There is no doubt the formula for success has been established with Jena High School football but the final ingredient for the ultimate achievement might have just come with a semifinal loss last season.

Instead of being bitter, the Giants were determined to become better. The fact that they were so close to playing for a state championship in the Superdome last year has added nothing but the ultimate motivation factor to their program: Simply stated, it’s the “Dome Factor.”

“I certainly think that being that close is a great motivation for this season,” stated Jay Roark, who begins his 13th season as the Giants’ head coach. “They were literally a play or two away from being able to play in the Superdome. If that doesn’t motivate you, you know, just realizing that it can be a reality, then I don’t think anything will.”

That loss occurred on December 1, 2023, to Union Parish, who went to New Orleans the following week to claim a state championship. While the pain of the loss was great, what the Giants squad did in the following months is the stuff coaches dream about. They went to work using last year’s perfect regular season and run to the semifinals as a motivation to achieve more.

“Honestly, we’ve probably had one of the best off-seasons we’ve ever had,” Roark said. “We’ve had no issues, no problems, great attitudes, the kids were on time and were doing things the way you’re supposed to do it and they are just downright excited about this football season.”

But a trip to New Orleans won’t come easy for this year’s team as they revamp and restructure offense and defense to fill a large void left by the 15 seniors who graduated last year, most of whom started in key positions.

Offense & Defense

“We only have four returning starters from our offense, Cale Parker (junior guard), Zachary Scales (senior guard), Cameron Koch (senior running back) and Brayden Oakes (senior receiver),” he said. “Now, Zadrian Cooper (junior receiver) played a good bit last year and had some big catches and Sedrick Wilson (junior running back) and Daniel Hatcher (sophomore running back) all got some good playing time and they should step up well.”

The coach admits that the team’s biggest lack of experience is their offensive line.

“We have three guys with very little Friday night action,” he said. “Keiland Dean (junior tackle), Malik Wilson (sophomore) and Cruz Humphries (sophomore) are working at the other tackle spot and Luke Smith (junior center) who has stepped up at center to allow Cale to switch to a guard spot. Hopefully, they will adjust fast because they will be tested from our opening scrimmage to Bayou Jamb.”

Defensively, the Giants only return five starters but the coach admits he is less concerned about the defense.

“We really feel good about our front seven and having those guys allows us to be in a pretty good place in rebuilding our defense,” Roark said.

“Those guys” include a powerhouse defensive unit led by the Giants’ two inside linebackers, affectionately known as Mac & Cheese.

Senior inside linebackers Triston McLendon (No. 2) and Jacob Belcher (No. 3) will anchor the defense with returning starters Colten Sharp (senior defensive end), Bubba Stevens (junior nose guard) and Amare Jackson (senior corner back).

Other key players to the 2024 Giants’ defense will include sophomore outside linebacker Parker Durham, senior outside linebacker Cameron Bond and senior free safety Cayden Mursch, along with Zoyle Gemar, senior strong safety.

“Zoyle came back for football even though he didn’t play his junior year,” Roark said. “He’s another baseball guy like Jacob Pentecost was last year and we hope he will be able to step in like Pentecost did last year. He’s playing the same position that Pentecost did and we really need a big year out of him.”

A New QB

For the first time in a couple of years, the Giants offense will have a new signal caller in the quarterback spot. Junior Deuce McPherson looks to take what he learned behind Zach Barker the last two years and step into one of the most crucial roles on the football team. “He’s got a really good arm and when his mechanics are right, he throws the ball as pretty as any quarterback we’ve ever had,” the head coach said. “One thing I like about him is his cool head. He doesn’t let much bother him which is a very important quality for a quarterback. I also feel like he is going to bring us the ability to run the option a little bit more than we have in the past couple of years. The option keeps the defense honest.”

The HC notes that the more reps he gets on Friday nights, the more he will excel.

“He will get more confident in the huddle as he gains more game experience,” he said. “I think he will develop into that level and calm quarterback that is needed for any offense.”

Offensively, Roark said his team will run the same offense they have been running but they’ll probably add a few wrinkles due to the different skill sets that new players now bring to the table.

“But our fans will basically see the same thing they’ve seen since we started this thing,” he said. “As we go, we’ll figure out what we’re capable of doing and we may see a couple of different things but we’ll always run everything off our base offense.”

Four-Horsemen

Speaking of a different look, the Giants look to replace their All-State and record-breaking running back Zerrick Jones with not one, but four different running backs.

“We have depth in the running back position for the first time in a long time and we are looking to use that to our advantage,” he said. “The first year we made the playoffs we played Jennings and they had four running backs they used the entire game. Two of them would run three or four plays and then the other two would come in, giving them fresh legs. It was a constant rotation all game long and it made a difference. I’d really like to see us be able to do that so we have fresh legs in the running back spot the whole game.”

The “Four-Horsemen” group include Cameron Koch, Sedrick Wilson, Daniel Hatcher and Kairi Richardson (sophomore). The coach admits that for the first time that he can remember, he finally has a group of running backs that are built for power and speed.

“We really expect a big year out of our running backs,” he said. “Koch has gotten bigger, added a lot of muscle this past year and has gotten really fast. Sed and Daniel are very talented and they are miles ahead of where they were last year. Both can run and they are bigger backs than what we’re used to.”

Roark said a typical Jena Giants running back is 5’6” or 5’7” and averages a weight of about 155. Hatcher is 5’10” and 199 pounds, Wilson is 5’9” and 177 pounds and Koch is 5’9” and 175 pounds. The smallest of the Four Horsemen is Richardson who is only 5’3” and 135 pounds, but provides the offense with agility and quickness.

As noted before, the coach is looking to Cale Parker to anchor the offensive line along with Zachary Scales.

“Cale is a natural leader and he just continues to grow in all aspects of the game,” Roark said. “Scales also has the experience so we are definitely going to build upon both of them.”

Tight Ends/Receivers Two players are currently competing for the coveted tight end position, senior Blake Krahn and junior Adrian Sharp. The coach noted that both are doing really well.

“Krahn is not really a big guy but he does a great job of blocking,” he said. “Krahn is tenacious and when he gets after you, he does it with everything he’s got. Adrian didn’t play with us last year and is still learning but he brings something to that position that we haven’t had since Parker Fink played that position years ago…height. With him being so tall, it will allow us to have a passing threat and gives us another option that we haven’t had in several years. But, for him to be out there he’s got to block first. Our offense is built upon blocking.”

For the receivers, Roark noted that Brayden Oakes is the only returning starter in that position.

“He had a great off-season and has really grown up this summer,” he said. “That is something that he needed to do. Now, we get his very best in practice every day and he’s doing great.” Another receiver the coach is expecting big contributions from is junior Zadrien Cooper. “He’s a tall guy who runs great routes and has good hands,” he said. “He had some big catches for us last year, in fact, one was a really big catch for us against Bunkie, so we expect big things out of him.” The coach also admitted that another receiver who has caught the coaching staff’s eyes is senior Keegan Roark. “I’m telling you, that guy has really improved tremendously, like night and day from last year to this year and he is going to be able to come in and give either of the other two guys a break or we can use him in a rotation,” Roark said. “He can run and he has figured out how to catch the football. He’s actually one of the top three fastest people on the team.” Based on the amount of talent he has and the work performed during the off-season, Roark is very optimistic about the success of the 2024 Giants. “I think the kids are going to do what they need to do to figure out a way to win but we’ll likely see some growing pains as well,” he said. “We play some big opponents the first part of our schedule but hopefully all that will be behind us when district starts.” The Giants will travel to Mansfield Friday night, August 23, for a controlled scrimmage and then set their sights on Bayou Jamb August 31 where they will face the powerful Many Tigers.

No matter who their opponent is, the head coach is confident that the faithful Jena fan base will be there to support their team.

“I really do not think there is a better fan base for a school our size in the state of Louisiana,” he said. “If there is, I haven’t seen it. Whether it’s a regular season game or a playoff game, we almost always have the bigger crowd whether we’re home or away. They always create such a fun atmosphere for our kids to play in.”

He also commended the JHS student section, which propelled to new heights last year.

“Those students have no idea what kind of impact they have to our team and the game,” he said. “Our players see them up there and see how they are engagd and involved in the game and it really makes a difference. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate them and how I hope it continues this year and years to come.”

Coach Roark also noted that the incredible Jena fan base was instrumental in changing the rules of Bayou Jamb.

“They actually changed the way they distribute money at Bayou Jamb because of our fans,” he said. “The way it worked in the past was each school gets 100% of tickets sold at their school prior to Bayou Jamb. If you buy them at the gate on game day, each school only gets a certain percentage and in years past that percentage was based on classifications. So, 4A and 5A schools got more money than us. But that was changed all because of Jena and the fans we bring. When we come, we are one of the biggest crowds other than the games that featured matchups between West Monroe and Ruston, and because we had such a big crowd they said it wasn’t fair…this 4A team is getting a higher percentage and Jena has more fans here. So, they changed it for us. Our fans get the credit for that.”

District Favorite

As far as District 2-3A, Roark noted that this year Bunkie High School is undoubtedly the favorite to win the championship.

“Last year, we were both undefeated for that game in Bunkie and we beat them,” he said. “I have no doubt that they have talked about the Jena Giants every single day during their off-season and have the date we play each other marked on their calendars.”

He said Bunkie is loaded with returning starters, including two players, who are highly recruited by Division I colleges.

“I’m telling you, Week 8 (Oct. 25) against Bunkie in Jena will be huge,” he said. “If we have the season I think we’re capable of having then that’s going to be one big-time game. I really expect them to be undefeated when they get to us and boy, would it be nice if we were both undefeated again. I’d love that not only for our players, school and community, but also this year we’ll get that big gate money that they got last year.”

New Coaches

With the loss of two coaches from last year’s team, Chandler Harrison and Colton Knuckles, the coaching staff has added Derek White and Josh Lindsey as assistant coaches. White was the longtime head coach and athletic director at LaSalle High School and Lindsey was a volunteer assistant serving alongside him. “Derek and I have been friends for many years and he has been here all summer long working with the kids,” Roark said. “They have learned some new stuff from him that will benefit our team. He is coaching our defensive line and he brings with him 25-plus years of experience. He’s a guy I’ve leaned on for 13 years for advice, whether its coaching or administrative, so it’s good to have a guy like that around.” Completing the coaching staff are: Whitney McCartney, Offensive Coordinator and Strength and Conditioning Coordinator; Rob Faircloth, Defensive Coordinator; Russell Dorton, Outside Linebackers/Special Teams; Parker Fink, Running Backs; Dowd Douglas, Receivers; Tajh Jones, Volunteer Defensive Back Coach; Ikey Ray, Volunteer Coach who works the booth upstairs; and Travis Craig, Volunteer Kickers/Punters Coach.