On the fifth stop of the 2024 Gridiron Football Spring Tour, the crew stopped by Live Oak High School in Watson, Louisiana to see how the Eagles are looking in spring football. The Eagles are led by Randell Legette, who is in his first year as the team’s head coach. Coach Legette has been promoted within as he served as the team’s offensive coordinator last season and will be taking Hutch Gonzales’ place as he left the school in order to be the athletic director at Bowling Green High School in Franklinton, Louisiana.
Even though Coach Legette is new at the helm at Live Oak, this is not his first rodeo as a head coach. He was previously a head coach at St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Hammond, Louisiana where he led the Falcons to six district titles and a state semifinalist. Coaching up in competition from 2A to 5A, Legette is excited about the new opportunity.
“They have been great. I love this place. It is everything that you can imagine as a head coach. The way the class schedule is set up, the resources that are at hand, the community has embraced me and my family. It’s been awesome. I can’t complain one bit. Mrs. Jones is a great principal, a great leader, and so are her assistants. The administration is awesome. I wouldn’t want to be at any other place.”
Live Oak High School Head Coach Randell Legette
The appreciation from the school showed out at Live Oak’s spring intrasquad scrimmage as a big crowd came out to support the 2024 Eagles football team. It was great competition as the offense took on the defense and, in the end, it was the offense that got the better of the defense in a 34-31 win. Although the scoreboard doesn’t matter in the win loss column, Coach Legette loved how his team came out and competed like it was an actual game in the fall.
“I thought we came out with a lot of energy and effort today. We wanted to put our kids in the fire and get the referees out here. We had the fans in the stands. Everything was like a real game environment and it gave us an opportunity to iron some of the kinks out.”
Live Oak High School Head Coach Randell Legette
The excitement helps when a lot of the guys that were out there making plays were underclassmen during the spring game just showing that the future is very bright in Watson.
“Our sophomore class and our junior class is really talented, but the seniors are a good group of guys that have bought into what we have done. They really took on that leadership role. We have an up-and-coming freshman that is going to be something to watch. There is definitely some excitement brewing in the air. We just got to continue to work hard and put our stuff together so we can put some Ws in the column.”
Live Oak High School Head Coach Randell Legette
The up-and-coming freshman that Coach Legette is eluding to is freshman sensation Calvin Ursin, who was making incredible plays on both sides of the football. The 6’2, 195 athletic two-way player already has received an offer from Southern earlier this month and is definitely a star in the making.
“He’s special. Everybody sees the skillset obviously and his ability to make plays, but if you watch him throughout the week, he has a mature mindset in how he carries himself day in and day out.”
Live Oak High School Head Coach Randell Legette
Ursin also has two very talented quarterbacks throwing him the football and when you add him to other offensive weapons like Dekohta Jones, Hayden Ray, Benjamin Moyer, and others, this could be a dangerous offense in 2024 with a lot of versatile pieces to it.
“Kingston Johnson is a good kid and a talented young man. Cayden Jones is also coming back from last year with a whole lot of experience varsity reps wise. It’s been good to see these guys battle. Cayden Jones is a Swiss Army knife. He’s playing running back, quarterback, and in the secondary. Kingston has done a really good job in his developmental process and we are looking forward to the season with both of those guys at the helm.”
Live Oak High School Head Coach Randell Legette
The offensive and defensive fronts also have players that Coach Legette really likes and will count on tremendously in the fall.
“Our two defensive ends Jacob Cowart and Gabriel Harvey are really talented guys. They bring a lot of energy and effort no matter what they do. Our linebacker Wyatt Tynes is a leader. If leadership is in the dictionary, his face will be right next to it. He’s just a great kid that we love to have. We also have a senior offensive lineman in Garrett Zachary, who is a very smart kid. He has a 4.0 GPA. When you got guys like that are returning starters, it helps set the foundation for the culture moving forward.”
Live Oak High School Head Coach Randell Legette
Those are leaders that on and off the field clearly execute what Coach Legette wants his players to be representing the blue, yellow, and white.
“The goal is to be task oriented and to do our job on a daily basis. If you work hard and do your job, good things are going to happen. You can look at anybody that is successful and is laying the foundation that they started. They are not worrying about anything around them, the past, the future, that one specific play, that one specific rep, and are letting the chips fall where they may.”
Live Oak High School Head Coach Randell Legette
Just as much as it is important to have players that believe in your identity, it is also important to have assistant coaches that fully support what you are trying to accomplish as well.
“Cash Littlefield is a swiss army knife. He does everything for me and he is a great guy. He is our defensive coordinator, assistant head coach, and strength coach as well. He’s really picked up the role as assistant coach and has really done a good job. Sal Diesi is another assistant coach that we have and David Maryland has been good to have him and his offensive mind. I wouldn’t want to have any other guys on my staff. It’s a great staff to have because they are great people. They are great people down to Tommy Bethswetherick. He is one of my favorites and is a former Marine. He has that edge and he understands how to lead and how to work with others. I love him for that. Brian Morris is with the offensive line and has been doing a great job with the offensive line this offseason. Don Moon is our linebackers coach. Stepfan Henderson is our secondaries coach. EJ Guidry is our receivers coach along with Grant Richardson. They bring a lot of energy everyday and the kids are feeding off it. We are doing great things as a staff and I couldn’t do anything on a daily basis if it wasn’t for them.”
Live Oak High School Head Coach Randell Legette
As flashy as some of the offensive pieces and weapons are and even though Randell Legette is an offensive guy by approach, do not let that distract you from the fact that he wants to win games the old fashioned way.
“We want to be physical and gritty on defense. We want guys flying around getting to the football. On offense, we are going to take what the defense is giving us, executing on third downs and in the red zone and you got to be able to run the football no matter what level you are at. That’s our mentality and those are the things we are working towards and we are going to continue to do that.”
Live Oak High School Head Coach Randell Legette
The intrasquad scrimmage was not the last time the Live Oak Eagles were on the field this spring as they capped it off with a spring game victory against Brusly in which they scored two touchdowns and shut out the Panthers out of the end zone.
Check out the photos that were taken during Live Oak’s spring scrimmage!
To read about our other Gridiron Football Spring Tour stops, make sure to check them out below!
