Trojans open up district play; face Tigers Friday night

After steamrolling Houma Christian last week, Sacred Heart doesn’t have much time to rest on their laurels. Tomorrow evening, the Trojans host Jeanerette in the opening salvo of the 5-2A district slate.
Sacred Heart’s offense was almost perfect last week against the Warriors. Coach Josh Harper’s new single-wing formation racked up 390 yards on the ground. Importantly, the offense did not commit any fumbles or penalties.
“We’re finally clicking on offense,” Harper said. “Earlier this season, we made some mistakes, but we worked hard on correcting them. We played very disciplined, fundamental football.”
The 49-21 victory put Sacred Heart at 1-2 on the season, securing that very important first win of the season.
“Now, it’s important to build on that win,” Harper said, “and to continue to improve. We’ve got to get better every week from now to the end of the season.”
Jeanerette, meanwhile, is still looking for its first win. The Tigers are scoreless in their three losses; and their defense is giving up 41 points-per-game.
“This next game is huge for us, for both teams,” Harper assessed. “We’re playing in the toughest 2A district in the state. Getting off to a positive start in this district is so important that it can’t be overstated.”
Harper said that the Tigers are inexperienced, but they have raw talent.
“They have big kids,” the first-year Trojan skipper said. “They’re mostly young, but they’re very athletic, and they’ve got good speed.
“We’re going to have to try to keep them contained and limit any big plays.”
Although the offense turned in a near-perfect game last week, Harper said the Trojan defense is just a step behind in its development.
“Last week, I saw that our defense is just starting to get comfortable,” he explained. “We’re running a new defense, one that the kids are not accustomed to. We’re starting to get to the point that they know instinctively where to line up without thinking.”
Added to the difficulty of making the reads, the Tigers will be facing an offensive line that is starting to feel some confidence.
“The offensive line is starting to gel,” Harper explained. “They’re doing exactly what we’re asking them to do.”
Because Sacred Heart is a run-oriented team, Harper realizes that other defenses could try to shut down the Trojans by overloading the line of scrimmage.
“We’re not concerned about other teams stacking the box against us,” Harper said. “We do have a passing package to spread the ball out, and we can throw the ball a little bit.
Harper knows the importance of the upcoming game, and he’s happy to be able to play it at Soileau-Landry field.
“Playing at home is always big,” Harper said, “but having a home game to open up the district season is really big.
“We’ve got great fans who really support the team,” he finished. “Our kids live to play in front of family and friends, and I know that there will be a big crowd to cheer them on.”