Sacred Heart hopes to get back on track

What looked like a promising season after the first four games for the Sacred Heart Trojans has become a nightmare in terms of injuries. The Trojans were 2-2 after those first four games and were starting to gel as a team.
However, the last four teams that Sacred Heart has faced have not been kind to the Trojans, as they continue to count the number of players being placed on the injured reserve list. Sacred Heart, as a result of four straight losses, is now 2-6 on the season and 1-4 in district play.
“Losing a number of starters, especially seniors, to injury has been really tough on us,” said Trojan head coach Josh Harper. “Having that many seniors go down hurts. They all brought a tremendous amount of leadership on the field.
They are still leading, but it is not the same as if they would be on the field playing.”
Granted, the Trojans reside in arguably the toughest district in the state, including all classes. This fact and the inconsistency on offense have all contributed to the slide Sacred Heart has taken in the middle part of the season.
“We have lost five starting offensive linemen, three of those seniors, this year,” stated Harper. “That really messes with the continuity of the offense. It makes it tough to be consistent like we were at the beginning of the season.”
Sacred Heart’s next opponent, the Catholic of New Iberia Panthers, will be another huge test for the Trojans. The Panthers are no strangers to success in the last few years. Catholic has been in the playoffs the last seven years in a row, including two semi-final appearances and a Division III state-runner up trophy in 2014.
“Teams like Catholic win consistently because of a great foundation,” commented Harper. “No matter if they have bad games, they know how to win because of the tradition they have. They are coming off of a tough game against O.C., but you know they will be ready to play.”
Catholic comes into the contest with an overall record of 6-2 and a perfect 5-0 district record. The Panthers average 38 points per game on offense and give up 15.8 points per game on defense.
“I just want our kids to come out and keep fighting,” said Harper. “We have to be able to control the ball and keep it away from their offense. If we can stay positive, and return to the offensive output we had at the start of the season, anything can happen.”