Louisiana Kickoff

Former Franklinton Head Coach Shane Smith made the switch from high school to college coaching when Coach Ron Roberts of Southeastern offered the long-time Demon a full-time position with the Lions.

This move prompted the election of a new set of officers to run the LFCA. Coach Dwain Jenkins of Lutcher was elected to the position formerly held by Smith. North Desoto Head Coach Scott Abernathy stepped into the 1st Vice-President position and Coach Neil Weiner rounded out the slate of officers taking the 2nd Vice-President position.

As a result of the realignment above and in order for the LFCA to move forward with it's work the following openings will be filled by an election at the December Clinic. Membership is the number one criteria if you want to be considered for any of these positions and only members present at the meeting will be eligible to vote.

If you're interested in serving as a Class Representative please notify Mickey St. Pierre at lfcafootball@gmail.com. No nominations will be taken after November 1, 2016.

Here are a list of openings:

Class 1 A ------------- 1 open position

Class 2 A ------------- 2 open positions

Class 3 A ------------- 2 open positions

Class 4 A ------------ 2 open positions

Class 5 A ------------ 1 open position

Class representatives serve a 4 year term.

Yes, of course you are…you’ve already begun practices and scrimmages. Here are some areas for you and your staff to review as you head into the 2016 season.

Rules Changes for 2016

While there are minimum adjustments for this year, we remind all coaches to carefully study these changes and all rules in order to be well versed in the regulations governing our game.

1-5-1d(5)a: Completely clear or completely white tooth and mouth protectors are no longer prohibited. Tooth and mouth protectors shall include an occlusal (protecting and separating the biting surfaces) portion and include a labial (protecting the teeth and supporting structures) portion.

1-5-2b: Football gloves are now required to meet either the new SFIA specification or the existing NOCSAE test standard at the time of manufacture.

2-17; 9-3-6; 9-3 PENALTY: In a continued effort to minimize risk, the Committee made clipping in the free-blocking zone illegal. Clipping is now illegal anywhere on the field at any time.

2016 Points of Emphasis

1. Risk Minimization

2. Legal and Illegal Blocks

3. Legal Jerseys, Pants and Pads

4. Unfair Acts

Have a child eligible for one of our scholarships? Want to be a part of a professional organization making strides to promote football in Louisiana? Interested in tickets to LSU games? Do I need to say LSU tickets again? Click below to be connected to our website for our membership form.

2016 LFCA Membership Application Form

December 1, 2015 – November 30, 2016

Name __________________________________________________ School____________________________

Position ____________________________________________ (Head or Asst. Coach)

Home Address ______________________________________________________________________________

Phone ( )____________________________________________Work phone ( ) ________________________

Email

Address: ___________________________________________________

(Please mail $50 check made out to LFCA and mail to LFCA, 32308 Carolyn Dr. Paulina, LA 70763) If you lose your card, replacement cards will be $5.

http://www.lfcassoc.org/page/show/1013481-membership

September 1, 2016 - First Game

November 5, 2016 – Last Game

Friday, December 2, 2016

10:30a.m. Division IV Championship

1:30p.m. Division III Championship

5:00p.m. Division II Championship

8:30p.m. Division I Championship

Friday, December 9, 2016

8:00a.m. LFCA Clinic

4:30p.m. Class 1A Championship

8:00p.m. Class 2A Championship

Saturday, December 10, 2016

12Noon Class 3A Championship

3:30p.m. Class 4A Championship

7:00p.m. Class 5A Championship

Any player who exhibits signs, symptoms or behaviors consistent with a concussion (such as loss of consciousness, headache, dizziness, confusion or balance problems) shall be immediately removed from the contest and shall not return to play until cleared by an appropriate health-care professional.

A concussion is a traumatic brain injury that interferes with normal brain function. An athlete does not have to lose consciousness to have suffered a concussion.

Common Symptoms of Concussion include:

headache, fogginess, difficulty concentrating, easily confused, slowed thought processes, difficulty with memory, nausea, lack of energy, dizziness or poor balance, blurred vision, sensitive to light and sounds, mood changes— irritable, anxious, or tearful.

LHSAA Adopted Concussion Management Protocol:

1. No athlete shall return to play (RTP) or practice on the same day of a concussion.

2. Any athlete suspected of having a concussion shall be evaluated by an appropriate health-care professional that day. If one is not available, the Head Coach shall make the determination.

3. Any athlete diagnosed with a concussion shall be medically cleared by a Medical Doctor or a Doctor of Osteopathic medicine, each of which must be licensed to practice in Louisiana, prior to resuming participation in any practice or competition.

4. After medical clearance, RTP should follow a step-wise protocol with provisions as determined by a Medical Doctor or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, each licensed to practice in Louisiana, for delayed RTP based upon return of any signs or symptoms. Definitions Associated With New Concussion Rule

Appropriate Health-Care Professional – an individual{s} from the following professions who are designated as the persons to diagnose whether an athlete has or does not have a concussion:

• MD – A medical doctor licensed to practice medicine in Louisiana

• DO -- A doctor of osteopathic medicine licensed to practice in Louisiana

• PA – A physicians assistant licensed to practice in Louisiana

• NP – A registered nurse practitioner licensed to practice in Louisiana

• PM – A paramedic licensed to practice in Louisiana

• AT – An athletic trainer licensed nationally or by the State of Louisiana

On-site appropriate health-care professional – an individual from one of the above named categories that are in attendance at an athletic event or practice.

RTP [Return to Play] – term used to describe the action when an athlete who has had a concussion is released by an MD or DO to return to practice or competition.

Responsible Individual – the term which designates the Head Coach as the individual to make the diagnoses whether his/her athlete has or does not have a concussion in the absence of an appropriate health-care professional.

Contest Officials Role – to recognize the symptoms consistent with that of a concussion and remove the athlete from the contest until he/she has been diagnosed by an appropriate health-care professional. [Officials shall always rule on the side of caution with the health and safety of the athlete being his primary and foremost concern].

NOTE: ONLY AN MD or DO SHALL RELEASE AN ATHLETE, DIAGNOSED AS HAVING A CONCUSSION, TO RETURN TO COMPETITION.

As is custom with the LFCA we like to acknowledge and welcome the new college coaches that begin their journey in Louisiana. Coach Willie Fritz at Tulane and Coach Lance Guidry are two such newcomers. However, this year we also had the unusual move of a head coach from one college to another within the state when Coach Matt Viator left McNeese State to become the head football coach at the University of Louisiana – Monroe. We welcome these coaches to their new positions and to Louisiana football.

Matt Viator is in his first year as the head coach of the Warhawk football program after being formally introduced at a press conference on December 15, 2015. He arrived in Monroe after spending the previous 10 years as head coach at McNeese State University.

During his 10 seasons at the helm of the McNeese State football program, he posted a 78-33 record (.703 winning percentage) and is tied for the program lead in all-time wins. Over the course of his 10 seasons, Viator averaged just under eight wins per season and never had a losing season. He also coached three different teams to 10-win seasons.

n 2015, Viator led the Cowboys to a 10-0 regular season record and an appearance in the second round of the FCS Playoffs against Sam Houston State. Viator, who led the Cowboys to a perfect 9-0 record in Southland Conference play, was named the league’s coach of the year. He also was a finalist for both the Eddie Robinson National Coach of the Year award as well as the STATS FCS National Coach of the Year award.

The three-time Southland Conference Coach of the Year coached three SLC Players of the Year, two SLC Offensive Players of the Year, two SLC Defensive Players of the Year, one SLC Offensive Lineman of the Year, one SLC Newcomer of the Year, and two SLC Freshmen of the Year. Viator also had a total of 28 student-athletes earn All-Academic honors from the Southland Conference and five earn Academic All-America accolades.

He took over head coaching duties at McNeese four games into the 2006 season and led the team to a 7-5 record as they captured the Southland Conference title and appeared in the FCS playoffs. Prior to assuming head coaching duties, he served as an assistant coach from 1999-2006. He served as the team’s linebacker coach in 1999 before assuming offensive coordinator duties in 2000.

Viator began his coaching career in the high school ranks as an assistant coach at Sam Houston High School from 1986-88. He was named the head coach of Vinton High School in 1989 and was also the head coach at Jennings High School and Sulphur High School compiling an overall 81-37 record. During his high school tenure he would end up winning 5 district titles and one state championship. Coach Viator was twice named the State Coach of the Year in 1982 and 1988.

Lance Guidry wore No. 15 when he was an All-Southland Conference defensive back for McNeese State University back in the early 90s. On December 16, 2015, he was named the 15th head coach in school history. Some would say this was coincidence while others would say it was meant to be.

As Defensive Coordinator in 2015, Guidry helped McNeese win its 14th Southland Conference championship, a league record, while the team posted a perfect regular season. His defense ranked 12th nationally in total defense (allowing a tad over 300 yards per game), third in both scoring defense and red zone defense, and fourth in rushing defense.

McNeese represents Guidry’s first full-time head coaching job at the collegiate level. He acted as interim head coach at Miami University (Ohio) in 2010 and Western Kentucky University in 2012, leading both teams into postseason bowl games.

He began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at McNeese in 1994 then returned as the school’s defensive coordinator from 2000-04, and in 2008, coached the defensive backs.

In his 10 combined years on the McNeese staff, the Cowboys have compiled an 86-35 record, including a 50-16 mark in Southland Conference games. During that time McNeese has won four conference championships (2001-03, 2015), made six FCS playoff appearances (1994, 2000-03, 2013, 2015) and played in the 2002 FCS National Championship game.

A veteran coach in Louisiana football’s high school ranks, Guidry served as secondary coach at Leesville High School in 1995 and 1996, helping lead the Wampus Cats to the state championship game in 1995. He also coached defensive backs at Carencro (La.) High School for three seasons (1997-99), then returned years later to serve as the Golden Bears’ head coach (2005-07).

In between his stints at Carencro, Guidry served as defensive coordinator and coached the secondary at McNeese (2000-04). The Cowboys reached the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs in four consecutive seasons (2000-03), won three straight Southland Conference championships (2001, 2002, 2003) during that stretch and lost to WKU in the 2002 FCS National Championship Game.

Guidry was also a team captain, four-year letterman (1990-93) and all-conference defensive back at McNeese and was a part of two conference championship teams (1991, 1993).

He ended his playing career with 11 pass interceptions which currently ranks him 10th on the school’s all-time career list. He scored two TDs in one game (one Int. and one fumble return) against SFA in 1992, earning national player of the week honors.

Tulane University Director of Athletics Troy Dannen formally introduced Willie Fritz as the Green Wave' new head football coach on Dec. 15, 2015. Fritz becomes the 40th head football coach in the 121-year history of the Tulane football program.

With 193 career victories (193-74-1), Fritz is currently the fourth active winningest head coach among coaches in the Football Bowl Subdivision. He is currently tied with Kansas State's Bill Snyder.

Fritz brings 33 years of collegiate experience as a football student-athlete or coach to the Green Wave. He has led his teams to six combined conference championships (one at every level he has coached) and two bowl appearances. He was also twice named the national coach of the year, including the American Football Coaches Association Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) Coach of the Year in 2011 and the Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year in 2012.

Fritz, 55, comes to Tulane from Georgia Southern where he spent two seasons and led the Eagles to a combined record of 17-7, a 2014 Sun Belt Conference (SBC) title and the school's first-ever NCAA postseason bowl game with their berth in the 2015 GoDaddy.com Bowl.

Prior to Georgia Southern, Fritz served as head coach at Sam Houston State from 2010-15 where he led the team to back-to-back Southland Conference titles, NCAA FCS championship appearances in 2011 and 2012, and a third-straight playoff berth in 2013.

Coach Fritz began his head coaching career at Blinn College, averaging nearly 10 wins a season during his four years there. The Buccaneers would claim two national junior college championships during his tenure. He was inducted into the NJCAA Football Hall of Fame for the environment of success he created at Blinn.

Then he left to revitalize a Central Missouri program and guided it to 11 winning seasons. The NCAA Division II program's ledger included two 10-win seasons with the 2001 Mule squad earning its first postseason trip in more than 30 years. A 97-47 mark in 13 seasons ranks Fritz as the winningest coach in the program's 118-year history.

Prior to advancing to the head coaching ranks Coach Fritz served as an assistant at Sam Houston State, Coffeyille Community College, Willis High School (TX) and Shawnee Mission Northwest High School (KS).

AT OUR WEBSITE AND FACEBOOK SITE...SEE INFO BELOW.

Email: lfcafootball@gmail.com
Website: lfcassoc.org
Location: 32308 Carolyn Drive, Paulina, LA, United States
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/174692169228530/

Coaches bio's courtesy of each of their respective universities website and they were edited to fit our content area.