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The next step

Sacred Heart attempts to build on last year’s big ‘mo

By: TRACEY
JAGNEAUX
Sports Editor

A 4-0 start in 2016 had the Sacred Heart Trojans thinking of a deep Divison III playoff run.
But, then reality hit once they made it to the heart of the district season. With the likes of Notre Dame, Loreauville and Catholic of New Iberia looming, the Trojans just did not have the fire power to sustain that win streak.
However, a huge win over Delcambe in the last game of the season gave Sacred Heart what it had desired all year long, a shot in the playoffs.
And, the Trojans did not blink in that game, even if they had to face the eventual state champion Riverside Academy. In that contest, Sacred Heart showed their true ‘Do or Die’ spirit and put a shock into the Rebels. After the game, Riverside knew that they had just witnessed on of the best displays of tenacity from an underdog they had seen in a while.
With that tremendous effort and the return of numerous starters from last gridiron season, head coach Josh Harper and the entire team are ready to take the next step. Helping out will be the move down to Class 1A, which means that the Trojans will face teams that for the most part will be in the same boat as them in terms of numbers.
“Expectations this year are very high,” stated Harper. “We can no longer use the excuse of being young. Our juniors and seniors have been through that tough Class 2A district. We are definitely battle tested. However, that does not make this Class 1A district any easier.”
One important factor in Sacred Heart’s success this season will be the fact that players have bought into Haper’s system and are hungry to get started on their quest for glory in 2017.
“Coming in here my first year, I knew that we had to get into the weight room and make ourselves stronger because of the competition we were getting ready to face,” said Harper. “This year we had 98% participation on any give day during the summer workouts. The kids put in the work in the weight room. I think we have 16 kids benching over 200 pounds.”
The Trojans will have an unusually small senior class with only five of their players holding that classification. However, Harper is still looking to them to bring a solid amount of leadership.
“We expecting those five guys to show the type of leadership that seniors should bring to the table,” commented Harper. “We also counting on the juniors to fill that role also. Most of these juniors played as freshman. It will definitely be a collaborative role for both classes.”
When Harper appeared on the scene as the head coach, he brought with him the single wing offense. That offensive mind set has been a staple the last two seasons, with the running game being the main focus. But, last year Sacred Heart began to open up the offense and utilized a four receiver set hoping to capitalize on the number of skill position players available.
After some success with that style, the Trojans are planning to add on to the spread and throw the ball more than they have. Starting in the spring, Sacred Heart has really focused on getting the ball into the hands of their play makers.
“In the spring, we ran mostly spread offense,” said Harper. “But, we were very basic and vanilla in what we did. Returning our quarterback this year and our skill guys, we are beginning to add on to that package. Don’t get me wrong, we still have the single wing in our back pocket, but we are looking to spread it out more and help out our offensive line.”
Returning eight starters or partial starters on offense, Sacred Heart hopes to repeat the success they had last year moving the ball.
Junior quarterback Wesley Launey will be back under center to lead the offensive unit. Also returning in the backfield will be the Parish MVP from 2016, JT Harper. Joining him at running back or in the slot, depending on the offensive set is Alex Gotro. Returning at fullback is Garrett Fontenot.
At the wide out positions will be Nick Perry and Drew Bordelon. Perry will also move to the tight end position in the single wing.
The only true returning starter up front will be center Gaige Thille, while Sam Gil will take over at guard. Gil was a starter for the latter part of last season.
“With basically four new starters on the offensive line, it will be a question of how much they gel,” stated Harper. “So far things have been going smooth. We need those big guys to learn how to play with each other and communicate so that our blocking schemes flow without hesitation.”
Defensively, the Trojans have just about everyone back with the exception of their two cornerbacks. Making their defensive return are Andrew Parrott, Jacob Castille, Nick Perry, Garrett Fontenot, Cade Manuel, Alec Gotro and JT Harper.
Sacred Heart will be in their usual 5-2 defensive front. The main difference this season, however, will be the coverage used.
“Most of the teams we play this year are run heavy teams, especially in our district,” said Harper. “Normally we like to run a Cover 2 look in the secondary, but we will play more man when we take on teams that rely on their running game. Our goal is to load the box and give as much support to our guys up front.”
With a number of returning talented players back for the blue and gold, Sacred Heart seems to have the 2017 season in their sights.

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