and there was a lot of intensity and excitement out there, which we like. We’re expecting a lot from our team and building a lot of team chemistry.”
The backbone of the Trojans’ triple option flex bone offense will be the play of senior quarterback Cobie Savoie and fellow seniors Byron Thomas and Jordan LeBeouf at slot back and Rendell Clark at fullback, who all return from last year’s team.
Joining the four as returning starters are seniors Ty Boudreaux at split end, Trey Gaubert at left tackle, Jake Dominique at center and Mathew Fonseca at right tackle.
New starters on this year’s team will be juniors Chris Folse at tight end and Bryce Dufrene at right guard.
Senior Garret Danos will share time at split end, while sophomore Lee Blanchard and junior Brett Hebert battle for playing time at the left guard position.
One of the benefits of the option formation is the Trojans can control the clock if it is successful, according to the coach.
The offense will rely heavily on the play of Savoie and Thomas, but Callias admitted they aren’t the only two weapons.
“They are going to be the main two calls but we’re also really excited about Jordan LeBouef,” he said. “We moved Rendell Clark from slot to fullback and we got Byron Thomas, so I think we have four guys that, if any one of them have the ball in their hands, can make something happen. We’re really excited about that.”
Defensively, the Trojans return seven starters from a season ago.
Led by Texas Tech signee Brandon Smith at cornerback, the defense, employing the 4-2-5 scheme, has impressed Callais in practice.
“We’ve got some beef inside and some athletic guys on the edge,” the coach said. “We are looking for some great things this season and we are excited about what coach (Travis) Douglas has done with the defense.”
Dylan Curole (last year’s tight end) will be at linebacker, Sabree Abdullah at defensive end, Jacob Badeaux at linebacker and Marcus Randell and Devin Nelson at safety. All are seniors, except junior Nelson, and all will return to an aggressive Trojans’ defense.
Seniors Brad Vedros at defensive end and Mason Becnel at cornerback as well as sophomores Jared Breaux at nose guard and Jordan Caillouet at safety are all new starters expected to see playing time this season.
Senior Andre Eusea is expected to handle the Trojans’ punting and kicking duties.
Even with the high expectations entering the season, Callais said his team has handled it well because there is still unfinished business. Anything less than a playoff berth this season will be a disappointment.
“The school’s fired up and the community is getting excited,” he said. “If you have been to a Central Lafourche football game over the last couple years, it’s exciting. We like to keep our fans entertained. It’s a great show on Friday night.”
Seniors Cobie Savoie (8) and Rendell Clark (11) will play a large part in the Central Lafourche Trojans option offense this season. Savoie, an all-district quarterback, and Thomas, a fullback, will help carry the load. * Photo by KYLE CARRIER
