Winnfield Senior High School football coach Byron Keller has seen the highs and lows in his head coaching career at Natchitoches Central, Lakeview, Red River and with the Tigers last year.
His debut season at WSHS wasn’t what he or anyone else had in mind, but now that he’s had a chance to firmly establish his program and has an experienced team back, the optimism is high.
Winnfield plays Menard of Alexandria Saturday afternoon at 5 in the Second Annual Battle on the Bricks NRMC Jamboree in Natchitoches at Turpin Stadium on the Northwestern campus. The Tigers, Keller said at a Monday press conference in Natchitoches, have the right mindset and have prepared to succeed.
“From this time last year, to where we are this year, is a night and day difference. I’m truly proud of the kids, how much hard work and dedication that we’ve seen out of them, to get to the point where we’re looking forward to a great season,” he said.
Keller is confident that his second season in Winnfield will see a significant upswing from last year’s 3-8 performance and a first-round playoff loss.
“Coming in last year, we had a large junior class, and they weren’t the most experienced, and we took our lumps. Now those guys have grown by leaps and bounds and are doing great things for us right now. Offseason was great. In fall camp, you want to schedule scrimmages against somebody so we can see all aspects of offense and we’ve done that with Lincoln Prep and Grant. We got a really good test last Friday and came out healthy and playing well. We are very excited,” he said.
There’s no doubt that the Winnfield job carries expectations unlike any other place he’s been, rivalled by only a few schools around north and central Louisiana. Keller wasn’t blindsided by that fact and he loves it.
“Living in and anywhere around Winnfield, the talk is Winnfield football. They love the tradition, the legacy, and understandably so. Anytime you stop in town, somebody wants to talk about what happened back in ’82 and the group that was there in ’13. Those are teams who have played for state championships, not the only ones from here. We are proud to try to rise to that standard. Our guys now might have been 5-year-olds in 2013, but they’ve heard the stories and had dads and granddads, older brothers or uncles who played here.”
It’s the second straight Natchitoches jamboree for the Tigers, who have a rematch with the Alexandria-based Eagles.
“It’s always fun to play in a big stadium, like what they have at Northwestern, and to play on Saturday. We’re saying our prayers right now, hoping for overcast skies and a breeze at 5 o’clock because we know how hot it will be on the turf, but the kids are excited and they’re ready for it,” said Keller.
“Going back to last year, playing against Menard, that game coming down to the last play, and we ended up being able to win the game. I know Coach (David) Perkins. His team’s going to be fighting, ready to get some redemption this year. So it’s going to be another battle.
“I like the test. I like to be able to put the guys in the fire before we get into the actual season, to see how they respond. And so far, we have responded great.”
How important is a jamboree outcome?
“It’s huge,” said Keller. “It’s their last warm up, a dress rehearsal before the season. It’s the kickstarter, and last year was such a boost for us going in week one with that confidence of being able to have a defensive stand, and solidify a game that was hard for us to win. When it came down to it, for the guys to band together and toughen up to come up with their stands at the end, that was beautiful going into the start of the season.
“A year later, these guys can remember being able to feel that, and understanding that every Friday night, there’s probably going to be the chance to feel that way when the clock is on zero. That was great.”