Eagles boast large roster this season

Numbers are up, including a large senior class leading this year’s Central Catholic High School football team.
Central Catholic coach Tommy Minton said he feels like his squad, which boasts approximately 50 players — including a 17-player senior class — has depth.
The also had a solid summer in the weight room.
“I really feel good about where we’re at coming into the season, physically,” Minton said. “The kids have had a good attitude.”
However, one thing Minton said he would like his squad to handle better this year is the “weekly situations.”
“I felt like there were times last year when some adversity set it, we didn’t handle it real well, and I think that’s kind of what we’ve harped on this summer. …. I feel like we need a little bit more accountability within the team itself,” Minton said. “It can’t just always come from the coaching staff, and with a big senior class like we have, that should happen. Hopefully it does.”
The Eagles have six starters back on offense this season and four returning on defense.
Offensively, the Eagles will run a power spread offense.
“Some people spread the field to throw the football,” Minton said. “We spread the field to try to get numbers in the box and run the football, and if we don’t, we still have guys out there we feel like can make plays.”
Defensively, the Eagles’ base will be a 3-3 stack.
The Eagles’ coaching staff this season will feature Minton and assistant coaches Coby Minton, C.L. Grogan, David Irwin, Trey Smith, Terrance Johnson, Carlon Butler, Brent Hidalgo, Bill Harris and Blake Rodriguez.
Minton said he feels like his coaching staff, which includes many of his former players, is “second to none.”
Below is a position-by-position look at this year’s Central Catholic squad.
Quarterback
Senior Ryan Miller will be the Eagles’ starting quarterback this year, replacing DeDe Gant, a second-team All-District 7-1A selection a season ago.
Miller has served in a back-up quarterback role and started at safety during his high school career.
“Ryan’s done a great job,” Minton said. “Ryan has all the intangibles you want at quarterback. ... He’s going to fit right in there without a problem.”
The Eagles also will utilize sophomore Freddie Calloway, while freshman Caleb O’con also is among the Eagles’ quarterbacks.
“Freddie’s more one of those athlete guys at quarterback,” Minton said. “He can throw the ball, but he can also move his legs, and we’re going to have a little package for him every week and use him in spots with his package.”
Running Back
Minton said the Eagles may have the most depth of any position at running back.
“I feel like we’ve got four or five guys that can play there, so we’re going to be in a lot more two-running back sets this year than we have been,” Minton said.
The Eagles’ backfield features senior Davidyione Bias, who rushed for 1,158 yards and 14 touchdowns a year ago. He was a second-team Louisiana Football Coaches Association Class 1A All-State team member as well as a first-team All-District 7-1A selection at running back.
Junior Hugh Hamer also returns to the Central Catholic backfield after rushing for more than 200 yards a year ago, while the Eagles also can utilize sophomore Kye Morgel.
“He’s got really good hands,” Minton said of Morgel. “He’s a good receiving threat out the backfield, and he’s really shifty at running back.”
Other options for the Eagles are freshman Damondrick Blackburn and senior Philip Guarisco.
Minton said he considers all of the Eagles’ running backs starters because they all will play a lot.
Receiver
While Central Catholic has to replace two second-team All-District 7-1A selections from a year ago in Brooks Thomas and Bryce Grizzaffi, Minton said earlier this month senior Grant Stansbury and sophomore Carter Williams are emerging as the team’s replacements.
Minton said the Eagles have multiple young players who could fill the Eagles’ wide receiver spots. He said both junior Ross Thomas and Calloway, when he’s not playing at quarterback, will see time at wide receiver.
The running backs also will be utilized in the pass game.
“We’re going to take those running backs and split them out some and use those guys in the passing game some when we get in one-back sets, so we got a lot of things we can do there,” Minton said.
At tight end, the Eagles have a returning starter in junior Caleb Menina. Menina was a first-team All-District 7-1A selection at tight end a year ago.
“We expect big things from him, both blocking and passing this year,” Minton said.
Behind Menina is junior Trent Hillen, who will play often this year.
“This is Trent’s first year playing football,” Minton said. “He’s been playing baseball and decided to come out. He’s really been a good addition. He’s a ton more physical than I imagined he would be. Very physical kid, and he’s got a big frame and he’s got really good hands.”
Minton said the Eagles will be able to use both Menina and Hillen in double tight end sets.
At H-Back, the Eagles will feature senior Nathan Hebb.
“We could split Nathan out, we could put him in the slot, we could put him in the backfield as a blocker, basically becoming a third back back there,” Minton said.
Offensive Line
The Eagles return four starters on their offensive line this year, and the offensive line will feature all senior starters.
“Hopefully, this should be a strength for us,” Minton said. “We want to see those guys take the next step. We’ve felt all along that (we) have a bunch of potential up there. We have good size.”
The Eagles will feature Kaden Scott at right tackle, Michael-Anthony Hill at right guard, Austin Ganaway at center, Grant Cheramie at left tackle and Korey Kincaide at left guard.
Minton said his offensive line will average about 265 pounds.
“We’re hoping that as deep as we are at running back and the experience we have up front on the O-line, we’ll be able to control the line of scrimmage and run the football,” Minton said.
Hill was a second-team Louisiana Football Coaches Association Class 1A All-State selection a year ago as well as an honorable mention Louisiana Sports Writers Association Class 1A All-State pick. He had 87 pancake blocks in 11 games.
Hill also was a first-team All-District 7-1A selection on the offensive line, while Scott was a second-team All-District 7-1A selection.
Gone from last year’s team is Cade Booty, who was a second-team All-District 7-1A selection.
Defensive Line
Central Catholic will start sophomore Drayton Keller at nose guard, while senior Aiden DeHart and junior Zac Bennett will be the team’s defensive ends.
Backing them up will be Hillen, senior Bryce Kelly and freshmen Elijah Brown and Angelo Viscardi.
“We’re going to not be as big on the D-line as we were last year, but we’re going to be more athletic down there, and we’re going to try to take advantage of that with a lot of slanting and make those big boys on the o-line have to hit moving targets,” Minton said.
DeHart was a second-team All-District 7-1A selection a year ago.
Linebacker
The Eagles’ seniors John Charles Hebert and Andrew Duval are competing for the team’s Mike linebacker spot, and whoever doesn’t start will be the team’s main substation and can play at all three linebacker spots. Hebert and Duval could play at the line of scrimmage, too.
Hebb will serve as the team’s Sam linebacker, while junior Ethan Majewski is the team’s Will linebacker. Hebb was a second-team Louisiana Football Coaches Association Class 1A All-State selection and an honorable mention Louisiana Sports Writers Association Class 1A All-State pick a year ago. He also earned first-team All-District 7-1A honors.
A year ago, Hebb had 53 solo tackles, 47 assists, 12 tackles for loss, six sacks, one interception and four fumble recoveries.
Freshman Ethan Wiggins also can play linebacker this season, Minton said.
Gone from last year’s team is Hunter Daigle, a second-team All-District 7-1A selection as a flex player.
Secondary
In the secondary, Morgel and Philip Guarisco will be the team’s starting strong safeties, while Menina will back them up along with Blackburn.
Senior Khyre Willis will hold down one cornerback spot, and Hamer will start at the other cornerback position. Williams also will see a lot of time at cornerback.
Calloway will start at free safety, while Bias also will spend a lot of time at safety. Miller can play the position, too, Minton said.
A year ago, Guarisco earned second-team All-District 7-1A honors as a linebacker.
Gone from last year’s team is Gant, a first-team Louisiana Football Coaches Association Class 1A All-State selection and a first-team All-District 7-1A pick, who now is a part of the Nicholls State football team.
Grizzaffi, who signed a baseball scholarship with Southeastern Louisiana University, also earned second-team All-District 7-1A honors as a defensive back for the Eagles last year.
Special Teams
Junior Brett Morell and senior newcomer Adlai Urbina, who Minton said recently moved from Mississippi, are battling for the team’s kicking position.
“Adlai was kicking off to the five-yard line the other day,” Minton said a few weeks ago. “Both of them have been really consistent on extra points and field goals, and I feel like that’s going to be a big addition for us this year is being more solid in that placekicking game.”
Hillen will serve as the team’s punter, while Thomas will serve as the team’s deep snapper.
Last year’s punter for the Eagles, Dakota Lux, was a first-team All-District 7-1A selection.
In the Eagles’ return game, Calloway and Bias are the team’s punt returners, while Bias, Hamer, Blackburn and Calloway were fighting for the kickoff return duties earlier this month.
Schedule
Central Catholic’s nondistrict schedule features Class 2A opponents Loreauville, West St. Mary and Vinton, Class 4A St. Stanislaus of Mississippi and Ascension Catholic.
“I like to do a couple of things when you make the schedule out,” Minton said. “You want to get some playoff points. You want to play some teams that will challenge you a little bit. I like to play higher-classification schools, which you look at our nondistrict schedule, we got three double-A schools and a 4A school, so we accomplished that purpose.
“I always like to take a far road trip early in the year so that if we get in the playoffs and have to go to north Louisiana, it’s not the first time we’ve made a long trip,” he added.
This year, that trip will be to Vinton, and next year it will be to St. Stanislaus.
In District 8-1A action, Central Catholic will face Centerville, Hanson Memorial, Highland Baptist, Vermilion Catholic and while Covenant Christian Academy joins the group this year.
Central Catholic will participate in the Taco Bell Jamboree Thursday, facing Centerville at 7:30 p.m. The Eagles will open the regular season at home against Loreauville Sept. 5 in a 7 p.m. contest.