Mamou High: Green Demons Look to Take Large Strides in 2015

By: NICK JAGNEAUX
Staff Reporter

Despite losing a slew of experience, Mamou Green Demon head football coach Brian Brumfield is remaining optimistic for the upcoming season.
“We expect to have a good year, even though we lost about 14 seniors,” the second-year coach said recently. “We’re very inexperienced, but we’ve got a positive attitude. And, we’re making progress.”
Last year, the Demons went 1-9, but Brumfield is confident that his team will improve on that mark. He’s counting on young talent that will grow into their positions and who will leave egos in the locker room.
“This team is working well together,” Brumfield explained. “There’s no arguing among each other at practice. Everybody knows the situation we’re in, and they’re all willing to step up and become a leader when the moment calls for it.”
His team will have its work cut out for it. Eight of Mamou’s ten opponents went to the playoffs last year, including all five of his District 4-2A opponents. Six of them won at least one game in the playoffs. One of them, Kinder, was the state champion in 2013 and state runner-up in 2014.
“This is a tough schedule,” Brumfield assessed. “It’s not going to be easy by far. But, if we can be consistent running the ball, we’ll have a chance.”
The Demons will try to add a little power running to their game this year, after playing a spread offense last season.
“We moved the ball well last year,” the Demon skipper said, “but we’ve got to be able to control the line of scrimmage and keep the ball on the ground in order to score.”
Helping to take control of the line of scrimmage, the Demons put in some quality work in the weight room for the off-season strengthening program.
“Our summer went really well. We’re a whole lot stronger than we were last year,” Brumfield said.
The strength and conditioning will be needed, as the Demons will have most of their players going both ways, including starting I-back and middle linebacker Joab Perron.
“Hopefully as the season goes, some kids will develop and be able to provide our regulars a breather,” Brumfield remarked. “It’s going to be rough at the beginning of the season, but we’ll develop and get better.”
Getting better: That’s the key goal of Brumfield’s mission this season.
“We’ve got to improve on last year’s performance,” he said. “We’re not going to win them all, but we’re setting our sights on a 5-5 or 6-4 season. We’re playing to be competitive in every game we’re in.”