Hurricane’s season again? With different look, South Plaquemines hopeful of repeat performance
by William Weathers // GeauxPreps.com Contributor
It wasn’t just the eight long years Lyle Fitte spent trying to get his alma mater back to the pinnacle of high school football that nearly sent him to his knees in the waning moments of South Plaquemines’ 20-14 victory over Haynesville for the Division IV non-select state championship.
His emotions befitted an entire region in constant repair from the effects of Hurricane Katrina, clutching his head with his left hand, while steadying himself with his other hand against the Superdome turf.
The Hurricanes were bringing back their first state title in 16 years, which was the second straight in a stretch of back-to-back crowns when Fitte was a standout two-way player in 2007-08.
South Plaquemines put the finishing touches on an 11-3 season on Dec. 12 with a 14-point rally that quarterback Rod Parker keyed with two of three touchdown passes in the fourth quarter – two of which went to running back Jy’heim Williams.
The Hurricanes’ defense also had a pair of signature moments with a fumble recovery from Dean Ancalade and Williams, who also recovered a fumble and picked off a pass.
“It really was a dream come true,” said Fitte, a first-team Class 2A All-State selection in 2007 before continuing his career with Louisiana Tech. “Hearing from some historians about how many people were able to accomplish that as a player and go to their alma mater and win it as a coach. I’d never really thought about it.
“After it sunk in, it was truly a blessing to be a part of it,” Fitte said. “It’s something I’ll hold near and dear to my heart. You want to continuously build the program. Hope to help the kids in the community, in whatever secondary things they want to do, such as college, workforce, and military. We want to build on this new foundation that we have set and really make it so that the standard is the standard.”
Fitte, the Louisiana Sports Writers Association’s Class 2A Coach of the Year, was the perfect example of perseverance for his own players. He returned to South Plaquemines in 2017 with lower-than-expected results than the program he played for under Cyril Crutchfield.
South Plaquemines, a collection of three hurricane-ravaged high schools – Port Sulphur, Boothville-Venice, and Buras – reopened in 2006 and were seemingly at a disadvantage with continued smaller enrollments since Fitte’s arrival.
The Hurricanes lost in the first round of the state playoffs in Division III four times and exited in the regional stage in the other three opportunities under Fitte until finding a potential sweet spot in Division IV a year ago.
“I looked at one of our state championship shirts, I counted 40-something kids,” Fitte said. “I wondered where those 40-something kids were at. We had more depth when we were called to go both ways. It was kind of frustrating the first eight years being the head coach and losing in Division III against teams with 70-80 kids.
“We were using the same seven or eight players in all phases of the game, and they (opponents) had fresh bodies,” Fitte said. “It was a blessing for us to move to Division IV, and in our first year, it was funny that we knocked off No. 1 and undefeated Haynesville that had made a year to the dome the previous year.”
Fitte said one of the endearing qualities associated with last year’s state championship was the impact it had on the Plaquemines Parish community.
“After we won, there was a fireworks display after we came off the Woodland Bridge,” Fitte said. “Everyone met us at the school. We had our parade, were blessed to be part of another parade, and our central office purchased one-of-a-kind rings that only a couple of schools in the country had. It was a testament to the hard work and what it took to win; how much it meant to not only us as a team and staff, but for the whole community.”
Nearly two months ago, South Plaquemines finally culminated its championship season with its ring ceremony, which was a coat-and-tie occasion in the school’s auditorium.
The hour-plus-long event began with a blessing, continued with speeches from school administrators to school board representatives that gave the team a clear indication of what their season meant to the region and the hope they provided for everyone.
“It was definitely worth the wait,” Fitte said.
Before handing out rings to his 25 players, along with coaching and support staff, Fitte introduced a surprise element that was captivating for the entire audience.
Because of his previous relationships from his days as a recruit, college player, and now as a coach, Fitte was able to get eight college coaches, an NFL assistant, and a former 10-year veteran of the NFL to submit congratulatory videos.
LSU was represented by both head coach Brian Kelly and associate head coach/running backs coach Frank Wilson, Southeastern Louisiana head coach Frank Scelfo, along with assistants Teddy Veal of Louisiana Tech and Brock Hays of Tulane.
New Orleans natives David Johnson of Florida State, Tony Hull of Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Jabbar Juluke of Florida were also part of the lineup, along with New Orleans native Terry Joseph, now an assistant with the Saints, and NFL veteran offensive lineman Jordan Mills, a Louisiana native and former Louisiana Tech standout, also commended the team on their season.
Jy’heim Williams was one of the team’s two selections on the Class 2A All-State first team with Trevontae Williams, the state’s Defensive Player of the Year.
Jy’heim Williams, who accounted for more than 1,300 yards and 18 touchdowns, was also voted to the New Orleans Advocate’s All-metro first team as an athlete along with Trevontae Williams, who totaled 101 tackles, 17 TFLs, 17.5 quarterback hurries, 5.5 sacks, and two caused fumbles. Defensive back Deanel McGee (107 tackles, 17 TFLs, 6 sacks) earned honorable mention all-state laurels.
“I don’t think anyone thought we were going to win a state championship by looking at us early in the season,” Fitte said. “We worked on our weaknesses and continued to grow.”
South Plaquemines entered District 10-2A play with a 5-2 record and took a big step forward with a 28-7 win over Country Day in its District 10-2 opener. The Hurricanes suffered one setback in league play – a 24-21 road setback against Newman – and gained steam in the postseason following an opening-round bye with consecutive wins over East Feliciana (21-6) and Mangham (42-18).
The Hurricanes hosted their first semifinal since 2009 in their new stadium, which featured a fourth-quarter comeback against Logansport (21-14) to advance to the Superdome to meet top-seeded and undefeated Haynesville.
“It was very important for us to get to Division IV to be able to match up with more teams who may have five to six guys going both ways as well,” Fitte said. “The competition was more level for us, but you can only focus on what you can control.
“It let me know we were always on the cusp,” Fitte said. “We always had an opportunity to win. We just weren’t in the position we needed to actually make a push. It’s a testament to the coaches, the kids, school board, central office that football has everything that it needs.”
The consensus among the coaches in the video tributes was for South Plaquemines to give a repeat performance in 2025.
Fitte was part of the school’s last team to accomplish such a feat, an objective that’s bounced off the walls of the team’s locker room and into the summer grind of weightlifting, conditioning, and 7-on-7.
“The kids kind of know what the expectations are,” Fitte said. “They know what it takes. They’ve been given so much love throughout the community where you think they would like to run it back and do it all over again. For the most part, they’re holding each other accountable, and I just have to make sure to put everybody in the right position to be successful.”
The primary goal facing Fitte is keeping another projected roster of between 25-30 players healthy to survive the rigors of another season.
He said that seven of his players played both offense and defense in 2024, six of which graduated – a group that included both Jy’Heim and Travonte Williams, and first team All-State linebacker Alex Phillips.
“We have to groom them to go 48 minutes,” he said. “I call them my ’48-minute soldiers”. They can’t come out or take a playoff, and they understand that. That’s the expectation. That’s what I try to put the kids through during the summer we have.
The preparation for additional duty during the season begins in the spring and summer.
Fitte said his team practices four days a week and has tackled a competitive 7-on-7 schedule at LSU, Southeastern Louisiana, and Karr for the exposure to face larger schools with elite talent.
When the Hurricanes finish a series on either offense or defense in 7-on-7 play, they simply swap sides with the same players while the opposition brings in a fresh set of players.
“We’re trying to get them the reps to be confident for August and September, those are very vital,” he said. “We’ve been able to do some good things, get a feel for who’s going to step up this upcoming season. There’s a lot of good talent in Division IV non-select. We’ve told our guys that people aren’t going to lay down and give it to us. We’ve got to earn it again.
“I’ve told them I’m not worrying about the end result, we’re focusing on the process,” he said of the offseason. “Some of those teams may not be playing in November and December, but you will be. We can’t make excuses for players being tired. You see, this is what it’s going to take, and they understand that.”
With such a heavy loss of skilled position players, Fitte believes Parker will play an even greater role this season.
The 5-foot-8, 190-pounder, the Hurricanes’ quarterback since the eighth grade, will also shoulder additional duties on defense at linebacker or nickelback.
“He has no other choice than to be a leader,” Fitte said. “A lot has already been put on him. He’s an extension of the head coach, and he gets it. He’s going to be in charge of getting our younger skill guys up to par, facilitate the offense, and get them lined up.”
Offensive skilled players were more in abundance a year ago, led by Jy’Heim Williams, but the success of this year’s offense will be predicated on the play of Parker and a veteran offensive line with four seniors.
The Hurricanes have a pair of anchors in four-year starter Hilry Thomas at tackle and three-year starter Vincent Turner at guard.
Fellow senior Tyrone Roberts will start for a second season, while senior Zach Bartholomew is scheduled to be a starter in his first year.
Freshman Raymontae Jackson, who played on both sides of the ball as an eighth grader, is slated to play running back and handle return duties. The Hurricanes will rely on a trio of sophomores, Ahmad Lewis, junior Sharonski Prout, and eighth-grader Eyan Taylor, at wide receiver.
“It’s kind of a committee,” Fitte said. “We have some older guys that need experience.”
Most of the same names will play significant roles on defense.
Ancalade, the team’s leading returning tackler with 130 stops, returns at outside linebacker/defensive end. He also had 8 TFLs, three sacks, and a fumble recovery.
Senior Josh Barthelemy made 85 tackles in the secondary with 4 TFLs, to go with a pair of interceptions and fumble recoveries, and Thomas, a defensive end, was responsible for 69 tackles, 21 TFLs, and 14 QB hurries last season.
Lewis headlines the secondary after leading the team with four interceptions in ’24 and will also have Prout returning in the secondary.
“I’m hoping once school starts, we get about 5 to 10 more fresh faces that could contribute on special teams,” Fitte said. “When it comes down to it, the best has to play. We’re going to have a tough non-district schedule and a good district with Newman and Country Day. We’ll have some junior high kids playing varsity, and we’re asking one of two of them to step up in a big way.
“It would be nice to add another one (state title) to it and stop some of the naysayers that said it wasn’t just a certain few players, it’s actually the program,” Fitte said. “We’ll always be competitive whether we’re experienced or young. We’re trying to get our seniors (10 in all) to understand this, the expectation every year.”
South Plaquemines hosts Booker T. Washington in its fall scrimmage in August, travels to Chalmette for jamboree action, and begins the regular season at Higgins on Sept. 6.
“The goal is still the same. … It’s a state championship,” Fitte said. “I’m glad we were able to accomplish that feat this year. Now we know what it takes and the expectation, just how grueling the season can be. As long as we can stay away from injuries and stay as healthy as possible, we’ll be in the running.”