School Spotlight: General Trass

Nestled in the northeast corner of Louisiana, General Trass High School calls home to Lake Providence, La. Lake Providence borders the Mississippi River and is only a five minute drive from Arkansas. As you drive as you drive up highway 65 to Lake Providence, you will first pass through the town of Transylvania, which makes for a fun trip in October, but you cannot help but notice that this part of the state is cotton country. Miles and miles of cotton. I enjoy making this trip to this part of the state at least once a year. Coach Wells, has made the General Trass Panthers a worth while program that makes this log car dive well worth the trip. He has taken the program to back-to-back state playoffs. During the 2020 season, the Panthers made it to the quarterfinals, the furthest the Panthers had been in the playoffs since before segregation. After the 2021 season, he had multiple players signed to play at the colligate level. Even though he lost a lot of players this year to graduation, I look for coach Wells to reload this year and return to the playoffs.

Aubrey Nash Jr is a class of 2023 Free Safety and Wide Receiver that stands 6’1″ and weighs 160 lbs. I like Aubrey’s instincts as a defensive back and can make big plays. Aubrey is also the kick returner and has a knack of making big plays due to his speed.

Andre McMerchant is a class of 2023 Offensive Lineman that stands 6’5″ and weighs 270 lbs. Andre passes the “look” test as a DI prospect. I saw him play twice last season, and in both games, he dominated along the line. His power and and blocking ability is a huge reason for the 12-1 record in 2021. His ability to seal the edge and get to the next level is a huge asset for any running back.

Keldrick Green is a class of 2023 Running Back. Keldrick has great speed and big play ability. I look for the Panthers to lean heavy on this young man this year with the departure of Senior QB Wydett Williams. Keldrick has every ability to be an elite back and finding a home at the next level, depending on his grades. The only negative I can find on this young man is his false step. However, his speed makes up for this. If he learns how to correct this during this offseason, he will be even better player on the field.

Johnnie Thompson plays along the Offensive Line. The one thing that jumps out at me on this young man is his coachability. Two years ago, this young man walked up to me as a freshman and told me that he was going to give me a reason to write about him. Johnnie is not your typical big guy, he is on the short side at 5’9.” Last season he earned the starting center position and in both games I saw him in, he showed up and created problems for the defensive linemen. If this young man works as hard as he has done on the field in the classroom, he will make a college roster somewhere.

I like the vibe that coach Wells has brought to one of the poorest areas of the poorest state in the country. Keep an eye on this program in 2022.