Coach wants to help players develop on and off field
St. Martinville – Garrett Kreamer would like to see the St. Martinville Senior High football team continue its success on the field, but just as importantly the first-year head coach for the team wants to see the players develop into productive members of the community.
“We see this is not just a football team but as a family and like a ministry, and we want to help these boys not only just in high school football but in life after, once they get into the real world,” Kreamer said.
Kreamer was hired at the start of the summer and said the team had to hit the ground running with summer work since he wasn’t here for spring practice.
“We started in early June lifting, running and implementing some football, so we’ve been doing that all June,” he said. “This July we’ve got to have a strong second-half to the summer now.”
Kreamer’s father Michael was principal at St. Martinville Senior High for four years, so he was familiar with the school and the program.
“Being here at St. Martinville where my dad was principal for years, it’s very special,” Kreamer said. “I love the Purple and Gold here at St. Martinville. I grew up here, my dad bringing me to the games and I stood on the sidelines and watched every Friday night, so I have a love for the Tigers. This place is very special to me.”
The Tigers have reached the playoffs in 16 of the past 23 seasons, including nine of the past 10 seasons.
But SMSH went 2-7 in 2024 after starting quarterback Khyrie Francisco suffered a broken pelvis in the second game of the season against Lafayette High.
Head coach Vincent DeRouen, who had led the Tigers to a 58-40 record in 10 seasons, resigned in early May. SMSH reached the quarterfinals in 2017 and 2018 and the semifinals in 2019 under DeRouen.
(Chris Landry) That was the most success the program had seen since longtime coach Carroll Delahoussaye retired from coaching football in 2003. Delahoussaye’s teams went 246-92-1 in 28 seasons and made the playoffs in 26 of those years, reaching the state quarterfinals 10 times, the state semifinals six times and the state championships three times. SMSH won the Class 3A title in 1981 and 1984 and finishing as Class 4A runner-up in 1985 under Delahoussaye after never getting past the quarterfinals before his tenure.
“I just want to be a servant and be the best I can be for these boys, and hopefully we can build something special over the years and see if we can continue to build. Historically, St. Martinville’s had some great football teams in the past with Coach DeRouen, Coach Delahoussaye and many others.”
The new coach said he wants to see his tea play with energy and passion and love for each other, play the game the right way and prepare every single day.
“When you do that, normally that’s all you can ask and good things happen,” he said. “Good things happen to good people. We’ve got to show up to work every day and play our brand of football.
“We always say, ‘fast, physical and finish.’ Everything we do, we want to run on and off the field. We want to play a fast, physical brand of football and finish everything that we do.”
Kreamer began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at UL Lafayette for four years, then coached at Tyler Junior College in Tyler, Texas, then at Pearl River Community College in Mississippi. He was named head football coach at Evangel Christian Academy in Shreveport in 2020, then was head coach at Patterson High from 2021-2022, leading the Lumberjacks to the state quarterfinals in 2022. He became head coach at Lafayette High in 2023, leading the Lions to the state playoffs in 2024, their first postseason appearance since 2021. But Kreamer was let go by LHS in April after the Lions were 5-6 overall following a first-round playoff loss.
“I know God always works with a purpose, so I think it’s in my assignment to be here now, and I’m happy to be here,” Kreamer said. “I love our coaching staff and our team. Big thanks to Mr. (Jonathan) Lane who gave me a chance to come here as head football coach.”
Kreamer, 34, is a 2009 graduate of Comeaux High School.
He said he enjoyed his time coaching in college, including the stops in Texas and Mississippi, but feels he is home in Louisiana.
“I just was being where my feet were,” he said of his time in the college ranks. “I really enjoyed my time at UL and then in junior college, and then whenever that time came up, I found my way back to high school football and I’ve really enjoyed every stop I’ve been at in high school.
“(Louisiana) is home. I grew up here in Louisiana. This is family. It’s special to me.
