Tom Dodge
The Blue Jays captured back-to-back district championship in 2017 and 2018 and this year’s St. Edmund seniors want to end their football careers with another title.
Blue Jay head coach James Shiver is entering his second season and he is excited about what this team can accomplish.
“We have 16 seniors and they want to play,” Shiver said of the 2020 season. “We will be ready whenever the season starts.
“We are a very close knit team,” he said. “They are willing to do what ever it takes to be successful.
“There is no one person more important than the other, they are all it together and they all want to win.”
Last year, St. Edmund finished 6-5 overall, 3-2 in District 5-1A – falling in the first round of the playoffs to Southern Lab.
“We have had a lot of time this offseason because of COVID-19 so we have gotten back to the basics of what football is all about and what you are supposed to do,” the coach said.
“I think we are going to be strong this year,” Shiver said.
“It’s sad that the virus could take away part of the season, especially for the seniors.”
The LHSAA delayed the season until Oct. 8, so the most games the Blue Jays could play is eight games before the playoffs.
With the delay of the start of the season, the games against Vinton and Bunkie will not happen and the first games could be three straight away games against Avoyelles, Highland Baptist and Ville Platte.
New additions to the coaching staff include defensive coordinator Nick Trosclair and secondary coach Jacob Aguillard, both St. Edmund alumni.
“We are moving to a 4-2-5 defense,” Shiver said. “We will keep the defense simple and let our players play.
“We want to change the tempo of our defense,” he said.
The Blue Jays averaged 254 yards and 24 points last season on offense but allowed 282 yards and 21 points on defense.
Shiver said their biggest struggle last year was defending against the passing game.
“Opelousas Catholic had a lot of passing yards against us and so did Southern Lab in the playoffs,” he said.
“We want to be able to disguise the coverages better and I think with Jacob as our secondary coach we will be able to roll in and out of coverages.”
Shiver said he is impressed with the leadership of his senior group including the return of quarterback Clay Miller who tore is ACL in the fourth game of the 2019 season.
“You can’t ask for a better leader than Clay Miller,” he said. “He is stronger, his passing game has improved and he has a real grasp of the offense we are running.”
Henry Brown moved from quarterback to wide receiver joining his cousin Gus Brown and Easten Coleman.
Shiver said the Jays’ offensive line is the strength of the team, led by Luke Fuselier, Connor Diaz, Matt Mcgee, Preston Cormier and Austin Stanford.
“We will be big and strong up front,” he said. “We are ready to roll with our offense.”
The Blue Jays’ running game will be led by Keiran Davis and Kason Hollier along with Wyatt LaCour, Hunter Aucoin, Luke Trahan and Taylor Daire.
“We will be a solid running team,” Shiver said. “But we will be able to throw the ball when necessary.”
As most Class 1-A teams, the Jays will have several players start on both sides of the ball.
“We have Keiran Davis and Easten Coleman at defensive end,” Shiver said.
Diaz and Daire will also play on the defensive front, while Hollier and Garrett Dubois are slated to start at linebacker.
The secondary will include William Driggs, Trahan, Nick Fontenot, Gus Brown and Miller.
Justin Landry is the Jays’ kicker, while Hunter Aucoin will handle the punting duties.
“We have been working with a lot of players to develop depth,” Shiver said. “We hope the back-ups will improve and be ready when the time comes.”
In District 5-1A, the Jays will face Division IV state runners-up Catholic High of Pointe Coupee and state quarterfinalists Opelousas Catholic along with Sacred Heart of Ville Platte, Westminster Christian Academy and North Central.
“Whoever wins our district has a legitimate chance to get to the state championship,” Shiver said. “We are in a very tough district – we need to be able to compete against all of them.”
In Shiver’s first season with the Blue Jays, St. Edmund earned a 32-18 win over Vinton before falling to Bunkie (14-9) and Avoyelles (36-7).
The Blue Jays closed its non-district schedule with victories over Highland Baptist (47-0) and Ville Platte (35-33).
St. Edmund opened district play with a 35-6 loss to Opelousas Catholic but rebounded with wins over North Central (57-0), Sacred Heart (13-0) and Westminster (47-14).
The Jays finished third in the district after a 30-6 loss at Catholic–PC.
St. Edmund fell in the opening round of the playoffs at Southern Lab, 53-7.