Lecompte brings winning attitude to Franklinton

Guy Lecompte has been a success wherever he has coached.

As a top assistant at Salmen, Lecompte was part of a state championship program.

At Mandeville, he guided the Skippers to the state semifinals three times in 11 seasons.

At Country Day, he took the Cajuns to the state quarterfinals.

At Holy Cross, he led the Tigers to an 11-10 mark in two seasons.

Now, Lecompte takes on a new challenge at Franklinton, a once proud, state championship program which has slipped in recent years.

The Demons were 4-7 a year ago after going winless (0-8) in 2020.

Under Shane Smith, Franklinton reached the Class 4A state championship game in 2009 and won the 4A state title in 2010.

“The people are phenomenal here,” Lecompte said. “They are salt of the earth people. It is a community school. I think Franklinton has the potential to be very good, especially with the administrative support from Shane. The numbers are a little low right now but it is a talent-rich community.”

Smith, who now runs the school, knows what it takes to win and he has turned to a proven winner to try to restore the program to prominence.

Fortunately, Lecompte has some talent to work with.

On offense, senior quarterback Zion Anders will run the show.

“Anders is a dual threat,” Lecompte said. “He’s smart and he has improved his accuracy. He’s a great athlete. It is good to have a goo quarterback to start with.”

Senior wide receivers Daniel Bryant and Kollin Williams are good ones while junior Kelly Daniels is another playmaker who is a college prospect. Sophomore Conor Magee and junior Amias Tate will also play on the outside.

“Daniels went to LSU’s camp and clocked the fastest time in their camp,” Lecompte said. “He can really run. I think he will be a dynamic player for us. Bryant has decent size but he can catch the ball in traffic. They are our two top guys. Timarion Partman will play some at wide receiver as well while Magee and Tate will contribute.”

In the backfield, senior Senqualon Conerly and junior Micah Hart will man the running back spot.

“We will have to have two-way players this year,” Lecompte said. “Conerly and Hart are prominent. Sophomore Sy Austin will also play.”

Up front, the Demons have four solid linemen in seniors Alex Gregorio and Tradell Causey, along with junior Kevion Ginn and sophomores Beau Webb and Wyatt Seal. Junior Chad Delvalle is a potential starter as well.

“We hired PJ Burkhalter and he is doing a phenomenal job with our offensive line,” Lecompte said. “We’re a little thin up front. Two freshmen played last year. Gregorio should have a good season. We’re trying to put pieces in place.”

On defense, the linebacker position is a good one with seniors Partman and Khaled Waliagha leading the way. Waliagha is committed to the United States Military Academy at West Point. Partman will also start.

“Khaled has great character and work ethic,” Lecompte said. “Partman should be good as he is playing well and living up to his potential.”

Gregorio will see action on the defensive line which will be manned by Causey, along with seniors D’Michael Ward and Andre Callais.

“We have some players returning up front,” Lecompte said. “Andre is not big but he has a high motor and is doing quite well. He’s our deep snapper as well.”

In the secondary, Daniels, Williams, Conerly and Hart will see action, along with junior Jairon Clark and Skyler Williams.

“Williams is back and Conerly and Hart are good athletes,” Lecompte said. Daniels will play some corner and Clark will be a first-time starter.”

Junior Kade Lavigne will handle kicking and punting duties.

The season opens with the annual rivalry game at Bogalusa on September 2 before the Demons host Covington. Then comes a trip to Fontainebleau, followed by home games with Denham Springs and Belle Chasse.

“I like playing good opponents,” Lecompte said. “Denham Springs should be very good this year. I like our non-district schedule.”

Franklinton opens District 8-4A play at home against Archbishop Hannan on October 7 preceding three straight tough road games at Pearl River, Salmen and Loranger. The final regular season game is at home against Lakeshore.

“Hannan and Loranger are new and it makes our district larger,” Lecompte said. “I think it will improve the league. Brent Indest is very good at Lakeshore. Eric Chuter and I go back to second grade. Eric Collins at Pearl River is the first coach I worked for. Sam Messina is a veteran coach. Corey Bordelon worked with me previously.”

The final regular season district game is at home against Lakeshore.

“The first thing we want to do is to establish a culture,” Lecompte said. “Winning is learned and established over time. We want to establish leadership with our players. Our goals are always the same, to win district and to win state. If we stay healthy, we will be okay.”

Lecompte has the playbook on how to win. It will be interesting to see how quickly it is absorbed by the Demons.

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