Harper leads the Trojans to great season despite all of the adversity faced

VILLE PLATTE -- For all of the high school football teams around the state, 2020 has been the ultimate test on patience and fortitude. That includes the Sacred Heart Trojans and their entire coaching staff.
Through it all, the guidance and leadership of Sacred Heart head coach Josh Harper bolstered the Trojans to arguably their best season since he stepped on to take over the reigns of the program.
That is why Harper has been named the Evangeline Parish Coach of the Year for 2020.
Despite all of the COVID-19 guidelines and restrictions, the loss of games because of a pandemic and hurricanes, Harper and his staff steadily guided Sacred Heart to an overall record of 4-1 and a spot in the Division IV playoffs.
How the season unfolded, including the shut down of spring football in March, still befuddles Harper to this day. The one main ingredient in the face of all of the adversity was the just-get-it-done attitude of the players.
“I never thought that this year would have gone the way it did,” stated Harper. “In March, when they decided to shut down sports, we understood that we would be back in April. But then April turned into May and the next thing you knew it was June. Then we get all of these guidelines to follow for the summer workouts and I just thought to myself that it will be almost impossible to get a season in.”
“As coaches, I think we struggled more than the players with the anxiety of not being in a routine or even knowing if we would get to play,” Harper continued. “Luckily kids are very resilient and adjust to things quickly. Our players never let those things bother them. They just rolled with it like it was normal.”
The flexibility of the players, undeterred by the circumstances, is a testament to the steadiness and discipline Harper and his staff has brought to the program.
“Six years ago we came in trying to build back a foundation,” said Harper. “My vision was to get consistency in the program. The way I wanted to run this program, not only in terms of x’s and o’s but also in terms of discipline, showed through this year. I think having this coaching staff here for this length of time allows the players to know what to expect and what the Trojan football program should look like.”
One thing Harper and his staff knew coming into this season, regardless of the situation, the Trojans were going to have one of their better all-around teams they every had since the Marksville High graduate took over the team. The only problem was that they were going to have to go out on the field of play and prove it.
That initial test of how good the Trojans could be came in the very first game of the year when Sacred Heart faced a proven Basile High football squad. By the end of the night, the Acadiana area knew the Trojans were a force to be reckoned with when they dominated the Bearcats in a 28-0 win.
“The Basile game was huge for us,” commented Harper. “When you start the season with a program like Basile has, you worry, especially since we did not have a fall scrimmage and a jamboree.”
“We did not play a perfect game that night, but we played a good, solid game,” Harper continued. “On Saturday, we looked at the film and said, we have a pretty good team here.”
From there the Trojans ran through Mamou, lost a tough contest against Catholic of Point Coupee, rolled Westminster and destroyed North Central. Sacred Heart earned a playoff berth, but fell in the first round to that same Catholic team they faced in the regular season.
Although Sacred Heart’s season ended abruptly in the playoffs, Harper has high expectations for his team next season.
“I think the future is bright,” said Harper. “We return a good group of players, and we have some others ready to step up. I think the Trojans are going to be here a while to compete.”