2010 football tab

LL ‘‘OObbsseerrvvaatteeuurr WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 25, 2010 3FOOTBALL 2010

In This Issue...East St. John Wildcats • • • • • • • • • Page 6

Riverside Rebels • • • • • • • • • • • • • Page 9

St. Charles Comets • • • • • • • • • • • Page 12

West St. John Rams • • • • • • • • • • Page 16

Lutcher Bulldogs • • • • • • • • • • • • Page 23

St. James Wildcats • • • • • • • • • • • Page 26

Destrehan Wildcats • • • • • • • • • • 0

Hahnville Tigers • • • • • • • • • • • • • Page 33

LSU Tigers • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Page 36

Tulane Green Wave • • • • • • • • • • • Page 37

New Orleans Saints • • • • • • • • • • • Page 38

4 LL ‘‘OObbsseerrvvaatteeuurr WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 25, 2010FOOTBALL 2010

Another season, anotherrambling mix of predictionsfrom yours truly. It’s beentoo long since we last kickedoff, and this season lookslike it’s sure to be anotherhighly competitive one inthe River Parishes. Let’shandicap some districts.

District 6-5A is a reallytough one to call.

In the end, while you cannever count out Destrehan— recent back-to-back statechampionships tend to givea school some pull in theseprediction columns — westill have to see how theWildcats bounce back undera new head coach in ChrisStroud. They’ll be in themix, but I think DHS hasmore questions than thenext three teams.

We know what defendingdistrict champion Hahnvillewill be. With no Alfred Blue,it’s Brian Ensminger’s teamnow, and judging by his jun-ior campaign he’ll beextremely efficient and pro-ductive. HHS will be big,physical and well-coached.

East St. John’s going toalways score boatloads withLarry Dauterive callingplays. After his incredibledebut, I’m amped to seewhat D’haquille Williamshas in store for an encore —but what will the team’s newdefensive scheme bring?Eight defensive startersreturn, including corner-

back prospect Floyd Raven.If ESJ can get stops, theymight be the team to beat.

Dutchtown’s got a pair ofstuds offensively in runningback Effrem Reed and quar-terback Leon Blouin, andhas given ESJ in particularloads of headaches over thepast two seasons.

In the end, I’m taking ESJby a hair. Last year was sup-posed to be a total rebuild-ing season, and the Wildcatswon seven games. This year,they, not Hahnville, have anexperience edge, albeit aslightone . Last year’s teamhad the balance offensivelythe team had been missingfor a couple of seasons. Thisyear, the defense should stepit up.

District 9-2A. This isanother completely loadeddistrict. A veteran St.Charles team came closerthan anyone would haveimagined to denying JohnCurtis the district champi-onship.

This season, I believe thePatriots defend their title.But beyond that, there willbe a heated battle for secondplace.

It is extremely tough topick against a team with atrack record like St. Charles,especially within Class 2A.Last year’s team was built tolast, heavy on senior leadersand stout in every facet ofthe game. It looked like

Curtis’equal dur-ing the reg-ular seasonand pound-ed theRebels andGreenies inregularseasontilts.

This sea-sonthough, things should bemuch closer. Riversidebrings back a whopping 15starters, to Newman’s sevenand St. Charles’ six. TheComets have had Riverside’snumber recently, and theRebels have been nipped inclose games by Newman.

I believe St. Charles hasenough returning impactplayers to hold serve. I can’tbet against that trackrecord.

But it will not be easy, andtheir clash with the Rebelsshould be a barnburnerbecause the Rebels areextremely dangerous, andlast season’s trip to thequarterfinals could be thewarning of a major break-out. I think Riverside willget over the Newman humpin yet another entertainingshootout of a game betweenthe two. The RA/SCC gamewill in no way resemble lastseason’s 48-7 Comet win. Allfour of these teams may endup as top 10 seeds in the

Class 2A playoffs.District 8-1A. West St.

John, White Castle and St.John-Plaquemine are yourthree top contenders here ina district won by St. John ayear ago.

White Castle looks to haveits best team in quite awhile, behind 17 returningstarters. Those includestandout quarterback/defen-sive back Ronald Martin andstrong running back TyreeBraken, who rushed for1,450 yards a season ago.This is a team that has beento the playoffs four straightseasons. I would tab them asthe favorite in 2010.

West St. John will be veryyoung but very talented.Jarius Moll is a star at widereceiver and perhaps quar-terback, and the Ramdefense is always stout.Can’t put Robert Valdez’sgroup any lower than this.

An experienced defensewill keep St. John in the mixto defend its crown.

District 8-4A: This shouldstill be Lutcher’s baby,though there are questionsat quarterback, where coachTim Detillier must replaceGavin Webster. But two ofthe team’s Tremendous Trioremain in wide receiverJarvis Landry — A LSUcommitment regarded asone of the state’s 10 bestprospects — and tailbackDaniel Taylor, who is on the

verge of breaking theschool’s career rushingrecord as a junior.

They’ll have some toughchallenges, however. BelleChasse is always tough.Vandebilt Catholic is a phys-ical crew that former WestSt. John coach LauryDupont will have ready togo. Then there’s an experi-enced Helen Cox team. ButLutcher, more often thannot, seems to find all theright answers to playingdeep into December.

District 8-3A — A deep dis-trict that sent five teams tothe postseason a year ago, Ithink this comes down to St.James and Brusly, who tiedfor district honors last year.

Both Rick Gaille and TaitDupont’s squads run theWing-T. Both have explosiveplayers — Brusly’s MarlonReed is among the state’sbest at tailback, while St.James has a dangerous sta-ble of runners led by Ken-neth Armant and an explo-sive receiver in AlonzoLewis.

St. James swept Brusly ayear ago, including ablowout 26-0 win in the dis-trict opener, then a 22-21barnburner in the bi-districtplayoffs. For a pair of teamsthat love to ‘Wing’ it, we’lltake the longtime master ofit in Gaille to capture onemore district crown. But it’llbe a close race once again.

RYAN ARENA

SPORTS EDITOR

Predictions, predictions for another football season

Offensive MVP - D’haquille Williams, WR, East St. John

Defensive MVP - LaJaylin Smith, St. Charles

Game of the Year - Hahnville @ ESJ, Week 10

L’Observateur’s Preseason Predictions


East St. John Wildcats

BY RYAN ARENAL’OBSERVATEUR

In 1989’s “Batman”, Itwas Jack Nicholson’sJoker who first posedthe question, “Wheredoes he get those won-derful toys?”

Often, though, itseems a line that bearsrepeating by thosedefensive coaches whooppose coach LarryDauterive and his EastSt. John Wildcats.

You can never bequite sure what playDauterive will callnext. As unpredictableas he is quotable, thepersonable coachseems to add new offen-

sive wrinkles every sea-son, most of which seethe Wildcats scorepoints by the boatload.

Last season began aswhat Dauterive andmany observersthought would be arebuilding season. Withonly two returning off-ensive starters, andafter losing offensivecenterpiece Alex Sin-gleton — a Tulsa signeeat running back — ajamboree loss to Class2A St. Charles only con-firmed the doubts ofmany.

But then the pointsstarted rolling in. Dau-terive’s toy box wasfull, just nobody knew

it.Junior D’haquille

Williams burst on thescene, leading all Class5A receivers in receiv-ing with 44 catches for1,171 yards and 17scores, maintaining ablistering 26 yards percatch average. VersatileReynaldo Young topped1,000 yards rushing andadded plenty more as areceiver. QuarterbackKalen Henderson gen-erated over 2,000 totalyards of offense. ESJwon seven regular sea-son games, then pusheda strong St. Augustineteam to its limit in afirst round, 32-30 loss.

Henderson and Young

are gone, but Williams,who Hahnville coachLou Valdin didn’t hesi-tate to call the bestplayer in District 6-5A,returns as a senior todrive the ESJ offense.

He’ll take the wheelfrom many positions.

“He’ll line up at widereceiver, quarterback,running back, tightend, return man, andhe’ll play somedefense,” saidDauterive. “He’ll be ahighlight reel. It’s a lotof pressure to put on an18-year-old, we know.But we need the ball inhis hands.

“I’m just thankfulhe’s on our side.”

He’ll form a potentcombination with jun-ior quarterback DarionMonroe, who Dauterivehas praised for hisheadiness and accura-cy. But Dauterive alsocautioned that Monroewill need time to “gethis feet wet.”

“He’s a first-yearstarter, and he’ll makemistakes, just likeKalen (Henderson) didin his first starting sea-son,” said Dauterive.“But Darion’s alreadytaking the leadershiprole.”

For the Wildcats tomake a real playoffpush, Dauterive said itwill be up to the

defense. Last yearbrought too many bigplays from the opposi-tion for the coach’s lik-ing, but eight startersreturn on that side ofthe ball. ESJ will alsoplay more zone,eschewing their 50defensive front for a 4-3,and also committing toplaying more zone cov-erage to prevent bigplays.

“It’s a complete re-vamping of our de-fense,” Dauterive said.“We’ve always beenable to score, but canwe get stops? When youlook at eight returning

Behind Williams, ESJ poised to take next step

SEE WILDCATS, PAGE 8


ESJ Schedule

DDaattee OOppppoonneenntt

Aug. 26 SStt.. CChhaarrlleess JJaammbboorreeeeSept. 2 PPaatttteerrssoonnSept. 10 IIssttrroouummaaSept. 17 at St. JamesSept. 25 at RummelOct. 1 * CCaarreennccrrooOct. 8 * at St. AmantOct. 15 ** EEaasstt AAsscceennssiioonnOct. 22 * at DestrehanOct. 29 ** DDuuttcchhttoowwnnNov. 5 * HHaahhnnvviillllee**

HHoommee ggaammeess iinn BBoolldd**DDiissttrriicctt ggaammeess

Offense

TE – Troy Thompson - Sr.

WR – Rashad Green - Jr.

OT – Dathan Thomas - Sr.

OG – Dontarian Savoy - Sr.

OG – Darren Davis - So.

C – Jared Pryor - Sr.

OT – Chris Robinson - Sr

QB – Darion Monroe - Jr.

RB – Andrew Taylor - Sr.

RB – Stafford Jones - Sr.

WR – D’haquille Williams - Sr.

Defense

DE - Walter Young - Jr.

DE – Bryson Mero - Sr.

DT – Gerron Borne - Jr.

DT – Dwayne Johnson - So.

LB – D’Antoine Crosby - Sr.

LB – Nick Anderson - Sr.

LB – Fred Williams - So.

DB – Floyd Raven - Sr.

D – Richard Miles - Sr.

DB – LaBaron Sylvester - Sr.

DB – Nathan Anderson - Jr.

Wildcats Projected Starters

Coach: Larry Dauterive (8 years)

Record at School:65-26

Career Record:220-76-1

2009 Record: 7-4 (third, District 6-5A, lost in first round)

District opponents:Hahnville, Destrehan,

Dutchtown,East Ascension,

St. AmantOffense: Multiple

Defense: 4-3

East St. John


starters, defense shouldbe our strength. I thinkwe’ll see a great im-provement, especiallyin terms of stoppingthe big play.”

Senior defensive backFloyd Raven has drawna great deal of attentionfrom schools at theDivision I level, andleads a secondary thatreturns all four sta-rters. Dauterive alsonoted LeBaron Sylv-ester as a defensiveback who has imp-ressed this summer.D’Antoine Crosby andNick Anderson returnat linebacker. Dauteriveexpects big seasonsfrom his pair of defen-sive tackles — the 6-foot-2, 290-pound Ger-

ron Borne anchors therun defense, and sopho-more Dwayne Johnsonhas a bright future —Dauterive said he’ll “bea beast” in the future.

Back on the offensiveside, a stable of tail-backs are vying fortime. If the seasonstarted today, formerSCC rusher and trans-fer Stafford Joneswould start at fullback,while Andrew Taylorwould start at tailback.Dauterive said they willrotate with DeChrisStrong and Trey Mar-tin.

The offensive line,anchored by tackleDathan Thomas, offersmore depth than inyears past.

Last year, Dauterivefinished his spring pro-

gram wondering if histeam might not go 0-10.Then Williams em-erged, others steppedup, and the rest is histo-ry. This season, heenters with much moreoptimism.

For Dauterive, it wasalmost not to be. Itappeared in the springthat he would not beback with his teambecause of the schoolboard budget cut situa-tion.

But Dauterive’s ten-ure protected him.

“It was a toughweek,” said Dauterive.“I thought I’d never behere to see the newfieldhouse, to see whatthis team could become.

“Thankfully, theyfound a way. And I’mglad to be back.”

DARION MONROED’HAQUILLE WILLIAMS DATHAN THOMAS

FLOYD RAVENGERRON BORNE LARRY DAUTERIVE

FROM PAGE 6

WILDCATS: Defense is key


Riverside Academy Rebels


Indeed, Riverside’sboys basketball teamcaptured the imagina-tions of the school andits backers this pastseason.

But make no mistake:along the river, no-body’s ever forgettingabout football.

That’s a very goodthing for Rebel fansbecause Riverside en-ters the 2010 seasonpacked with promise,fresh off a run to thequarterfinals a seasonago.

Seeded 25th enteringthe postseason, theRebels pulled off upsetsagainst Donaldsonvilleand Winnfield beforefalling to eventualstate-runner-up JohnCurtis.

This year, Riversidebrings back a grandtotal of 15 starters, 12 ofthem seniors.

Eight of those will bestarters returning to anoffense that averagedover 30 points a seasonago. The Rebelschanged their offensein the middle of the2008 season from theWing-T to the spread totake advantage of thetalents of then-sopho-more quarterbackDarnell Rachal and theskill weapons sur-rounding him.

Fast forward to 2010.All 11 offensive startersare juniors and seniors.The spread has becomeingrained in each ofthem.

“We’d be disappoint-ed if we didn’t take asubstantial step for-ward offensively,” said

Riverside coach MickeyRoussel. “The sky’s thelimit. When you see usfrom that first year tothis year, we’re strong-er, faster.”

Roussel said thechange at the time justmade sense. Now, theRebels may see morebenefits than ever.

“I feel like the last 15to 20 years, we’ve donea good job putting ourplayers into the rightscheme to maximizetheir success,” Rousselsaid. “The spread iswhat fits our personnelthe best, and we havehigh expectations.”

Rachal is the offen-sive lynchpin. In 13games, he accountedfor 23 touchdowns and2,232 total yards (1,490passing, 742 rushing).

“He’s the guy to takethis offense where it

needs to be,” saidRoussel. “The mostimportant thing is thisis the second straightoffseason he’s had inthis system. He’ll makeus go, again.”

In the backfield withhim will be a rotatingtrio of running backsin Thomas Crouch,Lloyd Johnson andDylan Martin. Crouchrushed for over 700yards and eight touch-downs last season tolead the team andshould get plenty oftouches again.

“Thomas is a very,very good football play-er,” Roussel said. “Heknows all three guysare going to see touch-es. But he’s been anunsung team leader. Hemay be a bit under theradar, but we knowwhat we have.”

Up front, Riversidewill be extremelystrong, particularly onthe edge, where bothare returning starters.Leading the way isreturning All-Statetackle Dale Martin,who Roussel calls theheart and soul of theteam.

“He’s the epitome ofeverything we want atRiverside,” Rousselsaid. “He’s what a play-er should be and doeswhat a player shoulddo.”

Across from him atthe other tackle spot isTodd Millet, who Rou-ssel thinks could poten-tially play his way tothe collegiate level.

Austin Vicknair ret-urns at receiver as theteam’s primary down-field threat.

Defensively, middle

linebacker GradyGeiger leads the way. Atonly 5-foot-9 and 170,Geiger isn’t a bigthumper, but can befound making numer-ous plays each week.

“He’s got the heart ofa lion,” Roussel said.

Five of the team’s sixstarting defensive line-man and linebackers inthe team’s 3-3-5 set havereturned, and Rousselbelieves that up front-this team will be betterthan it was a year ago.

The secondary, mean-while, returns just onestarter in safety TateScioneaux. Enteringhis team’s final scrim-mage last week, Rou-ssel said he planned toplay six different play-ers at corner to see whofit best — and if worse

Experienced Rebels look to build on ‘09 playoff run

SEE REBELS, PAGE 10


comes to worse, he saysRachal and Crouchhave each shown to bestrong options there.

“We don’t want to usethem too much ondefense, but the optionis there,” said Roussel.

A strong districtschedule looms againwith Curtis, St. Charles

and Newman leadingthe way.

The Rebels would liketo see more success inthose games — RAdropped all three,including a heartbreak-er to Newman — butRoussel said thosegames prepared histeam for the postseasonatmosphere, an atmos-phere the Rebels should

be able to look forwardto experiencing onceagain.

“This team’s been inthose settings now,”Roussel said. “We talk alot about the traditionof Riverside.

“There are raisedexpectations, and theinteresting part will beto see how we respondto that.”

ANDREW VICKNAIRGRADY GIEGER DALE MARTIN

THOMAS CROUCHDARNELL RACHAL MICKEY ROUSSEL

FROM PAGE 9

REBELS: Tough district slate prepares team for postseason

“We’d be disappointed if we didn’t take a substantial stepforward offensively. The sky’s the limit. When you see us

from that first year to this year, we’re stronger, faster.”

-Riverside coach Mickey Roussel


RA Schedule


Aug. 26 WSJ JamboreeSept. 3 WWhhiittee CCaassttlleeSept. 10 at North VermilionSept. 17 *at BruslySept. 24 **at FisherOct. 1 *TThhoommaass JJeeffffeerrssoonnOct. 8 *JJoohhnn CCuurrttiissOct. 15 *at St. CharlesOct. 22 OPENOct. 29 *at LusherNov. 5 ** NNeewwmmaann


Offense

WR – Austin Vicknair - Sr.WR – Kaleb Bush - Sr.

WR – Ashton Perret - Sr.OT – Dale Martin - Sr.

OG – Bradley Schiff - Sr. OR Travis Trosclair - Jr.

C – Heathe Robertson - Jr.OG – Ritchie Terrio - Sr.OR Tanner Goolsby - Sr.

OT – Todd Millet - Sr.QB – Darnell Rachal - Sr.RB – Thomas Crouch - Sr.RB – Lloyd Johnson - Sr.RB - Dylan Martin - Sr.

Defense

DE – Bryant Tassin - Sr.DE – Wren Vicknair - Jr.

DT – Andrew Vicknair - Sr.DT – Reginald Sayles - Fr.

LB – Grady Gieger - Jr.LB – Kalen Jenkins - Jr.LB – Taylor Brignac - Sr.DB – Brant Torres - Sr.

DB – Ryan Chauvin - Sr.DB - Lawrence Pastureau - Sr.

OR Devin Burke - Sr.DB - Tate Scioneaux - Jr.

Rebels Projected Starters

Riverside Rebels

Coach: Mickey Roussel (20 years)Record at school: 180-75Career Record: 180-75

2009 Record: 8-5 (4th in District 9-2A, lost in quarterfinals)) District opponents: J. Curtis, St. Charles, Newman, Fisher,

Douglas, Lusher, Thomas JeffersonOffense: SpreadDefense: 3-3-5


St. Charles Catholic Comets


It’s difficult to discussSt. Charles Catholicwithout noting its con-sistency throughoutthe decade-long FrankMonica era because,well … the Comets havebeen so consistent.

Nobody will everaccuse the Comets oflacking a clear identity.You can set your watchby these things: theteam will maintain bal-ance on offense, takethe ball away ondefense, will winbetween seven and nineregular season games

and will quite possiblymake a deep postseasonrun.

And that also, for anyofficial within earshotof Coach Monica on thesideline: your ears willring for days.

SCC has been thestate runner-up twiceand a state semifinalistonce in the past fiveyears — those finishesrepresent each of theComets seasons inClass 2A, where SCConce again resides in2010.

The end results mayonce again mirror whatwe’ve seen. But for ateam where so much

seems to stay the same,there is plenty of newto go along with the2010 edition of theComets.

Only six startersreturn to the Cometlineup this season, fouroffensive, one defensiveand one specialist.Three of those, tail-back/return manMarcus Hall, defensiveend LaJaylin Smithand punter Jared Kea-ting were All-Districtselections a year ago.

“It’s a complete over-haul,” Monica said.

For the fifth time inthe five seasons, SCCbreaks in a new starter

at quarterback. Thistime, it’s junior DonnieSavoie.

“He wants to be theguy under center,” saidMonica. “He’s comeleaps and bounds sincethe spring game … Heunderstands thisoffense, and you have tohave a strong grasp ofit if you’re going toplay for me.”

Beyond Savoie, thebackfield is stable. La-zedrick Thompson pro-vides the thunder andMarcus Hall the light-ning in the Comets’dual-pronged attack.

Thompson enteredlast season with a bro-

ken hand and was slat-ed to play fullback uponhis return. But Monicashifted him to tailback,a move that workedwonderfully indeed —the 6-foot-one1, 195pound tailback gave theComets a powerful com-pliment to the smallerJeffrey Hall, helping tolift SCC into the Class2A semifinals and help-ing the team overcomethe loss of Marcus Hall,who fell to an ankleinjury.

“He’s a real gooddownhill runner thatpossesses great lowerbody strength” saidMonica. “He gives us

the kind of big back wehaven’t had. He’s thepower runner, and Mar-cus has the wiggle.Both of them are 4.5guys, and both are very,very versatile, which ismore valuable thantheir athletic ability.”

Thompson under-stands his role on theoffense.

“It’s my job to bringthe power,” he said. “Ittakes more than oneperson to bring medown.”

Marcus Hall’s returnwill be a boon not onlyin the rushing game,

Comets looking to reload after run to semifinals

SEE COMETS, PAGE 14


SCC Schedule


Aug. 26 ESJ JamboreeSept. 3 at WoodlawnSept. 10 VVaannddeebbiilltt CCaatthhoolliiccSept. 17 at West St. JohnSept. 24 *at LusherOct. 1 *NNeewwmmaannOct. 8 *at FisherOct. 15 *RRiivveerrssiiddeeOct. 22 *at John CurtisOct. 29 **TThhoommaass JJeeffffeerrssoonnNov. 5 LLaakkeesshhoorree


Offense

QB – Donnie Savoie - Jr.RB – Lazedrick Thompson - Jr.

RB – Marcus Hall - Jr.WR – John Wood - Sr.WR – Jeffrey Hall - Jr.

TE – Harley Scioneaux - Sr.LT – Gabriel Alarcon - Jr.LG – Marion Carson - Sr.

C – Hunter Specht - Jr.RG – Jourdan Buras - Sr.

RT – Tracy Allen - Sr.

Defense

DE – Ross Authement - Jr.DT – John Trosclair - Sr.

NG – Marcus Navarro - So.DT – Taylor Cochra - So.DE – LaJaylin Smith - Jr.LB – Michael Brock - Sr.LB – Luke Jackson - So.

SS – Brady Hitt - Sr.CB – Jared Keating - Sr.

FS – Ben Brady - Sr.CB – Dalton Hale - Sr.

Comets Projected Starters

St. Charles

Coach: Frank Monica (10 years)Record at school: 90-41Career Record: 176-59

2009 Record: 12-2 (2nd in District 9-2A, lost in semifinals) District opponents: J. Curtis, Riverside, Newman, Fisher,

Douglas, Lusher, Thomas JeffersonOffense: Multiple

Defense: 50


but also on specialteams, where he proveda gamebreaker last sea-son.

Jeffrey Hall returnsbut moves to receiveralongside senior starterJohn Wood.

Tight end Harley Sci-oneaux could take hisgame to another levelthis season, Monicasaid. The 6-foot-6 targethas embraced his newstarting role.

The offensive linereturns one starter insenior Marion Carson.

Defensively, onlySmith returns. He willbe counted on to have astandout season, lead-ing the team’s five manfront.

He believes that evenwith so many new

starters, the team willmaintain its high per-formance level behindthe hard work put inthis summer.

“It’s 24-7,” Smith said.“We have a lot of guysthat work hard, thathave a lot of heart.That’s what makes ussuccessful.”

At linebacker, con-verted fullback MichaelBrock is stepping into aleadership role, Monicasaid.

The secondary, des-pite bringing back nostarters, is one of themost experienced unitson the team.

Brady Hitt, BenBrady and JaredKeating are all seniorsthat saw time a yearago.

“That secondaryshould be the strength

of our defense,” saidMonica.

The veteran coachsees a tough pre-districtschedule and hopes tohave his team healthyfor what he believes isthe toughest district inClass 2A, District 9.Newman reachedround two, Riversidethe quarterfinals, andJohn Curtis finished asstate runner-up.

But at the same time,even with such an inex-perienced bunch, youget the feeling Monicasees good things on thehorizon.

“I like the attitude onthis team,” said Mon-ica.

“I like the intensity.We had so many spotsto fill, and guys came inready to compete forthem.”

LAZEDRICK THOMPSONLAJAYLIN SMITH JARED KEATING

MARCUS HALLDONNIE SAVOIE FRANK MONICA

FROM PAGE 12

COMETS: Many new faces

LL ‘‘OObbsseerrvvaatteeuurr WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 25, 2010 15 FOOTBALL 2010


West St. John Rams


It was a win that setthe tone for an entireseason.

When West St. Johntoppled archrival St.James on its homefieldto open last season,then second-year WSJcoach Robert Valdezcalled it the biggest winof his coaching career.After rallying from a14-0 deficit to victory,. itwas also arguably thebiggest win of theteam’s 2009 season.

Valdez said it was thecatalyst for his team’sperformance in a sea-son that saw his teamrally from early adver-sity to take a number of

its seven wins.“It’s how we set the

tempo,” said Valdez.“That St. James victorygot us going. We playedtooth and nail with somany teams through-out the year, win orlose.”

Once again, the twoteams will open the sea-son up with that rivalrygame. This time, it willbe in Edgard. And thistime, West St. John hasthe target on its back,with a team looking forredemption on the wayin.

Valdez can think ofno better way to kickthings off.

“It’s the game peopletalk about year round.In my community, this

is what everyone wantsto see,” said Valdez.“It’s the best way tostart off. You want toget the kids’ attention,raise their concentra-tion level. What betterway than to play yourcrosstown rival?”

For two years, Valdezhas overseen a team ledby experience, especial-ly at quarterback,where Dray Joseph wasa four-year starter. Butthis Ram team has lost14 senior starters.

The offensive center-piece will likely beJarius Moll, who bat-tled injuries but stillturned in an All-District campaign.After transferring fromEast St. John before

last season, Mollbecame Joseph’s bestdownfield threat atwide receiver.

This year, Valdezplans to expand his useof Moll, making thejunior something of a“slash” player. He willplay wide receiver, butalso at quarterback, inthe backfield, ondefense and on returns.

“When you have a kidlike Jarius, it’s excit-ing,” said Valdez. “Akid that plays hard,that has a lot of poten-tial. He’s a tremendouskid.”

Valdez apparentlyliked the idea of havinga four-year starter atquarterback, because ifall goes according to

plan, the Rams willhave another.Freshman AustinHoward will succeedJoseph.

“I don’t know howmany teams can eversay they’ve had twostarting quarterbacksin eight years,” Valdezsaid. “Maybe so.”

Valdez said that theteam will rally aroundits young passer tomake the transition assmooth as possible.

“He’s a young guy,and we’ll have to bepatient,” said Valdez.“But he’s showing greatcommand, great atti-tude. He’s being rushedinto the call of duty.”

West St. John’s mostexperienced unit offen-

sively is the line, wherefour starters returnfrom a season ago,including all-districtperformer Cailin Colaand honorable men-tions Willie Youngbloodand Deontre Lumar.

“We need to get apush and protect ouryoung passer,” saidValdez. “But we havesome solid guys there. Ithink we’ll be prettygood offensively.”

Blandy Young andDenzell Pierre joinMoll at wide receiver,and Kylum Favoritewill start at tailback.All are new starters.Young, Valdez said, willbe another change of

Rams look to set tempo early in 2010

SEE RAMS, PAGE 18


WSJ Schedule


Aug. 26 Riverside JamboreeSept. 3 at BonnabelSept. 10 SStt.. CChhaarrlleessSept. 17 at Denham SpringsSept. 24 aatt DDoonnaallddssoonnvviilllleeOct. 1 WWeesstt JJeeffffeerrssoonnOct. 9 *at Christian LifeOct. 15 **EEaasstt IIbbeerrvviilllleeOct. 22 *WWhhiittee CCaassttlleeOct. 28 *at Asc. CatholicNov. 5 *at St. John


Offense

OT - Cailin Cola - Sr.

OG – Deontre Lumar - Jr.

C – Jonathan Sandolph - Sr.

OG – Michael Dede - Sr.

OT – William Youngblood - So.

WR – Blandy Young - Sr.

RB – Kylum Favorite - So.

RB – Dontre Turner - So.

WR – Denzell Pierre - Sr.

WR – Jarius Moll - Jr.

QB – Austin Howard - Fr.

Defense

DB – Jarius Moll - Jr.

DB – Blandy Young - Sr.

DB – Jordan Triche - Sr.

DB – Ladarius Lewis - Jr.

LB – Quad Howard - Sr.

LB – Kylum Favorite - So.

LB – Dontre Turner - So.

LB – Tristan Farnell - So.

DT – Ronnie Feist - Jr.

DT – Steven Brignac - So.

DT – Michael Dede - Sr.

Rams Projected Starters

West St. John

Coach: Robert Valdez (2 years)Record at school: 15-9Career Record: 19-15

2009 Record: 8-5 (2nd in District 8-1A, lost in regional)

District opponents: Christian Life, East Iberville, White Castle, Ascension Catholic, St. John

Offense: MultipleDefense: 3-3 Stack


BLANDY YOUNGJARIUS MOLL RONNIE FEIST

MICHAEL DEDEJORDAN TRICHE ROBERT VALDEZ

pace player in the moldof Moll. He will seetime at tailback andquarterback in somesituations.

Defensively, RonnieFeist will return atdefensive tackle. A yearago, he tallied eightsacks. Steven Brignacand Michael Dede joinhim as returningstarters on the line.Dontre Turner andQuad Howard arereturning starters at

linebacker in the team’s3-3-5 alignment.

Blandy Young andJordan Triche addexperience to the sec-ondary.

The Rams lost a 28-27heartbreaker to cedethe District 8-1A title toSt. John-Plaquemine.That district will betough again. A strongWhite Castle teamreturns almost all of itsstarters, and St. Johnfigures to once again bein the mix. ChristianLife is only a season

removed from a trip tothe Superdome.

“You’re talking abouta couple of top five, top10 teams in your dis-trict,” said Valdez. “Wehave a murderer’s rowof non-district teams.You want to come outwith a winning record,but also you need to gointo that districthealthy.”

And boasting young,fresh legs, a healthyRam team could bequite a dangerous onein the Class 1A field.

FROM PAGE 16

RAMS: Feist among defense leaders

“It’s the best way to start off. You want to get the kids’ atten-tion, raise their concentration level. What better way

than to play your crosstown rival?”

-West St. John coach Robert Valdez


Lutcher Bulldogs


The last decade hasbeen good to theLutcher Bulldogs, tosay the least.

Three state champi-onships (2003, 2006,2008). Numerous schoolrecords, both offensiveand defensive. Lutchermade the postseasonevery single year, andin fact have done soevery season since TimDetillier took over ashead coach in 1991. TheBulldogs don’t rebuild,they reload.

And so it should comeas no surprise thatexpectations are stillsky high aroundLutcher these days,despite the loss of 14starters key amongthem that of all-every-thing quarterback

Gavin Webster.“We’ve been so

spoiled here with ourquarterback position,”said Detillier. “Howmany Gavin Webstersare there, really?”

Webster led LHS to astate championship,then the state semifi-nals as a senior. He wasvoted Louisiana’s Mr.Football after passingfor 2,390 yards and 32touchdowns and rush-ing for 730 yards and 16touchdowns a seasonago.

Now, the Bulldogslook to Austin Brack tolead the way into the2010 season.

“He’s the heir appar-ent,” Detillier said.

But being the heir didcome with a caveat,mainly that Detillierhad two other passersin his stable that were

pushing for time insophomores JaredPoche and RustonMatherne.

“Austin’s done noth-ing wrong, but theseguys have had such astrong summer. Bothare pushing for time. Itmay be a situationwhere you see all threeof them out there attimes,” Detillier said.

In any event, any ofthe three signal callerswill have an absolutewar chest of availableoptions to throw to.Webster’s gaudy num-bers hardly came with-out help, and the caval-ry is led by senior widereceiver Jarvis Landryand junior runningback Daniel Taylor.

Landry has alreadycommitted to LSU —something Detilliersays he is thankful for,

as Landry can now con-centrate on the season— and has been ahuman highlight reelin his Bulldogs career.His run after the catchability is among thebest in the state.

“He’s a good footballplayer, really on bothsides of the ball,”Detillier said ofLandry, who also playsdefensive back for theteam. “You might notlook at him as a physi-cal player, but he’s very,very much so, and youdon’t always realizethat until you play us.”

Taylor has started atLHS since his eighthgrade season—in 2007,Detillier noted howgiddy running backscoach Chad Carter wasto have him for anotherfour years — and allTaylor has done is

carve out a career thathas him on the verge ofbreaking the school’sall-time rushingrecord, which shouldhappen early this sea-son.

In Detillier’s spreadoffense, the Bulldogsattack from all angles,and both Taylor andLandry are both capa-ble of taking a pass orhandoff at the line andcreating a 50-yardtouchdown.

Trevor Englade puttogether a strong sea-son as a sophomore andreturns at wideout. Theother receiver spotswill boast first yearstarters.

The entire offensiveline is new, and thepressure will be onthem to protect a youngpasser as they learnearly on.

“We’ve got some goodplayers, some talentedkids, but they’re inex-perienced,” said Deti-llier. “We’re throwingthem into the fire. Youjust don’t know exactlywhat you have untilthey play under thelights, but we’re stillpretty optimistic.”

Defensively, the sec-ondary once again willbe one of the team’sstrengths, with threereturning starters inLandry, Kyron Jacksonand Jordan Batiste.

Up front, the lineleads the way as BlakeScott, Tyler Laiche andDerek Matherne ret-urn. The linebackerswill all be new faces.

Detillier credits hisstaff for keeping theBulldog program stable

Taylor, Landry lead ‘Dawg title aspirations

SEE LUTCHER, PAGE 24


for all these years, andcounts on them to getthe most out of thisyoung crop.

“I’m truly blessed tohave the staff I have.They’re very knowl-edgeable, but they justcare so much, and that’sthe biggest thing,”Detillier said.

“The kids can seethat.”

He also said thatregardless of experi-ence level, his kidsaren’t about to lowertheir expectations.

They want districtagain.

Then state.“You know, you talk to

people who see ourschedule, who see who

we’ve lost, and theydon’t expect all thatmuch from us,” saidDetillier. “But thesekids have set goals forthemselves. And man,they pick some loftygoals.”

New ‘Dawgs or not,opposing Class 4Ateams surely haven’tdropped this team offofthe radar.AUSTIN BRACKDANIEL TAYLOR JARVIS LANDRY

DEREK MATHERNETREVOR ENGLADE TIM DETILLIER

LUTCHER: High aspirationsFROM PAGE 23

Lutcher

Coach: Tim Detillier (19 years)

Record at school: 149-71

Career Record: 209-95

2009 Record: 13-1

(First in District 8-4A,

lost in semifinals)

District opponents: Helen Cox, Belle Chasse,

Ellender, Vandebilt Catholic, Morgan City

Offense: Spread

Defense: Multiple

“You know, you talk to people who see our schedule, who seewho we’ve lost, and they don’t expect all that much from us.

But these kids have set goals for themselves.And man, they pick some lofty goals.”

-Lutcher Coach Tim Detillier


LHS Schedule


Aug. 27 Destrehan JamboreeSept. 3 DDuuttcchhttoowwnnSept. 10 at ScotlandvilleSept. 17 HHaahhnnvviilllleeSept. 24 WWaarrrreenn EEaassttoonnOct. 1 at DestrehanOct. 8 *HHeelleenn CCooxxOct. 16 *BBeellllee CChhaasssseeOct. 22 *at EllenderOct. 29 *VVaannddeebbiilltt CCaatthhoolliiccNov. 5 *at Morgan City


Offense

QB – Austin Brack - Sr. OR RustonMatherne - So. OR

Jared Poche - So.RB – Daniel Taylor - Jr.

WR – D’Amphraney Davis - So.WR – Jarvis Landry - Sr.WR – Dorian Semien - Jr.

OR DiJon Payne - So.WR – Trevor Englade - Jr.

OT – Thomas Waguespack - Jr.OR Taylor Duhon - Jr.OG – Dane George - Jr.

C- Lex Sweeney - Sr.OG – Rene Roussel - Sr.

OT – Errol Franklin - Sr.OR Taylor Duhon, Jr.

Defense

DT – Darez Joseph - Jr.DT – Blake Scott - So.

DE – Tyler Laiche - Sr.DE – Derek Matherne - Sr.

LB – Blake Roussel - Fr.LB – Brison Louque - Sr.

LB – Londres Johnson - Jr.DB – Anthony Milazzo - Sr.

OR Ian Podafulski - Jr.,DB – Jarvis Landry - Sr.DB – Kyron Jackson - Jr.DB – Jordan Batiste - Jr.DB – Denzel Hansley - Jr.

Bulldogs Projected Starters


St. James Wildcats


St. James senior Alo-nzo Lewis just shookhis head and smiledwhen asked about whathas changed since lastyear.

“After practice, theconditioning,” said Le-wis. “We didn’t get itdone in the third andfourth quarters lastyear. So we’re gonnarun until he knowswe’ll be in shape for thefourth.”

That ‘he’ is St. Jamescoach Rick Gaille. For18 seasons, Gaille hascoached the Wildcats,and his teams havebeen wildly successful

— he’s got a 165-65career record at theschool, and theWildcats earned a tripto the Superdome asrecently as 2007, secur-ing state runner-uphonors.

But few seasons couldhave been as frustrat-ing as 2009 for Gaille.St. James began its sea-son 0-5 and finished 4-8.The Wildcats sufferedmyriad injuries andcould never establishconsistency within thelineup.

Most disturbing toGaille was his team’sinability to finishgames. In four of thoseeight losses, theWildcats led in the sec-

ond half but could nothold on.

“We didn’t do a verygood job of fightingthrough adversity,”said Gaille. “We didn’thave a bad play andthen move on. We letthose bad plays linger.”

The season wasn’t atotal bust. SJH finishedtied for the District 8-3A crown and defeateddistrict foe Brusly inthe playoffs before bow-ing out to Patterson inthe regional playoffs.

But Gaille and histeam want more. TheWildcats bring backjust eight starters, theonly team in District 8-3A not bringing backdouble digits in that

area. The district sentfive teams to the play-offs a season ago, andGaille expects 2010 tobe no different, withBrusly and star tail-back Marlon Reed stan-ding out as perhaps thetoughest test.

“There’s a very goodchance that all of us getin,” he said. “Brusly isprobably the favorite.They bring the majori-ty of their guys back.Livonia is another teamto watch for. They werebitten by injuries asmuch as we were. Thisthing should be wideopen.”

“Wide open” is a termthat the coach wouldlove to often be applied

to the explosive Lewis.At 6-foot-3, “Zo”, as he’sknown to teammates,literally stands tall onboth offense anddefense. The lethaldownfield threat will becounted on to stretchopposing defenses,while the LSU commit-ment will change posi-tions on his own: hemoves from corner tosafety this year.

“It’s been good so far.I’m still learning,” saidLewis. “Like coachsaid, as long as I don’tlet anything get behindme, I’ll be okay.”

As always, St. James’Wing-T offense will becharged by his back-field. Kenneth Armant,

LaRohn Cambre andLester Verrett are pen-ciled in as the threestarters at runningback.

Armant said that theoffensive scheme’s con-stant misdirectionmakes running a joyevery Friday night.

“You can just explodeout the backfield,”Armant said. “Thedefense is going oneway and you’re run-ning on the oppositeside.”

At quarterback, sen-ior Ben Falgoust willcompete with sopho-more Shaquille Narc-isse. Falgoust is a proto-

Wildcats borrow from Saints, seek to ‘Finish Strong’

SEE ST. JAMES, PAGE 28


KENNETH ARMANTALONZO LEWIS CHRISTIAN VERRETT

JESSEON BANNISTERBEN FALGOUST RICK GAILLE

Wildcats Projected Starters

Offense

TE – Blake Joseph - Sr.

SE – Alonzo Lewis - Sr.

RT Cameron Isom - Sr.

RG – Shawn Laurent - Jr.

C – Jamal Cureau - Jr.

LG – Jeremy Morton - Jr.

LT – Hilton Narcisse - Jr.

QB – Ben Falgoust - Sr.

FB – Lester Verrett - Jr.

LHB – LaRohn Cambre - Jr.

RHB – Kenneth Armant - Jr.

Defense

DE – Jesseon Bannister - Sr.

DE – Julius Williams - Sr.

DT – Anthony Dupard - Jr.

DT – Rakeem Brown - Sr.

MLB - Christian Verrett - Sr.

OLB – Devin King - Jr.

OLB – Seth Keller - So.

CB – Jerron Octave - So.

CB – Roman Broden - Jr.

S – Shaquille Narcisse - So.

S – Alonzo Lewis - Sr.


typical pocket passer,while Narcisse can pro-vide a different kind ofplaymaking ability viahis athleticism.

“We hope they bothstep up,” said Gaille.“They’re unique tal-ents, and we need eachas players and leaders.”

The offensive linereturns just one starterinto the fold in left tack-le Hilton Narcisse.

Defensively, middle

linebacker ChristianVerrett will be countedon to lead a young frontseven in new defensivecoordinator Shane Kli-bert’s scheme. Upfront, end Jesseon Ban-nister, Gaille said, isone to keep an eye on.

“He’s somebody that Ibelieve can play hisway into being recruit-ed,” said Gaille. “Hebrings a lot of energyand has great growthpotential.”

The secondary is led

by returning startersLewis and cornerRoman Broden. Lewisis joined at safety byNarcisse, giving theteam a great deal ofathletic ability there.

The practices havebeen long and intense,led by a staff of formerWildcats (seven formerGaille players stalk thesidelines with himeach Friday night). SJHhas reached at least thestate semifinals ninetimes in the past 16 sea-

sons.But while the compet-

itive headman likelyhas an eye on the Domeagain, he’s keepingthings in perspectiveearly on.

“My main goal for usis for each player to beat his best, all of thetime,” said Gaille.“Whether you’re feel-ing good, bad, or indif-ferent. Be at your per-sonal best at each prac-tice, each game and foreach play.”

SJH Schedule


Aug. 27 Hahnville JamboreeSept. 3 at West St. JohnSept. 10 WWeessttggaatteeSept. 17 EEaasstt SStt.. JJoohhnnSept. 24 PPaatttteerrssoonnOct. 1 SSaallmmeennOct. 8 *at BruslyOct. 15 *LLiivvoonniiaaOct. 22 *PPoorrtt AAlllleennOct. 29 *at PlaquemineNov. 5 KKaarrrr


FROM PAGE 26

ST. JAMES: QBs compete entering season

“You can just explode out the backfield.The defense is going one way andyou’re running to the opposite side.”

-St. James RB Kenneth Armant on the Wing-T

Coach: Rick Gaille(18 years)

Record at school: 165-65


2009 Record: 4-8 (Co-champi-

on in District , 8-3A

lost in regional)

District opponents: Brusly,

Livonia, Port Allen, Plaquemine

Offense: Wing-T

Defense: 4-3

St. James


Destrehan Wildcats


Chris Stroud canrelate these days to thephrase “a tough act tofollow.”

The former Destre-han defensive coordi-nator and new headcoach officially steppedinto the shoes of for-mer head man StephenRobicheaux this sum-mer after Robicheauxhas promoted to theposition of St. CharlesParish’s coordinator ofsecurity, safety andemergency prepared-ness.

Robicheaux built alegacy at the school,winning back-to-back

Class 5A state champi-onships in 2007 and2008 and leading histeam to an undefeatedrecord in that span.

But Stroud played abig role in the successof those undefeatedteams. In particular,the 2008 championshipwas won on the back ofthe Wildcat defense,including the team’s 14-3 championship gamevictory over WestMonroe in the Super-dome.

How’s the adjustmentcoming?

“The biggest differ-ence has been handlingall of the phone calls,”said Stroud. “But foot-ball operations have

run pretty much thesame. I’m lucky to havea good staff here thattakes a lot of the loadoff of me.”

Stroud inherits ateam coming off of asomewhat disappoint-ing season. After theback-to-back titles,Destrehan lost its firstgame in over two yearsearly last season, andfinished its season 5-6,with a first round lossin the state playoffs toSt. Paul’s.

Stroud has 10 startersreturning, five on eachside of the line ofscrimmage. The big-gest change this sea-son, he says, is his teamunderstands that suc-

cess is not promised,even for a standout pro-gram like Destrehan.

“Last year’s team wasshell-shocked after los-ing early on,” saidStroud. “They knownow that Destrehan isnot invincible. Theyrealize now that youhave to take every gameas it comes, one at atime.”

Stroud’s defenselooks to return to thelevel it attained twoyears ago. That effortwill be led in part byTarquin Kenner, amajor Division I pros-pect that has wowedDHS observers at timesthis summer. A 5-foot-10, 240-pound line-

backer that boasts a4.58 40 yard dash time,it’s easy to see why hedraws so much atten-tion.

“He’s explosive. Hemakes some big, bighits and big plays,” saidStroud. “At the sametime, we want to seemore consistency out ofhim, see those playsmore often. But whenhe makes a play, youtend to notice it.”

The secondary seescornerback Josh Dew-ey return, and he too isa prospect to play at thenext level. Two promis-ing safeties comprisethe last line of defensein new starters SpencerBentley and Cardell

Campbell.The defensive line of

the Wildcats’ 3-4defense has also had afine summer, andStroud says it will be animproved unit this sea-son. Bryan Singletonand Marick Charlesreturn.

That unit’s ability tostep up is especiallyimportant to Stroud, ashe stresses stopping therun above all else.

“At the high schoollevel, you have to beable to stuff the runfirst and make thempass,” he said. “I wantto see 11 bodies flyingto the football.”

Stroud steps in to lead ‘Cats into ‘10

SEE DHS, PAGE 32

L ‘Observateur WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 25, 2010 31FOOTBALL 2010

DHS Schedule

Date Opponent

Aug. 27 Lutcher JamboreeSept. 3 Helen CoxSept. 10 ThibodauxSept. 17 KarrSept. 24 John EhretOct. 1 LutcherOct. 8 * DutchtownOct. 15 *at HahnvilleOct. 22 *East St. JohnOct. 29 *at East AscensionNov. 5 *St. Amant

Home games in Bold*District games

Offense

TE – Damon Robert - Sr.

WR – De’Ante Armstrong - Sr.

WR – Rickey Jefferson - So.

OT – Ethan Hutson - Sr.

OG – Matt Gifford - Sr.

C – Dustin Trahan - Sr.

OG – Ladell Willis - Jr.

OT - Hunter Haynes - Sr.

QB - Taylor Dunn - Sr.

RB – Kevin Smith - Jr.

RB – Mark Trudeaux - Jr.

Defense

DE – Bryan Singleton - Jr.

DT – Marick Charles - Jr

DE – Chad Dezare - Sr.

LB – Frederick Jackson - Sr.

LB – T.J. Chopin - Jr.

LB – Zach Agurcia - Jr.

LB – Tarquin Kenner - Sr.

CB – Josh Dewey - Sr.

CB – Aaron Washington - Sr.

FS – Spencer Bentley - Jr.

SS – Cardell Campbell - Sr.

Wildcats Projected St a rt e r s

Coach: Chris Stroud (first year)

Record at School (0-0)

Career Record: 0-0

2009 Record: 5-6 (third, District

6-5A, lost in first round)

District opponents: East St.

John, Hahnville, Dutchtown,

East Ascension, St. Amant

Offense: Spread

Defense: 3-4

Destrehan


DE’ANTE ARMSTRONGTAYLOR DUNN TARQUIN KENNER

ETHAN HUTSONJOSH DEWEY CHRIS STROUD

The offensive side ofthe football could seesome explosive nightsthis season, led by fourplayers with collegiatepotential: quarterbackTaylor Dunn, widereceiver De’Ante Arm-strong, center EthanHutson and guard MattGifford.

Dunn had a finespring, capped by astrong performance inthe team’s spring gameagainst H.L. Bourgeoisin which he completed10 of 11 passes. Stroudsaid that the team’s pre-season scrimmage aga-inst 4A power Salmenrepresented a tough dayat times for the offense,but he has little doubtthat Dunn is ready tolead this team.

“I feel very good about

his progress. Overall,he had a great summer… he’s shown fine lead-ership ability andcomes off of a good sea-son a year ago.”

His top target shouldbe Armstrong. The 5-foot-9, 150-pound targetis a sure bet to providethe team an exceptionaldeep threat. TalentedRicky Jefferson willline up across fromhim, giving Dunnoptions to pick defensesapart with.

While the backfield iscomprised of newcom-ers in Kevin Smith andMark Trudeau, an expe-rienced offensive linewill open holes forthem. Hutson andGifford lead a line thatboasts all upperclass-men, four seniors and ajunior.

The schedule, as

always, is a killer, withfive tough pre-districtmatchups leading intoDistrict 6-5A play.Stroud knows 6-5A pro-mises another rough-and-tumble fight.

But as per what heexpects from his team,he’s not looking tothose games yet. Atleast, not publicly.

It’s all about the nextgame, and in this case,it’s a jamboree clashwith Lutcher, a teamthat swept DHS in jam-boree and regular sea-son games last season.

“That game is whatwill tell us where we’reat,” Stroud said.

“It’s up to us to teachthese kids to focus.We’ve got a lot of toughgames to look forwardto. But now, it’s allabout Lutcher and thejamboree.”

FROM PAGE 30

DHS: Offense may be explosive

“At the high school level, you have to be able to stuffthe run first and make them pass. I want to see

11 bodies flying to the football.”

-DHS coach Chris Stroud


Hahnville Tigers


The more thingschange, the morethings stay the same.

Unless you’reHahnville, that is. Forthe Tigers, repeating asDistrict 6-5A championwill require a whole lotof changes to result inthe same end result.

The Tigers rolledthrough the rough-and-tumble district last sea-son, boasting the mostexperienced and bal-anced team of the six 6-5A contenders.

But the script hasflipped this season.Hahnville brings back11 starters from last

season, putting it onpar with or behindother top contenderswithin the district.

“I don’t know how topick this district,”Valdin said. “East St.John’s got the best foot-ball player in theleague back inD’haquille Williams.Dutchtown’s got every-one back. Destrehan’sbringing almost theentire defense back.And East Ascension, St.Amant … each mightbe bringing back thebest team those coacheshave had. I think theywere behind in this dis-trict when we started.But I think they’vecaught up now.

“I think it’s the mostevenly matched itsbeen.”

The Tigers will notonly boast new faces onthe field but a shiftedphilosophy on bothsides of the ball: biggeris better.

Lately, Valdin and hisstaff have sacrificedsize for improved speedand quickness in thetrenches.

But after a 24-7 loss toRummel in which quar-terback BrianEnsminger was sackedeight times, Valdin re-evaluated his plan ofattack.

“We were real goodup front most of theyear, but I think we

wore down at the end,”said Valdin. “We gotpushed around in theplayoffs a little bit byLaGrange, by Rummel.We wanted to concen-trate on getting biggeron both lines.”

The offensive line isanchored by tackleAlvin Kelly, who standsat 6 foot 3, 265 pounds.

The defensive line,meanwhile, could be abrick wall if all play totheir potential. EricSimpson (6 foot 4, 290)and Jordan Thompson(6 foot 3, 285) are bothstrong collegeprospects.

The linebackers,Valdin estimated, willbe the strength of the

defense and perhapsthe team as a whole,with two players enter-ing their third seasonas starters. Seniors BenTaylor, TrevallDunmiles and BrodyBourg form an impos-ing trio.

“Ben Taylor was 170pounds last year, nowhe’s 190,” said Valdin.“Dunmiles is 220.Bourg is a little bigger,and he’s like a coach onthe field. They’re big-ger but just as impor-tantly, our being biggerup front is going to givethese guys morechances to make playsall over the field.”

The secondary isinexperienced, but

Valdin believes theteam has the in-housereplacements to handlethe job.

The offensive side ofthe ball will see a majorpassing of the torch,from graduated tail-back Alfred Blue toreturning quarterbackBrian Ensminger.Ensminger comes off aseason in which hepassed for 2,027 yards,25 touchdowns and fiveinterceptions, whilecompleting 65 percentof all his throws. ButValdin said he will haveeven more on his platethis fall.

“Last year, Alfred

Tigers look to ‘bigger,’ better 2010

SEE TIGERS, PAGE 34


TREVAL DUNMILESBRIAN ENSMINGER BEN TAYLOR

ALVIN KELLYDEREK HOWARD LOU VALDIN

Blue was the man. Thisyear, he has to be theman,” said Valdin. “Wecame out running lastseason until peoplecame up to stop it, thenwe took advantage onthe outside. This year,we’re getting off thebus throwing the ball.When we get people outof the box, we’ll run it.”

Ensminger is a highlyrecruited prospect andthe nephew of formerLSU quarterback andcurrent LSU tight endscoach Steve Ensminger.

“Brian will be able tocall plays at the line.We’re basically makinghim the coach on thefield,” Valdin said.“He’s real smart. He’sbeen a football playerhis entire life.”

Ahmad White willhandle the majority ofrushing duties for theTigers.

Charged with replac-ing 2009 top receiverJames Butler will beDerek Howard. Acrossfrom him will beDontrell Strickland.

“Howard will be ourgo-to guy. He’s our

biggest and strongestout there,” said Valdin.“He and Strickland hada lot of catches lastyear.”

So Hahnville willhave a much differentlook in 2010. Fans don’twant to see everythingchange — paintinganother district cham-pionship acknowledge-ment on the field housewall would be a wel-come sight.

But if the changesalso extend the Tigers’season into deepDecember, few inBoutte would mind.

FROM PAGE 33

TIGERS: Ensminger to carry load

Coach: Lou Valdin

(11 years)

Record at School (107-28)


2009 Record: 11-2 (first,

District 6-5A, lost in

quarterfinals)

District opponents:

East St. John, Destrehan,

Dutchtown,

East Ascension,

St. Amant

Offense: Multiple

Defense: Double Eagle Flex

Hahnville


HHS Schedule


Aug. 27 St. James JamboreeSept. 3 JJoohhnn EEhhrreettSept. 10 RReeeeddSept. 17 at LutcherSept. 24 OO..PP.. WWaallkkeerrOct. 1 VVaannddeebbiilltt CCaatthhoolliiccOct. 8 *at East. AscensionOct. 15 **DDeessttrreehhaannOct. 22 *at DutchtownOct. 29 *SStt.. AAmmaannttNov. 5 *at East St. John


Offense

QB – Brian Ensminger - Sr.

RB – Ahmad White - Sr.

RB – Mike Ford - Jr.

WR – Derek Howard - Sr.

WR – Dontrell Strickland - Sr.

TE – Cody Morales - So.

OT – Alvin Kelly - Sr.

OG – Cole Walker - Sr.

C – Alex Brown - Sr.

OG – Thomas Jones - Jr.

OT – James Diggs - So.

Defense

DL – Jontrell Lockett - Sr.

DL – Jordon Thompson - Sr.

DL – Eric Simpson - Sr.

DL – Jamon Lathers - Jr.

LB – Ben Taylor - Sr.

LB – Brody Bourg - Sr.

LB – Trevall Dunmiles - Sr.

LB – Lynzell Rhodes - Sr.

DB – Jerqwinick Sandolph - Jr.

DB – Sergio Medina - So.

DB – Tyren Hills - Jr.

Tigers Projected Starters

“Last year, Alfred Blue was the man. Thisyear, (Brian Ensminger) has to be the man.”

-HHS coach Lou Valdin on senior quarterback Brian Ensminger


LSU Tigers

BATON ROUGE - The LSU offensehad a big day on Thursday as quar-terbacks Jordan Jefferson andJarrett Lee guided the Tigers on sev-eral scoring drives during the 100-plus play scrimmage in TigerStadium.

The scrimmage was scripted andfeatured mainly redzone and tightzone situations for both the offenseand defense. The Tigers closed thescrimmage with the two-minute drillas well as putting the offense in sev-eral other last-minute scenarios inwhich they needed points to win thegame.

"We had a 100-play-plus scrimmageand the first, second and third teamsall got snaps," LSU coach Les Milessaid. "It was an offensive day. Thequarterbacks played well. They hitpasses and the receivers did a nicejob of catching the ball. We reallyenjoyed the fact that the offensemade improvement.

"The defense certainly was aroundthe ball and played very hard. Thefirst defense played better than thesecond unit. This was a very physicalscrimmage, but it's what we needed.We'll go back and look at this film andsee what we need to do to improve.We played hard and we are makingprogress but there are some thingsthat we have to correct."

Offensively, quarterbacks Jeffersonand Lee combined to complete 22 of40 passes for 275 yards and five touch-downs. In all, a total of nine offensivetouchdowns were scored. All but twoof the touchdowns came on drives ofless than 40 yards.

"We're in the tight zone, red zonefor the most of the day," Miles said. "Ithink our longest drive had theopportunity to go 70 yards for oneseries. We kind of looked at specificcoverages and some of the situationsthat surround red zone and tightzone."

The longest scoring drive during

the scrimmage came during the 2-minute portion of the workout whenJefferson directed the offense on a 4-play, 65-yard drive. The drive wascapped when Terrence Toliver madea leaping catch over Patrick Petersonin the endzone for a 37-yard touch-down.

"I felt like Jordan made all thechecks and hit some passes," Milessaid. "I thought Jarrett Lee threwwell and again, did some things thathe really needed to do. TerrenceToliver had a big reception for atouchdown"

Toliver paced the receivers with 93yards on three catches, includingreceptions for 46 and 38 yards.

Murphy led all rushers with 61yards on six carries, including touch-down runs of 23 and 20 yards.Murphy also added a four-yard TDrun during a goalline portion of thescrimmage.

Michael Ford added 52 yards onseven attempts, including a 28-yardburst, while Stevan Ridley chipped inwith 32 yards and one touchdown oneight carries.

"(Stevan) Ridley ran the ball welland Richard Murphy had a big day,"Miles said. "These guys are gettingeight to 10 carries per scrimmageand I like what they are doing whenthey are getting their opportunity."

Defensively, the Tigers forced a pairof turnovers with safety CraigLoston and cornerback Ron Brookseach intercepting a pass. Lostonadded six tackles and a sack to havethe most productive day on the defen-sive side of the ball for the Tigers.

"Craig Loston played very well,"Miles said. "He made a couple oftackles that appeared to me to be inthe center of the field, and the con-tact appeared to be pretty significant.

"Ken Adams at the one end and'KeKe' Mingo had a couple of tacklesbehind the line. The defense playedwell."

LSU finishes second scrimmage, preps for UNCL

LSU quarterbackJordan Jeffersonuncorks a passduring an LSUscrimmage lastweek. (Photo andstory fromLSUsports.net)

Sept 4 vs. UNC (Atlanta)Sept. 11 at VandebiltSept. 18 Miss. St.Sept. 25 West VirginiaOct. 2 TennesseeOct. 9 at Florida

Oct. 16 McNeese St.Oct. 23 @ AuburnNov. 6 AlabamaNov. 13 ULMNov. 20 Ole MissNov. 27 @ Arkansas

LSU Schedule 2010


Tulane Green Wave

Sept. 2 Southeastern

Sept. 11 Ole Miss

Sept. 25 at Houston

Oct. 2 at Rutgers

Oct. 9 Army

Oct. 16 at Tulsa

Oct. 23 at UTEP

Oct. 30 SMU

Nov. 6 Southern Miss

Nov. 13 Rice

Nov. 20 UCF

Nov. 27 at Marshall

Tulane Schedule 2010

NEW ORLEANS - The Green Wave offense rolledup 267 total yards and the defense had four sacksamong 13 tackles for loss as the Tulane Universityfootball team wrapped up fall camp with an 85-playscrimmage Saturday afternoon at the WestfeldtPractice Facility.

After holding special teams meetings in themorning and having position meetings afterlunch, the 2010 team hit the field at 3:20 p.m. for abrief practice session before going full boar intothe scrimmage. In addition to the offense vs.defense portion, the Green Wave once again put aheavy focus on special teams with PAT/field goaldrills, return game and punting situations sprin-kled throughout the day.

"I thought we did some good things on both sidesof the ball," Tulane head football coach Bob Toledosaid. "Everybody got their final chance to showwhat they can do so we can evaluate them. We dida lot of our kicking game. There were a lot ofplusses that happened today.”

"Starting Monday, we'll begin game planning.The guys who are going to play will start gettingtheir reps and the guys who are not going to playwill be on the scout teams. We have to move every-thing up a couple of days (due to the Thursdaygame against Southeastern Louisiana to open theyear), but I think it's good because it's Labor Dayweekend. Our students will hopefully stay andcome to the game along with fans, boosters andalums.”

The Tulane offense came roaring out of the gatesas sophomore quarterback Ryan Griffin led theteam on a 12-play, 60-yard drive which was cappedby a four-yard touchdown jaunt by junior runningback Albert Williams. After sitting on the sidelinewhile the No. 2 and No. 3 offense took their respec-

tive turns, the No. 1 unit added a potential scoringdrive that went 52 plays down to the 18-yard linebefore Toledo and his staff called for a new driveto begin.

But while the offense took center stage early on,it was the Green Wave defense that stole the spot-light late as it held the offense to just a pair of fieldgoals in four red-zone possessions to end the day.Thirteen of the team's 63 tackles were behind theline of scrimmage as junior defensive end DezmanMoses along with sophomore corners AlexLauricella and Ryan Travis had two tackles forloss each.

Travis and sophomore safety Devon Walker tiedfor team-high tackle honors with six apiece whilejunior Taylor Echols was next with five. Seniordefensive tackles Oscar Ponce de Leon and JoshSmith along with sophomore linebacker DarrylFarley and freshman defense end WendellBeckwith each had a sack to add to the defense'soverall effort. Smith capped the afternoon with afumble recovery to give his defensive mates anextra bounce in their steps as the unit headed forthe locker room.

Offensively, the Wave ran for 136 yards and twotouchdowns on 38 carries and a quartet of quar-terbacks combined to complete 21-of-40 passes for131 yards. Carlos Wilson ran for a team-best 44yards on five carries, including a 32-yard touch-down.

Griffin led a modest passing attack, completing8-of-14 tosses for 57 yards while senior KevinMoore was 10-of-19 for 56 yards. Freshman WilsonVan Hooser paced the aerial game with five grabsfor 30 yards while senior and former SCCstandoutCasey Robottom added four receptionsfor 29 yards.

Tulane offense roars in final scrimmage

Sophomore wide receiver D.J. Banks had threecatches for 40 yards and a touchdown inWednesday afternoon's scrimmage at the LouisianaSuperdome. (Photo and story from tulanegreen-wave.com)


New Orleans SaintsNEW ORLEANS — No confetti

floated down from the Superdomeceiling this time.

But the New Orleans Saints sureshowed signs of the high-poweredoffense that helped them win big lastseason in their first home game sincethe NFC championship.

The Saints held the football for 40minutes, ran 75 offensive plays andrushed for 198 yards in a 38-20 victoryover the Houston Texans on Saturdaynight.

“It’s really important that all phas-es of our offense are intact,” saidReggie Bush, who rushed for 49 yardsand a touchdown. “We really tried togo out there and just establish a solidrunning game and be fast and physi-cal.”

Drew Brees, who played for onlyone quarter, led New Orleans to twotouchdowns — handing off to Bushfor a 9-yard score and leaping overcenter for a 1-yard TD that put NewOrleans up 14-0.

There was not much of a dropoffwhen Chase Daniel took over in thesecond quarter. The Saints outgainedHouston 409 yards to 291 and had thefootball for 40 minutes.

“We all have to take responsibilityfor what happened out theretonight,” Houston defensive endMario Williams said. “Even thoughit’s only preseason we have no excusefor all the points they put up early.

Brees completed five of 10 passesfor 36 yards for the defending SuperBowl champs.

Daniel worked the last three quar-ters and completed 15 of 21 passes for182 yards and three touchdowns. Hewas intercepted once.

“I was able to go in there and playand do the best I could,” Daniel said.“I didn’t really look over my shoulderas I have in the past.”

Houston quarterback Matt Schaubwas 8 of 10 for 117 yards. DanOrlovsky was 12 of 19 for 140 yardsand a touchdown.

The Texans did little to sort outtheir running back situation. ArianFoster started Saturday’s game, andhad six carries for 28 yards and atouchdown, but lost a fumble in thesecond quarter.

“There was no balance,” coachGary Kubiak said. “I thought Arianhad a couple of nice runs, but he hasto hang on to the football.”

The Saints got help from theTexans’ turnovers. Houston lost twoof three fumbles. Trindon Holiday’smuffed catch of a first-quarter puntset up the Saints’ second touchdown.

Steve Slaton — Foster’s main chal-lenger for the starting spot — ranfive times for 19 yards. Slaton alsohad two kick returns for 88 yards,including one for 68 yards.

“I don’t think we have to panic,”Schaub said. “We still have two morepreseason games to go and I feel wewill be ready for the beginning of theseason.”

The Saints ran for 198 yards,including 66 by rookie Chris Ivory.

Kris Brown has been the Texans’kicker since the franchise began.This year he’s competing with NeilRackers. Kubiak said performance inthe preseason games will settle thecompetition.

Against the Saints, Rackers kickeda 52-yard field goal, and Brown hit a43-yarder.

Reggie Bush made an impact in Thursday night’s preseason game against theTexans. (photo via neworleanssaints.com)

Sept. 9 MinnesotaSept. 20 at SFSept 26 AtlantaOct. 3 Carolina

Oct. 10 at ArizonaOct. 17 at Tampa Bay

Oct. 24 ClevelandOct. 31 Pittsburgh

Nov. 7 at CarolinaNov. 14 BYE

Nov. 21 SeattleNov. 25 at Dallas

Dec. 5 at CincinattiDec. 12 St. Louis

Dec. 19 at BaltimoreDec. 27 at Atlanra

Jan 2 Tampa

Saints Schedule 2010

2010 football tab

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