Emile Joseph Bourgeois Sr.
May 25, 2009
Madeline Marie Cadiere Usie
May 29, 2009
Two weeks ago, South Lafourche head football coach Blyght Wunstell was optimistic about the Tarpons’ future.
He had fielded 81 players for the team’s spring intrasquad scrimmage, the most in his two years at the helm.
The coach firmly believed the team was turning a corner, considering he only had 36 athletes when he took over the program two years ago.
Four days later, Wunstell was no longer the coach of the Tarpons.
Last Monday, the Tarpons’ coach handed in his resignation to athletic director Brian Callais after accepting a job offer at a private school in Houma.
In his two years with the Tarpons, Wunstell compiled a 2-16 overall record with a 1-11 record in District 8-5A. Wunstell won the first district game of his coaching career last year against the Assumption Mustangs.
Despite the record not showing it, Callais believes Wunstell’s commitment to the program has it going in the right direction now.
“There is no question he has taken the program in the right direction,” Callais acknowledged. “We were, and still are, looking for great things this upcoming football season. It surely wasn’t easy for him, but I think he did a great job. The community feels the same way.”
Wunstell’s decision to leave the school, Callais said, was based on the best interest of his family.
“We thanked him for his time and we understand that it’s what is in the best interest of his family that is very important,” Callais said. “When he came in Monday, he explained it was a job offer he couldn’t pass up for the betterment of his family.”
Callais also admitted that he does not believe that a lack of assistants led to Wunstell leaving. For the team’s spring scrimmage, only three coaches were remaining to coach the 81 athletes.
According to Callias, Wunstell accepted a position at Covenant Christian Academy in Houma beginning over the summer.
The K-10th grade school competes in the Louisiana Christian School Athletic Association with its baseball, basketball and softball teams.
Before the end of the year, the school, which is in its third year of existence, is expected to expand with another building being built in Gray.
Wunstell, a Houma resident, is taking a school administration position with the hope of starting a football program there sometime in the future, he reportedly told Callais.
Ironically, it’s not the first time a coach has resigned following the conclusion of spring practices. In 2007, then-head coach Tommy Gisclair resigned following his team’s spring game, opening the door for Wunstell, a longtime assistant, to take over the reins as the new coach.
The athletic director said no timetable has been set to find a replacement, but in the best interest of the team it is important to find a new coach as soon as possible.
“We’re going to get this going as soon as possible but we had some problems in the parish (referring to the recent school shooting), so this is kind of on the back burner right now,” he said. “As soon as we can meet with our supervisors, we are going to get things underway.”
“We want to get someone here quickly so he can get to know the team and put his style in play,” he said.
Until then however, the players have all been put in the same physical education classes and the weight room will be open to them all summer long to stay in shape.
“They (the team) are going to bounce back from this just like anything,” he said. “They just want to play football. They want to win and they understand things happen and this is part of the business. We’re just going to regroup and move forward. And we will.”
Repeated calls to Wunstell’s cell phone were not immediately returned.
South Lafourche Tarpons head football coach Blyght Wunstell resigned last week to take an administrative position at Covenant Christian Academy in Houma. In his two years as coach, Wunstell was 2-16 overall.
