By DAVE WOODALL
Slidell sports writer
PEARL RIVER — It’s a new era for football at Pearl River High School and no one is more excited than new head coach Mike LaBourdette.
“We’re trying to build an environment of accountability here at Pearl River High School,” LaBourdette said. “Our practices have been going well and there has been good attendance. We are going to work hard but we also want to make it fun to play here as well.”
LaBourdette, who spent the past several seasons as the defensive coordinator at Northshore, wants to bring a blue-collar work ethic to a blue-collar community. “We want people to be here, we want people to get work in every single day, and we want to continue to improve. With that being said, we have re-instituted the Iron Man program that we operated under years ago when Joe Harris was the head coach. Basically it’s a program that rewards players for their diligence in making every practice that we have. They can only miss two practices regardless of the reason and if they complete the task they are awarded with an Iron Man T-shirt that signifies their accomplishment. Right now I think we have 10 or 12 players that have made every practice.”
The Rebels looked good earlier in the spring when they faced off against Northshore and Springfield. “We looked good in the limited time we faced Northshore and only went down 7-0. I will say that it was kind of strange to be playing against the Panthers since I had spent the last four years there.”
Offensively, the Rebels will continue to stick to the same game plan that they have had for years—running the ball.
“We were a Wing-T offense for many years up until 2012. Now we are going to open it up and spread it out. Pearl River has always been a team with linemen and this year is no exception. We had a great group coming into the spring but lost three of them to injury. But our philosophy is “next man up” so we aren’t going to dwell on it.”
The Rebel coaching staff has years of experience to fall back on. They include Mitch Brocato (offensive line); Aaron Dunklin (wide receivers); Mark Leebrick (running backs); Jarrod Danford (offensive coordinator); Joe Houffman (defensive line); and Tony Jurich (defensive coordinator).
“When I took this job, my goal was to hire people that I have worked with and coached for. So for them to be fundamentally sound with a knowledge of the game was very important in my selection process.”
On offense, the Rebels have two underclassmen, freshman Justin Dean and sophomore Ethan Martensson competing for the quarterback position. Neither has much experience but each of them has the skills to get the job done.
In the backfield, LaBourdette will rely on two of his senior veterans Jace Littleton and Ladarius Wilford. Also in the mix will be sophomore Matthew Elsensohn. Junior Al Dauth returns as a threat at the tight end position while junior Joseph Ohlenforst will anchor the offensive line.
The defensive side of the ball is the big question mark for the Rebels who gave up an average of 40 points a game last season.
Players to watch will be sophomore Zachary Follette, junior Cameron Hart, sophomore Cory Savelle, and senior Kenny Stewart.
LaBourdette’s goal is to whittle that average down to no more than 28 points a game in order for them to have a chance of winning.
“It’s going to take some breaks for us to succeed. You can’t take a 5-45 record in five years and turn it around overnight.”
So the message is clear. LaBourdette has come to town not only to rebuild a struggling football program but to build character and accountability in his players that will last a lifetime.
“This is a great community and I’m anxious to make them proud of what we accomplish here.”