By LORI LYONS, Journal Sports
High school football fans in Rapides Parish had something extra to celebrate last year – especially if they were fans of the Alexandria Senior High Trojans.
ASH coach Thomas Bachman put together a memorable season for the Trojans, leading the team to its first undefeated district championship, its first undefeated regular season and its first trip to the Caesars Superdome to vie for a state championship.
Alas, the trip ended with a stunning 53-8 loss to Edna Karr for the Division I Select title.
The Trojans had also reached the title game in 2020, but the game was not played at the Dome due to Covid restrictions.
But as Bachman preps his team to begin the 2025 campaign, don’t look for him to rest on his or his team’s laurels. Nor does he know if last year’s success will carry over to this year’s team.
“We’ll find out,” Bachman said. “Alexandria Senior High is a special place. We have incredible kids that are tough, resilient, and embrace the challenges that are in front of them. We’re looking forward to another year of competition. It’s just the beginning of the year, so let’s put our heads down and go to work. Let’s see what we can accomplish.”
The Trojans will get to work tonight against West Feliciana, a team that went 7-5 last year and lost in the Division II quarterfinals – after a season-opening 44-7 loss to Alexandria. The Saints have a new coach this year in Terry Minor, a former assistant at Catholic High.
Three other parish teams also kick off the 2025 season at home tonight – Menard, Peabody and Tioga.
Buckeye, which went 6-5 after losing in the Division II Select bi-district round of the playoffs, was the only other Rapides team to finish above .500 last season. The Panthers will open their season at Block, a team that was 2-8 last year. Buckeye won last year’s season-opener 35-0.
Holy Savior Menard, under the direction of David Perkins, went 4-7 with a 39-14 loss to Pope John Paul in the bi-district round of the Division III Select playoffs. The Eagles will visit Northwood-Lena tonight.
Northwood went 3-7 last season.
After a season in which Rapides Parish teams went a collective 32-50, the area will see four new head coaches to lead their teams into the future.
Lance LaGrange is the new skipper at Bolton Academy, which went winless in 2024 transitioning to a magnet-style school with heavy academic emphasis. The Bears opened their season Thursday night at Mamou and was walloped 62-0, after a 58-0 loss to the Demons in the 2024 opener.
Jamar Washington took over at Peabody, which finished a surprising 2-8 last season. The Warhorses open their season at home tonight against LaGrange, which won last year’s contest 22-20.
Pineville’s new head coach is Justin Charles, who served previous stints at Holy Savior Menard and Louisiana Christian University. Charles and the Rebels open tonight at New Iberia.
Tioga, which finished 4-6 last season, has a new head coach in Dan Christman, who had served as the school’s athletic director, receivers coach and track and field coach. He previously coached football at ASH and Pineville. The Indians will host powerful Sterlington tonight to get the season started.