Indest ready to make mark at Lakeshore

He has the maps.

Brett Indest has, as we say, been there and done that.

Indest has been to state championship games, once at Carencro and also at Catholic of New Iberia, on three occasions.

Indest led Catholic to a state championship in 2017.

Indest is a three-time Louisiana Sportswriters Coach of the year, including at Crowley (2005), at Kaplan (2007) and at Catholic (2014).

Lakeshore lost a very good coach in Craig Jones to Mandeville.

Lakeshore got a very good coach in Indest, who has an impressive all-time record of 187-86 as he approaches the elite level of 200 wins.

“We have a bunch of really good kids,” Indest said. “We have guys that understand that you have to be present to be successful. We had to set the tone with accountability. The kids have responded really well.”

There are certain things that Indest likes about his team.

“I think our size is good,” Indest said. “We are long and rangy with good size up front. I wish we were a little faster. Three of our football coaches will coach track and we will develop a speed program.”

The Titans were 6-5 a year ago and reached the second round of the playoffs, losing a shootout to Cecilia.

The Titans return 11 of 22 starters from last season.

Indest bring his vaunted Wing-T attack to Lakeshore, though the Titans will be multiple.

Offensively, senior quarterback Samuel Willie (6-1, 185) returns to run the show.

“Sam is without a doubt the leader of the team,” Indest said. “He’s experienced and he is one of our stronger kids in the weight room. He is having to change since our style will be different with the lion’s share of our passes coming out of play-action. We expect him to have a good year.”

Willie had a very good junior season, highlighted by a huge game against district rival Pearl River, when he completed 25-of-30 passes for 347 yards and four touchdowns in a 41-14 win.

Also returning is senior tailback Colby Ziegler (6-0, 200), who packs a punch.

“Colby was expected to be a running back this year even before I arrived,” Indest said. “He is over 200 pounds now. He is a guy who can run and catch the ball. His role on offense will significantly increase.”

The fullback is sophomore Evan Kitchen (5-9, 180).

The wide receivers are senior Ian McAlpine (6-1, 165) and junior Jaden Wells (6-1, 185) while the tight end is senior Dalton Anderson (6-0, 180).

“We always have a hybrid spot in our offense and that will be Wells,” Indest said. “We expect him to be good for us. McAlpine is a senior who is all and rangy.”

The offensive line is a real strength, with four of five starters returning.

Leading the way are senior guard Carter Davis (6-2, 240) and junior guard Landen Bertucci (6-2, 225), along with junior tackle Austin Roberts (6-4, 250) and junior center Michael Papis (6-1, 245). The new starter is expected to be sophomore Beauxdy Willie (6-0, 290).

“We’ve got a lot of guys back on offense,” Indest said. “We have to deal with the guard position. We are willing to give up size for mobility. The guards in our system have to move a lot. We gave a lot of tackle-types. Hopefully, we will find the right formula by mid-August.”

The defense has five starters returning.

The strength is at linebacker, where all three starters are back, including seniors Braeden Peterson (5-10, 210) in the middle and James Geeslin (5-10, 190) on the strong side. Junior Jared Roberson (5-9, 185) is back on the weakside.

“Between Roberson, Peterson and Geeslin, they bring a wealth of experience with good size and decent speed,” Indest said. “They really understand the game. Peterson is coming off hand surgery and should be cleared soon.”

One starter is back up front in end Antoine Labostrie (5-11, 240). He is joined at the other end by junior Kaiden Broussard (6-3, 240) while senior Mitchell Battaglia (5-9, 190) is the nose guard.

“The defensive line is a real strength for us,” Indest said. “We feel like we go six-deep. Labostrie is a heck of a player. Broussard sat out last year after transferring from John Curtis. He looks the part. Battaglia and Tony Colbert will play inside and we expect them to do really well.”

The secondary returns one starter in senior corner Luke Horner (6-0, 170).

The other corners are juniors Gavin Stein (5-9, 175) and junior Andre Ridgely (5-10, 170).

The safeties include senior Grant Cogan (6-0, 180) and juniors Mason Gegenheimer (6-1, 165) and Landen Schlink (6-0 175).

“Ridgely looks like he could be really strong,” Indest said. “Horner is coming off an ACL injury last year. He runs well and understands secondary play. Otherwise, it is a lot of new faces and guys we converted from other spots.”

Lakeshore opens at Fontainebleau on September 2 before hosting Chalmette and Terrebonne. Road games follow at Washington-Marion and St. Stanislaus (MS).

“It’s intriguing because it is different for me and our staff,” Indest said. “It is a lot of people we have not dealt with before. I wasn’t a part of making the schedule. It’s a lot of teams I’m not very familiar with. Fontainebleau is a big rivalry. Chalmette looks very strong.”

District 8-4A play begins at home against Salmen on October 7. Trips to Loranger, Pearl River and Franklinton follow.

“It is a lot of schools I have not seen much of,” Indest said. “I faced Coach Sammy Messina once at Loranger. Salmen feels good about their chances and they should be good. Eric Collins is excited with a new system at Pearl River. Guy Lecompte is an very accomplished coach at Franklinton. It should be a fairly strong district.”

The expectations remain high at a school which has produced 49 games in the last five seasons, including a state championship game appearance in 2017, particularly with a proven, championship coach.

“Lakeshore had a two-year run that was superb but it was a little bit of a struggle the last two years,” Indest said. “The senior group had big success as freshmen but it that has been a little while. We’re looking forward to working to get it back to a high level. We have a lot of work to do with such different approaches all around.”

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