By GEORGE MAHL

THIBODAUX – When people think of college football in south Louisiana, LSU and Tulane are usually the first two schools that come to mind.

But, there is a University located off Highway 1 that is quietly having a successful season. They are also doing it with several players from the River Parishes. That school is Nicholls State University (aka: The Harvard on the Bayou). The Colonels are 3-1 and off to their best start since 1997.

Edgard’s Pendarvis Morris and Torrian Thomas along with Rob Bleakley and Joseph Trosclair of Convent and Reserve, respectively, are just a few of the River Parish players that are making an impact for the Colonels.

L’Observateur recently caught up with these players and spoke to them about everything from playing close to home to planning their future.

A tough part of growing up is to decide whether or not a person wants to travel a far distance to attend school or to relocate for a job. In some cases, they may not have much of a choice. However, when it came to selecting a college, that decision was easy for the four Nicholls players to make. NSU is only about a one hour drive from the River Parishes.

“I think that is one of the best parts about attending Nicholls State,” said Morris. “Win or lose I will always have a cheering squad. I probably would not have that if I had decided to go a school out of state.”

Rob Bleakley, who attended Lutcher High School, is used to having a big following.

“I remember having big crowds when I played at Lutcher. My parents attended every game at Lutcher and now at Nicholls.”

Trosclair said, like Bleakley and Morris, his parents make all the home games, in addition to some road games. “I think the decision is always a little easier when your from Louisiana,” said Nicholls State head coach Daryl Daye. “A lot of people that leave the state end up coming back for various reasons.” The four-year coach said traditionally most football players do not like to leave the comforts of home.

The phrase student-athlete means just that. Athletes are supposed to be students first then athletes. At Nicholls State, academics is becoming a major part when it comes to performance on and off the field. When Daye began his coaching career at the Thibodaux school in 1999, the grade point average of his football squad was a dismal 1.79. This past spring it rose to an all-time high of 2.49. Daye said his goal is to have it at 2.5 by the end of the fall semester.

“I think we all realize that we need to strive for excellence in the classroom. After all, we do attend the Harvard on the Bayou,” said Morris, who is a government major. Others say it is Daye’s discipline that will help them succeed in the classroom. ” You have to make yourself be very motivated when studying for a test here. It can become very strenuous when you bust your tail four hours a day then hit the books,” Thomas said.

Bleakley said he has never been to a school where academics are so important. He believes that Daye will get the team G.P.A of 2.5 this semester.

“Don’t miss a class,” Trosclair said. ” Because the classes are so small, the instructor will likely remember and may even ask why you were not at the last class meeting.” The former Riverside stand-out said teachers expect student-athletes to attend classes just as everyone does.

“The first thing we stress is the academics at Nicholls State,” Daye said.

With most of the talent coming from the New Orleans metro area, some of the players in the River Parishes may get overlooked.

“I think it definatley gets overlooked. We had a lot of guys at West St. John that could play but were not recruited by some of the large schools,” said Thomas, a former WSJ High School graduate. “The talent is there if the schools look hard enough.” Bleakley thinks some of the players at the River Parish schools need to get bigger and faster in order to be watched closely. “I remember in 1998 when we (Lutcher) went to the state semi-finals. That team had a lot of players that got overlooked and were not even offered scholarships.”

Trosclair said he thinks that if there were more 5A schools than 2A or 3A schools then more of the area would get noticed. “To be honest, I don’t think that the big universities watch that many 2A or 3A schools play.”

However, Daye has a little different view than some of his players. “I think college coaches beat all the bushes in all areas. It is kind of like finding a small fishing hole in the sense that you don’t want to pass it up because it might have the big one.”

When discussing their relationship with coaches, all the players agreed that it was one of the reasons they chose Nicholls. ” It is almost like a father-son relationship,” Morris said. The West St. John alumnus describes the relationship he has with all coaches as being “one happy family”. Bleakley credits a former coach as to where he is today. “I really enjoyed playing under (Lutcher) coach Tim (Detillier).” The former Bulldog player said current Nicholls defensive back coach Charles Kelly is one of the best coaches he has worked under.

“I think they respect you as long as you respect them. It is much more fun when mutual respect is involved,” said Trosclair. The sophomore left-tackle added ” You can pretty much go to them about anything. It doesn’t have to be about football.”

Not only is it important for coaches to recruit, but the players need lend a hand when necessary. “I tell the guys to go out and recruit in the River Parishes,” Daye said. ” They might know a little more about a certain player than we do.” The former LSU Graduate Assistant said he wants more players from the River Parishes than he currently has. He also added “the closer, the better.”

With most players having an eye on a possible career in the National Football League, the local stars have goals more important than just playing professional football.

“I will graduate. I have planned and worked too hard and too long to give up now,” Thomas said. “If I don’t play in the NFL, then that is ok. I would like to be a business man when I get out.”

Bleakley said he would not mind coaching at Lutcher, his alma-matter. He said he would like to speak to kids about doing the right thing in the future.