Vandebilt gets huge victory

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Folks around the Vandebilt football community have been knowing for a while that this year’s team had a chance to be special.

But after Friday night’s win over St. Charles Catholic, it’s safe to assume that the rest of the state knows it, too.

The Terriers trumped the Comets 14-10, riding dominant defense and stiff, efficient rushing offense to the win.


Vandebilt coach Jeremy Atwell said the victory was huge for his program. The Terriers are now 2-1 on the season and have proven consistently that they can compete with anyone in the state – regardless of classification or pedigree.

“Every night is a great night to be a Terrier, but Friday night was a huge, huge win for our football team,” Atwell said. “I think we could have done some things a little bit better after watching the film, but as a coach you love that. You beat a very, very good, well-coached football team on a night when you don’t play perfect football. We’re happy with the win, and we’re so eager and excited to continue pushing forward through the rest of our challenging schedule.”

Atwell said the beauty of Vandebilt’s success is that the Terriers have shown multiple ways to beat an opponent.


The Terriers’ go-to weapon is in the passing game where sophomore quarterback Andrew Robison has emerged and is one of the top threats in the area under center.

Atwell said Robison shines because of his talent, but also because of his passion and love for the game. The coach said the quarterback is always asking to study film and do extra reps, which has allowed him to take his game to the next level.

Robison is a polished passer – especially with the deep ball. His top receivers are Kane Degruise, Landon Thibodeaux and Roland Johnson – all players who can make plays both short, intermediate and deep.


Robison also makes plays with his feet in zone sets, which makes him near-impossible to consistently guard.

“I think if you’re going to have success at the position, you have to be able to move around a little bit and make some things happen,” Atwell said. “He’s been a very valuable player for us. I think what’s the most impressive are the things he does throughout the week to get better – the film work and preparation. He works hard to get ready, and that helps him succeed on Friday night.”

But against St. Charles Catholic, the Terriers showed that they can beat good opponents even with their top weapon limited.


After Friday afternoon’s rain storm, Vandebilt’s Buddy Marcello Stadium was soaked, which left the playing surface in less than stellar shape.

Because of that, the Terriers attacked the Comets with a run-heavy attack, which featured Robison, Brennan Rogers and a lot of the team’s other back and playmakers.

The end result was more than 100 yards on the ground and enough points to score the win – even with the passing game grounded.


Atwell said the Terriers’ ability to do that was the most impressive thing he’s seen so far this season from his group.

“We had to use some other things,” Atwell said. “That’s not how we’d have played it if it were a dry field or perfect conditions, but sometimes you have to find ways to gut it out, and the kids responded, the offensive line blocked their tails off, and we got enough first downs and enough offense to get it done.”

The Terriers’ defense was fabulous, too.


Atwell is a defensive guy by trade, so he wasn’t afraid to concede that he was disappointed with how the group played in a 42-35 loss against Central Lafourche – the team’s only loss of the season.

After that game, Atwell said he rode the group in practice, mentally preparing them to play their best football of the season for the rest of the way.

“We were outstanding,” Atwell said. “We challenged them. We were hard on them. And they rose up to the challenge. They were outstanding. We’re so proud of the way they played.”


Now, the challenge is to keep pushing forward. In the next two weeks, Vandebilt will battle teams with a combined record of 6-0 – non-district tests against unbeatens CCA and Newman.

From there, Vandebilt will embark on the always-tough, five-game journey into District 7-4A.

Atwell admits it’s cliché, but said the Terriers are attacking the season one game at a time.


But after beating St. Charles Catholic, the rest of the state is on notice. These Terriers can play with just about anybody on any given night.

“We have to keep battling, but we like where we are,” Atwell said. “That was a good win for us. To beat a team that has that much success, it’s great for the program. It shows us that we’re capable of doing those things, too.” •

Vandebilt football


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