St. Amant Gators football has positives coming out of spring practice

Stay injury free, show improvement and identify things to work on, those are just some of the things that coaches hope to accomplish during spring football. The St. Amant Gators and coach David Oliver can check those boxes off after wrapping up the spring training with a game against Walker.

“The spring game was a positive for us, it validated some things that we emphasized in the off season,” Oliver said.

The Gators finished 4-7 last season and lost to Zachary in the first round of the D1 nonselect playoffs. The Gators were young at several spots last season, including quarterback. The playing time allowed their potential starter in 2023 to get some experience.

“Cooper Babin (sophomore) threw a touchdown in our spring game, he really played well all spring. Chase Kelley (senior) had an 80-yard touchdown run as well,” Oliver said. Sophomore Jermichael Millien caught a touchdown pass; he was a starter for the Gators basketball team as a freshman.

The Gator defense showed flashes in the spring game and several players were mentioned. “Braxon Trabeau (senior) had a good day with multiple sacks and QB pressures. The defensive line was led by Koen Rock (senior) had multiple sacks. Braxstyn Spight (senior), our strong safety, had solid play all day,” Oliver said.

Spring football always produces a surprise player or two who show the coaches they are ready to step up and play a significant role, that was certainly the case after spring workouts. “TJ Leonard (senior) was a surprise player that stepped up for us, he plays linebacker and has looked good transitioning from the defensive line,” Oliver said.

Now that the spring game is over, time to jump into the summer grind and prepare for a late August scrimmage, jamboree and season opener. “We will be in the weight room, conditioning, doing some 7-on-7 tournaments. An area of emphasis for this summer will be football IQ,” Oliver said.

Youth acquire basketball skills at camp

Young Donaldsonville players picked up basketball skills at the Cam Carter Camp held last week at the Lemann Memorial Center in Donaldsonville.

Cam Carter, a Donaldsonville native who played basketball for Kansas State, worked with Westside recreational coordinator Jerry Butler. Carter, who played for Kansas State, was instrumental in the Wildcats final four run this past season.