Owner promises wide inventory of ‘useful stuff’
November 20, 2012Class, leadership, account for Vandebilt’s success
November 28, 2012
Vandebilt Catholic head football coach Brad Villavaso stood outside the Terriers’ locker room on Friday night and took one last peek at the scoreboard before walking off the field.
The numbers on the board hadn’t changed – Neville 51, Vandebilt 14.
After running his fingers through his short black hair, Villavaso turned and headed into the locker room to say his final goodbyes to his team.
The team’s season was officially over and several Terrier players had officially played their final prep games.
“I love you man – thanks for everything,” Villavaso said as he clutched senior quarterback Elijah McGuire in the team’s locker room.
“I’m going to miss you,” the coach quipped to senior halfback Aaron Smith when it was his turn for a postgame farewell.
When the goodbyes were over, Villavaso walked out of the back door of the team’s locker room and signaled to an assistant coach that it was time to head back home.
“It’s been a long day,” the coach said. “Let’s get out of here.”
The “long day” Villavaso referenced was actually a series of three days – a close to 40-hour trek that began on Thanksgiving afternoon in Houma and ended early Saturday morning when the team returned home from its playoff defeat.
SportsNet editor Casey Gisclair was embedded with the team throughout the entire trip. Below is the timeline of the team’s quest to defeat the No. 1 team in Louisiana in Class 4A.
Thursday Timeline:
1:28 p.m.: Thanksgiving business trip
There isn’t a turkey in sight at Vandebilt Catholic High School on this Thanksgiving afternoon. But that didn’t stop a crowd of Terriers fans from bypassing the holiday feast to say goodbye to their beloved team. With the team’s departure not until 2 p.m., players are periodically scrambling into the team’s field house – each with the necessities for the trip. While players filter onto campus, Villavaso is busy greeting the team’s fans, who plan to make the trip. He hands out Vandebilt car flags to each.
“Thanks so much for coming,” Villavaso says to a group awaiting departure.
As the clock grinds closer to 2 and close to the full roster has arrived, the team loads its two buses and readies for its trip. Starters and seniors entered one bus, while reserves entered another.
Pacing the buses was a Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office police escort. Inside the Vandebilt caravan was also close to 10 vehicles and a motor home.
1:54 p.m.: Departure time
“It should cool down soon,” said the bus driver inside the reserve bus, as players and coaches quipped at the high temperature inside the monstrous vehicle.
Initially, the heat in the bus wasn’t a factor, as the Terrier family inside occupied itself with conversation, music or reading.
But as the bus rolled into St. Mary Parish, the heat was beginning to become too much to bear.
“Mr. Bus Driver, are we sure the AC is on?” asked a passenger inside the bus.
“I think so,” the driver replied, while tweaking a few knobs.
3:09 p.m.: The breakdown
“I’ve got to pull over,” the bus driver said in his walkie talkie right after the Vandebilt caravan passes Patterson.
The fiery temperatures inside the vehicle were a prelude of things to come. The bus’s check engine light came on. Shortly after, the stop engine light started to glow, leaving the Vandebilt team stranded on the side of the road in the middle of northern St. Mary Parish.
Grounded on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere, Vandebilt’s Thursday was beginning to look like a wash. The team had plans to do a walkthrough practice at the University of Louisiana-Lafayette at 4, but a new bus couldn’t arrive at this spot for more than an hour.
With time grinding closer to 4, Villavaso talked to several parents within the team’s caravan. They agreed to haul players from the first bus to Lafayette for the walkthrough, which would allow the new bus to meet the team at the Ragin’ Cajuns’ facility.
Amazingly, the team got this situated in less than 20 minutes. The team was back on the road to Lafayette at 3:27 p.m.
“Thank God for these parents,” Villavaso said to an assistant coach before departure. “They saved the day.”
4:17 p.m.: Final preparations for Neville
Because of the delay, Vandebilt arrived to Lafayette slightly behind schedule. Upon arrival, players unloaded the bus and literally ran onto the field to begin the walkthrough. Once there, the Terriers were greeted by a guest – Ragin’ Cajuns coach Mark Hudspeth – who carefully studied the team as it prepared its offense, defense and special teams for the game.
“Ya’ll are looking good out there,” Hudspeth told Villavaso during the walkthrough.
It was easy to see why Hudspeth spoke highly of the Terriers –they had a solid workout.
Villavaso later said it was one of the team’s best walkthroughs of the season – a 40-minute workout mostly led by energetic assistant coach Ashton Cagnolatti. It put the finishing touches on the team’s plan to “shock the world” and beat No. 1 Neville.
After the practice, the team faced another decision. They could either wait an hour for its new bus to catch up to them or head to Monroe the same way they got to Lafayette – with parents adopting players. Not wanting to abandon his itinerary plan, Villavaso had a simple answer.
“Let’s roll,” the coach said.
The one Terriers’ bus and its caravan of parents and players officially was headed to Monroe.
5:18 p.m.: The trials and tribulations of Coach V and Coach Woody push Vandy to Monroe
“Boy, this sure is an action-packed movie,” Villavaso sarcastically said aloud as a quiet portion of the movie “Gladiator” rolled on the bus’s many television screens.
From the moment Cagnolatti (dubbed Coach Woody) put the DVD into the player, Villavaso playfully ribbed Woody about the movie, which was popular with the players on the bus.
“It’s awesome,” Coach Woody said with a laugh to Villavaso. “Just sit down and watch it.”
“I’m just not a big fan of guys in dresses,” Villavaso quickly struck back. “Look at that guy – he’s wearing a skirt.”
“You just don’t like it because it’s my movie,” Coach Woody replies back.
Villavaso never confirms or denies his assistant’s statement – but his grin says all that needs to be said.
“I argue with you like you’re my wife or something,” Villavaso said with a laugh. “It’s always something with you.”
Amidst the ribbing, the two coaches are using the three hours left on the trip to game plan for Neville. Villavaso and Cagnolatti work on personnel packages and numbering that the Terriers will use against the Tigers.
Villavaso goes through a sheet of plays and personnel packages, while Cagnolatti types the plays into a spreadsheet, which will later be printed and converted into the team’s play card for Friday’s game.
As that task is done and the bus barrels closer to Monroe, Villavaso is heard asking Coach Woody questions about “Gladiator’s” characters in an effort to catch up on what he missed amidst his sarcasm.
He’d never admit it – but the coach was all eyes as the movie progressed through its final fight scene.
8:23 p.m. – Monroe arrival and meal
“This is not Disney World,” Villavaso preached to his team as the bus finally enters Monroe’s city limits and nears the hotel. “This is not a vacation – this is a business trip.”
Once at the Clarion Hotel in Monroe, the Terriers’ players were instructed to place their bags in their rooms and immediately head to the hotel’s banquet room for a team meal.
The team feasted on a combination of salad, corn, spaghetti, fried chicken, French fries and ice cream. With the players stuffed and a 10:00 p.m. curfew looming, Villavaso had a few words he wanted to share with his players.
9:36 p.m. Thursday’s team meeting
In what was a mostly relaxed day, Villavaso’s face shifted from jovial to serious as he addressed his team.
In a passionate, 15-minute address, the coach said that it was vital that the team got a good night’s rest if they wanted to beat Neville.
“We didn’t want to have to do like Huntington and Franklin Parish had to do against us – get out of the bus and go play,” Villavaso told his players. “That’s why we’re here. That’s why we’re doing this.”
With that message in mind, the coach further stressed the importance of the trip.
“Guys, nothing that you do tonight will top the feeling that we will have if we win a football game tomorrow – nothing in a hotel room will replace how good we will feel when the final second comes off the clock and we’re moving on,” Villavaso said.
“We want to have fun? Tonight’s not the night. Let’s win tomorrow,” he continued. “When we do, I will be the first person in line shaking the buses with you all the way home. But not tonight. Get rest and get yourself ready for tomorrow. This is not Disney World. We are here to do a job. Do it well and we’ll do it all over again if we get to the Dome. But if we have all kinds of problems and headaches, guess what? We’ll ride to the Superdome in style – in a cheese wagon. This is your trial run. Don’t blow it.”
10:00 p.m.: Curfew begins for players
11:00 p.m.: Lights off in all hotel rooms
Friday Timeline
9:00 a.m.: Breakfast meal
Villavaso is walking around the hotel’s banquet room like a proud Papa Bear. In their overnight trip to Monroe, the Terriers did not have a single incident and all of the team’s players fully complied with curfew. As the team awakes from its slumber, players are treated to a breakfast of kings – eggs, biscuits, sausage and bacon – the usual breakfast fixings. The mood around the meal is more focused than it was on Thursday. The jokes and lively atmosphere is still present, but it are much more muted than Thursday.
10:30 a.m.: Team film study
After breakfast, the team shifts to business – beating Neville. The Terriers offensive and defensive units gather within meeting rooms inside the hotel to watch film of Neville.
In the offensive camp, the team focuses on Neville’s games with St. Louis and Bastrop.
They study the angles that Neville takes and the aggressive ways that they attack the football.
“We could show you them playing Franklin Parish,” offensive coordinator Tommy Boudreaux said to the team. “But this is a better matchup for you to see – these are teams more similar to us.”
Boudreaux and wide receivers coach Jerwaski Coleman relay to the team that despite their perfect record, Neville can be gashed in certain situations.
“This is a big day today – make sure you hydrate,” Boudreaux told the players. “Be mentally focused and ready. It all starts with us. If you don’t believe, then we won’t achieve.
“We might not be as big as they are, but we bite.”
The offensive coordinator ended the film study with one message to the team: Trust the plan.
“God has a plan,” Boudreaux said. “Despite adversity, God has a plan. Just look at yesterday. Our bus breaks – it’s hot in the bus. Everything is seeming like it’s going wrong, right? But we had enough people following us to get us here on time. Why? Because God has a plan.
“We are here to win, guys. We came here for one reason: to win. Just find a way.”
2:00 p.m.: Church service
After film, Villavaso gave the Terriers the rest of the morning and early afternoon off. Most of the team’s players relaxed in their rooms. At 2 p.m., the team made an audible within its agenda and headed to St. Frederick’s High School for a team mass.
The team was supposed to have a private service at the hotel, but couldn’t because the priest expected to travel with the team had a last minute change of plans.
The trip to St. Fredericks was probably a blessing in disguise – The Rev. Lijo Thomas thoroughly entertained the team. In a fast-paced, energized 40-minute service, the priest, who was a former college basketball player in India, lauded the team for its season, relaying to the players and coaches that they were spiritually chosen for their journey.
“I’m so interested in your discipline and your spirit,” Thomas said. “Of 1,000 students in your school, you are the ones chosen to be blessed with God’s talent for this journey. If you just work hard and never give up, God will be with you today and in life – win or lose.”
During his message to the team, Thomas also engaged the team in a song with the punch line “I will never give up and I’ll pray to God to reach my goal.”
With mass over and the clock reading 2:53 p.m., the mood for the rest of the day immediately shifted to Neville and obtaining victory.
3:16 p.m.: pregame meal and final preparations
Now, the only thing that can be heard in the Clarion banquet room is the clanking of forks on plates and the whispers of conversation on tables.
Vandebilt’s final meal before kickoff is hamburger steak, doused in gravy, green beans and creamy mashed potatoes. Not wanting to be pressed for time, Cagnolatti goes through the team’s special teams checklists during the meal – a roll call to make sure everyone knows their assignments within the game.
In this meeting, the assistant coach confirmed that star quarterback Elijah McGuire would return kicks and punts in the game.
“We’re ready to get the ball in the end zone by any means necessary,” Cagnolatti said. “We’ve got to win special teams; there’s no question about it.”
With the meal drawing to its close, Villavaso also addressed the team one final time before the team took the road and headed to Neville.
“You know, it really takes no effort at all for someone to say that they want to win in the State Quarterfinals,” Villavaso said. “But it takes a lot of effort to actually do it and get the win. Tonight, we need to provide maximum effort. We’ve won two playoff games without playing our best. Tonight, we must play our best. If we made a four-yard run before, tonight, we must push to get five yards or maybe six. If we held our block for three seconds before, tonight, it has to be for five seconds. If we made a wrap tackle before, tonight, we must hit someone in the mouth and make a full tackle.”
Following the coach’s address, the Terriers’ players scrambled across the hotel’s grounds to make final pre-game preparations. Some players headed to meeting rooms to receive tape. Others stayed in the banquet room to dress for the game.
4:53 p.m.: The final bus ride and pregame warm-ups
“It’s game time, baby,” senior Aaron Smith said with a smile, as he received his tape job and gathered his things for the bus ride to the stadium.
The trip from the hotel to the stadium is approximately 10 miles – a drive that took about 15 minutes. The team arrived at the stadium at 5:17 p.m. and took the field at 5:34 p.m. for its preliminary stretches. They were met by a slew of Vandebilt faithful, who had arrived at Neville to try and push the team to victory. Villavaso and his two sons enjoy Neville’s football facility and walk around the field together upon arrival. Vandebilt went through its usual pregame routine perfectly on schedule.
The team got into full pads at 6:05 p.m., did individual drills at 6:20, team drills at 6:25, special teams and touchdowns at 6:35.
The team returned to the locker room at 6:40 for Villavaso’s final instructions – a conversation kept off limits.
The team took the field at 6:55 for the 7:00 kickoff.
7:12 p.m.: Neville strikes first
Vandebilt won the coin toss and elected to receive the football, but their first drive ended in just three plays.
With possession, Neville quickly showed why they are the No. 1 team in the state, marching down the field on a quick drive, capped by a six-yard run by Salarrious Jones. A two-point conversion made the score 8-0.
7:47 p.m.: Vandebilt fights back
Following the opening score, Vandebilt controlled most of the first half. The Terriers’ second drive pushed all the way to Neville’s 34-yard-line, but was halted when McGuire was stopped on a fourth down run. The Terriers quickly got the ball back and drove deeper in their third drive – this time pushing inside the Tigers’ 10-yard-line.
But that drive ended when McGuire fumbled a snap to give Neville possession.
After a quick punt, Vandebilt finally pushed the scoreboard even in its fourth drive of the game. On a drive aided by a fake punt pass completed by punter Grant Rodriguez, the Terriers extended a long drive and pushed the ball into the end zone on a one-yard run by Smith. McGuire cashed in the two-point conversion to make the score 8-8 with 2:53 to go in the opening half.
8:06 p.m.: Wild ending sends Neville to half on top
Following Vandebilt’s touchdown, chaos broke loose in the final three minutes of the first half.
Neville quickly answered Vandebilt’s touchdown with one of its own – a 39-yard screen pass from LSU commitment John Diarse to Kavontae Turpin. An offsides penalty on the extra point prompted the Tigers to go for two – a conversion they converted to make the score 16-8 with 1:25 to go in the half.
Vandebilt wasn’t done yet, as McGuire returned Neville’s kickoff to the Tigers’ 47-yard-line. He promptly drove the Terriers down the field with his arm and then finished the drive with his legs on a 14-yard touchdown run. An unsuccessful 2-point play made the score 16-14 in Neville’s favor with 22 seconds to play.
Surely the first half scoring was over now, right?
Neville thought otherwise.
The Tigers took the kickoff to the 37-yard-line. Once there, Diarse flicked the ball to receiver Will Watson, who made a safety miss and went 63-yards for a score with no time on the clock, which gave the defending Class 4A state champions a 23-14 halftime lead.
That play served as the end of the Terriers’ good fortunes for the evening.
“That was a big play in the game,” Villavaso said.
8:44 p.m.: The backbreaker ends Vandebilt’s hopes
After the heartbreaking end to the first half, Vandebilt never was able to regain its first-half magic. Neville quickly took control of the game on a touchdown run by Diarse to put the Tigers ahead 30-14. Following a change of possession, the backbreaker came on a 35-yard scamper from Diarse that made the score 37-14. A 94-yard strike from Diarse to Turpin made the score 44-14 heading toward the final quarter.
Diarse had more than 400 yards of total offense in the win with five combined touchdowns.
“He’s an unbelievable player,” Villavaso said following the game. “He was as good as advertised.”
Neville added its final score with five minutes in the game, which pushed the score to its final 51-14 margin.
9:30 p.m.: Neville moves on, sends Vandebilt home
The dream season is officially over, and the Vandebilt players are looking around the field for answers. With tears in the eyes of most, the players respectfully watch as Neville sings its alma mater in victory.
Following the Tigers’ celebration, they sing their own – the final time ever for the team’s seniors.
After the song’s final note is sung, Villavaso speaks to the team and the parents in attendance in an emotional speech. In it, he thanks the seniors for their contributions, which he said have allowed the team’s program to progress.
“I wish I could have done more to help you,” Villavaso said. “I wish I would have done a better job to allow us to win this game. But your hard work and dedication has allowed our program to continue to move forward. Thank you so much for that.”
He also thanked the team’s fans for turning out in droves, despite a five-hour drive.
With the speech over, the Terriers played slumped into the locker room, where they showered, changed and enjoyed a snack before the bus ride home.
Players exchanged pleasantries for the final time and enjoyed the company of one another.
Villavaso was one of the final people to arrive in the locker room, where he immediately began to embrace his players.
The Terriers loaded the bus for the final time at 10:30 p.m. and made the long trip home.
Saturday Timeline
3:45 a.m.: Houma return
The bus ride home was dominated by silence, as most of the team’s players faded to sleep with quiet remembrance of both the night and the season. As the bus glided to Houma, the Terriers were met by a small group of fans who gave the team an ovation for their accomplishments in the 2012 season.
Villavaso thanked them, before quickly adding.
“We’ll get ‘em next year,” he said.
“Next season begins now,” Cagnolatti had said earlier in the night.
Maybe that’s a bit of an exaggeration – a little sleep was probably in order first after 37 hours away from home.
Regardless, Vandebilt fully expects to have many more bus trips and big games in its football future.
“These kids progressed our program,” Villavaso said. “The next time we get to this point, we will be able to head into this game and know what to expect out of the No. 1 team in Louisiana. Maybe with that, the outcome will be different.”
Vandebilt Catholic assistant coach Ashton Cagnolatti embraces Terriers player Jesse Martin following the Terriers’ 51-14 loss to Neville. SportsNet was embedded with the Vandebilt football team during its trip to Monroe for the Quarterfinals playoff game.
