Tigers will be led by dynamic senior group in 2021
One of the great advantages in sports has proven to be experience. When two teams are equal in talent, many times, it’s the team with the most experience that finds a way to win.
Donaldsonville is hoping that, that will be what gives them the edge this upcoming football season.
The Tigers bring back a veteran unit in 2021 that features a large group of seniors that’s hungry and looking to get over the hump and be contenders in Class 3A.
“We have a great group of seniors,” Donaldsonville head coach Brian Richardson said. “This is the biggest group of seniors that we’ve had since I’ve been the head coach. They really stepped up this spring and took big leadership roles for our team.”
The Tigers will return 13 starters from last year’s squad.
That team took some big steps forward as they went 4-2 during the regular season. That included a 50-28 blowout victory on the road against defending 3A champion St. James.
Donaldsonville went on to host a first-round playoff game. It’s a game they dominated, crushing Bogalusa, 46-8.
In the second round, the Tigers held a third-quarter lead against Madison Prep, but the Chargers went on a huge run in the final 18 minutes. They went on to eliminate Donaldsonville and steamroll to the Class 3A state crown.
From that team, Donaldsonville has lost four all-district players in offensive lineman Christian Howard, linebacker Wardell Forcell, defensive back Josh Collier and 1,000-yard running back Rae’land Johnson. All four players signed with colleges last February.
Johnson ran for a phenomenal 333 yards in the Tigers’ blowout win over Patterson.
But fortunately for the Tigers, they will return most of their other starters. This will include Treveyon Brown, who has started at quarterback for the past three seasons.
Brown spearheads a group of skill players that Richardson has hailed as the biggest strength of his team in 2021.
“We return an experienced group of skill players. This should result in a very balanced attack on offense and stability on defense,” Richardson said.
Brown’s top two targets in Jamarcus Miller and Daimar Robinson both return, along with running back Robert Kent.
The Tigers will tweak their offense this upcoming season. Coach Richardson said that they will still operate out of the spread, but they will incorporate some schemes and concepts from Oklahoma and Oklahoma State.
The defense will be loaded as well with Randell Oatis, Payton Cargo, Ramone Brown and Maliek Robertson on the defensive line, Kent at linebacker and Robinson and Raiyen Oatis in the secondary.
Coach Richardson said that he’s also expecting three first-year starters to do big things in the defensive backfield. These players will be Carlos Bell, Lawrence Forcell and Rashade Schonberg.
Coach Richardson is just excited to see the final progression of his seniors in 2021.
“I love the process. Some of these guys started as freshmen,” Richardson said. “They took their lumps. They got blown out by West Feliciana. Now they’re seniors. I just enjoy seeing them put their cleats on, on time, getting to practice on time and getting on the bus on time. I enjoy watching the changes take fruition. They’ve learned a lot, and hopefully, it’ll all pay off in regard to wins and losses this season.”