Photograph: North Central head football coach Julian Rideau is pictured along with players Jontarius Offord (15), Aicyllari Thomas (33), Joshua Powell (2) and Shane Mitchell (78). (Photograph by Freddie Herpin.)
BOBBY ARDOIN
Editor/Consulting Writer
What’s New: The Hurricanes have Julian Rideau as the program head football coach and a group of new assistants. Rideau, who perhaps has the most interesting resume of any parish coach (anthropology and sociology college majors, convenience store manager) hopes to continue the progress made at North Central last year (3-7 record).
Looking Back: North Central received considerable recognition last season in football, as the Hurricanes won a trio of non-district games under Jacob Carruth, who left the school for a head coaching job in Avoyelles Parish. The ‘Canes were entertaining and competitive in 2022, a combination which breathed new life into the program.
What Does The Coach Say: “We lost a couple of seniors last year, but the other guys on the team are coming back. We worked hard the whole summer. Most of our players right now are 11th and 12th graders and we are starting to see progress with getting kids excited in our middle schools. The other people in the parish tend to sleep on us, but we think we can continue building off last year.” – Julian Rideau.
Standout Players Returning: Jontarius Offord (DB), Aicyllari Thomas (CB), Joshua Powell (athlete) and Shane Mitchell (T).
Comments From Jontarius Offord: “This year I think the players we have are more dedicated plus we are more experienced. I think it would be wrong if other teams overlook us.”
Comments From Shane Mitchell: “ Look for us to do the same things that we did last season. I think most of our players have been together for a long time, so there is a bigger bond with us. It has been amazing what we have accomplished.”
X-Factor: Rideau recently won the annual crying towel at the pre-Jamboree event, so that might be something to consider when evaluating the overall football situation. What will be interesting is how the Hurricanes react to the start of the season, since North Central did not have a spring football game or a scrimmage last week.
