OAKDALE- With every coaching change, the newly hired coach brings his own influences, philosophy, and brand to the table. That is the case with newly hired head football coach at Oakdale, Destin Dieterich. His biggest influence came from his own family in the person of his father-in-law Hall of Fame coach Dutton Wall. Not only is Wall Dieterich’s father-in-law, he is also Dieterich’s former football coach at Welsh. “There’s probably not a whole lot of coaching decisions I made that he didn’t influence,” said Dieterich. “I know a lot of things I would do differently, but it’s always there where I think what would he think about this decision.” He continued, “It’s been a huge influence not only on my coaching career but on my whole life being related to him.” Another influence on Dieterich is current head coach at Notre Dame Louis Cook. Dieterich was an assistant for Cook during his second stint as head coach at Crowley. “It doesn’t matter who it is,” Dieterich said. “I think everybody

OBERLIN- It is not only players from teams with winning records who get recognized for their onfield achievements, but it players from underachieving teams also get recognized for their prowess on the field. Such is the case for Hunter Longino from an Oakdale Warrior team that went 3-7 on the regular season in 2018 and lost in the first round of the playoffs to Vidalia in the delta. Because of his 114 tackles, four sacks, one interception, four forced fumbles, and five tackles for loss; Longino was named the Defensive MVP for District 5-2A. He was also named the first ever Allen Parish Football Defensive MVP. “It feels good,” he said about his defensive honors at the linebacker position. “But, it’s not just all me. It takes the whole defensive line to set me up in the right spot to make the plays that I make. It takes everybody working together.” Before starting the season, Longino and his Oakdale Warriors had one goal in mind to win the district championship. Personal goals on the y

OBERLIN- Accounting for 10 total touchdowns in the 2018 regular season was the starting quarterback for the Oberlin High School Tigers Levi Peloquin. He threw three of his touchdowns to two separate receivers. He also ran in six touchdowns himself and was on the receiving end of another touchdown from Seth Rider from six-yards out. For his efforts on the year, Peloquin was selected as the first ever  Allen Parish Football Offensive Most Valuable Player. “It’s an honor,” said Peloquin. “I have to give thanks to the offensive line, to the coaches, and to a good receiver in Jared Joubert. He’s been one of  my main targets. When I throw the ball to him, he’s going to come down with it. He makes my job look easy.” Peloquin’s goal for the start of the season was much like that of his head coach Durell Peloquin Jr. “My goal for the year was to win a district championship,” he said. “Our district has been tough over the last three years. In my freshman year, we ended up winning the district.

OBERLIN -- For any coach to succeed at a program, it takes a lot of hard work, a lot of support from the organization, and even a little bit of luck. Because of all those ingredients coming together this season for his Oberlin High School Tigers, Coach Durell Peloquin Jr. led his troops to a quarterfinal bout in the LHSAA football playoffs for the seventh time in program history. In doing so, he was selected as the first ever Allen Parish Football Coach of the Year. “It’s an outstanding accomplishment,” he said. “Our team did a great job this year buying into the program, and the awards we receive after the fact show, through hard work and dedication, anything is possible. It’s an honor and a privilege to be considered for Coach of the Year.” This past season had been Coach Peloquin Jr.’s 29th overall as a coach, and he spent seven-and-a-half of those years in Oberlin over two stints. He owes himself getting into coaching to his father, the late Durell Peloquin Sr. “My dad was my men