Reese, Booker T. Washington continue striving for excellence

He had the best teacher and role model anyone could possibly imagine. Wayne Reese Jr. followed his father around, watched his every move, soaked up his every word and put the lessons learned into practice.

As the saying goes, practice makes perfect.

While perfection is impossible to achieve, the hard work applied toward that goal is what separates winning from losing. Wayne Reese Sr. exemplified that concept in his tremendous football coaching career, spanning 39 years with 252 wins.

Reese was inducted into the Allstate Sugar Bowl Greater New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame last Saturday, a richly deserved honor.

Now, his namesake continues to pursue the excellent example his father set for him.

Reese Jr. took on the challenge of bringing back Booker T. Washington football, growing it from a junior varsity program to a varsity level at the school where his father once coached. Now, the program is on solid ground, thanks to the son.

The Lions fought through a 4-7 season in 2022, falling to Carver in the opening round of the Select Division II state playoffs.

Booker T. Washington must replace star running back Arnold Barnes, now at Tulane, along with linebacker Edric Williams, defensive end Kalvin Lang, lineman Frederick Brooks, safety Keith Bowers, running back Nasir Price and a very good athlete in Damond Verrett.

No one said the challenge would be easy.

The Lions are prepared to make the transition, thanks to some excellent players returning.

Offensively, that starts with senior quarterback Damyren Washington (6-1, 195), who was good last year and should be outstanding this season.

Junior Demico Barnes (5-8, 175) steps into the void left by Arnold Barnes at running back.

Junior Teshaun Smith (5-9, 175) is an outstanding athlete who can move around. He will line up most often in the slot position.

Senior Bryan Tillman (5-10, 170) is another excellent player at wide receiver, giving Washington a pair of outstanding targets. They are joined by senior Malik Thiel and junior Troy King (6-0, 180).

Up front, the Lions have a pair of huge stalwarts at tackle in senior Derek Dabon (6-3, 305) and junior Devon Bruce (6-8, 260). They are joined by center junior Nehimiah James (5-5, 229) and guards Dylan Brooks and senior Torreaun Woodard (6-0, 330).

The defense should be solid.

Up front, senior Tyrik Fortia (6-3, 220) is long and athletic. Fortia can line up at defensive end or at outside linebacker. Charon Butler is the other defensive end while senior Rashawn Davis will play nose guard.

Other stars at linebacker include senior Demine Lee (6-3, 205) and senior Meshone Alen (6-2, 235). The other starter on the outside is junior Sedale Jackson (6-1, 175).

The secondary has a pair of returning players as well in seniors Layman Foster (6-3, 175) at cornerback and John Darensbourg (6-0, 170) at free safety. Junior Jabori Johnson (5-11, 158) is the other corner while Noah Martin (6-0, 170) plays the rover position.

The schedule presents a huge challenge, with four straight road games to start the season against tough opponents.

The Lions open with Salmen before traveling to St. Amant. It gets no easier against John Ehret and Warren Easton. The first home game is week five against Landry.

District 9-4A play opens against Kenner Discovery before the Lions venture out of district to take on Jesuit. The regular season concludes with district games against Riverdale and De La Salle.

It is a huge power point accumulating schedule. While a huge number of wins may be hard to achieve, the Lions will be tough and battle tested by season’s end.

Reese Sr. would certainly approve the approach. Reese Jr. embraces the challenge, looking to restore the Lions roar in 2023.

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