In the midst of rain delays, St. Thomas More and Notre Dame football duked it out in both teams’ first scrimmage before the 2025 football season.
Fans of the Cougars and Pios gathered in Cougar Stadium, itching to get a sneak peek of what both teams have cooking as two powerhouses in the 337.
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“We’re just looking for execution,” STM coach Jim Hightower said. “That’s what today’s about. That’s why we always play a good, physical team like Notre Dame. They’re well coached and we’ll get something out of the film and correct it.”
Despite battling each other and the elements, both squads got to dip their toe back into the game they’ve been missing all offseason long.
Who’s gonna step up?
For Notre Dame, which has traveled to Lafayette to face the Cougars in scrimmage play for the past few seasons, this is an opportunity to get better according to coach Lewis Cook. Last season, the Pios ended the year with a 7-4 record and in the second round of the LHSAA Select Division III playoffs.
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This season, they are hoping for more good things starting with some scrimmage reps against STM.
“I want to see who’s gonna give the best effort, which of our guys will give great effort,” Cook said. “That’s all we’re looking for. The biggest improvement comes from the scrimmage through the jamboree so we got to be better next Thursday against Carencro.”
Against the Cougars’ tough and disciplined defense, senior quarterback Drew Lejeune was a standout during the first half of the scrimmage. Despite this being his first competition as quarterback after playing as the Pios fullback last year, it didn’t show. He drove his team down the field, capping a drive off with an 11-yard touchdown pass.
Other key Pios who shined at the scrimmage were senior running back Joachim Bourgeois, senior wide receiver Brice Duhon and senior defensive back Griffin Doucet.
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Execution is key
While the Pios are looking for improvement, Hightower and his staff were aiming for execution. With three-star dual-threat quarterback Cole Bergeron at the helm of the Cougars’ offense, they are looking to score. He was able to pick up a couple of first downs during the first half of the scrimmage.
“We started out the summer we said, ‘Mediocre is the middle of a steep mountain. We don’t want to be mediocre; we’re not going to negotiate,’” Hightower said. “If you negotiate with yourself and you take the easy way out, you’ll never get to the top of the mountain. So, we’re not negotiating.”
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Protecting Bergeron this fall will be a younger and less experienced offensive line. Similarly, the Cougars defense is only returning three starters from last year. After finishing with a deep postseason run in the Select Division I bracket, STM is looking to get right back there.
A key rising leader that can help get them there is senior defensive tackle Conner McAtee, who recently won the team’s fighting heart award.
“Conner is definitely one of our leaders, been a hard player for the last two years and we’re really excited about having him as a spark plug for our defense,” Hightower said.
Shannon Belt covers high school sports, the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns and LSU men’s basketball for The Daily Advertiser as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow her high school and Cajuns coverage on Twitter: @ShannonBelt3. Got questions regarding HS/UL athletics? Send them to Shannon Belt at sbelt@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: Scrimmage season: STM football hosts Notre Dame in scrimmage play
