Woodlawn faces tough task of replacing nearly all starters

After a respectable 6-5 season a year ago culminating in a first-round playoff loss to perennial Class 4A power Neville, Woodlawn-Baton Rouge football head coach Daniel Luquet is seeking improvement in 2018.

Achieving the goal will not be easy, considering the squad is losing 19 starters in a senior class of 30 from a year ago. That includes Xavier Lodge, now at Louisiana Tech, and Talbot Daniels, now at UL-Lafayette.

Calling the upcoming 2018-2019 season “A marathon not a sprint,” Luquet hints that the Woodlawn squad has a challenging season ahead of them with plenty of room for competition and improvement.

The Panthers feature three returning starters, including speedy senior wide receiver/running back Bryson Reaser (5-11, 175), athletic junior wide receiver/defensive end Tyrell Smith (6-2, 186) and senior defensive end/middle linebacker Kenneth Augustus (6-0, 240), leader of the Woodlawn 3-4 defensive front.

It is clear that Luquet has upgraded the program through improvement but his goal remains solvent.

“Our goal is to get better each week and host a first-round playoff game,” Luquet said.

To reach the goal, Luquet needs young players to step up.

At the most important position, the starter figures to be junior Josh Serio (5-10, 148). Serio has competition from a familiar face in younger brother Jude Serio, a sophomore.

“We lost a huge senior class and almost every starter so there is competition at all positions,” Luquet said. “Everyone is fighting to be the guy.”

Woodlawn has a solid kicking game with senior Jacob Barnes (6-0, 185), a Louisiana Tech commit.

The schedule opens on the road at Live Oak on Aug. 31 before home games with Hammond, Broadmoor and John F. Kennedy. The Panthers travel to St. Martinville on Sept. 28.

District 6-4A play opens against St. Michael at Memorial Stadium on Oct. 5 before Woodlawn hosts Tara on Oct. 11 and Lutcher on Oct. 19. The regular season concludes with two very tough road games at Plaquemine and Parkview Baptist.

With the lack of real game-time playing experience, maturing quickly is the key to success.

“We have to grow up in a hurry, and learn quickly how to handle the Friday night lights,” Luquet said. “There is a bunch of competition this year, which will make us better in the long run.”

Luquet is looking for his three returning starters to be leaders on the team right from the get-go. Helping underclassmen understand the system and what the coaching staff is talking about is key to having a successful program.

“Live Oak, Lutcher, Plaquemine and Parkview Baptist will be very tough challenges for us,” Luquet said. “We play three of them in succession to close the season, a very tough stretch of games. Facing Live Oak in week two will be very tough. Coach Brett Beard is one of my best friends. He brought me here to Woodlawn. He has a lot of experienced guys, including his quarterback.”

Getting off to a good start is important with three of the first four games at home.

“We have a bunch of guys that are hungry,” Luquet said. “As much as they are inexperienced, they are so hungry to learn. They fight hard and work even harder. I am looking forward to seeing how they develop.”

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