COVINGTON, La. -After 7 wins in 2019, 5 in one of the state’s toughest districts, the Covington Lions season came to a close in the second round of the playoffs courtesy of Destrehan.
Head Coach Greg Salter’s focus in 2020, maintaining success.
Coach Salter says, “You got to hit restart. You can’t get to confident on what you did the year before because the second you do, this district will bite you in the butt.”
The Lions return 7 starters and several players that saw ample playing time in last season.
The bar is set high thanks to players like all-district Defensive MVP Edgerrin Cooper.
“He set a great example for those younger guys. Those guys that have been watching him for the past few years have been modeling what he does not only on the field but off the field and what it took to get him to that point. Each year’s a challenge in the guys you lose but the best part about it is watching that next group of guys step up,” says Coach Salter.
Players in a similar position, like Senior Running Back and Linebacker Cade Rogers.
“Cade has been playing for us since his freshman year. He is very versatile and he is going to play a lot more on defense this year than he has in the past. In the last few years, he has strictly been a running back. So we are going to utilize his athleticism and play-making ability on both sides of the ball,” says Coach Salter.
Also in for an increased role is Covington Senior Quarterback Blake Sharp.
Sharp knows the void left by the 2019 seniors is pretty big but says writing them off is a mistake in 2020.
Blake Sharp says, “I want them to know that we have one of the hardest working teams around and that as long as they put the work in, we will compete with anybody around. We are young offensively but these guys are talented and a lot of them have tasted varsity already.”
Its been 3 years since the Lions went undefeated in the regular season.
Going into his 8th year as head football coach, Greg Salter says there is no telling how the dominos will fall but his team will always fight until the end.
“Sometimes a year like last year where we started off 1-2, 1-3, to finish the way we did is just as rewarding honestly as going undefeated. So you can take each season for what it is worth and you can find the positives and the great accomplishments these kids make whether you are undefeated or not. So we are proud of each and every year of the battles they go through.”
