After losing in the LHSAA Division II non-select semifinals the past two years, Teurlings Catholic football is all about getting over the hump.

“I think they all still have that taste in their mouth,” Teurlings Catholic coach Dane Charpentier said. “Losing in the semifinals two years in a row, it motivates you to try to get over that hump. It’s a big hump to get over and once you make it that far it’s tough sledding but these guys definitely are a hungry group.”

The Rebels' hunger continues to grow as they’ve opened up the 2024 season with a perfect 2-0 start. One of the keys to their stellar start has been the success of their ground game which has shone and will look to continue to shine as they finish up non-district play.

Backfield picking up the slack

This season, Teurlings Catholic has depended on its backfield to get its offense going which hasn’t been the case during Charpentier’s eight years at the helm.

“This is actually the least balanced offense we've had, probably in the eight years that I've been here,” Charpentier said. “Typically, we're somewhere around 50-50 between pass and run, depending on the opponent and depending on the game plan. Right now we have really good offensive line play and some good running backs but the crazy part is we still have quarterbacks and receivers that can do it too.”

Leading the Rebels backfield this season is senior Doug E Viltz. The 5-foot-8, 160-pounder can squeeze into any crack his offensive line makes to move the chains and that showed in his team’s games against Opelousas and Sam Houston. Against the Tigers, he rushed for 107 yards, three touchdowns and had a kick off returned for 60 yards.

Viltz didn’t stop there. He had even more in the tank when the Rebels hosted Sam Houston on Sept. 13. He rushed for nearly 250 yards against the Broncos and found the end zone twice leading his team to a 48-21 victory. The shifty runner credits his big offensive lineman for his ability to rack up yards on the hunt for 1,000 yards this season.

“The offensive line does amazing,” Viltz said. “They come out and here and they work every day and we’ve been bonding all summer. I feel like we performed well these first two games but I still feel like we can perform better as a team.”

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Big boy football

Behind every great rushing attack offense is an even better offensive line and that’s the case for Teurlings Catholic this season. The O-line is made up of guys all over 250 pounds and almost every guard is over 6-foot tall.

“This is the best offensive line we've had in my time here,” Teurlings Catholic senior offensive tackle Gresham Perry said. “We're all brothers. Literally, I have a brother on the O-line, and so we're like one. We've just been dominant these first two games and we know our abilities, so every week, we just go out and show.”

Perry is 6-5, 315 and serves as a captain on the team and leader on the offensive line. The Tulane commit and a host of the Rebels' other big bodies have been like walls for their team’s offense bringing physicality to every snap.

They will have to continue to win the battle of the trenches with Notre Dame coming to town this Friday.

“They got a great team,” Charpentier said. “They’re very physical, very aggressive style of play and they're very unique in the way that they play and approach the game on both sides of the ball. They're going to challenge you physically and you got to hold up to it because it's four quarters of big boy football.”

The Pioneers have also found success in their ground game this season holding a similar 2-0 record. The last time the two teams met the Rebels came away with a 34-14 victory. They are just as confident coming into this year’s matchup with a ground game that’s willing to run through anybody.

“I'm sure we're going to win,” Perry said. “We're ready. We're confident in our guys. This is a team we know how to beat, and we're just gonna do it again Friday.”

Shannon Belt covers high school sports and the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns 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: 'Big boy football': Teurlings football ground game shines this season