2 Football Guide, August 28, 2014 -...

2 Football Guide, August 28, 2014

I CONTENTS___2 Athletes to watch as candidates to continue playing football at the next level.

4 Albany hits the road for an unusual season with only three home games on the schedule in 2014.

9 Denham Springs retools its offense while replacing numerous starters.

15 Walker starts another year with a fresh cast.

17 Springfield may open up offense more to contend in 2014.

6 Live Oak looks for a 4th quarter edge to return to the playoffs.

8 Livingston Parish high school football schedules week-by-week and team-by-team

Football 2014

PICTURED ON THE COVER IS LIVE OAK HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR QUARTERBACK MICHAEL CLAVERIE ARTICLES — SAM MUFFOLETTO, MCHUGH DAVIDCOVER — PHOTO DAVID NORMAND, DESIGN PAUL HATTON

ALBANY, DENHAM SPRINGS, LIVE OAK, SPRINGFIELD, WALKER PHOTOS — DAVID NORMAND

Advertisers Assessor Jeff Taylor; Marshal Jerry Denton; Gerard Landry; John Wascom; AT&T; Big Mike’s; Boyer, Hebert, Abels & Angelle; Dale Erdey; North Oaks Health System; Sherman Mack; Walker Family Dentistry; Walker Pharmacy

Playing ball after high school

By McHugh David The Livingston Parish News

Football is a team sport, pitting 11 men against each other every down in a battle for supremecy. However, that doesn't stop teams and fans alike from picking out in-dividual achievers who push their teams to the next level.

According to coaches around Liv-ingston Parish, there are a pleth-

ora of players to watch for from all schools this upcoming season, many of whom are being recruited to play at the collegiate level.

The big question there, as Den-

ham Springs Head Coach Dru Nettles would put it, is "do they want to go beyond high school?"

Albany Head Coach Blane West-moreland, now in his second year

at the helm of the Hornets, urges fans to look out for Danton Cun-ningham this upcoming year. According to Westmoreland, the 6'3", 175-pound Cunningham is in his first season playing for the Hornets but is already showing promise.

"The rangy receiver looks to be a force this fall," Westmoreland said. "Danton is a three sport star for the Hornets, competing in football, basketball, and track. Last year he qualified in both hurdles at the state track meet."

Cunningham also will start at free safety for the Hornets and is

WHO’S NEXT?

Cunningham Brooks White Stuart Wilson Claverie

Rogers Simoneaux

NEXT LEVEL PAGE 19

Love Rogers Carter Talbert

Parish athletes who may head

for the next level P

Football Guide, August 28, 2014 3


Albany gears up for season on the roadBy Sam Muffoletto

The Livingston Parish News

ALBANY — Even though Albany plays seven of its 10 regular-season games on the road this season, second-year head coach Blane Westmoreland is con-fident that his Hornets can create a lot of buzz away from the confines of Jesse Fletcher Stadium.

Albany is coming off a 3-7 season last year, but showed potential with a huge district-opening upset of Jewel Sumner, at the time a top 10 power in the state’s 3A ranks. The Hornets still finished 1-4 in District 8-3A.

The Hornets do have a good nucleus of nine returning starters in hopes of reversing last year’s misfortunes.

Albany will operate offensively in the run-oriented wing-T.

Sophomore Skylier Lehmann (5-10, 165) is a return-ing starting quarterback from last fall, while even though the Hornets haven’t been a heavy-passing team in the past, Westmoreland is hoping to put the ball in the air a bit more this season.

“We feel confident in our passing game and hope to throw a bit more than we did last year,” said West-moreland. “I feel with our height at receiver, we can

play pitch-and-catch. But then again, we may throw it more, but it’s going to all come down to how we run the football.”

The Hornets will have some good hands in senior returning starting wide receiver Alex Vallo (5-8, 150), along with fellow senior wide receiver Danton Cunningham (6-3, 190) and senior Dylan Kinchen (5-8, 170) at that wing-back/receiver position.

Both tight ends are sophomores, Tyler Albritton (5-10, 185) and Michael Guillot (6-0, 205).

Junior Randy Ingram (5-9, 175) lines up in the backfield at fullback, while sophomore Cheyenne Labruzzo (5-11, 175) and freshman Kamryn Mayes (5-8, 160) will battle for time at running back.

Albany did lose its offensive go-to guy from last year, Josh McClain, who collected nearly 700 yards

rushing, along with eight touchdowns.

Albany does have some experience on the offen-sive front with the likes of junior all-parish return-ees Connor Delacerde (5-10, 220) at left guard and senior all-parish standout Dustin Lavergne (5-11, 210) at right guard.

Lining up at right tackle will be junior Christian O’Hara (6-0, 235), while sophomore Devin Gonzales (5-9, 215) and freshman Jacob Stein (6-1, 255) battle for that left-tackle position.

Junior Jonathan Weedman (5-10, 220) returns as the starting center.

Lehmann LaBruzza Cunningham Kinchen Vallo Delacerde Weedman

ALBANY PAGE 5


“We’re young there (line), with four underclassmen,” said Westmoreland. “But they know what’s going on and that’s been real positive. We feel like we have the personnel there where we can run the ball.”

Dustin Lavergne will handle the punting chores, while sophomore Lu-cas Cleveland will likely handling all the kicking duties, from extra-points to kickoffs.

The punt and kickoff return special-ist will be Danton Cunningham and Mayers.

Defensively, the Hornets return four starters in their 4-2-5 package, two-way player Guillot at tackle, outside line-backers Ingram and Kinchen, along with secondary player Labruzzo, all of which play on offense as well.

Joining Guillot up front on the line will be sophomore Dylan Cunning-

ham (6-1, 205), along with Cleveland.Vincent Hart (5-10, 185) will line up

at end.Joining Ingram and Kinchen in

the linebacking corps will be inside-backers Luke Callahan (5-10, 160) and Nathan Harris (6-0, 215), both of whom are seniors.

Returning starter Labruzzo heads up the secondary at cornerback, along with senior Andrew Harris (6-1, 205).

Freshman Jule Rheams (5-11, 160) will line up at free safety, while sopho-more Simon Waguespack (5-10, 160) will rotate in at both cornerback and safety.

“We’re going to give multiple looks, but I feel like we have the quality guys there in the secondary to cover people,” said Westmoreland. “And we’ll have Cleveland to anchor our defensive line. I also feel good about the middle (linebackers) of our de-fense. We’ve gotten stronger, faster and

quicker.”The Hornets will once again have

non-district battles this season with Thomas Jefferson, Varnado, Chris-tian Life and Springfield, while their league slate remains with Sumner, Loranger, Bogalusa, Independence

and Amite.“We’ve got to get off to a fast start

to the season,” said Westmoreland. “We’re able to get after it, but we’re go-ing to have to play four quarters every ball game. But we, as coaches, feel confident that we can do that.”

DAVID NORMAND | THE NEWS

The 2014 Albany High School football team are pictured (front row, from left) Ben McClain, Devin Wells, Andrew Harris, Kamryn Mayers, Luke Callahan, Natianel Carroll, Ridge Ray, Skyler Ray and Trey Mathes. Second row are Garrett Freeman, Simon Wagespack, Danton Cunningham, Jewel Rheams, Dylan Kinchen, Randy Ingram, Randolph Skinner, Dylan Cunningham, Greg Hammond and Daniel Chester. Third row are Donovan Laiche, Justin Dufrene, Nipun Wadwha, Davonte Kelly, Vince Hart Jr., Caleb Woods, Allen Barrilleaux, Lucus Cleveland and Dustin Lavergne. Fourth row are Jordan Howze, Luke Centanni, Nick Centanni, Jonathan Weedman, Conor Delecerde, Lewis Watkins, Sam Middleton, Tyler Shelton and Dennis Moriarity. Top row are Bryant Wright, Christian O'Hara, Jacob Stine, Gerry Williams III, Devin Gonzalez, Tyler Albritton, Michael Guillot, Shayne Largent and Reshard Primas. Not pictured are Cheyenne LaBruzza, James Williams and Alex Vallo.


The 2014 Albany High School coaching staff are (front row, from left) John Legoria; Haskell Dyer; Blane Westmoreland, head coach; Ray Thomas and Colby McDonald. Standing are Stephen Prescott, Bill Reidy, Chris Carter, Louis Sansovich and Paul Smith.

Albany is young up frontFrom 4


Live Oak zeroes in on finishingBy Sam Muffoletto


WATSON — “Our Time.”That’s the motto for Live Oak

this season.Third-year head coach Barry

“Tut” Musemeche has narrowed “that time” to the final 12 min-utes, because that’s where the Eagles tended to stumble last year.

“We have to be competitive in the fourth quarter,” said Musem-eche. “I feel like we have the capa-bility of doing some good things if we can narrow that margin of error.”

Live Oak, which dropped three district games by eight or less points, finished 1-5 in District 4-5A and 4-6 overall. The Eagles did not make the playoffs.

“We emphasize that our team motto is ‘It’s Our Time,’” said

Musemeche. “There are no ex-cuses now.”

Coach Musemeche has the luxury of returning eight of his 11 offensive starters from a year ago, including a much-healthier Mi-chael Claverie at quarterback this season. The 6-foot-1, 187-pound signal-caller, who is a three-year starter, began last season in street clothes for two weeks with a virus.

Claverie even played with an injury the entire baseball season, even though he was a key in the Eagles making it all the way to the Class 5A championship game.

Claverie completed 63 of 134 pass attempts for 927 yards and eight touchdowns last season while throwing nine intercep-tions.

Claverie can also hurt defenses with his feet, rushing 80 times last

season for 369 yards. Along with the 4.6 yard-per-carry average, he rushed for three scores.

Claverie will have a stable of backs behind him, led by tailback Will Higginbotham (5-6, 145) and junior wing-back Jordan Sellers (5-9, 170), as both combined for just over 1,400 yards last fall.

“He (Claverie) is as healthy now as he’s been in two years,” said Musemeche. “He’s been banged up, but he always seems to suck it up. And also, he’s as good or better than he’s ever been.”

The Eagles will once again be multiple on offense and have the personnel in the skill positions to be able to make the plays that will be needed if Live Oak is going to contest for district title and a playoff run.

Claverie Higginbotham Johnson Frazier

Legendre Edwards

Sellers Knapps Rudison Rogers

DAVID NORMAND |

THE NEWS

The 2014 Live Oak High School coaching staff are (front row, from left) Josh Dyer, Mike Pal-ermo, Barry 'Tut' Musemeche, head coach; George Templet and Greg Briggs. Standing are Dale Sisemore, Brent Baker, La-fayette Duhe, Pat Dowd and Robbie Mahfouz. Not pictured is Chris Collier.

LIVE OAK PAGE 7


age per rush, along with nine touch-downs. He can also catch the ball out of the backfield, with 16 receptions last season for 208 yards (13.0 avg.) and one touchdown.

Sellers rushed for 597 yards on 59 carries (10.1 avg.) with four touch-downs and caught the ball 11 times for 187 yards (17.0 avg.) with a pair of scores.

Junior running back Kyle Knapps (6-1, 180) complements that pair at the wing-back slot as well, as he rushed for 202 yards and six touchdowns last year, along with 13 receptions for 170 yards (13.1 avg.).

Junior Hayes Legendre (6-3, 205) lines up at wide receiver, while senior Colby Freneaux (6-1, 220) will handle the tight end slot.

All six of the playmakers are return-ing starters.

All-Parish player Garrett Lee (5-8,

235) anchors the Eagles’ offensive front as one of two returning starters on the line at right guard, along with senior center Sheldon Rogers (6-0, 225).

Junior Travis Simmons (5-9, 235) will hold down the left guard spot, while junior C.J. Nolan (6-3, 240) will line up at left tackle and senior team-mate Nick Simmons (6-2, 235) at right tackle.

“Our line has the experience to get things done and we have the tough-ness to be able to make the plays hap-pen,” said Musemeche. “We’ve added some new wrinkles offensively, but we’re going to continue to do the base stuff we’ve always done.

“We may tweak a thing or two,” said Musemeche. “As well as adding some new things to enable some people to get more touches than they did last year.”

Junior Dustin Jessup will handle the punting chores, while Claverie will do the place-kicking.

Sellers and Higginbotham will return both punts and kickoffs.

In contrast to the offense, the Eagles return only three starters from a year ago, with the major blow coming in the graduation of parish co-Defensive MVP Antonio Williams.

The three returning starters are ju-nior end Ben Johnson (6-1, 245), junior linebacker Rhett Summer (6-1, 215), who played along side Williams last season, and junior cornerback Mark Rudison (5-11, 155).

In the opposite end position will be 5-10, 220-pound senior Vance Pritchard, while the two inside tackles will be 6-foot, 255-pound senior Justin Arnold and 5-11, 215-pound senior Tyler McCleary.

Along with Summer, the “Will” linebacker spot will be handled by junior Brett Frazier (5-10, 185), while Dustin Jessup (5-9, 170) will line up as the “Sam” linebacker.

In the secondary along with Rudison will be fellow senior cornerback A.J. Boyd (5-8, 175), senior strong safety Jules Laird (5-8, 160) and sophomore free safety John Edwards (6-1, 165).

“We’re not entirely young, but we are green on defense,” said Musemeche. “We just need to play some games. After a couple of weeks, I think we’ll be ready for district.”

Live Oak’s non-district slate once again includes the likes of Livionia, St. Helena Central and St. Michael the Archangel. Since Istrouma closed its school last spring and merged its foot-ball program with Capitol, the Eagles have inserted Tara into that other non-district encounter.

League foes continue to be Denham Springs, Walker, Central, Zachary, Broadmoor and Scotlandville. The Eagles’ lone district win last season was against Walker.


The 2014 Live Oak High School Eagles football team are (from left, front row) Dustin Quebodeaux, Cale Doiga, Hudson Maranto, Cameron Ruiz, Chris Jarreau, Blake Curtis, Jacob Barbier, Jacob Clark, Markell Rudison, Jordan Davies Dustin Kimble and Will Higginbotham. Second row are Zack Woodall, Wade Chambers III, Kyle Drane, Ryan Morris, Jordan Sellers, Trey Pichon, Austin Jessup, Garrett Lee, Zach Geoghagan, Jules Laird, A. J. Boyd, Tyler McCleary, Mason Castle and Hunter Kelly. Third row are Mark Rudison, Brett Fra-zier, Travis Simmons, Dillon Wang, Dustin Jessup, Patrick Rafeedie, John Edwards, Glynn Burr, Andrew Shelton, Preston Faulkner, Nicholas Cacioppo, Vance Pritchard, Christian Courtney, Austin James and Justin Arnold. Top row are Cole Morden, Shane Rushing, Kyle Knapps, Cade Guillory, Ben Johnson, Hayes Legendre, Robert Nichols, C. J. Nolan, Colby Freneaux, Nick Simoneaux, Rhett Summar, Sheldon Rogers, Michael Claverie, Reed Pritchard and Brock Williamson.

Live Oak returns to field with healthy playmakersFrom 6


Livingston Parish High School SchedulesFriday, September 5

Woodlawn at Denham SpringsLivonia at Live OakWalker at St. MichaelAlbany at Thomas JeffersonLoyd Star at Springfield

Friday, September 12Denham Springs at SalmenSt. Helena Central at Live OakSpringfield at Walker — JimAlbany at St. Thomas Aquinas

Friday, September 19Catholic at Denham Springs — JimSt. Michael at Live OakPineville at WalkerAlbany at Springfield

Friday, September 26Denham Springs at Live Oak*Walker at Broadmoor* — JimAlbany at VarnadoSpringfield at Northlake Christian*

Thursday, October 2Walker at Loranger

Friday, October 3Broadmoor at Denham Springs*Live Oak at Zachary*Christian Life at AlbanySt. Helena Central at Springfield*

Thursday, October 9Broadmoor at Live Oak*

Friday, October 10Denham Springs at Central*Walker at Scotlandville*Albany at Jewel Sumner*

Friday, October 17Scotlandville at Denham Springs*Live Oak at Walker* — JimIndependence at Albany*Hannan at Springfield*

Friday, October 24Denham Springs at UniversityLive Oak at Scotlandville*Walker at Zachary* — JimLoranger at Albany*Springfield at Pine*

Friday, October 31Zachary at Denham SpringsTara at Live OakCentral at Walker* — JimAlbany at Bogalusa*Pope John Paul at Springfield*

Friday, November 7Denham Springs at Walker*Central at Live Oak*Albany at Amite*Springfield at St. Thomas Aquinas*

ALBANY

Sept. 5 Thomas Jefferson ASept. 12 St. Thomas Aquinas ASept. 19 Springfield ASept. 26 Varnado AOct. 3 Christian Life HOct. 10 Jewel Sumner* AOct. 17 Independence* HOct. 24 Loranger* HOct. 31 Bogalusa* ANov. 7 Amite* A

*District 8-3A

LIVE OAK

Sept. 5 Livonia HSept. 12 St. Helena Central HSept. 19 St. Michael HSept. 26 Denham Springs* HOct. 3 Zachary* AOct. 9 Broadmoor* HOct. 17 Walker* AOct. 24 Scotlandville* AOct. 31 Tara HNov. 7 Central* H

*District 4-5A

DENHAM SPRINGS

Sept. 5 Woodlawn HSept. 12 Salmen ASept. 19 Catholic HSept. 26 Live Oak* AOct. 3 Broadmoor* HOct. 10 Central* AOct. 17 Scotlandville* HOct. 24 University AOct. 31 Zachary* HNov. 7 Walker* A

*District 4-5A

SPRINGFIELD

Sept. 5 Lloyd Star HSept. 12 Walker ASept. 19 Albany HSept. 26 Northlake Christian AOct. 3 St. Helena Central* HOct. 10 OPEN Oct. 17 Hannon HOct. 24 Pine* AOct. 31 Pope John Paul II HNov. 7 St. Thomas Aquinas* A

*District 7-2A

2014 STATE FARM PREP CLASSIC

Divisions I - IVDecember 5, 2014

Classes 1A - 5ADecember 12-13, 2014

Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, La.

WALKER

Sept. 5 St. Michael ASept. 12 Springfield HSept. 19 Pineville HSept. 26 Broadmoor* AOct. 2 Loranger AOct. 10 Scotlandville* AOct. 17 Live Oak* HOct. 24 Zachary* AOct. 31 Central* HNov. 7 Denham Springs* H

*District 4-5A


Denham newbies shoulder playoff hopesBy Sam Muffoletto


DENHAM SPRINGS — One won’t hear the word “re-building” out of the mouth of Denham Springs head football coach Dru Nettles.

Now entering his 10th season at the helm of his alma mater, where he spent many years as an assistant as well, Nettles knows all too well that the tradition of DSHS football never takes a year off.

After taking the Yellow Jackets to an unprec-edented sixth straight trip to the playoffs, he does realize that if No. 7 becomes a reality, it will take more than a few players to step up.

Denham returns only three starters on of-fense and five on defense, with four of those defensive returnees in the secondary.

“I really feel like we have the depth to be competitive on both offense and defense,” said Nettles. “We just have to stay focused for four quarters.”

Nettles has broadened his own focus as a head coach and reassigned his own offensive duties in the hiring of an offensive coordina-tor, Aaron Vice, a former head coach at Re-demptorist.

In doing so, the Yellow Jackets have changed their offense a little bit and have taken a more

no-huddle scheme approach to their game.With the transition comes the fact that only

three out-right offensive starters from a year ago return, although junior quarterback Torez Kinchen (6-2, 190), did start the last six games for the Yellow Jackets.

One key offensive returnee is senior running back B.J. Armstong (5-8, 160), while junior Robert Thomas (5-10, 175) and freshman Tyre Goldman (5-7, 165) are also vying for time in the backfield.DENHAM PAGE 10

Washington CawthonEdwards WilsonAhlf RoddyStarks WallArmstrong BrooksKinchen

DAVID NORMAND |

THE NEWS

The 2014 Denham Springs High Yel-low Jacket foot-ball coaching staff are (front row, from left) Cody Wilson, Mitch Covington, Aaron Vice, Dru Nettles, head coach; Dan-iel Desselle, Justin Wax, and A.J. Hebert. Standing are Robert Ingalls, David Bourque, Kirk Smart, Josh Martin, Joey Chustz, Mark Carroll, Josh Neal, Chris Blanchard and Jacob Davis.


Denham gets skill position helpfrom basketball standouts

Even though last year’s lead-ing rusher Anthony Bracy (693 yards/8 TDs) graduated, Arm-strong was nearly as proficient last season with 119 carries for 566 yards (4.8 avg.), along with three touchdowns. He also has seven receptions for 53 yards, a 7.6 yard-per-catch average.

Returning senior wide receiver Kyandre Brooks (6-2, 205) heads up a receiving corps that has some seven players in the mix. Brooks, who will line up as a “Y” receiver in the new offense, had 27 receptions a year ago for 268 yards (9.9 avg.) and three touch-downs.

A pair of well-known basketball standouts are also in the receiv-ing mix, with seniors Tuwain Starks (6-2, 190) and Elton “Nitro” Knight (5-9, 170) occupying the “X” and “H” wide receiving slots.

Junior D’Juante Edwards (5-11, 160) will line up a the “Z” posi-tion.

Three tight-end types will rotate in as well, in 6-3, 225-pound se-nior Tyler O’Donoghue (6-3, 225), senior Zach Mayo (6-2, 215) and junior Landon Fontentot (6-0, 220).

The lone returning starter on the offensive front is senior Tay-lor White (6-3, 270), who will line up at either the left guard or left tackle slot.

Senior Ross Olinde (6-1, 245) will take over the center-snaps, while senior Jeremy Lindberg (6-1, 240 guard) and juniors Kyle Dear (5-11, 265 tackle) and Bailey Spears (5-9, 235 guard) round out the line.

Three other players should be in the rotating mix, senior Reece Rea (6-1, 220) and juniors Conner Labatut (6-2, 235) and Kyle Hyde (6-3, 275).

“Our offensive line has some depth, even though we’re return-ing just one starter from last year,” said Nettles. “The new guys just have to focus in on getting better and better each time out.”

Lineman Taylor White will likely handle the punting chores, while senior soccer player Zac Boothe returns as the place-kick-er.

Boothe was 13 of 16 in extra-point kicks, along with four made field goals.

Mark Carroll, who returns once again as the defensive coordina-tor, does have those five return-ing starters to mold his defense around.

Heavily experienced in the secondary, the Jackets return the likes of senior strong safety Zach Stuart (5-10, 185), senior rover-back Josh Baker (5-8, 150) and senior cornerbacks Dareyn “Mookie” Wilson (6-0, 175) and two-way player Knight.

Stuart had 32 tackles a year ago, along with 16 assists and one fumble recovery, while Wilson had 22 tackles, 13 assists and two knock-downs from his corner position.

Rounding out the secondary are junior rover-back Nick Berthelot (6-2, 180), junior free safety Dan-iel Ayres (5-11, 165) and back-up corner Luke Duplantis (5-11, 185 senior).

The Yellow Jackets will have to make-up for three big losses last year in the secondary, as Cole Spear, Jabaris Thompson and Wes Brown, who combined for 93 tack-les and four interceptions, have graduated.

The lone returning starter up

From 9

DENHAM PAGE 12


front is senior tackle Eli Cawthon (6-0, 255), who will an-chor the three-man front.

Cawthon had 12 tackles, 20 as-sists, two tackles behind the line, one quarterback sack and two caused fumbles last season.

The other tackle position will be held down by senior Darrell Washington (5-11, 245), who has been moved over from the offen-sive side of the ball a year ago, while junior Caleb Roddy (6-2, 255) is another offense-to-defense switch and will play the end posi-tion.

“In adding those two guys (Washington and Roddy) to our defense, I feel like it’s really given us that force we need up front,”

said Nettles. “The rest of the guys on defense are very athletic and just need that game experience to become better tacklers and better players.”

Also rotating in will be a pair of seniors, Matt Evans (6-1, 250) and Seth Jacobs (5-10, 270).

The entire linebacking corps will be new, with senior Brett

Ahlf (5-10, 210) lin-ing up a the “Sam” position, junior Josh Haynes (5-10, 205) at the “Mike” spot and junior Brennan Wall (6-2, 215) at the “Will.”Senior Colby Hayman

(6-0, 195) will rotate in at one of the backer spots.

Although Denham Springs finished just 3-3 in District 4-5A, its non-district slate was brutal. It will include once again the likes of

Woodlawn, Salmen,

Denham has veterans to plug holes in departed secondary

From 10

Hayman Haynes Knight Dear Fontenot Evans

DENHAM PAGE 14

Thomas Olinde Jacob White Goldman Mayo

O’Donahue

Boothe



The 2014 Denham Springs High Yellow Jacket football team are (front row, from left) coaching staff Robert Ingalls, Cody, Wilson, Jacob Davis, Josh Martin, A.J. Hebert, Mark Carroll, Kirk Smart, Josh Neal, Daniel Desselle, Dru Nettles, head coach; Aaron Vice, Joey Chustz, David Bourque, Mitch Covington, Davis Covington, Carson Covington, Chris Blanchard and Justin Wax. Players are (not listed in the order standing) Kyandre Brooks, Hunter Scott, Raphineas Riley, D’Juante Edwards, Tyree Goldman, Torez Kinchen, BJ Armstrong, Tuwain Starks, Jordan Collier, Cameron Feucht, Dillon Boyle, Dareyn Wilson, Josh Baker, Jeremy Watkins, Daniel Ayres, Hans Cohran, Elton Knight, DJ Wells, Colton Jenkins, Brock Batty, Russell Cole, Brett Ahlf, Tyler O’Donoghue, Blane Cargle, Ke’lonis Spears, Ray Walding, Zach Stuart, Beau Grasse, Josh Haynes, Wes Ross, Jordan Paline, Robert Thomas, Jacob Leigh, Myles Johnson, Luke Duplantis, Matthew Guzzardo, Stephen Duplantis, Jakhari Rushton, Chris Roddy, Jason Musgrove, Landon Fontenot, Louis Anderson, Dayne Bordelon, John Ross, Cade Murry, Dalton Cambre, Colby Hayman, Zach Boothe, Jason Ballard, Blake Posey, Tyler Medina, Darrell Washington, Jonathan lngalls, Tristyn Turner, Brennan Wall, Bailey Gill, Nick Berthelot, Brandon Lemoine, Hunter Comeaux, , Name, , Cameron Phipps, Devin Averett, Dakota Russell, Ryan Swilley, Sean Wood, Caleb Pipes, Ross Olinde, Peyton Zimmerle, Peyton Rogers, David Johnson, Evan Elmore, Randy Carlton, Seth Jacob, Travis Pasquier, Reece Rea, Eli Cawthon, Brice Case, Taylor White, Caleb Broussard, Camden Chustz, Garrett Lemmings, Jeremy Lindberg, Bailey Spiers, Carl St. Cyr, Kyle Dear, Jared Wall, Conner Labatut, Kyle Hyde, Andrew Price, Chase Bonfanti, Tyler Spillman, Brennan Mire, Heath Woods, Eddie Johnson, John Austin Williams, Chance Barlow, Caleb Pace, Caleb Roddy, Jonathan Dang, Alex Casas, Dauton Sibley, Jeremy Watkins, Zach Mayo, Landon Fontenot, and Taylor Depoy.

Catholic and University High.

Last year those power points en-abled the Yellow Jackets to make the playoffs despite a 4-6 regular-season record.

DSHS had to travel for the sec-

ond year in a row to north Louisi-ana to face West Monroe and, for the second year in a row, gave the Rebels all they could handle, but unfortunately didn’t bring home a “W.”

“I like to play a challenging non-district schedule because I

feel it gets us ready for an even more challenging district,” said Nettles. “And it also prepares us if we get into the playoffs. I feel like this schedule fits that mold, weeks 1 through 10, and will push us forward every week.

“We had some tough first play-

off games recently,” said Nettles, whose teams are yet to win a first-round playoff game.

“The kids are excited about this season and they feel like this could be the one to overcome that.”

From 12

Denham still finding home field playoff game elusive


Walker’s green is really green in 2014By Sam Muffoletto


WALKER — The Wildcats may be “greener” than their own team colors, but Walker head coach Dwayne Severio is hoping their lack of experience catches up with their enthusiasm to make for a very interesting season.

Walker, which had 29 seniors last year, 14 to 15 of them starters, can now count their senior class on just one hand.

“But we’ve got a really good group of young men,” said Severio. “A small group of seniors, but many of our players put in a lot of game experience last year on the junior varsity. Now it’s all about doing that on the varsity level.”

Walker finished 2-8 last season and was winless in six games in District 4-5A.

For the first time since the Wildcats’ former defen-sive coordinator returned to Walker, Severio won’t have Tyler Lockhart to lean on at quarterback.

Instead, he has a quarterback duel going on head-ing into fall practice, with two guys, junior Terry Bozeman (6-1, 18) and sophomore Jacobi Scott (5-9, 160) competing for the job.

Lockhart accounted for nearly 1,000 yards in his senior season, as the SLU walk-on threw for 647 yards and 14 touchdowns and rushed for another 313 yards last fall.

Also departing via graduation were running back Labroderick Young (352 yards) and wide receivers Brice Brown (316 yards/5 TDs) and Kenny Thomas (265 yards/3 TDs). Gone as well is tight end Matt Graham.

Moving from defense to offense will be junior Kyle Nevels (6-1, 215) at running back, along with senior Trey Keller (5-8, 175), who started six games last year. Also competing for carries in the backfield are junior Jaleel Hill (5-7, 155) and sophomore Kalen Hills (5-7, 150).

The “x” receiver for the Wildcats could be either

sophomore Terrell Warner (6-1, 160) or junior Wes Price (6-1, 155), while two players could be rotating in and out at the “z” receiver position with sophomores Jacob Kennedy (6-0, 170) and Jeffrey Bell (5-8, 165).

Vying for the tight end job are senior Colton Romito (6-0, 175) and sophomore Martin Brooks (6-2, 230).

“We’ve brought in the spread look when I came back to Walker, but now we’re going to be back to lin-ing up under center with a more traditional forma-tion,” said Severio. “We’ll have some run-option, but we’ll be more pro-formation and try to control the football. We just need to move the chains and try to

Bozeman Nevels Keller Hill Romito St. Pierre Wascom Greene

WALKER PAGE 16



The 2014 Walker High School football team are (from left, front row) Nat Bogert, trainer; James Roberts, John Compton, Ross Levy, Erik Peterson, Austin McMorris, manager; Jason Smith, Gary Coates, Justin Owens, Brandon Lawley and Dwayne Sve-rio, head coach. Second row are Trey Keller, Jaleei Hill, Trey Ishee, Jalen Hills, Skylar Brown, Garrett Madere, Brandon Racca, Kenyon Lustfield, Trace Payton, Malik Turner, Bailey Moore, Kaleb Verdin Jacob Miller and Brett Ross. Third row are Chris Wascom, Cody Adams, Landon Gomez, Henry Monley, Andrew Garcia, Logan Eblen, Austin Craig, Byron Hutchinson, Tyrie Green, David Bewley, Hunter Smith, Kaden Terrance and Jeremy Hills. Fourth row are Jacobi Scott, Easton Cifreo, Ladrian Talbert, Cade Hood, Justin Perry, Nathan Holland, Shaiman Earley, Jean Paul St. Pierre, Jason Lockhart, Jacob Kennedy, Hunter Priest, Anthony Montgomery, Keisean Hester, Mason Dwyer and Perris Britt. Top row are Jeffrey Bell, Chandler Fredricks, Mac Patterson, Aveyon Dorsey, Colton Romito, Jimmy Gurzynski, Terry Bozeman, Martin Brooks, Kyle Nevels, Kane Buckhalter, Terrell Warner, Cameron Wheat, Noah Cox, Payton Kilcrease and DJ Richardson. Not pictured is Wes Price.

eliminate turning the ball over.“(Terry) Bozeman has really worked

hard in the weight room in the off-season and has really blossomed into our leader of our offense over the sum-mer,” said Severio. “He can handle the option-game very well, but he can also throw the football.

“But I feel like we have four good running backs,” said Severio. “Kyle (Nevels) is a big thumper, while the other kids are really quick, as well as

strong.”Junior John Paul St. Pierre (6-0, 245),

who started two games last season, will anchor the offensive line at center, flanked at guards by either sophomore Kaden Terrence (5-9, 265), sophomore Shaimen Earley (6-0, 265) or freshman Jason Lockhart (6-1, 245).

The tackles will be junior Cody Ad-dams (5-10, 185) and sophomore Chris Wascom (5-11, 235).

Either Nevels or sophomore Keshon Hester will handle the punting chores

for the Wildcats, while junior soccer player Ian May (5-8, 150) will do all phazes of the kicking game.

The only returning starter to the defensive lineup is junior linebacker Kenyon Lustfield (5-7, 165), who had 25 tackles and seven assists, along with three tackles for losses, one quarter-back sack and one caused fumble.

Lustfield, however, will have plenty of competition for that “Sam” line-backer position from fellow junior Brett Ross (5-10, 210).

There will also be a battle at the “Will” linebacker position with Wood-lawn junior transfer Henry Monley (5-11, 185) and sophomore Keshon Hester.

There’s a three-way competition going on up front in the tackle slots with juniors Jimmy Gurzynski (6-2, 305) and Tyrie Greene (5-11, 220), along with sophomore Jeremy Hills, (5-11,


The 2014 Walker High School coaching staff are (front row, from left) Gary Coates, John Compton, Dwayne Severio, head coach, and Russ Levy. Standing are Justin Ow-Walker has stable of RBs

From 15

WALKER PAGE 17

220), the twin-brother to offensive player Kalen Hills.

At ends are junior Mac Patterson (5-11, 180), along with sophomore Noah Cox (6-0, 180).

In the secondary, there is a battle in which seven players are vying for four positions.

At cornerback, the three players go-ing after two slots are senior two-year starter Ladrian Talbert (5-11, 165), along with senior Perris Britt (5-8, 160) and junior Anthony Montgomery (5-11, 160).

The four vying for four safety posi-tions are junior returning starter Chandler Fredricks (5-11, 160), along with sophomore Mason Dwyer (5-8, 150) and a pair of two-way players, Jaleel Hill and Jacob Kennedy.

“I like what we have,” said Severio. “Gary Coates is our defensive coor-dinator and we’ve added some in the off-season from what we did last year.

“We’re not real big, but we can move around pretty good,” said Severio. “I'm just real excited about the testing num-bers that we’ve done in our weight room.

“We’re excited about our young tal-ent,” said Severio. “They just need to mature and grow early in the year to get ready for our tough 5A district. But I feel like we’re getting better very day.

“That’s what we talk about every day, getting better every day,” said Severio. “We just have to take it day-to-day. The kids are excited about what we’re doing. It’s been a positive camp and they’re in the mindset of ‘okay, let’s get out there and get better today.’”

Along with non-district games against St. Michael’s, Pineville, Lor-anger and Springfield, the Wildcats will have district encounters with parish foes Denham Springs and Live Oak, along with Zachary, Central Broadmoor and Scotlandville.


Walker must mature quicklyFrom 16

Springfield hopes to dog district title againBy Sam Muffoletto


SPRINGFIELD — Returning six starters on both sides of the ball, Springfield head coach Ryan Serpas is hoping that the youthful group from last year has now gained the much-needed experience to reclaim that district title it lost last season.

The Bulldogs finished 3-4 in District 7-2A and 5-5 overall in the regular season. Springfield still earned a Class 2A playoff berth and defeat-ed Pickering in the first round, before losing on the road to Many to finish the year 6-6.

This year will have only nine regular-season games, as Mt. Hermon decided to drop 11-man football in favor of playing the newly sanctioned 8-man football.

Springfield thought it had Week 6 filled, but in an on-again, off-again scenario with False River Academy, the Class 1A school decided not to play Springfield.

But even though more than 50 percent of its

starters are back in place, graduation did de-plete Springfield’s offense by 2,400 yards and 19 touchdowns with the loss of just two players.

The Bulldogs lost the parish’s “Most Valuable Offensive Player” of a year ago in running back Gharmaine Ashton, who rushed for one yard shy of 1,400 last season, while reaching the end zone on 12 occasions.

Zach Clark was the blow in the Dogs’ one-two punch, as he rushed for 775 yards and had an ad-ditional 270 yards in receiving, along with seven touchdowns.

Despite a big chunk being bit out of the of-fense, Springfield does return six starters there, including three of the four out of the backfield.

Senior Milan Love (6-1, 175) returns at quarter-back, along with fellow senior Josh Taylor (5-6, 160) and sophomore Demariae Claiborne (5-9, 165) in two of the running back slots.

Junior Keenan Austin (5-9, 155) is the other running back.

There will be two new starting players in the receiving corps, with senior Dale Ouber (5-9, 170) lining up at wide receiver and senior Mark Patterson (6-0, 205) at tight end.

“Milan (Love) came in there towards the end of the year and really established himself,” said

Love Patterson Taylor Claiborne Vicks OuberCarter Roberts Bennett

SPRINGFIELD PAGE 18


Serpas. “We’re expecting greater things out of him this year.

“Demairae (Claiborne) is a huge weapon on the offensive side of the ball as well,” added Serpas. “And Josh Taylor, who was big for us on defense last year, has definitely stepped up in his new role on the offensive side this season.”

Three-fifths of the offensive starting front is back, anchored by senior center Jonathan Roberts (5-10, 268). Also returning are senior right guard Will Rogers (6-2, 278) and sophomore left tackle Reeves Blankenship (6-4, 220).

Rounding out the offensive line are junior right tackle JoJo Kirk-land (6-1, 235) and sophomore left guard Maverick May (6-1, 225).

Love will also handle the punting chores, while Michael Sykes will do the place-kicking.

The Bulldogs also return six starters on defense, equally bal-anced with two each from the line, the linebacking corps and the secondary.

Two-way player Patterson re-turns at one end, while senior Josh Vicks (5-7, 175) will take over the opposite end position.

Returning starter Roberts will line up on the inside at tackle, along with another two-way player in Kirkland.

Half of the linebacking corps return with senior JoJo Carter (6-0, 200) and sophomore Kaleb Frickey (5-11, 196), along with newcomers Nick Bean (5-8, 165 junior) and Wil-liam Barnett (5-5, 148 sophomore), both of whom can slide into the safety slots.

The two returning starting cornerbacks are two-way play-ers Austin and Claiborne, while

sophomore Christian Austin (5-10, 160) will hold down the free safety position.

“The key as always, we’ve got to stay healthy,” said Serpas, who was named the parish’s “Coach of the

Year” last season. “The kids have really been jelling and are doing the right things. They just need to keep maturing and improving each week.”

The 2014 Springfield High Bulldog football team are (front row, from left) Dale Ouber, Josh Taylor, Sawyer Blankenship, and Isaiah Jackson Second row are Juan Rojas, Mark Patterson, Damariae Claiborne, Josh Wilson, Milan Love, Dylan Wilson, Chalmes Tillman, Micheal Sykes and Matt Kreutzer. Third row are Trent Martin, Kaleb Frickey, Taylor Bar-nett, Tyrese Chester, Nicholas Bean, William Bennett, #40 and Colby Yent. Fourth row are Darius Adams, Calvin Raymond, Daniel Lawson, Shelvis Burise, Antonio Ashton, Lakendrick Scott, Bishop Gehegan, and Kaleb Clark. Fifth row are Mikail Brown, Reeves Blankenship, Nathan The-riot, Isaiah Palmer, JoJo Kirkland, Jonavon Roberts, William Rogers and Kulijah Graves. Sixth row are Guy Henderlick, Rusell Lolper, Maverick May, Chase Pomares, CJ Thaggard, CJ Durbin, Matthew Whittaker, coaches Michael Rutland and Lew Inmon. Top row are coaches Keith Patterson, Mike Janis, Ryan Serpas, head coach; Shelby Billiot, manager and John Pace.DAVID NORMAND | THE NEWS

Key players return for SpringfieldFrom 17


The 2014 Springfield High School coaching staff are (front row, from left) Shelby Billiott, manager; Michael Rutland; Lew Inmon and John Pace. Second row are Keith Patterson; Mike Janis; Ryan Serpas; head coach; Guy Henderlick and Rusell Loper.


being recruited actively by South-ern and Delta State colleges.

In Denham Springs, Coach Dru Nettles touts four standouts split evenly between offense and de-fense. According to Nettles, his young team is filled with under-class talent.

On offense, the Jackets have the 6-foot, 205-lb. Kyandre Brooks at wide receiver and 6'3" offensive lineman Taylor White.

"He (Brooks) is a big physical re-ceiver who may even be a safety in college," said Nettles. "He's a hard worker, has great hands and loves to play football."

"Taylor is a very intelligent player who will play center/guard in college. He has very good feet and is a young senior with room to grow."

According to Nettles, both offen-sive players are being recruited to play at the next level. While Brooks has garnered interest from South-land Conference schools, Nettles says that White has interest from Southland to the Ivy Leagues.

Nettles' defensive squad is led by two members of the secondary — 5'9", 180-pound Zach Stuart at the safety position and Darey'n Wil-son, a 6-0, 170-lb. cornerback.

"He (Stuart) is very quick and ag-gressive, a bright student too," said Nettles. "(Wilson) is a long athletic corner who may convert to safety in college."

According to Nettles, Wilson has visited several camps over the past few summers and has garnered the most interest from Southland Conference schools.

The Eagles of Live Oak will look to the offensive side of the

ball for leadership. Head Coach Barry "Tut" Musemeche said 6-0, 187-pound Michael Claverie will lead the offense at the quarterback position. He is being protected by 6'1", 227-pound Sheldon Rogers at Center and 6'2", 236-pound Nick Simoneaux at offensive tackle.

"He (Claverie) is a good all-around athlete and a good leader," Musemeche said.

According to Musemeche, Rogers is the anchor of the offensive line and has great footwork, while his partner in crime, Simoneaux, is tough and runs well for an offen-sive lineman.

The Bulldogs of Springfield are hoping to keep their high-powered offense going this year, although Head Coach Ryan Serpas believes they may have to pass more to keep the ball moving.

Luckily, Serpas has two-year

starter Milan Love returning to the quarterback position as both an option threat and a passer.

Love will be protected by offen-sive lineman Will Rogers, who is currently being recruited by some small colleges.

According to Serpas, Love is be-ing pursued as a collegiate defen-sive back.

Defensively, the Bulldogs return Jordan Carter to the linebacker po-sition as a player to watch. Carter is being recruited by small colleges as well as a linebacking prospect.

While Coach Dwayne Severio of Walker was struggling with illness at the time of publication, Wild-cat cornerback Ladrian Talbert made several plays to showcase his talents during Walker's scrim-mage against Independence last Thursday night, including a drive-ending interception.

From 2

Livingston Parish athletes have size, talent to compete at next level

2 Football Guide, August 28, 2014 -...

Documents

Transcript of 2 Football Guide, August 28, 2014 -...