Destrehan coach’s focus, drive led to championship success

Photo by Ellis Alexander

Marcus Scott doesn’t yell or scream. He doesn’t draw attention to himself or self-promote.

Scott simply focuses on his task, on the things he believes are fundamental to success, and is content to let the results speak for themselves.

Scott may not be loud, but those results sure enough are.

After Friday’s win, the third-year Destrehan coach will now forever be among the special elite who have led their team to a state championship victory. Scott had a very tough act to follow three years ago, when he succeeded Stephen Robicheaux as the leader of the Wildcats’ program, but the Jesuit and McNeese State alum has been more than up to the challenge: he’s lost just one time in the regular season – his very first game as DHS coach, against St. Paul’s – and is now 10-2 in the postseason with Destrehan, with two semifinal finishes to go along with this state championship.

“Our district administration and our school administration entrusted me to do this job,” Scott said. “The great coaches who walked the sideline at Destrehan before me, the Chipper Simons and Steve Robicheauxs of the world, they entrusted me to lead the program in the right direction. My objective is to maintain the tradition and to maintain the pride and level of excellence they laid the foundation for.”

It was a moment of pure joy as Scott celebrated on the field with his team, his fellow coaches and his family. He is more than willing to share the secret at the heart of his success – it’s simply hard work – and the emotion that spilled from him the result of a realization that all those hours led he and his Wildcats to the top.

“In this day and age,” Scott mused, “everything is centered around instant gratification. So many times, it’s easy to give up or change course if you don’t see results right off. This is a true testament that hard work still pays off and that there’s no easy way to the top. If you work hard, you know how to treat people and you don’t quit, you always have a chance in life.”

These are principles Scott internalized growing up and has added to during his road to the top of the mountain.

He was a standout defensive back at Jesuit before going on to play college football for McNeese State. When his playing days were over, Scott saw coaching in his future and began his career on the sideline at Clark. After a year with the school, he returned home to his alma mater, working with Jesuit for three seasons. Scott moved out of state and coached at B.F. Terry High in Rosenberg, Texas for three seasons before becoming an assistant coach at West Jefferson in 2007.

Scott succeeded Hank Tierney at West Jefferson as its head coach in 2008 then moved on to coach at the college level after six seasons, joining former Destrehan coach Tim Rebowe’s staff at Nicholls State as a defensive backs coach.

In 2016, he joined Robicheaux’s staff as defensive coordinator at Destrehan, a run with the Wildcats that would not be Scott’s last. In 2018 he became head coach at John Ehret and in his first season, he guided the Patriots to the Class 5A semifinals.

That semifinal would be the first of four for Scott, who reached at least the state semifinals in four of his first five seasons as head coach. Before Destrehan’s semifinal round against Westgate this season, Scott quipped that he hoped this time would be the charm – it sure was.

He’s quick to credit his players and assistant coaches for the deep postseason runs Destrehan has gone on, including this title-winning surge.

“You face a different style of football each and every week,” Scott said. “Sometimes it’s a wide open, spread offense. Sometimes they line up heavy and run right at you. Our coaches and players are able to adjust every single week, and that’s a testament to them.”

During the season, Scott was often asked about upcoming scenarios for the playoffs and his team’s state championship goals, but he was steadfast in keeping the focus on the moment at hand. Every week represents a chance to improve, and as he’s noted, if you focus too much on the end goal and not your next step, that final step may never come.

“We have to teach them that you don’t just come out and win,” Scott said of the Wildcats team that will take the field next season. “This takes, obviously, hard work and dedication, and it’s taken years and years and years (for the Destrehan program) to get to this point. My job is to make sure they don’t take that for granted, and to understand the work it takes.”

 

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