Opelousas Tigers
2020 Record: 0-5
District: 6-4A
Head Coach: Jimmy Zachery
Note: Javonnie Gibson switching from QB to WR
The Jimmy Zachery era at Opelousas High didn't get off to the ideal start. The pandemic hindered communication and instillation and the Tigers finished 0-5 on the season.
The numbers have been low this offseason, but the passion within the group has been high and it's creating a mentality, OHS hopes will carry them far.
"We ain't too big of a football team, but we all we got we all we need," Opelousas defensive end Christian Murphy said. "We work hard, we grind, we put in that effort. As we see in practice, we're doing pretty good. We all we got, we all we need."
"I think the work ethic is totally different," Zachery explained. "The kids are turning the corner as far as buying in. We preached about working hard this off-season and the weight room is really important for us. The participation for us this summer was really awesome. We averaged 45 kids a day. It's going really well and I think they're starting to see everything I've been preaching."
Opelousas will have 7 starters returning, but Coach Zachery looks at that as a positive, as his new starters understand his habits.
Among the returners is senior Javonnie Gibson, who will be moving from quarterback to wide receiver this season, with the hope that it unleashes him and the tigers offense.
"With Javonnie at quarterback, we're kinda limited, because everybody loads the box on us," Zachery said. "But when he was at receiver, you had to play us totally different. Because you're either bracketing him or double covering him in some type of form. It really opens our offense. Because now, we got more guys that make plays. So you can't just double Javonnie."
"I can read the defense more too and know which route, how to run my route, where to stop at," Gibson said. "The leadership too, it just switched over to being a receiver."
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