Spring Football Q&A with Sacred Heart's Ellis Lahaye

With spring football under way this week and next, we spoke with Sacred Heart senior all-purpose player Ellis Lahaye on his thoughts about spring training and the areas that the Trojans need to work on before the fall season gets here.
Question: What is your feeling about getting back into the football mode?
Answer: It awesome. Our school is really a football school. When its time for football the whole school gets excited. The trainers are ready to get back out, the cheerleaders and dance line is practicing again and we get to come out and hit again.
Q: What do you think the team goals and your personal goal should coming into spring training?
A: The team goal should be to gain as much confidence as we can. If each day we gain a little more belief in the system, then I guess that is the main goal. Personally, it is to enjoy this spring since it is my last one. I love this sport and I want to relish every moment of this next season.
Q: Last year was a new system and you had to learn it on the fly. Is it easier this spring now that you have one year in with Coach Harper’s philosophy?
A: You can definitely tell that we have been able to play in the system for a year. We got a ton of experience last year, especially on the offensive line. Everything so far is running smoothly. We know what is expected of us and we can now hold each other accountable. There are very few questions to be answered anymore.
Q: What do you think the team needs to work on defensively this spring so you are better prepared in the fall?
A: I guess know our roles better. Every defense will miss tackles, every defense has missed assignments. So, we need to fix our techniques and make sure we know our assignments before we get on the field.
Q: What about offensively?
A: We need to be able to communicate better; especially on the offensive line. Last year, we were so focused on our individual assignment, we did not understand the whole concept of the offense. This year we need to know what each person’s assignment is so that we can talk to each other and make in game adjustments.
Q: How do you see your role as a leader on this team?
A: I am not really a big vocal leader, but I want to lead by example. I want the scout team to know that they can push the starters without fear of repercussions. I want everyone on the team to keep focused and have their head in the right direction.