Corey Bordelon returns to Archbishop Hannan as head football coach

You can go home again.

For Corey Bordelon, the circle is complete.

Bordelon was named as the new head football coach at Archbishop Hannan Wednesday.

Bordelon replaces Scott Wattigny, who departed Hannan after five seasons as head coach of the Hawks to become the new head coach at Catholic of New Iberia.

Bordelon enters his second stint as the head coach of the Hawks.

He originally served in the same position from 2005-06 before leaving for Jesuit, serving as assistant head coach at Jesuit from 2007-08 serving under Wayde Keiser.

Bordelon left Jesuit for De La Salle, where he served as head coach from 2009-11 under Joey Hines, the current athletic director at Archbishop Hannan.

“Being back at Hannan is amazing,” Bordelon said. “Being able to work with Coach Hines again is great. I have worked with Mike Perniciaro previously and that is something I look forward to doing again.”

Bordelon comes to Hannan from Northshore, where he served this past season as offensive coordinator under Josh Buelle. Bordelon also served previously as an assistant coach at Mandeville and Holy Cross.

Bordelon was the offensive coordinator at Archbishop Hannan in Meraux in 2004. The Hawks were a competitive 4-6 that season and were looking forward to the 2005 season.

Bordelon was elevated to head coach prior to the 2005 season. The season approached and the Hawks were ready to roll under their new head coach.

“We played our scrimmage against Riverside and our jamboree against Shaw and the Hurricane hit and we were done,” Bordelon said. “It was hard to believe.”

Archbishop Hannan High was in its 17th year of operation in Meraux when Hurricane Katrina arrived on Aug. 29, 2005 and devastated St. Bernard Parish, including the school.

“It was truly a difficult time for so many people,” Bordelon said. “Everyone pulled together and rebuilt their lives, including the school.”

The Archdiocese of New Orleans decided to relocate the school to the north shore and hte school operated originally at St. Joseph Abbey in Benedict in trailers.

“We came to the north shore and I coached 18 young men in 2006,” Bordelon said. “They played every single position so we could have a team. We were able to go 3-4. It was highlighted by a 34-14 victory over Chalmette. We won our last three games. That was special.”

Now, Archbishop Hannan has outstanding, still like new facilities in Covington and an enrollment which has grown back to Class 3A status, thriving.

“It feels like I’ve gone full circle,” Bordelon said. “They’ve done a phenomenal job here. The administrative is great, the kids are great and the parental involvement is great. The school was always outstanding but it has grown so much.”

While the present and future are quite bright for Bordelon and Archbishop Hannan, the past in St. Bernard Parish is not and never will be forgotten.

“My parents still live in Yscloskey so I go past the old Archbishop Hannan facility frequently,” Bordelon said. “It is hard to see the remnants of our former campus. It was pretty special to us. We are proud to carry on the name and tradition established in St. Bernard here in Covington. It is a dream come true for me. The school is doing very well. It is a good time to be here.”

There are second chances which manifest themselves in life daily. Some are fortunate to receive them.

“It’s a different place but the morals and core values are still the same,” Bordelon. “I guess you can go home again.

RELEASE
COVINGTON, La. – Archbishop Hannan High School is pleased to announce Corey Bordelon as the school’s head football coach for the 2020-21 season.

Bordelon, who previously was the head coach at Hannan in 2006, was hired after an extensive search and interview process that led to several highly qualified candidates being considered.

Archbishop Hannan Athletic Director Joe Hines said he couldn’t be happier with the decision by the selection committee and Head of School Chad Barwick to hire Bordelon.

“(Bordelon) and I were together at De La Salle before I started at Hannan,” Hines said. “So I know the kind of person we are getting as a coach and a leader for our young men.

“He will bring a strong and positive influence to our students and our Hannan families.”

He was most recently at Northshore High School where he served as the offensive coordinator under head coach Josh Buelle and also coached the offensive line. Bordelon comes with plenty of experience, having been an assistant coach at Northshore, Mandeville High School, Holy Cross and a head coach at both Hannan (2006) and De La Salle (2009-11).

Bordelon said the chance to come back to Hannan was a dream come true for him, as he has watched the program grow through the last decade.

The veteran coach takes over an Archbishop Hannan program that has experienced success in recent years. The Hawks have accumulated a 22-8 record the last three years, as well as making two runs to the state quarterfinals and an appearance in the state championship game in 2013.

“First and foremost it’s about ownership from the seniors and the rest of the team. Us as coaches, we are facilitators,” Bordelon said. “We are there to guide and develop the young men. But, honestly it is contingent on those guys taking ownership of this team and taking it to the next level.”

Bordelon was appreciative of his time at Northshore and Mandeville, but was happy to be getting back into a Catholic school environment.

“I am very excited about getting into a parochial school where there is Christian formation and we can lead young men to Christ,” Bordelon said. “I love the motto of Hannan, Charity Leads to Perfection, it ties right in with my belief in stewardship and being a servant leader.

“So again, for me, it really feels as if I’ve come full circle and I can’t express how excited I am to get started.”

Barwick said he was excited to see what Bordelon could do with the program.

“Coach Bordelon strikes me as a man who wants to bring our Hawks to Christ, winning at football and at life,” Barwick said. “His love for Hannan has continued to burn and we are excited for him to ignite our program.”