Donaldsonville High spring football practices produce positive results

The Donaldsonville Tigers finished their spring football practices with a game against Belaire that produced positive results for coach Brian Richardson.

“The spring game went well for our young team,” Richardson said. “our offense continues to find its groove and the defense was led by our guys up front on the defensive line.”

The Tigers are coming off a 3-7 season that saw them miss the playoffs. Several starters return including some freshmen and sophomores that played key roles last season. Offensively, the Tigers were led by sophomore running backs Blake Turner, Quinnton Dabney and Jaden Allen. Sophomore quarterback Donald Brown, who got some action as a freshman, ran the offense well according to coach Richardson.

“Our offensive line stepped up this spring, we are young still in spots. The line will be led by the Dunham twins, Trey’Shawn and Ray’Shawn,” Richardson said.

The defense shined in the spring game; several key performers showed promise.

“Our defense played well, led by juniors Terrill Nicholas and Trae Spurlock. Seniors Jerrell Rome and Tyriek Jupiter had good springs as well,” Richardson said.

During spring practices, there is always a surprise player that steps up and coach Richardson said a newcomer showed him something. “Junior defensive end Emory Jenkins has been a pleasant surprise this spring, he made some plays in the game,” Richardson said.

Senior Raiyen “Juicy” Oatis will return for the Tigers this fall after being injured last season. Oatis’ recruitment is starting to heat up with several colleges taking notice.

Now, it’s time to turn the page to summer workouts and preparing to improve on last seasons’ 3-7 record.

“We have several 7 on 7 tournaments plus OL/DL camp to go to. The weight room will be big for this group, they must put the work in to prepare for the fall,” Richardson said.

After reflecting on the spring, the coaches know areas they need to improve on.

“Our biggest area to improve on is taking care of the football, limit our turnovers. We put the ball on the ground a couple of times in the spring game. This young group can be successful if we can improve on that heading into the fall,” Richardson said.

With about two and half months to prepare for their scrimmage in August, Richardson is excited about what the 2023 Tigers will accomplish. “The goal heading into spring was to build on last year’s young team and come out of spring with no major injuries — in my opinion, we accomplished both of those goals,” Richardson said.