Starting over

How do you replace a senior class that has changed the tone and makeup of your program over the last four years?
That is a tough question to answer and one that Pine Prairie Panther head coach Yves Prince must face heading into the 2019 season.
The senior class that graced the gridiron for the Panthers over the last four years made a huge difference in the overall perception of the program, despite not ever having made the playoffs. In the last four seasons, Pine Prairie has won 12 games. That is more wins than the Panthers have had combined in the previous six years before that.
“It’s a new day here in Pine Prairie,” stated Prince. “We have to face the fact that we lost a great senior class last season. This year we are going to have to rely on a number of fresh faces to step up and get the job done.”
“The good thing is that we have some returners with a lot of playing time,” Prince continued. “Those guys with experience are going to have to help mold and shape the younger guys. They will have to show them how to work hard and how to face different situations throughout the season.”
Prince, as always, had high praise for the returners and the new comers for getting to summer workouts and sacrificing their time to make sure this is a successful year. According to Prince, the Panthers utilized their time well during the off-season and got a chance to work on a number of things.
“We had a really good summer,” said Prince. “This is probably the best turnout we have had since I’ve been here. We had the opportunity to not only get ourselves in football shape, but we were also able to work on drills with the offense. All in all it was a productive offseason.”
Although Pine Prairie lost a good chunk of their roster to graduation, the Panthers picked up a freshman class of 17 players. Add to that the returners and Pine Prairie actually has more players on the roster than they did last season.
The most devastating casualty to the Panthers was the loss of two-way superstar JJ Sims. The best player to ever wear a Panther jersey will be all too impossible to replace by any single individual. Sims did it all for Pine Prairie, rushing for 1,235 yards, receiving the ball for 220 yards and collecting 440 return yards. Not only that but Sims recorded 94 tackles on the defensive side of the ball.
Prince knows that replacing Sims and all he accomplished will not be easy. However, he is excited about the return of several key players on the offensive side of the ball, most of those residing on the offensive line.
“Our strength this year on offense will be with our linemen,” commented Prince. “If they can hold up and not get hurt, we will be in pretty good shape. The better we are up front, the more confidence our younger players are going to have. It was like that last season also. If we played well up front, we scored points. I know they hold a big key to our success on offense.”
In terms of skill players, Prince and his staff will rely on a number of sophomores and freshmen to make things happen for the Panthers. As of now, Pine Prairie has been working four different players at the quarterback position; Elijah George, Hayven Sharpe, Branson Fontenot and Hayden Bourgeois. George, Sharpe and Fontenot are freshmen, Bourgeois is a sophomore.
Youth also touches the running back spot for the Panthers. In the battle to be the man to carry the load, Prince has George and Bourgeois along with Lavonghe Gallow and Trace Warman taking reps. The receiving corps also boasts a number of underclassmen with junior Wyatt Welch, sophomores Lucas Ricks and Josiah Ortis and freshman Da’jon Lemalle vying for playing time.
“We are planning on staying with the I and split back formations,” said Prince. “From there we will run the standard plays like the power, the trap, the stretch and the dive. We want to keep it as simple as possible right now so that the younger players are able to digest little pieces of the offense at a time. We don’t want to overload them right out of the box. As they start to master the offense, we will add more and more.”
Defensively the Panthers return more experience than the offensive side of the ball. The biggest obstacle for Pine Prairie will be to replace a depleted secondary with the loss of Sims, Isaiah Payne and Kyler Carson.
Returning for the Panthers on the defensive front will be Kayon Murray, Corey Higginbotham, Tim Goutro and Joseph St. Romain. Holding down the linebacker spots will be veterans Kaleb Matte, Will Chappelle and Bourgeois.
In the secondary, the Panthers only have Davis Deshotel with any type of playing time from last season. Prince plans on moving Wyatt Welch, a linebacker last season, to a safety spot to sure up the secondary. Other than that, Pine Prairie will rely on freshmen and sophomores to fill in the holes.
“There is no doubt that our strength on defense will be with the front seven,” stated Prince. “It is going to be trial and error when it comes to the secondary. Whoever shows that they can get the job done will be out on the field. Our guys up front are going to have to put pressure on the opposing offenses and help out our secondary until they get comfortable back there.”
Pine Prairie’s schedule is a tough one. The Panthers take on 2018 Class 1A quarterfinalist Oberlin to open the season. Pine Prairie then travels to Oakdale for a date with the Warriors.
A road trip to Beau Chene in week three is followed by a home contest against Montgomery. The Tigers lost to Basile in the second round of the Class 1A playoffs last season. The Panthers close out non-district with a road game against Port Barre.
The Northwest Raiders come to town for the first district contest of the season. Pine Prairie then travels to Highway 13 rival Mamou the following week.
A home game against Class 3A state semi-finalist Iota takes place in week seven. The Panthers travel to cross-parish foe Ville Platte in week nine and close out the regular season with Church Point.