The Saint Paul’s Football Wolves intend to improve on last year’s playoff results and win it all this year.
The Saint Paul’s football team has been training and preparing for battle throughout the summer and the spring. With many seniors in the starting positions, they are full of powerful players.
Head coach Ken Sears states, “Our expectations are to be a physical, focused team that takes one game at a time and to use those opportunities to get better.”
With seven home games and only three away games, the Wolves are expected to dominate the regular season this year.
The competition is tough, however, and the Wolves are ranked 16th in Louisiana Division 1 Select and 62nd in Louisiana, according to MaxPreps.com. Their toughest opponents this year will be Rummel (ranked 32nd in the state), Brother Martin (10th), and De La Salle (26th).
The offensive line is full of experience with several seniors and a junior center. They have one returning starter, senior Caden Arnold, who plays right tackle. The other starters include senior Johnny Finnan at right guard and junior Jacob Rebaudo at center. The left guard is senior Ford Davidson, and the left tackle is senior Jake Talley.
The offensive line has quality depth with players ready to step up this year. Rounding out the offensive line are senior Aidan Thiaville, junior Drake Fielding, sophomore Avery Estrade, sophomore Mathew Blanchard, and sophomore Nathaniel Canizaro.
The offensive line coach is Mike Stant. He leads his line through demanding and strenuous drills that test the strength of his line.
The defensive line is also large and ready to win. They have been battling against the offensive line all summer, winning and losing against them in “best-on-best.” They gave the offensive line trouble but also helped them get stronger. A small weakness may be the inexperience of the younger players along the defensive line, but they will only improve with more playing time. Overall, the defensive line will put up great fights up front.
The defensive line is composed of sophomore Gage Brown, who saw action on varsity last year as a freshman, senior Nicholas Lowe, junior Alex Mott, senior Austin South, senior Perrin Duhey, junior Nathan Fegan, and junior Gavin Ordoyne. Their coaches are Gabe Emerson and assistant coach Mike Brown.
Next, the offensive skill positions have many returning players and new and rising sophomores. They also have been doing well over the spring and the summer. They were victorious in many games against various opposing teams during 7-on-7s while working hard at practice and in the gym.
This year’s starting offensive skill players include the tight ends senior Mathew Gower, junior Emerson Cochran, junior Samuel Bonaldi, and junior Chase Ravain. The running backs are senior Jack Trahan, sophomore Troy Willis, and sophomore Cody Corales.
The quarterbacks are junior Brennan Keim, senior Ben Buisson, and sophomore Collins Schwing. The wide receivers are senior Ben Buisson, senior Roman Cumberland, senior Jeb Reina, and junior Stone Celestin. Lastly, their coaches are Kenny Sears, III, Domnic Davenport, Gerald Ancar, III, and Eric Orphys.
The offense has only one weakness, which is the lack of starting seniors. There are only seven seniors in 15 starting positions, so they have a younger and less experienced team.
Like the offense, the defensive skill positions have also labored hard during the summer and on 7-on-7s. They have many returning seniors and juniors who played last year.
The starters for the defensive skill players are the hammers junior Dane Gaddy, senior James Hardwick, junior Miguel Menendez, junior Samuel Tarzia, and junior Luke Shroeder. The defensive backs are senior Devon Menon, senior Dominik Mangin, senior Connor Lacoste, junior Jacob Mitchell, and junior Carter Cambre. The linebackers are senior Kahil Reeves, senior Gavin Bourgeois, senior Robert Breen, sophomore Brady Boyer, and sophomore Noah Vicknair.
Finally, the kickers and punters are junior Drew Talley, sophomore Carter Pierson, and sophomore Andrew Iennusa, who are coached by Mick Nunez, Eric Rebaudo, and Bryan Moore.
The team captains for the Wolves are senior Mathew Gower, senior Ford Davidson, senior Tristan Davenport, senior Ben Buisson, senior James Hardwick, and senior Gavin Bourgeois They have shown their leadership abilities both on and off of the field and deserve the captain responsibilities.
The Wolves’ efforts in the John Curtis scrimmage and the Rummel Jamboree highlighted their strengths and areas where improvements are needed. As head coach Ken Sears states, “One of our biggest concerns is depth in certain areas and how injuries could affect key positions.”
After the 49-6 domination of West Jefferson in Week 1, Wolves fans are excited, and the team is focused on what’s important now, one game at a time.
Below is a link to the 2023-2024 Varsity football schedule.
Photo Credit: Keith West
The Paper Wolf 