School Spotlight: Holy Savior Menard

Holy Savior Menard High School is located in Alexandria, Louisiana and plays at the Class 2A level. The Eagles are coming off a disappointing 1-9 season, but the program has a chance to soar to new heights in year number three for former Louisiana College Head Coach Justin Charles. I got the chance to catch up with Coach Charles and get an update on how his team is looking over the summer. “This summer has been the best summer since I’ve been here going into my third season. Our attendance has been so high. Our participation has been great and we are starting to find some leaders. We still have some ways to go, but I am very proud of the way our kids have worked this summer.”

What Coach Charles likes most about this year’s squad is that everybody knows their role as this team has a good mix of both experience and leadership. Although there are only eight seniors on the roster, 16 underclassmen started on last year’s team. Because of all the experience coming back, Coach is confident that 2022 can be the year that everybody can sync together. “We wear a shirt that says [Be The Standard]. We want to set the standard and raise the standard everyday. We want every other team to be where we want to be. We want to be the standard in everything that we do and not just on the football field.” Coach Charles has been impressed with how much the players have believed in each other and trusted each other during this process. That alone could go a long way in determining a lot of football games this fall. In terms of goals for the upcoming season, the coaching staff is just trying to limit to short term goals focusing on the task right ahead of them. So far, the team has accomplished its goals during the spring and in the summer. Now, it is time for the Eagles to focus on what is ahead of them, which is the 2022 season. “As far as this year’s win total, I do see us with a winning record this year.” Winning games will not be easy as the Eagles will have to face the likes of the Avoyelles Mustangs, which was a minute away from reaching the Class 2A State Championship last season, and the Rosepine Eagles, which was a team that made the Quarterfinals for the first time in school history. The team also has their hands full in non-district as well playing teams such as St. Frederick, Pineville, and Sacred Heart to name a few. However, the Menard Eagles have a brand of football that could help them achieve that winning season. “The defense is going to be very exciting to watch. Our defense plays so fast and that is the side of the football that everybody is going to watch out for. On the offensive side of the football, we are going to be a team that runs the football. We are going to run some power, some counter, and some iso. Everybody knows what we are going to run, but being more experienced on that side of the football, we will execute a lot more.” By: Jace LeJeune