State coaching carousel spins faster than ever

I have a confession to make …
I am a huge nerd for all things football. For better or worse, ‘til death do us part.
I’m married to the game as a fan. Schemes, roster moves, coaching changes, fantasy football. Whatever it is and it’s football-related, I’m here for it.
It’s part of the reason why I became a sports writer out of college and returned to it years later.
Football and all the news surrounding it is just good, clean fun for me.
So now knowing this about me you can about imagine how excited I am with the insanity that has commenced around Louisiana and the coaching changes that have recently occurred.
Now, there are always moves that are made. But it seems like the moves are getting bigger and more surprising as the years go by.
This year is certainly no exception, and we should’ve known we were in for a wild ride when Catholic-Baton Rouge opened up right away.
Come to find out, that was only the tip of the iceberg in terms of what was ahead and what may be to come.
We’ve seen the coaching change tidal wave hit locally with Sacred Heart’s Josh Harper taking the Marksville job after Marksville’s own head coach, Jimmie Hillman, took the Bunkie job.
Anyone with a working knowledge of local rivalries will let you know that it took Hillman some intestinal fortitude to jump over to his former school’s archrival.
It’s a small drop in the bucket in terms of what has opened up and how.
There have been resignations, with LCA’s Trev Faulk and Church Point’s J.C. Arceneaux headlining Acadiana in that area.
There have been retirements, with Oberlin’s Durell Peloquin, Central’s Sid Edwards and Jennings’ Rusty Phelps riding off into the sunset on their own terms.
As a result Jennings then made a splash in hiring Kinder’s Bret Fuselier, a two-time state champion with four state final appearances. Before that, Central made its own waves in hiring David Simoneaux away from Sacred Heart district rival Catholic-Pointe Coupee.
All of those seem understandable. A good coach seeking a better opportunity with a chance to win a state championship.
And then there was a massive changes for what seemed like no good reason other than sheer boredom.
That was Jess Curtis, formerly of Many and now of Natchitoches Central.
Curtis is well-regarded, a Many product through-and-through and a guy who seemed comfortable at his alma mater.
He was a made man. He was the only football-playing school in Sabine Parish and churning out Division I recruits like clockwork.
It all happened Curtis and usually guys who end up at their alma maters tend to not leave. It’s usually a dream job.
Curtis, however, decided to take on a massive challenge at Natchitoches Central.
It’s a program that has fallen on hard times but has the resources and backing to be a power once again.
Maybe Jess saw the sleeping giant. Maybe he always knew he was going to take on a new challenge after his son, Louisiana’s Mr. Football Tackett Curtis, graduated.
Whatever his reasoning was, Curtis’ move was indicative of something that feels new and exciting in Louisiana high school football.
What was once an old boys’ business is perhaps now being seen as big business.
It’s new territory, and it will be interesting to see how the game changes as years go by.
One thing is for certain, though. Louisiana high school football is more fun than it has ever been.
And for someone that loves football and its workings as much as I do, it’s right up my alley.