by Malcolm Butler
Tuesday night’s junior high game against Glenbrook was the future of Cedar Creek varsity football on display at Origin Bank Stadium.
With the varsity Cougars set to face Delta Charter tomorrow night amidst what boils down to a developmental season for the young Cedar Creek high school team, the next two years of varsity players are fine tuning their craft under the tutelage of Coach Jacob Angevine.
Angevine, who took over the reins of the junior high in 2023, said he believes the future is bright on the varsity level based on what he has seen the past two seasons.
“I said last year that there was a great group of talent between our current eighth graders and our freshmen right now,” said Angevine. “I have been here 10 years and that is a really good group. I have seen really good groups of talent.
“We have everything. We have the linemen. We have the skill guys. But the more important thing that we have coming up right now is leadership. To have that as young guys … as 13-, 14-, and 15-year-olds is incredible. As a coach that is the thing you want. Anytime you have a team led by players, all you have to do is reap the rewards.”
Cougars varsity skipper William Parkerson agrees with Angevine’s assessment.
“We have a good mix of skill players,” said Parkerson. “We have some guys that can run. Offensive line has done a good job for them all year. It’s a good group. Most importantly they are learning to win right now. Winning becomes habit just like anything else does. Learning to win and expecting to win is a huge thing for your mindset.”
This is all good news for the future.
The current varsity roster consists of only five seniors and is riddled with underclassman, including a handful of the the junior high players.
“We already have three of them that are playing on Friday night’s right now in Noah Smith, Payton Harris, and Case Phillips,” said Parkerson. “They are all guys that are playing for us on Friday nights. Campbell Woodard is extremely physical. Liam Durrett is a good fullback and linebacker. Henry Patton and Bretton Williams on the line are guys that are good. Cohen Pottharst maybe the fastest of all the eighth graders. We have a good group and a good mix.”
Smith returned a fumble for a touchdown in last Friday night’s loss against Glenbrook while Harris has made a number of plays on both sides of the football for the varsity this season. It’s experience that will be invaluable for those three moving forward in their high school careers.
“Having success out here with the junior high and getting those reps (on the varsity level) as eighth graders … they will be more like 10th graders when they step on the field next year as opposed to freshmen,” said Parkerson.
While the Cougars varsity is still looking for its first win of the season, the junior high and even pee wee teams have posted plenty of dubs this fall.
The junior high is 5-1 this fall, outscoring opponents 130-62 along the way.
“They are having success and they are learning to win,” said Parkerson. “We are hopefully creating that winning culture and when they get to high school they expect to win.”
One thing that Parkerson and the Creek coaching staff has done this year is practice the junior varsity and the varsity together, at least for portions of the workouts. It enables the younger Cougars to understand the focus and work ethic on the varsity level while allowing the varsity coaches to spend time with them.
“It’s important that you have your high school coaches investing into the junior high kids because that is your future, especially at a school like this,” said Angevine. “You hear the term feeder school. Well, we feed ourselves all the way from third grade through high school. It’s the same kids.
“Having the same kids run the same offense and defense with the same coaches … that’s how you build a program. I think we are on the right track doing that.”
Parkerson himself is one of the biggest keys … a key for continuity. The Cedar Creek varsity football program has gone through a plethora of head coaches since Ben Haddox’s last season on the sideline in 2017, something that doesn’t lend itself to building a winning program.
“Those seniors last year went through so many head coaches during their junior high and varsity days,” said Angevine. “It’s hard to build a winning program that way.”
Another key component that Parkerson has installed since taking over the varsity job last year was to streamline the Cougars football program from third grade through varsity. On every level, the Cougars are learning the same offensive and defensive systems.
“Being able to run the same offense pee wee all the way through high school is the best formula,” said Angevine. “There have been times where the high school is running spread and the junior high is running I-formation and then the pee wee is running get-the-ball-downhill. It’s important.
“With these freshmen that were eighth graders last year, they understand what our play calls are all about. They understand the blocking scheme. They understand the terms. So now we can just scaffold and put a little bit more on top of it. If you go in having a base knowledge and can just stack more and more on top of it, the sky is the limit.”
With the level of young talent and success on both the pee wee and junior varsity teams at Cedar Creek, Cougar fans have plenty to be excited about in the coming years.
For the latest local news, subscribe FOR FREE to the Lincoln Parish Journal and receive an email each weekday morning at 6:55 right to your inbox. Just CLICK HERE to sign up.
