By LORI LYONS, Journal Sports
As far as St. Mary’s football coach Kedrin Seastrunk is concerned, his 2024 football team may not have had a winning season, but it didn’t have a losing season either.
The Tigers went 5-5 in Seastrunk’s inaugural regular season as head coach, earning the No. 21 seed in the Select Division IV playoffs and surprising even him. After a loss to No. 12 Kentwood, the Tigers finished 5-6.
“Compared to what we were expecting, it was above expectations,” Seastrunk said. “We weren’t winners or losers. I guess I can look at the glass half empty or half full. Now we understand the things that worked and also the things that didn’t work.”
The Tigers will open the 2025 campaign Friday night on the road at Bunkie, which went undefeated last year on the way to the Division III Select semifinals where it lost to Dunham 46-22.
“It’s a great game for us,” Seastrunk said. “It will allow us to see all the leaks we have. A game we can begin to see the difference between this year and last year and understand what the expectation is. My team is older. Last year we had a bunch of players, it was their first high school football game. Now I tell them, ‘You’ve just got to beat the old you.’”
Now that he and many of his players have a year of experience behind them, the bar normally would be raised for 2025. But Seastrunk said the Tigers have been hit with a few “curveballs.” About 10 players have left the team by either moving, transferring or just deciding not to play.
“I don’t want to say we had to find replacements,” Seastrunk said. “We had to find the next man up. We may not have the numbers, but we definitely have the people.”
Among the returners is junior running back/wide receiver John Paul Thibodaux. He’s joined by senior wide receivers Chalin Gandy and Haiden Nelson, and senior linemen Blaise Conant and Tucker Johnson, who will bring leadership to the offense.
Seastrunk also has high expectations for QB Ashton Johnson, who is Seastrunk’s son, and sophomore Jacob Thibodaux, the younger brother of John Paul.
The 2024 season also was a learning experience for then first-year coach Lawrence Seawood, whose Lakeview team was on the losing side of all 10 contests, including six shutouts.
Seawood said he is looking forward to seeing some improvements in this year’s squad.
“I’m always positive,” he said.
He lost only seven seniors, and the freshmen and eighth graders he fielded last year now have a year of experience. But he’s also got some new eighth graders to break in.
Senior running back Zantaviuos McKinney returns, along with senior Kenlynn Jackson, who will move from the line to fullback. Sophomore newcomer Joey Miller is added to the secondary.
The Gators will open their 2025 season at home Friday at 7 against Booker T. Washington of Shreveport, which went 6-7 and reached the Division I quarterfinals last year. The Lions lost 15 seniors from that squad.
Contact Lori at sportslyons@gmail.com
