Nicholls’ Figaro ready to make big leaps at QB
October 9, 2013
Former VCHS star shining in college ranks
October 9, 2013
For the first three games and two quarters of the 2013 prep football season, South Lafourche was a team searching for answers on the offensive side of the ball.
Who knew that the team’s spark would come via a pair of fortuitous bounces in the passing game?
After struggling to move the football throughout most of the season, the Tarpons hit two deep passes in their latest game against East St. John – part of a huge second half for the South Lafourche offense.
Both passes were tipped by the defense into the arms of South Lafourche receivers.
The big plays provided the spark that the Tarpons hope to ride in the second half of the year as they aim to recover from a 1-3 start to the season.
“We’ve been saying each week that on offense we’re so, so close,” Skains said following the team’s game with East St. John. “Even in the first half of this game (offensive coordinator Jared) Landrum said, ‘Coach, we’re right there. We’ve just got to make a couple of connections.’ All season long, if we had a receiver open and we made a beautiful throw we dropped it. Or if we had a receiver open, we’d airmail the pass.
“It just felt good to hit a few passes to give our kids the confidence in what we’re doing. We needed that in a big way.”
The offensive outburst was much-needed success for the reeling Tarpons.
South Lafourche opened the season with a 7-0 shutout loss at the hands of Landry-Walker – a game that saw the Tarpons turnover the football multiple times in their opponent’s territory, squandered opportunities that cost the team a shot at victory.
In week two, South Lafourche soundly defeated South Plaquemines 27-0, but even against the Class 2A foe, the Tarpons had problems sustaining long drives offensively.
The low point for the team came a week later when the Tarpons were waxed 42-7 at the hands of Shaw – the worst defeat of Skains’ head coaching career.
Against East St. John, things appeared to be heading in the same direction and South Lafourche headed to halftime down 21-7.
But in the second half, things changed.
The Tarpons scored 27 points in the half and mustered 381 total yards for the game – easily a season high.
The sparks were two deep touchdown passes from quarterback Dominick Fillinich – one to Shakerrin Dillon and the other to Harvey Allen.
Both passes were tipped by the defense into the receivers’ hands – Allen’s score came on fourth and long, and the Tarpons had a 34-28 lead with a minute to play in the game, which they later relinquished in a 35-34 defeat.
Skains said he believes the team found itself in the last half of the Wildcats game and will be able to sustain more efficient offense going forward.
In addition to the lucky bounces, the Tarpons also had success running the ball in the second half against the Wildcats, consistently moving the chains.
“In the second half of that game, we finally started to make those connections that we hadn’t been making all season,” Skains said. “It turned into a lot of big plays for us. East St. John watches film, too. They were daring us to throw the ball. They had a lot of people in the box and they made it tough to run. For us to be successful and to do what we think we’re capable of doing, we have to make some of those plays to keep defenses honest. I think now that the kids saw that they could get it done against a quality opponent, I think we’ll be more confident in what we’re doing going forward.”
The struggles for South Lafourche’s offense aren’t entirely unexpected.
Skains said in the preseason that he knew that his offense would be a work in progress throughout the year.
South Lafourche lost virtually all of its skill players from 2012’s District Championship team – a group that routinely scored 40 or more points on its opponents en route to a perfect 9-0 regular season.
Gone from last season’s potent offense are dynamic threats like quarterback Colby Callais and receivers Treavon Evans, Wilbert Rhodes and Zaron Jenkins.
The team had aspirations to ease Fillinich, a first-year starter, into his role with a dominant running game powered by returning halfback Jake Williams and Vanderbilt commitment and offensive tackle Bailey Granier.
But those hopes faded when Williams went down to a knee injury while preparing for the South Plaquemines game.
Skains said his halfback’s knee is structurally OK, and he will be able to return to the field this season.
When he does, Skains believes his senior will take the field with a more confident offense by his side.
“We said all year long that our defense was a little bit ahead, but that our offense had the ability to catch up and be just as good when the district games rolled around,” Skains said. “We think that by the end of the year, they will be more than able to run it, throw it and do all of the things that we look to do each week.
“You’re never happy with a loss, but I think there were positives we took from that last one.”
South Lafourche coach Dennis Skains gives instructions to his team during a practice. After struggling for the first three games of the season on offense, the Tarpons broke out and found success against East St. John. The Tarpons hope to carry that offensive success into the remainder of their season.
