The Episcopal Knights have always been one of the most consistent programs in the Baton Rouge area year in and year out. Over the last seven years, the Knights have made it to the Quarterfinals under longtime head coach Travis Bourgeois. With an experienced unit coming back and playing at the Class 2A level where players are used to running around and playing multiple sports, the team is energized and ready to approach the 2024 season.
“We are doing what everybody else in South Louisiana is doing and that is doing your workouts and get accumulated to this heat, which is getting the guys motivated. We are doing some team comradery and a couple of 7v7s in the Baton Rouge league we got going on. The main thing is getting these guys stronger and getting them healthy because a lot of kids are still doing baseball, basketball and being active. That’s the main thing. Being at a 2A school, we know our kids are playing more than football so those guys being around the team and doing team activities is my main focus to get ready for August.”
Episcopal Head Coach Travis Bourgeois
From a roster standpoint, the Episcopal Knights have one of the most veteran teams under Bourgeois’ tutelage returning a whopping 19 seniors on a 2A team, which is always a good sign especially since the program has enjoyed a 40-8 record over the last four years including a 10-3 Quarterfinal finish last season.
The Knights will have to replace Gridiron Football All-American running back and Navy signee Braeden George at the running back position, but will return another great player at the running back position to lead the ground attack in Reid Chauvin, who as George’s counterpart accounted for close to 1,300 yards and 20 touchdowns last fall.
“We are fortunate enough this year to have 19 seniors and for us, that’s a big number. My largest senior class ever was like 17 to 18 guys so it’s a big senior class. The only issue is that there’s one lineman in it. We don’t have a lot of experience on both sides of the line of scrimmage, but Reid Chauvin is an All-District running back. He rushed for 1,000 yards for us last year. He is returning for us. Matthew Boagni is a returning offensive lineman.”
Episcopal Head Coach Travis Bourgeois
Defensively, the Knights will lean on a strong, experienced linebacking core and secondary that will be one of the best in Class 2A, but for Coach Bourgeois, the key to the 2024 Episcopal squad is how much they will grow in the trenches.
“JB Sessums returns for us on the defensive line and that is one of the biggest strengths on the defensive side. We return eight guys most of them on the backend. We return our linebackers Chase Cresson, Will Ribes, Chase Finley, Taj Callahan. They are all returning and the back portion is returning in Brody Bailey, Nathan Sanchez, and Neff Neumann. The secondary and linebackers are our strength, but we know if you want to get going in the playoffs, it is going to be up to the front. That’s what we need to build and that is going to be our biggest challenge.”
Episcopal Head Coach Travis Bourgeois
From a scheme standpoint, the Episcopal Knights are going to do what has made them such a steady program the last couple of decades and that is its Wing T offense and swarming defense.
“Episcopal football is all about the Wing T. We do try and get in the shotgun a little bit more for our quarterback Zach Hu to get the chance to run the ball a little bit more and keep defenses honest by spreading it out a little bit. Defensively, on the backend, we like our four linebackers so we try to keep a four man front and let those linebackers be as creative as we can. Being a little undersized, we just try to keep other teams on their toes and when you do things like that, your kids are excited about moving and scheming different things.”
Episcopal Head Coach Travis Bourgeois
Episcopal’s schedule will have some of its familiar suspects headlined by non-district rivals St. Michael and Ascension Catholic along with its classic district rivalry with the Dunham Tigers, but for Coach Bourgeois, every game on the schedule means just as much because of power rankings and playoff seedings that is always crucial in Division III Select.
“We are playing St. Michael’s Week 1 so right off the bat, we are looking forward to what we call The Battle on the Ridge because we are both right there by Woodland Ridge. We added Northlake Christian this year. We are playing traditional rival Metairie Park Country Day and we have been playing them for years now. In Week 4, we are already in the district. East Feliciana is a big rival. Week 5 is Ascension Catholic and a good rival. We’ve always had great games with Ascension Catholic. Northeast, Baker, Capitol, adding Slaughter Charter, and of course, we have our traditional rival with Dunham. A lot of the same folks, but each year is a different year and has a new identity. We are looking forward to this year’s challenge.”
Episcopal Head Coach Travis Bourgeois
The Episcopal Knights have been consistent as the expectation has always been to practice on Thanksgiving weekend and be a part of the final eight teams remaining, but the senior class knows that they want to be the group that gets over the hurdle and perhaps contend for the program’s first ever state championship.
“I tell my seniors that we are going to be as good as this group. This is their senior year and they always want to do better than the previous year. Leave a legacy. How are you going to be remembered at Episcopal? The last seven years, we made it to the Quarterfinals. If you are playing on Thanksgiving and in the Top 8 club, that’s our goal. Unfortunately, we haven’t gotten past those seven. It’s always get to the next spot, get to the semifinals, and everything is wide open. This year is no different. Everybody wants a district championship and things like that, but there’s a value on any game and you can’t single out one game being more important than the next one. You got to take it one at a time especially if you are trying to get a higher seed. With our division, some teams get byes and that’s big at the end of the year as well. You shoot for Thanksgiving and if you are playing on Thanksgiving, then you have a good ball club.”
Episcopal Head Coach Travis Bourgeois
Episcopal High School’s athletics have been great across the board in every sport in terms of competing for state championships, but as one of the most prestigious schools in the state, the expectation is to set and maintain excellence across every facet of the school.
“Our head of school Dr. Carrie Steakley has been super and a great supporter of high school athletics. At Episcopal, we want the well rounded child and student. Athletics is important, but we have great arts, science, math, new buildings being built. It is a college prep school that is going to get these kids ready for next year if you are a senior. Athletically, we want to build more, but we have a great team and our athletic director Randy Richard played at Louisiana Tech and was my offensive line coach for years. He has moved up to AD now the last few years and we know in South Louisiana, football sets the tone for the school year. It sets the tone for the athletic programs so it’s important to get off to a great start in football.”
Episcopal Head Coach Travis Bourgeois
“We have a 100% graduation rate. Once you get that Episcopal degree, you are definitely going places and we got a lot of people that expand around the globe, which is great. That is the number one reason that you go to Episcopal and that is you want that degree. We have been fortunate the last few years to get some guys to keep going to college, but if you are getting a Episcopal degree, you are going places and we are very fortunate to have people network throughout the US. One of the strongest attributes our players love to see is the former players returning Friday nights or come to the summer and watch them workout. It means a lot to those guys.”
Episcopal Head Coach Travis Bourgeois
One of those people that set the example of what an Episcopal Knight should be is the late great Jimmy Williams. Jimmy was a great All-State player for the Episcopal Knights and later went on to be not only an All-SEC player for the Vanderbilt Commodores, but also spent eight seasons in the NFL most notably with the San Francisco 49ers and the Seattle Seahawks. In 2011, Williams came back to his alma mater and was the school’s defensive coordinator and assistant athletic director. After a courageous battle with cancer, Jimmy Williams passed away on July 7th, 2022.
Today, Episcopal always finds a way to continue to keep his legacy alive whether it is giving his old #8 jersey number to a Knights player that exemplifies all of Williams’ values or having his number on the play clock or naming their 7v7 offseason tournament in his honor. Jimmy Williams is the epitome of Episcopal Knights football.
“First of all, Jimmy loved Baton Rouge and loved getting back to the community. He was an outstanding student athlete from Episcopal that went on to Vanderbilt and got eight years in the NFL. Fortunate to have him on my staff. He was my defensive coordinator for years and his son Ace came to Episcopal. His wife Chandra has been a familiar face since moving back from Nashville. Jimmy has always been about giving back and just networking and using football as a platform to go places, but academics always meant the world to Jimmy and going to Episcopal and going to Vanderbilt. Jimmy used his Vanderbilt degree and did great things in the NFL. We are going to try and keep that thing going. This year, we had 10 teams come back and we wanted to keep growing. Jimmy will never be forgotten and we are going to keep going with it.”
Episcopal Head Coach Travis Bourgeois
Another name that has been synonymous with Episcopal athletics is none other than Travis Bourgeois, who will be celebrating his 30th year with the school and has not only coached football, but baseball and girls basketball. After winning 175 games over those 30 years at one place, Coach Bourgeois enjoys the success, but what he enjoys more is the relationships he has built with kids all the way from Pre-K3 all the way up to 12th grade.
“From Donaldsonville, I commuted to Episcopal for 10 years and thought that it would be my last year, but in year five, I became the girls basketball coach and I just want to get my feet wet and become a coach. That was one of the best moves I’ve ever made because when you coach girls, it teaches you a lot about coaching whether it is eye contact, the tone of voice, and just the way you treat them because they are going to react a lot differently than guys. It taught me to treat everybody equally and then, I got the head football coaching job at Episcopal. I love the family atmosphere and the fact that Pre-K3 through 12th grade is on campus. I have three daughters. Two of them have graduated from Episcopal and my last one is a senior this year. I just love the family atmosphere and support. We’ve made it to the semifinals a couple of times, the Quarterfinals a couple of times. Wins and losses are important, but I love the family atmosphere at Episcopal. I love the way they treat their students and it’s about the whole child in academics, arts, athletics. Every day is a challenge. I teach Pre-K3 PE and I love the Pre-K kids as much as I love the seniors. It keeps you well rounded and young.”
Episcopal Head Coach Travis Bourgeois
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