Central Private High School is continuing to grow as a football program ever since they joined the LHSAA in 2019. Things can be tough for a 1A school who is trying to build things up from the ground floor with such recent entry into the LHSAA, but under 2nd year Head Coach Cole Holden, the team looks to make great improvements this season.
“We’ve had a really good summer. We’ve participated in more 7 on 7s than the program has in a long time. We’ve implemented a full time summer program for the middle school, which is new. We’ve had an 85% attendance rate for the summer, which is great. The kids are showing up, they are working hard, it’s been a good summer.
Central Private High School Head Coach Cole Holden
The Redhawks have about 35 players on their football team, which is a solid number for their classification, but requires them to get the most out of each individual player they have, oftentimes playing both ways. Luckily for them, there are quite a few talented players littered throughout this team that can play those pivotal roles.
Aiden Pomerleau is a returning starter for us at mike linebacker and fullback. He had a great year last season and has had a great offseason. We expect him to be in the same role for us this year in the wing t that we run. Seth Hatfield is going to be at quarterback for us. he’s had a great summer as far as 7 on 7s go and in the weight room. He was hurt the whole year last year, so he hasn’t gotten to play in two years. That’s why the spring was big for him. Clayton Kimball played for us two years ago. He’ll play X receiver for us and outside linebacker. He’s 6’3″ 215 so he’s a big body, good athlete, and he’s worked really hard in the weight room for us as well.
Central Private High School Head Coach Cole Holden
Central Private isn’t going to look to reinvent the wheel schematically. Instead, they are looking to make the wheel they already have as efficient and effective as possible. They look to be physical, steady, and efficient throughout an entire game.
“What we do, it all comes down to blocking and tackling. Offensively, we run the Wing-T, there’s no secret to what we do. We’re going to run the football. We want to take the shots when we can. We want to possess the football. My philosophy is whoever possesses the ball controls the game. We don’t want to give up the big play on defense, and we want to be efficient on special teams. I know that sounds generic, but that’s how you win football games.
Central Private High School Head Coach Cole Holden
The schedule for Central Private this year is chock-full of exciting games from beginning to end. They open against North Iberville, a new football program with a roster filled with young talent that will be interesting to watch every time they hit the field. They end the year with the two big powerhouses in their district, defending state champion Southern Lab in week 9, and Kentwood in week 10. The biggest game each year for Central Private, however, is their week 2 game against Ascension Christian.
“The one that our kids get excited about is Ascension Christian. Somehow over the years it’s developed into a little rivalry. It’s a healthy rivalry, it’s a good, hard-fought game. I went back and looked at some scores, and it seems since Central Private has joined the LHSAA, it’s always come down to like an extra point at overtime, or a score like 20-14, it’s been a hard-fought game.”
Central Private High School Head Coach Cole Holden
Having the right administration to support a coach is just as important as anything else surrounding the job. Coach Holden has made clear how helpful those people have been to him in his time at Central Private up to this point.
“The administration staff as a whole up there is very supportive. They allow me to do my job – anything that I need, they do everything in their power to get it for me. They want to see the program succeed, they want to get it off the ground, there’s a lot of people invested in this program right now, it’s been a great place to work.”
Central Private High School Head Coach Cole Holden
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