{"id":263161,"date":"2025-08-05T07:39:11","date_gmt":"2025-08-05T07:39:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/263161\/"},"modified":"2025-08-05T07:39:11","modified_gmt":"2025-08-05T07:39:11","slug":"key-returners-sustained-vision-power-ouachita-christian-forward-crescent-city-sports","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/263161\/","title":{"rendered":"Key returners, sustained vision power Ouachita Christian forward \u2013 Crescent City Sports"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n \"Print
\n <\/a>
\n \"Luke(Photo: Timothy Seller)<\/p>\n

Decades into a run of royal distinction, the Ouachita Christian Eagles still find ways to impress.<\/p>\n

Coach Steven Fitzhugh brought a team with four returning starters to the Division IV Select title game in 2024, falling short of Vermillion Catholic but further proving why they\u2019ve won eight state championships.<\/p>\n

After overseeing six of those titles, a field named in his honor and 27 seasons of excellent football, Fitzhugh\u2019s latest \u201cCinderella run\u201d is another lucid link in a glistening chain.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was just a surprise, blessed season,\u201d Fitzhugh said. \u201cHow they continued to address and correct their mistakes week after week, early on, to where they were a confident group of guys, more so each week.\u201d<\/p>\n

OCS had no business in the dome last season, leaving three schools with first-round byes in its wake. Still, coming up short put a chip on each Eagle\u2019s shoulder, now with five starters back on both offense and defense.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt definitely lit that fire even more,\u201d Fitzhugh said. \u201cThey\u2019re hungry.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Eagles weren\u2019t scared to \u201cturn it loose\u201d last fall, giving them a head start in terms of mindset. Quarterback Luke Vidrine captained this aggression, passing for 2,356 yards and earning a Class 2A All-State honorable mention as a junior.<\/p>\n

He first started as a sophomore, the first Eagle in 15 years to do so. He badly injured his foot to end that season, causing over half a year of recovery. Now a senior, Vidrine\u2019s recaptured athleticism could help him reach a new level.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s faster,\u201d Fitzhugh. \u201cLast year, he came into the season honestly not even knowing if he could run full speed.\u201d<\/p>\n

His offensive line will incorporate four new starters for the third consecutive campaign, but senior Micah Mosher is a bedrock. The first-team All-State selection is entering his final year on a perennially sound, foundational unit.<\/p>\n

\u201cLast year and this year, he has been the one who has the knowledge and experience,\u201d Fitzhugh said. \u201cHaving communicated so many other linemen and brought them along, he\u2019s been that solid force.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jude Turner returns to running back after collecting 80 carries for 626 yards and an impressive 19 total touchdowns as a junior. Eli Grey, a senior, will join him.<\/p>\n

Ridge Coats starts anew at tight end, but lead wide receiver Patrick Turpin is back. He caught 41 passes for 649 yards and 10 touchdowns last season. Junior Luke Edwards will hold down the opposite wideout spot.<\/p>\n

OCA\u2019s defense lost its two leading tacklers last year but is captained by its linebackers, namely Cooper Thomas, Hunter Traxler, Ridge Coats and Grey.<\/p>\n

\u201cThose are guys that\u2019ll come back and lead our defense,\u201d Fitzhugh said. <\/p>\n

Thomas scrounged up 64 tackles (five for loss) and six sacks as the most productive, but Hunter Traxler is the vocal presence.<\/p>\n

\u201cLate in the year, [he] just became a real emotional, passionate leader on this team,\u201d Fitzhugh said of Traxler. \u201cJust a guy that makes everyone around him play with energy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Seniors Landon Waller (50 tackles, seven sacks, two forced fumbles) and Turpin (33 tackles, three interceptions) lead the defensive line and cornerback room, respectively, but both have to-be-determined partners. <\/p>\n

Hudson Weems starts at nose guard and D\u2019Siah Bradshaw will play the versatile \u201crover\u201d spot. Tristan Raymond and Barrett Freeland join Turpin in the defensive backfield.<\/p>\n

However, no discussion of OCA is complete without senior kicker Gavin Polk. He earned high marks at the prestigious Kohl\u2019s Kicking Camp in Tennessee this summer, nailing two 57-yard tries and averaging seven yards through the end zone on his kickoffs.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a disciplined kid,\u201d Fitzhurgh said.<\/p>\n

The Eagles travel to Ruston and ULM for preseason duels versus Captain Shreve and St. Frederick before its campaign opens at home against Caldwell Parish. Division IV Non-Select semifinalist General Trass comes next before Delhi and a 2A District 2 opener against Madison.<\/p>\n

They\u2019ll do battle with Rayville, Delhi Charter, Beekman Charter, Mangham and Ferriday before Oak Grove caps off the regular season.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have three seasons,\u201d said Fitzhugh, referring to non-district, district and postseason play. <\/p>\n

During his storied career, Fitzhurgh\u2019s mantra has and always will be incremental growth. His Ouachita Christian has an eternal buy-in that both overachieves and overwhelms. Ultimately, it wins.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe talk about seize the day, let\u2019s get better today,\u201d Fitzhugh said. \u201cSuccess, it\u2019s a journey, not a destination \u2026 It\u2019s not defined by whether we are or are not holding the trophy up at the end of the year. It\u2019s doing things right on a daily basis, getting better today.\u201d<\/p>\n

For more Louisiana high school football team previews, click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"(Photo: Timothy Seller) Decades into a run of royal distinction, the Ouachita Christian Eagles still find ways to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":263162,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2068],"tags":[25,7,31877,31878,6,242,109,2476],"class_list":{"0":"post-263161","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-philadelphia-eagles","8":"tag-eagles","9":"tag-football","10":"tag-louisiana-high-school-football","11":"tag-louisiana-high-school-football-team-preview","12":"tag-nfl","13":"tag-philadelphia","14":"tag-philadelphia-eagles","15":"tag-philadelphiaeagles"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/114975025750687601","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/263161","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=263161"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/263161\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/263162"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=263161"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=263161"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=263161"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}