New faces guide parish gridiron teams

New football seasons usually bring changes. No one expected that all five parish high schools would have one major change in common. For probably the first time in Evangeline Parish gridiron history, every high school football program will have new head coaches. The recent additions to each program bring a variety of experience and philosophies. However, one thing that all of these men have in common is a love of the game and a desire to be role models for the athletes they coach.
Out of the group that has taken over the helm at their respective schools, four have at least 20 years of coaching experience. Three of the five have played college football and three have had head coaching experience prior to their new assignments. One exciting aspect for two of the gridiron group is that they are now the head coach at their alma mater. Coach Jorie Randle (Ville Platte High) and Coach Kevin Bertrand (Basile High) are getting to do what a lot of head coaches wish they could do: coach at the high school that they graduated from.
“Being the head coach at your alma mater is something I hoped would happen,” stated Randle. “It allows me to give something back to the place where I earned my education. I can tell the players my story and show them anything is possible. It’s important to help those that are less fortunate than I was.” Randle is in his seventh year of coaching, his first as a head coach. After graduating from Ville Platte High, Randall attended McNeese State University. He graduated from McNeese in 2007 and went to work for Enterprise Rental. “I wanted to be in the coaching profession, but did not have the opportunity to do that right out of college,” said Randle. It wasn’t until a call from Brian Deville, then head coach at Pine Prairie, that Randle was able to enter the coaching profession. Randle spent two years at Pine Prairie before bringing his skills to Mamou. The last two years Randle’s job has been as the defensive coordinator at Ville Platte High. “There is a big difference between being an assistant coach and a head coach,” exclaimed Randle. “As a head coach you have so many more things to worry about. You can’t just worry about game planning. There are a million other aspects that you are responsible for. It is very important that you have good assistant coaches.” Randle is the father of one son named Jorien.
Coach Bertrand is also fortunate enough this year to be named the head coach at his alma mater Basile High School. “I am truly honored to be back,” Bertrand said emphatically. “It is my home. It is where my family lives and where I was molded. For the first time in my 20 years of coaching, I am back home. It really is a great feeling.” Bertrand’s college years were spent at McNeese State University, where he graduated in 1995. His coaching journey began in Jennings, where he spent one year under well known head coach Rusty Phelps. After assistant coaching stints at Oberlin, Central Catholic of Morgan City, Kinder, Oakdale and Iowa, Bertrand was named head coach at Elton High School. He remained at Elton for two years before moving back to Kinder and then Jennings as an assistant. Now he takes his vast experience to Basile as the new head coach. Bertrand is the father of two girls (ages 16 and 12) and one 8 year old son. His is married to Page Bertrand.
Having college playing experience is always a plus when you are trying to get young athletes to understand the great game of football. Three of the parish’s new head coaches have been blessed with the ability to show off their skills on the collegiate level. Yves Prince, head coach at Pine Prairie High School, had the great fortune of playing for one of the greatest college coaches in history; Eddie Robinson. “Anyone who played for Coach Robinson was not only prepared for the football field but more importantly they were prepared for life,” stated an adamant Prince. “Coach made sure we graduated and we were ready for the real world. He also imparted on us that one day we would be parents and how important it was that we understood what fatherhood was about. I think about his influence on my life all of the time.” Prince had been married for 25 years to Tara Prince and has four boys and one girl. He played high school football at his alma mater Opelousas Catholic High School. Prince went on to play outside linebacker for four years at Grambling and graduated in 1981 from that institution. After college, Prince coached at Opelousas Catholic for five years before moving on to Opelousas High School. A two year stint at Opelousas High was followed by positions at North Central High School and Northwest High School. Prince spent 20 years at Northwest before moving to Pine Prairie where he has spent the last two years as an assistant. He is now in his 31st year of coaching.
Coach Brian Brumfield also brings college playing experience to the table as a coach. The newly appointed Mamou High School skipper played collegiately at McNeese State University after graduating from Jewel Sumner High School in Kentwood, Louisiana. The four year starter at defensive back for the Cowboys echoed Prince’s sentiments. “Bobby Keesler was the head coach at McNeese when I played. He would say there is only one way to the top and that was the hard way. Being a college athlete teaches you discipline. You have to grow up in a hurry and learn to be on your own. As tough as it was to be a student-athlete, it was the best time of my life.” After graduating from McNeese, Brumfield began his coaching career at Jennings High School, were he spent three years. He then left Jennings for Oakdale High School and spent the next 14 years as a Warrior assistant. Brumfield has been in Mamou for the last two years pulling double duty as an assistant principal and coach. This will be his first year as a head coach and his 20th year overall. Brumfield is married to Shawn Brumfield and has three boys and one girl.
Also bringing collegiate playing time along with an expansive coaching resume is new Sacred Heart High School Head Football Coach Gary Adkins. Adkins played two years at Louisiana Tech University after graduating from Haynesville High School. His last two years of college were spent at Northeast Louisiana University (now known as University of Louisiana-Monroe) were he graduated in 1982. Adkins has 28 years of head coaching experience at different schools throughout the state. His first head coaching job, at False River Academy, lasted two years. He then became the first head coach at St. Michaels, leaving to take the same position at Port Allen High School. After a stint at White Castle High School, Adkins moved on to Donaldsonville and then to St. Martinville High School. He recently was the head coach at Oak Grove High School until being named as head coach of the Trojans. “The Sacred Heart family has been tremendous,” stated Adkins. “Everyone connected to the school has made me feel welcome. The players are really good kids. It has been a joy to work with them so far. They have welcomed my staff and me. Hopefully that will translate into a good season.”
All five of the newly appointed gridiron commanders have something in common when it comes to their choice of profession. They all cite playing the game as the driving force behind the decision to become coaches. “The love for athletics was a major reason why I chose to become a coach,” said Bertrand. “I knew this is what I wanted to do.” Randle added, “After playing in high school, I stayed interested in the game. Learning the game in detail and the coaching strategies that play into the game was a big part of why I wanted to get into the profession.” Adkins agreed, saying “I knew from a young age I wanted to coach. Playing high school football at a great program like the one at Haynesville just solidified my desire to coach.”
As most people know a big part of staying in a particular profession is having a mentor, or mentors, guiding and encouraging them step by step throughout the journey. This is no exception for all five of the parish coaches who don the general’s cap this year. “For me, playing for a legend like Alton “Red” Franklin, was very influential in how I perceived coaching to be,” stated Adkins. “The way he treated his players was something I wanted to emulate. He was a good Christian man and gave me the love for the game. I also learned a lot as an assistant to Jim Hightower. Coach Hightower taught me how to be a good role model and he showed me how to attack the intangibles of the game.” Kevin Bertrand pointed to Rusty Phelps and his brother Tony Bertrand as two people who influenced him the most. “Rusty showed me the everyday aspects of the coaching profession. This was important later on for me when I was named head coach at Elton. My brother, Tony, gave me a love for education and influenced me to get into the teaching profession,” said Bertrand. Randle gave his former high school coach and his mother the credit for influencing him the most. “Roy Serie was a big part of encouraging me to be a coach. We stayed in touch after high school and he would talk to me about how satisfying the job was. On top of that, my mom was in the educational system and I saw that being in education was more than being a teacher.”
Sometimes teachers are part of the influence to become an educator. “Besides my college coaches, the two people who made an impact on me to become and educator were Mrs. Brandon and Mrs. Lewis. They were my high school math teachers. Both of these ladies encouraged me to continue my love for math,” stated Brumfield. Prince, besides having the legendary Robinson as a mentor, also enjoyed the privilege of having two high school coaching legends guiding him as a young coach. “Mickey Mills and Johnny Bourque were very important in my early coaching career. They both taught me how to stay positive no matter the situation. Their leadership helped form my coaching philosophy,” commented Prince.
From what is known about these men, it looks like the football programs in Evangeline Parish are in good hands. Hopefully the experience and success that all five head coaches have been blessed with will translate into winning seasons. One thing is for sure, Evangeline Parish football will be one of the most competitive in the state.