– Breaux Bridge High School senior Baylon Champagne doesn’t shy away from contact on the football field.
That’s an asset for him whether he’s playing linebacker for the Tigers or in the offensive backfield.
“I just like to hit people,” said Champagne, who added that he prefers playing defense.
That approach carries over to offense, second-year head coach Tyler Pierce said.
“That’s his style,” the coach said. “When we kind of went towards the veer the last three games of the season, one of the reasons he got it was because he was not going to be that speedster, but he’s going to get us that three, four, five yards.
“His No. 1 thing is he wants to be that thunder. He’s not worried about being the lightning.” Champagne made big contributions to the team last year, Pierce said.
“Baylon comes back as our leading tackler on defense and our leading rusher,” Pierce said. “He’s our biggest communicator on defense. He sets the strength. He makes sure that the pieces of the puzzle are in place. He’s a very team-oriented person, so it’s just about him having that smart football IQ that can see it. He’s more of a reactor.”
He took that attitude to the offense as well.
“I think that as good of a defensive linebacker as he was, when we asked him to start toting the rock more last year, I think he became more of a reactor instead of a thinker, which I think goes hand-in-hand with football. You don’t have time to think, whether you’re going to make a tackle or going to run the ball. His strength is just making sure he knows everything about everything That’s what we love about him.”
Breaux Bridge is looking to bounce back from a 2-8 season, with both wins coming in district action (45-13 over Beau Chene and 14-12 over Livonia). The Tigers missed the playoffs for the first time in more than two decades but are aiming to return to the postseason this year.
“I just have to do my job and help my teammates,” Champagne said. “We just need to do the little things — make sure everything’s right.”
Champagne said the Tigers have improved, and having a full year under Pierce has helped. Because he was hired late in the spring, the Tigers didn’t have a full year’s practice under their new coach heading into the 2024 season.
“We’ve had a lot of growth since last year,” Champagne said. “We just need to keep doing everything Coach says.”
The Tigers open the regular season on Sept. 5 at Class 5A Natchitoches Central, then face defending Division IV Select state champion Vermilion Catholic at home, followed by a pair of District 5-3A opponents on the road — parish rival St. Martinville and Kaplan — before wrapping up the pre-district slate at home against Northlake Christian.
BBHS opens its District 5-4A schedule at rival Cecilia, the defending Division II Non-Select state champion, on Oct. 10, followed by Northside, Beau Chene, Opelousas and Livonia.
