SHREVEPORT, La. (KTAL/KMSS) — Calvary came within one win of a state championship last season. Now, with an experienced group returning, the Cavaliers have their eyes set on finishing the job.
“We just got our second place medals come in, so you know that's just another reminder and just nobody wants to ever feel that again and getting there is not enough. It's only satisfactory if we win,” senior free safety Will Merry said.
The Cavaliers can do just that with a team that returns plenty of firepower on offense.
Quarterback Hudson Price and running back Z’Ryan Miles are back, as well as Colorado State commit Braylun Huglon.
Huglon is coming off an explosive junior season where he had 26 total touchdowns and more than 1,500 yards of total offense.
The biggest question starts up front with a young inexperienced offensive line.
“We could be very good. It all depends on the guys up front. We got some new guys up there and if they block well, we do like our skill guys and so if we can block people up front, I think we'll be pretty good on offense,” head coach Rodney Guin said.
“The offensive line, they've been working their butt off. Y'all going to see a brand new O-line this year. They're going to be very talented. I feel like they ain't going to let nobody get to our QB,” Huglon said.
Calvary knows last year's success doesn't guarantee anything this fall.
Defensively the Cavaliers lost some talent including the District 1-2A Defensive MVP in Luke Miller. This year's defense might not have the size but could create problems in a different way.
“We're not quite as big as we were last year, size-wise, but we're very fast, probably as fast as we've been since I've been here. So, we're going to do some things differently to create some trouble for the other team, but, you know with the speed we have, especially up front, I think that'll help us,” Guin said.
For a program that has won two state championships under Guin, the expectation remains the same.
“We're not going to set a low goal for ourselves. So our goal is to play deep in the playoffs. If we do what we're supposed to do, we should be deep in the playoffs, so we're not going to back down from that,” Guin said.
Calvary opens the season against Huntington on Thursday, September 3. Kick-off is set for 7 pm.
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