BASILE -- Coming back to your Alma mater to become the head football coach can be a daunting undertaking.
But for Kevin Bertrand, this year’s nominee for Evangeline Parish Coach of the Year, that return has so far been a perfect situation.
“It was strange at first just because I had been gone so long,” stated Bertrand. “I started out my career around the area and have gone many other places to coach, but never here. When I got the opportunity to come back I jumped at it.”
“I have coached at bigger schools,” Bertrand continued. “But, I really enjoy the smaller schools. To be back in your home town and see people I had not seen in years, it just reminds of when you were young. So, to coach at the school that you went to is a cool experience. I am fortunate enough to have this experience and I hope to retire here.”
The 23-year veteran has continued the tradition that his brother, and now principal, Tony Bertrand brought back to the small school of Basile.
Working for one’s brother can sometimes lead to family disputes that last years and years. However, Bertrand relishes in the fact that he and his brother now have something in common and the same goals to work toward.
“It is really great to be able to get to work with your family,” commented Bertrand. “We coached against each other for a couple of years, and that was fun. But, being able to work with him on a daily basis is kind of a cool deal.”
“We are only a year apart,” said Bertrand. “He and I were always talking about football, but we were talking about other teams. Now, we get to talk about our team. A lot of people cannot say that they get to work with their brother. I truly enjoy every moment of it.”
This past season, the Bearcats started on a rocky path, only winning one of their first three contests. However, Bertrand and his team righted the ship quickly enough to reel off eight wins in a row and earn a trip to the Class 1A quarterfinals.
Unfortunately, the Bearcats ran into traditional powerhouse Oak Grove in that third round playoff game and fell to the Tigers 34-6.
“Well coming off of last year’s tough season where we lost a lot of close ball games that we all felt we could have won, I think the players wanted to prove that to be a fluke,” said Bertrand. “They had it in their mind that they were going to fix it. But, starting the year the way did, playing a tough schedule under some tough conditions, the players just flat out said that they were not going to take it laying down.”
“Every week, you could tell that they working a little harder and trying to get better,” Bertrand continued. “And, you know they truly succeeded in doing just that. This team had so much heart. They did stuff they shouldn’t have been able to do. Out of all of the years I have coached, I have never seen a team work as hard to try and get better.”
Despite the off kilter start to the season, Bertrand and his coaching staff never really panicked. He knew deep down in side that at some point in the year, his team would find the right path.
“I think the coaches could see improvement from the spring game all the way through the summer and into the early part of the season,” stated Bertrand. “We were just waiting for that light to click. We just kept plugging away and getting better and better.”
“I think our coaches did a great job of working on the little things,” Bertrand continued. “They did not panic and try to reverse things and do something totally different. We knew it was going to be a process and would take some time on the player’s and coach’s part. You could see as the year went on that it paid off.”
With a number of players returning next season, the future is bright in Basile.
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TRACEY JAGNEAUX