Tradition is strong for Bobcats, Jays

For both the Eunice High and St. Edmund football teams are known for their rich traditions.
The two schools will honor all the head coaches in their respective programs Friday night at the Joe Nagata Memorial Jamboree.
Former St. Edmund athletic director/head football coach Tom Andrus played for Nagata at Eunice High (Class of 1970) and then coached with the Blue Jays (1978 – 1980) in his first job out of college.
“I was fortunate to both play for him and then coach with him,” Andrus said. “He was a strict disciplinarian,” the former tight end/linebacker said. “He was tough but he was doing what was best for us as we realized later in life.
“If you are disciplined and follow the rules, you can’t go wrong.”
Andrus was the Blue Jay athletic director from 2007 to 2009 and finished with a 22-10 overall record.
“I am proud of what we accomplished while I was head coach at St. Ed’s,” Andrus said. “We went 9-0 in 2008, the same year that Eunice High was undefeated.
“It was exciting to see the school I graduated from go undefeated at the same time the team I was coaching do it.”
Andrus said the lessons he learned as player helped him to become a good coach.
“I wanted to have a plan and philosophy and I stuck with it,” he said. “We had a district championship on a year when they thought we were supposed to be rebuilding.
“But besides the wins, I was proud to see how the guys and girls did what they could be be great athletes but also became great citizens and people.”
There have been 15 head coaches at St. Edmund, beginning when Gerald Wyble in 1955 and continuing with new head coach Andy Hargroder.
There have been eight EHS head football coaches since 1939 with Faize Mahfouz and continuing with present heac coach Paul Trosclair.
Mahfouz spent 22 years at Eunice and was the first high school coach inducted into the Louisiana Hall of Fame in 1981.
Mahfouz had a 127-80-4 record that included 20 winning seasons.
Joe Nagata coached at EHS from 1963-73 before heading to the Blue Jays where he coached until 1985.
Nagata began his coaching career under Mahfouz as an assistant coach at Eunice (1951 to 1962) before becoming the head football coach in 1963.
Nagata finished his career with a 135-90-7 record, including six district titles, four district runners-up, and led the Blue Jays to the Class 1-A runners-up in 1978 and 1979.
Nagata’s teams won six district championships, made the state playoffs 11 times, and reached the state finals twice.
Moving from Opelousas Catholic, Johnny Bourque became the Bobcat head football coach in 1979.
“I was a rookie coach at Eunice High when Coach Nagata was a veteran coach at St. Ed’s,” Bourque said of their relationship. “He was in the state finals and we were just trying to win a few games.”
Bourque went on to compile a 104-76 record and four district titles.
In 1981, Eunice won its first district championship in 17 years.
Then in 1982, the Bobcats defeated Jennings 16-13 for the Class 3-A state championship – the only football title in program history.
In 1994, Bourque become Eunice High prinicipal and he is presently superintendent of Acadia Parish Schools.
“The town of Eunice has a great passion for football and other athletics,” Bourque said. “There is great support from both schools.
“There have been some great coaches and stellar men to coach with the Blue Jays and Bobcats.
“The kids in Eunice are very competitive and will fight to the end,” he said. “When the lights come on, they really get after it.”
At Eunice High, Trosclair (214-92) is entering his 22nd season as head football coach.
Trosclair was Bourque’s offensive cooridinator before leaving for the top job at Oakdale in 1990.
After going 39-19 and earning four district titles in five seasons with the Warriors, Trosclair returned to Eunice in 1995 and brought the Bobcats to state championship games in 1997 and 1998.
Trosclair’s EHS team won the 2015 district title, his 16th of his career.