District 7-4A is shaping up to be an open race with plenty of talent, and the two St. Tammany Parish schools are considered favorites.
Both Lakeshore and Pearl River should be in contention for the league title. The Titans had the best district record last season among the teams currently in the district, losing only to Salmen, which moved up to 5A.
Pearl River is expected to improve this season with the return of 20 seniors, including All-District running back Tashod Badon.
Lakeshore coach Brent Indest said Franklinton and Loranger are other teams to keep an eye on.
“Franklinton has the most talent, hands down,” Indest said. “Almost all of their core players are back and they’re incredibly athletic. Pearl River should have improved a lot. They have a great runner and Loranger has two great running backs.”
Lakeshore will have to play with several starters on offense and defense, including running backs Oudry Gros and Dylan Cusachs.
“We have a lot of good players back, but we lost a lot in the secondary,” Indest said. “A lot of those good players will have to help out on defense. Oudry was our best runner and is expected to help at linebacker, and Dylan can help as well.”
Lakeshore’s run-heavy offense should feature more passing with senior quarterback Beau Bernard in his second year as a starter. The Titans’ defensive line looks solid.
“We expect big things from Beau,” Indest said. “We’re going to make more plays from the shotgun position to give him room to open things up. (Defensive lineman) Spencer Rogers has looked really good, and Isiah Kuntz has been a real liability at nose guard.”
Pearl River’s strength is likely to lie in the offense, where top striker Badon is back and four regular players are returning in the attack line.
“We have an all-district running back who rushed for 1,200 yards his senior year,” Pearl River coach Eric Collins said of Badon. “He’ll be running behind an experienced offensive line, and we have both wide receivers back as well.”
Pearl River can also count on the return of several regular players in defense and should be better positioned on that side of the ball with new defensive coordinator Mike Burg.
“Coach Burg has experience and brings a lot of knowledge,” Collins said. “Gage Durand is our anchor on offense and our best linebacker will be back after tearing his ACL last year. Cam Thibodeaux is our anchor in the secondary.”
Franklinton’s offense appears to be among the best in Class 4A, led by dynamic athlete Conner Magee and junior quarterback Jacob Crain.
“Connor is an electric player,” Franklinton coach Nick Saltaformaggio said. “He can play both running back and wide receiver and is the most skill-set player I’ve coached. Jacob had a great training camp in August. He has size, a good arm and is athletic.”
While the offense should be in good hands with Magee and Crain, Franklinton will need to improve its defense if it wants to take the next step.
“Last year we were a bad defensive team,” Saltaformaggio said. “We lost six games by a total of 13 points, all of which we were ahead in the fourth quarter. We could be a problem in November if we can win close games.”
The surprise team in the district is Hannan, who are coming off a winless season but could be in a better position with several new regular players and new coach Steve Soper.
“We have to be on top gear because this is one of the toughest districts,” Soper said. “It’s going to be a tough battle. We took last season to heart, so we’re going to rebuild with this group and hopefully get back to where we’re used to.”
