The Opelousas Catholic Vikings came into this season with a first-year head coach in Cullen Matherne.
While he had to install a new offense and defense, he did have some senior leaders in place on each side of the ball. Offensively it was obvious that quarterback Mark Collins would be the guy. However, Matherne speaks just as highly about the “quarterback of the defense” in linebacker Jordan Luna.
Luna has helped lead the Vikings, and they face St. Edmund on Friday with a chance to secure another district title. Luna is the subject of today’s Prep Profile Q&A.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/OCiatWviXFg
QUESTION: Jordan, when I talked to your coach before the season started, he told me that there was a quarterback on the offense. That’s Mark (Collins). But there’s a guy who’s really the quarterback of the defense, and that’s Jordan. He’s going to be just as important to the defense as Mark is to the offense. What has that role kind of been like for you? And what’s it like not only being a player on that side, but kind of controlling things?
ANSWER: I mean, it’s fun. I’ve always been always wanted to be a leader. I had a senior linebacker, John Michael Jarrell last year that was the leader. I looked up to him. So, I mean, just trying to help everybody play the best they can on defenses is this always fun and always looking at watching Mark be a role model on offense. I’m just trying to take notes from Mark to help on the defense as well.
Q: What was it like, because you guys had a new head coach come in later on in your career. Now to make some of those adjustments and changes of how he wanted things done, but still trying to be on track to do everything y’all wanted to do?
A: It was kind of the same thing. He always wanted to win, so did our previous coach. So there was nothing really different, just trying to win it. But the defense was kind of different, so we just had to make those changes.
Q: Your team started off the season little up and down, but you’ve really come to form these past few weeks winning some big time games. What’s that been like to try and figure out how to put it together at the right time?
A: Playing against those teams in the beginning it was always rough because they had bigger bodies. But now we have learned to play as a team together. At the beginning the season was always just “I” or “it was your fault,” but now it’s just like “oh, we messed up with the team, let’s just fix it and go move on from it” and that’s what we’ve been doing really well.
Q: This Friday night you have got a big game coming up with potential district implications and also a somewhat close rival to you in Saint Ed’s. What’s the mindset like in this game?
A: For our defense, just always attack the guy with the ball and get as many hats on the ball as possible. So just playing our game and we’ll come out with a W, most likely.
Q: And lastly, who’s a guy you like to watch maybe in college or the NFL that you kind of model your game after?
A: I like Harold Perkins. He’s always fun to watch. He always moves around the field and is quick, so yeah, I like him.