SL hoping new coach brings back past magic
August 30, 2012
Experience has Berwick optimistic about 2012
August 30, 2012
A combination of tough opponents, special teams mishaps and injuries derailed Thibodaux’s 2011 season and left the Tigers with just a 2-8 record.
The tough opponents remain in 2012 – but Thibodaux believes it has everything else fixed and is ready to turn things around.
Attention to detail is on the minds of everyone in Tigerland, as a young Thibodaux squad hopes to emerge victorious out of a highly competitive Bayou District in coach Chris Dugas’ second season.
“Everything is more crisp now,” Dugas said. “The execution is a lot better on both sides of the ball. And honestly, last year, some kicking game issues cost us a few early ballgames that could have maybe turned around our luck and given us confidence. So we’ve boosted up our special teams work and we think everything is more polished all around.”
The Tigers’ scheme and practice habits may be refined.
But their roster is mostly turned over.
Thibodaux returns just eight starters and has a lineup that is heavily laden with underclassmen.
“It’s another young bunch,” Dugas said. “We have a lot of juniors we are counting on. These are kids that, as sophomores, were thrust into playing time roles. So we’re young in age, but these juniors also do have some experience under their belts. And for the future, that obviously bodes well for us.”
Offensively, the Tigers have five starters back from a group that caught fire late and scored 76 points in the final three games of last season.
Dugas said the Tigers will execute a two-quarterback system with Blade Martinez and Wesley Lassaire sharing reps on a series-by-series basis.
The coach said each player will have opportunities to start games during the season.
“We’re just trying to wait and see how it’s going to shake out with those two,” Dugas said. “I wouldn’t mind if we were able to play two all year. I think they both have their different things that they can bring to the table for us. I think Wesley has some strengths that Blade doesn’t have and vice-versa.
“We’ll keep playing them both until one would show that they could separate themselves from the pack.”
A two-quarterback system is sometimes a nuisance to a team.
The Tigers say they don’t mind rotating signal callers.
“They both do their part to help us get in scoring position,” tight end Blaine Landry said. “I wouldn’t pick one or the other either. We want them both to play.”
“They are good,” halfback Donta Johnson agreed. “It doesn’t matter to us who is or isn’t in there.”
Regardless of Thibodaux’s quarterback, the Tigers are loaded with returnees at skill positions.
Johnson is a returning All-District performer in the backfield.
Joining him is receiver Jason Richard, who was also an All-District pick in 2011 and returning starter receiver Dequan Pharagood.
“We have a good bit back in the skill positions, so that should help us out quite a bit,” Dugas said. “But we have three positions to fill on the offensive line, so that’s our biggest worry offensively.”
Defensively, the Tigers will be looking to replace one of the best linebackers in America – Trey Granier, who graduated and signed a scholarship with LSU following the season.
But playing without Granier is something Thibodaux got accustomed to in 2011 since the Blue Chip prospect missed most of the season with a knee injury.
Dugas said the Tigers clearly missed their leader all season defensively.
“Take your SEC linebacker off the field and it’s only natural that you’re not going to be the same team that you were with him,” Dugas said. “He made all of our calls and all of our checks and we really had to get used to him being on the sideline.”
Because Thibodaux took hard knocks in 2011, Dugas said he believes 2012’s defense will be mentally tougher.
Linebacker Brent Sauce will fill Granier’s spot in the lineup – a role he filled following Granier’s injury in 2011.
Thibodaux also returns nose tackle Kantrell Duncan.
Dugas said what will make or break the team’s defense will be its young secondary.
“We’re really young there,” the coach said. “Mike Price is a guy we have back, but he is the only guy we have with any experience at all in the secondary, so we will see how it goes back there. That could be a problem area early in the season.”
No matter who is on the field at a given position, Thibodaux’s players stress they need to be more mentally sound to make a leap in the standings.
They think they are ready.
“This year is different – we are more focused,” Landry said.
“We can compete with anybody,” Johnson added.
“Last year with it being the first year, we were rushing through a lot of things to try and get as much in as we possibly could and we let some things go by the wayside,” Dugas said. “And a lot of smaller things jumped up and bit us. … I take full blame and responsibility for that. But this year, we think we have it cleaned up and we don’t think we’ll repeat those same mistakes we made over and over a year ago.”
Thibodaux quarterback Blade Martinez fires a pass during practices. Martinez is one of two signal callers the Tigers will rely upon this season.
