Elton High promotes Bruchhaus to head football coach

ELTON – Elton High School did not have to look very far to find their new football coach, promoting offensive coordinator Donnie Bruchhaus, Jr. to head coach.

“I’m excited to be the head coach in my hometown,” said new Indians head coach Donnie Bruchhaus. “It’s a position I have wanted for a long time and excited for the opportunity and the challenge. I had applied two other times and this was the time that it meant the most to me and I was the most ready to take over.”

Bruchhaus will be replacing Doyle Carter, who resigned in March after six seasons back in Elton.

Carter led the Indians to a record of 39-29 in those six seasons, making the playoffs every year. It was his second tenure in Elton since he was previously the head coach of the Indians from 1994-96 and had a 24-11 record during that time.

Bruchhaus is an Elton native and graduate of Elton High and McNeese State. The former Indians quarterback is also the son of legendary Elton running back and former LSU/McNeese football player Donnie Bruchhaus, Sr.

Numbers are a concern for the Indians right now. The Elton roster currently has less than 30 kids, including only three freshman for a team that usually fields around 35.

“We don’t have many kids, but that is okay,” said Coach Bruchhaus. “We are gonna spend the summer learning the new systems and getting bigger, faster, and stronger.”

Bruchhaus has been a teacher in Elton for the last ten years and has spent the last three as offensive coordinator. He is also the head track and field coach and formerly served as head girls basketball coach.

This will be his first time as a head football coach but has experience as an assistant coach at Elton, Barbe, Kinder, and DeQuincy on two separate occasions.

The Indians will move from the spread offense run under Carter to something the older Elton fans may recognize.

“Offensively we will be moving back under center to the Wing-T,” said Coach Bruchhaus. “It is an offense I ran when I was playing here and I think it fits our kids well. It may be a bit of a shell shock coming from the spread the last six years but our kids are looking forward to it.”

The Indians will also be fielding a new defensive scheme as well.

“Defensively, we will be switching to the more aggressive 3-4 system. It will allow us to put as many of our athletes on the field as possible,” said Bruchhaus.

Bruchhaus has coached under some very recognizable names in the Lake Charles area.

“I’ve had the pleasure of coaching under some great head coaches in my 13 years as a football coach,” said Bruchhaus. “I was under Chad Lavergne and Brad Kellogg the two times I was in DeQuincy, Jimmy Shaver at Barbe, Jeff Wainwright when he was at Kinder, and Doyle Carter here in Elton.”