By BRET H. MCCORMICK, Journal Sports

“Whatever your mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve.”

American author Napoleon Hill wrote that in his classic self-help book Think and Grow Rich nearly 90 years ago, but it wouldn’t be hard to convince someone that it was coined by Alexandria Senior High football coach Thomas Bachman. 

Bachman, who was a state MVP and won three state titles as a wide receiver at Evangel Christian Academy and later won a state title as the Eagles’ offensive coordinator, brought a championship pedigree to Rapides Parish when he came to ASH nine years ago. 

More than just an understanding of what it takes to win at the highest level of Louisiana prep football, Bachman also brought a belief that it could be done here, too – something that hasn’t happened in more than six decades, when Pineville High won a championship in 1960. 

Bachman’s belief was almost proven correct in 2020, when the Trojans finished as the Class 5A runner-up. Now they’re taking another shot at winning the school’s first football championship, and that belief has permeated throughout the Trojans’ roster. 

The 13th seed in the Division I Select playoffs, the Trojans (8-4) went on the road last week and knocked off three-time defending state runner-up Brother Martin. They will travel back to New Orleans tonight for a quarterfinal matchup against No. 5 Edna Karr (9-1), ranked by many as the top team in Louisiana prior to a Week 10 loss to John Curtis.

Bachman said he’s not the only one who believes in the Trojans’ potential. His coaching staff and players are also audacious enough to think they can beat anyone.  

“I think it’s a collective thing that you feel when you’re around this group of men and this coaching staff,” Bachman said, “that there’s a belief in the job they can do. And I do believe that bleeds down into the locker room. … I think that there’s a good feel to what we’ve got going on, and we’re certainly going to play to win.”

“To be a great team you have to believe you can be a great team,” senior right tackle Hunter Rivet said. “I think it’s necessary to have that type of confidence. His confidence in us gives us confidence in what we can do so we know we can beat all these teams.”

The confidence inside the Trojans’ locker room hasn’t always matched others’ expectations after ASH started the season 0-2 and then dropped District 2-5A contests against Ruston and West Monroe. 

But the team that suited up at the end of the regular season and playoffs is much improved from the squad that lost to Carencro and St. Thomas More to start the season. 

Seniors Amyrion Mingo and Jaylin Johnson moved from receiver to cornerback to shore up the team’s biggest weakness in the defensive secondary so the Trojans feel they have playmakers at every level on defense, led by senior linemen Aayden Walker and Jeremiah Jeffers-Wright along with senior linebacker Omarion Ford.   

“Moving those guys (Mingo and Johnson) over there has made us a better football team,” Bachman said. “That’s the only thing we’re ever searching for is what gives our football team its highest ceiling.” 

Senior Ty Feaster has shown continued growth in his first year as the Trojans’ starting quarterback. He was critical in last week’s 23-0 victory over Brother Martin, rushing for more than 100 yards and turning in an efficient, turnover-free performance in the passing game. 

Feaster has completed 62 percent of his passes for 2,086 yards and 28 touchdowns. Senior E.J. Scott (48-670, 9 TDs) and junior Darius Washington (35-525, 4 TDs) have stepped into the top two receiver positions vacated by Mingo and Johnson, and junior tight end Tanner Townsend (11-238, 6 TDs) has proven a valuable weapon in the red zone.  

Junior JT Lindsey, who rushed for 111 yards and two touchdowns last week, has firmly grasped the Trojans’ No. 1 running back role and shown the Trojans can rely on him every single week, compiling 1,410 rushing yards and 21 TDs on the season. 

Known for its speed and athletic playmakers, Karr is led by sophomore quarterback John Johnson, who has thrown for 1,930 yards and 23 TDs, and a stable of receivers that includes senior Ole Miss commit Rahji Dennis and junior LSU commit TaRon Francis. 

Bachman said the Cougars are very good at generating explosive plays using a variety of screens, off jump balls in the passing game and on special teams with their return teams. Limiting those explosive plays will be a major key if the Trojans are to win tonight. 

“You can’t just give up a whole bunch of big plays, so tackling in space will be a huge part of it,” Bachman said.

Ford said running to the football and gang tackling were two of the reasons the Trojans were able to shut out Brother Martin, and that is a major point of emphasis again this week. 

“The confidence is really high because we all knew we had the potential to be really great,” Ford said. “Now we’re just showing it.” 

“We’ve just gotta play with energy, play with an edge and play like we’re the better team,” Rivet said.