It has been tough sledding for the Broadmoor Buccaneers the past couple of seasons, but the program made some nice strides in year one under head coach Yasin Sarah. Despite winning only one game in 2022, it was a very important one as the Buccaneers snapped a 26-game losing streak in a 14-0 win over Tara. Getting that win was big for the program as it showed the players that it can be done.
“It’s big to get that win, but you also have to let them know how to handle that win. They did get the good feeling of how to win, and they know that it is possible to win. Our goal is to win so we have to teach them how to handle it, so it doesn’t have to be such a high and that they don’t come out the next week flat. As they can take that experience from winning, they can also take that experience on how to handle a win as well just like they handle losses.”
Broadmoor Head Coach Yasin Sarah
Getting his first coaching opportunity, Coach Sarah learned a lot under Broadmoor coaching legend Rusty Price, who brought a lot of success to the Buccaneers program in the 1990’s. Coach Sarah brought what he learned with him as an offensive/defensive line coach at East Ascension before coming back to Broadmoor. Learning under a coaching legend that has led the Buccaneers to their fair share of success for close to 30 years, Sarah wants to bring that winning style of football back to Broadmoor.
“Our philosophy goes back to the ’90’s to the gridiron football style of play. We are going to take the best 35-40 players and get the ones that are most fit to play the gridiron football way of doing things. That is the philosophy that we have. The kids know that it is the 11 best on the field at one time. If you are not out there hustling and working hard, you are going to get passed up. That’s just a fact. We are going to continue to work with you, but you got to come in with that work ethic. We are all business from when you come in at 8:00 in the morning until we leave at 12:00. It is like clocking in for a job. That’s what I tell them. You got to put that wok in constantly.”
Broadmoor Head Coach Yasin Sarah
Winning games will not only give the kids a big boost, but the community a boost as well. Certainly when Broadmoor is rolling, the atmosphere is special and just makes Louisiana high school football even better.
“It seems that everybody is a graduate from Broadmoor. It was such a big school back in the ’60s and ’70s. You have all these alumni, and it is not just one phase of alumni. You are getting everybody in Baton Rouge. You are getting the different cultures of Baton Rouge. Everybody is wanting to put back into the school, and that is something that excites me. It is the history and the people that want to give back.”
Broadmoor Head Coach Yasin Sarah
The 2023 version of the Buccaneers is hungry to give back some more to the community by taking the next step and adding a couple of more wins to their plate. Coach Sarah has liked how this team has worked during the spring and in the summer in order for them to accomplish the goals that they want to accomplish this upcoming fall.
“We have been working hard this summer. We’ve had good numbers out there and for the most part, everybody that we have been needing to count on has been out there. We give the kids a week off for the fourth of July, but other than that, they are expected to be there and for the most part, they have been working hard. We split our groups up. We’ve got a lot of linemen out there, and we actually have a few options for our line, which has been different in the past. Getting them out there in June and getting them conditioned out there to play both ways in the old Broadmoor way of doing it, that’s key for us. We even brought a few upcoming freshmen that are going to make an impact this year. We’ve seen the strides from June until now.”
Broadmoor Head Coach Yasin Sarah
Coach Sarah’s offseason program has allowed the guys to put work in everyday. The kids are starting to buy in and because of it, the numbers are increasing on the roster. Speaking of making an impact, there were four offensive players in 2024 OT/DE Isiah Green, 2025 WR/CB Jaden Banguel, 2025 WR/CB Marquis Bennett, and 2025 QB Kenneth Hawkins that came to the Gridiron Football inaugural Media Day event that should make this an exciting season to come.
“I tried to pick three guys, but they all wanted to come. It was a hard decision to make because we are a team, and we do come together as a team. I told them everyday that you are going to make an impact one time or another throughout the year. I did bring one of our senior leadership guys, but I also brought some of our rising juniors that have been together for three years. They stay after practice and work hard. They spend time when they are outside of practice together and like I said today, they all jumped in the truck and came with me. It’s hard to keep them apart, which is a good thing. They got the camaraderie when you are talking about our quarterback, our wide receiver, running back so it is a good clique that we have there. We brought our senior leader in Isiah Green on the line. He leads our line and we got a lot of young linemen as well as a couple of upperclassmen, so he does a good job of bringing everybody together, leading them, and showing them how to do it.”
Broadmoor Head Coach Yasin Sarah
The camaraderie will be needed this upcoming season as the Buccaneers play a competitive schedule in one of the state’s largest districts that features Belaire, Brusly, Istrouma, McKinley, Plaquemine, St. Michael, Tara, and West Feliciana.
There are a lot of names in the hat when it comes to the district, but besides that, the Buccaneers are not intimidated by it as they are continuing to prepare and take the right steps necessary to be successful and bring back the glory days of Broadmoor football back.
“When I took over, we had five to six seniors last year. This year, we have four seniors that have been working out with us all summer. We are still young, but these guys have been together a lot. A lot of the junior class is what I brought with me today. This is their third year, so it is time for them to invest and show that this is your team as we only have four seniors. Looking towards the future, it looks really good with what we got.”
“Some of the kids’ biggest memories was looking at the stands and seeing their families and the crowd out there cheering them on. The good thing about Broadmoor is the tradition behind it. We have alumni at Broadmoor all across the city, and they have been giving me some good feedback. They have been seeing what we have been doing. When they asked me what do you need from me? I just tell them that we would love your support. That’s all I need from you. I need to see you at the games. I need to see you supporting the team and whatever else we get out of it is just the icing on the cake. We just want them out there. We want to see what they are doing, and we are moving in the right way. I feel having that homefield support makes a big difference.”
Broadmoor Head Coach Yasin Sarah
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