Bayou Playhouse hosts reading of "SPILL"
November 2, 2012Locals begin playoffs
November 6, 2012
South Lafourche senior defensive back Wilbert Rhodes took the field two weeks ago against Central Lafourche and started his normal pre-game routine.
“Nothing special,” he said. “It was just a normal warm-up.”
When he turned and caught wind of what was going on in the stands, things changed. Rhodes said he stopped and smiled at what he saw. It’s a moment the senior believes he will remember for the rest of his life.
“There were people in the stands – hundreds of them,” Rhodes said. “An hour before the game. They were dressed in all white. A packed house that early and they were all dressed in unison. That’s amazing. It makes me want to play for them. That’s what it does. It makes me want to get a W for them.”
It surely seems like those crazy, die-hard South Lafourche fans are at it again.
This time, they are rallying around the team’s undefeated football program that enters the playoffs 9-0 with ambitions of making a deep playoff run.
That run will begin Friday night when No. 8 South Lafourche opens the playoffs against No. 25 Ruston.
“It’s unbelievable,” South Lafourche first-year coach Dennis Skains said. “It’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen. It’s a community that cares deeply. The crowd support is one thing, but being on the inside and being able to see it all, it’s just unreal. We had an ex-player come in the other day and he was moved to tears.
“You tell the kids all of the time that what you do in life not only affects you, but it affects others. Usually, that’s said because someone messed up. But this year, that’s also a positive.”
South Lafourche’s turnaround season is a multi-chapter story that has included ups, downs and adversity along the way.
But it all started this spring when the school hired Skains as its head coach. The former Belle Chasse assistant coach replaced former coach Terry Farmer, who left the program after three seasons.
Skains said he walked into the Tarpons community with no knowledge of the program.
He said the only pre-conceived notion he had about Lafourche Parish was about its people.
“I knew the people here were good people,” Skains said. “The food, the hospitality and the people – that’s what I knew. As far as the program, I didn’t know anything about it. I actually used to confuse Central Lafourche and South Lafourche. I guess I shouldn’t say that to too many people anymore, but in terms of the program, I knew very little.”
With little knowledge of his surroundings, Skains and his staff took over and did what they know best – coach.
Skains’ style of coaching is one filled with energy, enthusiasm and positive support.
During games, the Tarpons’ head man is known to morph into a player again, often wearing his hat backwards in the heat of battle.
During big plays, he and his staff will jump up and chest-bump his players.
In the occasion where someone makes a mistake, they will swiftly react and hastily give verbal punishment.
That tone is a 180 to Farmer’s more laid-back style.
But it’s a change that the Tarpons’ players say that they love.
“It’s fun,” Rhodes said. “It’s like we are getting coached by people who are our own. You make a big play and you’re looking forward to going to the sidelines and seeing coach flying around and giving a hip bump. It makes the game more special.”
“A lot,” senior offensive lineman Abel Collins added. “That energy helps us a lot. We get it from all of our coaches. It comes from our coaches and through us and it affects how we play. Most definitely.”
Skains said he doesn’t really stress his energetic style, because he doesn’t know any other way.
He said he could never be a laid-back, cerebral coach.
“It’s like I tell kids all of the time – this doesn’t have to be miserable,” Skains said. “We ultimately are playing football. I am still younger and these kids keep you young. You don’t just go into an old man around these kids. You have to stay active and stay on their level. They don’t really allow you to mature too much because you’re around immaturity all of the time.”
But energy and enthusiasm will always fall on hard times if talent isn’t present within a team.
South Lafourche boasts plenty within its locker room.
On offense, the Tarpons have one of the most high-powered units in the state, averaging more than 40 points per game.
Their arsenal is large and diverse, boasting scoring threats like Rhodes, senior wide receivers Zaron Jenkins, Norry Galjour and Treavon Evans in the passing game and also halfback Jake Williams in the running game.
It’s all brought together by senior quarterback Colby Callais, who is among the best dual-threat players in the area.
Up-front the team has a powerful offensive line led by Collins and junior Bailey Granier, who is already receiving collegiate interest because of his athleticism within his 6-foot, 5-inch, 315-pound frame.
“We have a high-speed offense because most defenses don’t prepare for that kind of fast tempo,” Collins said. “Most teams run 40s after practice. But we practice hard and we practice quick, so it’s like we’re running 40s every play.”
Defensively, the Tarpons are just as stout, riding a unit led by Braxton Acosta, Galjour, Evans and a slew of other playmakers.
They allow just 10.2 points per game in district.
“It all looks good,” Jenkins said. “The offense, the defense – just the whole package.”
With the talent and the enthusiasm in line, the Tarpons needed to learn how to win in order to be a success.
That didn’t come easily to the team.
In the preseason, injuries ravished the lineup and countless starters were knocked out of the lineup.
When the season finally was about to get under way, Hurricane Isaac canceled the team’s first game against Destrehan.
“Like Coach used to say – practice like you’re a starter,” Jenkins said. “Our backups have to practice like they are starters. And those guys have really done a nice job and have stepped up for us.”
But adversity never plagued the team because of its head-strong personality.
It’s the same personality that Skains said has allowed the team to win close games throughout the season – most notably road games against John Ehret and New Iberia.
It’s what the coach also believes gives his team a shot to make waves when postseason begins Friday.
“It all came together,” Skains said. “It’s one of those things – perseverance and hard work – those are things that I’ve had to do my entire life. I thank my parents for that and coaches I’ve had. It’s just the continuous grind and hard work that gets you where you need to be.
“One thing I like about this group is they are a lot like me. They put their mind on it and then nothing is going to stop them until they get there.”
These sort of success stories aren’t necessarily new to the South Lafourche community.
In Farmer’s first season as the Tarpons’ coach, South Lafourche went from a one-win team to a district champion, rattling off a 9-1 regular season, before winning a playoff game against rival Central Lafourche.
Skains said he was told about the team’s 2009 success ad nauseam when he took the job.
The coach said he never emphasized those comparisons.
He said he wants the 2012 Tarpons to be the first of its kind – not the second coming of 2009.
“They hear a lot about the 2009 team,” Skains said. It’s always ‘09, ‘09, ‘09. That’s all I heard when I got here. I think the seniors want to get away from that and separate from that.
“This isn’t 2009. It’s 2012. Hopefully, we can build a program where we don’t hang our hat on district titles and second round of the playoff teams. Hopefully we can build it up to something better to where maybe a district championship is what is expected every year.”
Whether the coach’s wish comes true remains to be seen.
But one thing’s for sure – the Tarpon faithful will be following the journey every step of the way.
They always do.
“I don’t know if our kids understand how much this community cares about this team,” Skains said. “Football will change your life. Back when this school was rolling, football changed a lot of lives here. Now, they are out there watching and it brings them back and it shows them and it reminds them how important it was to be a part of something. It’s a wonderful cycle. It’s amazing to be a part of.”
The crowd at South Lafourche High School rises up in applause as the team takes the field during a game this season. With massive support and a talented roster headed by a large senior class, the Tarpons are one of the best teams in Louisiana. They will begin their push for the state championship on Friday night in a home tilt with Ruston.
