Cecilia – Every high school football team has a different personality than the one that preceded it, but the lessons learned the year before can pay big dividends.
Cecilia High School went 9-1 in 2023 to earn the No. 2 seed in the Division II Non-Select playoffs, then marched into the finals before falling to district rival Opelousas in the Superdome.
This season, the Bulldogs were 7-3 in the regular season and seeded 18th in the playoffs, meaning they’d be on the road every week against a higher-seeded opponent.
But the Bulldogs took the lessons they’d learned from last year’s playoff run and applied them to a championship run this season, culminating with a 35-32 win over top-seeded Franklinton on Friday in the Caesars Superdome.
“This year’s a completely different team than last year, but I think what you take away from really big losses is you remember the feeling of it,” Cecilia head coach Dennis Skains said. “It’s the worst feeling to get that close and not come away with a victory.
“I think that sticks with you and it hangs with you and it stays with you for a long time. I know they didn’t want to feel that again. I think that really propelled them on the playoff run that they had, being on the road, kind of adopting that mentality.”
Cecilia returned key starters on offense in quarterback Diesel Solari and receivers Ellis Stewart and Brent “BJ” Gordon Jr. and developed several others including sophomore running back Braylon Calais.
The Bulldogs averaged 49.2 points a game in the postseason, earning wins over No. 15 Pearl River (50-29), No. 2 Lutcher (49-41), No. 7 North DeSoto (57-40) and No. 6 Plaquemine (55-35) before facing No. 1 Franklinton.
An inexperienced defense that at times had a half-dozen sophomores on the field stepped up when needed, forcing and recovering two fumbles in the final three minutes Friday to get the win.
It stemmed from the lessons they’d learned collectively in 2024, Skains said.
“I think that’s just past experience,” he said. “We all have that, times in our lives when something bad’s happened and you know how that affected you, and because of that it probably helps you overcome that in the future. I think that’s kind of the same thing with the players.”
This year’s team developed into a focused, zoned-in mentality in the playoffs, Skains added.
“I think nobody had that more than BJ Gordon,” the coach said. “He’s one of our leaders and he just kind of zoned in all year. When we hit the playoffs, they all kind of adopted that and they were just zoned in every week during the playoffs.
“It was just a different level of preparation and a different level of studying and making sure that they knew what they were supposed to do. Nobody wanted to be the person that was going to let the team down.”
Solari ran for a team-high 148 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries and Calais had 51 yards and a TD along with an 88-yard kickoff return for a touchdown and three pass receptions for 36 yards.
Gordon had two receptions for 10 yards and Stewart had four for 41 yards and the winning TD catch.
Stewart completed eight of 18 pass attempts for 69 yards, including the game-winner. Stewart completed three of three pass attempts for 18 yards.
On defense, Braylon Jones led the Bulldogs with 13 total tackles, including 11 solo stops, with one sack and one quarterback hurry.
Gordon had eight tackles and two pass break-ups. Franky Frank had seven tackles with a QB hurry, a fumble forced and a fumble recovery. Benjamin Theriot also had seven tackles, while Jace Knott had six tackles, half a tackle for loss and a fumble recovery. Rylan Hardy and Colton Faulk combined on a sack and forced fumble.
