by Taylor Williams
May 17, 2010 - The 4A Franklinton Demons of Washington Parish are currently one of the best all-around teams Louisiana has to offer. With inordinate depth and experience, and enough talent to supply the entire district, the Demons are coming off a very successful state runner-up season that has secured their respectability throughout Cajun football country. Franklinton’s accomplishments have inadvertently supplanted them as targets for their opponents’ aspirations, a feat attributable to the fact that seven of the ten teams they faced last year made the playoffs. Having disavowed more than a few playoff hopes, the Demons are fully cognizant of the motivation they’ve inspired in the local competition, but unbeknownst to many, Franklinton’s exploits have superseded the Louisiana circuit in an unconventional manner.
The Demons will kick off their 2010 season by traveling to Abilene, Texas, a Podunk town west of Dallas and home of the reigning 5A Texas state champions. Hailed as arguably the best high school team in the country by a multitude of sportswriters, Abilene boasts formidable size, speed, and depth at all positions and epitomizes the uncanny potential of the Texas gridiron spectrum. Anyone who has seen or read “Friday Night Lights” knows Texans take football extremely seriously, a trend evidenced by the discrepancy between the size of the town and the spectacular quality of its facilities and support network. In a state where the mantra of “bigger is better” underlies many facets of life, the mere mention of football conjures up images of corn-fed giants in pads and helmets aiming to literally crush the competition. Throw in a bunch of Cajuns eager to prove their spread-offense and three-man-front-defense is just as deadly, and you have a recipe for an old fashioned shootout between two of the country’s premiere football states. Franklinton has had to finagle their scheduling contract to enable this opportunity, and the chance to showcase themselves on the big stage in a season opener has major implications for Texas vs. Louisiana. But notwithstanding this golden opportunity to exemplify Cajun gridiron prestige to our neighboring Western giant, Franklinton Coach Shane Smith is quick to remind his players that this is still just one stop on a long and difficult road to the championship. The Demon defensive effort will be most instrumental in stopping a powerful Abilene running game that explodes from the Power I formation with absolutely no trepidation. Luckily, Franklinton’s line is solid and experienced, unlike the linebackers and secondary, which Abilene will endeavor to exploit offensively. Dynamic quarterback Terrence Magee and towering wide receiver Chris Briggs lead a Demon offense that averaged 50 points a game last season, but whose reputation for grandiosity was predicated on a strong defense that consistently forced turnovers and created short fields. The offense is undoubtedly explosive but will likely face heavy pass rushes and a residually overcrowded box of giant defenders. And while each side’s game-plan doesn’t necessarily encapsulate their respective states’ general style of football, they do represent blueprints for an exciting game that could open the doors for habitual interstate competition. And everyone else with a vested interest in the game represents an enormous market in need of a precedent for future, state-subsidized competition between Texas and Louisiana. No one knows what kind of interstate competition may ensue, if any, but the fact of the matter remains that on September 4, in Abilene, Texas, a modern day David representing Cajun football will face the biggest Goliath in a state filled with giants. In the name of Cajun pride, let’s hope that Biblical history will repeat itself on the gridiron.
