Are You Ready For Some Football? Preseason Starts This Week
The first official day of practice Monday for the La Grange varsity football team will begin not on the field or in the weight room – but rather the classroom.
New La Grange head coach Kyle Cooper has brought with him his fastpaced version of football that averaged 425 yards per game passing last season – tops in the nation for high school teams. But for the Leps do play this type of football, they’ve got to learn it.
And learning first happens in the classroom.
The first hour of every practice for the sophomoresseniors on the Leps football team in the early going this preseason will be conducted in class, learning Football 101.
“We’re going to learn how serious do they want to be about learning the fine details about what we want to do offensively and defensively and that’s why that classroom piece is so important,” Cooper said. “We’re going to spend an hour a day starting in there, hammering out the what and the how.”
“We’re going to play a fast, exciting brand of football, and our kids are going to fly around on the defensive side. We’re excited to get all the kids here and show people the kind of football that’s coming.”
Cooper said the Leps had a strong summer of voluntary workouts, with as many as 75 high school kids attending some sessions. Those voluntary workouts concluded Thursday as did a pair of Leopard youth football camps.
Conducting those camps were an interesting mix of the old and new Leps coaches that are a new team unto itself.
“We’re excited about the guys we hired, and excited about the guys who wanted to stay,” Cooper said.
Here’s a snapshot of that new-look Leopard coaching staff new head coach Kyle Cooper has assembled:
Heath Golan – Returnee, will coach junior high football and continue as girls head basketball coach
Brodney Pool – Will be Defensive Coordinator, former college coach at Baylor, U of H.
Rusty Cauthern – Junior High Football coach, will continue as head boys track coach
Robert Barber – Returnee, will coach safeties in football and continue as head baseball coach.
Chris Gillum – Will coach defensive linemen and be assistant baseball coach. He’s an LHS grad who most recently coached at Flatonia.
Robert Young – Will coach linebackers in football and be the new head softball coach, most recently coached at Kyle Lehmann.
Zach Mueller – Will coach defensive backs, rookie coach and Hardin-Simmons grad/player, previously played for head coach Kyle Cooper.
Chance Willard – New offensive coordinator and tight end coach, most recently was coaching at Edgewood, played for head coach Kyle Cooper.
Carlos Guevara –Returnee, will coach Offensive line, head powerlifting coach.
Eric Amick – Returnee, will coach wide receivers.
Cameron Hammontree – Will coach running backs, most recently coached at Schulenburg.
Stetson Gommert – Junior High coach, most recently coached at Smithville.
Trent Collier – Junior high coach, new head boys basketball coach, most recently at Schulenburg.
After two weeks of preseason practice the Leps open their 2023 season with a scrimmage at home against El Campo Aug. 11.