Special to VPJ by DANIEL GREEN, L.S.W.A./BWS Sports

Pickering head coach John Daugherty can see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Even though the Pickering Red Devils are mired in a 31-game losing streak, Daugherty has watched his young squad gain more strength in the weightroom, while also growing in numbers as he now has 30 players on the squad. He has also seen a positive attitude throughout the summer 7-on-7 season and in preseason workouts.

All of these things have Daugherty excited about the Red Devils as they take to the field on Friday at Turpin Stadium on the campus of Northwestern State University to take on both St. Mary’s and Lakeview in jamboree action. “We are all united in the same goal,” Daugherty said. “Our biggest priority right now is rebuilding this program and get it back to where it used to be.”

Last season, Daugherty inherited a very small squad with a daunting schedule ahead of it. By the end of the season, he had only 18 players available, with several of them being junior high athletes, and he was worried about his program. After much discussion, Daugherty and the Red Devil administration agreed it would be best for the program over the next two years to not play for district honors or a spot in the playoffs. Additionally, all the coaches on staff at Pickering agreed not to bring students up from the junior high to play on the varsity squad.

“It was a tough decision to not play for district honors or the playoffs, but it was one that needed to be done,” Daugherty said. “But it was the best thing for our team.” Despite not being able to play for district or playoff honors, the Red Devils have remained motivated. “We’ve got some new players out this year and we are motivated,” Daugherty said. “We are grinding and working hard.”

One of the new players out this year is no stranger to those who followed Pickering sports last year. Senior A.J. Berry, fresh off leading the Red Devils to the Division IV Non-Select basketball semifinals, has taken over the reins at quarterback and is proving to be a valuable addition to the team. “A.J. has lots of speed and can do lots of things for us,” Daugherty said. “He makes good decisions with the ball and has the ability to throw on the run. That will allow us to get him out of the pocket on some designed plays.”

Last year’s leading rusher, Xavier Mitchell, has moved to the offensive line, where Daugherty and new offensive coordinator, Chas Sanner, hope to take advantage of his tremendous strength as Mitchell was a state runner-up in powerlifting last spring. “Xavier made the sacrifice to move to guard for us and he is going to make us better up front,” Daugherty stated. “He’s the strongest player on our team and will be a leader for us on the line.”

Mitchell, along with Augustus James, will be the leaders in the trenches as Berry will look to get the ball to either tight end Tyler Cryer or wide receiver LaDarius Privetera, another player coming from basketball. Braden Ford and Akeem Bennett are also expected to be key components of the Red Devil offense, which will base out of the multiple spread look.

Defensively, Daugherty, as the head coach, has taken over calling the plays on defense, going from the 4-2-5 look last year to a 3-5-3 look for the 2024 campaign. Mitchell will play a key role on defense as well as he will man the middle linebacker spot as the quarterback of the defense. Bennett will join Mitchell in the linebacking corps, while Cryer and James will be key performers on the defensive line.

Along with the added players, a few new coaches have joined the staff and will help develop the junior high program while working with the varsity squad. Daniel Highbaugh and Aaron Gomez, both former Red Devil players, are familiar with many of the younger players on the team as they have been coaches in the Pickering Youth Football program for several years. “Along with more experience on the team, we have some new coaches who are going to be good for us,” Daugherty said. “Highbaugh and Gomez are well-known and familiar to these players. That will be a huge benefit for us.”

After the jamboree, the Red Devils will be on the road for the first two weeks, first at Gueydan and then at Montgomery. Gueydan is coming off an 0-10 season, while Montgomery is under new leadership.

The home opener for the Red Devils will also serve as Military Appreciation Night when they host Northwood-Lena on Sept. 20 at O’Banion Stadium.

The Red Devils will travel to Merryville the following Thursday and return home to face LaSalle in Week 5. After matchups at Crescent City of Metairie and Vinton, the Red Devils will close out the schedule with three straight home games, facing Pine Prairie for homecoming, Ringgold and Plain Dealing.